You can, as mentioned, create a shield relative to yourself and ram someone with it, doing such damage as you would do if you hit them yourself, but only by moving yourself as the weapon.
That is what I meant by certain situation. I will probably try that in the future but my focus would be using it relative to myself and not as a weapon if I can avoid that situation.
Since the bar was at shoulder height when it contacted the tree, you probably cannot reach that point on the tree to touch it while sitting. However, I will assume that you touch the tree itself.
I guess proximity to the exact spot would do because it is still the same tree.
However, you fail to connect with the past or see anything about the history of the tree or the area around it.
I will try it again (with 30 minutes of concentration) once per day for a week until I succeed or something happens.
Do you calculate touching or closing eyes during the concentration period or is it not needed for this skill?
If the touching is omitted then do I only have to go close to the person/object/place without touching them?
The "touching" is taken as proximity; there is no bonus for that, but there is a penalty for attempting to do retrocognitive skills remotely, so being there eliminates any penalty. The closing of the eyes I consider part of the "preparatory concentration", which is not a normal element of any psionic skill but allows you to concentrate with less chance of interruption, and thus the "bonus" you get for that is the concentration bonus. You could open your eyes after the concentration without penalty, I think.
The next day for an instant you have a sense that you are connecting with something, but then it fades.
The third day you abruptly and strongly connect with the tree's history. You can see all of it, back to when it was a seed struggling to break through the ground, the woodpecker that broke through the bark, the mouse and later the squirrel who hollowed out the space that is now your winter home, the few winters your parents spent there before you were born, through the moment that an energy field touched it and dissipated, up to this moment when you contacted it.
You have a strong and long-lasting connection; do you have any questions about this tree's history?
--M. J. Young
The next day for an instant you have a sense that you are connecting with something, but then it fades.
I guess the unreachable force wall is a minor event.
A couple of questions on my mind:
1) Does "cutting tree event" a large enough event to trigger this type of skill (because it may relate to unexpected death of trees)?
2) Does the cut down tree that I do not touch penalize this type of skill?
3) How much distance does the skill cover so that it would not get penalized?
4) Can vision substitute for touch or proximity?
I will design experiments to test the above if Morach does not know the answer for the above questions.
do you have any questions about this tree's history?
1) Was I born inside this tree in early spring (because it was still cold outside)?
Was it Month 1 (April) or Month 0 (March)?
2) When did my parents start living here (by tracking how much winters they have live together)?
3) Does it record any peculiar feeling when the energy field touch it and dissipated?
I wonder if I can automatically tag creature frequencies from past vision such as the mouse or squirrel that I see (even if they are no longer alive) because the skill might trace their frequencies.
I also try to "chain" my skill to see other things past by touching them.
Can I see the "cutting tree event" when I see the edge of the clearing where it happened or do I have to touch the "fallen tree" or "the tree stub"?
Morani could pick up some of it for firewood which I could touch.
I also wonder what would happen if I touch Lelach when this skill is still active.
Does the skill consider a person as an object too or is skill usable for anything?
*****
I would probably try a force wall (shaped and flexible like normal paper) that I can fixed to anything that I wanted to (including myself) next but lets see the potential of the history viewing skill first.
The short answer to the questions about proximity is that contact with the object is normal for reading an object, and presence in a place is normal for reading a place. Your current skill reads objects, and so you have to make contact. If you want to read an object without making contact, or while at a distance, we will adjudicate those situations as they arise. (I am undecided as to whether this skill excludes them so a different skill would be needed, or whether this skill could accomplish them at a penalty, probably -10 for within reach but not touching, and -10 per doubling of the distance beyond that. Of course, there is also the question of remote reading of an object where your "presence" is by some other means, such as a clairsentient skill, for which the penalty is based on an assessment of how "real" your presence is. A "remote sensory presence" in which all your senses are active and you are clairtactically "touching" the object would have a smaller penalty than an object you can see a with your eyes that is out of reach.)
Oh, the botch that cut the swath through the forest--I can see that that might be "devastation" of an order large enough to trigger "psychic residue" sufficient that it would register as a psychic event on that kind of skill, if that's what you were trying to create. That's not what you seemed to be trying to create (you were not feeling for "did anything major ever happen here" but for information about what happened) and you were not focused on that area (your tree is not on the side of the clearing that was hit, or it might have been destroyed as well).1) Does "cutting tree event" a large enough event to trigger this type of skill (because it may relate to unexpected death of trees)?
So, maybe.
You were born in the tree, but the tree does not know the reason.1) Was I born inside this tree in early spring (because it was still cold outside)?
Nor does it know the month.Was it Month 1 (April) or Month 0 (March)?
You seem to have been born after they were together for two winters.2) When did my parents start living here (by tracking how much winters they have live together)?
Something touched it briefly. It was not an event of any significance from the tree's perspective, akin to a bird landing on one of its branches but that there was no branch there.3) Does it record any peculiar feeling when the energy field touch it and dissipated?
You are not in the past, and therefore you see only images of the squirrel and the mouse. It would be something like trying to talk to someone's photograph and expecting an answer.
When you attempt to shift to the distant swath through the forest, you lose the skill.
And yes, persons are not objects for purposes of this skill.
--M. J. Young
You were born in the tree
Try and remember the faces of who have helped my mother to give birth to me so that I can thank them later. I just remember that Morach was born in March.
You seem to have been born after they were together for two winters.
It seems my parents have live together in this place for three to four years.
This reminds me of their wedding which I will ask Lelach about if she would like to tell me about it.
The metal needle would be a rare thing for a sprite to have. I wonder if it is a wedding gift from Morani or something so I will ask Lelach about that too.
I also wonder what gift does a sprite give to each other during a wedding.
You are not in the past, and therefore you see only images of the squirrel and the mouse. It would be something like trying to talk to someone's photograph and expecting an answer.
Normally, trying to talk to a photograph and expecting an answer would be weird but if someone have some power that let them to talk to the photograph then it would not be so weird right?
Matching mental frequency to an image (even if the creature might not live anymore) would probably be a new skill right?
If it is a new skill then Morach will try it in the near future.
*****
I will lie down (and tell Lelach I will take a nap for while) at the place where I unleash "the botch that cut the swath through the forest" and concentrate (with my eyes closed to look like I am asleep) for 30 minutes then try to feel "did anything major ever happen here".
The point of origin would probably have more "psychic residue" and it is located inside the clearing so that is where Morach will lie down.
If I am not mistaken, the unreachable force wall touched the winter tree on the same side as "the botch that cut the swath through the forest" because at first Morach try to push the fallen tree but Lelach forbids him from leaving the clearing so he go to the winter tree which would make both of them on the same side unless Morach takes a roundabout route to go back to the winter tree.
Note to self: Clearing is 15 feet across where winter tree is 10 feet from edge of "tree cutting event". Morach is less than six inches tall with arm that is two inches long.
1) What kind of detail does the skill show me about the "major occurrence"?
2) Can I have an example of any skill from the "psychic residue"?
*****
A "remote sensory presence" in which all your senses are active and you are clairtactically "touching" the object would have a smaller penalty than an object you can see a with your eyes that is out of reach.
Looks like I have to work on out-of-body experience next. This would probably be the second time I tried it. The last time I tried it was inside the womb.
When my parents is asleep, lie down and induce (set the mind) to a concentrated sleep that lasts about 30 minutes to let the soul to be ready to go outside freely but keeping the body alive through autonomous process. After 30 minutes of concentrated sleep, the soul will leave the body until anything tries to interrupt the sleep (or body and soul connection) which will bring back the soul immediately.
*****
And yes, persons are not objects for purposes of this skill.
Next, I would like to see my own history from the moment I am conceived (in this dimension) to the present but that will have to wait.
When you say you are going to try to remember the faces of those who helped your mother give birth, do you mean from the images of the past that you are now seeing, or from your own experience of the event?
When you ask your mother about her wedding, she starts by responding, "Who told you about weddings?"
Assuming you have an answer for that, she'll say, "I don't know, it was pretty much an ordinary wedding. I mean, it was special for me and for your daddy, but there wasn't anything to distinguish it from any other wedding, as far as I know."
The needle was from her parents. She had it from when she was a young girl.
You could use a photograph as a link to the past, and thus perform some sort of time traveling skill (even if only thoughts traveling through time) using the photograph as a foil. You could question the photograph, but in that case the images would have only such knowledge as would be familiar to the photograph--it would not know anything before or beyond its own existence. Talking to the photograph would not be talking to the person in the photograph, unless some magic was used to capture in the photograph the essence of the person. In the same way, if somehow you connected with the mind of the person in the photograph, that would mean that the photograph itself contained a mind. And thus by analogy you are expecting the film-like images of the past which are not connected to any living mind to itself have the minds of those imaged within them.
You can do it, but not with this kind of skill.
You attempt to feel for residual energy from past events, and you find that something did happen here, and although it is not that major you do get the sense that it was damaging, injurious in some way. That is all you get.
Can I have an example of any skill from the "psychic residue"?
If this means can you see how the event was caused, not like this. You can pick up that something serious happened that has left a significant negative psychic energy or aura not in the present but sometime in the past.
--M. J. Young
When you say you are going to try to remember the faces of those who helped your mother give birth, do you mean from the images of the past that you are now seeing
Yes, from the images of History of Object P11@2 skill. The remembering part means that I keep their image in my mind for future reference.
"Who told you about weddings?"
"You told me about marriage in the past and I assume there was some sort of ceremony to commemorate it (which would be called a wedding) or can you get married without any ceremony?"
but there wasn't anything to distinguish it from any other wedding, as far as I know.
"You can start with where it was held, the important guests that come to your wedding, what things exchanged during the wedding, how long the ceremony lasts and any other things that you can think of."
The needle was from her parents. She had it from when she was a young girl.
I wonder how Lelach's parents manage to get them.
Did human really trade with sprite or something?
I will keep that question in my mind until I have access to the needle itself.
You can do it, but not with this kind of skill.
I will keep the "thought time travel skill" in mind for future experiment. I would probably try to "feel any mental frequency that have pass through a certain place" first but that will have to wait.
Using magic to capture in the photograph the essence of the person (probably why some people dislike their photo to be taken) might be a good way to do it too but I wonder if portrait drawn by an artist would also be considered as the photo of the person if it is realistic enough.
sense that it was damaging, injurious in some way.
something serious happened that has left a significant negative psychic energy or aura not in the present but sometime in the past.
So the sense is a little vague in a lot of ways but I kind of like it that way.
*****
When my parents is asleep, lie down and induce (set the mind) to a concentrated sleep that lasts about 30 minutes to let the soul to be ready to go outside freely but keeping the body alive through autonomous process. After 30 minutes of concentrated sleep, the soul will leave the body until anything tries to interrupt the sleep (or body and soul connection) which will bring back the soul immediately.
The people at your birth were Lelach's mother and her older "middle" sister. (I won't remember that.)
...or can you get married without any ceremony?
This question seems to stymie her.
"I--I don't know. That's really a question for your father, or probably for one of your teachers when you start school. I've never known anyone who got married without a wedding, but there are stories in the writings--and I've never read the writings and I've never heard them read, but my father sometimes told me the stories--and it might be that people got married differently long ago. Maybe in the future people will get married differently again. But I don't know how you would tell who was married if you didn't have weddings."
You can start with where it was held, the important guests that come to your wedding, what things exchanged during the wedding, how long the ceremony lasts and any other things that you can think of.
"You really are curious, aren't you?" She thinks for a moment. "All right--but ask me at dinner, when your father is home, and that way we can all sit and talk together. Right now I have to finish getting supper ready; and anyway, he might think of things I wouldn't even know."
I'm breaking here in case there's some reason you don't want Morani involved in this conversation.
--M. J. Young
and her older "middle" sister.
I wonder if I have any cousins so I will ask Lelach about that.
probably for one of your teachers when you start school.
"When is that? Can someone start earlier than that?"
But I don't know how you would tell who was married if you didn't have weddings.
I thought to myself that probably just telling the elder (or the authority) and any related party that the couple have married already could resolve that problem even though there were no wedding to commemorate it but the act of telling this might be called a ceremony in itself (although it might be an informal one).
That also raises another question (which I will ask Lelach), how does a sprite tell whether another sprite have been married or still available?
"You really are curious, aren't you?"
"Yes, very much."
All right--but ask me at dinner, when your father is home, and that way we can all sit and talk together.
I would like to hear my father's story too and this will be a good chance to ask him about a lot of things. I will thank Lelach then continue practicing my various skills until dinner.
*****
At dinner, I will ask my parents any unanswered questions about their wedding, my education (school and such) and family background (to get to know more about them).
where it was held, the important guests that come to your wedding, what things exchanged during the wedding, how long the ceremony lasts and any other things that you can think of.
The family background question's answer could also be said to be known to Morach but the information is omitted to me if you want to save some time.
*****
When my parents is asleep, lie down and induce (set the mind) to a concentrated sleep that lasts about 30 minutes to let the soul to be ready to go outside freely but keeping the body alive through autonomous process. After 30 minutes of concentrated sleep, the soul will leave the body until anything tries to interrupt the sleep (or body and soul connection) which will bring back the soul immediately.
I'm sure you have cousins. At this point you have not met them, and there are none quite your age. (Remember, Sprites give birth at ten years intervals, but marry a few years plus or minus of twenty and don't necessarily have their first child immediately. Thus you probably have cousins a few years older or (eventually) younger, with a low but not non-existent chance of having one within a year of yourself.)
You will start school on your sixth birthday. That's when boys start school.
That also raises another question (which I will ask Lelach), how does a sprite tell whether another sprite have been married or still available?
I'm still working on how to do that in Durnmist, and you want me to find another way here?
The answer seems to be that because Sprites have a shared local community and weddings are public, everyone they are likely to meet already knows that they got married. Anyone who wouldn't know that isn't close enough that it's likely to matter. That is, all the sprites with whom Morani went to school know that he married Lelach, and all the sprites with whom Lelach played know that she married Morani, so if anyone is curious, they'll be told. Besides, once you reach thirty, you're married to someone, and before you're sixteen you're not, so it's only for a few years in the middle that there's any question about it.
where it was held
The big tree near the center of the local community, where the elders sometimes meet. Everyone gathered in the branches.
the important guests that come to your wedding
The important guests were family and friends; the elders were also present.
, what things exchanged during the wedding
Promises.
how long the ceremony lasts
The wedding lasts forever; the ceremony itself takes maybe half an hour, and there's usually a party after that. It's said that wedding parties have lasted for days, long after the bride and groom have left, and although he doesn't think theirs lasted for more than a few hours, they didn't wait around for it to be over but left pretty early.
and any other things that you can think of.
Your father says your mother was beautiful, and that that's the only important thing he remembers. Your mother says he's being silly, but she blushes when she say it.
--M. J. Young
I'm sure you have cousins. At this point you have not met them, and there are none quite your age.
I tell Lelach that I hope I can meet them soon.
You will start school on your sixth birthday.
Can I come to school earlier than that or observe what the others are doing at least?
I'm still working on how to do that in Durnmist, and you want me to find another way here?
Well, this will probably help you indirectly. If only males are allowed to propose marriage to females (and not vice versa) then only females need something to distinguish themselves whether they are married or not. They can fashion their hair differently from before they are married such as letting down hair vs tying their hair (like a bun or something), straight hair vs permed hair and others. They could also dress differently from before they are married such as wearing more polite dress to public so as not to attract attention. It could also be something related to the wings (such as coloring it or using a certain flight pattern).
Besides, once you reach thirty, you're married to someone, and before you're sixteen you're not, so it's only for a few years in the middle that there's any question about it.
14 years is a long time and what if a person looks more mature or younger than their age. That would cause a lot of confusion. I just hope that no one propose to Lelach by mistake because they do not know whether she have been married or not. It would be embarrassing for both parties for that to happen and I wonder how will Lelach respond to that situation (when she is too shy to tell the other party that she have been married because of the awkward situation).
The big tree near the center of the local community
I tell my parents that I would like to see it if I have not seen it before.
Are promises the only thing exchanged during the wedding?
I will ask my parents how the sprite distinguish between the ones who are getting married, the important guests and the normal guests.
Your father says your mother was beautiful, and that that's the only important thing he remembers. Your mother says he's being silly, but she blushes when she say it.
I wonder how beautiful is that when it is translated in the form of animal magnetism or statistic.
I smile at them and excuse myself from dinner so they can have their time alone.
I will resume any practice that I am doing until it is time for sleep.
*****
When my parents is asleep, lie down and induce (set the mind) to a concentrated sleep that lasts about 30 minutes to let the soul to be ready to go outside freely but keeping the body alive through autonomous process. After 30 minutes of concentrated sleep, the soul will leave the body until anything tries to interrupt the sleep (or body and soul connection) which will bring back the soul immediately.
Sprite marriages are arranged by their parents, or in the absence of parents by older siblings or uncles/aunts. There is no danger of someone proposing to Lelach (or to Morani) because the process would begin with parents talking to parents about unmarried offspring.
Concerning the out-of-body skill, are you expecting it to last for a temporary period and snap your spirit back to the body when it expires, or are you expecting that it will return to the body when you choose? Also, in order to know what is happening at the body you will need some sort of clairsentient connection, such as touch or sight, and which you choose might limit what you can recognize. How do you detect the conditions that are to end the separation?
--M. J. Young
There is no danger of someone proposing to Lelach (or to Morani) because the process would begin with parents talking to parents about unmarried offspring.
I would like to hear more about the arranged marriage system the sprites have but I will save that question for later.
Concerning the out-of-body skill, are you expecting it to last for a temporary period and snap your spirit back to the body when it expires
Yes, with the possibility of "chaining" it if I want to resume what I was doing. I could also return to my body if I deactivate the skill.
in order to know what is happening at the body you will need some sort of clairsentient connection
That would be the subconscious part that controls my body autonomously which will alert me if something is interrupting the autonomous process (which would mean a very deep sleep unless something tries to wake me up forcefully which will interrupt the autonomous rhythm). This will maximize the sense I can feel from the soul. Sight and hearing would be the same as normal. Smell and taste could probably work if soul can perceive chemical or at least interact with chemical (although this might be one-sided interaction like sight and hearing of a soul). Taste and touch would also be a little weird considering soul can walk through walls so I think it can perceive solid object but it will feel different from normal (according to the way it is perceived). In soul mode, the creature could be floating or choose to "walk" on some plane which I think what the soul will have to do if "it" wants to "touch" or "taste" something (so that it will feel or taste similar to normal).
How do you detect the conditions that are to end the separation?
The body and soul have some kind of telepathy connection (more like a body/soul link) which will alert the soul if the body is interrupted (in a way that will disturb the autonomous process).
I don't know if it's all the same to you or not, but I would prefer to call the disembodied portion a "spirit". To me, a "soul" is a fully united body/spirit combination, not a Platonic ontos trapped in a soma. I'm not fixated on the vocabulary choice, but it does annoy me a bit. It's just a definitional thing, but I'm hoping it's easier for us to agree on a word for which we already share a reasonably similar definition than to use a word that has obviously different meanings to us.
So to be clear, if someone is tampering with your body, you just simply know it, and you can return instantly to the body no matter how far you have traveled or how long it took to get there by terminating the skill use.
I'm going to have to get a bit of detail concerning what constitutes "tampering with your body". Obviously you sleep outside, and that means that the wind will blow, leaves will fall, the occasional insect will crawl over you, none of which would disturb your normal sleep; on the other hand, if your father grabbed you and hauled you to your feet--well, even here it's uncertain, as I remember as a father lifting probably each of my children without awakening them, to carry them to bed. So the question is, how much interference with your body is necessary to cause the skill to terminate? Note that if you include that you are aware of what is being done (that you know that it is a ladybug tickling your arm or your father carrying you to a better place to sleep as opposed to your mother gently shaking you and calling your name) that that puts us back in the realm of clairsentience: that information is essentially sensory information, and your senses are shut down at the body location because you are not there.
--M. J. Young
I would prefer to call the disembodied portion a "spirit". To me, a "soul" is a fully united body/spirit combination, not a Platonic ontos trapped in a soma.
I would like to hear more about that if you do not mind to elaborate because there are plenty definitions out there. Can I say a connection of body/spirit a soul link?
if someone is tampering with your body, you just simply know it, and you can return instantly to the body no matter how far you have traveled or how long it took to get there by terminating the skill use.
Tampering which disturbs the autonomous body rhythm (which would occur if someone tries to wake me up from deep sleep) will make me return to the body instantly (or probably as fast as light considering the spirit have no mass) because of the telepathy connection (more like body/spirit or soul link). The soul link will guide the spirit back to the body.
1) a father lifting probably each of my children without awakening them, to carry them to bed
2) mother gently shaking you and calling your name
3) ladybug tickling your arm
These would not wake me from the deep sleep so it will not interfere with the skill.
However, if my mother continue to shake me violently (after failing to shake me gently) then this will probably interfere with my autonomous body rhythm and this situation may interfere with the skill. Rapid changes in breath rates or failure to regulate body temperature to normal might also disturb my body to follow the autonomous rhythm thus giving a signal for me to back to my body. The (deep sleep) autonomous system will send a signal for the spirit to come back when the body have irregular feedback that disturbs the autonomous process (of deep sleep).
your senses are shut down at the body location because you are not there.
My spirit does not feel anything at the body location but the body itself may feel something which would wake up the body from deep sleep. This sensation (of waking up) will be transmitted to the spirit through soul link.
Feeling is a complicated thing. Sensory nerves in the body pick up information and transmit them to the brain; but the "feeling" happens either in the brain or in the spirit. If there is a spirit which can separate from the body, then that's the part that actually "feels". This is complicated by reflexes, in which no information ever reaches the brain directly but is processed by the nerves in situ resulting in an action triggered by nerve response....the body itself may feel something....
All of which is to say, if the spirit leaves the body, sensation is limited to the reflexive and autonomic--the spirit is disconnected and can neither know what is happening to the body nor control it.
This pushes me back to the clairsensory category: if you are able to sense what is happening at your body, that sense must be in terms of one or more specific senses--you can still hear what is happening around you, or still feel any contact which can be assessed for meaning, or still see what immediately surrounds you. It also means that the specific sensory connection matters. If it's tactile, a loud noise or a bright flash of light would not register; if it's auditory, physical contact or conditions would not be noticed; if it's visual, it would not recognize invisible forces.
Absent some clairsentient link, the body is effectively comatose: the spirit is not there, and does not know what is happening there, and so the body will not awaken until the spirit returns of its own accord.
What you are describing requires that the spirit remain connected to the body, and that is inherently contradictory to the point of the skill, which is that the spirit disconnects from the body.
I'll start an off-topic thread on the spirit/soul controversy, Spirits versus Souls.
That puts me back to the initial question: how does the spirit know what is happening to the body, when the spirit is separated from the body? It has to be a "sensory" link of some sort, and the specific sensation which is linked will impact what can be transmitted between them.
--M. J. Young
sensation is limited to the reflexive and autonomic
Is process of waking up from deep sleep included in one of those?
If it not the above process, does waking up from deep sleep a conscious decision of the mind?
How does the mind do that when it is in the process of deep sleep?
What you are describing requires that the spirit remain connected to the body, and that is inherently contradictory to the point of the skill, which is that the spirit disconnects from the body.
This would be easier if you have read/watch "Bleach". If a person is still alive (such as in coma) but the spirit leaves the body, there are some sort of connection of the spirit to the body. In "Bleach", this would be illustrated as a chain that connects the spirit to the body. In my case, this chain is just invisible (or like a non-local connection of tangled particles) but there might be a way to "see" or detect such connection.
Absent some clairsentient link, the body is effectively comatose: the spirit is not there, and does not know what is happening there, and so the body will not awaken until the spirit returns of its own accord.
There is some sort of clairsentient link with the body but not using the normal five senses. It is more like knowing the body deep sleep process is interrupted so if nothing interrupts the deep sleep then the spirit would not know about it. If the violent shaking does not disturb the deep sleep, then the spirit would not know about it. The body would look like a comatose to the others unless that person tries to experiment on something that might wake the body from deep sleep or disturb the process of deep sleep.
Thanks for elaboration of spirit/soul. I will discuss some of my questions there.
It has to be a "sensory" link of some sort, and the specific sensation which is linked will impact what can be transmitted between them.
It is more like knowledge or memory sort of thing. The knowledge that will be transmitted is limited to a signal that give "the process of deep sleep have been interrupted so I will drag you back to your body" meaning in mind.
If you still not sure what I meant earlier, I will leave out the "until anything tries to interrupt the sleep (or body and spirit connection) which will bring back the spirit immediately" part from:
When my parents is asleep, lie down and induce (set the mind) to a concentrated sleep that lasts about 30 minutes to let the spirit to be ready to go outside freely but keeping the body alive through autonomous process. After 30 minutes of concentrated sleep, the spirit will leave the body until anything tries to interrupt the sleep (or body and spirit connection) which will bring back the spirit immediately.
Please tell me the detail of the skill regarding the clairsentient link (whether it uses deep sleep process interruption or not) if I succeed in the skill.
sensation is limited to the reflexive and autonomicIs process of waking up from deep sleep included in one of those?
If it not the above process, does waking up from deep sleep a conscious decision of the mind?
How does the mind do that when it is in the process of deep sleep?
The comatose person does not awaken; and as long as your spirit is not in your body, you are comatose. As to what process causes a sleeping person to awaken, I would say that it is a conscious function--if the spirit is in the body, it is still connected to the body's senses, and the arrival of sufficiently significant sensory input penetrates the sleep function (whether the significance is the intensity, such as loud noises, bright light, shaking, or intense heat, or intellectually significant, such as someone quietly speaking the subject's name, or (and I've done this) the click of the alarm clock a couple seconds before it rings announcing that the loud noise can be avoided by shutting it off now). As to awakening naturally, that may also be a sensory process, in which something internal is aware that there has been sufficient sleep and prompts the mind to stop sleeping. Whether that something is autonomic, like hunger, is irrelevant. While you are out-of-body you cannot feel hunger, and you similarly cannot feel whatever it is that signals that your body is fully rested.
While I'm on the subject, your mind is not resting at all in this situation, so if there is something that signals that your mind has had sufficient rest, it is irrelevant also.
It also occurs to me that the "deep sleep process" is not in the body but in the mind, and the nature of the skill asserts that the mind is not asleep but only the body is. Thus we can also discount that which would interrupt the deep sleep process--it's not in the body anyway. It happens when the mind disconnects from the motor functions and reduces sensory reception/processing, and is overcome by sensory input which is "significant", as just described.
At this point I can tell you that there is no "deep sleep process" link between the body and the spirit. Thus there is either no link or a link that is connected to a specific sense (or more than one, if you so specify). It can be internal (what the body sees, hears, feels, smells, tastes--since you probably want your eyes closed, and smell and taste would be the least informative in this situation, auditory and tactile commend themselves) or external (your external observation of the body from a bird's eye view, or possibly akin to an audio mike near your body). Having no link is an easier skill (in terms of chance of success) than having a link, but as you are clearly aware there is some danger to leaving your body without having some sort of warning system to allow you to return.
--M. J. Young
While you are out-of-body you cannot feel hunger, and you similarly cannot feel whatever it is that signals that your body is fully rested.
What if I have a clairsentient link to the body that connects to the feeling of hunger or that signals when my body is fully rested?
These could be said to connect to the area of brain which is a part of the body.
Coma takes root from a Greek word that means "deep sleep" (from Wikipedia but there could be different meanings if you search for other sources). So the effect of deep sleep that I meant before resembles coma-like state a lot. Stupor is the level of consciousness where only pain can be felt. If the skill is done in stupor mode, the spirit could not feel pain but if the body feel pain it will be transfered to the spirit thus alerting it. I will probably try this variant of the skill much later.
Having no link is an easier skill (in terms of chance of success) than having a link
Severing a persistent link might be harder than keeping a persistent link if such a link existed. If there are no such (persistent) link existed (which I think might exist in certain world or condition) then I would prefer the skill to have no link (unless there is such link).
The skill below is done with have no link between spirit and body (unless there is a persistent link which may help to communicate between the spirit and the body which I will leave alone):
When my parents is asleep, lie down and induce (set the mind) to a concentrated sleep that lasts about 30 minutes to let the spirit to be ready to go outside freely but keeping the body alive through autonomous process. After 30 minutes of concentrated sleep, the spirit will leave the body.
clearly aware there is some danger to leaving your body without having some sort of warning system to allow you to return.
If I succeed in leaving my body, I will probably thought of something to warn me of future danger that might happen to my body or spirit (or specifically any danger that may harm the spirit through the body).
I should have noticed this sooner; I apologize for "yet another delay". What is "concentrated sleep", and how does it differ from concentration? My immediate impression is that sleep excludes "concentration" and thus that "concentrated sleep" is not something you can will or do, but this might be because I am not understanding what you mean.
--M. J. Young
I know you would ask this question sooner or later.
As the mind does not rest during the skill, it can be said that this skill makes the body go to sleep then the mind or spirit wanders off outside of the body. The "concentrated sleep" here means that the mind is putting the body to sleep while being aware of the whole process. This means the faster the body sleeps, the quicker it is for the mind or spirit to be ready to go outside of the body. Time is needed for the body to be completely relax and let the mind or spirit to be ready to wander outside of the body.
O.K., I'm going to ignore the concept of "concentrated sleep" because in my perception sleep is a brain thing; the body rests when the brain stops sending it commands, but "sleep" is that function of the brain that causes it to disconnect from the body and shift into a different state of consciousness.
Thus I would have to take your "concentrated sleep" as not being sleep at all, but being a conscious decision to relax the musculature of the body and disconnect from the senses while remaining awake.
Normally I do not bother with this question, because normally approximations are sufficient and there is sufficient environmental information to estimate time, but if you are cutting yourself off from external information and focusing your concentration on preparation for this skill, how are you measuring thirty minutes?
--M. J. Young
in my perception sleep is a brain thing; the body rests when the brain stops sending it commands, but "sleep" is that function of the brain that causes it to disconnect from the body and shift into a different state of consciousness.
Can brain and spirit do different things at the same time?
If they cannot, then this means either they have to be connected in some way or the skill cannot be done in the first place right?
Imagine two threads that are tangled together. One end represents the body (which includes the brain) and the other represents the spirit. The spirit part will try to untangle from the body (which includes the brain) which will make the brain sleeps (or go to a deeper sleep).
The body (which includes the brain) sleeps while the spirit are still aware of the surrounding. This is why the spirit can sense the passage of time as if the body is still awake. At the end of the concentration time, the spirit will be fully untangled from the body.
your "concentrated sleep" as not being sleep at all, but being a conscious decision to relax the musculature of the body and disconnect from the senses while remaining awake.
Is it impossible to make the body sleep while the spirit is still awake?
if you are cutting yourself off from external information and focusing your concentration on preparation for this skill, how are you measuring thirty minutes
The spirit sense these things while the body sleeps just like how the body does it while it is awake.
The below is a back-up explanation if you still cannot accept the above explanation although I hope you will not need it.
The concentration time is just an approximation of how long Morach will go to REM sleep although normal people will take about 90 minutes, people with sleep disorder 15-25 minutes and infant may progress to REM sleep much faster. (Taken from various sources).
If the spirit separation from the body can occur sooner rather than later then so be it. The minimum concentration time required to go to REM sleep can also be calculated by subtracting the success rate of skill without the concentration from the skill roll and if the results are greater than zero then the concentration time will be added to make up for it (although this would be a different skill altogether).
As for how someone can relax and know 30 minutes have past, counting backwards from 1800 seems to be a good idea.
You close your eyes, shift your body into a relaxed state and gradually cut yourself off from it. Then, when your countdown reaches zero, you step out of your body. You see your body lying next to you, breathing softly as if asleep. It still glows, as to the bodies of your parents not far distant on the ground.
--M. J. Young
Hmmm--I seem to have most of that post written somewhere else, and missed posting it. I'm going to post it here:
The brain can do many things simultaneously, and so can the spirit. Usually the brain is assisting the autonomic functions of the body, and also functioning as the connecting point between spirit and body. It has no conscious "thought" apart from the spirit, which is the realm in which thought exists, being mediated through the brain. The spirit makes decisions; the "mind" as such is a function of the spirit, as is the "will" and those aspects that are personality-based, any knowledge, any non-physical attributes, any mental/spiritual powers such as psionic abilities, are all in the spirit.The particular physiology of sleep is complicated by the fact that you intend to remain conscious--that is, you are not shutting down your conscious thought processes and decision making processes which are in your spirit, and thus you are not actually going to sleep. You are putting your body into a state of rest run by autonomic systems; this is what you do when your spirit leaves your body anyway, so at best it can be said that you are taking the precautionary steps of putting your body into the necessary state prior to departing it. But you are not "sleeping"; your "mind" is not at rest, and there will be no REM state, because you are still conscious through the entire process.
In fact, falling asleep would be a typical failure in this skill.
--M. J. Young
You are putting your body into a state of rest run by autonomic systems; this is what you do when your spirit leaves your body anyway, so at best it can be said that you are taking the precautionary steps of putting your body into the necessary state prior to departing it.
Well, it can be said that way. I wonder if I can initiate spirit travel in a dream by using lucid dreaming skill first. That will be my future experiment.
If I feel that I am about to go back to my body, I will "chain" the skill so it will stay on longer. If I am in the middle of doing something else then I will stop doing what I am doing (if it interferes with the "chaining" of the spirit travel skill and if not I will resume what I am doing while I am "chaining" the spirit travel skill) then "chain" the spirit travel skill because that is the main priority for this form.
How fast do I move in this form and how do I move?
Can I see or hear anything unusual such as other spirits?
How does this form feel about the surrounding?
Is hair categorized as an object, a person or both (if viewed from History of Object skill)?
I will touch my own hair (at the body) and see if I can activate History of Object with it and if that is not a viable target for the skill then I will try History of Person skill instead with the usual 30 minutes concentration. I will try to see what happen at the time of the incident where I accidentally cut down the trees. I will also try to see if this skill also works if I try to see the time when Lelach and Morach minds are fused together.
If I succeed, I will then try to concentrate for 30 minutes by thinking what have happen in the past so I can be more aware of the surrounding then try to predict any immediate danger that may happen to the body in the future.
*****
After that, I will walk (or float) to the place where I cut down trees accidentally.
I will touch a tree stub from the incident then activate History of Object to see if I can see anything interesting during the incident.
I would say that hair that is not on a person is an object, but as long as it is on the person it is a body part. That would be different from trying to read clothing.
You move by deciding which direction you wish to go, and your initial velocity is walking speed. You can go through the motions of "walking" if you wish, but it is not necessary.
Your spirit form is invisible, so you cannot see it; you know where your limbs are by the same kinesthetic sense that tells you where your arms and legs are in the dark or when your eyes are closed. Thus you can place an invisible hand on an object and feel what you are touching, but since you are not solid you can pass your hand through the object without pain.
Concerning movement, were you going to experiment with how fast you can move, and if so for how long? Of is it sufficient to know that in the first minute you move at walking speeds?
--M. J. Young
You move by deciding which direction you wish to go, and your initial velocity is walking speed.
I will try basic movement such as try going forward, backward, moving sideway, upward, downward, turning around and going through solid object.
Your spirit form is invisible, so you cannot see it; you know where your limbs are by the same kinesthetic sense that tells you where your arms and legs are in the dark or when your eyes are closed. Thus you can place an invisible hand on an object and feel what you are touching, but since you are not solid you can pass your hand through the object without pain.
Very interesting. So even a spirit cannot see their own form. I will probably try developing a skill for that soon.
Can I smell or taste anything nearby in this form?
Of is it sufficient to know that in the first minute you move at walking speeds?
Yes, that is sufficient because I just what to get the feel of moving in spirit form. I will continue with the movement experiment such as acceleration after I have finish with trying a few experiments to my own body.
If I have to "chain" spirit travel skill, then I will do it first then restart what I was doing then (if I am still in concentration period). If the skill have finished the concentration period, I wonder if I can "chain" two skills at different time so I will try this when the time comes.
I would say that hair that is not on a person is an object, but as long as it is on the person it is a body part. That would be different from trying to read clothing.
So that means that Morach will be trying History of Person skill.
After getting the feel of moving in spirit form (and trying to feel, smell or taste nearby things) for about a minute, I will touch my own body (at the head). I will then concentrate for 30 minutes then try to look for what have happen in past.
I will try to see what happen at the time of the incident where I accidentally cut down the trees. I will also try to see if this skill also works if I try to see the time when Lelach and Morach minds are fused together.
If I succeed in viewing my own history, I will then try to concentrate for 30 minutes by thinking what have happen in the past so I can be more aware of the surrounding then try to predict any immediate danger that may happen to the body in the future.
*****
After that, I will resume my movement experiment by trying to accelerate my movement so that I could go to where I cut down trees accidentally.
I will touch a tree stub from the incident then activate History of Object to see if I can see anything interesting during the incident.
You have complete control of movement. You can pass through solid objects, but while your "spirit eyes" are inside the object you cannot see anything.
You turn your attention to your body and concentrate for half an hour. Then you look into your own past. You can see a somewhat broad outline that stretches back before your birth into your previous life as a human in another world, but you quickly focus in on the recent event of the slicing down of the trees. Here you see that there was an uncontrolled power surge from within yourself that burst outward as an edged force and brought down a swath of the wood, which is not really more than you already knew; you can't see how it happened.
You then feel the spirit projection starting to slip, but you restore it. It occurs to you that you would have had to break your concentration had you still been concentrating, but you don't lose the connection to your own past by renewing the spirit walk.
You return to the moment of your mindmeld with your mother, and you can tell that something happened, but it seems far removed from your ability to observe this. There was a link, but that's all you really can see from this perspective.
I am not certain what this means:
I will then try to concentrate for 30 minutes by thinking what have happen in the past so I can be more aware of the surrounding then try to predict any immediate danger that may happen to the body in the future.You still have the link to your own past; is there anything you want to ask about it?
--M. J. Young
Did I smell or taste anything when I pass through solid objects?
You can see a somewhat broad outline that stretches back before your birth into your previous life as a human in another world
I wonder if the skill could even stretch further back before the human me is conceived to see my past reincarnation or something that happen before that.
I hypothesize that this skill might be limited to the history of reincarnations that I at least have a little memory of so I will check if it is possible to view the history before the human me is conceived. I will also try to view the oldest history that is available with the current skill.
A good opportunity to ask me some questions.
an uncontrolled power surge from within yourself that burst outward as an edged force and brought down a swath of the wood, which is not really more than you already knew; you can't see how it happened.
I wonder if a different skill is needed to know how the incident really happen so I might try that later when I get to the tree stub considering that is the only place that I have not examine yet.
It occurs to you that you would have had to break your concentration had you still been concentrating, but you don't lose the connection to your own past by renewing the spirit walk.
Very interesting. I wonder what is the limit of "chaining" skills like this.
If only one skill can be "chained" a minute this way (which would make 1 minute concentration skill seem advantageous), then the number of skills that can be "chained" is limited to the duration of the skill. I wonder how much skills can be chained effectively this way for skill with specific concentration time, variable concentration time and without concentration. This somehow sounds like a fun math problem.
There was a link, but that's all you really can see from this perspective.
I also wonder if there is a different skill capable of viewing such link.
You still have the link to your own past; is there anything you want to ask about it?
1) Does this link provide other experience such as feeling, hearing, smelling or tasting or is it just viewing?
2) Does the skill let me see the view from my own eye only or can it be any view from around my body?
3) Can I see anything when I try to view the history at the time that I am asleep the night before?
4) Do I know where the metal needle is currently kept or last seen at?
I will then try to concentrate for 30 minutes by thinking what have happen in the past so I can be more aware of the surrounding then try to predict any immediate danger that may happen to the body in the future.
The skill above uses the knowledge gained from viewing the surrounding history from various perspective of self especially at the time of night and any recent history available to extrapolate any immediate danger that might happen to the body.
Since tactile and olfactory senses are sensitive to the shape of molecules, you would have both smelled and tasted the objects through which you passed. I'm not certain what those objects were, so I can't describe these.
Your retrocognitive efforts take you back to the moment your human self was conceived, but no further. Prior to that there is no evidence of you having any existence. This also suggests that your present body has a material connection of some sort to the previous body, since you are tracing the history of a body.
The link is not really quite viewing. It is more like remembering information you did not actually know. Thus you do not see, but you remember what it looked like; you did not taste, but you remembered what it tasted like. Similarly, you don't really see what your eyes saw, although you can "remember" what your eyes saw, or what anyone else's eyes saw, or what would have been seen had someone looked in the right place.
Viewing the history of last night is entirely possible. It's dark, but you since you are not seeing but remembering it is possible to know things that you would not be able to see for lack of light.
I don't think that there's any reason for a survey of the past of your body to tell you where the metal needle might be. In any case, you don't find such information in your survey of your past.
I'm still not understanding the skill you are suggesting. Perhaps more precisely, I can understand the concept of using the information you gain from examining past events to attempt to extrapolate potential dangers and devise protections against them, but I do not see how that is a psionic skill. What am I missing?
--M. J. Young
Since tactile and olfactory senses are sensitive to the shape of molecules, you would have both smelled and tasted the objects through which you passed.
Knowing that is enough for me. This could help to guide me in solid object instead of sight.
This also suggests that your present body has a material connection of some sort to the previous body, since you are tracing the history of a body.
I wonder what that material is and how it get to Lelach's body in the first place so I will keep this in mind for future experiment.
1) you did not taste, but you remembered what it tasted like.
2) you can "remember" what your eyes saw, or what anyone else's eyes saw, or what would have been seen had someone looked in the right place.
3) It's dark, but you since you are not seeing but remembering it is possible to know things that you would not be able to see for lack of light.
An interesting feature of the skill.
Does this mean I can "remember" how I feel when my tooth cuts my gum?
Can I "remember" what happen behind my back in the past even without viewing them in the first place?
I don't think that there's any reason for a survey of the past of your body to tell you where the metal needle might be.
There a couple of ways to track the metal needle:
1) View the history of the object where I last seen Lelach sew then track the metal needle movements accordingly.
2) Use detect material skill to detect metal.
3) View Lelach's history and check where she put the metal needle.
I will try one the above (or come up with other ways if the above did not work) later but logically it would be put somewhere to protect it from corrosion and from a child reach.
Perhaps more precisely, I can understand the concept of using the information you gain from examining past events to attempt to extrapolate potential dangers and devise protections against them, but I do not see how that is a psionic skill.
Precognitive danger sense?
Yes on both counts. You don't feel the pain, per se, but you remember feeling the pain; you don't see what was behind you but you gain information about what was behind you which has a memory-like quality as if you had seen it.Does this mean I can "remember" how I feel when my tooth cuts my gum?
Can I "remember" what happen behind my back in the past even without viewing them in the first place?
Just to be clear, none of your three suggested ways of tracking the location of the metal needle are information you would gain from history of person retrocognitive skill presently in use. Also, although you could use a history of object on some other object that came in contact with the needle in the past to see the needle at that moment, that does not give you a connection to the needle sufficient to trace its history. (There could be a "retrocognitive scrying" skill that enables you to look at a specific area at a specific moment in the past, and then move from there as if using clairvoyance, but that is distinct from any of the skills you have developed to this point.)
You could indeed develop a precognitive danger sense, and it is certainly in some ways similar to retrocognition. There are a lot of ways such a danger sense could function, though, and I'll want some parameters concerning your expectations.
- There is the difference between the "spidey sense" that gives you a moment's warning that "something bad is about to happen" and an augury that requires you to stop and focus for a moment to get a feeling for whether something bad is about to happen.
- Similarly, there is a big difference between knowing that something undesirable is about to happen and knowing what it is, or even what sort of bad thing it is.
- There is also a distinction between a the warning of a moment that allows you to prepare and the warning of an instant that does little more than negate surprise and give you the opportunity to steal initiative.
--M. J. Young
although you could use a history of object on some other object that came in contact with the needle in the past to see the needle at that moment, that does not give you a connection to the needle sufficient to trace its history.
The purpose for that skill is to find where the metal needle was kept so Morach can touch it later.
There could be a "retrocognitive scrying" skill that enables you to look at a specific area at a specific moment in the past, and then move from there as if using clairvoyance
I will keep this in mind.
1) the "spidey sense" that gives you a moment's warning that "something bad is about to happen"
2) knowing that something undesirable is about to happen
3) warning of an instant that does little more than negate surprise and give you the opportunity to steal initiative.
The above fits the skill description. The skill resembles a bad feeling that you got when something bad is about to happen but you did not know what exactly that bad thing is. The concentration time is needed to pre-process the past information to help predict danger in the immediate future as long as the skill is active.
All you can learn about the needle from doing retrocognition on objects which have come in contact with it is that the needle contacted the object. The origin or subsequent history of the needle itself is not traceable from that. It in essence enters the scene from somewhere and then exits the scene.
I will then try to concentrate for 30 minutes by thinking what have happen in the past so I can be more aware of the surrounding then try to predict any immediate danger that may happen to the body in the future.
Established, that this skill will give you a moment's warning that something unspecified but bad is about to happen sufficient that you can be alert for it, and that you have to concentrate for half an hour to activate it, that raises a couple more questions about it.
- You said that your concentration will be related to thinking about what has happened in the past, and you mentioned this specifically in connection with a retrocognitive skill. Does this precognitive danger sense require the successful use of a retrocognitive skill related to your circumstances for it to work, or do you simply need to recall past dangers?
- How long do you envision the danger sense lasting once it is activated?
As an aside, my preference for such skills is to have them in an "always on" condition with a retroactive effect in game. That is, if something bad happens and you are surprised by it, you can call for a roll of the danger sense skill which, if successful, means that we replay those last moments before the bad thing happened such that you are permitted to anticipate "something bad" and negate the surprise. That would of course mean you couldn't use concentration to prepare for it. My "normal" duration for psionic skills is RS minutes, that is, a length of time in minutes equal to the successful roll--anything from one to one hundred minutes, entirely random but capped at your maximum chance of success. If you're thinking of a fixed duration or a longer variable duration, that will "cost" in terms of chance of success (-10 per effective doubling and a penalty for shifting from variable to fixed).
--M. J. Young
It in essence enters the scene from somewhere and then exits the scene.
Is it possible to determine which way the metal needle exits the scene?
If it is possible then can the skill be "chained" to the next thing so that the direction of metal needle be followed?
Does this precognitive danger sense require the successful use of a retrocognitive skill related to your circumstances for it to work, or do you simply need to recall past dangers?
It does not require the successful use of a retrocognitive skill to work but recalling past event as much as possible might be helpful to find hints for the skill prediction.
How long do you envision the danger sense lasting once it is activated?
RS minutes with the possibility of "chaining".
That is, if something bad happens and you are surprised by it, you can call for a roll of the danger sense skill which, if successful, means that we replay those last moments before the bad thing happened such that you are permitted to anticipate "something bad" and negate the surprise.
I will probably try this variant in the future.
(-10 per effective doubling and a penalty for shifting from variable to fixed)
To facilitate my understanding of the above, I will ask a few questions.
If a skill works for RS/4 hours (which is 15 times the normal time), this means it doubles for 3 and 7/8 (or 0.875) times right?
That would mean the penalty would be -39 right?
If the skill roll is 01, would the skill work for a quarter hour or do you just calculate it like damage which would make it work for an hour?
When the skill is activated, do I feel anything to know if the skill have succeeded such as feeling of security or something?
Is it possible to determine which way the metal needle exits the scene?
If it is possible then can the skill be "chained" to the next thing so that the direction of metal needle be followed?
I can't help feeling that we are not really communicating here.
The retrocognitive skill you are using is sort of like reading the "mind" of the object your are touching. Any other object that enters the "scene" is not more than a "memory" of that object by this one. Thus what you're asking amounts to if you read your father's mind and he is thinking about Tonathel, the ancient sprite hero mentioned in the holy scriptures, can you then read Tonathel's mind because your father was thinking about him? Obviously you can't. In the same way, the fact that the memory of the needle is part of the memories of the target object for the retrocognitive investigation does not give you any connection at all to the needle; to read the history of the needle you would need contact with the needle.
Again, it might be possible to devise a different skill which enables you to pick a place and time and "clairvoyantly" move around in that place and time. That skill has different limitations, but if you were to see the needle then and there you could track it by following it from there.
I concur with the math. Since, though, the calculation is really RSx15 minutes (RS/4 hours being the more convenient calculation) I would say that a roll of 1 is a quarter of an hour in that situation. I should also note that many roundings in Multiverser are based on the "half goes up" system, although in this case probably not--a successful roll cannot result in a zero outcome unless inherent die modifiers make 0 a possible roll.If a skill works for RS/4 hours (which is 15 times the normal time), this means it doubles for 3 and 7/8 (or 0.875) times right?
That would mean the penalty would be -39 right?
If the skill roll is 01, would the skill work for a quarter hour or do you just calculate it like damage which would make it work for an hour?
I think the answer to this is, we can incorporate a detect that tells you it's working but it will increase the bias of the skill one intensity and knock -10 off your chance of success (which is already bonused at +59, so that's not that big a deal). It's your option. If you say no, then you will not know whether it is working or when the time tolls, and will not know when it has to be chained except by supposition/guesswork. If you say yes, it will not be an @1 skill (because the detect psionics that has to be incorporated is a 3@10 skill and thus cannot work in a flatlined bias). It would not make a difference in this world.When the skill is activated, do I feel anything to know if the skill have succeeded such as feeling of security or something?
--M. J. Young
In the same way, the fact that the memory of the needle is part of the memories of the target object for the retrocognitive investigation does not give you any connection at all to the needle
I know that. What I meant is I can track which way the needle goes when it exits the scene thus providing me with a direction where the needle have gone to. I will then touch the nearest object where I see the needle goes to and "chain" the history of object skill so I can continue to track the current whereabout of needle. Of course this will not give me any connection to the needle but it can give me the current location of the needle just like a hunter that tracks down an animal through the animal tracks.
If you say no, then you will not know whether it is working or when the time tolls, and will not know when it has to be chained except by supposition/guesswork.
I will not add an additional skill to detect if the skill works in the skill itself.
I do have some questions though.
How did I know my (invisible) force bar is going to expire prior to this?
If I am not mistaken, when a skill is about to expire, I will get a feeling that it will expire. Does it not work for this particular skill?
I also wonder what will happen if I "chain" a skill that is already expired because I did not know it have expired.
Usually the player can see the dice which would make them aware of the active time. I wonder if this is somehow felt by the character or something.
*****
I will try to develop a detect psionic skill that can estimate the active time of my skills. If I succeed in that then I will "chain" any skills that is below 30 minutes so that it will stay active longer.
After that, I will deactivate the detect psionic skill. I will then concentrate for 30 minutes to think about various variable of my skills then activate a variant of the detect psionic skill.
What I meant is I can track which way the needle goes when it exits the scene thus providing me with a direction where the needle have gone to. I will then touch the nearest object where I see the needle goes to and "chain" the history of object skill so I can continue to track the current whereabout of needle.My second concern here might be mooted by my first, but I will mention it anyway. The second concern is that I am not certain whether it is possible to chain the skill and change the target object; I don't think that's been determined yet. My first concern, though, is that the history of an object would include only other objects with which that object interacted. The fact that the needle passed through the area around an object would not leave a psychic impression or memory of such an interaction.
If I am not mistaken, when a skill is about to expire, I will get a feeling that it will expire. Does it not work for this particular skill?....
Usually the player can see the dice which would make them aware of the active time. I wonder if this is somehow felt by the character or something.
In the case of every other skill that you've created, there is an affirmative existence of something objectively observable. That is, the force bar exists. You become aware that the force bar is destabilizing with sufficient advance notice that you can reform it. The retrocognitive connection to the past exists; you become aware that the "memories" are becoming weaker before you lose them completely. By contrast, the danger sense skill by definition alerts you to danger, and thus does nothing if there is no danger. It is not an assurance of safety skill but a detection of danger skill, and thus nothing is created absent a danger to trigger the sensation. For illustration, Spiderman does not move around with a constant feeling of safety; he sometimes gets an advance warning of threat in his otherwise normal level of feeling. So, too, if this skill is working you will feel "something" when there is danger, but you will feel nothing otherwise, and thus there is nothing to feel "fading".
As to the dice, there is a significant referee's discretion clause particularly in connection with skills which would reveal unknown information to the player--such as a danger sense skill. In this particular case, if you were to roll the dice yourself and see the roll, if it were successful and you felt nothing that would not be different from if it failed. Therefore I might not allow you to roll this skill yourself. I might allow you to roll, but I would not then tell you whether the roll is successful. Remember, your chance of success includes the world bias, which you probably do not know with certainty, and may include other sit-mods unknown to you. If someone were generating psionic static to jam psionic skills in the area, your danger sense might fail even if the die roll suggested it was successful. Thus even if you knew the die roll at the table, you would not know whether the skill use was successful and thus could not base the tolling of the time on the roll of the dice. And it remains with the referee's discretion to roll the dice hidden and tell you whether or not you "feel" anything without telling you whether or not the skill succeeded.
That's an interesting concept for a skill, and I'm going to put some thought into it, but before I do I should ask whether you are doing anything other than the basic "attempt to detect this" of instant activation psionic skills.I will try to develop a detect psionic skill that can estimate the active time of my skills.
--M. J. Young
The second concern is that I am not certain whether it is possible to chain the skill and change the target object
I already try that but unfortunately the target object is too far thus failing to "chain" it.
Chaining attempt post.
The fact that the needle passed through the area around an object would not leave a psychic impression or memory of such an interaction.
Just like "remembering" something that is behind my back, the needle passed through the area around an object will reflect light back to the object. This light that interact with the object can give me a hint of the needle whereabouts.
I should ask whether you are doing anything other than the basic "attempt to detect this" of instant activation psionic skills.
I am a bit confused by what that question really meant.
Does the "attempt to detect this" meant to detect my psionic skills that are currently active and estimate its active time?
Does the "instant activation psionic skills" meant the "detect psionic skill" is instantly activated?
If you answer yes to both to the above questions then you are right.
If you meant that whether "detect psionic skill" can detect "instant activation psionic skills", I guess it would as long as "instant activation psionic skills" remain active and the "detect psionic skill" is active (with usual RS minutes).
As for skill like TK pulse, as long it is initiated within the time the "detect psionic skill" is active then it would detect it and will estimate its active time as very close to zero.
If I succeed in developing the "detect psionic skill" then I will "chain" any skills that is below 30 minutes so that it will stay active longer.
After that, I will deactivate the detect psionic skill. I will then concentrate for 30 minutes to think about various variable of my skills then activate a variant of the detect psionic skill.