Heat Point

Heat Point   Mystic  Proficiency (Willpower)   600 hours    Psionic    Counts as two skills at character creation    Double learning difficulty

By focusing your attention on a singe precise spot, you can increase the temperature to the burning point. Exact focus is needed, as the heat must be concentrated to an area smaller than a pencil point. This area must be visible or obvious. At first level, you can increase the temperature of that point fifty degrees per round. This rate of temperature increase by an additional fifty degrees with every subsequent skill level: one-hundred degrees per round at second level, 150 at third, 200 at fourth, and so on. As long as you continuously affect that one spot the temperature increases. Failing to make the skill check--but continuing unbroken focus on that one spot--keeps the temperature steady until you succeed in later rounds. If your concentration is broken, you usually have to start anew as the temperature quickly dissipates. If the point moves out of your sight, that breaks the focus. Moving targets are very difficult to affect, as that focused point moves in space. Subtract the target's speed from the skill check.

This skill only allows you to mentally focus heat to a point; it does not in any other way violate the laws of physics. Using Heat Point on a metallic object or living creature isn't as effective as the heat will rapidly dissipate throughout the structure. The Game Master's best judgement must be used. So, while you could eventually melt gold filigree, cooking a knight in her armour isn't a viable option. Higher skill levels do allow you to knock someone unconscious, however. Each round that you target their head, your victim must make a saving throw to remain conscious. The number to beat is equal to half of your skill level rounded up, plus one point for each additional round. Unconsciousness lasts for 1D4 rounds after the heat stops. However, as both the vasovagal response & gravity are both fairly quick, there is a -15 to the skill check to stay focused on them as they drop. Victims are immediately aware that something is wrong. Saving throw bonuses against both heat and paralysis apply.

Benchmarks for this skill are: At first level you can burn paper after one minute, lamp oil in two rounds, and potentially knock someone out after three continuous rounds. At third level you can burn paper in four rounds, lamp oil in one round, and cause unconsciousness in two. A fifth level psychic can knock someone out in a single round and burn paper in two. At tenth level you can ignite paper in a single round. In theory, any given temperature could eventually be met with even a beginning level of skill by staring at one spot long enough. In practice, superhuge numbers would require greater concentration than most people are capable of doing for a very long time. The Human body doesn't burn until temperatures reach 1600-2100 degrees or more for several hours (and even then you still get chunks of bone & other junk), which is beyond the realm of possibilities for most psychics.