Ephemeral Bolt

Discipline: Metacreativity (Creation) [Force]; Level: Marksman 2, psychic warrior 2

MANIFESTING

Display: material
Manifesting Time: 1 standard action

EFFECT

Range: 0 ft.
Target: 1 ectoplasmic bolt, arrow, or sling bullet
Duration: 1 minute/level
Saving Throw: None; Power Resistance: Yes, see below
Power Points: 3

DESCRIPTION

You coalesce semi-stable ectoplasm into one arrow, crossbow bolt, or sling bullet appropriate to your size, and encase it in a thin layer of stable ectoplasm. Ammunition created this way is considered masterwork (+1 enhancement bonus on attack rolls, no direct bonus on damage rolls). Ephemeral ammunition has a delayed-delivery effect: After being fired, the bolt partially phases out of the material plane and onto the ethereal plane. This does not allow it to shoot through armor or walls (you still need clear line of effect to your target), but it does allow it to impact a target without the target noticing. A bolt that successfully hits a corporeal target embeds itself entirely in the target, but the effect is not obvious — the bolt does no damage, and there’s no entry wound. You may only have one active ephemeral bolt effect at any time and you must overcome any applicable Power Resistance for the delayed-delivery aspect of this power to function.

At any point during the power’s duration, as a swift action, you may order the ammunition to return to the material plane, at which point it delivers its full normal damage (adjusted for damage reduction if appropriate) +1d4 points of force damage before dissipating back to its constituent ectoplasmic particles. No external wounds are present from this damage. This power is frequently used to deliver poison as well as its usual effects; such additions to the ammunition take effect when damage is dealt.

As a side property of the phasing effect, ephemeral bolts can be used to attack ethereal creatures while you stand on the material plane, although they are treated as invisible unless you can see them through other means. Used this way, the bolts lose their delayed-delivery property and are treated as normal (although they retain the bonus force damage), and any obstruction on either plane stops them. As a side property of the phasing effect, ephemeral bolts can be used to attack ethereal creatures while you are on the material plane or to attack material creatures while you are on the ethereal plane, although the bolts and ethereal creatures are treated as invisible unless one can see ethereal objects. Used this way, the bolts lose their delayed-delivery property and are treated as normal (although they retain the bonus force damage), and any obstruction on either plane stops them.

If used to attack an incorporeal target (on either plane), the bolts do 1d4 points of force damage on impact.

Augment You may augment this power in one or both of the following ways:

1. For every 4 additional power points you spend, increase the force damage dealt by each bolt by one die (d4), and increase the enhancement bonus on attack rolls by 1.

2. If you spend 3 additional power points, the enhancement bonus on attack rolls applies to damage rolls as well.

3. For every 4 additional power points you spend, you can create an additional bolt, arrow, or sling bullet. All such ammunition must return to the material plane at the same time.

Section 15: Copyright Notice
Psionics Expanded: Advanced Psionics Guide. Copyright 2011, Dreamscarred Press; Authors: Jeremy Smith and Andreas Rönnqvist.
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