Detect (PM, X)

Variable
You can detect a specific substance or condition, even when it is shielded from the five human senses. This requires one second of concentration, after which the GM will secretly make a Sense roll for you (see Sense Rolls, p. 358). The range modifiers from the Size and Speed/Range Table (p. 550) apply. You may buy a special Acute Sense (p. 35) to improve the roll, thereby increasing your effective range.

On a success, the GM tells you the direction to the nearest significant source of the substance, and give you a clue as to the quantity present. On a failure, you sense nothing.

Detect also includes the ability to analyze what you detect. This requires an IQ roll; the better the roll, the more precise the details. For instance, if you had Detect (Metal), you could tell gold from iron on a successful IQ roll, and might learn details – such as whether the gold is in the form of ore or bars, and its precise purity – on a critical success.

The base cost of Detect is as follows:
Rare (sorceresses, fire magic, zombies, gold, radar, radio): 5 points.

Occasional (spellcasters, magic, undead, precious metal, electric fields, magnetic fields, radar and radio): 10 points.

Common (humans, supernatural phenomena, supernatural beings, metal, electric and magnetic fields): 20 points.

Very Common (all life, all supernatural phenomena and beings, all minerals, all energy): 30 points.

Note that the ability to detect certain phenomena can often justify other advantages. For instance, Detect (Magnetic Fields) could explain Absolute Direction.

Special Enhancements
Precise: On a successful Sense roll, you also learn the distance to whatever you detect. +100%.

Signal Detection: You can detect an active transmission of some sort, such as a radio, radar, or laser; see Scanning Sense (p. 81) and Telecommunication (p. 91). You suffer no range penalties, but must be within twice the signal’s own range and (if the signal is directional) within in its path. +0%.

Special Limitations
Vague: You can only detect the presence or absence of the target substance. Direction and quantity are revealed only on a critical success, and you cannot analyze what you detect. This limitation is mutually exclusive with Precise. -50%.