[Aeon Covenant]

The Scanners/Highlander Players' Guide

By Peter Flanagan

Appendix II: Awakened Scanners

Scanners are the tiniest step away from being truly Awakened. More than a few cross the line, becoming aware of their true potential. Awakened Scanners can perform coincidental Forces and Mind effects that would be insanely vulgar for most other magi; apparently they possess a resonance that allows the Sleepers, and indeed reality itself, to accept their telepathic and psychokinetic abilities. Most of the rest of their "normal" Scanner powers are coincidental anyway. But when their abilities start to expand, the psis tend to balk. Stopping time, turning lead into gold and unweaving primal reality are well beyond their paradigm; even rotes that would be coincidental to other magi are vulgar for an Awakened Scanner unless an acceptable technological focus is made available. There is some give and take.

Paradox is another matter. When a psi gains Paradox, whether the psi was a Scanner or not, the Paradox tends to burn off in predictable ways...such as Scanner Disorders, nose-bleeds, temporary power loss: this is why Black Suits tend to be so careful. It's worth noting that while the Disorder the Scanner had will be the most common affliction, other Disorders may pop up from time to time, depending on the reason for the backlash and the amount of Paradox involved.

Foci are rather odd in regards to Scanners. Most do what they have done through sheer force of will; STs may wish to use the rules for 1st ed. Orphans for Scanners, namely no foci are necessary, but spheres are more expensive for them. However, there are a number of options available, such as: Willpower rolls (used like a skill for focus purposes), their genetic structure as a focus -- those blasted drugs again! -- certain skills the psi might have gained, such as Meditation, or even their Disorders! Disorder rules would remain the same, except that accumulated Paradox might subtract from Willpower for purposes of resisting the Disorder...

A Scanner may, at the ST's option, take more "normal" foci if the situation warrants. Needless to say, Scanners lose foci as "mystic" mages do, one for every level of Arete after the first. (The ST might solve the focus problem by not allowing Awakened Scanners to have more Spheres than they can remove foci from; how much Arete the Scanner Awakens with would therefore depend on their present psychic prowess, although the Storyteller could also choose to alter this if the Scanner in question has a large number of powers upon Awakening.)