Spheres of Influence: Overview
| Phoenix Gaming | |
| Introduction | |
| Character | |
| Races | |
| Mutants | |
| Skills | |
| Encounters | |
| Weapons & Armour | |
| Spheres of Influence | |
| The Spheres of Influence | |
| Overview | |
| Earth | |
| Air | |
| Water | |
| Fire | |
| Ice | |
| Creating Effects | |
| Basic Effects |
The Spheres of Influence (most often simply called the Spheres) are sub-atomic particle fields sensitive to brain waves. By arranging their thoughts in specific patterns, humans can cause chain reactions called Effects. These Effects can take many forms. Each Sphere has its own area of control.
The Spheres are: Earth, Air, Water, Fire, and Ice.
All Spheres encompass the elements for which they are named. Some Effects can be created by more than one Sphere. One example of a cross-sphere Effect is electricity. Under Fire, a bolt of electricity can be created. However the Sphere of Fire, though powerful, has little control. Under the Sphere of Water, which controls anything that flows including energy, a bolt of electricity can also be created. However, Water has the greatest control. This means that instead of a single bolt that shoots straight from the creator, that bolt can curve around obstacles and bounce from one target to the next if desired. Another example is light. Under Fire, a light source can be created or can be affected to be greater or lesser than it is. Under Air, existing light can be amplified, or bent and distorted, such as with a visual illusion. Under Water, the light can be bent, directed or distorted.
In the following descriptions, the aspects encompassed by each Sphere are detailed.
Each Sphere has an energy frequency labeled from 1-5; 1 being the lowest (longer wavelength) and 5 being the highest (shorter wavelength). Those with ultravision use this as a reference. The higher frequency has the brighter shade.
Earth
Level 3 energy frequency.
Encompasses solid matter, living and non-living. It has few directly damaging effects, or intangible effects. It encompasses the healing arts by being able to affect living tissue and biological functions. It can affect or alter the shape, colour, texture and appearance of objects.
Other areas of control are: plant and animal life, minerals, geology, topography, geophysics, and geothermal energy.
Air
Level 2 energy frequency.
Some of the areas of control within the Sphere of Air involve that which affects the intangible senses: sight, sound, and smell. This is can be done by altering light, sound waves, and gaseous substances. Using this together can created believable illusions.
Air influences the same frequencies as the mind. This can be used for telepathy. The ramifications of telepathy are many. Reading minds is merely one application. By sending information to another mind, it can be influenced. Mind control can be as simple as sending a feeling of fear or as complex as creating hallucinations or mental illusions.
Another area of control is kinetic force, known as telekinesis. This is the ability to create force using the mind. This force can be used to levitate objects or act on them. Fields of force can be formed to hold opponents in place or protect against physical attacks.
Air can also be used to control the movement of the local atmosphere. Wind can be used to blow out the torches of the enemy or to hold them back with gale force.
Combining Air with another Sphere can create clouds. An example would be Poisonous Cloud: this combines Water for the poison and Air to suspend the poison in cloud formation.
Air has no application of Create Tangible.
Water
Level 4 energy frequency.
This Sphere encompasses all things liquid, and things that flow. This includes poisons, acids, electricity, energy, and light itself.
Similar to Earth, Water can form existing substance. Water from a source can be shaped as though a solid.
It influences the flow of particles and atoms so while Water cannot create light, it can alter its flow.
Electricity can be created and manipulated. Other forms of energy such as Sphere Energy can also be controlled: amplified, reduced, and even converted to other forms of energy. The most dramatic would be to take the damaging energy from a flame blast under Fire, and convert it into the healing energy of Earth. The Sphere of Water can do this when used in conjunction with another Sphere, Earth in this case.
The same energy can be redirected such as with an elemental ray: the ray of deadly energy is aimed directly at the character, but using the Sphere of Water and the Redirect Energy Effect, the character sends the damaging energy hurling towards one of their opponents.
When combined with Air, clouds and vapour can be created. When combined with Fire, a steam blast can be created.
Water can also be used to neutralize poisons by transmuting them into another harmless liquid such as water.
Fire
Level 1 energy frequency.
The energy of Fire is chaotic, and though it is the most damaging, it is the most difficult to control.
The primary area of control of Fire is the ability to accelerate particles. This includes light, heat, electricity, and heat. These can be created, and existing instances of these can be increased or decreased, but beyond that, Fire is not capable of precise control over energy: it merely creates it.
Though energy is the primary area of control of Fire, there is one Create Tangible Effect within this sphere: plasma. The definition here is that plasma is the fourth state of matter as it increases in temperature: solid, liquid, gas, and then plasma. Plasma acts like acid only with heat; a very potent substance.
Ice
Level 5 energy frequency.
This is the most misunderstood Sphere. Though it can cause objects to become cold, that is just a small aspect of this Sphere.
What the Sphere of Ice really does is control natural forces. The movement of particles is partially controlled by gravity and the sub-atomic forces that keep matter together. By affecting this force, The Sphere of Ice causes objects to freeze and by sending a wave of this deceleration, a freeze ray can be created. The reverse in this case is not true. Affecting the weak atomic force in the opposite direction would possibly result in an uncontrolled atomic explosion. This is why it is used only for freezing and gained the name of Ice as a reminder.
Other forces that can be controlled are space, time, gravity, magnetism and the Spheres of Influence themselves. So portals, gravity wells, and null-Sphere Effects are possible. With magnetism, shields of force that slow down metallic weapons can be used as protection. In reverse, metallic weapons can be controlled in the air similar to telekinesis.