Familiarity (3.5e Variant Rule)

This material is published under the OGL

Familiarity

An important factor in psychic skill use is how familiar the subject of the skill is to the psychic. Psychic abilities are generally more effective on or against subjects with which the user is well acquainted. In psychic skill descriptions that mention a familiarity modifier, determine the relationship between the psychic and the target of the skill on Table: Familiarity Modifiers and apply the appropriate familiarity modifier to the DC of the skill check. Add the strain for the target’s familiarity to the normal strain for the skill. So, using a psychic skill on a somewhat familiar target increases the DC by 15 and the strain for using the skill by 3.

Table: Familiarity Modifiers

Familiarity	DC Modifier	Strain	Definition
Present	+0	0	Visible to the naked eye or in physical or mental contact with the psychic.
Intimately Familiar	+5	1	Visible on live video, seen or sensed using another psychic skill, a close friend or relative, an item made by the psychic or owned and used for at least a year, a place where the psychic spent at least a year’s time.
Familiar	+10	2	A person, place, or item the psychic has been acquainted with for at least three months, a casual friend.
Somewhat Familiar	+15	3	A person, place, or item the psychic has been acquainted with for at least a week. A familiar or better subject shown to the psychic telepathically.
Casually Familiar	+20	4	A person, place, or thing the psychic has been acquainted with only briefly. A somewhat familiar subject shown to the psychic telepathically.
Slightly Familiar	+25	5	A subject that the psychic has only seen briefly or had described in detail.
Unfamiliar	—	—	A subject totally unfamiliar and unknown to the psychic and out of the psychic’s line of sight or physical contact. Psychic skills cannot be used on unfamiliar subjects.

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