Espers are not the only psychics who can sense danger. Telepaths are also able to detect danger in a more limited way.

Hostility Sense 12/15/17/21 points for levels 1-4

Skill: Hostility Sense (Per/Hard).

You can sense the nearby source of hostility from living, sapient (IQ 6+). This is a passive sense, but you may use it actively if you wish. The GM rolls against your skill (using the standard range penalties, p. B550) whenever a nearby sapient creature bears hostility toward you. On a success, you become aware of the hostility.

At level 1, you only know that someone is hostile toward you. It provides enough information to avoid total surprise but you must use your other senses to detect an immediate threat and attempt an active defense except on a critical success. On a critical success, you know the direction and the intensity of the hostility.

At level 2, you know the intensity of the hostility but only know the direction on a critical success. You can tell when an attack is about to take place and may have time to take cover or dodge and drop.

At level 3, you also know the direction of the hostility. At this level, you have enough information to make any applicable active defense.

At level 4, you also know the distance to the hostility.

This ability detects hostility, not danger in general. It provides sufficient warning to avoid total surprise from an ambush but does not prevent “freezing” from partial surprise when encountering a party that is not already hostile to you. It provides enough warning to attempt an active defense against an attack made by an unseen character who’s hostility you have detected. It provides warning against falling rocks dropped by hostile actors but not rocks dropped due to negligence. It provides no warning in general against preset traps, but it may provide sufficient warning if hostile actors are lying in wait for the character to trigger the traps.

Statistics: Detect (Sapient Hostility; Based on Per, Own Roll, +20%; Vague, -50%; Reflexive, +40%; Reliable 4, Limited with Passive Only, +8%; Telepathy, -10%) [12]. Further levels replace Vague for Nondirectional [15], then remove Nondirectional [17], then add Precise, Nontargeting [21].

Optionally, I Feel Them Watching Me (Pyramid #3/66 p. 7) may be considered a level 0 of this ability when taken as a Telepathy perk and may use the Hostility Sense skill in place of Per if better. In any case, Hostility Sense replaces I Feel Them Watching Me if taken as a Telepathy perk.

Exclusion

Hard

Default: Hostility Sense-2; cannot exceed Hostility Sense.

As for Psi Sense (Psionic Powers p. 41).

Extended Range

Hard

Default: Hostility Sense-5; cannot exceed Hostility Sense.

You extend the range of your hostility sense. Use the long-distance modifiers (p. B241) instead of the standard range modifiers. The effects of this technique last for one minute.

Lock-On

Hard

Default: Hostility Sense-5; cannot exceed Hostility Sense.

You can use lock on to a detected bearer of hostility and use follow-up abilities.

Designer Notes

I originally tried using limited Danger Sense as the base ability, but Danger Sense is a vague sense, and there wasn’t a clear enhancement to turn a vague sense into a nondirectional or basic sense. I could have made level 1 Danger Sense (Only Sapient, Living Beings, -30%; Telepathy, -10%) [9] for 3 fewer points, but the pure Detect implementation is cleaner, and the “correct” value for the Accessibility limitation is more difficult to determine than the value of the Detect target. The Lock-On enhancement is also clearly appropriate for Detect.

Note that “Reliable, Limited with Passive Only” is a canon enhancement. See Retrocognitive Flashbacks (Psionic Powers p. 38).

The technique designs should all be obvious and not require any explanation.

The material presented here is my original creation, intended for use with the GURPS system from Steve Jackson Games. This material is not official and is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games.