Alternate Syker Backlash Table
by Jay Kyle
Sykers who go bust on a Brainblast and then draw a Joker (red or black) suffer backlash on the following table:
Amount of strain spent on busted power:
Strain 1 - roll 1d6
Strain 2 - roll 2d6
Strain 3 - roll 3d6
1: Fingernails fall off on one hand.
2: Syker's tongue permanently turns black (-2 to persuasion rolls).
3: A wave of energy moves outward from the syker, killing all plants and small animal life
(i.e. squirrel and smaller) in a 10 yard radius.
4: Blood vessels in sclera (whites) of eyes burst. Character is +2 to overawe for next week, but suffers ?2 to all vision related rolls due to pain for next week.
5: Teeth turn black as energy pours out of the syker's mouth (-2 to persuasion rolls). If rolled again the syker loses 1d4 teeth.
6: The syker's nose begins to bleed. Lose 1d4 wind for 1d4 rounds before it stops, or a Foolproof (3) Medicine roll is made.
7: A puff of uncontrolled energy bursts off the syker's body, singeing off his clothes. This could be embarrassing in certain situations. Armor isn't damaged, but contains the energy, causing 2d6 damage to the syker.
8: The syker's body is magnetized for 1d6 hours. It is strong enough to attract ferrous metals, requiring a Fair (5) Strength roll to remove from the syker's body.
9: Psychic energy twists the user's body. Her spine is bent at an unnatural angle, giving her a hunchback. This look went out of style with the last Mad Scientist's assistant. The syker gets the lame hindrance. If this happens again add ugly as sin.
10: The uncontrolled energy fuses some important synapses in the poor sod's brain. The images of her last battle are permanently fused in place. The sykers suffers from night terrors.
11: A shockwave of energy moves outward from the syker, smashing into anyone within 10 yards of the syker for 2d10 points of concussive damage. The syker is spared any damage herself (for once).
12: The uncontrolled psychic flash scrambles the sykers brain into an unnatural configuration. To normal-brained people the resulting behavior is considered a type of insanity. The syker is loco (2 pts + 1 for each time this happens).
13: The syker is stunned by the misdirected power. Draw a card from the deck and check the table on p. 28 of the main rulebook. This is the number of actions that the syker loses (syker should roll normally each round to determine when this wears off). On the draw of a Joker roll on this table again and add that result to the poor sucker.
14: Flames erupt from the syker's ears. Add +2 to overawe attempts for the next action, but the syker takes 2 wounds to the noggin as her ears are burned off. Take bad ears, pard.
15: Energy pours uncontrollably out of the syker's arms and legs, twisting them unnaturally. His limbs are long, spindly, and twisted. Take slowpoke, brainer.
16: The syker's head bulges from the uncontrolled energy contained within. Her head swells to twice its normal size, taking 1 wound to the noggin. The syker is ugly as sin, and needs to get a big mirror.
17: A tight beam of psychic energy pours out of one of the syker's eyes. This extends 10 yards straight ahead, doing 4d10 points of damage to anyone standing in this path. Unfortunately, the eye wasn't designed to deal with this sort of thing. The syker now has the bad eyes (3). Move it up to a 5 pt bad eyes if this happens again in the same eye, and blind for the loser that gets this three times in one eye.
18: The syker's head explodes like an overripe melon. The syker is dead, and her posse won't have to worry about her coming back as Harrowed. This damage can only be avoided by the use of a Legend chip. Anyone within 5 yards takes 3d6 damage from sharp skull fragments.