Unaware Intangibility

Unaware Intangibility (minor) by Senator Cybus

A strangely selective form of Intangibility that renders the super being immaterial to physical attacks - but only if he doesn’t see them coming! The hero has no conscious control over this ability, meaning that he cannot use it to walk through walls or avoid obvious assaults, but any strike that the character is unaware of passes straight through his body, making it effectively impossible to use sneak attacks against him. Essentially, the attack isn’t ‘real’ unless the character knows it’s coming.
This odd defence applies to all forms of physical damage: punches, bullets, lasers, arrows, missiles, explosive force and so on. The power even protects the hero while asleep or unconscious, as he is then completely unaware of pretty much everything.

Range: Self.

Duration: Indefinite.

Attacks Per Melee: None. An automatic ability.

Limitations: The character must be genuinely unaware that an attack is imminent for the power to function. If he detects a strike before it lands in any way (sees it coming, hears it, detects it with Radar, Antennae or Danger Sense), then the power cannot protect him. Keep in mind that one attack may presage another: an opponent’s energy bolt may pass straight through the super being, but when it blasts a big, smoking hole in the wall right in front of him, the hero will become aware of the danger and is then as vulnerable as anyone else.

The character is vulnerable to super-powered, magical or psionic mind control, even if he doesn’t consciously know it’s being used against him: on some level, his mind is dimly aware of the telepathic intrusion, which is enough to negate the protection of his power.

If the super being is knocked unconscious or falls into a coma due to serious injury, treating his wounds is virtually impossible, as no one can touch him: the hands of a helpful doctor will pass through the hero just as easily as the fists of a murderous adversary. It might be possible for allies to awaken him (he can see, hear and smell normally while intangible), but if this fails, the character may be at serious risk of death.