You scan an area
equal in size to a 10-foot (3 m) cube, including
all objects or creatures within that area. The area
must be within short range. Scanning a creature
or object always reveals its level. You also learn
whatever facts the GM feels are pertinent about
the matter and energy in that area. For example,
you might learn that the wooden box contains
a device of metal and plastic. You might learn
that the glass cylinder is full of poisonous gas,
and that its metal stand has an electrical field
running through it that connects to a metal
mesh in the floor. You might learn that the
creature standing before you is a mammal with
a small brain. However, this ability doesn’t tell
you what the information means. Thus, in the
first example, you don’t know what the metal
and plastic device does. In the second, you don’t
know if stepping on the floor causes the cylinder
to release the gas. In the third, you might
suspect that the creature is not very intelligent,
but scans, like looks, can be deceiving. Many
materials and energy fields prevent or resist
scanning.