Electrostatic Particle Manipulation
This ability could be summed up in two words: dust control. The character is able to subconsciously manipulate the charges of solid particles less than 500 micrometers in diameter and exposed to air (as opposed to being a part of a sealed systemor within a body).
This ability can cause the dust particles of an area no greater than a hundred meter sphere (centered on the character) to gain an enhanced charge of electrostatic force and closer intermolecular adhesive bonds that can cause the dust to act in aggregate in ways that are more commonly associated with liquid or gaseous states of matter.
For instance, the character could gather the dust particles from an area and have them stream towards his hands, appearing like streams and plumes of smoke or dark mist, occasionally sparking from the electrostatic discharges generated by the particle streams. The applications of this power range far beyond keeping a really clean house, obviously.
Given enough material to work with, the character could create a room-sized dust storm that is just as dangerous as the ones one finds happening in the desert, obscuring vision, making breathing difficult, driving charged particles into the vents of electronic equipment and vehicles with predictably dire consequences.
Focusing and guiding a stream of charged dust to create an almost frictionless surface rather like an oil slick is a feasible use of this ability, though it would be limited in size by the amount of particulate matter available in the air. In general, assuming a 2 or 3 meter square effect indoors or perhaps twice that outdoors (in dry weather) would be about the maximum area of effect.
Perhaps the most dangerous application is the ability to create short-lived and electrically charged dust devils. The
cyclonic nature of those miniature tornadoes creates a magnetic field and random bursts of electrostatic energy discharge from the dust particles to ground themselves in whatever is available. Including people. This rarely has a fatal effect (unless the person hit by the dust devil is carrying explosives or has a pacemaker, dust allergies or asthmatic condition) but the shock,choking, loss of vision and disorientation of the dust is about the same as experiencing a taser discharge and pepper spray to the face at the same time.
This power has some limitations. In an enclosed, semi-sterile environment, like a hospital or a well-maintained laboratory, there is little enough to work with and the best the character could manage would be a little extra cleaning and polishing. An average home would let him create a 3m cube of conditions like those of a natural dust storm or a short-lived (ten or twelve second) dust devil. A warehouse or outdoor environment in dry conditions is optimal, letting the character have access to several minutes of power displays before the charges are stripped from the dust particles, rendering them inert until they acquire another charge naturally, as a part of the environment.
Rain dampens (no pun intended) this ability and snow and ice create conditions that lock down the particles on the ground and other flat surfaces outdoors, severely limiting any displays. Also, it assumes a gaseous medium through which the particles move. Under water or in vacuum, this ability would be useless.
In addition, prolonged use of this ability can cause nervous system feedback in the form of nervous tremors in hands and a loss of fine motor control at the most mild level and if the overuse of the ability persists, this will build up to full electrostatic shock discharges running through the character's nervous system and into the brain. Not only agonizing, these strokes (in the classic sense of the word) could seriously impair motor functions or even cause brain damage. The warning signs for overuse include sparks of static electricity discharging from the character's hands and a nimbus or aura of charged particles forming around his head, not unlike the classic depiction of a halo. If the character persists, the negative effects will progress from tremors to stroke within a few minutes.
