The Basic Idea

What is psionics?

Psionics is the practice of tapping into your inner potential, letting you perform feats with your mind, body and soul that are normally thought to be impossible. All sentient beings have a psionic potential, for psionics is inherent to the very notion of thought itself. Actually developing one's psionic abilities requires intense dedication and training however, qualities that most lack in some capacity.

Those who do have the capability and opportunity to master the powers of their mind are the subject of the Manual of the Psi.

The basic concept behind psionics is that, with deep meditation and intense training, sentient beings can look inward far enough to unlock certain abilities of mind, body and spirit. These are abilities that most any sentient being may wield if they simply put their minds to it - in other words, psionics are not 'powers' of any sort, but in fact learned talents. This is an important distinction.

A psi will appear to be perfectly normal when not using his special abilities - and may even seem that way while maintaining psionic powers. He will register as 'normal' to any ability or device that detects super human powers inherent to an individual, and his psionic talents cannot be neutralized by conventional means of power control - though certainly, there are psionic means of detecting or blocking psi powers.

Core Principles

Before you begin to use your very own psionic player character, there are several basic ideas that you should understand first.

Psionic Disciplines

Psionic powers are divided into groups of related abilities, known as disciplines. Each discipline of power represents a different type of psionic capability, usually based around one central, 'root' power. Psionic disciplines mean different things to different characters, depending on the form of psionic activation they experience. There are nine known disciplines of psi powers.

Six of these disciplines are standard, common paths of power that anyone may study using the Manual of the Psi. However, there are three additional disciplines which are optional in nature; a Judge may allow or disallow their use as he sees fit, depending on what he includes in his campaign. They are technically 'combination' character disciplines, but are included here to keep all psi powers in one place.

The nine disciplines of psi power include the following:

Empathic Powers: empathic powers are used to manipulate the life forces of mortal entities, whether sentient or otherwise. This discipline of power involves an awareness of the threads of life woven throughout the multiverse, often known as the essence. A psi who can perceive this essence and his connection to it, then, can control the very forces of life and death themselves.

Metapsi Powers: metapsionic abilities are those with which a psi may control or manipulate his own body. Metapsi powers give one a definitive physical edge over other humans (or even super humans), granting exceptional durability, attack capability or physical prowess. Metapsionic powers may manifest differently in non-human entities, since the 'meat' to manipulate is inherently different.

Psikinetic Powers: perhaps one of the most dramatic disciplines of power, psikinetics is the process of manipulating both energy and matter, in either an animate or inanimate state, without physical contact. True mind over matter (and energy), a psikinetic has the ability to alter, destroy, or even create (to a small extent) objects in his environment, as he sees fit.

Psimantic Powers: psimantic powers are essentially mind over magic. They allow their wielder to control the very forces of magic themselves to produce various effects. This can involve manipulating the spells of others, inflicting direct damage to magical entities, and even the ability to cast magic on top of wielding psi powers. A psychoturge can usually stand toe to toe with the strongest of mages.

Psimotive Powers: this discipline of power involves controlling time and space itself! A psimotive may use his abilities to easily move from one location to another, most often without crossing the physical spaces between them. More detailed uses of the psimotive discipline involve using characteristics of space and time against others, usually to devastating effect.

Psipathic Powers: what people most readily think of when pondering psionics, psipathy is the power of mind over mind. The psipathic discipline is used to achieve direct contact with another mind, and then to either communicate with or manipulate it in a variety of fashions. Psipathic powers can readily be used to destroy the consciousnesses of others - or simply to confound them for a good long time.

Superpsi Powers: complementing all other disciplines of psionic power, superpsi abilities are used to manipulate your own psionic powers or those of another. This discipline can be very powerful when combined with any other path of power, but is nonetheless exceedingly useful in its own right, as superpsi abilities by themselves can make a mockery of an unprepared psionic opponent.

Technopsi Powers: representing mind over machine, technopsionics is the art of controlling devices remotely, with the power of one's very brain. This discipline deals with all things technological, whether merely mechanical or electronic in nature (or somewhere in between). Technopsi powers can be used to control or disrupt devices, or to even create or incorporate them into oneself when desired.

Theonic Powers: psionic abilities of this stripe deal with divinity itself. Theonics can be a path one takes to immortality itself, or simply a means by which one can interact with (or combat) deific beings. Theonic powers involve interacting with the evolved life forces of immortal beings, or using the mimicked abilities of such against mere mortals, for good or ill.

Psionic Power Types

Each psi power, no matter which of the nine disciplines of power it belongs to, will come in one of three types. Each type denotes a level of magnitude the psionic ability may have compared to others in its discipline, as some are simply more useful (or dangerous) than others. All psionic powers can be described as either an art, a talent or a skill, depending on its potency:

Arts: arts are the so-called 'big guns' of psionic powers. They often take the form of devastating attacks or capabilities, those which can quickly end lives or reshape the very nature of the surroundings. Arts normally begin play at a relatively low level of power (being purchased at Feeble (2) rank), which demonstrates just how powerful they are - and the effort required to properly master them.

Talents: while not necessarily the most potent of psi powers, talents do have many uses regardless. They often serve as defensive or back-up abilities for a psi, and can mean the difference between life and death. Talents typically start at a higher level than arts when purchased (Poor (4) rank), showcasing their range of utility, and can thus be advanced to greater heights somewhat faster.

Skills: often the most 'minor' of psionic powers, skills are nonetheless vital to the success of any psi. These psi powers take the form of defensive, sensory, or other highly focused (yet necessary) abilities. Skills always begin at a higher level when purchased (Typical (6)), reflecting their specialty, and thus can be advanced to greater levels of power much more quickly.