Psychic Fields

Psychic techniques

Techniques improve the effectiveness of a skill or of all skills in a field. Psychic techniques cost two mojo if they apply to one skill, and four mojo if they apply to an entire field.

If the Monk already has the technique in one skill in a field, they can spend three mojo to make that technique apply to all skills in the field. If the Monk already has the technique in two skills in a field, they can spend two more mojo to make that technique apply to all skills in the field.

Some Techniques may be learned in any field or skill. Some techniques are specific to a field, but may be learned for any skill in that field. And some techniques are only available to a specific skill.

When the mass of the target matters, the psychic’s own mass counts as one tenth its real mass.

See the ‘Monk’ archetype for more information about psychic fields and skills.

Corporeal Field

Healing

Healing requires one round of concentration per point of damage healed, and ten minutes of concentration per ‘level’ of limb restored. These times may be controlled according to the “Time” effect.

Limbs may be restored by corresponding the level of effect in “Limb Restoration”.

Self-Control

Increasing physical or mental abilities only gains the psychic the immediate benefits of the higher abilities. For example, increasing endurance increases the character’s Health and Fortitude but does not increase the character’s survival.

“Immunity to Body Magic” provides enhanced reactions against any magic that affects the body, such as transmutations, death magic, or summonings.

“Slow bodily functions” slows every part of the character’s metabolism. Probably at about 1/8 or more, unobservant others might consider the character dead, and at 1/64 or more, even observant others might consider the character dead. The slowed metabolism also slows the effects of bleeding, ailments, hunger, and anything else which is part of the target’s metabolism.

“Stun opponent” requires a called attack to succeed (and also requires the ‘Targets’ effect).

Morphinesis

“Enhanced senses” grants increased ability to see, hear, or smell. A character with five levels of effect in “Enhanced sight” would be able to see things as if they were a sixth of the distance away. “Enhanced Senses” might also give a bonus to perception of up to 1 per level applied to that effect, if the Guide rules that the enhanced sense applies.

Dimensional Field

These techniques can be learned for use within the Dimensional field.

A “portal” is a physical circle through which the powers manifest themselves. For example, with “sensitive”, a portal allows characters other than the psychic to see the “vision” or “impressions”. With “dimensional shift” or “temporal shift”, the portal allows travel to occur without specifying a number of targets or mass of targets: as long as the objects or creatures can fit through the portal, they will be shifted if they go through the portal. Invisible portals are difficult to see except on a Perception roll.

Sensitive

“Sensitive” gives the psychic general impressions about things that are happening that affect or relate to the target. Adding “future” or “past” effects gives impressions about things that will or have happened in relation to the target during the time frame specified. Adding “Use Senses” allows actually seeing and hearing a ‘vision’ that is clearer than the normal ‘general impressions’. Adding “proxy target” allows the psychic to sense things affecting the owner of the target, if the target is a prized or important possession and if the psychic makes a successful Perception roll.

Dimensional Shift

“Dimensional Shift” allows the psychic to shift objects or creatures out of phase with our normal three dimensions. The effect “Travel Distance” allows moving the object while it is out of phase. The effect “Mass of Targets” specifies the maximum mass of each target.

“Blink Time” is the amount of time the target stays “out of phase”. Without this effect, the blink time is immediate (to the traveler, the out-of-phase time remains immediate no matter how long it appears to take to outside observers). “Directional Shift” allows the psychic to “bend” directions through the shift. So, for example, if the psychic were to dimensionally shift an object that was moving, the object would be moving in a different direction after being shifted.

Temporal Shift

Temporal shift allows the psychic to temporarily shift the target backwards or forwards in time. When the psychic lets up concentration, the target automatically “snaps back” to the original time, plus however much time the psychic maintained concentration.

“Stretch Time” allows the psychic (or the target) to move quickly compared to the rest of the world. This makes it easier for the psychic to hit opponents and avoid being hit by opponents.

“Compress Time” places the psychic (or the target) in a sort of “stasis” where time passes more quickly. If four levels are placed in “Compress Time”, the target would “age” at a thirty-secondth the rate of the ‘real world’. An hour would be about two minutes to the character. This also makes it difficult to damage the target. All damage done is reduced by the “armor” of the target. In the above example, all damage would be reduced by 8.

Psychokinetic Field

Pyrokinesis

The character has the power to cause flammable objects to burst into flame, and raise the temperature of non-flammable objects. Non-flammable objects will take damage, if their melting point or damage point is reached, of 1d6 per ten minutes, per level placed in the ‘temperature’ effect.

“Area of Effect” allows creation of a ‘sphere’ of high temperature.

‘Damage’ allows for an immediate attack form which causes that damage. It also requires the “targets” effect.

Telekinesis

The psychic may move objects through mental power. A “telekinetic punch’ capable of causing immediate damage may also be used, and of course the “targets” and “range” effects will be required (“range” can be dropped if the psychic uses a range of none and physically touches the target). Telekinetic Shield also requires “target” and “range” to defend against attacks.

“Telekinetic Glide” increases movement and jump by that percentage for Medium-sized targets. The percentage halves or doubles as the target moves up or down the size range.

Spiritual Field

Spirit Host

A conversation depth of 1 means indirect conversations such as yes/no answers on a ouija board. A depth of 2 allows for indirect means such as ouija boards and indirect writing (where the psychic’s hand writes the answers the spirit gives). At depths of three and above, the spirit can speak through the psychic, although conversations will be limited to as if to a person with an intelligence equal to the “conversation depth” (and no greater than the spirit’s true intelligence).

The psychic must normally make a Willpower roll to regain control once the séance is over. This roll may be made every round.

“Spirit Host” may only be used to contact spirits that are present in the area unless “proxy target” is used. The proxy target must be something prized or important to the spirit to be summoned. The psychic must make a Perception roll to successfully use the proxy to host the desired spirit.

Spirit Summons

The “Elapsed Time” is the amount of time since the spirit was last “here” or last held or was part of the proxy target. Corpses are common proxy targets for newly dead creatures. If the spirit to be summoned is not present, the psychic must use a proxy target, something prized or important to the desired spirit. The psychic must make a Perception roll to successfully use the proxy.

Conversation depths of one or two bring back insubstantial spirits at best who will speak in thumps or shakes. Conversation depths of three or more allow speaking as if with an intelligence of the conversation depth, and no more than the spirit’s actual intelligence.

Spirit Travel

“Spirit Travel” is the power to remove the astral form from the body and travel about invisibly, without physical substance. Without the effect of “Clear Senses” things in the physical world are difficult to see, as if through a thick fog. Perception rolls are required to see, hear, or otherwise sense things happening in the physical world.

Telepathic Field

Telepaths manipulate the minds of other creatures. There are two techniques that all telepaths may learn. “Area of Effect” allows telepathic powers to affect all minds within the area of effect, whether the telepath knows about them or not. If there are minds within the area of effect that the telepath does not wish to affect, the ‘non-targets’ effect can remove them as targets.

All creatures within the area of effect are allowed their own reaction.

Catalyst

The Catalyst can augment or diminish other psychics’ powers, or act as a conduit to join multiple psychics together into one more powerful psychic. “Increase Resistance” grants a bonus to reactions against psychic powers. “Inhibit Psychics” gives a penalty to all of the target’s psychic success rolls. “Join Psychics” allows the psychic to ‘join’ the effect levels of multiple psychics together. The Catalyst may be included in this group. The effect of “Join Psychics” is the number of levels that each member of the group may contribute to the whole. The Catalyst’s levels all come through.

“Transfer Verve” allows the psychic to transfer verve points to or from the target, or between multiple targets.

“Trigger Power” allows the Catalyst to trigger another psychic’s power(s). With enough levels in “Trigger Power” the Catalyst may even choose targets or apply other enhancements to the manifested power.

Domination

“Control” is the amount of control that the dominator has over the dominated. Agility, Strength, and any skills can be used at up to that score. “Duration” means that the domination continues after the telepath stops concentrating.

Empathy

“Complexity” is the depth of the emotion discerned. At ‘1’, the complexity is only the most obvious, which could probably be deduced from looking at the target (if the target’s culture is familiar). At ‘2’, the most immediate underlying emotion is also available. At ‘3’ and above, emotional complexity may be discerned as if in a conversation with a creature of intelligence equal to the Complexity effect.

“Fake Emotion” is the ability to cause the target to think that the psychic or another target is feeling a specific emotion. The effect level is the strength of that emotion, with ‘1’ being very faint, ‘5’ being a good average, and ‘10’ being very strong. ‘Force Emotion’ is similar, except that the target feels the emotion towards the psychic or another target.

“Convince” can convince the target of the truthfulness of a simple statement. At low levels it is not likely to result in an action on the part of the convinced, but it can result in inaction. A guard can be convinced to let a small group pass, for example. Each level in “Convince” allows the psychic to convince the target(s) of more and more complex or unlikely statements. The words used to convince may often be prefaced with “you will” or “you should”, but do not have to be. The meaning is the same. Generally, once a target is convinced they are convinced from then on that their action was justified, unless something happens or is said to convince them otherwise. If the psychic wishes the target to take action instead of pass on taking action, an extra level in Convince is required.

“Forget” causes the target to forget the past five seconds or more.

Illusion

For every sense that is clearly missing, there is a bonus of 2 to the target’s reaction. “Independent Items” is the number of independently moving objects or creatures in the illusion. Without this, only stationary illusions may be created. There can be motion within the stationary illusion, but no items within the illusion can actually change their location.

Illusions can cause damage to the target’s survival, up to a maximum per target of the “Damage Potential” effect. This damage lasts until the target disbelieves or falls unconscious. One third of that damage (round down) remains even after disbelief or unconsciousness. Note that the “Damage Potential” is merely the maximum. The damage done is what the target ‘expects’ from the game rules for that weapon.

“Trick” allows the illusionist to slightly alter one or more of the target’s senses with regards to one item or to a group of similar items acting reasonably in concert. For example, the illusionist could affect sight and cause a band of humans and elves to appear as a band of Orcs to the target(s), or change the sound of a waterfall to a thunderstorm. “Trick” cannot change the basic shape or nature of what the target perceives. A Halfling could be “changed” into a Goblin, but not into an Orc, for example. Voices could be changed into growls but not into hoof beats or an earthquake. The feel of sword thrusts could be changed into painful heat, but not into a loving caress. The illusionist does not control the actions of the illusion (which conform to the actions of the real thing) or the specific appearance of the illusion (which are created by the targets). If the illusionist “tricks” multiple targets, each target may well see, feel, hear, taste, or smell things slightly differently.

“Insert Memory” allows the illusionist to give the target an illusory memory: the target will remember something that has not happened. The memory cannot cause damage. Once inserted, a memory is usually there forever if recalled before the psychic stops concentrating or the duration ends. Under some circumstances, however, a target may have reason to doubt their own memory and be allowed another reaction roll. The psychic may add senses to the memory if desired. The memory cannot interfere with short-term memory, which basically means that it cannot affect the target’s memory of whatever is currently happening.

“Duration” allows the illusion to continue after the psychic stops concentrating.

Telepathy

“Depth” is the depth to which the telepath may go into the target’s mind for information. Depth 1 means only surface thoughts that are directed externally. Anything the target says out loud, or would like to. Depth 2 means any surface thoughts: what the target is thinking about what they are doing or saying. Depth 3 and higher allow the telepath to “rummage around” in the target’s mind for things that the target previously saw or did. It can be considered a “conversation” with an intellect of intelligence equal to the Depth.

The “Speak” effect allows the psychic to speak telepathically as well. Loudness 1 is a whisper, loudness 5 is normal conversation, loudness 10 is yelling.

“Combat Bonus” gives the telepath a combat bonus against the target(s), by giving the telepath advance warning of what the target is going to do in combat.

“Mental Blast” causes 1d6 points of damage to the target. Adding one level increases the damage to d6. Adding three levels, to 2d6. In between, damage is increased by d3, but every ‘2d3’ becomes ‘d6’.