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Psionics Guide for RPG Players

Psionics allows characters to manifest powers through force of will alone, without using spells or components. Manifesting a power requires rolling dice; higher powers require higher rolls, but successes can be maintained indefinitely through luck. However, failures accumulate strain, and excessive strain can kill the character. Powers come in different orders of difficulty. The rules are more complex than for psionic monsters and NPCs to provide more versatility and customization for player characters.

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56 views1 page

Psionics Guide for RPG Players

Psionics allows characters to manifest powers through force of will alone, without using spells or components. Manifesting a power requires rolling dice; higher powers require higher rolls, but successes can be maintained indefinitely through luck. However, failures accumulate strain, and excessive strain can kill the character. Powers come in different orders of difficulty. The rules are more complex than for psionic monsters and NPCs to provide more versatility and customization for player characters.

Uploaded by

KunalKonde
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Psionics

psi·on·ics The ability to affect physical change in the world Core Mechanic

T
or yourself through the power of thought alone.
The basic premise of the talent is that as long as you
can stand the strain, you can keep manifesting powers.
alents and other creatures with vast mental
Talents don’t use spell slots. Manifesting a power is as
might can manifest psionic powers through force
simple as rolling a die. The more effective the power, the
of will. Heroes who wield these gifts use only
higher you need to roll, but theoretically, your character
their thoughts and bodily energy to hurl objects through
could manifest powers all day if you’re very, very lucky.
the air, send telepathic messages, manipulate time, and
As long as you keep rolling high, you can keep
reshape the world around them.
manifesting freely. But rolling low means that although
This section details the rules for using powers for
you manifest your powers, you also accumulate strain.
player characters. The GM has a lot of plates to spin,
At first, this is little more than a nuisance, but eventually,
so psionic monsters and NPCs (detailed later in this
strain can have serious ramifications. In fact, enough
supplement) follow simpler rules, while the rules for
strain can kill a talent, so it’s always up to the talent to
characters are more versatile, more customizable, and
decide how to deal with it. How desperate is the situation?
more complex.
How badly do you need to succeed? How much are you
willing to sacrifice to save your friends—or the world?
The power is in your hands.

New Action: Manifest a Power


Talents and other creatures manifest psionic powers and
can use them to great effect in combat. To that end, this
supplement introduces a new action option for creatures
with access to psionic powers: Manifest a Power.
Each power has a manifestation time, which specifies
whether the manifester must use an action, a reaction,
minutes, or even hours to manifest the power. Manifesting
a power is therefore not necessarily an action, but most
powers have a manifestation time of 1 action.
Any effect that ends as the result of casting a spell, such as
the invisibility or sanctuary spells, also ends if you manifest
a power in the same way. If you wear armor you lack
proficiency with, you can’t manifest powers because the
armor’s bulk is a mental distraction.
Psionics are powers of the mind. As such, any effect that
affects a creature’s mind to prevent that creature from
taking the Cast a Spell action also prevents them from
taking the Manifest a Power action. This includes effects
such as the barbarian’s Rage feature and the feeblemind
spell. The GM has the final say in which specific effects
prevent a talent from manifesting a power.

What Is a Power?
A power is a specific psionic effect created by energy
drawn out of the manifester’s body. A power is an
incredible tool that can solve problems, harm enemies,
or protect and aid you and your allies, but it can also
drain your life energy. The stronger the power, the
more energy it can take from you. Every power has an
order from 1 to 6. The higher a power’s order, the more
difficult it is to learn and use.

THE TALENT | Psionics 6

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