I've read through my e-copy of the Science Fiction Companion and I've got to say that it is good. If you're looking for a good set of tools to use in your Savage Worlds sci-fi games, don't hesitate in picking this up. Not only are the rules updated to be in line with Deluxe, they are better than the first edition (not that the first SF Companion was bad). There are rules for creating new races, loads of new gear, rules for environmental hazards and salvage/trade, lots of cybergear, rules for robot creation, and a great system for building and customizing starships, mechs, and other vehicles. The bestiary section brings back the critters from the original SFC and adds a few new entries to boot. The only surprising omission was there was nothing about psionics. However, I can see how there really isn't anything you couldn't already do with the core rules as written for just about any psionic power you can think of. There's also the possibility that one could use the Super Powers Companion to further add some "oomph" to psionics if you really wanted to. All in all, I really can't recommend this book higher to anyone running a sci-fi game with Savage Worlds.
Now, this leaves me with a decision to make. I want to focus my energies on a single set of rules to write my sci-fi setting around. However, there are several systems vying for my attention right now:
Stars Without Number (My hacked up version): There's a lot here that I like. There are rules for mutations, cybernetics, armor, weapons, and so forth that even with hacking it up to remove the setting from the rules and bolting on bits and pieces from other games (rework some of the classes, add Alternity-style skills and psionics, gear and other items from D20 Modern/Future, and so on) there's not that much work that needs to be done to make it feel right for me. Plus, since it's an OSR game I can easily use a vast wealth of books to draw upon from D&D sources to virtually any of the retro-clones.
Rogue Space: It's light, easy to play, and fun to run. I would end up having to write up the most info for this game, but the rules are light enough that creating stats for races, creatures, mutations (though I suspect that the fan rules modifying Alternity mutations to the previous edition of RS would still work), and vehicles really won't be much of a chore to do so at all. I do like a little crunch in my sci-fi games though, and I just don't know that RS would have enough to keep me fully involved. I need to spend some time writing up some material for RS to find out...
Savage Worlds: The setting material I already have written was developed with the Explorer Edition in mind. There's not that many huge changes from Explorer to Deluxe, just some tweaks here and there. While I would have to create a lot of material wholecloth, I do have a lot written and there are a lot of licensed and fan resources out there to draw upon. Plus, out of the three, SW comes closest to the feel that I want from the whole package.
Decisions, decisions, decisions....
Showing posts with label Stars Without Number. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stars Without Number. Show all posts
Friday, January 24, 2014
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
The Article that Changed it All
Like many sci-fi fans, I take great interest in astronomy and the goings on of the world's various space agencies. Thanks to a link on the Stars Without Number Facebook Page (here is the link), I'm changing a key element of not only my sci-fi setting, but also the rules that I'm working on. Essentially, NASA could very well be on their way to creating a "warp drive." The current work is based on a paper written in 1994 by physicist Miguel Alcubierre. By creating a bubble in space/time behind a starcraft and a space/time sink in front of the craft, a starship can be propelled through space fast faster than the speed of light, but since the space around the starcraft is unchanged it is not breaking the speed of light itself and therefore not meeting with a very messy end. The idea was scrapped as unfeasible due to the mass energy needed to subject enough force on space/time would be equal to that found in Jupiter. However, further research shows that with some tweaks to the Alcubierre Drive, the mass energy needed may only be around 1600 pounds of mass energy.
If this research yields practical results in testing, this means that we could travel the 4.3 light years to Alpha Centauri in weeks rather than entire generations living and dying on the journey. Day trips to Mars (or anywhere else in the solar system for that matter) would become feasible. We could easily harvest resources from the asteroids, moons, and planets throughout the solar system and beyond. Seeing how quick new technology can develop (as stated in the article, we went from only being able to generate 5 Watts of power via nuclear fission to 4 Megawatts in a year), if the practical tests yield the desired results, we could be traversing the stars before we know it. Just thinking of the economic, political, sociological, and even theological (should we happen to find proof that life exists elsewhere in the galaxy, that is) ramifications begins to blow my mind. Sure, this tech is all theoretical now, but the very idea that such travel is at least mathematically possible is exciting in the extreme.
If the Alcubierre Drive becomes reality, it's just another in a long line of technological advances that have been predicted by Star Trek (at least in some small way). Those shows continually show that they were ahead of their time.
What does all of this mean to my setting and system? Well, I'm scrapping the idea of Drillspace and the Elder Relays. Warp Drives are now the principle means of transportation throughout the galaxy. I may still use Relays, but they will be an invention of the current species roaming the galaxy other than some unknown ancient species. This means I need to go back and re-write some aspects of the setting background, since the Elder Relays were an integral part of the setting. Plus, the removing of the limitations of travel via Drillspace will have significant ramifications on the setting as well. That's not to say that I won't have limits to what speeds an Alcubierre Drive can attain, but space travel will be a lot more straight-forward, safer, and simpler.
We truly do live in an exciting age!
If this research yields practical results in testing, this means that we could travel the 4.3 light years to Alpha Centauri in weeks rather than entire generations living and dying on the journey. Day trips to Mars (or anywhere else in the solar system for that matter) would become feasible. We could easily harvest resources from the asteroids, moons, and planets throughout the solar system and beyond. Seeing how quick new technology can develop (as stated in the article, we went from only being able to generate 5 Watts of power via nuclear fission to 4 Megawatts in a year), if the practical tests yield the desired results, we could be traversing the stars before we know it. Just thinking of the economic, political, sociological, and even theological (should we happen to find proof that life exists elsewhere in the galaxy, that is) ramifications begins to blow my mind. Sure, this tech is all theoretical now, but the very idea that such travel is at least mathematically possible is exciting in the extreme.
If the Alcubierre Drive becomes reality, it's just another in a long line of technological advances that have been predicted by Star Trek (at least in some small way). Those shows continually show that they were ahead of their time.
What does all of this mean to my setting and system? Well, I'm scrapping the idea of Drillspace and the Elder Relays. Warp Drives are now the principle means of transportation throughout the galaxy. I may still use Relays, but they will be an invention of the current species roaming the galaxy other than some unknown ancient species. This means I need to go back and re-write some aspects of the setting background, since the Elder Relays were an integral part of the setting. Plus, the removing of the limitations of travel via Drillspace will have significant ramifications on the setting as well. That's not to say that I won't have limits to what speeds an Alcubierre Drive can attain, but space travel will be a lot more straight-forward, safer, and simpler.
We truly do live in an exciting age!
Friday, October 11, 2013
SWN/Alternity/D20 Future Hack: Character Creation Overview
This is still very much a work in progress, so things will likely change several times before I feel like it's truly ready for full-on play.
Character Creation Process
1. Generate Ability Scores: Roll 3d6 six times and apply those scores to the six ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma). This can either be done in order or by rolling the six scores and then assigning them to the desired stats to fit the player's vision for the character (this is, of course, up to the GM).
2. Select a Species: Choose one of the species available for play (if the campaign allows more than just humans, that is). Apply any ability score modifiers listed for the species, and make a note of the species' six free broad skills and any other special rules that may exist for that species.
3. Select a Class: Choose one of the classes available for play (Combat Specialist, Diplomat, Freelancer, or Technical Operative, Psions are also available for campaigns that allow the use of Psionic skills). Either roll for starting Hit Points, or apply the maximum (depending on which option the GM prefers for the campaign) to the HP total. Make a note of the class' Base Attack Bonus, Initiative bonus, Saving Throw bonuses, and Special Ability.
4. Determine Cybernetics and/or Mutations: If the campaign is making use of Cybernetics and/or Mutations and if those options are available for starting heroes, determine these options now and make a note of them and their effects on the character sheet. Characters that start play with cybernetics wave the cost in credits, but must still pay the skill point cost to ensure that their bodies are properly prepared for the installation of cybergear (see the Cybernetics section in the Equipment chapter for more information).
5. Purchase Skills: Starting characters have a number of skill points to spend on their starting Broad and Specialty skills based on their Intelligence score. Free Broad Skills listed for each species are considered automatic, so no cost is applied to those Broad Skills (though any Specialty skills will need to be purchased as normal). Specialty skills are capped at Rank 3 for starting characters. Make sure that if the character's species is one that allows a bonus to skill points or Broad Skill selections that you factor those into your purchase plan for the character. Also, make sure you note which skills are considered class skills for your character based on his class. Class skills cost one less skill point than the listed cost. Note that not all skill points need to be spent during character creation and can be saved for later.
6. Select Perks and Flaws: Starting characters may purchase (with Skill Points) up to three perks and select up to three flaws.
7. Select Attributes: Select one motivation, one moral attitude, and up to two personal traits for your character. These attributes help to define your character's personality.
8. Purchase Equipment: Each class has a number of credits (either generated randomly or by a preset number up to the GM) that they can spend on starting personal equipment.
9. Finish the Character Sheet: Make a note of the character's weapons and/or armor stats. Figure up the character's Defense Score and Attack Bonuses for their purchased weapons/attack forms. Make a note of the character's Psionic Energy Points, if playing a Psion or Diplomat/Psion. Name the character, and get ready for adventure!
There you have it, the Character Creation Process for my "Frankenstein's Monster" of an RPG system. A few things that I want to point out: the system of advancement for characters is the Alternity system. Characters will gain 1-3 points per adventure with a possible 1-2 bonus points depending on GM fiat based on in-game performance (clever play, great roleplaying, etc...). Once the character has accumulated enough Achievement Points, he/she can then spend those points on skills or bank them for later. Upon reaching an Achievement level, the character rolls for additional hit points, and may see an increase in one or more Saving Throw Bonuses.
There are three Saving Throw categories: Fortitude, Reflex, and Willpower.
Attacks are rolled against the target's Defense Score, which is 10 + Dexterity Modifier + Armor Modifier. If an attack rolls is equal to or higher than the target's Defense, damage is rolled. If the target is wearing armor, the Armor Score is subtracted from the damage before it is subtracted from the character's HP total.
Purchasing skill ranks conveys a +1 bonus to a skill roll using that skill. Broad Skills do not convey a bonus, but instead allow the character to use their Ability Score modifier on a general skill roll. For weapons and martial arts skills, ability score modifiers are always applied, but having a Broad Skill allows the character to use his Base Attack Bonus to modify the attack roll. Therefore, a character using a blaster pistol who does not have the Ranged Weapons Modern broad skill would only be able to apply his Dexterity bonus to the roll.
Most everything else will essentially stay as written in SWN except where it needs to be tweaked to be brought in line with the skill system.
Character Creation Process
1. Generate Ability Scores: Roll 3d6 six times and apply those scores to the six ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma). This can either be done in order or by rolling the six scores and then assigning them to the desired stats to fit the player's vision for the character (this is, of course, up to the GM).
2. Select a Species: Choose one of the species available for play (if the campaign allows more than just humans, that is). Apply any ability score modifiers listed for the species, and make a note of the species' six free broad skills and any other special rules that may exist for that species.
3. Select a Class: Choose one of the classes available for play (Combat Specialist, Diplomat, Freelancer, or Technical Operative, Psions are also available for campaigns that allow the use of Psionic skills). Either roll for starting Hit Points, or apply the maximum (depending on which option the GM prefers for the campaign) to the HP total. Make a note of the class' Base Attack Bonus, Initiative bonus, Saving Throw bonuses, and Special Ability.
4. Determine Cybernetics and/or Mutations: If the campaign is making use of Cybernetics and/or Mutations and if those options are available for starting heroes, determine these options now and make a note of them and their effects on the character sheet. Characters that start play with cybernetics wave the cost in credits, but must still pay the skill point cost to ensure that their bodies are properly prepared for the installation of cybergear (see the Cybernetics section in the Equipment chapter for more information).
5. Purchase Skills: Starting characters have a number of skill points to spend on their starting Broad and Specialty skills based on their Intelligence score. Free Broad Skills listed for each species are considered automatic, so no cost is applied to those Broad Skills (though any Specialty skills will need to be purchased as normal). Specialty skills are capped at Rank 3 for starting characters. Make sure that if the character's species is one that allows a bonus to skill points or Broad Skill selections that you factor those into your purchase plan for the character. Also, make sure you note which skills are considered class skills for your character based on his class. Class skills cost one less skill point than the listed cost. Note that not all skill points need to be spent during character creation and can be saved for later.
6. Select Perks and Flaws: Starting characters may purchase (with Skill Points) up to three perks and select up to three flaws.
7. Select Attributes: Select one motivation, one moral attitude, and up to two personal traits for your character. These attributes help to define your character's personality.
8. Purchase Equipment: Each class has a number of credits (either generated randomly or by a preset number up to the GM) that they can spend on starting personal equipment.
9. Finish the Character Sheet: Make a note of the character's weapons and/or armor stats. Figure up the character's Defense Score and Attack Bonuses for their purchased weapons/attack forms. Make a note of the character's Psionic Energy Points, if playing a Psion or Diplomat/Psion. Name the character, and get ready for adventure!
There you have it, the Character Creation Process for my "Frankenstein's Monster" of an RPG system. A few things that I want to point out: the system of advancement for characters is the Alternity system. Characters will gain 1-3 points per adventure with a possible 1-2 bonus points depending on GM fiat based on in-game performance (clever play, great roleplaying, etc...). Once the character has accumulated enough Achievement Points, he/she can then spend those points on skills or bank them for later. Upon reaching an Achievement level, the character rolls for additional hit points, and may see an increase in one or more Saving Throw Bonuses.
There are three Saving Throw categories: Fortitude, Reflex, and Willpower.
Attacks are rolled against the target's Defense Score, which is 10 + Dexterity Modifier + Armor Modifier. If an attack rolls is equal to or higher than the target's Defense, damage is rolled. If the target is wearing armor, the Armor Score is subtracted from the damage before it is subtracted from the character's HP total.
Purchasing skill ranks conveys a +1 bonus to a skill roll using that skill. Broad Skills do not convey a bonus, but instead allow the character to use their Ability Score modifier on a general skill roll. For weapons and martial arts skills, ability score modifiers are always applied, but having a Broad Skill allows the character to use his Base Attack Bonus to modify the attack roll. Therefore, a character using a blaster pistol who does not have the Ranged Weapons Modern broad skill would only be able to apply his Dexterity bonus to the roll.
Most everything else will essentially stay as written in SWN except where it needs to be tweaked to be brought in line with the skill system.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Core Races
As I slowly make headway on my campaign for my SWN hack, I realize that I should eventually tackle what races I'll allow. As is common in many of my "kitchen sink" settings, I tend to allow a very wide array of character races for the players to choose from and the same will be here as well. However, unlike in many instances of running sci-fi games where I have a monster tome of races detailed for the system that I slap down on the table before the players with just marginal details outlined, I'm going to go with a more modest approach this time around. Since the campaign material is written largely from the point of view that they players will start out in Galactic Concord space and will be members of one of the various member species, I'm going to keep the races limited to those cultures that are members of the Galactic Concord. Plus, since this setting is a homage to my favorite sci-fi/fantasy settings, I'll further limit the choices. While this still makes for a long list, it's nowhere near the total amount of species that I would consider playable.
Here's what I have so far:
Humans (various cultures like Terran, Martian, Corellian, etc...)
From Mass Effect: Asari, Salarians, Turians Edit: Drell, Hanar, Volus, Elcor
From Star Trek: Vulcans, Andorians, Tellarites, Caitians, Bajorans, Edosians, Bolians, Betazoid, Deltans, Saurians, Napeans, Trills, and Talaxians
From Babylon 5: Narns, Centauri, and Minbari
From Farscape: Delvians, Ilanics, and Luxans
From Warhammer 40K: Eldar
From D&D: Dwarims (Dwarves), Gnorri (Gnomes)
From Star Wars: Wookiees, Cerean, Bothan, Rodian, Biths, Caamasi, Chagrians, Twi'leks, Duros, Ithorians, Kel Dors, Miraluka, Mon Calamari, Nautolans, Nosaurians, Quarrens, Sullustans, Zabraks, Shistavenens, and Zeltrons.
From Alternity: Fraal, Aleerins, Weren, T'sa, and Shesheyans
From D20 Modern: Moreaus
Finally, there are a selection of droids to choose from and mutations that can be applied to many species.
So 56 races that are considered "core" for the setting (not counting droids and mutants). I still need to get details written up for many of the species, but this at least allows me to focus myself. More species will be added as I go along and detail out the galaxy. It's a huge galaxy, and plenty of room for all sorts of creatures!
A quick edit, I forgot about 4 Mass Effect races that I'm going to allow.
Here's what I have so far:
Humans (various cultures like Terran, Martian, Corellian, etc...)
From Mass Effect: Asari, Salarians, Turians Edit: Drell, Hanar, Volus, Elcor
From Star Trek: Vulcans, Andorians, Tellarites, Caitians, Bajorans, Edosians, Bolians, Betazoid, Deltans, Saurians, Napeans, Trills, and Talaxians
From Babylon 5: Narns, Centauri, and Minbari
From Farscape: Delvians, Ilanics, and Luxans
From Warhammer 40K: Eldar
From D&D: Dwarims (Dwarves), Gnorri (Gnomes)
From Star Wars: Wookiees, Cerean, Bothan, Rodian, Biths, Caamasi, Chagrians, Twi'leks, Duros, Ithorians, Kel Dors, Miraluka, Mon Calamari, Nautolans, Nosaurians, Quarrens, Sullustans, Zabraks, Shistavenens, and Zeltrons.
From Alternity: Fraal, Aleerins, Weren, T'sa, and Shesheyans
From D20 Modern: Moreaus
Finally, there are a selection of droids to choose from and mutations that can be applied to many species.
So 56 races that are considered "core" for the setting (not counting droids and mutants). I still need to get details written up for many of the species, but this at least allows me to focus myself. More species will be added as I go along and detail out the galaxy. It's a huge galaxy, and plenty of room for all sorts of creatures!
A quick edit, I forgot about 4 Mass Effect races that I'm going to allow.
Monday, May 13, 2013
I just can't seem to leave well enough alone...
I was watching some Star Trek: TNG this weekend and it got me thinking about my house system for sci-fi again. During the development of the system I've found myself falling into the trap of adding too much to the system. I'm not really happy with certain aspects of the system when playtesting. It's one of those things that certain aspects sound good, but when implemented don't turn out quite right. Plus, with my recent work with the Swords & Wizardry rules, I've got to thinking about how I can change things around to make certain aspects easier to run.
First off, I'm taking a play out of the S&W rules and changing saves to a single save column.
Skills are going to be implemented in the same way as is presented in Basic D&D. Characters stat play with 4 skill selections (humans start with 6). Skill rolls are simply a d20 roll against the character's attribute score. A roll under the score succeeds, with a roll of 20 always failing. Skills don't increase other than using additional skill selections on the same skill. Each additional skill selection applied to a trained grants a -1 bonus to the skill roll. Class skill lists are still used with Cross Class skills requiring 2 selections to gain training. Classes are granted the chance to become proficient with weapons, which will now have a "Proficiency Rating" that is a bonus to attack rolls. Each class, however, will have a set list of weapon and armor proficiencies. Some classes, like Diplomat, may not be proficient with any weapons. Requiring them to spend a skill selection if they want to gain the proficiency rating bonus. For armor, each skill spent in armor allows the character to wear the next category of armor (Light/Medium/Heavy/Power), but all characters can wear light armor.
I'm removing all of the career builds for characters. It's a neat idea, but it really doesn't add that much to the ease of the character creation process. Plus, I find that builds such as that tend to get players to see them as really the only such option for that type of characters. Better to just get rid of them.
Psionics...I'm waffling a bit on this. I may go the standard SWN route, but the idea of scrapping the Psion class altogether in lieu of characters having a chance of having a psionic power, a single power, has some appeal.
Much of the rest of the work I've done will still be usable, but as I go through the changes more things may crop up.
First off, I'm taking a play out of the S&W rules and changing saves to a single save column.
Skills are going to be implemented in the same way as is presented in Basic D&D. Characters stat play with 4 skill selections (humans start with 6). Skill rolls are simply a d20 roll against the character's attribute score. A roll under the score succeeds, with a roll of 20 always failing. Skills don't increase other than using additional skill selections on the same skill. Each additional skill selection applied to a trained grants a -1 bonus to the skill roll. Class skill lists are still used with Cross Class skills requiring 2 selections to gain training. Classes are granted the chance to become proficient with weapons, which will now have a "Proficiency Rating" that is a bonus to attack rolls. Each class, however, will have a set list of weapon and armor proficiencies. Some classes, like Diplomat, may not be proficient with any weapons. Requiring them to spend a skill selection if they want to gain the proficiency rating bonus. For armor, each skill spent in armor allows the character to wear the next category of armor (Light/Medium/Heavy/Power), but all characters can wear light armor.
I'm removing all of the career builds for characters. It's a neat idea, but it really doesn't add that much to the ease of the character creation process. Plus, I find that builds such as that tend to get players to see them as really the only such option for that type of characters. Better to just get rid of them.
Psionics...I'm waffling a bit on this. I may go the standard SWN route, but the idea of scrapping the Psion class altogether in lieu of characters having a chance of having a psionic power, a single power, has some appeal.
Much of the rest of the work I've done will still be usable, but as I go through the changes more things may crop up.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Tinker, Tinker, Tinker...
I spend way more time tinkering with systems than I actually get to play. With two young boys at home, a full work schedule (for both myself and my wife), I tend to get most of my gaming fix either through video games or tinkering with table-top games.
Like many gamers, I have my favorite system for each genre I enjoy. Swords & Wizardry (though I have hacked it up quite a bit and I'm constantly adding more material to it) for fantasy, Marvel Superheroes (TSR) for supers, Boot Hill 2nd Edition or Savage Worlds for Westerns, Savage Worlds for modern games, and Stars Without Number for Sci-Fi. However even though I enjoy most of the mechanics of SWN, I'm not a fan of the setting, and there are things mechanically I would do differently, with those reasons playing a big part in the tinkering around with hacking SWN into a system a bit more palpable with my personal tastes for a sci-fi RPG.
As I was working on skills for my SWN hack, I found that I just wasn't crazy about how skills are set up and even got to the point that the three classes left me wanting. I've long been a big fan of Alternity. I played it for several years before getting swept up in the D20 wave. I like the professions in Alternity and got to playing around with the idea of porting the basic profession structure into an old school framework. What I ended up with was 5 classes instead of three, and a bigger emphasis on skills. Here's what I've got so far:
Warrior: These are the soldiers, bounty hunters, mercenaries, security forces, and "fighters" of the galaxy. Their skills are largely based on combat (weapons, armor, martial arts, etc.) and they are the toughest of the tough. They get a +3 bonus to Initiative, Veteran's Luck special ability (as found in the warrior class in the SWN core rules), +1 bonus to skill rolls to one selected skill from the following list (list not set in stone yet, so it will come later).
Freelancer: Freelancers are the jack-of-all-trades kind of characters. They rely on guile, skill, and cunning. They are capable fighters, but not as proficient as warriors. They have access to a wide array of skills, but tend to have a wide array of skills, and therefore are not masters like Experts. They get a +2 bonus to Initiative, Like a Charm special ability (as found in the Expert class in the SWN core rules), and a +1 bonus to all saving throws from any one saving throw category.
Diplomat: Diplomats are the deal-brokers, ambassadors, and "face-men" of the galaxy. They use their charm and personality to sway others to do what they desire...for both good and ill. +1 bonus to Initiative, Speaker's Voice special ability (as found in the Speaker class in Other Dust), Secondary Profession: diplomats pick one of the other classes as their secondary profession and can purchase skills from that other class' skill list without having to pay the cross-class price).
Expert: Experts are the technicians, scientists, engineers, and other mechanical/techinical/medical specialists in the galaxy. Their skill list is heavy on knowledge and technical skills, but light on just about everything else. +1 bonus to Initiative, Accelerated Learning (bonus skill points per level that increase as the character gains levels), Flawless Skill special ability (as found in the Scrounger class in Other Dust).
Psion: Psions are those that have unlocked the potential that many species have to tap into mental energies to affect the world around them. They are both feared and awed throughout the galaxy. +1 bonus to Initiative, Can learn psionic powers, Choose one psionic category and gain a +1 bonus to activation rolls to powers in that category (yes, this would mean a change to the Psioncs rules posted here)
I'm considering going with skills in the style of Alternity as well, with expensive broad skills, but cheaper and more precise specialty skills, but I may also just use the skill list I already have generated here, but with some possible tweaks. If I did go with the Broad/Specialty format, I would likely give each species some suggestion broad skills that fit their backgrounds. I do know that all characters would get a certain amount of skill points (with a bonus for higher Intelligence scores) and would get more skill points each level. This would allow characters to branch out a bit more.
Now, all of this is still in the very early stages of planning, more akin to brainstorming than anything else, and may very well change when I get down to actually statting everything up and running the numbers. It's also very possible that I may just scrap the entire idea altogether.
Like many gamers, I have my favorite system for each genre I enjoy. Swords & Wizardry (though I have hacked it up quite a bit and I'm constantly adding more material to it) for fantasy, Marvel Superheroes (TSR) for supers, Boot Hill 2nd Edition or Savage Worlds for Westerns, Savage Worlds for modern games, and Stars Without Number for Sci-Fi. However even though I enjoy most of the mechanics of SWN, I'm not a fan of the setting, and there are things mechanically I would do differently, with those reasons playing a big part in the tinkering around with hacking SWN into a system a bit more palpable with my personal tastes for a sci-fi RPG.
As I was working on skills for my SWN hack, I found that I just wasn't crazy about how skills are set up and even got to the point that the three classes left me wanting. I've long been a big fan of Alternity. I played it for several years before getting swept up in the D20 wave. I like the professions in Alternity and got to playing around with the idea of porting the basic profession structure into an old school framework. What I ended up with was 5 classes instead of three, and a bigger emphasis on skills. Here's what I've got so far:
Warrior: These are the soldiers, bounty hunters, mercenaries, security forces, and "fighters" of the galaxy. Their skills are largely based on combat (weapons, armor, martial arts, etc.) and they are the toughest of the tough. They get a +3 bonus to Initiative, Veteran's Luck special ability (as found in the warrior class in the SWN core rules), +1 bonus to skill rolls to one selected skill from the following list (list not set in stone yet, so it will come later).
Freelancer: Freelancers are the jack-of-all-trades kind of characters. They rely on guile, skill, and cunning. They are capable fighters, but not as proficient as warriors. They have access to a wide array of skills, but tend to have a wide array of skills, and therefore are not masters like Experts. They get a +2 bonus to Initiative, Like a Charm special ability (as found in the Expert class in the SWN core rules), and a +1 bonus to all saving throws from any one saving throw category.
Diplomat: Diplomats are the deal-brokers, ambassadors, and "face-men" of the galaxy. They use their charm and personality to sway others to do what they desire...for both good and ill. +1 bonus to Initiative, Speaker's Voice special ability (as found in the Speaker class in Other Dust), Secondary Profession: diplomats pick one of the other classes as their secondary profession and can purchase skills from that other class' skill list without having to pay the cross-class price).
Expert: Experts are the technicians, scientists, engineers, and other mechanical/techinical/medical specialists in the galaxy. Their skill list is heavy on knowledge and technical skills, but light on just about everything else. +1 bonus to Initiative, Accelerated Learning (bonus skill points per level that increase as the character gains levels), Flawless Skill special ability (as found in the Scrounger class in Other Dust).
Psion: Psions are those that have unlocked the potential that many species have to tap into mental energies to affect the world around them. They are both feared and awed throughout the galaxy. +1 bonus to Initiative, Can learn psionic powers, Choose one psionic category and gain a +1 bonus to activation rolls to powers in that category (yes, this would mean a change to the Psioncs rules posted here)
I'm considering going with skills in the style of Alternity as well, with expensive broad skills, but cheaper and more precise specialty skills, but I may also just use the skill list I already have generated here, but with some possible tweaks. If I did go with the Broad/Specialty format, I would likely give each species some suggestion broad skills that fit their backgrounds. I do know that all characters would get a certain amount of skill points (with a bonus for higher Intelligence scores) and would get more skill points each level. This would allow characters to branch out a bit more.
Now, all of this is still in the very early stages of planning, more akin to brainstorming than anything else, and may very well change when I get down to actually statting everything up and running the numbers. It's also very possible that I may just scrap the entire idea altogether.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
"Perfect" System Update: Thinking of Creature Stat Changes
One of my goals with building my hack of the SWN system is to try and keep the simple OSR feel, but also incorporate some of the elements of later iterations of D&D into the system as well. After all, there are parts that I feel old school games did far better to their contemporary counterparts, while there are things I think that were improvements on the old way of doing things.
For the most part, I like SWN’s statblocks. They are clean and simple. However, all the creatures be built from the same table doesn’t appeal to me as much. Plus, I’ve never been a fan of Morale as a stat. I’ve never used it in any AD&D game I’ve ever ran, since I prefer to be the decider on when and if foes attempt to break from combat.
Some of the changes I’m considering are:
· Tying HD rolled to the creature’s size. Along with assigning size to creatures, I’m going to implement size categories and the bonuses and penalties to attack rolls and AC as found in 3rd Edition D&D and the various D20 games. Yes, this will add some complexity, but not much and the changes will better fall in line with the minis play that I tend to use in game.
· Dropping Morale. Morale is solely up to the GM with hints to the creature’s relative courage given in the description and further bolstered by the Intelligence stat (see below).
· Adding Intelligence. This isn’t a character type value, but is in line with what was seen in AD&D 2nd Edition with general descriptive levels of Intelligence.
· AC, like in all of my games will be Ascending.
· There will be differing save scores for different Hit Die, like in Hulks and Horrors. This falls in line with the idea that bigger, sturdier creatures will be able to shrug off effects easier.
· Movement will continue to be in feet.
· Attack bonuses will likely stay as they are in SWN
Here’s what a Stat block will look like:
Collector Drone
Size: Medium
AC: 15
HD: 3d8
AB: +4
Dmg: 2d6 energy rifle or 1d6 claws
Skill: +1
Group: 1d8
Save: 11+
Save: 11+
Move: 30’, Fly 50’ (see below)
Intelligence: Low
Collector drones are the standard Collectors that most people hear about when tales of this species are told. They are armed with strange, organic looking, energy rifles. They can fly across short distances for one round before needing to land. They can fly again after a round of rest and their flight comes with a very noticeable buzzing sound.
Collector Drones can be controlled by a Collector General. These “Harbingers” take on an appearance of nearly bursting with energy. When a Collector General takes direct control of a drone, use the Harbinger stats below.
Collector Drones have limited cognitive abilities, but they do have access to the Stealth skill, but use of this skill is only applicable while walking, not while flying.
By and large the stats aren’t different. AC, AB, Dmg, and so forth are the same. A Collector Drone will get a bump in save score (though I may modify that back closer in line with SWN). Finally, Morale is gone, and Size and Intelligence are added. These are just rough ideas so far, and I’ll post my finished ideas when I’m done.
Wednesday, March 06, 2013
Soul Hunters (Babylon 5) in the Campaign
Soul Hunters
(As requested by Brutorz Bill from the Green Skeleton Gaming Guild)
Soul Hunters are a humanoid construct from an unknown sector of space. Even so, they have been known to the oldest space-faring peoples across the galaxy for as long as any can remember. They have human-like faces, but their craniums are much larger and are typically bald or only have hair growing on the side of their heads and on their faces as standard beards and moustaches as many other humanoid species. In the center of their foreheads is what looks like a mineral growth. These “gems” are typically yellow in color. Soul Hunter flesh is typically pale and their eyes are usually steel gray or light blue in color. Hair color is usually gray.
Soul Hunters are a mysterious species that illicit a variety of reactions from other species when they learn of their “mission.” Soul Hunters can sense the impending deaths of those around them with a certain level of knowledge and awareness. They seek out these individuals to absorb their mental energies at the time of death or very shortly thereafter in order to have the being live on in a virtual paradise. Among many species with religious traditions that revolve around a spiritual afterlife, this practice of absorbing mental energies is abhorrent and blasphemous as it is seen as keeping the person’s soul from being able to be with its god or gods or what-have-you. Other less spiritual species either scoff at the idea or see the strange beings as morbid. Many don’t believe that they can sense the deaths of others, but instead choose a target and either set up their deaths or kill them themselves. As far as the technology of capturing mental energy, the technology of imprinting a person’s mind and behavior patterns does exist, but it is a long and difficult process, not something that can be accomplished in a few seconds and on a corpse.
Soul Hunters use small devices of unknown make placed on the recently deceased’s foreheads to collect that person’s mental energy. The target cannot be more than 10-15 minutes dead, so Soul Hunters make others nervous when they are known to be in the area. Once a person’s mental energy is captured, they take them back to their starships and leave the area. They claim that the deceased live on in virtually constructed paradises where the deceased can “live” on to continue to create and a “thrive” so that the galaxy does not lose their genius. Most of the targets of Soul Hunters are obvious: political leaders, scientists, military commanders, religious leaders, innovators, etc., but some of the targets aren’t well known, some are even downright common or lowly beings. Soul Hunters say that just because society does not know of a being’s genius doesn’t mean that their genius should be lost forever. This only solidify the skepticism as to if the Soul Hunters are doing anything really at all, making them eccentric and morbid, but largely harmless galactic travelers.
Virtually nothing is known about Soul Hunters beyond what the beings have said of themselves. Their homeworld, society, and technology are a mystery. What is known is that they are a very advanced sort of android, but who created them is a mystery as well. They are beyond the technology of all other known forms of android intelligence. They are constructed in a way that they are like living beings in nearly every way, though they have no need to eat, breathe, and drink and they are immune to all forms of toxins and disease. They do not register as a mechanical being on scanners and they have psionic powers. One flaw in their make-up is that they cannot heal damage. They must return to their starships to repair damage, and must do so once every seven days to recharge.
The Minbari have gathered the most information on the Soul Hunters, who see the beings as a great threat to any Minbari who draws their attention. They attack Soul Hunter ships on sight and they are considered among the most heinous of monsters to inhabit the galaxy as they can keep the dead from attaining peace described by the great Minbari prophet, Valen. When a Minbari is taken by a Soul Hunter, they stop at nothing to regain the device the deceased’s mind is stored on in order to free it. Few Soul Hunters have escaped with a Minbari mind, but some have and it is for that reason that the Minbari have a task force dedicated to discovering where the Soul Hunters congregate. They suspect that they have a centralized location where all the soul devices are stored since Soul Hunters that have escaped initially have been captured at later times, but without the soul device that the Minbari were wanting to free. However, it is possible that each Soul Hunter has his own base of operations.
Soul Hunters are generally peaceful. They do not attack without provocation unless they are being kept from getting to their deceased target. In such cases, they will eliminate anyone that attempts to impede their progress, especially those that they deem as “inconsequential” to the galaxy. They understand their reputation and take pains to conceal their presence in areas where beings are hostile to them, even to the point of sneaking about or disguising their appearance. They see their task as one of galactic importance, one that must be completed even if other species fear them or do not understand. They also seem to work alone unless the target is one of great importance and they expect more resistance that a single Soul Hunter can handle, but such cooperation between Soul Hunter is rare. If they miss their opportunity to collect a soul, they appear distraught for a moment, but then leave the area (unless there is another soul in the vicinity to collect).
It is surmised that Soul Hunters can psychically sense when someone of great importance is about to die. This is a power that is so far beyond that of even the most powerful precognizant psychic. (For game purposes, the effects of this power are left up to the GM. Essentially, if a Soul Hunter is sulking about, someone is in serious danger.)
Soul Hunter
AC: 14 or 12/10 (Woven Body armor or Leather Jack)
HD: 4
Atk Bonus: +4
Damage: 1d6 (laser pistol)
No. Appearing: 1
Saving Throw: 13+
Movement: 30’
Morale: 14
Skill: +2
Soul Hunters have access to the Precognition Psionic powers up to Level 3. They have 20 power points to spend on their powers.
Soul Hunters typically have the Computer and Stealth skills, some of them are very, very old and could have access to any number of skills the GM sees fit.
(As requested by Brutorz Bill from the Green Skeleton Gaming Guild)
Soul Hunters are a humanoid construct from an unknown sector of space. Even so, they have been known to the oldest space-faring peoples across the galaxy for as long as any can remember. They have human-like faces, but their craniums are much larger and are typically bald or only have hair growing on the side of their heads and on their faces as standard beards and moustaches as many other humanoid species. In the center of their foreheads is what looks like a mineral growth. These “gems” are typically yellow in color. Soul Hunter flesh is typically pale and their eyes are usually steel gray or light blue in color. Hair color is usually gray.
Soul Hunters are a mysterious species that illicit a variety of reactions from other species when they learn of their “mission.” Soul Hunters can sense the impending deaths of those around them with a certain level of knowledge and awareness. They seek out these individuals to absorb their mental energies at the time of death or very shortly thereafter in order to have the being live on in a virtual paradise. Among many species with religious traditions that revolve around a spiritual afterlife, this practice of absorbing mental energies is abhorrent and blasphemous as it is seen as keeping the person’s soul from being able to be with its god or gods or what-have-you. Other less spiritual species either scoff at the idea or see the strange beings as morbid. Many don’t believe that they can sense the deaths of others, but instead choose a target and either set up their deaths or kill them themselves. As far as the technology of capturing mental energy, the technology of imprinting a person’s mind and behavior patterns does exist, but it is a long and difficult process, not something that can be accomplished in a few seconds and on a corpse.
Soul Hunters use small devices of unknown make placed on the recently deceased’s foreheads to collect that person’s mental energy. The target cannot be more than 10-15 minutes dead, so Soul Hunters make others nervous when they are known to be in the area. Once a person’s mental energy is captured, they take them back to their starships and leave the area. They claim that the deceased live on in virtually constructed paradises where the deceased can “live” on to continue to create and a “thrive” so that the galaxy does not lose their genius. Most of the targets of Soul Hunters are obvious: political leaders, scientists, military commanders, religious leaders, innovators, etc., but some of the targets aren’t well known, some are even downright common or lowly beings. Soul Hunters say that just because society does not know of a being’s genius doesn’t mean that their genius should be lost forever. This only solidify the skepticism as to if the Soul Hunters are doing anything really at all, making them eccentric and morbid, but largely harmless galactic travelers.
Virtually nothing is known about Soul Hunters beyond what the beings have said of themselves. Their homeworld, society, and technology are a mystery. What is known is that they are a very advanced sort of android, but who created them is a mystery as well. They are beyond the technology of all other known forms of android intelligence. They are constructed in a way that they are like living beings in nearly every way, though they have no need to eat, breathe, and drink and they are immune to all forms of toxins and disease. They do not register as a mechanical being on scanners and they have psionic powers. One flaw in their make-up is that they cannot heal damage. They must return to their starships to repair damage, and must do so once every seven days to recharge.
The Minbari have gathered the most information on the Soul Hunters, who see the beings as a great threat to any Minbari who draws their attention. They attack Soul Hunter ships on sight and they are considered among the most heinous of monsters to inhabit the galaxy as they can keep the dead from attaining peace described by the great Minbari prophet, Valen. When a Minbari is taken by a Soul Hunter, they stop at nothing to regain the device the deceased’s mind is stored on in order to free it. Few Soul Hunters have escaped with a Minbari mind, but some have and it is for that reason that the Minbari have a task force dedicated to discovering where the Soul Hunters congregate. They suspect that they have a centralized location where all the soul devices are stored since Soul Hunters that have escaped initially have been captured at later times, but without the soul device that the Minbari were wanting to free. However, it is possible that each Soul Hunter has his own base of operations.
Soul Hunters are generally peaceful. They do not attack without provocation unless they are being kept from getting to their deceased target. In such cases, they will eliminate anyone that attempts to impede their progress, especially those that they deem as “inconsequential” to the galaxy. They understand their reputation and take pains to conceal their presence in areas where beings are hostile to them, even to the point of sneaking about or disguising their appearance. They see their task as one of galactic importance, one that must be completed even if other species fear them or do not understand. They also seem to work alone unless the target is one of great importance and they expect more resistance that a single Soul Hunter can handle, but such cooperation between Soul Hunter is rare. If they miss their opportunity to collect a soul, they appear distraught for a moment, but then leave the area (unless there is another soul in the vicinity to collect).
It is surmised that Soul Hunters can psychically sense when someone of great importance is about to die. This is a power that is so far beyond that of even the most powerful precognizant psychic. (For game purposes, the effects of this power are left up to the GM. Essentially, if a Soul Hunter is sulking about, someone is in serious danger.)
Soul Hunter
AC: 14 or 12/10 (Woven Body armor or Leather Jack)
HD: 4
Atk Bonus: +4
Damage: 1d6 (laser pistol)
No. Appearing: 1
Saving Throw: 13+
Movement: 30’
Morale: 14
Skill: +2
Soul Hunters have access to the Precognition Psionic powers up to Level 3. They have 20 power points to spend on their powers.
Soul Hunters typically have the Computer and Stealth skills, some of them are very, very old and could have access to any number of skills the GM sees fit.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Regular Transmissions to Resume Shortly
Thanks to a lot going on at work and taking care of the kids while my wife was sick, I wasn't able to really work on much of anything this last weekend. I've got a couple things in the works: another post detailing how I'm using some classic AD&D foes in SWN, a requested Babylon 5 conversion, and likely an update on the progress of my SWN "perfect system" hack. With what looks like a monster winter storm getting ready to pound on us tonight, I hope to be able to get some things written up and ready to post...and not just waste my free time on Star Trek Online...
Thursday, February 14, 2013
"Perfect" System Update - Skills
A couple weeks ago, I wrote up an outline of sorts for what I’d consider my perfect system. I said that I likely would never write it up, but thanks to getting my “Saga-ized” psionics rules for SWN written up, I’ve started toying around with writing up the rest of it. It’s not something that I’d be able to share out legally since it uses a lot of SWN whole-cloth. However, I can share bits and pieces that are generally my own ideas or details on how I put together the various systems to build my “perfect” sci-fi system.
Beyond psionics, I don’t have a lot written up as of yet. I’m working on the Equipment chapter at the moment. I do have a skill list done, though, and that’s what I’m offering up today.
The rules for skills are left largely unchanged. Players still roll 2d6, add in any modifiers and try to roll equal to or over a certain Difficulty or Target Number. If no changes has been made from the core rules, they are noted below.
Art (Specialties)
Artists are skilled in the creation of things that stir emotion. There are two varieties of Art that this skill covers (for other forms see Performance): Visual Art and Writing.
Visual Art covers painting, drawing, sculptures and the like.
Writing covers novels, poems, screenplays, and so forth.
Armor
Armor does not convey protection simply because someone puts on land warrior armor. It takes training and skill to know to properly don armor to get the maximum protection.
These skills cannot be raised beyond 0 and must be purchased in order (a character cannot select Armor/Heavy without also having Armor/Medium). Simply selecting one of these skills allows the character to wear armor to get the full bonus to AC. Otherwise, donning armor that without being proficient in its use only grants the lower “Unskilled” value. All characters can wear light armor, so there is no need to purchase an Armor/Light skill.
Athletics
No change.
Bureaucracy
No change.
Business
No change.
Combat (Specialties)
This skill is actually composed of several specialties, each one of which must be learned separately.
Archaic Melee Weapons: Use of muscle-powered weapons such as knives, swords, or clubs, as well as thrown weapons such as grenades. This includes high-tech versions of these weapons.
Archaic Ranged Weapons: Use of ancient ranged weapons such as crossbows, bows, and ancient gunpowder weapons like blunderbusses and muskets.
Energy Weapons: Use of high-tech weaponry that relies on energy emissions such as lasers or plasma.
Gunnery: Use of heavy vehicle-mounted weapons or fixed guns, whether on spacecraft or planetary vehicles.
Projectile Weapons: Use of mechanically-powered weaponry such as pistols, rifles, and the like.
Psitech: Use of psitech weaponry. This skill is usually useless to non-psions, as almost all psitech weaponry requires some psionic talent to use.
Unarmed: Weaponless combat techniques. Unlike other forms of weaponry, a practitioner of unarmed combat can add their Combat/Unarmed skill to the damage roll as well as the hit roll. Characters with Unarmed-2 expertise are so good that they can even injure targets in powered armor and other gear that would otherwise prevent effective Unarmed attacks.
Computer
No change.
Culture (Specialties)
No change.
Demolitions
The character knows how to safely and effectively place and detonate explosives. He also has an understanding of structural integrity to make a structure fall the way wants to either maximize or minimize casualties.
Disguise
A character with this skill is proficient at changing his or her appearance. The character can use clothing, makeup, prosthetics, etc. to either keep from drawing attention to him/herself, appear to be someone else, or even to appear to be a different (but similar sized) species.
Gambling
No change.
Handle Animal
The character is adept in caring for and training of animals. He/she can gauge an animal’s temperament and how to best approach the creature. In order for this ability to work, the creature must have at least the intelligence above that of an insect (intelligence 1 or better). GM’s may decide that this skill only works on creatures similar to those found on his homeworld, so a character from Earth may be able to handle dog-like creatures throughout much of the galaxy, but a spore-base animal unlike anything found on Earth would be beyond his ability.
History
No change.
Instructor
No change.
Language
No change.
Leadership
No change.
Navigation
No change.
Perception
No change.
Performance (Specialties)
This skill must be taken in a particular specialty. These specialties range from Acting (which covers stand-up comedy and other forms of spoken art), dancing, singing, and various types of musical instruments (keyboard, wind instruments, string instruments, and percussion).
Persuade
No change.
Profession (Specialties
No change.
Psicraft
This is a skill that only psions can select. This skill is a measure of the psion’s ability to properly harness and control his powers and is used when activating psionic powers.
Psychology
The character is skilled at determining psychological disorders in individuals and properly diagnosing a treatment. GM’s may require a character to have Culture/Species in a particular species (other than his own) to be able to use this skill without a penalty (or at all) on a member of a different species.
Religion (Specialties)
This skill comes in two varieties: General and Specific.
The General specialty marks the character as a student of the study of how religions form and work in an overall sense. He/she may know more than common knowledge on various religions, both of his own species and others (although, GM’s may require the character to also have the Culture/Species skill for that species), but their knowledge isn’t fluent.
The Specific specialty means the character is fluent in the history, traditions, and rites of the chosen religion. The religion chosen can be one that’s native to his species, or an alien religion.
Science
No change.
Security
No change.
Sleight of Hand
The character is adept in using misdirection or simply a light touch to lift and conceal objects from other beings. In order for a character to take this skill, the character’s species must be capable of fine motor skills.
Stealth
No change.
Steward
No change.
Survival
No change.
Tactics
No change.
Tech (Specialties)
This skill is broken down into several specialties, and is required for building or repairing that variety of technology.
Astronautic: Anything on or related to spacecraft comes under the astronautic heading, including spike drives, life support systems, and ship gunnery.
Chemical: Anything related to the mixing of chemicals from creating acids, to bases, to explosives.
Electronics: Building and repairing electronic equipment, including computers. (Programming and using a computer falls under the Computer skill.)
Mechanical: Building and repairing mechanical devices like engines and engine parts, armor, various pieces of non-electronic gear. This is an essential skill for working on any non-astronautic vehicle.
Medical: Surgery, first aid, disease treatment, cybernetics, and biological utility organisms.
Pharmaceutical: The mixing of medicinal compounds to create treatments for ailments, diseases, and toxins.
Precursor: This skill allows the character to discern the purpose and how to use truly alien technology, often times from a long-extinct Precursor species.
Psitech: Repairing and building technology that interfaces with a psion’s psionic powers.
Robotics: Repairing, designing, and building robots to fill a variety of roles.
Structural: Repairing, designing, and building structures like colony pods, homes, bunkers, and the like.
Weapons: Repairing, designing, and building personal weapons.
Vehicle (Specialties)
No change.
I’ve added a few skills, and expanded some others to offer a wider array of abilities. I’ve also added more areas of specialty to the Tech skills. This will allow a player to more dial in to what his/her character is an expert in.
Just like with the Psionics rules, these have not been playtested, and may require some tweaking to how many skill points a character is granted to level things out.
Beyond psionics, I don’t have a lot written up as of yet. I’m working on the Equipment chapter at the moment. I do have a skill list done, though, and that’s what I’m offering up today.
The rules for skills are left largely unchanged. Players still roll 2d6, add in any modifiers and try to roll equal to or over a certain Difficulty or Target Number. If no changes has been made from the core rules, they are noted below.
Art (Specialties)
Artists are skilled in the creation of things that stir emotion. There are two varieties of Art that this skill covers (for other forms see Performance): Visual Art and Writing.
Visual Art covers painting, drawing, sculptures and the like.
Writing covers novels, poems, screenplays, and so forth.
Armor
Armor does not convey protection simply because someone puts on land warrior armor. It takes training and skill to know to properly don armor to get the maximum protection.
These skills cannot be raised beyond 0 and must be purchased in order (a character cannot select Armor/Heavy without also having Armor/Medium). Simply selecting one of these skills allows the character to wear armor to get the full bonus to AC. Otherwise, donning armor that without being proficient in its use only grants the lower “Unskilled” value. All characters can wear light armor, so there is no need to purchase an Armor/Light skill.
Athletics
No change.
Bureaucracy
No change.
Business
No change.
Combat (Specialties)
This skill is actually composed of several specialties, each one of which must be learned separately.
Archaic Melee Weapons: Use of muscle-powered weapons such as knives, swords, or clubs, as well as thrown weapons such as grenades. This includes high-tech versions of these weapons.
Archaic Ranged Weapons: Use of ancient ranged weapons such as crossbows, bows, and ancient gunpowder weapons like blunderbusses and muskets.
Energy Weapons: Use of high-tech weaponry that relies on energy emissions such as lasers or plasma.
Gunnery: Use of heavy vehicle-mounted weapons or fixed guns, whether on spacecraft or planetary vehicles.
Projectile Weapons: Use of mechanically-powered weaponry such as pistols, rifles, and the like.
Psitech: Use of psitech weaponry. This skill is usually useless to non-psions, as almost all psitech weaponry requires some psionic talent to use.
Unarmed: Weaponless combat techniques. Unlike other forms of weaponry, a practitioner of unarmed combat can add their Combat/Unarmed skill to the damage roll as well as the hit roll. Characters with Unarmed-2 expertise are so good that they can even injure targets in powered armor and other gear that would otherwise prevent effective Unarmed attacks.
Computer
No change.
Culture (Specialties)
No change.
Demolitions
The character knows how to safely and effectively place and detonate explosives. He also has an understanding of structural integrity to make a structure fall the way wants to either maximize or minimize casualties.
Disguise
A character with this skill is proficient at changing his or her appearance. The character can use clothing, makeup, prosthetics, etc. to either keep from drawing attention to him/herself, appear to be someone else, or even to appear to be a different (but similar sized) species.
Gambling
No change.
Handle Animal
The character is adept in caring for and training of animals. He/she can gauge an animal’s temperament and how to best approach the creature. In order for this ability to work, the creature must have at least the intelligence above that of an insect (intelligence 1 or better). GM’s may decide that this skill only works on creatures similar to those found on his homeworld, so a character from Earth may be able to handle dog-like creatures throughout much of the galaxy, but a spore-base animal unlike anything found on Earth would be beyond his ability.
History
No change.
Instructor
No change.
Language
No change.
Leadership
No change.
Navigation
No change.
Perception
No change.
Performance (Specialties)
This skill must be taken in a particular specialty. These specialties range from Acting (which covers stand-up comedy and other forms of spoken art), dancing, singing, and various types of musical instruments (keyboard, wind instruments, string instruments, and percussion).
Persuade
No change.
Profession (Specialties
No change.
Psicraft
This is a skill that only psions can select. This skill is a measure of the psion’s ability to properly harness and control his powers and is used when activating psionic powers.
Psychology
The character is skilled at determining psychological disorders in individuals and properly diagnosing a treatment. GM’s may require a character to have Culture/Species in a particular species (other than his own) to be able to use this skill without a penalty (or at all) on a member of a different species.
Religion (Specialties)
This skill comes in two varieties: General and Specific.
The General specialty marks the character as a student of the study of how religions form and work in an overall sense. He/she may know more than common knowledge on various religions, both of his own species and others (although, GM’s may require the character to also have the Culture/Species skill for that species), but their knowledge isn’t fluent.
The Specific specialty means the character is fluent in the history, traditions, and rites of the chosen religion. The religion chosen can be one that’s native to his species, or an alien religion.
Science
No change.
Security
No change.
Sleight of Hand
The character is adept in using misdirection or simply a light touch to lift and conceal objects from other beings. In order for a character to take this skill, the character’s species must be capable of fine motor skills.
Stealth
No change.
Steward
No change.
Survival
No change.
Tactics
No change.
Tech (Specialties)
This skill is broken down into several specialties, and is required for building or repairing that variety of technology.
Astronautic: Anything on or related to spacecraft comes under the astronautic heading, including spike drives, life support systems, and ship gunnery.
Chemical: Anything related to the mixing of chemicals from creating acids, to bases, to explosives.
Electronics: Building and repairing electronic equipment, including computers. (Programming and using a computer falls under the Computer skill.)
Mechanical: Building and repairing mechanical devices like engines and engine parts, armor, various pieces of non-electronic gear. This is an essential skill for working on any non-astronautic vehicle.
Medical: Surgery, first aid, disease treatment, cybernetics, and biological utility organisms.
Pharmaceutical: The mixing of medicinal compounds to create treatments for ailments, diseases, and toxins.
Precursor: This skill allows the character to discern the purpose and how to use truly alien technology, often times from a long-extinct Precursor species.
Psitech: Repairing and building technology that interfaces with a psion’s psionic powers.
Robotics: Repairing, designing, and building robots to fill a variety of roles.
Structural: Repairing, designing, and building structures like colony pods, homes, bunkers, and the like.
Weapons: Repairing, designing, and building personal weapons.
Vehicle (Specialties)
No change.
I’ve added a few skills, and expanded some others to offer a wider array of abilities. I’ve also added more areas of specialty to the Tech skills. This will allow a player to more dial in to what his/her character is an expert in.
Just like with the Psionics rules, these have not been playtested, and may require some tweaking to how many skill points a character is granted to level things out.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Saga-ized Psionics for SWN Updated
Here's the newest look at my conversion of Star Wars Saga Edition style psionics for Stars Without Number. I've changed a lot of the contest rolls to Mental Effect saves, and added a lot of powers btoh from SWN and various Saga Edition Sourcebooks. Once again, these rules still aren't playtested, so the DC's may very well need to be updated.
Psionic Powers
Psionic powers are special abilities available only to those belonging to the Psion class. They allow characters to do astonishing things like play tricks with the minds of others, move heavy objects, see into the future and even blast foes with arcs of bio-electricity.
Learning Psionic Powers
A Psion automatically gains a number of psionic powers equal to 1 + either his Wisdom of Charisma modifier, whichever is higher. Characters can attempt to learn new psionic powers each odd-numbered level by making a Psicraft check against DC 7 + 1 for each power in the character’s suite exceeding the higher of either his or her Wisdom of Charisma bonus. A successful check allows the character to select an additional psionic power. Character can also gain a new psionic power by increasing either their Wisdom or Charisma modifier permanently (momentary increases do not allow a psion to select a new psionic power).
For example, a 3rd level psion makes a Psicraft check to see if he can learn a new power. He has a Wisdom modifier of +2 (no modifier to Charisma) and already has 3 powers. He must roll at least a 13 to be able to learn a new power. If the roll succeeds, he can choose a new psionic power to add to his pool. Then once he reaches level 5 he can attempt the roll again, but with a DC of 14 this time. However, if in the time leading up to level 5, his Wisdom or Charisma has increased to a point that his modifier is now +3, the DC stays at 12 to learn a new power at level 5, but will increase at level 7 if he successfully learns a new power. Failure on this check means the character must wait until he reaches the next odd-numbered level.
Using Psionic Powers
When your character uses a psionic power, make a Psicraft check. The check result determines the power’s effect.
Some powers have all-or-nothing effects. Other powers have multi-tiered effects, and your Psicraft check determines the maximum effect your can achieve, although you can always choose a lesser effect. If your Psicraft check is too low to activate the power’s baseline effect, nothing happens and the action is wasted. Additionally, some powers will add to the target’s or the psion’s own System Strain total.
Using a Psionic power removes it from your active “suite” of powers, regardless of whether the Psicraft check succeeds or fails.
You can select psionic powers multiple times to have more uses of it in your power suite.
Your Psionic Power Suite: Your character’s psionic powers effectively form a suite. When your character uses a power, it’s like playing a card and putting it into the discard pile. The power takes effect and it is no longer available to the character…at least for a while.
Regaining Psionic Powers: You have different ways to regain spent psionic powers so that you can use them again:
• When combat is over and you can rest for at least 1 minute, you regain use of all of your psionic powers.
• If you roll a natural 12 on a Psicraft check, you regain all spent psionic powers at the end of your turn.
• The psion may attempt to tap into is neural reserves to use psionic powers that have already be used, but doing so can lead to what psions call “burn out,” which can lead to insanity or even death.
Using Psionic powers that have a “Time” Full-round action, opens up the psion to attacks from adjacent foes that he can’t use his Dexterity to defend against.
Some powers allow a Psion to concentrate on them to keep them in effect for multiple rounds (otherwise most powers are only in effect for a single round). Doing so usually costs an action (typically a Standard action), and while concentrating on a power the Psion cannot activate any of the other powers in his suite.
Burn Out
Those desperate psions who run out of powers in their suite may draw directly on their neural reserves to fuel a psychic power. “Burning Out”, as this technique is called, causes inevitable and permanent damage to the psion, though it can fuel any already spent psionic power. Each round that a psion burns out, he must roll 1d10. On a result of 1-4, he permanently loses one point of Constitution. A result of 5-8 causes the permanent loss of a point of Wisdom, and a result of 9 or 10 means the energy discharge did no lasting harm to his neural tissues. If Constitution drops below 3, he dies, and if Wisdom drops below 3, he becomes incurably and dangerously insane. There is no known treatment for damage caused by torching. Insane characters become NPCs under the control of the GM.
Those psions who succumb to insanity may use their psionic powers freely with no further risk of degradation. The MES energies have already burnt a pathway through their mind, and no further damage is possible. These “ferals” can use any power in their suite as much as they’d like, can gain additional psychic powers with time, and can be extremely dangerous to anyone unlucky enough to encounter them. A very few can maintain a seemingly coherent facade, but beneath it all they invariably suffer from uncontrollably violent urges, hallucinations, and compulsions.
Psionic Power Descriptions
Some psionic powers are solely mind-affecting, so they come with the Mind-Affecting tag under the power’s title.
Mind-Affecting: A psionic power with the Mind-Affecting tag has no effect on creatures that are mindless (that is, creatures with no Intelligence) or immune to mind-affecting effects.
Psionic Power Descriptions
The following psionic powers are available to all psions. Each psionic power includes the following information:
Psionic Power Name
The name of the power is followed by a brief description of the power’s effect. Time: the type of action needed to activate this power. Target: the targets affected by this psionic power.
Make a Psicraft check: The results of the Psicraft check are detailed here.
Special: Some powers have special rules, which are covered here.
Alternate Outcomes
When the psychic fails an attack roll, saving throw, or skill check she can immediately trigger this power to gain a second attempt at the roll. Time: Reaction. Target: Self.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 7. If successful, the psion can reroll a single attack roll, saving throw, or skill check (Psicraft checks to activate powers cannot be rerolled). The result of the reroll must be accepted even if it is worse. This last-minute aversion destabilizes future probabilities, however, and the psion must voluntarily reroll a successful attack roll, saving throw, or skill check before she can activate this power a second time. Rerolling a trivial success is not normally sufficient to rectify the probability debt.
Armor of Will
You build up your psychic defenses or the defenses in an ally against an attack. Time: Standard action. Target: Self or one ally within 60’ and line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC for this power is 13. You gain a reroll on a saving throw against the next psionic power used against you. You can also grant a saving throw reroll to an ally. If the reroll is not used before the end of combat, it is lost at that time.
Augment Organism
The psion boosts the physical capabilities of a target within line of sight. Time: Standard action. Target: One living creature within line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 10. For five minutes, the subject gains either +1 to their
Dexterity modifier or their Strength modifier. This power can be used up to twice on a single target, either adding +1 to both modifiers or +2 to one. Each activation of this power increases the target’s System Strain by 1 point.
Ballistakinesis
You can use the Force to spray an area with dangerous debris. Time: Standard action. Targets: All targets within a 10’x10’ area (the entire area must be within 60’ feet and in your line of sight).
Make a Psicraft check: The result of the check determines the Attack Bonus for the attack roll to follow.
• DC 7: No attack bonus.
• DC 10: +2 attack bonus
• DC 13: +4 attack bonus
Once the attack roll is determined, make and attack roll with the modifier found above and compare the result to the AC of each target in the affected area. If the attack hits, the target takes 3d8 points of bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage (your choice) and takes a -2 penalty on attack rolls until the start of your next turn. This is an area attack.
Battle Strike
You use your psionic power to enhance your battle prowess. Time: Free Action. Target: You.
Make a Psicraft check: The result of the check determines the effect, if any:
• DC 7: Gain a +1 bonus to your next attack roll and deal an additional 1d6 points of damage if it hits.
• DC 10: As DC 7, except you deal an additional 2d6 damage.
• DC 13: As DC 7, except you deal an additional 3d6 damage.
Biostasis
The psion can maintain the vital life processes of a mortally wounded teammate with a touch. Time: Full-round action. Target: One dead or dying target you can touch.
Make a Psicraft check: The psion may restore to life a creature he is touching that has been dead for no more than six rounds. There is a 100% chance of success if this power is used within three rounds of death, with the chance decreasing by 25% for each round afterwards. The creature is set to zero hit points and remains unconscious until it receives medical attention. It will die if it does not receive such attention within 24 hours. This power does not function on creatures that have been torn apart or otherwise mangled beyond conventional surgical repair, nor those dead of poison, disease, or old age. This power adds 2 System Strain points to the target if successful.
Blind
You hurl dirt, dust, and debris at your foe, affecting its perception. Time: Free action. Target: One creature within 60’ of you and in your line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check. The result of the check determines the Attack Bonus for the attack roll to follow.
• DC 7: No attack bonus.
• DC 10: +2 attack bonus
• DC 13: +4 attack bonus
Once the attack roll is determined, make an attack roll with the modifier found above and compare the result to the AC of each target in the affected area. If the attack hits, the target loses its Dexterity bonus to AC, and all other creatures are considered to have concealment from your target until the start of your next turn. Creatures that do not rely on eyesight to perceive (such as Miraluka) are immune to this effect.
Bootstrap Flight
The psion uses telekinesis to lift himself and up to 880 pounds of gear or teammates for one round. Time: Standard action. Target: Self and anything else within 30’ of the psion that he wishes to have the power affect.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 13. The psion must maintain concentration while flying, but can move at the rate of 120’ per round.
Special: This power can be concentrated on to remain in effect round after round; doing so requires the use of a standard action.
Cloak
You can blend light around your body, rendering yourself invisible to anyone looking in your direction. Time: Standard Action. Target: You.
Make a Psicraft check: The result of the check determines the effect, if any.
• DC 7: You are considered to have total concealment against all targets until the beginning of your next turn.
• DC 10: As DC 7, and you gain a +2 bonus to Stealth checks until the beginning of your next turn.
• DC 13: As DC 7, and you gain a +3 bonus to Stealth checks until the beginning of your next turn.
• DC 15: As DC 7, and you gain a +5 bonus to Stealth checks until the beginning of your next turn.
Special: You can maintain the cloak power from round to round, extending the normal duration. Maintaining the cloak power is a standard action, and you must make a new Psicraft check each round. If you take damage while maintaining this power, you must succeed on a Psicraft check (DC = 7 + 1 for every 3 points of damage taken) to maintain the power.
Combustion
You can use psionic power to agitate particles in the air to create a pyrokinetic spray of sparks. Time: Standard action. Targets: All targets in a 10’x10’ square area (the entire area must be within 60’ of you and within your line of sight)
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 7. Each target in the affected area must make a Physical Effect save. Those that fail the save take 4d6 points of fire damage and the also catch on fire. If the target passes the save, the target takes half damage and does not catch on fire. This is an area attack.
Convection
You alter your body chemistry, causing your body to burn with incredible heat. Time: Free action. Target: You. Make a Psicraft check. The result of the check determines the result, if any.
• DC 7: Until the start of your next turn, all of your unarmed melee attacks deal +1d6 points of fire damage. Any target that takes fire damage also catches on fire.
• DC 10: As DC 7, except your melee attacks deal +2d6 points of fire damage.
• DC 13: As DC 7, except your melee attacks deal +3d6 points of fire damage.
• DC 15: As DC 7, except your melee attacks deal +4d6 points of fire damage.
Special: You any creature that strikes you with an unarmed attack or makes a grab or grapple attack against you takes the fire damage, for as long as the power is in effect.
You can maintain convection from round to round, extending the normal duration. Maintaining the convection power is a Free action, and you must make a new Psicraft check each round. If you take damage while maintaining convection, you must succeed on a Psicraft check (DC = 7 + 1 for every 3 points of damage taken) to continue maintaining the power.
Corruption
You use the psionics to send a bolt of purely vile and dangerous thoughts into an enemy. Time: Standard Action. Targets: One target within 60’ and within line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: The result of the check determines the effect, if any. No matter the result of the check, the target is allowed a Physical Effect save to only take half damage from the attack. (The target adds a size modifier to its Fortitude Defense: Colossal +8, Gargantuan +4, Huge +2, Large +1, Medium and smaller +0.)
• DC 7: The target takes 2d6 points of psionic damage, and half that amount again at the start of its turn.
• DC 10: As DC 7, except the target takes 3d6 points of damage.
• DC 13: As DC 7, except the target takes 4d6 points of damage.
• DC 15: As DC 7, except the target takes 5d6 points of damage.
Crush
You can use your psionic power to crush or choke your enemy. Time: Standard action. Target: One target within 30 feet and in line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: The result of the check determines the effect, if any:
• DC 7: the target takes 1d6 points of damage. Target must make a Physical Effect Save. If the target fails the save, he can only take free actions or move 5 feet at most on his next turn.
• DC 10: As DC 7, except the target takes 2d6 points of damage.
• DC 13: As DC 7, except the target takes 3d6 points of damage.
Special: You can maintain your concentration on the targeted creature to continue damaging it from round to round. Maintaining Crush is a standard action, and you must make a new Psicraft check each round.
Cryokinesis
You can psionically draw heat away from an object, causing its temperature to drop rapidly. Time: Standard action. Target: One unattended object within 60’ of you and in your line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check. The result of the check determines the result, if any.
• DC 10: The object becomes cold to the touch and more fragile. Reduce the object’s Armor by 1 until the end of your next turn.
• DC 11: As DC 10, except the Armor is reduced by 2.
• DC 12: As DC 10, except the Armor is reduced by 3.
• DC 13: As DC 10, except the Armor is reduced by 4.
Special: You can maintain cryokinesis from round to round, extending the normal duration of the Armor reduction. Maintaining the cryokinesis power is a Free action and you do not make a new Psicraft check each round. If you take damage while maintaining cryokinesis, you must succeed on a Psicraft check (DC = 7 + 1 for every 3 points of damage taken) to continue maintaining the power.
Cursed Luck
The psion can knot a target’s future with a random spray of negative outcomes, trending their future towards injury and death. Time: Standard action. Target: One target within 60’ and line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 10. If this power is successfully triggered, the target rolls twice for any attack rolls or skill checks and takes the worst of the two rolls. Enemies who attack the target gain +2 to hit rolls. The target can subconsciously shake this effect for one round by making a successful Mental Effect save.
Special: This power can be concentrated on to keep in effect round after round. Doing so is required use of a Standard action, and the target will have to make a new Mental Effect save each round the power is in effect to avoid the effects of this power.
Destiny’s Shield
The psion senses incoming attacks and instinctively moves to avoid them. Time: Reaction. Target: Self.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 10. This power can be triggered after a successful enemy hit, and forces a reroll of the attack. Using this power clouds the psion’s responses with alternate possibilities; if the second roll is also a hit, the damage done is the maximum possible.
Detonate
You can perceive points of weakness in an object and telekinetically press those points, shattering the object. Time: Standard action. Target: One unattended object within 60’ of you and within your line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check. The result of the check determines the effect, if any.
• DC 10: The object takes 4d6 points of damage.
• DC 13: The object takes 6d6 points of damage.
• DC 15: The object takes 8d6 points of damage.
• DC 17: The object takes 10d6 points of damage.
Special: This power can be used to affect vehicles like tanks and APC’s that are normally unaffected by the attacks of ground troops without heave weapons.
Disarm
You disarm an opponent by using telekinesis to pull the weapon from his grasp. Time: Standard action. Target: One creature within 30 feet and in line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: Use this check in place of your attack roll when attempting to disarm the target (see Disarming in the Combat chapter). If your disarm attack succeeds, you may choose to let the weapon fall to the ground in the target’s fighting space or have the item fly into your hand (in which case, you need to have a free hand to catch it).
Drain Energy
You can draw the energy out of a powered object, such as a blaster’s power pack or power generator. Time: Standard action. Target: One powered weapon or object within 30’ of you and in your line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check. The result of the check determines the result, if any.
• DC 10: You drain the energy from the energy cell or cells powering a Small or smaller weapon or object. You completely drain the object of its energy, and it cannot be used until its energy cells are replaced.
• DC 13: As DC 10, except you drain all the energy from a Medium sized or smaller weapon or object.
• DC 15: As DC 10, except you drain all the energy from a Large sized or smaller weapon or object.
• DC 17: As DC 10, except you drain all the energy from a Huge sized or smaller weapon or object. If the object is being powered by a generator, all the energy is drained from that instead.
Empathy
The user may determine the current emotions and any especially strong, emotionally-charged surface thoughts in the subject. Time: Standard action. Target: One living creature within 60’ and line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC for this power is 7. This insight lasts only a few seconds. The target may make a 2d6 + Wisdom modifier roll; if that roll is higher than the psion’s Psicraft roll, the psion gains only an impression of their current emotions.
Entropic Resonance
A living organism suffers a sudden breakdown of cellular integrity. Time: Standard action. Target: One living creature the psion can touch.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC for this power is 13. If successful, and a successful touch attack is made (attack roll made with armor ignored from the target’s AC), the target suffers 6d8 points of damage. The target is allowed a Mental Effect save with a -2 penalty to halve the damage. This power can only be used on a target once every 24 hours.
Eye of the Storm
Psychic powers ebb and flow at the psion’s whim. Time: Full-round action. Target: All living creatures within 40 meters.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC for this power is 13. While this power is in effect, the psion becomes aware of the location and nature of any psionic power usage within forty meters. Psionic activations can be squelched at will unless the victim makes a successful Mental Effect saving throw. The powers of the psion and his allies can be activated with a +2 bonus to their Psicraft checks.
Special: You can maintain concentration to keep this power in effect for multiple rounds. Keeping concentration costs a Standard Action.
Farseeing
You gain a vague, momentary impression of event happening around a particular being in some distant place. Time: Full-round action. Target: One creature you know or have met before.
Make a Psicraft check: At the same time, the target 2d6 and add his Wisdom modifier to the roll. If your check result is less that your target’s roll, you gain no information (including if the target is alive or dead) and cannot use this power against the same target again for 24 hours. If your check result equals or exceeds your target’s roll, you can sense if the target is alive or dead and gain a vague sense of his immediate surroundings, what it’s currently doing, and any strong emotions it is presently feeling. Using this power on a dead target has a DC of 13 for the purposes of this power.
Fear
You send dark and terrifying thoughts into the mind of your enemy to instill debilitating fear. Time: Free action. Target: One creature within 60’ and within the line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check. The result of the check determines the effect, if any. No matter the result, the target can avoid the effects of this power with a successful Mental Effect save.
• DC 7: The target can only take one standard action on its next turn.
• DC 10: The target can only take one move action on its next turn.
• DC 13: The target can only take free actions on its next turn.
• DC 15: The target can take no actions on its next turn.
Forced Outcome
The precognitive not only perceives the immediate future, she also becomes capable of manipulating it. Time: Standard action. Target: Self.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC for this power is 10. The psion becomes capable of determining the outcome of any one simple random event in her presence. Dice will roll the total she decides, coins will flip as wished, and Russian roulette ceases to be surprising. The more external factors that influence the random event, the more difficult it is to influence; anything that isn’t the outcome of a single mechanical event is generally too complex to control. This power is one among a myriad of reasons why psions are not allowed in most casinos and gambling dens throughout the known galaxy.
Fortelling
The psion’s powers of detection begin to extend beyond the immediate future. Time: Full-round action. Target: Self.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 13. Within ten minutes of focused meditation, the psion can activate this power for an impression of the next important event that is likely to involve them personally within the next week. Brief images and visions of place are usually obtained, usually involving those people and locations most important to the event. If no important event is likely to happen within the next week, the power returns nothing. This ability can be used only once per week or until the foreseen event comes to pass, whichever comes first.
Inertia
You can use your psionic ability to shift your body’s inertia, allowing you to perform impossible stunts. Time: Move action. Target: You.
Make a Psicraft check. The result of the check determines the result, if any.
• DC 7: You move up to half your speed along a wall as though it were the ground, ignoring the normal effects of gravity for the duration of this movement. If you are not on the ground when you end this movement, you fall to the ground.
• DC 10: As DC 7, except you can move at your normal speed along the wall.
• DC 13: As DC 7, except you can move at your speed +10’ along the wall.
• DC 15: As DC 7, except you can move at your speed +20’ along the wall.
Special: You can maintain Inertia from round to round, extending the normal duration. Maintaining the Inertia power is a standard action, and you must make a new Psicraft check each round. If you take damage while maintaining a Inertia, you must succeed on a Psicraft check (DC = 7 + 1 for every 3 points of damage taken) to continue maintaining the power.
Invincible Stand
Activation of this power on a target allows the subject to continue acting even when their hit points have been lowered below zero. Time: Free action. Target: One target that is below 0 hit points and within 60’.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC for this power is 10. The effect lasts only to the end of the psychic’s next turn, and the subject will die regardless if brought to -30 hit points. If the target is at negative hit points when the power ends they must make a Physical Effect saving throw or die on the spot. If successful, they live with 1 hit point. Each round of this effect adds 1 System Strain point to the target.
Ionize
You call upon your psionic power to overload electronic systems and robots, damaging or even destroying the unit. Time: Standard action. Target: One target within 30’ and within line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check. The results of the Psicraft check determine the result if any. No matter the Psicraft check result, the target is allows an Evasion saving throw to avoid the effects.
• DC 10: The target takes 4d6 points of ion damage.
• DC 13: The target takes 5d6 points of ion damage.
• DC 15: The target takes 6d6 points of ion damage.
Kinetic Shield
The psion can deflect physical projectiles and weapons that would otherwise strike him. Time: Reaction. Target: Self.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC for this power is 10 and the result of the check determines the effect, if any.
• DC 10: If the check is successful, the attacker must reroll attack and damage rolls and take the lesser result of each. This only works against physical attacks, not against energy-based or psionic attacks. The shield only works against the one attack
• DC 13: The kinetic shield can absorb up 40 points of damage from physical impacts, lasers, plasma, or other thermal effects. This shield lasts five minutes per activation (or until the 40 point threshold has been reached), but the buffer itself does not regenerate until an hour has passed after its last use.
Lightning
You blast your enemy with deadly arcs of bio-electric energy. Time: Standard action. Target: One target within 30 feet and in line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 10. The target is allowed an Evasion save for half damage. If the save fails, the target takes 3d6 points of electricity damage. If the target’s save is successful, the target only takes half damage from the attack.
Lightning Burst
You call upon your powers to cause lighting to arc out from your body, striking adjacent enemies. Time: Standard action. Targets: All enemies adjacent to you.
Make a Psicraft check. The DC of this power is 10. The target is allowed an Evasion saving throw. If the target’s save fails, the target takes 3d6 points of damage. If the target’s save is successful, the target takes half damage.
Special: You can maintain the lightning burst power as a standard action, provided you haven’t moved since activating the power. When you maintain the power, make a new Psicraft check and target in range is allowed an Evasion saving throw (as described above).
Maelstrom
You use your power to create a swirling whirlwind of psionic energy around yourself. Time: Standard Action. Target: You.
Make a Psicraft check. You create a vortex of debris and dark energy around yourself that deal 2d6 points of damage to all adjacent targets at the end of your turn. The result of the Psicraft check determines the duration of the effect, if any.
• DC 10: 2 rounds
• DC 12: 4 rounds
• DC 14: 6 rounds
• DC 16: 8 rounds
Malacia
You create dizziness and nausea by disrupting your enemy’s equilibrium. Time: Standard action. Target: One living creature within 30’ of you.
Make a Psicraft check. The DC of this power is 10. The target is allowed a Physical Effect save. If the target’s save fails, he suffers a -5 penalty to attack rolls, cannot use his Strength modifier for damage or attack rolls, loses his Dexterity bonus to AC and ranged attack rolls, can only move 10’ in a round, and suffers a -5 penalty to all balance/movement-based skill checks until the start or your turn in the next round.
Special: You can maintain the malacia power from round to round, extending the duration of the penalties being suffered. Maintaining the malacia power is a standard action, and you must make a new Psicraft check each round. If you take damage while maintaining malacia, you must succeed on a Psicraft check (DC = 7 + 1 for every 3 points of damage taken) to continue concentrating.
Memetic Probe
The psychic can dig relevant facts about one topic out of the target’s memories. Time: Full-round action. Target: One sentient creature in the psion’s line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: The result of the check determines the result, if any. The subject gets a Mental Effect saving throw to resist the power.
• DC 7: The psion gets any information on one topic that the target can remember. The psion only gets about 30 minutes worth of memories for every 5 minutes of probing.
• DC 13: The psion can access memories about a topic that the target may not even remember. The psion gets 1 hour’s worth of information on the topic for every 5 minutes of probing.
Special: This power can be maintained via concentration at a cost of another full-round action.
Memory Walk
You torment an enemy by making him relive his most horrible memories. Time: Standard action. Target: One creature within 30’ of you and in your line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check. The result of the check determines the effect, if any.
• DC 10: The target is allowed a Mental Effect save. If the saving throw fails, the target takes 2d6 points of damage and loses any Free actions on its next turn.
• DC 13: As DC 10, except the target loses its move action on its next turn.
• DC 15: As DC 10, except the target loses its standard action on its next turn.
• DC 17: As DC 10, except the target loses its standard and Free actions on its next turn.
Special: You can maintain Memory walk from round to round, extending the normal duration. Maintaining the Memory walk power is a standard action, and you must make a new Psicraft check each round. If you take damage while maintaining a Memory walk, you must succeed on a Psicraft check (DC = 7 + 1 for every 3 points of damage taken) to continue maintaining the power.
Metalinguistics
The psychic can understand the meaning of a sentient subject’s language, regardless of whether or not she speaks the language or even has the correct physiognomy to comprehend it. Time: Standard action (see below). Target: Self and a sentient creature.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 7. If the check is successful, the psion and the target he/she is conversing with can understand each other. This only works for spoken language, so languages that involve pheromones or gestures are not translated. There is no saving throw against this power.
Special: if the psion has telepathy and metalinguistics, this power is automatically applied to the use of Telepathy.
Metamorph
The psion changes their physical appearance to that of any creature of the same species. Time: Standard action. Target: Self
Make a Psicraft check: The DC for this power is 10. A specific other creature can only be mimicked if it is within line of sight. Unlike most psionic powers, this functions even if the “original” is unwilling. This alteration does not change the psychic’s statistics, and lasts for up to one hour. Activating this power increases the psion’s System Strain by 1 point.
Mind Shard
You can focus your will to splinter the mind of an opponent, wracking it with pain. Time: Standard action. Target: One creature within 60’ of you and in your line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check. The result of the check determines the effect, if any. No matter the DC rolled, the target is allowed a Mental Effect save to avoid the effects.
• DC 7: If the target’s save fails, the target takes 2d8 points of damage and suffers a -2 penalty to attack and damage rolls until the start of the psion’s next turn.
• DC 10: As DC 7, except the damage increases to 3d8.
• DC 13: As DC 7, except the damage increases to 4d8.
• DC 15: As DC 7, except the damage increases to 5d8.
Mind Trick
You use your psionic power to alter a target’s perceptions or plant a suggestion in its mind. Time: Standard action. Target: One sentient creature within 60’ and in line of sight.
Make a Psicraft Check: Your target rolls 2d6 and add his Wisdom modifier to the roll. If you equal or exceed the target’s roll, you can choose one of the following effects:
• You create a fleeting illusion that distracts the target and allows you to use the Stealth skill even if the target is aware of you.
• You perform a feint so that the next attack you make against the target ignores its Dexterity bonus to AC (if any).
• You make an otherwise impalpable suggestion seem completely reasonable to the target. You must be able to communicate with the target, and the suggestion can’t obviously threaten the target’s life. The target won’t realize later that what he did is unacceptable.
• You fill the target with terror, causing it to flee from you at top speed for 1 minute. The affected creature stops fleeing if wounded. The effect is negated if the target’s level is equal to or higher than your character’s. This is a fear effect.
Move Object
You telekinetically move an object up to 30 feet in any direction using the powers of your mind. Time: Standard Action. Target: One character or object within 30 feet and in your line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: The result of the check determines the maximum size of the object you can lift (if any). If the target is a creature that resists your attempt, your Psicraft check must also exceed the target’s 2d6 + Wisdom modifier roll. You can hurl the object at (or drop it on) another target in range by rolling a successful attack roll (Wisdom or Charisma modifier is used on the roll, whichever is higher) against the target. Both targets take damage based on your Psicraft check result:
• DC 7: Move object up to Medium size (deals 2d6 points of damage).
• DC 10: Move object up to Large size (deals 3d6 points of damage).
• DC 13: Move object up to Huge size (deals 5d6 points of damage).
• DC 15: Move object up to Gargantuan size (deals 7d6 points of damage).
• DC 17: Move object up to Colossal size (deals 9d6 points of damage).
Special: You may maintain concentration on the targeted object to continue to move it from round to round. Maintaining the move object power is a standard action.
If you use move object on a hovering or flying target (such as a speeder or starship), the target can opposed your Psicraft check with a 2d6 + Strength modifier roll as a reaction. If the target wins the opposed check, you cannot move the object.
Negate Energy
You spontaneously negate one attack that deals energy weapon damage, such as a blaster or a beam sword. Time: Reaction. Target: One attack against you that deal energy weapon damage.
Make a Psicraft check: If the result of your check equals or exceeds the damage dealt by the attack, the attack is negated and you take no damage. If your check is less than the damage dealt, you take damage as normal.
Special: You must be aware of the attack (and not surprised) to negate it.
Nine Lives
This power automatically triggers when the psion dies. The psion appears to be dead to all non-psychic investigations, and indeed may be torn to pieces, mostly incinerated, or otherwise mangled. Provided that the entire body is not burnt or dissolved, the psion will gradually regenerate from the largest remaining body fragment over the course of one hour, reviving with full hit points. The psion is aware of his surroundings while “dead”, and can forestall regeneration until attention has left his “corpse”. This power automatically maximizes the psychic’s System Strain and can be used only once per week. This power is triggered automatically with no need for a Psicraft check.
Note in My Time
The psion’s subconscious will to live stymies those futures in which they die. Time: Reaction. Target: Self
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 13. This power triggers automatically when the psychic is about to die, provided they able to activate it (not already unconscious, in stasis, or under the affects of the Sever power or otherwise has psionic power inhibited). On triggering, events conspire to leave the psion alive and relatively safe, no matter how improbable the outcome: the nuclear bomb fails to detonate, the bandits leave her for dead, the starship plunging into a black hole manages to launch a lifeboat in time, et cetera. While the psion will not face immediate death again after using this power, such safety might last no more than minutes. There is also no guarantee that this power will leave the psion healthy. This power can activate no more than once per week.
Omen
The psion may force a brief subconscious examination of future possibilities. Time: Standard action. Target: Self.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC for this power is 7. The psion must have a relatively straightforward choice before her- perhaps to open a box, swallow a pill, or go into a spaceport bar. The psion will receive a distinct sense of whether following that course of action will result in physical injury or mental distress within the next ten minutes, according to the GM’s best judgment of likely outcomes. This power can be used only once per hour.
Overpowering Will
The psion can redouble his efforts to affect the minds of others. Time: Reaction. Target: One target that made a successful Mental Effect save against one of the psion’s powers.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 13. If the check is successful, the target that just made a Mental Effect save to avoid one of your mind-affecting powers (such as Telepathy, Mind Trick, Memetic Probe, etc.) must reroll the saving throw again with a -2 penalty and take the worse result.
Phase
You can pass through solid objects, such as walls and doors. Time: Move action. Target: You
Make a Psicraft check. The result of the check determines the result, if any.
• DC 13: You gain a phasing speed of 10 feet; your phasing speed can never exceed your own base speed. When moving using your phasing speed, you can move through the space of your enemies, as well as through walls, vehicles, large objects and other obstructions but end your movement in a legal, unoccupied space. You retain this phasing speed until the beginning of your next turn. You may move up to your phasing speed as part of the activation of this power.
• DC 15: As DC 13, except your phasing speed is 20 feet.
• DC 17: As DC 13, except your phasing speed is 30 feet.
• DC 19: As DC 13, except your phasing speed is 40 feet.
Special: You can maintain the phase power from round to round, extending the normal duration. Maintaining the phase power is a Move action, and whenever you maintain this power you can move up to your phasing speed. If you take damage while maintaining this power, you must make a Psicraft check (DC = 7 + 1 for every 3 points of damage taken) to maintain the power.
Psychic Assault
The telepath launches a violent mental assault on a sentient life form, causing great pain and agony. Time: Standard action. Target: One sentient creature within 60’ and line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: the result of the check determines the effect, if any. No matter the check result, the target is allowed a Mental Effect save to avoid the effects. Plus, this assault can be used on a given target only once per twenty-four hours.
• DC 10: Target cannot act for 1d4 rounds and suffers 5d4 points of damage.
• DC 13: As DC 10, but the target suffers 6d4 points of damage.
• DC 15: As DC 10, but the target suffers 7d4 points of damage.
Psychic Avalanche
The psychic’s powers surge with sudden force. Time: Reaction. Target: One living creature affected that has just passed a saving throw against the psion’s power.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC for this power is 13. If the Psicraft check is successful, the psion forces the target to reroll his saving throw against the psion’s power. The result of the reroll must be accepted even if it is better. The neural strain inflicts 2d6 damage on the psion each time a reroll is forced.
Psychic Backlash
You use your power to cause another psion to suffer a painful backlash of psionic energy when they use their powers. Time: Standard action. Target: One psion within unaided line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: The targeted psion also makes a Psicraft check. If you win the contest, the next time the psion attempts to use a psionic power, he takes 1d6 points of damage as psionic energy blasts back at him. This effect lasts until the psion makes a Mental effect save, which is made whenever he uses a psionic power.
Psychic Harmonization
On triggering this ability, the psychic becomes resistant to hostile psionic forces. Time: Standard action. Target: Self
Make a Psicraft check: The DC for this power is 7. The psion gains a +2 bonus to all saving throws versus psionic effects (this bonus applies to psionic contest rolls as well) for the duration of this power. While this ability is active, the psion can also determine whether or not a person he/she touches has any psionic abilities, though not specific powers.
Psychic Succor
The psionic banishes stress, fatigue, and wounds with a touch. Time: Standard action. Target: One target the psion can touch.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC for this power is 7. A successful use of this power heals 1d8 hit points in the target, plus the target’s Constitution modifier. A minimum of 1 hit point is always healed, and the psion cannot give a subject more hit points than their normal maximum. Use of this power adds 1 System Strain point to the target.
Psychic Vitality
The psion emits a wave of psionic energy that invigorates and heals nearby allies. Time: Standard action. Target: All allies within 60’.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 13. If the usage check is successful, all allies within 60’ are healed for 2d8 + twice their Constitution modifier, up to their maximum hit point value. Use of this power adds 2 System Strain points to every subject affected.
Purge Toxin
The psychic can force the elimination of a disease or poison from a target. Time: Full-round action. Target: One afflicted target the psion can touch.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC for this power is 7. If successfully used, this power allows the target to make an additional Physical Effect saving throw against the illness or poison at a +2 bonus, plus the target’s Constitution modifier. If the target died due to a poison or disease within the last three rounds, a successful save restores them to life at 1 hit point. This power does not function against genetic illnesses or conditions present from birth. Use of this power adds 1 System Strain point to the target.
Radiate Malice
You channel your malice, rage, and dark thoughts, letting your hate radiate out from your body in palpable waves. Time: Standard action. Targets: See text.
Make a Psicraft check. The result of the check determines the result, if any.
• DC 7: Until the end of your next turn, any creature that starts its turn within 30’ of you takes 1d6 points of psionic damage and takes a -1 penalty to AC and saving throws.
• DC 10: As DC 7, except the damage increases to 2d6.
• DC 13: As DC 7, except the damage increases to 3d6.
• DC 15: As DC 7, except the damage increases to 4d6.
Special: You can maintain Radiate Malice from round to round, extending the normal duration. Maintaining the Radiate Malice power is a standard action, and you must make a new Psicraft check each round. If you take damage while maintaining this power, you must succeed on a Psicraft check (DC = 7 + 1 for every 3 points of damage taken) to continue maintaining the power.
Rage
You harness your rage to fuel your prowess in battle. Time: Free Action. Target: You.
Make a Psicraft check: the result of the check determines the effect, if any:
• DC 7: You gain a +2 rage bonus on melee attack rolls and melee attack damage until the end of your turn.
• DC 10: As DC 7, except the rage bonuses increase to +4.
• DC 13: As DC 7, except the rage bonuses increase to +6.
Special: While you are consumed with rage, you cannot use skills or perform tasks that require concentration.
Rebuke
You harmlessly absorb or deflect one psionic power used against you, perhaps even turning it against its creator. Time: Reaction. Target: One psionic power directed at you.
Make a Psicraft check: If you check result equals or exceeds the Psicraft check result of the power directed at you, you harmlessly redirect it away from you and suffer no ill effects. If your Psicraft check exceeds the opposing check by 3 or more, you may choose to turn the psionic power against its creator, who suffers the effect.
Special: If you turn a psionic power back onto its creator, he may be able to rebuke it as well. If he reflects if back again, both you and the creator suffer the effects of the power.
Remote Manipulation
The psion can use telekinetic force to wield weapons remotely as if he were physically using them. Time: Standard action. Target: One object that either is a weapon (melee or ranged) or can used as such (chair, rock, fire poker, etc.).
Make a Psicraft check: The result of the check determines the effect, if any:
• DC 7: The force applied is only Strength 10, and can only be applied to one-handed melee weapons or objects that can be used as a one-handed melee weapon. Any attack made with the object has a -2 penalty applied to the roll (use the Psion’s attack bonus).
• DC 10: As DC 7, but two-handed weapons can be used. Any attack made with the object does not have an attack penalty.
• DC 13: As DC 7, but the psion has enough control to use ranged weapons as long as the weapon is loaded and simple to use (no more advanced than pulling a trigger), primitive ranged weapons like bow and crossbows require too much fine manipulation to use with this power.
Special: A psion using this power to wield a firearm or blaster can concentrate on the power to continue to make attacks with the weapon. This requires the use of a Standard Action.
Rend
You can move a single target, whether it is a creature or an object, in two different directions simultaneously. Time: Standard action. Target: One target in your line of sight within 30’ of you.
Make a Psicraft check. The DC of this power is 13. The target is allowed an Evasion save to avoid damage. If the target’s saving throw fails, the target takes 3d6 damage. If your Psicraft check is a natural 12, you score the equivalent of a critical hit, and the target takes double damage. If you deal enough damage to reduce the target to 0 hit points, you rip the target into two separate parts (living targets are instantly killed).
Repulse
You use create a burst of telekinetic energy to clear an area around yourself. Time: Standard Action. Targets: All adjacent targets.
Make a Psicraft check. The targets roll 2d6 and add in their Strength modifiers and their base attack bonuses. If you beat a target’s Strength check, you push it back 1 square plus 1 additional square for every 2 points by which you exceeded the target’s check result. If you push the target into a larger object, the target takes 1d6 points of damage.
The target adds a size modifier to its Strength check: Colossal +8, Gargantuan +4, Huge +2, Large +1, Medium +0, Small -1, Tiny -2, Diminutive -4, Fine -8. In addition, it gets a +2 stability bonus if it has more than two legs or is otherwise exceptionally stable.
Scream
You create an intense sonic scream, amplified by psionic power. Time: Standard Action. Target: All creatures that are within 60’ and can hear you.
Make a Psicraft check. The target sustains damage as determined by the results of your Psicraft check. The target gets a Physical Effect save to avoid the effects of the scream attack
• DC 7: The target takes 1d6 points of damage.
• DC 10: As DC 7, except the target takes 2d6 points of damage.
• DC 13: As DC 7, except the target takes 3d6 points of damage.
• DC 15: As DC 7, except the target takes 4d6 points of damage.
The target adds a size modifier to its Physical Effect save: Colossal +8, Gargantuan +4 Huge, +2, Large +1, Medium or smaller +0.
Sever
You can block another psion’s access to his psionic power, making it difficult for him to use any psionic powers in his suite. Time: Standard action. Target: One psion within 60 feet and in line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: Your target also makes a Psicraft check. If your Psicraft check equals or exceeds the target’s Psicraft check, the effect (if any) is determined by your check result:
• DC 13: The target suffers a -3 penalty to its Psicraft checks for 1d6 hours.
• DC 15: As DC 13, and the target immediately become stunned (see the Combat chapter) after using a psionic power.
• DC 17: As DC 13, and the target must roll for Burn Out after using a psionic power, even if the power used had not already been spent from the psion’s suite.
Shatterpoint
You can see the critical point in a vehicle or starship, whether it is a person or an object, which would shatter if struck at the right time. Time: Swift action. Target: You.
Make a Psicraft check. The result of the check determines the result, if any.
• DC 13: If you next attack made before the end of the encounter hits, treat the vehicle’s Armor against the attack as though it is 2 points lower than normal.
• DC 15: As DC 13, except treat the vehicle’s Armor as though it is 4 points lower than normal.
• DC 17: As DC 13, except treat the vehicle’s Armor as though it is 6 points lower than normal.
• DC 19: As DC 13, except treat the vehicle’s Armor as though it is 8 points lower than normal.
Shift
The psion can fold space to instantly transport between locations. Time: Full-round action. Target: Self and see below.
Make a Psicraft check: the result of the check determines the effect, if any.
• DC 7: The Psion can teleport up to 10 meters and carry up to 5 kilos of clothing, equipment, or other living organisms with them.
• DC 8: As DC 7, but range increases to 40 meters and his maximum additional mass limit rises to 20 kilos.
• DC 9: As DC 7, but range is now 80 meters, with up to 40 additional kilos of gear or living compatriots.
• DC 10: As DC 7, but range is now 1 kilometer, and maximum cargo mass increases sharply to 200 kilograms.
• DC 11: As DC 7, but range is now 10 kilometers and their maximum cargo mass is 400 kilos of gear.
• DC 12: As DC 7, but range increases to 100 kilometers, and the maximum cargo mass increases to 800 kilos.
• DC 13: As DC 7, but range increases to 1,000 kilometers and the maximum cargo mass is now 2,000 kilos.
• DC 15: The psion now instinctively interfaces with the metagravitic field of planetary bodies, and can teleport to any valid location on a given world regardless of range. The psion can also jump from high orbit to the planet’s surface and vice-versa. The maximum mass a psion at this DC can shift is 4,000 kilos.
Teleporting an unwilling sentient is difficult, as the psychic must sync with their mental signature at precisely the right moment for the teleport. For unwilling subjects, a successful Unarmed attack roll is necessary to touch the target and the Shift power must be expended and the Psicraft check made—and the character must teleport—whether or not the attack is successful. Sentient targets must also fail a Mental Effect saving throw to be teleported against their will.
The psychic must have personally visited the target location at least once before jumping to it, or else be able to see it with unaided vision. The psychic cannot teleport to arbitrary locations. For example, he could not teleport to “The cargo bed of my grav sled.” without knowing where the grav sled was parked and having visited that location before. Teleporting equalizes velocity with the target surroundings; a free falling teleporter can jump harmlessly to the ground if it’s within range and the psychic has enough time to activate the power.
Only advanced shield technologies can prevent a teleporter from arriving at a location. The teleporter will instinctively abort jumps that would leave him embedded in solid objects or lethal surroundings, should the terrain at a target point have changed so since his last visit. The power is expended normally even for failed jumps. A character who teleports can perform only free actions for the rest of the round.
Slam
You pound one or more creatures with concussive force. Time: Standard action. Target: All targets within a 30 foot cone and within line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: Make one roll and compare the result to each target’s roll of 2d6 + Constitution modifier. If the result equals or exceeds a target’s roll, it takes 2d6 points of Concussive damage and is knocked prone. If the result does not equal or exceed the target’s roll, it takes half damage and is not knocked prone.
Slow
You can use your psionic ability to slow your targets as if they are encumbered by a heavy load, making it difficult for them to move. Time: Standard action. Target: One creature or robot within 60’ and within line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check. Targets are allowed a Physical Effect save to avoid the effect. Otherwise, the result of your Psicraft check determines the effect.
• DC 7: Target’s speed is reduced by 5’ until the beginning of your next turn. The target also receives a -2 penalty to any Athletics and Stealth checks attempted while slowed.
• DC 10: As DC 7, except speed is reduced by 10’.
• DC 13: As DC 7, except speed is reduced by 15’.
• DC 15: As DC 7, except speed is reduced by 20’.
The target adds a size modifier to its Physical Effect saving throw: Colossal +8, Gargantuan +4, Huge +2, Large +1, Medium or smaller +0.
Stagger
You telekinetically lash out at a nearby enemy, causing it to stumble. Time: Swift action. Target: One enemy adjacent to you.
Make a Psicraft check. The Dc for this power is 7. The target is allowed a Physical Effect save to avoid the effect. If the target fails his saving throw, the target takes 2d6 points of damage and is pushed 5’ away from you. If this pushes the target into another object, the target takes an additional 1d6 points of damage (as does any creature or robot he is flung into).
Storm
You focus anger, hatred, and maliciousness to physically materialize into a storm of wind and acid rain. Time: Standard Action. Target: One designated area within 60’ of you and within your line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check. The result of the Psicraft check determines the result, if any.
• DC 10: You create a Force storm that covers a 15’ by 15’ area. At least 5’ within that area must be within the given range of this power. The area within the storm are filled with driving acid rain that provides concealment and deals 2d6 points of acid damage to any creature that enters the storm or begins its turn within the area. The storm also imposes a -2 penalty on Perception checks to listen, as the storm howls loudly. The storm lasts until the end of you next turn. This is an area effect.
• DC 13: As DC 10, except the Force storm covers a 20’ by 20’ square area.
• DC 15: As DC 10, except the Force storm covers a 25’ by 25’ square area.
• DC 17: As DC 10, except the Force storm covers a 30’ by 30’ square area.
Special: You can maintain the storm from round to round, extending the normal duration. Maintaining the storm power is a standard action, and you must make a new Psicraft check each round. If you take damage while maintaining a Storm, you must succeed on a Psicraft check (DC = 7 + 1 for every 3 points of damage taken) to continue maintaining the power.
Strange Attractors
The psion shifts to physically inhabit multiple lines of possibility. Time: Full-round action. Target: Self.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power ia 13. On triggering this power, the precog effectively splits into two people, both of whom can then perform a full round of actions, albeit neither can activate other psychic powers. The two possibilities can move and act separately, and both have identical sets of equipment. The aspects take damage separately, but share the same suite of psionic powers for any relevant purposes. At the end of the round, the psychic chooses one of the two possibilities; the other vanishes along with their equipment, though the consequences of their actions remain.
Stun
You can use your psionic power to overload an enemy’s senses, potentially stunning it. Time: Standard action. Target: One creature within 30 feet and in line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: compare the result to your target’s 2d6 + Wisdom modifier roll. If the check equals or exceeds the target’s roll, he is stunned for one round (see the Combat chapter for information about the Stun effect). A failed check results in no effect. For every 3 points that a Psicraft check exceeds the target’s roll, the target is stunned for another round.
Surface Telepathy
The psychic gains a steady perception of the surface thoughts of one target. Time: Standard action. Target: One sentient creature within the psion’s line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 10. The subject is allowed a Mental Effect save. If that save fails, the psion is privy to whatever is on the subject’s mind for the next 10 minutes.
Special: This power can be maintained for further rounds via concentration. Concentrating on this power requires a Standard action.
Surge
The psion channels his power into his own body, allowing him to jump great heights and distances as well as move quickly. Time: Free Action. Target: You.
Make a Psicraft check: The result of the check determines the effect, if any:
• DC 7: You gain a +5 Psionic bonus on any Athletic checks made to Jump and your speed increases by 10 feet until the start of your next turn. The Psionic bonus to the Athletic (jump) check includes the adjustment for increased speed.
• DC 10: As DC 7 except the Psionic bonus increases to +7 and speed increases by 20 feet.
• DC 13: As DC 7 except the Psionic bonus increases to +10 and speed by 30 feet.
Technometry
You can tap into and read technological devices and, in some cases, control them. Time: Standard action. Target: One robot or electronic device touched.
Make a Psicraft check. The DC for this power is 10, and the target is allowed a saving throw to avoid the effect. If the target fails the saving throw, you discover one piece of information contained in the target’s memory. For every 2 points that you exceed the power’s DC, you learn one additional piece of information.
Alternatively, if you target a robot and succeed at a Psicraft check, you may choose one of the following effects and apply it to the targeted robot.
• The robot’s senses are jammed, allowing you to make Stealth checks against the robot until the end of your next turn, even if it is aware of you.
• The robot is denied its Dexterity bonus to AC against your next attack made before the end of your next turn.
• One its next two turns, the robot does nothing but flee from you at top speed.
Telekinetic Counterstrike
The psychic begins to turn enemy weapons against their wielders. Time: Reaction. Target: Self
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 10. This power can be used up to once per round after being attacked by a physical weapon, such as a bullet, blade, or fist. The target must make a Mental Effect saving throw; if successful, the attack is resolved as normal, but damage is rolled twice, and the lesser amount is taken by the psion. If the target fails their Mental Effect saving throw, the attack rebounds to hit them automatically for normal damage.
Telepathy
The psion is able to carry on a conversation with another sentient being via telepathic communication. Time: Standard action. Target: One of more beings within line of sight.
Unlike many powers, the psion doesn’t have to make a Psicraft check to use this ability unless one or more of the targets wishes to resist the communication. In those cases, the psion makes a Psicraft check and the targets rolls either a Psicraft check (if psions or capable of telepathy naturally) or a 2d6 + Wisdom modifier roll. If the target’s roll is higher, he has successfully blocked the communication.
Communication is typically in a language that both the psion and the target(s) understand. In the case that there isn’t a common language, the communication is in the form of images. It’s not as reliable, but the message is typically gotten across. A psion with the Metalinguistics power automatically has that power apply to his telepathic messages.
Special: This power is not one that is removed from the psion’s suite of powers upon use.
Terminal Reflection
This power gives the psion a single image of the probable damage. Time: Free action. Target: Self
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 7. If the check is successful, the next time within the next 10 rounds that they psion is subjected to damage that he wouldn’t otherwise have known he would be subjected to (surprise attack, springing a trap, etc.), he gets a precognitive flash of the damage and can halt the action that will cause the damage or step out of the way of the attack, negating the damage. If this power is not triggered after 10 rounds, it cannot be used again for 24 hours.
Thought Bomb
You use your psionic power to radiate harmful waves of telepathy, damaging the minds of nearby foes. Time: Standard action. Target: All living enemies within 10’ of you.
Make a Psicraft check. The DC of this power is 10, and targets are allowed a Mental Defense check against to avoid the effect. For each target that fails its saving throw, the target takes 2d6 points of damage and loses all free actions on their next turn. This is an area effect.
Thrust
You use your willpower to push a target away from you. Time: Standard action. Target: One object or character within 60 feet and in line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: The target rolls 2d6 + Strength modifier. If you beat the target’s roll, you push it back 5 feet plus an additional 5 feet for every 3 points that you Psicraft check beats the target’s roll. If you push the target into a larger object, the target takes 1d6 points of damage, plus an additional 1d6 points of damage for every 5 feet that it would have been pushed beyond the object. If pushed into another creature, both the target and the creature it hits take 1d6 points of damage and both are pushed the rest of the distance with a reduction of -5 feet from the original distance.
The target adds the following size modifiers to their rolls: Colossal: +10, Gargantuan: +7, Huge: +3, Large: +1, Medium: +0, Small: -3, Tiny: -6, Diminutive: -10, Fine: -13. In addition, the target gains an additional +5 bonus to its roll if it has 4 legs or is otherwise exceptionally stable.
Track
You peer into the past for guidance, picking up the trail of your quarry. Time: Swift action. Target: You.
Make a Psicraft check. The result of the check determines the result, if any.
• DC 7: You determine the path taken by a specific creature you designate, provided you are within line of sight of the creature’s trail. You can track the creature (with the Survival skill) without needing to make survival checks for up to 1 hour, provided that the creature you are tracking passed through the area in the last minute.
• DC 10: As DC 7, except the creature you are tracking need only to have passed through in the last 10 minutes.
• DC 13: As DC 7, except the creature you are tracking need only to have passed through in the last hour.
• DC 15: As DC 7, except the creature you are tracking need only to have passed through in the last day.
Valor
You call upon your mental fortitude, reaching out to your ally and sharing your strength with him. Time: Standard action. Target: One creature or robot within 60’ and within line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check. The effect of this power is determined by your check result:
• DC 7: the target gains a +1 bonus to all Mental Effect saves until the beginning of your next turn.
• DC 10: As DC 7, except the bonus increases to +2.
• DC 13: As DC 7, except the bonus increases to +4.
• DC 15: As DC 7, except the bonus increases to +8.
Special: You can maintain valor from round to round, extending the normal duration. Maintaining the valor power is a free action. If you sustain damage while maintaining valor, you must succeed on a Psicraft check (DC = 7 +1 for every 3 points of damage taken) to continue maintaining the power. You may have multiple instances of valor active at once, but maintaining more than 1 instance requires a standard action each round and each one must be activated by a separate use of valor.
Vital Transfer
You use your own life force to heal another living creature, using your psionic power as a conduit. Time: Standard action. Target: One creature touched.
Make a Psicraft check: The result of the check determines the result, if any:
• DC 7: The target is healed of hit points equal to 2 x character level.
• DC 10: The target is healed of hit points equal to 3 x character level.
• DC 13: The target is healed of hit points equal to 4 x character level.
Each Time you use Vital Transfer, you suffer half as many hit points as you heal (round down). Using this power also adds 1 System Strain to both the psion and the target per use.
Whirlwind
You can focus your power to surround an enemy in a swirling vortex of psionic energy. The whirlwind lifts them about half a meter off the ground, spinning them in the air and buffeting them with psychic energy. Time: Standard action. Target: One creature or robot within 60’ and within line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check. The result of the check determines the effect, if any. No matter the Psicraft check result, the target is allowed a Physical Effect save to avoid the effects. If the save fails, the target is captured within the whirlwind and immobilized until the beginning of your next turn. Any attack rolls or skill checks the target attempts while within the whirlwind are at a -5 penalty. The target falls prone when the effect ends. The target also sustains damage at the end of your turn as determined by the results of your Psicraft check.
• DC 7: The target takes 1d6 points of damage.
• DC 10: The target takes 2d6 points of damage.
• DC 13: The target takes 3d6 points of damage.
• DC 15: The target takes 4d6 points of damage.
The target adds a size modifier to its Physical Effect saving throw: Colossal +8, Gargantuan +4, Huge +2, Large +1, Medium or smaller +0.
Special: You can maintain the whirlwind from round to round, extending the normal duration. Maintaining the whirlwind is a move action, and you must make a new Psicraft check each round. If you take damage while maintaining a whirlwind, you must succeed on a Psicraft check (DC = 7 + 1 point for every 3 points of damage taken) to continue maintaining the power. If a target within a whirlwind is attacked or otherwise damaged by you or one of your allies, the effects of the whirlwind end immediately.
Wound
You cause spasms in the lungs of your target, painfully injuring them. Time: Standard action. Target: One creature within 30’ and within line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check. The DC for this power is 10 and the target is allowed a Physical Effect save to avoid the effect. If target’s saving throw fails, it takes 4d6 points of Force damage. The target adds a size modifier to its saving throw: Colossal +8, Gargantuan +4, Huge +2, Large +1, Medium or smaller +0.
Psionic Powers
Psionic powers are special abilities available only to those belonging to the Psion class. They allow characters to do astonishing things like play tricks with the minds of others, move heavy objects, see into the future and even blast foes with arcs of bio-electricity.
Learning Psionic Powers
A Psion automatically gains a number of psionic powers equal to 1 + either his Wisdom of Charisma modifier, whichever is higher. Characters can attempt to learn new psionic powers each odd-numbered level by making a Psicraft check against DC 7 + 1 for each power in the character’s suite exceeding the higher of either his or her Wisdom of Charisma bonus. A successful check allows the character to select an additional psionic power. Character can also gain a new psionic power by increasing either their Wisdom or Charisma modifier permanently (momentary increases do not allow a psion to select a new psionic power).
For example, a 3rd level psion makes a Psicraft check to see if he can learn a new power. He has a Wisdom modifier of +2 (no modifier to Charisma) and already has 3 powers. He must roll at least a 13 to be able to learn a new power. If the roll succeeds, he can choose a new psionic power to add to his pool. Then once he reaches level 5 he can attempt the roll again, but with a DC of 14 this time. However, if in the time leading up to level 5, his Wisdom or Charisma has increased to a point that his modifier is now +3, the DC stays at 12 to learn a new power at level 5, but will increase at level 7 if he successfully learns a new power. Failure on this check means the character must wait until he reaches the next odd-numbered level.
Using Psionic Powers
When your character uses a psionic power, make a Psicraft check. The check result determines the power’s effect.
Some powers have all-or-nothing effects. Other powers have multi-tiered effects, and your Psicraft check determines the maximum effect your can achieve, although you can always choose a lesser effect. If your Psicraft check is too low to activate the power’s baseline effect, nothing happens and the action is wasted. Additionally, some powers will add to the target’s or the psion’s own System Strain total.
Using a Psionic power removes it from your active “suite” of powers, regardless of whether the Psicraft check succeeds or fails.
You can select psionic powers multiple times to have more uses of it in your power suite.
Your Psionic Power Suite: Your character’s psionic powers effectively form a suite. When your character uses a power, it’s like playing a card and putting it into the discard pile. The power takes effect and it is no longer available to the character…at least for a while.
Regaining Psionic Powers: You have different ways to regain spent psionic powers so that you can use them again:
• When combat is over and you can rest for at least 1 minute, you regain use of all of your psionic powers.
• If you roll a natural 12 on a Psicraft check, you regain all spent psionic powers at the end of your turn.
• The psion may attempt to tap into is neural reserves to use psionic powers that have already be used, but doing so can lead to what psions call “burn out,” which can lead to insanity or even death.
Using Psionic powers that have a “Time” Full-round action, opens up the psion to attacks from adjacent foes that he can’t use his Dexterity to defend against.
Some powers allow a Psion to concentrate on them to keep them in effect for multiple rounds (otherwise most powers are only in effect for a single round). Doing so usually costs an action (typically a Standard action), and while concentrating on a power the Psion cannot activate any of the other powers in his suite.
Burn Out
Those desperate psions who run out of powers in their suite may draw directly on their neural reserves to fuel a psychic power. “Burning Out”, as this technique is called, causes inevitable and permanent damage to the psion, though it can fuel any already spent psionic power. Each round that a psion burns out, he must roll 1d10. On a result of 1-4, he permanently loses one point of Constitution. A result of 5-8 causes the permanent loss of a point of Wisdom, and a result of 9 or 10 means the energy discharge did no lasting harm to his neural tissues. If Constitution drops below 3, he dies, and if Wisdom drops below 3, he becomes incurably and dangerously insane. There is no known treatment for damage caused by torching. Insane characters become NPCs under the control of the GM.
Those psions who succumb to insanity may use their psionic powers freely with no further risk of degradation. The MES energies have already burnt a pathway through their mind, and no further damage is possible. These “ferals” can use any power in their suite as much as they’d like, can gain additional psychic powers with time, and can be extremely dangerous to anyone unlucky enough to encounter them. A very few can maintain a seemingly coherent facade, but beneath it all they invariably suffer from uncontrollably violent urges, hallucinations, and compulsions.
Psionic Power Descriptions
Some psionic powers are solely mind-affecting, so they come with the Mind-Affecting tag under the power’s title.
Mind-Affecting: A psionic power with the Mind-Affecting tag has no effect on creatures that are mindless (that is, creatures with no Intelligence) or immune to mind-affecting effects.
Psionic Power Descriptions
The following psionic powers are available to all psions. Each psionic power includes the following information:
Psionic Power Name
The name of the power is followed by a brief description of the power’s effect. Time: the type of action needed to activate this power. Target: the targets affected by this psionic power.
Make a Psicraft check: The results of the Psicraft check are detailed here.
Special: Some powers have special rules, which are covered here.
Alternate Outcomes
When the psychic fails an attack roll, saving throw, or skill check she can immediately trigger this power to gain a second attempt at the roll. Time: Reaction. Target: Self.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 7. If successful, the psion can reroll a single attack roll, saving throw, or skill check (Psicraft checks to activate powers cannot be rerolled). The result of the reroll must be accepted even if it is worse. This last-minute aversion destabilizes future probabilities, however, and the psion must voluntarily reroll a successful attack roll, saving throw, or skill check before she can activate this power a second time. Rerolling a trivial success is not normally sufficient to rectify the probability debt.
Armor of Will
You build up your psychic defenses or the defenses in an ally against an attack. Time: Standard action. Target: Self or one ally within 60’ and line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC for this power is 13. You gain a reroll on a saving throw against the next psionic power used against you. You can also grant a saving throw reroll to an ally. If the reroll is not used before the end of combat, it is lost at that time.
Augment Organism
The psion boosts the physical capabilities of a target within line of sight. Time: Standard action. Target: One living creature within line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 10. For five minutes, the subject gains either +1 to their
Dexterity modifier or their Strength modifier. This power can be used up to twice on a single target, either adding +1 to both modifiers or +2 to one. Each activation of this power increases the target’s System Strain by 1 point.
Ballistakinesis
You can use the Force to spray an area with dangerous debris. Time: Standard action. Targets: All targets within a 10’x10’ area (the entire area must be within 60’ feet and in your line of sight).
Make a Psicraft check: The result of the check determines the Attack Bonus for the attack roll to follow.
• DC 7: No attack bonus.
• DC 10: +2 attack bonus
• DC 13: +4 attack bonus
Once the attack roll is determined, make and attack roll with the modifier found above and compare the result to the AC of each target in the affected area. If the attack hits, the target takes 3d8 points of bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage (your choice) and takes a -2 penalty on attack rolls until the start of your next turn. This is an area attack.
Battle Strike
You use your psionic power to enhance your battle prowess. Time: Free Action. Target: You.
Make a Psicraft check: The result of the check determines the effect, if any:
• DC 7: Gain a +1 bonus to your next attack roll and deal an additional 1d6 points of damage if it hits.
• DC 10: As DC 7, except you deal an additional 2d6 damage.
• DC 13: As DC 7, except you deal an additional 3d6 damage.
Biostasis
The psion can maintain the vital life processes of a mortally wounded teammate with a touch. Time: Full-round action. Target: One dead or dying target you can touch.
Make a Psicraft check: The psion may restore to life a creature he is touching that has been dead for no more than six rounds. There is a 100% chance of success if this power is used within three rounds of death, with the chance decreasing by 25% for each round afterwards. The creature is set to zero hit points and remains unconscious until it receives medical attention. It will die if it does not receive such attention within 24 hours. This power does not function on creatures that have been torn apart or otherwise mangled beyond conventional surgical repair, nor those dead of poison, disease, or old age. This power adds 2 System Strain points to the target if successful.
Blind
You hurl dirt, dust, and debris at your foe, affecting its perception. Time: Free action. Target: One creature within 60’ of you and in your line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check. The result of the check determines the Attack Bonus for the attack roll to follow.
• DC 7: No attack bonus.
• DC 10: +2 attack bonus
• DC 13: +4 attack bonus
Once the attack roll is determined, make an attack roll with the modifier found above and compare the result to the AC of each target in the affected area. If the attack hits, the target loses its Dexterity bonus to AC, and all other creatures are considered to have concealment from your target until the start of your next turn. Creatures that do not rely on eyesight to perceive (such as Miraluka) are immune to this effect.
Bootstrap Flight
The psion uses telekinesis to lift himself and up to 880 pounds of gear or teammates for one round. Time: Standard action. Target: Self and anything else within 30’ of the psion that he wishes to have the power affect.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 13. The psion must maintain concentration while flying, but can move at the rate of 120’ per round.
Special: This power can be concentrated on to remain in effect round after round; doing so requires the use of a standard action.
Cloak
You can blend light around your body, rendering yourself invisible to anyone looking in your direction. Time: Standard Action. Target: You.
Make a Psicraft check: The result of the check determines the effect, if any.
• DC 7: You are considered to have total concealment against all targets until the beginning of your next turn.
• DC 10: As DC 7, and you gain a +2 bonus to Stealth checks until the beginning of your next turn.
• DC 13: As DC 7, and you gain a +3 bonus to Stealth checks until the beginning of your next turn.
• DC 15: As DC 7, and you gain a +5 bonus to Stealth checks until the beginning of your next turn.
Special: You can maintain the cloak power from round to round, extending the normal duration. Maintaining the cloak power is a standard action, and you must make a new Psicraft check each round. If you take damage while maintaining this power, you must succeed on a Psicraft check (DC = 7 + 1 for every 3 points of damage taken) to maintain the power.
Combustion
You can use psionic power to agitate particles in the air to create a pyrokinetic spray of sparks. Time: Standard action. Targets: All targets in a 10’x10’ square area (the entire area must be within 60’ of you and within your line of sight)
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 7. Each target in the affected area must make a Physical Effect save. Those that fail the save take 4d6 points of fire damage and the also catch on fire. If the target passes the save, the target takes half damage and does not catch on fire. This is an area attack.
Convection
You alter your body chemistry, causing your body to burn with incredible heat. Time: Free action. Target: You. Make a Psicraft check. The result of the check determines the result, if any.
• DC 7: Until the start of your next turn, all of your unarmed melee attacks deal +1d6 points of fire damage. Any target that takes fire damage also catches on fire.
• DC 10: As DC 7, except your melee attacks deal +2d6 points of fire damage.
• DC 13: As DC 7, except your melee attacks deal +3d6 points of fire damage.
• DC 15: As DC 7, except your melee attacks deal +4d6 points of fire damage.
Special: You any creature that strikes you with an unarmed attack or makes a grab or grapple attack against you takes the fire damage, for as long as the power is in effect.
You can maintain convection from round to round, extending the normal duration. Maintaining the convection power is a Free action, and you must make a new Psicraft check each round. If you take damage while maintaining convection, you must succeed on a Psicraft check (DC = 7 + 1 for every 3 points of damage taken) to continue maintaining the power.
Corruption
You use the psionics to send a bolt of purely vile and dangerous thoughts into an enemy. Time: Standard Action. Targets: One target within 60’ and within line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: The result of the check determines the effect, if any. No matter the result of the check, the target is allowed a Physical Effect save to only take half damage from the attack. (The target adds a size modifier to its Fortitude Defense: Colossal +8, Gargantuan +4, Huge +2, Large +1, Medium and smaller +0.)
• DC 7: The target takes 2d6 points of psionic damage, and half that amount again at the start of its turn.
• DC 10: As DC 7, except the target takes 3d6 points of damage.
• DC 13: As DC 7, except the target takes 4d6 points of damage.
• DC 15: As DC 7, except the target takes 5d6 points of damage.
Crush
You can use your psionic power to crush or choke your enemy. Time: Standard action. Target: One target within 30 feet and in line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: The result of the check determines the effect, if any:
• DC 7: the target takes 1d6 points of damage. Target must make a Physical Effect Save. If the target fails the save, he can only take free actions or move 5 feet at most on his next turn.
• DC 10: As DC 7, except the target takes 2d6 points of damage.
• DC 13: As DC 7, except the target takes 3d6 points of damage.
Special: You can maintain your concentration on the targeted creature to continue damaging it from round to round. Maintaining Crush is a standard action, and you must make a new Psicraft check each round.
Cryokinesis
You can psionically draw heat away from an object, causing its temperature to drop rapidly. Time: Standard action. Target: One unattended object within 60’ of you and in your line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check. The result of the check determines the result, if any.
• DC 10: The object becomes cold to the touch and more fragile. Reduce the object’s Armor by 1 until the end of your next turn.
• DC 11: As DC 10, except the Armor is reduced by 2.
• DC 12: As DC 10, except the Armor is reduced by 3.
• DC 13: As DC 10, except the Armor is reduced by 4.
Special: You can maintain cryokinesis from round to round, extending the normal duration of the Armor reduction. Maintaining the cryokinesis power is a Free action and you do not make a new Psicraft check each round. If you take damage while maintaining cryokinesis, you must succeed on a Psicraft check (DC = 7 + 1 for every 3 points of damage taken) to continue maintaining the power.
Cursed Luck
The psion can knot a target’s future with a random spray of negative outcomes, trending their future towards injury and death. Time: Standard action. Target: One target within 60’ and line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 10. If this power is successfully triggered, the target rolls twice for any attack rolls or skill checks and takes the worst of the two rolls. Enemies who attack the target gain +2 to hit rolls. The target can subconsciously shake this effect for one round by making a successful Mental Effect save.
Special: This power can be concentrated on to keep in effect round after round. Doing so is required use of a Standard action, and the target will have to make a new Mental Effect save each round the power is in effect to avoid the effects of this power.
Destiny’s Shield
The psion senses incoming attacks and instinctively moves to avoid them. Time: Reaction. Target: Self.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 10. This power can be triggered after a successful enemy hit, and forces a reroll of the attack. Using this power clouds the psion’s responses with alternate possibilities; if the second roll is also a hit, the damage done is the maximum possible.
Detonate
You can perceive points of weakness in an object and telekinetically press those points, shattering the object. Time: Standard action. Target: One unattended object within 60’ of you and within your line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check. The result of the check determines the effect, if any.
• DC 10: The object takes 4d6 points of damage.
• DC 13: The object takes 6d6 points of damage.
• DC 15: The object takes 8d6 points of damage.
• DC 17: The object takes 10d6 points of damage.
Special: This power can be used to affect vehicles like tanks and APC’s that are normally unaffected by the attacks of ground troops without heave weapons.
Disarm
You disarm an opponent by using telekinesis to pull the weapon from his grasp. Time: Standard action. Target: One creature within 30 feet and in line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: Use this check in place of your attack roll when attempting to disarm the target (see Disarming in the Combat chapter). If your disarm attack succeeds, you may choose to let the weapon fall to the ground in the target’s fighting space or have the item fly into your hand (in which case, you need to have a free hand to catch it).
Drain Energy
You can draw the energy out of a powered object, such as a blaster’s power pack or power generator. Time: Standard action. Target: One powered weapon or object within 30’ of you and in your line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check. The result of the check determines the result, if any.
• DC 10: You drain the energy from the energy cell or cells powering a Small or smaller weapon or object. You completely drain the object of its energy, and it cannot be used until its energy cells are replaced.
• DC 13: As DC 10, except you drain all the energy from a Medium sized or smaller weapon or object.
• DC 15: As DC 10, except you drain all the energy from a Large sized or smaller weapon or object.
• DC 17: As DC 10, except you drain all the energy from a Huge sized or smaller weapon or object. If the object is being powered by a generator, all the energy is drained from that instead.
Empathy
The user may determine the current emotions and any especially strong, emotionally-charged surface thoughts in the subject. Time: Standard action. Target: One living creature within 60’ and line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC for this power is 7. This insight lasts only a few seconds. The target may make a 2d6 + Wisdom modifier roll; if that roll is higher than the psion’s Psicraft roll, the psion gains only an impression of their current emotions.
Entropic Resonance
A living organism suffers a sudden breakdown of cellular integrity. Time: Standard action. Target: One living creature the psion can touch.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC for this power is 13. If successful, and a successful touch attack is made (attack roll made with armor ignored from the target’s AC), the target suffers 6d8 points of damage. The target is allowed a Mental Effect save with a -2 penalty to halve the damage. This power can only be used on a target once every 24 hours.
Eye of the Storm
Psychic powers ebb and flow at the psion’s whim. Time: Full-round action. Target: All living creatures within 40 meters.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC for this power is 13. While this power is in effect, the psion becomes aware of the location and nature of any psionic power usage within forty meters. Psionic activations can be squelched at will unless the victim makes a successful Mental Effect saving throw. The powers of the psion and his allies can be activated with a +2 bonus to their Psicraft checks.
Special: You can maintain concentration to keep this power in effect for multiple rounds. Keeping concentration costs a Standard Action.
Farseeing
You gain a vague, momentary impression of event happening around a particular being in some distant place. Time: Full-round action. Target: One creature you know or have met before.
Make a Psicraft check: At the same time, the target 2d6 and add his Wisdom modifier to the roll. If your check result is less that your target’s roll, you gain no information (including if the target is alive or dead) and cannot use this power against the same target again for 24 hours. If your check result equals or exceeds your target’s roll, you can sense if the target is alive or dead and gain a vague sense of his immediate surroundings, what it’s currently doing, and any strong emotions it is presently feeling. Using this power on a dead target has a DC of 13 for the purposes of this power.
Fear
You send dark and terrifying thoughts into the mind of your enemy to instill debilitating fear. Time: Free action. Target: One creature within 60’ and within the line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check. The result of the check determines the effect, if any. No matter the result, the target can avoid the effects of this power with a successful Mental Effect save.
• DC 7: The target can only take one standard action on its next turn.
• DC 10: The target can only take one move action on its next turn.
• DC 13: The target can only take free actions on its next turn.
• DC 15: The target can take no actions on its next turn.
Forced Outcome
The precognitive not only perceives the immediate future, she also becomes capable of manipulating it. Time: Standard action. Target: Self.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC for this power is 10. The psion becomes capable of determining the outcome of any one simple random event in her presence. Dice will roll the total she decides, coins will flip as wished, and Russian roulette ceases to be surprising. The more external factors that influence the random event, the more difficult it is to influence; anything that isn’t the outcome of a single mechanical event is generally too complex to control. This power is one among a myriad of reasons why psions are not allowed in most casinos and gambling dens throughout the known galaxy.
Fortelling
The psion’s powers of detection begin to extend beyond the immediate future. Time: Full-round action. Target: Self.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 13. Within ten minutes of focused meditation, the psion can activate this power for an impression of the next important event that is likely to involve them personally within the next week. Brief images and visions of place are usually obtained, usually involving those people and locations most important to the event. If no important event is likely to happen within the next week, the power returns nothing. This ability can be used only once per week or until the foreseen event comes to pass, whichever comes first.
Inertia
You can use your psionic ability to shift your body’s inertia, allowing you to perform impossible stunts. Time: Move action. Target: You.
Make a Psicraft check. The result of the check determines the result, if any.
• DC 7: You move up to half your speed along a wall as though it were the ground, ignoring the normal effects of gravity for the duration of this movement. If you are not on the ground when you end this movement, you fall to the ground.
• DC 10: As DC 7, except you can move at your normal speed along the wall.
• DC 13: As DC 7, except you can move at your speed +10’ along the wall.
• DC 15: As DC 7, except you can move at your speed +20’ along the wall.
Special: You can maintain Inertia from round to round, extending the normal duration. Maintaining the Inertia power is a standard action, and you must make a new Psicraft check each round. If you take damage while maintaining a Inertia, you must succeed on a Psicraft check (DC = 7 + 1 for every 3 points of damage taken) to continue maintaining the power.
Invincible Stand
Activation of this power on a target allows the subject to continue acting even when their hit points have been lowered below zero. Time: Free action. Target: One target that is below 0 hit points and within 60’.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC for this power is 10. The effect lasts only to the end of the psychic’s next turn, and the subject will die regardless if brought to -30 hit points. If the target is at negative hit points when the power ends they must make a Physical Effect saving throw or die on the spot. If successful, they live with 1 hit point. Each round of this effect adds 1 System Strain point to the target.
Ionize
You call upon your psionic power to overload electronic systems and robots, damaging or even destroying the unit. Time: Standard action. Target: One target within 30’ and within line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check. The results of the Psicraft check determine the result if any. No matter the Psicraft check result, the target is allows an Evasion saving throw to avoid the effects.
• DC 10: The target takes 4d6 points of ion damage.
• DC 13: The target takes 5d6 points of ion damage.
• DC 15: The target takes 6d6 points of ion damage.
Kinetic Shield
The psion can deflect physical projectiles and weapons that would otherwise strike him. Time: Reaction. Target: Self.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC for this power is 10 and the result of the check determines the effect, if any.
• DC 10: If the check is successful, the attacker must reroll attack and damage rolls and take the lesser result of each. This only works against physical attacks, not against energy-based or psionic attacks. The shield only works against the one attack
• DC 13: The kinetic shield can absorb up 40 points of damage from physical impacts, lasers, plasma, or other thermal effects. This shield lasts five minutes per activation (or until the 40 point threshold has been reached), but the buffer itself does not regenerate until an hour has passed after its last use.
Lightning
You blast your enemy with deadly arcs of bio-electric energy. Time: Standard action. Target: One target within 30 feet and in line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 10. The target is allowed an Evasion save for half damage. If the save fails, the target takes 3d6 points of electricity damage. If the target’s save is successful, the target only takes half damage from the attack.
Lightning Burst
You call upon your powers to cause lighting to arc out from your body, striking adjacent enemies. Time: Standard action. Targets: All enemies adjacent to you.
Make a Psicraft check. The DC of this power is 10. The target is allowed an Evasion saving throw. If the target’s save fails, the target takes 3d6 points of damage. If the target’s save is successful, the target takes half damage.
Special: You can maintain the lightning burst power as a standard action, provided you haven’t moved since activating the power. When you maintain the power, make a new Psicraft check and target in range is allowed an Evasion saving throw (as described above).
Maelstrom
You use your power to create a swirling whirlwind of psionic energy around yourself. Time: Standard Action. Target: You.
Make a Psicraft check. You create a vortex of debris and dark energy around yourself that deal 2d6 points of damage to all adjacent targets at the end of your turn. The result of the Psicraft check determines the duration of the effect, if any.
• DC 10: 2 rounds
• DC 12: 4 rounds
• DC 14: 6 rounds
• DC 16: 8 rounds
Malacia
You create dizziness and nausea by disrupting your enemy’s equilibrium. Time: Standard action. Target: One living creature within 30’ of you.
Make a Psicraft check. The DC of this power is 10. The target is allowed a Physical Effect save. If the target’s save fails, he suffers a -5 penalty to attack rolls, cannot use his Strength modifier for damage or attack rolls, loses his Dexterity bonus to AC and ranged attack rolls, can only move 10’ in a round, and suffers a -5 penalty to all balance/movement-based skill checks until the start or your turn in the next round.
Special: You can maintain the malacia power from round to round, extending the duration of the penalties being suffered. Maintaining the malacia power is a standard action, and you must make a new Psicraft check each round. If you take damage while maintaining malacia, you must succeed on a Psicraft check (DC = 7 + 1 for every 3 points of damage taken) to continue concentrating.
Memetic Probe
The psychic can dig relevant facts about one topic out of the target’s memories. Time: Full-round action. Target: One sentient creature in the psion’s line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: The result of the check determines the result, if any. The subject gets a Mental Effect saving throw to resist the power.
• DC 7: The psion gets any information on one topic that the target can remember. The psion only gets about 30 minutes worth of memories for every 5 minutes of probing.
• DC 13: The psion can access memories about a topic that the target may not even remember. The psion gets 1 hour’s worth of information on the topic for every 5 minutes of probing.
Special: This power can be maintained via concentration at a cost of another full-round action.
Memory Walk
You torment an enemy by making him relive his most horrible memories. Time: Standard action. Target: One creature within 30’ of you and in your line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check. The result of the check determines the effect, if any.
• DC 10: The target is allowed a Mental Effect save. If the saving throw fails, the target takes 2d6 points of damage and loses any Free actions on its next turn.
• DC 13: As DC 10, except the target loses its move action on its next turn.
• DC 15: As DC 10, except the target loses its standard action on its next turn.
• DC 17: As DC 10, except the target loses its standard and Free actions on its next turn.
Special: You can maintain Memory walk from round to round, extending the normal duration. Maintaining the Memory walk power is a standard action, and you must make a new Psicraft check each round. If you take damage while maintaining a Memory walk, you must succeed on a Psicraft check (DC = 7 + 1 for every 3 points of damage taken) to continue maintaining the power.
Metalinguistics
The psychic can understand the meaning of a sentient subject’s language, regardless of whether or not she speaks the language or even has the correct physiognomy to comprehend it. Time: Standard action (see below). Target: Self and a sentient creature.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 7. If the check is successful, the psion and the target he/she is conversing with can understand each other. This only works for spoken language, so languages that involve pheromones or gestures are not translated. There is no saving throw against this power.
Special: if the psion has telepathy and metalinguistics, this power is automatically applied to the use of Telepathy.
Metamorph
The psion changes their physical appearance to that of any creature of the same species. Time: Standard action. Target: Self
Make a Psicraft check: The DC for this power is 10. A specific other creature can only be mimicked if it is within line of sight. Unlike most psionic powers, this functions even if the “original” is unwilling. This alteration does not change the psychic’s statistics, and lasts for up to one hour. Activating this power increases the psion’s System Strain by 1 point.
Mind Shard
You can focus your will to splinter the mind of an opponent, wracking it with pain. Time: Standard action. Target: One creature within 60’ of you and in your line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check. The result of the check determines the effect, if any. No matter the DC rolled, the target is allowed a Mental Effect save to avoid the effects.
• DC 7: If the target’s save fails, the target takes 2d8 points of damage and suffers a -2 penalty to attack and damage rolls until the start of the psion’s next turn.
• DC 10: As DC 7, except the damage increases to 3d8.
• DC 13: As DC 7, except the damage increases to 4d8.
• DC 15: As DC 7, except the damage increases to 5d8.
Mind Trick
You use your psionic power to alter a target’s perceptions or plant a suggestion in its mind. Time: Standard action. Target: One sentient creature within 60’ and in line of sight.
Make a Psicraft Check: Your target rolls 2d6 and add his Wisdom modifier to the roll. If you equal or exceed the target’s roll, you can choose one of the following effects:
• You create a fleeting illusion that distracts the target and allows you to use the Stealth skill even if the target is aware of you.
• You perform a feint so that the next attack you make against the target ignores its Dexterity bonus to AC (if any).
• You make an otherwise impalpable suggestion seem completely reasonable to the target. You must be able to communicate with the target, and the suggestion can’t obviously threaten the target’s life. The target won’t realize later that what he did is unacceptable.
• You fill the target with terror, causing it to flee from you at top speed for 1 minute. The affected creature stops fleeing if wounded. The effect is negated if the target’s level is equal to or higher than your character’s. This is a fear effect.
Move Object
You telekinetically move an object up to 30 feet in any direction using the powers of your mind. Time: Standard Action. Target: One character or object within 30 feet and in your line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: The result of the check determines the maximum size of the object you can lift (if any). If the target is a creature that resists your attempt, your Psicraft check must also exceed the target’s 2d6 + Wisdom modifier roll. You can hurl the object at (or drop it on) another target in range by rolling a successful attack roll (Wisdom or Charisma modifier is used on the roll, whichever is higher) against the target. Both targets take damage based on your Psicraft check result:
• DC 7: Move object up to Medium size (deals 2d6 points of damage).
• DC 10: Move object up to Large size (deals 3d6 points of damage).
• DC 13: Move object up to Huge size (deals 5d6 points of damage).
• DC 15: Move object up to Gargantuan size (deals 7d6 points of damage).
• DC 17: Move object up to Colossal size (deals 9d6 points of damage).
Special: You may maintain concentration on the targeted object to continue to move it from round to round. Maintaining the move object power is a standard action.
If you use move object on a hovering or flying target (such as a speeder or starship), the target can opposed your Psicraft check with a 2d6 + Strength modifier roll as a reaction. If the target wins the opposed check, you cannot move the object.
Negate Energy
You spontaneously negate one attack that deals energy weapon damage, such as a blaster or a beam sword. Time: Reaction. Target: One attack against you that deal energy weapon damage.
Make a Psicraft check: If the result of your check equals or exceeds the damage dealt by the attack, the attack is negated and you take no damage. If your check is less than the damage dealt, you take damage as normal.
Special: You must be aware of the attack (and not surprised) to negate it.
Nine Lives
This power automatically triggers when the psion dies. The psion appears to be dead to all non-psychic investigations, and indeed may be torn to pieces, mostly incinerated, or otherwise mangled. Provided that the entire body is not burnt or dissolved, the psion will gradually regenerate from the largest remaining body fragment over the course of one hour, reviving with full hit points. The psion is aware of his surroundings while “dead”, and can forestall regeneration until attention has left his “corpse”. This power automatically maximizes the psychic’s System Strain and can be used only once per week. This power is triggered automatically with no need for a Psicraft check.
Note in My Time
The psion’s subconscious will to live stymies those futures in which they die. Time: Reaction. Target: Self
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 13. This power triggers automatically when the psychic is about to die, provided they able to activate it (not already unconscious, in stasis, or under the affects of the Sever power or otherwise has psionic power inhibited). On triggering, events conspire to leave the psion alive and relatively safe, no matter how improbable the outcome: the nuclear bomb fails to detonate, the bandits leave her for dead, the starship plunging into a black hole manages to launch a lifeboat in time, et cetera. While the psion will not face immediate death again after using this power, such safety might last no more than minutes. There is also no guarantee that this power will leave the psion healthy. This power can activate no more than once per week.
Omen
The psion may force a brief subconscious examination of future possibilities. Time: Standard action. Target: Self.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC for this power is 7. The psion must have a relatively straightforward choice before her- perhaps to open a box, swallow a pill, or go into a spaceport bar. The psion will receive a distinct sense of whether following that course of action will result in physical injury or mental distress within the next ten minutes, according to the GM’s best judgment of likely outcomes. This power can be used only once per hour.
Overpowering Will
The psion can redouble his efforts to affect the minds of others. Time: Reaction. Target: One target that made a successful Mental Effect save against one of the psion’s powers.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 13. If the check is successful, the target that just made a Mental Effect save to avoid one of your mind-affecting powers (such as Telepathy, Mind Trick, Memetic Probe, etc.) must reroll the saving throw again with a -2 penalty and take the worse result.
Phase
You can pass through solid objects, such as walls and doors. Time: Move action. Target: You
Make a Psicraft check. The result of the check determines the result, if any.
• DC 13: You gain a phasing speed of 10 feet; your phasing speed can never exceed your own base speed. When moving using your phasing speed, you can move through the space of your enemies, as well as through walls, vehicles, large objects and other obstructions but end your movement in a legal, unoccupied space. You retain this phasing speed until the beginning of your next turn. You may move up to your phasing speed as part of the activation of this power.
• DC 15: As DC 13, except your phasing speed is 20 feet.
• DC 17: As DC 13, except your phasing speed is 30 feet.
• DC 19: As DC 13, except your phasing speed is 40 feet.
Special: You can maintain the phase power from round to round, extending the normal duration. Maintaining the phase power is a Move action, and whenever you maintain this power you can move up to your phasing speed. If you take damage while maintaining this power, you must make a Psicraft check (DC = 7 + 1 for every 3 points of damage taken) to maintain the power.
Psychic Assault
The telepath launches a violent mental assault on a sentient life form, causing great pain and agony. Time: Standard action. Target: One sentient creature within 60’ and line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: the result of the check determines the effect, if any. No matter the check result, the target is allowed a Mental Effect save to avoid the effects. Plus, this assault can be used on a given target only once per twenty-four hours.
• DC 10: Target cannot act for 1d4 rounds and suffers 5d4 points of damage.
• DC 13: As DC 10, but the target suffers 6d4 points of damage.
• DC 15: As DC 10, but the target suffers 7d4 points of damage.
Psychic Avalanche
The psychic’s powers surge with sudden force. Time: Reaction. Target: One living creature affected that has just passed a saving throw against the psion’s power.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC for this power is 13. If the Psicraft check is successful, the psion forces the target to reroll his saving throw against the psion’s power. The result of the reroll must be accepted even if it is better. The neural strain inflicts 2d6 damage on the psion each time a reroll is forced.
Psychic Backlash
You use your power to cause another psion to suffer a painful backlash of psionic energy when they use their powers. Time: Standard action. Target: One psion within unaided line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: The targeted psion also makes a Psicraft check. If you win the contest, the next time the psion attempts to use a psionic power, he takes 1d6 points of damage as psionic energy blasts back at him. This effect lasts until the psion makes a Mental effect save, which is made whenever he uses a psionic power.
Psychic Harmonization
On triggering this ability, the psychic becomes resistant to hostile psionic forces. Time: Standard action. Target: Self
Make a Psicraft check: The DC for this power is 7. The psion gains a +2 bonus to all saving throws versus psionic effects (this bonus applies to psionic contest rolls as well) for the duration of this power. While this ability is active, the psion can also determine whether or not a person he/she touches has any psionic abilities, though not specific powers.
Psychic Succor
The psionic banishes stress, fatigue, and wounds with a touch. Time: Standard action. Target: One target the psion can touch.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC for this power is 7. A successful use of this power heals 1d8 hit points in the target, plus the target’s Constitution modifier. A minimum of 1 hit point is always healed, and the psion cannot give a subject more hit points than their normal maximum. Use of this power adds 1 System Strain point to the target.
Psychic Vitality
The psion emits a wave of psionic energy that invigorates and heals nearby allies. Time: Standard action. Target: All allies within 60’.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 13. If the usage check is successful, all allies within 60’ are healed for 2d8 + twice their Constitution modifier, up to their maximum hit point value. Use of this power adds 2 System Strain points to every subject affected.
Purge Toxin
The psychic can force the elimination of a disease or poison from a target. Time: Full-round action. Target: One afflicted target the psion can touch.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC for this power is 7. If successfully used, this power allows the target to make an additional Physical Effect saving throw against the illness or poison at a +2 bonus, plus the target’s Constitution modifier. If the target died due to a poison or disease within the last three rounds, a successful save restores them to life at 1 hit point. This power does not function against genetic illnesses or conditions present from birth. Use of this power adds 1 System Strain point to the target.
Radiate Malice
You channel your malice, rage, and dark thoughts, letting your hate radiate out from your body in palpable waves. Time: Standard action. Targets: See text.
Make a Psicraft check. The result of the check determines the result, if any.
• DC 7: Until the end of your next turn, any creature that starts its turn within 30’ of you takes 1d6 points of psionic damage and takes a -1 penalty to AC and saving throws.
• DC 10: As DC 7, except the damage increases to 2d6.
• DC 13: As DC 7, except the damage increases to 3d6.
• DC 15: As DC 7, except the damage increases to 4d6.
Special: You can maintain Radiate Malice from round to round, extending the normal duration. Maintaining the Radiate Malice power is a standard action, and you must make a new Psicraft check each round. If you take damage while maintaining this power, you must succeed on a Psicraft check (DC = 7 + 1 for every 3 points of damage taken) to continue maintaining the power.
Rage
You harness your rage to fuel your prowess in battle. Time: Free Action. Target: You.
Make a Psicraft check: the result of the check determines the effect, if any:
• DC 7: You gain a +2 rage bonus on melee attack rolls and melee attack damage until the end of your turn.
• DC 10: As DC 7, except the rage bonuses increase to +4.
• DC 13: As DC 7, except the rage bonuses increase to +6.
Special: While you are consumed with rage, you cannot use skills or perform tasks that require concentration.
Rebuke
You harmlessly absorb or deflect one psionic power used against you, perhaps even turning it against its creator. Time: Reaction. Target: One psionic power directed at you.
Make a Psicraft check: If you check result equals or exceeds the Psicraft check result of the power directed at you, you harmlessly redirect it away from you and suffer no ill effects. If your Psicraft check exceeds the opposing check by 3 or more, you may choose to turn the psionic power against its creator, who suffers the effect.
Special: If you turn a psionic power back onto its creator, he may be able to rebuke it as well. If he reflects if back again, both you and the creator suffer the effects of the power.
Remote Manipulation
The psion can use telekinetic force to wield weapons remotely as if he were physically using them. Time: Standard action. Target: One object that either is a weapon (melee or ranged) or can used as such (chair, rock, fire poker, etc.).
Make a Psicraft check: The result of the check determines the effect, if any:
• DC 7: The force applied is only Strength 10, and can only be applied to one-handed melee weapons or objects that can be used as a one-handed melee weapon. Any attack made with the object has a -2 penalty applied to the roll (use the Psion’s attack bonus).
• DC 10: As DC 7, but two-handed weapons can be used. Any attack made with the object does not have an attack penalty.
• DC 13: As DC 7, but the psion has enough control to use ranged weapons as long as the weapon is loaded and simple to use (no more advanced than pulling a trigger), primitive ranged weapons like bow and crossbows require too much fine manipulation to use with this power.
Special: A psion using this power to wield a firearm or blaster can concentrate on the power to continue to make attacks with the weapon. This requires the use of a Standard Action.
Rend
You can move a single target, whether it is a creature or an object, in two different directions simultaneously. Time: Standard action. Target: One target in your line of sight within 30’ of you.
Make a Psicraft check. The DC of this power is 13. The target is allowed an Evasion save to avoid damage. If the target’s saving throw fails, the target takes 3d6 damage. If your Psicraft check is a natural 12, you score the equivalent of a critical hit, and the target takes double damage. If you deal enough damage to reduce the target to 0 hit points, you rip the target into two separate parts (living targets are instantly killed).
Repulse
You use create a burst of telekinetic energy to clear an area around yourself. Time: Standard Action. Targets: All adjacent targets.
Make a Psicraft check. The targets roll 2d6 and add in their Strength modifiers and their base attack bonuses. If you beat a target’s Strength check, you push it back 1 square plus 1 additional square for every 2 points by which you exceeded the target’s check result. If you push the target into a larger object, the target takes 1d6 points of damage.
The target adds a size modifier to its Strength check: Colossal +8, Gargantuan +4, Huge +2, Large +1, Medium +0, Small -1, Tiny -2, Diminutive -4, Fine -8. In addition, it gets a +2 stability bonus if it has more than two legs or is otherwise exceptionally stable.
Scream
You create an intense sonic scream, amplified by psionic power. Time: Standard Action. Target: All creatures that are within 60’ and can hear you.
Make a Psicraft check. The target sustains damage as determined by the results of your Psicraft check. The target gets a Physical Effect save to avoid the effects of the scream attack
• DC 7: The target takes 1d6 points of damage.
• DC 10: As DC 7, except the target takes 2d6 points of damage.
• DC 13: As DC 7, except the target takes 3d6 points of damage.
• DC 15: As DC 7, except the target takes 4d6 points of damage.
The target adds a size modifier to its Physical Effect save: Colossal +8, Gargantuan +4 Huge, +2, Large +1, Medium or smaller +0.
Sever
You can block another psion’s access to his psionic power, making it difficult for him to use any psionic powers in his suite. Time: Standard action. Target: One psion within 60 feet and in line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: Your target also makes a Psicraft check. If your Psicraft check equals or exceeds the target’s Psicraft check, the effect (if any) is determined by your check result:
• DC 13: The target suffers a -3 penalty to its Psicraft checks for 1d6 hours.
• DC 15: As DC 13, and the target immediately become stunned (see the Combat chapter) after using a psionic power.
• DC 17: As DC 13, and the target must roll for Burn Out after using a psionic power, even if the power used had not already been spent from the psion’s suite.
Shatterpoint
You can see the critical point in a vehicle or starship, whether it is a person or an object, which would shatter if struck at the right time. Time: Swift action. Target: You.
Make a Psicraft check. The result of the check determines the result, if any.
• DC 13: If you next attack made before the end of the encounter hits, treat the vehicle’s Armor against the attack as though it is 2 points lower than normal.
• DC 15: As DC 13, except treat the vehicle’s Armor as though it is 4 points lower than normal.
• DC 17: As DC 13, except treat the vehicle’s Armor as though it is 6 points lower than normal.
• DC 19: As DC 13, except treat the vehicle’s Armor as though it is 8 points lower than normal.
Shift
The psion can fold space to instantly transport between locations. Time: Full-round action. Target: Self and see below.
Make a Psicraft check: the result of the check determines the effect, if any.
• DC 7: The Psion can teleport up to 10 meters and carry up to 5 kilos of clothing, equipment, or other living organisms with them.
• DC 8: As DC 7, but range increases to 40 meters and his maximum additional mass limit rises to 20 kilos.
• DC 9: As DC 7, but range is now 80 meters, with up to 40 additional kilos of gear or living compatriots.
• DC 10: As DC 7, but range is now 1 kilometer, and maximum cargo mass increases sharply to 200 kilograms.
• DC 11: As DC 7, but range is now 10 kilometers and their maximum cargo mass is 400 kilos of gear.
• DC 12: As DC 7, but range increases to 100 kilometers, and the maximum cargo mass increases to 800 kilos.
• DC 13: As DC 7, but range increases to 1,000 kilometers and the maximum cargo mass is now 2,000 kilos.
• DC 15: The psion now instinctively interfaces with the metagravitic field of planetary bodies, and can teleport to any valid location on a given world regardless of range. The psion can also jump from high orbit to the planet’s surface and vice-versa. The maximum mass a psion at this DC can shift is 4,000 kilos.
Teleporting an unwilling sentient is difficult, as the psychic must sync with their mental signature at precisely the right moment for the teleport. For unwilling subjects, a successful Unarmed attack roll is necessary to touch the target and the Shift power must be expended and the Psicraft check made—and the character must teleport—whether or not the attack is successful. Sentient targets must also fail a Mental Effect saving throw to be teleported against their will.
The psychic must have personally visited the target location at least once before jumping to it, or else be able to see it with unaided vision. The psychic cannot teleport to arbitrary locations. For example, he could not teleport to “The cargo bed of my grav sled.” without knowing where the grav sled was parked and having visited that location before. Teleporting equalizes velocity with the target surroundings; a free falling teleporter can jump harmlessly to the ground if it’s within range and the psychic has enough time to activate the power.
Only advanced shield technologies can prevent a teleporter from arriving at a location. The teleporter will instinctively abort jumps that would leave him embedded in solid objects or lethal surroundings, should the terrain at a target point have changed so since his last visit. The power is expended normally even for failed jumps. A character who teleports can perform only free actions for the rest of the round.
Slam
You pound one or more creatures with concussive force. Time: Standard action. Target: All targets within a 30 foot cone and within line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: Make one roll and compare the result to each target’s roll of 2d6 + Constitution modifier. If the result equals or exceeds a target’s roll, it takes 2d6 points of Concussive damage and is knocked prone. If the result does not equal or exceed the target’s roll, it takes half damage and is not knocked prone.
Slow
You can use your psionic ability to slow your targets as if they are encumbered by a heavy load, making it difficult for them to move. Time: Standard action. Target: One creature or robot within 60’ and within line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check. Targets are allowed a Physical Effect save to avoid the effect. Otherwise, the result of your Psicraft check determines the effect.
• DC 7: Target’s speed is reduced by 5’ until the beginning of your next turn. The target also receives a -2 penalty to any Athletics and Stealth checks attempted while slowed.
• DC 10: As DC 7, except speed is reduced by 10’.
• DC 13: As DC 7, except speed is reduced by 15’.
• DC 15: As DC 7, except speed is reduced by 20’.
The target adds a size modifier to its Physical Effect saving throw: Colossal +8, Gargantuan +4, Huge +2, Large +1, Medium or smaller +0.
Stagger
You telekinetically lash out at a nearby enemy, causing it to stumble. Time: Swift action. Target: One enemy adjacent to you.
Make a Psicraft check. The Dc for this power is 7. The target is allowed a Physical Effect save to avoid the effect. If the target fails his saving throw, the target takes 2d6 points of damage and is pushed 5’ away from you. If this pushes the target into another object, the target takes an additional 1d6 points of damage (as does any creature or robot he is flung into).
Storm
You focus anger, hatred, and maliciousness to physically materialize into a storm of wind and acid rain. Time: Standard Action. Target: One designated area within 60’ of you and within your line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check. The result of the Psicraft check determines the result, if any.
• DC 10: You create a Force storm that covers a 15’ by 15’ area. At least 5’ within that area must be within the given range of this power. The area within the storm are filled with driving acid rain that provides concealment and deals 2d6 points of acid damage to any creature that enters the storm or begins its turn within the area. The storm also imposes a -2 penalty on Perception checks to listen, as the storm howls loudly. The storm lasts until the end of you next turn. This is an area effect.
• DC 13: As DC 10, except the Force storm covers a 20’ by 20’ square area.
• DC 15: As DC 10, except the Force storm covers a 25’ by 25’ square area.
• DC 17: As DC 10, except the Force storm covers a 30’ by 30’ square area.
Special: You can maintain the storm from round to round, extending the normal duration. Maintaining the storm power is a standard action, and you must make a new Psicraft check each round. If you take damage while maintaining a Storm, you must succeed on a Psicraft check (DC = 7 + 1 for every 3 points of damage taken) to continue maintaining the power.
Strange Attractors
The psion shifts to physically inhabit multiple lines of possibility. Time: Full-round action. Target: Self.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power ia 13. On triggering this power, the precog effectively splits into two people, both of whom can then perform a full round of actions, albeit neither can activate other psychic powers. The two possibilities can move and act separately, and both have identical sets of equipment. The aspects take damage separately, but share the same suite of psionic powers for any relevant purposes. At the end of the round, the psychic chooses one of the two possibilities; the other vanishes along with their equipment, though the consequences of their actions remain.
Stun
You can use your psionic power to overload an enemy’s senses, potentially stunning it. Time: Standard action. Target: One creature within 30 feet and in line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: compare the result to your target’s 2d6 + Wisdom modifier roll. If the check equals or exceeds the target’s roll, he is stunned for one round (see the Combat chapter for information about the Stun effect). A failed check results in no effect. For every 3 points that a Psicraft check exceeds the target’s roll, the target is stunned for another round.
Surface Telepathy
The psychic gains a steady perception of the surface thoughts of one target. Time: Standard action. Target: One sentient creature within the psion’s line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 10. The subject is allowed a Mental Effect save. If that save fails, the psion is privy to whatever is on the subject’s mind for the next 10 minutes.
Special: This power can be maintained for further rounds via concentration. Concentrating on this power requires a Standard action.
Surge
The psion channels his power into his own body, allowing him to jump great heights and distances as well as move quickly. Time: Free Action. Target: You.
Make a Psicraft check: The result of the check determines the effect, if any:
• DC 7: You gain a +5 Psionic bonus on any Athletic checks made to Jump and your speed increases by 10 feet until the start of your next turn. The Psionic bonus to the Athletic (jump) check includes the adjustment for increased speed.
• DC 10: As DC 7 except the Psionic bonus increases to +7 and speed increases by 20 feet.
• DC 13: As DC 7 except the Psionic bonus increases to +10 and speed by 30 feet.
Technometry
You can tap into and read technological devices and, in some cases, control them. Time: Standard action. Target: One robot or electronic device touched.
Make a Psicraft check. The DC for this power is 10, and the target is allowed a saving throw to avoid the effect. If the target fails the saving throw, you discover one piece of information contained in the target’s memory. For every 2 points that you exceed the power’s DC, you learn one additional piece of information.
Alternatively, if you target a robot and succeed at a Psicraft check, you may choose one of the following effects and apply it to the targeted robot.
• The robot’s senses are jammed, allowing you to make Stealth checks against the robot until the end of your next turn, even if it is aware of you.
• The robot is denied its Dexterity bonus to AC against your next attack made before the end of your next turn.
• One its next two turns, the robot does nothing but flee from you at top speed.
Telekinetic Counterstrike
The psychic begins to turn enemy weapons against their wielders. Time: Reaction. Target: Self
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 10. This power can be used up to once per round after being attacked by a physical weapon, such as a bullet, blade, or fist. The target must make a Mental Effect saving throw; if successful, the attack is resolved as normal, but damage is rolled twice, and the lesser amount is taken by the psion. If the target fails their Mental Effect saving throw, the attack rebounds to hit them automatically for normal damage.
Telepathy
The psion is able to carry on a conversation with another sentient being via telepathic communication. Time: Standard action. Target: One of more beings within line of sight.
Unlike many powers, the psion doesn’t have to make a Psicraft check to use this ability unless one or more of the targets wishes to resist the communication. In those cases, the psion makes a Psicraft check and the targets rolls either a Psicraft check (if psions or capable of telepathy naturally) or a 2d6 + Wisdom modifier roll. If the target’s roll is higher, he has successfully blocked the communication.
Communication is typically in a language that both the psion and the target(s) understand. In the case that there isn’t a common language, the communication is in the form of images. It’s not as reliable, but the message is typically gotten across. A psion with the Metalinguistics power automatically has that power apply to his telepathic messages.
Special: This power is not one that is removed from the psion’s suite of powers upon use.
Terminal Reflection
This power gives the psion a single image of the probable damage. Time: Free action. Target: Self
Make a Psicraft check: The DC of this power is 7. If the check is successful, the next time within the next 10 rounds that they psion is subjected to damage that he wouldn’t otherwise have known he would be subjected to (surprise attack, springing a trap, etc.), he gets a precognitive flash of the damage and can halt the action that will cause the damage or step out of the way of the attack, negating the damage. If this power is not triggered after 10 rounds, it cannot be used again for 24 hours.
Thought Bomb
You use your psionic power to radiate harmful waves of telepathy, damaging the minds of nearby foes. Time: Standard action. Target: All living enemies within 10’ of you.
Make a Psicraft check. The DC of this power is 10, and targets are allowed a Mental Defense check against to avoid the effect. For each target that fails its saving throw, the target takes 2d6 points of damage and loses all free actions on their next turn. This is an area effect.
Thrust
You use your willpower to push a target away from you. Time: Standard action. Target: One object or character within 60 feet and in line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check: The target rolls 2d6 + Strength modifier. If you beat the target’s roll, you push it back 5 feet plus an additional 5 feet for every 3 points that you Psicraft check beats the target’s roll. If you push the target into a larger object, the target takes 1d6 points of damage, plus an additional 1d6 points of damage for every 5 feet that it would have been pushed beyond the object. If pushed into another creature, both the target and the creature it hits take 1d6 points of damage and both are pushed the rest of the distance with a reduction of -5 feet from the original distance.
The target adds the following size modifiers to their rolls: Colossal: +10, Gargantuan: +7, Huge: +3, Large: +1, Medium: +0, Small: -3, Tiny: -6, Diminutive: -10, Fine: -13. In addition, the target gains an additional +5 bonus to its roll if it has 4 legs or is otherwise exceptionally stable.
Track
You peer into the past for guidance, picking up the trail of your quarry. Time: Swift action. Target: You.
Make a Psicraft check. The result of the check determines the result, if any.
• DC 7: You determine the path taken by a specific creature you designate, provided you are within line of sight of the creature’s trail. You can track the creature (with the Survival skill) without needing to make survival checks for up to 1 hour, provided that the creature you are tracking passed through the area in the last minute.
• DC 10: As DC 7, except the creature you are tracking need only to have passed through in the last 10 minutes.
• DC 13: As DC 7, except the creature you are tracking need only to have passed through in the last hour.
• DC 15: As DC 7, except the creature you are tracking need only to have passed through in the last day.
Valor
You call upon your mental fortitude, reaching out to your ally and sharing your strength with him. Time: Standard action. Target: One creature or robot within 60’ and within line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check. The effect of this power is determined by your check result:
• DC 7: the target gains a +1 bonus to all Mental Effect saves until the beginning of your next turn.
• DC 10: As DC 7, except the bonus increases to +2.
• DC 13: As DC 7, except the bonus increases to +4.
• DC 15: As DC 7, except the bonus increases to +8.
Special: You can maintain valor from round to round, extending the normal duration. Maintaining the valor power is a free action. If you sustain damage while maintaining valor, you must succeed on a Psicraft check (DC = 7 +1 for every 3 points of damage taken) to continue maintaining the power. You may have multiple instances of valor active at once, but maintaining more than 1 instance requires a standard action each round and each one must be activated by a separate use of valor.
Vital Transfer
You use your own life force to heal another living creature, using your psionic power as a conduit. Time: Standard action. Target: One creature touched.
Make a Psicraft check: The result of the check determines the result, if any:
• DC 7: The target is healed of hit points equal to 2 x character level.
• DC 10: The target is healed of hit points equal to 3 x character level.
• DC 13: The target is healed of hit points equal to 4 x character level.
Each Time you use Vital Transfer, you suffer half as many hit points as you heal (round down). Using this power also adds 1 System Strain to both the psion and the target per use.
Whirlwind
You can focus your power to surround an enemy in a swirling vortex of psionic energy. The whirlwind lifts them about half a meter off the ground, spinning them in the air and buffeting them with psychic energy. Time: Standard action. Target: One creature or robot within 60’ and within line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check. The result of the check determines the effect, if any. No matter the Psicraft check result, the target is allowed a Physical Effect save to avoid the effects. If the save fails, the target is captured within the whirlwind and immobilized until the beginning of your next turn. Any attack rolls or skill checks the target attempts while within the whirlwind are at a -5 penalty. The target falls prone when the effect ends. The target also sustains damage at the end of your turn as determined by the results of your Psicraft check.
• DC 7: The target takes 1d6 points of damage.
• DC 10: The target takes 2d6 points of damage.
• DC 13: The target takes 3d6 points of damage.
• DC 15: The target takes 4d6 points of damage.
The target adds a size modifier to its Physical Effect saving throw: Colossal +8, Gargantuan +4, Huge +2, Large +1, Medium or smaller +0.
Special: You can maintain the whirlwind from round to round, extending the normal duration. Maintaining the whirlwind is a move action, and you must make a new Psicraft check each round. If you take damage while maintaining a whirlwind, you must succeed on a Psicraft check (DC = 7 + 1 point for every 3 points of damage taken) to continue maintaining the power. If a target within a whirlwind is attacked or otherwise damaged by you or one of your allies, the effects of the whirlwind end immediately.
Wound
You cause spasms in the lungs of your target, painfully injuring them. Time: Standard action. Target: One creature within 30’ and within line of sight.
Make a Psicraft check. The DC for this power is 10 and the target is allowed a Physical Effect save to avoid the effect. If target’s saving throw fails, it takes 4d6 points of Force damage. The target adds a size modifier to its saving throw: Colossal +8, Gargantuan +4, Huge +2, Large +1, Medium or smaller +0.
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