Psionics as Magic
Sometimes a person exhibits extraordinary intuition, which manifests as extra-sensory perception. On occasion, a person is able to move small objects across a table just by thinking about it. There have even been instances of people being able to exhibit almost supernatural levels of self-healing or mind-over-body (or mind-over-matter) abilities. Collectively, these abilities are referred to as Psionics. Those who have the capability to exhibit such abilities are referred to as Psionicists.
Psychic abilities themselves consist of three new skills (Mentalism, Kinetic, and Psionic) a Knowledge skill (Knowledge (Psionics)) and several talents which serve to expand the power and usefulness of psychic abilities.
Psionic Skills
For those who wish to include psychic abilities in their setting, these skills are used to drive those abilities (much like how Arcana / Divine / Primal do for magic in the core Genesys rules). Each skill also includes the overall knowledge about that particular facet of Psionics. (For example, a researcher might have ranks in one or more of the skills, but no Talents which allow him to implement any Psionic powers.)
Knowledge (Psionics)
Psionics is a character’s understanding of the mind, its potential and its different capabilities. Psionics includes the comprehension of the theories, suppositions and facts surrounding the various types of psychic phenomenon. This also gives the character a bit of understanding as to how the mind operates, but not to the extent of a scientist.
PENALTIES WHEN USING PSIONICS
| CONDITION | PENALTY |
|---|---|
| The character has taken strain damage. | + b |
| The character is wearing heavy armor (Soak 2+). | + b |
| The character has taken a critical injury. | + b b |
| The character is in circumstances that interfere with their ability to concentrate, such as trying to implement a power while swimming or hanging from a rope, being buffeted by a sandstorm, or implementing a power that doesn't target the person they're fighting in hand-to-hand combat. | Upgrade the difficulty once (or more at your GM's discretion). |
Kinesis (Intellect)
The Kinesis skill represents the ability to move an object from one point to another. This can be hurling a rock, lifting a boulder, or even teleporting from one place to another.
Your character should choose this skill if:
- Your character wants to create a barrier to deflect bullets.
- Your character wants to lift from a distance a large tree or boulder blocking a roadway.
- Your character wants to throw a distant object at an opponent from a different direction.
Mentalism (Willpower)
The Mentalism skill represents the ability to draw on mental energies to read minds, send thoughts to another, or even sense that there is danger lurking nearby.
Your character should choose this skill if:
- Your character wants to read the thoughts of a prisoner.
- Your character wants to invade a person's mind to attempt to control them.
- Your character wants to cause an opponent pain without leaving marks.
Psi (Cunning)
The Psi skill represents the overall mastery of mental energies to do things not covered by the other two skills. Rapidly healing wounds, boosting physical abilities, or even causing an opponent to have a "run of bad luck".
Your character should choose this skill if:
- Your character wants to tap into the collective unconsciousness to use a skill they do not possess.
- Your character wants to gain a quick boost to their physical abilities.
- Your character wants to recovers from wounds quicker than normal.
SPENDING THREAT OR DESPAIR ON PSIONICS
| COST | RESULT |
|---|---|
| h or d | The effort of implementing exhausts the character, and they suffer 2 strain or 1 wound (player's choice). This character and all allied psionicists in the encounter add b to any attempts to implement powers until the end of the controlling player's next turn. |
| hh or d | The power doesn’t take effect until the start of the next round, or after a minute in narrative gameplay. Until the end of the encounter, enemy psionicists add b when implementing a power that targets this character. |
| hhh or d | The power is slightly more powerful than expected. One character of the GM's choice is targeted or otherwise affected by the power as well. All other psionicists and creatures attuned to psychic energies within a day's travel become aware of the character (and depending on their disposition, may be very interested in finding them and doing them harm). |
| d | The character overexerts themself or loses their psychic connection and is unable to implement powers for the rest of the encounter or scene. The GM picks the target of the character's power. If the caster is an NPC, the controlling player picks the target of the power instead. |
| dd | The character completely lose control of their psychic energies, suffering one Critical Injury (at the GM's discretion, this may instead take the form of some of terrible or hilarious misfortune, such as being struck by lightning on a clear day, swapping bodies with someone else in the encounter for the remainder of the day, etc.). |
PSIONIC ACTIONS
| ACTION | APPLICABLE SKILL |
|---|---|
| Attack | Mentalism, Kinetics, Psionics |
| Augment | Psionics |
| Barrier | Kinetics, Mentalism |
| Conjure | Psionics |
| Curse | Mentalism, Kinetics |
| Dispel | Mentalism |
| Heal | Psionics |
| Utility | Mentalism, Kinetics, Psionics |
For these optional rules, psionic abilities are handled much like the Magic Rules from the Genesys Core Rulebook. Some terminology is different though. Where a character might "cast a spell" with Magic, a character "implements a power" with Psionics.
The rules regarding Magic in the Genesys Core Rulebook are equally applicable to Psionics. Whenever there is reference to casting a spell, it applies to implementing a power. Psionics can be broken down into the same type of actions as Magic as well.
Attack
Psionicists are able to use the Attack action as described on page 215 of the Genesys Core Rulebook, with the following additional effects.
| EFFECTS | DIFFICULTY MOD |
|---|---|
| Circular Logic (Kinetics Only): This attack gains Guided quality with a rating equal to the character's ranks in Knowledge. | + d |
Augment
Psionicists are able to use the Augment action as described on page 215-216 of the Genesys Core Rulebook, with the following additional effects.
| EFFECTS | DIFFICULTY MOD |
|---|---|
| Psi-Blade: The target may make Melee checks unarmed and these attacks gain the Pierce rating equal to your character's ranks in Knowledge. | + d |
Barrier
Psionicists are able to use the Barrier action as described on page 216 of the Genesys Core Rulebook, with the following additional effects.
| EFFECTS | DIFFICULTY MOD |
|---|---|
| Wall of Fear (Mentalism Only): Opponents must spend an additional maneuver to become engaged with targets of this spell. | + dd |
Conjure
Psionicists are able to use the Conjure action as described on page 216-217 of the Genesys Core Rulebook, with the following additional effects.
Psionicists have a tendency not to Summon an object or creature, but to send themselves or others elsewhere. Several of the effects below focus on this change.
| EFFECTS | DIFFICULTY MOD |
|---|---|
| Basic Teleport: Move self or other through space rather than summoning. This requires the addition of at least one Distance effect in addition. | + d |
| Distance: Target moves one additional range band (first effect allows for up to Close Range). This effect can be added multiple times for covering more range bands. | + d |
| Burst: Deal damage equal to the character's rank in Knowledge skill to all engaged creatures at either the beginning or end of the teleport. Spend aa to deal damage at both points. | + d |
| Forced Transport: The character may target an unwilling creature and move them some distance away. | + dd |
| Baleful Transport: Target may be teleported into a hazardous location. Teleporting a target into a solid object makes the target immobilized until they choose to take damage equal to the character's Knowledge skill. | + dd |
| Additional Target: The spell affects one additional target within range of the spell. In addition, after casting the spell, you may spend a to affect one additional target within range of the spell (and may trigger this multiple times, spending a each time). | + dd |
Curse
Psionicists are able to use the Curse action as described on page 217 of the Genesys Core Rulebook, with the following additional effects.
| EFFECTS | DIFFICULTY MOD |
|---|---|
| Charm: The target will not attack the psionicist or their allied unless attacked by them. | + d |
| Mind Control (Mentalism Only): The target obeys the characters commands. The character may spend a maneuver to direct the creature, allowing them to determine its actions and maneuvers. | + ddd |
Dispel
Psionicists are able to use the Dispel action as described on page 217-218 of the Genesys Core Rulebook, with the following additional effects.
| EFFECTS | DIFFICULTY MOD |
|---|---|
| This is where the effect goes. | + d |
Heal
Psionicists are able to use the Heal action as described on page 217-218 of the Genesys Core Rulebook, with the following additional effects.
| EFFECTS | DIFFICULTY MOD |
|---|---|
| Empathic Healing: You take strain damage equal to 1/2 (rounded up) total damage you heal. | - d |
Utility
Psionicists are able to use the Utility action as described on page 214 of the Genesys Core Rulebook.
Universal Effect
Psionicists are able to apply the following effect to any spell they cast in addition to the Action-specific effects.
| EFFECTS | DIFFICULTY MOD |
|---|---|
| Backlash: You take 2 addiitonal strain for casting the spell. | - d |
Psionic Talents
The following Talents are all related to Psionic abilities. There are no Tier 1 Psionic Talents. This is due to the increased effort required for using Psionics in general.
Tier 2
Body Fuel
Tier: 2
Activation: Active (Action)
Ranked: Yes
Your character may reduce the difficulty of a Psychic Magic Action by d for each rank in this talent. You take 1 wound for every die of reduction.
Kinetic
Tier: 2
Activation: Active (Action)
Ranked: Yes
The Kinetics skill is now considered a career skill for your character.
Mentalist
Tier: 2
Activation: Passive
Ranked: No
The Mentalism skill is now considered a career skill for your character.
Psion
Tier: 2
Activation: Passive
Ranked: No
The Psionics skill is now considered a career skill for your character.
Psychic Training
Tier: 2
Activation: Passive
Ranked: No
The Knowledge (Psionics) skill is now considered a career skill for your character.
Signature Power
Tier: 2
Activation: Passive
Ranked: No
When your character gains this talent, decide on a signature
spell for them, consisting of a particular magic action and a
specific set of one or more effects. When your character casts
their signature spell (consisting of the exact combination of
action and effects previously chosen), reduce the difficulty of
the check by one.
Wild Talent
Tier: 2
Activation: Passive
Ranked: No
Choose one type of psionic action when you select this talent. You may use your ranks in the Knowledge (Psionics) skill to cast one spell of that type per encounter.
Tier 3
Body Fuel (Improved)
Tier: 3
Activation: Passive
Ranked: Yes
Your character must have purchased the Body Fuel talent to benefit from this talent. You take 1 less wound per rank of this talent (to a minimum of 1) when using the Body Fuel talent.
Mental Duelist
Tier: 3
Activation: Passive
Ranked: No
Your character does not add b to magic skill checks for wearing heavy armor (armor with +2 soak or higher).
Mind Over Body
Tier: 3
Activation: Passive
Ranked: Yes
Your character may spend a Story Point to substitute your ranks in Knowledge (Psionics) for any physical attribute when rolling any kind of a check. This may be used a number of times per day equal to the ranks of this talent.
Psychic Syncrony
Tier: 3
Activation: Passive
Ranked: No
Choose a Psychic Magic Skill. Your character may reduce the difficulty of any Action taken with that skill by d. This talent may be taken once for each Psychic Magic Skill.
Tier 4
Neural Alignment
Tier: 4
Activation: Passive
Ranked: No
Once per encounter, your character may spend a Story Point
to perform a psychic magic action as a maneuver.
Psychic Syncrony (Improved)
Tier: 4
Activation: Passive
Ranked: No
Choose a Psychic Magic Skill. Your character must have purchased the Psychic Syncrony talent with that skill to benefit from this talent. Your character may reduce the difficulty of any Action taken with that skill by dd instead. This talent may be taken once for each Psychic Magic Skill.
Signature Power (Improved)
Tier: 4
Activation: Passive
Ranked: No
Your character must have purchased the Signature Power talent to benefit from this talent. When your character casts their signature
power, reduce the difficulty of the check by two instead
of one.
Tier 5
Psychic Syncrony (Greater)
Tier: 5
Activation: Passive
Ranked: Yes
Choose a Psychic Magic Skill. Your character must have purchased the Psychic Syncrony (Improved) talent with that skill to benefit from this talent. Your character may downgrade the difficulty of any Action taken with that skill once per rank of this talent. This talent may be taken once for each Psychic Magic Skill.