I’m not sure it should be an increased point cost. Maybe a DM to the roll to join and maintain the connection.With Mind Link it would be good if more than 2 people could take part in the call, at an increased cost of course. E.g., if 3 people are talking to each other then, it costs 2 points per particiant.
Inspiration - it has to be within the next minute, so our house ruling is that it can't be anything long term. So you can't use it on your Carouse check getting the Duke drunk to reveal his secrets. Though you could use it on your Carouse check at arm wrestling.I actually was not posting to try to figure out how to use them to any advantage for myself. I was trying to patch what I see are holes in the rules.
I think you are vastly underestimating the power of "Inspiration". I think it is the best psi ability there is. +2 DM on *ANY* check for one little PSI point? Yes, please! Again, that is *ANY* task. Nothing says it can only be PSI checks. The significance of that +2 is contextual, but I would see my PC using just about every turn for any task that was important to me while I had PSI to spend. They actually had to gimp it down from 1e's "Enhanced Awareness".
I am not trying to work out the value of TK, but how it works in play.
btw, if you read the power carefully, you can make the case that the player can aim it and fire normally without any special penalty. This is what it says; "Any manipulation is treated as if the Traveller was physically handling the item but physical danger, pain or other stimuli are not present. Telekinesis includes a limited amount of sensory awareness, sufficient to allow intelligent manipulation."
Now, if you want to quibble over the use of the word "limited", then you can make a case saying they get special penalties. I'd just let them shoot the dang thing.
Grenade example: Short can be 10m and grenades only effect up to 6m, if I recall. Still if you pay only 4 PSI, you can make it Long which is 250m! (2 PSI gets you out to Medium or 50m max)
The real limit is the 10kg per PSI point.
Other than Teleportation, I don't see anything in the rules that speaks for or against needing eyes on target. That should be clarified.
Regeneration - I wouldn't have instant for two reasons:Life Detection:
I actually do not have a problem with your example but just keeping it rules as written. The data detail itself is very limited (unless it is your homeworld you grew up on with everyone alive you ever knew there) even though the quantity of it may be great. The data can be expressed as if they are looking at a real time geographically mapped graph of population numbers by species. True, to much to digest all at once, but you can let them ask for numbers they might care about and drill down into the info. Include an INT roll of whatever difficulty you think if you feel their query is a bit extreme. As for all their family and friends ever, ever? Just describe it as if they are looking at a giant page of friends profile pix marked on a massive map, professor X style.
Durations of effect 0:
I am so with you on this. I did take another look at core rules for 0 effect and they do mention that this should be a success but with some type of catch. Giving a +1 to all effects I don't think is the answer. Stating minimum*1 maybe or perhaps saying the roll fails but costs 0 PSI if you want to keep it that 0 effect does not do as much as effect 1. I do take your point about the First Aide minimum of 1 though.
Sense:
Agreed. Don't know why they would specify range as that could be a 360 degree band... is that the point? I like location better, but with some other limiters so they don't try to get the whole building.
Regeneration:
I would keep this one simple. Yes, instant. Even if it is a limb and yes they get to pick which stats. Traveller can be deadly enough. I lean heavily toward what is easier for the players when it comes to healing. Healing is usually not the most fun part of RPG game play.
Wheelchair example:
Ref should have pulled out a number that makes sense for how much kilogram force it would take to cause it to roll. ChatGPT says this is 4.5kg depending on the surface being rolled on. 4.5kg=1 PSI. Do enough of these calculations and you can make good ballpark guesses.
Body Part | Mass | Points required | Min Time Required |
Leg | 10 kg | 40 | 1 week |
Arm | 5 kg | 20 | 1 week |
Foot or Hand | 0.5 kg | 2 | 2 days |
Kidney | 0.15 kg | 1 | 2 days |
Hi,Tom,
Here is another way to handle effect= zero durations based on Core22 p61's comments about how to handle "Marginal Success".
- Enhanced Strength = 5 min duration then decrease -1 per minute (this is half of a 1 effect)
- Enhanced Endurance = same as STR
- Fortitude = duration is same as 1 effect (thus 1 round only) but armor increase is only 1/2 PSI spent rounding up
- Mind Link = duration is 30 seconds (this is half of a 1 effect)
- Tactical Awareness = duration is same as 1 effect (thus 1 round only) but environmental effects still impede at half (rounding down in favor of the Psion) and hidden foes can only be revealed with Additional Awareness or Recon checks done as free actions and costing zero additional PSI.<=== this one is a toughy. I know it is a bit convoluted.
- Flight= duration is same as 1 effect (thus 1 round only) but max speed is 7m instead of 15m
- Telekinesis = duration is same as 1 effect (thus 1 round only) but weight limit is only half of effect 1 (thus 5kg for each PSI spent)
- Microkinesis = actually this does not specify a duration and given some of its suggested uses (micro surgery etc) it would suggest a far longer time frame than telekinesis does in only combat rounds. PSI cost is high too. So in lieu of a game designer's decision, I am going to house rule this duration as 1Dx10min. This would allow for lock picking, micro surgery or more importantly, tiny ship in bottle construction, they they might have to make more than 1 check/PSI expense, and be sure to have rolled 5-6's.
Other than Tactical Awareness's janky specificity (which is already innate in the power itself) and Microkinesis's total full on home ruling (due to missing published rules), I think this table provides consistent expectations for 0 effect in the spirit of Core22 p61.
I would love to hear if you see any problems with this. Thanks!
Psi is already voilating laws of physics. Where does the kenetic energy come from when you use tk or make something hot? Where does the etra mass for armor come from?Regeneration - I wouldn't have instant for two reasons:
1) You're creating matter from nothing. Where does the mass come from for the regenerated limb?
2) Then there's the question of how many Psi points does it take to regenerate something? One point for a whole arm?
I'm retired so I have far too much time on my hands to think about things like this, so I had had a thought about this.
For regeneration of lost limbs and organs use a conversion of 1 psion point regenerates half a kilo of mass (minimum 1). These are not instantaneous. As food is required!
See the table below for examples.
Body Part Mass Points required Min Time Required Leg 10 kg 40 1 week Arm 5 kg 20 1 week Foot or Hand 0.5 kg 2 2 days Kidney 0.15 kg 1 2 days
Oh yeh, I know - but it's a bit more obvious when an arm suddenly regenerates out of nowhere. And having a delay is also a restriction. For all the holes and issues we are pointing out in the rules as they are, I think they are fairly balanced. A psionic character has some unusual and unique skills but they are not over-powering in that they don't dominate. I would hate to play any game where another PC dominates because of a lucky role in character creation. There has to be a downside to losing an eye. Other player characters would have to spend time and money getting it regenerated or replaced by a bionic one. A psionic character just has to meditate in their room for a while.Psi is already voilating laws of physics. Where does the kenetic energy come from when you use tk or make something hot? Where does the etra mass for armor come from?
We cant ask those questions, because the entire things falls. Or we create an unsatifactory answer. It comes from jumpspace.
I've never heard of this. What book is it in?the racial Zhodani talent
I've never heard of this, either.the extra skills the Droyne teach under the regular talents
I'd like to see that. Do you know which issue?the JTAS 'Healer' career, etc.
They are in the Aliens of Charted Space books. Volume 1 for Zhodani and 2 for the Droyne.I've never heard of this. What book is it in?
I've never heard of this, either.
I'd like to see that. Do you know which issue?
The 'Zhodani Talent' is from 'Aliens of Charted Space #1' page 276I've never heard of this. What book is it in?
The Droyne psionic skills I am referring to come from 'Aliens of Charted Space #2' page 165. Under the Telepathy talent, they teach the additional powers of 'Boost', 'Forgetfulness', 'Invisibility', and 'Transfer'. Under the Awareness talent, they teach the additional powers of 'Inner Eye' and 'Rejuvenation'. Under the Clairvoyance talent, they teach the additional powers of 'Link' and 'Homing'.I've never heard of this, either.
The Psionic Healer profession was out of Mongoose 1e; the Compendium Vol 1, p 117.I'd like to see that. Do you know which issue?
Yes; page 228 of the Core Rules update specifies that the 'PSI Testing' for talents is a PSI check, so the DM is used. At the bottom of the page, the example shows a character with a +1 PSI DM rolling for whether or not they have telekinesis.When rolling up a Psion, do you add the PSI attribute bonus to any Talent determination roll?
Personally, Mind Link should get a bit easier with more Psions powering the link. If you use rules as written, their added effect indicates thisWith Mind Link it would be good if more than 2 people could take part in the call, at an increased cost of course. E.g., if 3 people are talking to each other then, it costs 2 points per particiant.
I fully agree with just one added caveat, To the referee; you should work closely with your psionic player and make it clear how each of the abilities will work in your TU. Especially powers like Shield or Assault. How does that work in combat as far as you are concerned? Can they do a free action to lower the Shield, minor to Assault, then a free action to raise back up the Shield, all in one turn? I think so plus a significant action to fire a weapon too! But there is no example of this given and no clear entry in 2e about what action type you can use for raising and lowering Shields.Until mongoose do a psion book that goes into each psion in more detail and iron out these difficulties, then I think consistent house rulings are the answer.
If anyone is starting a game and there's a psionic person in the party, and have found this thread then pick the ones you feel are the fairest.
I'm not sure that there are any specific 'race only' Psi-powers; just powers which are commonly taught (or not) among certain groups. One great example is the 'Zhodani racial' psi-powers, which are not really race-specific at all. In the 'Adverb of the Ancients' series, a wide variety of races have access to 'Ancients specific' powers and so on. It is probably a table-call one way or the other, but I do not think the rules as written are explicit about certain talents or powers being hard-locked to or from particular groups.