mavikfelna
Emperor Mongoose
I like those additions. And of course you're right about it being a Meta-Psionic ability
Psionic Rules Clarifications and Suggestions (Core22)
- Thread starter Yenaldlooshi
- Start date
mavikfelna
Emperor Mongoose
Reading through the Pioneer Preview they dropped a new rule for skill checks, at least I don't remember seeing it anywhere before, that allows you to replace the Stat Mod being used for the skill check with a skill that is also reasonably associated with the check. And if I'm doing a psionic system based around powers as skills, this is something really useful! If you have a power that would be related to a skill check, it would be easy to use the skill levels from that power in place of the stat mod DM. I'm thinking maybe have it cost 1 PSI point to do the substitute, but I'm not sure if that's necessary, since there's no cost for doing it with a standard skill.
It's also a way to do hybrid powers! Do a check on a power and instead of using your PSI bonus, you substitute another power and it has some affect on using the power. Thoughts on this? To hard to implement, since it's mostly the GM making a call on what's allowed and it's effects?
It's also a way to do hybrid powers! Do a check on a power and instead of using your PSI bonus, you substitute another power and it has some affect on using the power. Thoughts on this? To hard to implement, since it's mostly the GM making a call on what's allowed and it's effects?
J. L. Brown
Emperor Mongoose
The existing 'Healer' Talent has a Power called 'Triage' (I am re-naming it to 'Aid') which works something like this with Medic skill. I have had trouble finding a completely satisfactory way of handling it, so maybe browsing through the Pioneer preview might be useful.
I think the intention for 'Healer' was that the whole psionic ability always built on & worked with medical knowledge.
mavikfelna
Emperor Mongoose
Yes, I think that works.
J. L. Brown
Emperor Mongoose
I have been looking at the 'Augment Range' Power, and I am not satisfied with it. The original intention was for the Meta-Psion to have a way of assisting other psions with their powers -- so 'Augment Range' implies that there ought to be Powers to augment duration, and area, and speed of use, and difficulty, and everything else under the suns. And, since Meta-Psionics is about manipulating psionic Powers, 'Augment Range' also implied a whole host of 'Suppress' Powers to inhibit range, duration, and etc.
This creates several problems. Not the least of which is that now 'Meta-Psionics' contains a staggering number of Powers; and also that many of those Powers are too tightly focused to the point of being nearly worthless. It also is not very flexible; some Powers are quite weird and have other worthwhile aspects -- and imagining a pair (an 'Augment' and a 'Suppress') of powers for thing like 'Affects more fish with better success' is vaguely ridiculous.
So now I am convinced that:
New general psionics rules:
A psion may spend extra PSI points before and or after a roll to activate any of their Powers.
One or more extra PSI points may be spent immediately before the die roll to activate a Power; for every extra PSI point so spent, gain a +2 bonus. If the activation roll fails to activate the Power the extra PSI points are still spent.
One or more extra PSI points may be spent immediately after a roll to activate a Power; for every extra PSI point so spent, gain a +1 bonus. If the activation roll plus the bonus fails to activate the Power the extra PSI points are still spent.
This creates several problems. Not the least of which is that now 'Meta-Psionics' contains a staggering number of Powers; and also that many of those Powers are too tightly focused to the point of being nearly worthless. It also is not very flexible; some Powers are quite weird and have other worthwhile aspects -- and imagining a pair (an 'Augment' and a 'Suppress') of powers for thing like 'Affects more fish with better success' is vaguely ridiculous.
So now I am convinced that:
- I need to re-write 'Augment Range' and all the similar Powers. All the 'Suppress' Powers also need to be re-written, but might be more usefully folded into 'Block' or 'Deflect' related Powers.
- I need to re-write all of psionics. Each power needs ways to spend extra Effect to achieve better results; and ways to make a Power of higher difficulty in order to achieve greater results. Since range, duration, casting times, and a host of other properties of psionics will be useful to a wide range of Powers, as many as we can foresee need to be written up in standard format with consistent costs.
New general psionics rules:
A psion may spend extra PSI points before and or after a roll to activate any of their Powers.
One or more extra PSI points may be spent immediately before the die roll to activate a Power; for every extra PSI point so spent, gain a +2 bonus. If the activation roll fails to activate the Power the extra PSI points are still spent.
One or more extra PSI points may be spent immediately after a roll to activate a Power; for every extra PSI point so spent, gain a +1 bonus. If the activation roll plus the bonus fails to activate the Power the extra PSI points are still spent.
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Meh, Psionics RAW are way too much "pick the magic spells you can cast" for me.
IMTU
Psionics are learned progressively: All Psi skills start at (Difficult, PSI) so 10+ to succeed (unless they specifically start higher).
Knowing the next tier makes each previous one another step easier down to its base skill in the book as a floor; so if you just learned Telempathy it's at 10, but then Mind Link is 8+ and Detect Life is 6+. In the book, Detect Life is 4+ so even if you have Tel5, Detect Life is still 4+
Note that in no case is any Ability Skill added to the roll, only your PSI mod.
Most 'sustainable' abilities cost 1 PSI per unit of time (depends on the ability) - this effectively reduces your PSI ability just like damage. PSI is recovered starting 1-6 hours after the last PSI use, at 1 point per hour.
The known general groupings of abilities are:
each time you study you have TWO choices: Advance what you know, or open a new ability.
1) Advance what you know
1.1) study times are as usual
1.2) training roll is (10+, PSI); a natural 2 results in 1d6 INT damage and it will be that many weeks before you can start studying anything (even non-psi skills) again
OR
2) Open a new field
2.1) if you try to open a new field, study 8 weeks & I roll against the ability list:
2.11) if the random roll hits one you already know, nothing happens that training time is lost.
2.12) If it's one you don't know you would make a normal (10+,PSI, ability modifier above, -1 per ability field you already know) check to see if it's now open to you; if you succeed, you have that ability at 0.
2.13) A natural 2 on this check means you accumulate a "-1 per ability field you already know" penalty for your next check.
The list of abilities is informed generally by the abilities RAW, but with significant changes; for example the character that's gotten psionics started with Teleportation (0) Disappear:
[Disappear; PSI, 6 seconds] - this allows you to fade from the view of living beings within 2 range bands (Personal+Close) (although not cameras or recording devices - you would not appear to people WATCHING a live feed from within that range, though) for the next round. Doing anything during that round that might remind them someone is present (opening/closing a door, etc) likely will give everyone present a RECON check to see you at that moment. Doing something significant (firing a gun, punching someone) will automatically make you visible to all. You can move 1/2 while disapparated.
- Extending to additional range bands (ie broader ‘spread’, +2 difficulty per band.
- Move full or sprint, +2 difficulty
You may continue to make this check successively at the end of each round to sustain it uninterrupted (if it hasn't broken).
If you exercise this power and there is no person within the range bands, the "Time" cycle is 1min. If someone enters the field, it drops instantly to 6sec. 1psi per ‘time cycle’. NOTE: if your sustain-success is 2+ higher than needed, you can either not spend a psi point for that cycle OR spend that psi point and meanwhile “bank” a free successful Psi check that you can use later as long as your coverage isn’t broken. (This cannot be saved for a later use of Disappear.) Note you don’t actually vanish, you’re clouding people’s minds without the (range). An explosion would certainly affect you. In this context however you AND YOUR GEAR (as you envision yourself) disappear completely to the subjects. Anyone moving into your range would be instantly affected; moving out there’s likely still some ongoing effect – you won’t just “pop” into view.
IMTU
Psionics are learned progressively: All Psi skills start at (Difficult, PSI) so 10+ to succeed (unless they specifically start higher).
Knowing the next tier makes each previous one another step easier down to its base skill in the book as a floor; so if you just learned Telempathy it's at 10, but then Mind Link is 8+ and Detect Life is 6+. In the book, Detect Life is 4+ so even if you have Tel5, Detect Life is still 4+
Note that in no case is any Ability Skill added to the roll, only your PSI mod.
Most 'sustainable' abilities cost 1 PSI per unit of time (depends on the ability) - this effectively reduces your PSI ability just like damage. PSI is recovered starting 1-6 hours after the last PSI use, at 1 point per hour.
The known general groupings of abilities are:
- Telepathy +4
- Clairvoyance +3
- Telekinesis +2
- Awareness +1
- Teleportation (+0)
each time you study you have TWO choices: Advance what you know, or open a new ability.
1) Advance what you know
1.1) study times are as usual
1.2) training roll is (10+, PSI); a natural 2 results in 1d6 INT damage and it will be that many weeks before you can start studying anything (even non-psi skills) again
OR
2) Open a new field
2.1) if you try to open a new field, study 8 weeks & I roll against the ability list:
2.11) if the random roll hits one you already know, nothing happens that training time is lost.
2.12) If it's one you don't know you would make a normal (10+,PSI, ability modifier above, -1 per ability field you already know) check to see if it's now open to you; if you succeed, you have that ability at 0.
2.13) A natural 2 on this check means you accumulate a "-1 per ability field you already know" penalty for your next check.
The list of abilities is informed generally by the abilities RAW, but with significant changes; for example the character that's gotten psionics started with Teleportation (0) Disappear:
[Disappear; PSI, 6 seconds] - this allows you to fade from the view of living beings within 2 range bands (Personal+Close) (although not cameras or recording devices - you would not appear to people WATCHING a live feed from within that range, though) for the next round. Doing anything during that round that might remind them someone is present (opening/closing a door, etc) likely will give everyone present a RECON check to see you at that moment. Doing something significant (firing a gun, punching someone) will automatically make you visible to all. You can move 1/2 while disapparated.
- Extending to additional range bands (ie broader ‘spread’, +2 difficulty per band.
- Move full or sprint, +2 difficulty
You may continue to make this check successively at the end of each round to sustain it uninterrupted (if it hasn't broken).
If you exercise this power and there is no person within the range bands, the "Time" cycle is 1min. If someone enters the field, it drops instantly to 6sec. 1psi per ‘time cycle’. NOTE: if your sustain-success is 2+ higher than needed, you can either not spend a psi point for that cycle OR spend that psi point and meanwhile “bank” a free successful Psi check that you can use later as long as your coverage isn’t broken. (This cannot be saved for a later use of Disappear.) Note you don’t actually vanish, you’re clouding people’s minds without the (range). An explosion would certainly affect you. In this context however you AND YOUR GEAR (as you envision yourself) disappear completely to the subjects. Anyone moving into your range would be instantly affected; moving out there’s likely still some ongoing effect – you won’t just “pop” into view.
Tom B
Cosmic Mongoose
Is this for character creation, for play or for both?
Has this been play tested? Because at first sight it looks as if it is going to take a long time to learn very much with an awful lot of failing.
Also everything starts off at difficulty 10. Assault starts off at 14!
Tom B
Cosmic Mongoose
I'm currently playing a psionic character, I think psionics is currently well-balanced. There are three main restrictions on a psionic character.
1) Psi points, these are a valuable resource and not to be wasted as you have to wait at least 3 hours before getting any back. I'd imagine a starting character has an average of 8.
You can get more through drugs and augmentations but there are disadvantages to both.
2) Number of talents. You can be lucky and get all 5 or be unlucky and get 1. If you get 0, then you're very unlucky and why didn't you go for telepathy first?
3) Your skill at each talent. This is the only thing you can realistically improve during play but improving one of these skills means you can't improve possibly more useful skills.
My point is that any major change to the system has to be well thought out and play tested as you don't want a psionic character dominating play. Nor do you want a player to invest in psionics and end up only being able to do Life Detection and fail half the time.
As for the current game, I'm very aware that I don't want to annoy the rest of the group by solving everything with psionics which could happen if the balance is wrong.
1) Psi points, these are a valuable resource and not to be wasted as you have to wait at least 3 hours before getting any back. I'd imagine a starting character has an average of 8.
You can get more through drugs and augmentations but there are disadvantages to both.
2) Number of talents. You can be lucky and get all 5 or be unlucky and get 1. If you get 0, then you're very unlucky and why didn't you go for telepathy first?
3) Your skill at each talent. This is the only thing you can realistically improve during play but improving one of these skills means you can't improve possibly more useful skills.
My point is that any major change to the system has to be well thought out and play tested as you don't want a psionic character dominating play. Nor do you want a player to invest in psionics and end up only being able to do Life Detection and fail half the time.
As for the current game, I'm very aware that I don't want to annoy the rest of the group by solving everything with psionics which could happen if the balance is wrong.
1) for play, nobody started with psionics. This character 'got them inadvertently' through a fumbled attempt to maintain containment on chronocrystals (long story).
2) it's supposed to take a long time. My players just spent the better part of a year slogging across the Marches, so they got a lot of training time. If you're in an institute (ie out of play) it's only 8+, and this is a character who will essentially be self-training (the secret institute gave him a neato apple-watch like thing that he just has to sleep on that arm and it counts as 'training'.)
3) Assault starts off at 14, yes. I'd contemplated letting them also use their levels in that field or their INT mod on the learning check but honestly it's unlikely the campaign's going to last long enough for Assault to even come into the question.
Personally, I dislike space wizards but I also don't want to ruin a player's time who really believes space wizards are awesome and fun. The point for me is to give the character some UTILITY abilities that are useful but not game-dominating. IMO, if "assault" was actually a thing as easily achieved as in the RAW, Imperial security wouldn't fool around - if the psionic detectors around Norris twitch at all, someone's getting a bullet to the head, instantly. In this case the next ability on the chain after Disappear will be Discorporate, letting them pass through things and take less damage from physical attacks while in that state, at a reasonably high psi cost, but damned useful. After that is (effectively) a Blink, then Blink Something Else, etc.
