Psionic Rules Clarifications and Suggestions (Core22)

[J. L. Brown]

I like Augment Range as you describe it, but the name is wrong, it's not an augment but a debuff. Call it Suppress Effect, and let it reduce any one element of all powers used by the target Psion, so you could suppress range, duration, area or something else. And you could have multiple suppressions on a target to really slow them down.

The idea is that the meta-psion is helping another psion; for example, the psion wants to use 'Suggestion' against a target at 'Medium' range. The meta-psion uses 'Augment Range' (with enough effect to reach 'Medium' range), and now that psion can treat that particular target as being at 'Short' range instead. If the meta-psion doubled the cost of the 'Augment Range' power, then that psion could use powers at that particular target as though it was only 'Close' range (two range bands closer) until the duration of the 'Augment Range' wore off.

If the target wanders closer, say to 'Medium' range, then the two range-band reduction still applies from the new range and can make follow-on powers much cheaper, or easier, or both. Once the target increases range such that the Augmented Range (shortened) range to the target is now beyond the range which the meta-psion reached with their effect, the power ceases prematurely.

 

[mavikfelna]

The idea is that the meta-psion is helping another psion; for example, the psion wants to use 'Probe' against a target at 'Very Long' range. The meta-psion uses 'Augment Range' (with enough effect to reach 'Very Long' range), and now that psion can treat that particular target as being at 'Long' range instead. If the meta-psion doubled the cost of the 'Augment Range' power, then that psion could use powers at that particular target as though it was only 'Medium' range (two range bands closer) until the duration of the 'Augment Range' wore off.

If the target wanders closer, say to 'Medium' range, then the two range-band reduction still applies from the new range and can make follow-on powers much cheaper, or easier, or both.

Ah, ok, I read it in the opposite manner. That makes more sense. So we can have Augment Effect, and Suppress Effect

 

[J. L. Brown]

I really like the plant powers. The talent comes from Core Adventure 3, along with Counter Psionics, and Changeling, and I couldn't think of anything to add to buff it up. Now I have something.

I like the change to Meta-Psionics, that sounds better and more versatile.

Thanks! I guess I should make it clear that I am just an opinionated grouchy grognard on the interwebz; and you are perfectly free to ignore everything I say. These are just suggestions, and reflect how I would run a game -- your table may be different.

I don't have a defense or attack talents because I felt each talent should include those options to spread them out more. I might be persuaded to change my thinking but I'm hoping to avoid a must have talent as well.

I understand that impulse; but (despite us greatly expanding psionics) psions are not supposed to be god-like in capability -- the Talents are supposed to be tightly focused to rein in the power of PC psions. If every given talent has a heal, an attack, a defense, an information gathering power, and so on, then even one-Talent psions will have capabilities for every situation. I believe that psions need to accept that broader applicability means having more (not easy to get) Talents; sometimes they will need to fall back on regular skills -- especially skills that other characters have.

I agree with the anti-psionic static and block.

And I am thinking that maybe a 'Counter' fits in meta-psi after all. Just something like 'force an opposed check vs the meta-psion, and if the meta-psion wins subtract their effect from the psions roll' for one psi point.

I put the transfer stuff in Projection, though Transfer or Transference is a better name now that I think about it.

I'm not sure if Augments should talent skills, or options all psions can do to empower their abilities by spending point like the current rule for extending range.

I'm not wild about the Projection Talent as written; I will probably suggest doing away with it. I'm not to it yet, though.

I am envisioning meta-psionics as being used to alter / shut-down / enhance psionic powers. If we give powers to affect skills those should be somewhere else.

So we can have Augment Effect, and Suppress Effect

Maybe 'Suppress Range', 'Suppress Duration', and 'Suppress Area' are overkill -- especially with static and block. We risk stacking in a bunch of powers. Maybe make Augment / Suppress all part of the same power -- so a meta-psion can either help or hinder a psion with 'Augment Range', or help or hinder with 'Augment Duration', etc.

So far I am enjoying the thought of tinkering with the rules for psionics.

 

[Tom B]

For the counter-psionics, the cost is influenced by the cost of the opposed talent. But what is that cost? How do you work it out?

For telepathy you might think it is 8, the cost of assault. But assault can cost 16 or 32 if you do them over a longer range.

For telekinesis and awareness, the cost is variable.

Something else to put in the universal one.
I am playing a psionic character and was once being interviewed. The interviewer didn't him to be using any psionic so had to drink something that removed all psi-points. That got me thinking, there should be a power that reduces psi-points to zero, so I created this ...

Nullify Psi-Points​

Within a round a psion can get rid of all their remaining psi-points. Depending upon the method of detection, this might allow them to not be detected as psionic. A telepath could still have an active shield if they so choose. Also, the psion can still use any other power that has a cost of zero.

Psionic points will be regenerated as normal after three hours, though this can be delayed.

Check: Automatic

Reach: Personal

Duration: 3 hours

PSI Cost: All

To be honest, I'd been playing around, crating new rules, talents and powers. Some of these contradict the ones given here as I'd done a precognition one (and a post cognition one) - but named them differently. I had versions of Changeling but when I bought that book, I took it out.

I also have a version of the healer career called Empath.

I had quite a few telekinetic talents - each specialising in various aspects. If anyone wants, they can DM me and I'll send them the document.

 

[mavikfelna]

For the counter-psionics, the cost is influenced by the cost of the opposed talent. But what is that cost? How do you work it out?

For telepathy you might think it is 8, the cost of assault. But assault can cost 16 or 32 if you do them over a longer range.

For telekinesis and awareness, the cost is variable.

Something else to put in the universal one.
I am playing a psionic character and was once being interviewed. The interviewer didn't him to be using any psionic so had to drink something that removed all psi-points. That got me thinking, there should be a power that reduces psi-points to zero, so I created this ...

Nullify Psi-Points​

Within a round a psion can get rid of all their remaining psi-points. Depending upon the method of detection, this might allow them to not be detected as psionic. A telepath could still have an active shield if they so choose. Also, the psion can still use any other power that has a cost of zero.

Psionic points will be regenerated as normal after three hours, though this can be delayed.

Check: Automatic

Reach: Personal

Duration: 3 hours

PSI Cost: All

To be honest, I'd been playing around, crating new rules, talents and powers. Some of these contradict the ones given here as I'd done a precognition one (and a post cognition one) - but named them differently. I had versions of Changeling but when I bought that book, I took it out.

I also have a version of the healer career called Empath.

I had quite a few telekinetic talents - each specialising in various aspects. If anyone wants, they can DM me and I'll send them the document.

I'll take a copy

 

[mavikfelna]

Thanks! I guess I should make it clear that I am just an opinionated grouchy grognard on the interwebz; and you are perfectly free to ignore everything I say. These are just suggestions, and reflect how I would run a game -- your table may be different.


I understand that impulse; but (despite us greatly expanding psionics) psions are not supposed to be god-like in capability -- the Talents are supposed to be tightly focused to rein in the power of PC psions. If every given talent has a heal, an attack, a defense, an information gathering power, and so on, then even one-Talent psions will have capabilities for every situation. I believe that psions need to accept that broader applicability means having more (not easy to get) Talents; sometimes they will need to fall back on regular skills -- especially skills that other characters have.


And I am thinking that maybe a 'Counter' fits in meta-psi after all. Just something like 'force an opposed check vs the meta-psion, and if the meta-psion wins subtract their effect from the psions roll' for one psi point.


I'm not wild about the Projection Talent as written; I will probably suggest doing away with it. I'm not to it yet, though.

I am envisioning meta-psionics as being used to alter / shut-down / enhance psionic powers. If we give powers to affect skills those should be somewhere else.


Maybe 'Suppress Range', 'Suppress Duration', and 'Suppress Area' are overkill -- especially with static and block. We risk stacking in a bunch of powers. Maybe make Augment / Suppress all part of the same power -- so a meta-psion can either help or hinder a psion with 'Augment Range', or help or hinder with 'Augment Duration', etc.

So far I am enjoying the thought of tinkering with the rules for psionics.

Ok, let's take a step back.
Let's set the basics of the talents and their focuses.
First, I don't want attack and defense in their own isolated talent. Not every talent needs every type of function, but if an attack and/or defense is related to the focus of the talent, it should have it. Same with most of the others mentioned above with the exception of healing, as that is a major talent itself and I'd like to keep it as such. Same with altering self ranged powers to affect different targets.
I don't want talents and skills to be overly powerful but I do want even a one talent Psion to be useful.
As a note, in my own version of psionics, you can only attempt to learn up to 3+PSI modifier talents beyond universal but there is no penalty to learning a talent for the number of talents already know but the difficulty is 10+ and each time you attempt training you only have 3+INT mod attempts. So this limits psions in some ways compared to now and I'm not 100% committed to it yet but some of my ideas I'm working through here do take this into account, even if I'm trying to fit them into the current Mongoose 2e system here. (I hope that makes sense.)

So back on topic, focus of the talents.
Flora Symbiosis (better name than plant?): affecting plants and plant-like organisms. Things like identification, imparted movement, healing and augmentations or draining energy/killing them

Fauna Symbiosis: (Do we want something like this?) affecting non-sentient creatures

Machine Symbiosis: Technopathy, affecting and interacting psychically with machines

Dimensional Symbiosis: teleportations of self and group, jump sense

Healing: using psychic energy to heal all variety of damage and disease. Regeneration

Meta-Psionics: Using psionics to boost or disrupt psionics in others

Changling: using psionics to psychically and physically alter yourself for disguise

Self-Awareness: using psionics to augment yourself

Transference: The ability to project self range abilities onto others

Energy Kinesis: psychic manipulation of energy

Psychokinesis: psychic manipulation of matter

Telekinesis: psychic movement of matter (because there are too many other things you can do in psychokinesis so this reduces the skill count)

Remote Sensing: clairvoyance

Precognition: sensing events in time

Telepathy: mind to mind contact

What do you think? Keep, add to, remove, change?