Psi-Sword vs. Imperious to Energy and other question.

[AlanGunhouse]

Well, the Mystic Warrior gets two psi weapons too, a Lance and a Hatchet.

I assume the description meant PSYCHIC energy, not physical energy, and thus a spell of that nature would NOT effect the psi sword.

[sHaka]

I would say that immune from energy doesn't protect you from a Psi-sword.

Away from books, so I can't find a good example, but most creatures that are immune to energy tend to have magic/psi as their weakness.

[Killer Cyborg]

Two questions concerning the Psi-Sword.

1) Will Impervious to Energy protect one from the Psi-Sword?

Nope.
The Psi-Sword has a kinetic component in it as well.

2) In Rifts Psyscape, in the Psyscape Bonus section when a Psychic opens his mind's eye he/she doubles the effect, duration, and damage of one Super Psionic Power. Does this allow one to double the "effect" of the Psi-sword creation and allow 2 Psi-swords to be created?

Nope. Just one sword with double-damage.
Although as a GM, I might allow two swords instead.

[Captain Shiva]

I always felt that a Psi-sword was a physical object made of solidified psionic energy. Perhaps the same energy that makes up a Telekinetic Force Field, just shaped into a sword. As such, Impervious to Energy would not help against it.

[Captain Shiva]

I always felt that a Psi-sword was a physical object made of solidified psionic energy. Perhaps the same energy that makes up a Telekinetic Force Field, just shaped into a sword. As such, Impervious to Energy would not help against it.

[drewkitty ~..~]

1) No, its in a class of it's own. Its a PSI-energy weapon with a FF component. It's gona damage you one way or the other. Not gona argue because this is like the umpteenth time this has come up.

2) It is up to your GM. However, if I was going to make a ruling on it and allow it, I would limit the creation of double PSI-Sword to those that are naturally ambidextrous (the trained ambidextrous found in R20 does not count, nor does paired weapons) and the PSI-Sword made would only have the standard damage/duration rating. Might make it cost double the ISP and take twice as long to make, to make two if it turns out to be munchkinized.

[Tinker Dragoon]

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[wyrmraker]

Hmm. I don't see anywhere that states that the Psi-Sword can be used to parry. I seem to remember that it was canon that no eenergy blade could parry a physical attack. The Lightblade spell can be used to parry energy attacks, whereas the Wilk's Laser Knife cannot be used to parry anything at all.

And to be honest, going strictly by the descriptions of the two effects, Psi-Blade is an energy blade, and Impervious to Energy protects against all energy attacks except for kinetic.

[dragonfett]

I have a question regarding Master Psychic level Cyber-Knights who were born and raised in Psi-scape. Would they be able to open their Mind's Eye and choose to boost their Psi-Sword?

[wyrmraker]

I have a question regarding Master Psychic level Cyber-Knights who were born and raised in Psi-scape. Would they be able to open their Mind's Eye and choose to boost their Psi-Sword?

I don't see why not, in general. Any psychic that studies in Psyscape can take that option.
Conversely, it looks like Cyber-Knights aren't listed in the population overview by OCC, except in that 2% Other category. Such a Cyber-Knight would be exceedingly rare, and thoroughly subject to GM approval.

[drewkitty ~..~]

level 5 edit

I hate it when people nercomanc topics.

[wyrmraker]

Two questions concerning the Psi-Sword.

1) Will Impervious to Energy protect one from the Psi-Sword?

2) In Rifts Psyscape, in the Psyscape Bonus section when a Psychic opens his mind's eye he/she doubles the effect, duration, and damage of one Super Psionic Power. Does this allow one to double the "effect" of the Psi-sword creation and allow 2 Psi-swords to be created?

Merely asking and not attempting to manipulate the rules as I have players bickering over this. Thank You.

1) No. (covered a millions times before. the PS is both physical and energy so nether imp energy nor imp. physical attacks stop the damage of the PsiSword.)

2) Depends on your GM.

Where is the enhanced definition for Psi-Sword? I have always hoped for something a little more definitive; it's very possible that I missed it.

[Nekira Sudacne]

Hmm. I don't see anywhere that states that the Psi-Sword can be used to parry. I seem to remember that it was canon that no eenergy blade could parry a physical attack.

This is incorrect. the wilks laser blades cannot parry physical attacks, but this was an exception, NOT the rule.. what's more, cyber knights are frequently cited as using them to parry.

[wyrmraker]

Hmm. I don't see anywhere that states that the Psi-Sword can be used to parry. I seem to remember that it was canon that no eenergy blade could parry a physical attack.

This is incorrect. the wilks laser blades cannot parry physical attacks, but this was an exception, NOT the rule.. what's more, cyber knights are frequently cited as using them to parry.

Okay. I thought that that was the case as well, but I've had so many GMs over the years tell me it was incorrect that I thought...
Huh. Well, turns out they were morons, as I had always suspected.

[say652]

i always thought the psi sword was a physical telekinetic object,but if its now viewed as an energy construct thats cool. i always allowed two psi swords to be created by anybody that had to pay the 30isp(15isp each for duelists) each .so no two free psi swords for the cyberknight. i dont own psyscape might have to buy that one.

[drewkitty ~..~]

i always thought the psi sword was a physical telekinetic object,but if its now viewed as an energy construct thats cool. i always allowed two psi swords to be created by anybody that had to pay the 30isp(15isp each for duelists) each .so no two free psi swords for the cyberknight. i dont own psyscape might have to buy that one.

In a way the psi sword is both a TK and Energy construct.

[say652]

i always thought the psi sword was a physical telekinetic object,but if its now viewed as an energy construct thats cool. i always allowed two psi swords to be created by anybody that had to pay the 30isp(15isp each for duelists) each .so no two free psi swords for the cyberknight. i dont own psyscape might have to buy that one.

In a way the psi sword is both a TK and Energy construct.

so the spell would protect from it.

[Tor]

1) No, its in a class of it's own. Its a PSI-energy weapon with a FF component. It's gona damage you one way or the other. Not gona argue because this is like the umpteenth time this has come up.

The main problem with the half physical half energy approach is that this means that someone impervious to one or the other should take half damage from it.

We need to look not only at the power's text, I imagine, but examples dealing with it in multiple books (including the Cyber-Knights'), to get the best idea of it.

I would limit the creation of double PSI-Sword to those that are naturally ambidextrous (the trained ambidextrous found in R20 does not count, nor does paired weapons)

What would the reasoning behind this be?

the PSI-Sword made would only have the standard damage/duration rating. Might make it cost double the ISP and take twice as long to make, to make two if it turns out to be munchkinized.

We should change the rules as they make sense, not for fear of 'munchkinizing'. Besides, 1 sword with double damage is far more effective than paired swords at normal damage.

Hmm. I don't see anywhere that states that the Psi-Sword can be used to parry.

We may have to do some looking, there could be some implications there. For example, the Psi-Warrior in Psyscape only gets parry bonuses with the Psi-Shield, while the Psi-Sword bonuses are only to strike/attack/initiative. So

SoT4 is jam-packed of psi-sword pics, so if we take an 'art is canon' approach (I think that would be nice) we could see if there's examples of psi-swords parrying physical objects. Swords parrying swords, or psi-shields parrying psi-swords probably shouldn't count though.

If it is energy though, I do question: why would shields or armor even stop it? Why not just burn right through?

Basically I'm wondering: if there is no mass in an energy weapon and you are moving your hand forward and it is unable to push through a physical object, what exactly happens to your hand? Does your hand feel mass? Does the sword get shorter?

I've always wondered this about the Jedi too, but they have physical handles to grip and deal with magnetic forces repulsing off things. Plus very little besides other sabers seem to stop the plasma.

Getting back to the Cyber-knights though, even if we do determine based on SoT4 that a CK psi-sword can parry physical attacks, we should not assume the same is true about the normal super psionic power (or other versions, like the Amaki Duelist's, the Native American Psi-Tomahawk, Psi-Slinger, etc)

The reason for that is because a CK psi-sword is not normal. The lack of ISP cost is a tipoff (as is the fact that CKs without psionics could make them in RMB prior to Sot4 making all CKs (even the ones from non-psionic species) into psychics (which is dumb).

That's because the CK Psi-S is not clarified at all. The best hint we get as to its origins is that it "presumably" is made with 'inner strength' and 'inner spirit'.

'Inner spirit' is clarified as an unusual combination of PPE and ISP.

It does keep calling it an 'energy weapon' under the CK description though... but I could've sworn somewhere parrying with Psi-Swords is brought up. Ah, page 15:

"The Psi-Tomahawk parries one of the Killer's own slashing blades"
and...
"Looping the Psi-Tomahawk around one of three barrels of the top mounted laser turret, pulling himself up and over on the Killer's back .. the energy blade slicing its barrel as he faults over it"

I don't consider this canon because we know full well Erin Tarn is capable of lying, and would probably do so to make her Cyber-Knight bodyguard more terrifying to the Coalition by embellishing the capabilities of psi-swords.

But in a hypothetical reality where that rogue scholar were being honest, this would indicate that you could parry physical objects and even use psi-swords as a climbing tool, but the latter only temporarily because simply bearing weight through the psi-sword appears to damage something it's in contact with. That could not be accounted to tomahawks being sharp, I think, because the part of a tomahawk you 'hook' with would not have an edge to slice with, so it had to be the energy aspect doing the burning through.

As Sot4 lacks any pics of psi-swords parrying, this supports my belief that Erin Tarn's story was full of embellishing lies and that they can not parry things. Parrying is the job of psi-shields and explains why Psi-Warriors (and later, Cyber-Knights) are able to make psi-shields. Considering how useless WP Shield often is compared to WP Sword (cept possibly for blocking arrows? dunno) they would be a lot more useful if they were a compliment to a melee weapon which could not do parries.

I seem to remember that it was canon that no eenergy blade could parry a physical attack. The Lightblade spell can be used to parry energy attacks, whereas the Wilk's Laser Knife cannot be used to parry anything at all. And to be honest, going strictly by the descriptions of the two effects, Psi-Blade is an energy blade, and Impervious to Energy protects against all energy attacks except for kinetic.[/quote]The odd thing is: shouldn't light blade be purely energy and not physical? Unless we take the PU1 approach where it's the photonic mass? But in that case lasers should be physical too.