Guide to Psionics

[darthauthor]

Guide to Psionics

Blue is a Must Have,
Green is a useful and has a place,
Orange is extremely situational
Red has no real use.

Healing
The greatest advantage of healing psionics are that a player with psychic powers can get and use them at 1st level. Their use is not as demonized as magic means of healing even though magic is quicker. Psionics has only a few advantages over magic.

Attack Disease (12): Limited use to help general public. Like spells it doesn't work on cancers, tuberculosis, polio, Altheimer's, Parkinson's disease, ebola, and similar. In theory, a psychic with the Bio-Regnerate power should be able to cure themselves after using this power.

Bio-Regnerate (Self) (6): Heal yourself only. Wills yourself back to health from disease, poison and injury. IF you ever suffered from disease, poison or S.D.C. damage this would be great to get back into the adventure the same or next day.

Deaden Pain (4): Psionic Pain Killers. Vital when doing Pyschic surgery

Detect Psionics (6): Why is this not a Sensitive psionic power?

Exorcism (10): Never been in or heard of a game were anybody used this power. More of a story element to rescue someone possessed.

Healing Touch (6): Heal others. Has the potential for a good reputation and profit.

Increased Healing (10): The good is that it helps heal others when you are not around. The bad is it takes 1D6 hours (aveage 3.5 hours) of your day in trance with your patient. Only lasts 2D4 days so aveage 5 days. You'd have to have a lot of S.D.C. to benefit from this power. Healing Touch is quicker and cost less I.S.P.

Induce Sleep (4): Insomnia anyone? Kids need to go to bed? When do you need to put someone to sleep, who wants to sleep, out of combat, who can't on their own? I guess if you don't want them to be awake while you are performing surgery. Sleep spell is better.

Lust for Life (15): Gives coma victims a better chance.

Meditation (0): Every Psychic is better for this power.

Psychic Diagnosis (4): Prerequisite for Psychic Surgery. Tell me where it hurts.

Psychic Purification (8): If someone is poisons or druged. Considering there is a saving throw with poison, the damage is done before a psychic could use. I guess it is good for those who are drug to releave the effects. In theory, it should de-power a Juicer IF you, the psychic, could hold on them (touch range) and not get thrown off or have your concentration broken. I guess, if you paralized a juicer with Bio-Manipulation it would work. Taking their weapons off them, while paralized, and shackling them. But you would also have to disable their harness otherwise I'd expect the juices would be flowing again. Feels like a lot of effort to take a juicer alive.

Pyschic Surgery (14): The quickest pro surgery in the game. About as useful or useless as surgery is in your game. Good for removing a bullet before a heal spell.

Resist Fatigue (4): A very week psionic version of the Superhuman Endurance spell.

Restore P.P.E. (4): When you have a lot of ISP and a spell caster in need of P.P.E. or maybe a hungry Psi-Stalker. Good for a NPC mind melter to give their mage a recharge.

Stop Bleeding (2; 4): a psychic tournique for when you need one and are out and out of time. Really for an S.D.C world. In Rifts, you are toast.

Suppress Fear (8): IF you fail your Horror Factor save this gets you or your bubby back into the fight. Ideally, you would use this on yourself and your party before the fight.

Transfer I.S.P. (4+): Useful if one of your party has a psionic power you don't and needs the I.S.P. to use it.

Physical Psionic Powers
Kind of things for a spy. Faking your own death. Disguising oneself. Immunities to non-magical / Non MD damage types. Some powers to help survive in the wild. The telekinesis is the most veristal and Jedi like.

Alter Aura (2): Only means to alter one's aura but is only useful if you need to disguise your aura.

Deaden Senses (4): So you give your target a chance to make a saving throw, if they fail you improve your chances to deceive them by 10%. It's a debuff. Very situation.

Death Trance (1): One of the few psionic powers better than its spell version but who wants or need to play dead?

Ectoplasm (varies): Situationally useful.

Ectoplasmic Disguise (12): When you don't have a helmet, mask or time to put it on to disguise yourself. That, or when you need to conceal your face without looking like you are trying.

Float (8): In case you are swimming and need a rest or just look cool hovering above the ground. Great save if you fall from heights. It would be pretty awesome if you could jump out of a hover-vehicle like you are skydiving. The short coming is these situations almost never come up. They are story elements rather than practical.

Impervious To Cold (2): Few magics offer protection from cold. Those in the cold are usually dressed for it or have environmental armor. This powers use is dependent on the way the GM decides to run the game environmental factors and if they players have protection or not.

Impervious To Fire (4): Never mentions if it protects against MD fire. Just that Magic fires inflict half damage. Helpful if you have to run through a forest fire or burning building.

Impervious To Poison (4): Not as good as the Spell Negate Toxin but good when you know you are going to be poisoned. Comes with the bonus of being able to ID poisons: 30% +4% per level. Could be useful in an investigation. Has a spy feel about it when you need to trick your marking into trusting that the drink is not poisoned.

Levitation (varies): Feels like you can do everything here with telekinesis. How often do you need to lift something up and down? It look like they made it just to move a level up or down.

Meditation (0): All psychics need this.

Mind Block (4): Better to have it then not but it does not stop magic. Protection is only for a few psychic powers that are mostly for spying on you.

Nightvision (4): Why isn't this a psionic sensitive power? There are plenty of tech alterntives with or without MD armor. This power is only useful when out of power, at night, without a flashlight.

Resist Fatigue (4): Same as psionic healing power.

Resist Hunger (2): A psionic power for story elements but who is going to go 60 days without food?

Resist Thirst (6): See Resist Hunger.

Spontaneous Combustion (6): About as useful as the Spell version (which has better range). It's only seems useful if you need to set afire something you could with a lighter.

Summon Inner Strength (4): Very minor buff.

Telekinesis (varies): Very adaptable. A lot of possibilities if the GM allows you to push, pull, and press the "right" things.

Telekinetic Leap (8): Great Flavor here to jump like a Jedi, do a great jump kick, and make a great escape.

Telekinetic Lift (6): A weak form of Mystic Fulcom

Telekinetic Punch (6) : An SDC punch or kick (3D6 or 4D6 respectively). Can still be dodged or parried. In a world of MD weapons and crazies, Juicers, supernatural strength beings who agrees to put the SDC ONLY gloves on to smack each other around. Sure it looks cool in a bar fight or boxing ring but everywhere else its just for play and show. VERY rare exceptions exist with a combination of spells or special abilities in which SDC becomes MD.

Telekinetic Push (4) : Situational. Feel like a Jedi and Force push your enemies.

Teleport Object (10): Psionic version of Teleport: Lesser. Only advantage I can see is it doesn't set off anybody's senses for magic.

Sensitive
The most useful information gathering powers. There are some magic spells that take the place of them. It is really Sixth Sense and such that is useful.

Astral Projection (8): The spell version appears instantanous instead of having to wait 4d4 minutes to prepare. Good for searching, mapping, and spying.

Clairvoyance (4): At last a psionic power that is better than its spell version, Oracle.

Commune with Animals (6): Do you want to be Dr. Doolittle? Beast Master? Doesn't really let you control animals just sorta motivate them.

Commune with Spirits (6): Spell version has great duration, can be cast on others and allows someone to "see" spirits were this does not. It's only advantage is it is cheaper on ISP then the spell version is with PPE. In theory, it is a great way to ask someone who murdered them or what they saw while alive or where they hid something.

Dispel Spirits (10):Ghost Busters?

Empathy (4): NOT exactly a lie detector but could be useful in determining how authentic someone is or if they are really afraid.

Intuitive Combat (10): Nice buff with its +4 to dodge and +3 initiative.

Machine Ghost (12): It does not let one operate only read. Situationaly useful when you need to "see" what electronic memories are stored on something.

Mask I.S.P. & Psionics (7): In case you want to hide your a psychic.

Mask P.P.E. (4): Useful for mages who need to hide their magical nature. For example, getting past a check point with Dog Boys.

Meditation (0): Every Psychic needs this.

Mind Block (4): Protection from psionic attacks

Object Read (6): Maybe the best psionic powers during an investigation of "who done it" and how can we find them now.

Presense Sense (4): Useful if one is hunting demons and such who may be invisible.

Read Dimensional Portal (6): IF you want to look before you leap into a Rift this is it.

Remote Viewing (10): Dependent on an "image" of the person you want to see, still one of the best, if not the best, information gathering powers.

See Aura (6): Spell is better in range and what one can look for but it is still useful.

See the Invisible (4): Spell has better range but it is still useful

Sense Dimensional Anomaly (4): When you want to know if someone is teleporting in or out or rifting.

Sense Evil (2): When you want to know if you are talking to a vampire or even invisible supernatural creatures and their location. Faster and more specific than the Dog Boys supernatural senses.

Sense Magic (3): Useful for tracking the magically active.

Sense Time (2): Just get a watch. Plus, a lot of people with cybernetics have a digital clock with their cyber.

Sixth Sense (2): Spider Sense. Most useful.

Speed Reading (2): More story element that necessity.

Telepathy (4): Essential if communicating in secret or astrally. Great for spies.

Total Recall (2): When you need to remember something this can be incredibly vital. Most critical players use a audio recorder or video recorder to film what they are doing.

Super Psionic Powers
The only psionic powers that can do any real damage

Advanced Trance State (10) : An improved form of meditation. Could be good if you are swimming miles and need a rest. In theory, great if you need to stay off the ground, like kids playing a game of the floor's hot lava. As for the benefits of suspended animation it is only as useful as the spell version. Could help if you are trapped in a cave in.

Bio-Manipulation (10): Most useful combat power

Bio-Regeneration (super) (20): Just do regular Bio-Regeneration (6). Consider that it takes a whole minute the power's difference is a matter of how fast do you need to heal. Since both powers take a character out of combat I don't imagine either of them being used until the fight's over. And then you can take your time to heal using non-Super psionic Bio-Regeneration (6).

Catatonic Strike (40): Could be effective if you could both brake through someones armor with your blade and if your victim fails their save then they fall into a coma. Could be devastating if it works on Demons and Dragons and such.

Cause Insanity (30); So know a psychic can curse people.

Cure Insanity (30): Story power to treat others.

Electrokinesis (varies) : A hand full of abilities that only have value with technology. Substitutes for a blaster up to 18 ISP for 3D6 MD.

Empathic Transmission (6): Kind of like Charisma spells. The "Despair or Sorrow" aspect of this power, if your victim fails their save, can get them to retreat or surrender.

Group Mind Block (22) : Give everyone in your group the benefit of Mind Block. Played under the certain circumstances it could be used to subdue communication and information gathering by those with psychic sensitive powers. Some theories are that it would block detection by Dog Boys and Psi-stalkers but they would figure out their psychic senses are being blocked even if not by whom. Becomes a detective game.

Group Trance (15): Only when you want to teach or share information. More of a story power. Under certain circumstances it can be a way to share ISP.

Hydrokinesis (varies): Situationally useful. Really a weapon against vampires.

Hypnotic Suggestion (6): Jedi Mind Trick. Along with Mind Wipe, Empathic Transmission, and Insert Memory (false ones) and you have a recipe for brainwashing someone into being your minion/slave (best guess 1D4+2 months of using these four powers; perhaps faster with the help of drugs, psychiatry, charisma, an M.A. of 16+, magic spells like "Charm" and coming across as genuinely being nice to them).

Induce Nightmare (15): Use a Super Psionic power to deprive your victim of a good night's sleep. A very short range, short duration curse

Insert Memory (25): A useful tool if you want to brainwash someone to give false testimony or convert them into an ally or pawn.

Mental Illusion (20) : With some prompting and a failed save on the part of your victim you can take one enemy out of combat (similar results to paralysis). Also, could inventively be used to disguise themselves or impersonate someone (but only in the mind of your victim; the only one who will see the psychic as someone other than who they are).

Mentally Possess Others (30): Given you have to touch your victim and they have to fail their save. Also you ought to mind bond with the victim to gain their memories. Also, ought alter the aura of the newly possessed body to disguise the possession. THEN you have 5 minutes per level to walk in a new body to get close to some person, place or thing to spy, sabotage, kidnap or assassinate. Oh, and your friends need to take care of your body while you are out of body (hid it, take it with them, etc.). Maybe you could dupe a jailer into shaking hands and possessing him so you could unlock the cell and open or get other guards to open doors for you under disguise. It's just the circumstance are so rare to ever successful use it before the duration runs out its almost impossible to pull off without help from the GM or incredible planning.

Mind Block Auto Defense : Situational. Have to lower it to use psionic powers.

Mind Bolt (6 to 40): Just get an energy pistol/rifle. Fellow poster pointed out this power is best used in assassinations without revealing oneself.

Mind Bond (10): Great way to get information fast. Last long enough to do an impersonation of your victim. With literacy and writing things down as well as "Total Recall" the most valuable pieces of information "should" be saved. Downside is the target also get your memories too so you have to kidnap them until they forget or kill them. Also, if your target is a "Crazy," a D-Bee, Supernatural being or just a run of the mill lunatic the mind bonding you do with them could make your character insane. Though I feel that such insanities ought to be forgotten after you lose the targets memories. I also get the impression one should not use the power to bond with more than one mind at a time. Wait a month until the other person's memories are forgotten.
In theory, this power could be used in a variety of ways if the GM allows it. One is to buff yourself by gaining the skills of an operator or body doc or a city rats roadwise/streetwise and contacts in their part of their city. Over night you can copy the MOS and W.P. of a merc.

Mind Wipe (special): Situationally useful spell to erase yourself or some memory of which they are a witness or something. Great potential for a psychiatrist. Also great if you are trying to make people your slaves. Over months you could erase their identity and with hypno suggestion and empathic transmition one could nurture their victims dependence on them. Long game.

PPE Shield (10): Given this is a Super Psionic power only a few Psychics will have them. Of those only one or two can also cast spells (unless they have atlantean tattooes). Also since PPE release only occurs with a scratch from a Psi-Stalker or Death. It really feels like one of the most useless Super powers.

Psi-Shield (different from PPE Shield) : Psionic version of Magic Shield. Can't be used to parry energy blasts or projectiles.

Psi-Sword (30): The problem with this power is, it take a melee round to activate. You lose all your attacks when the fight starts unless you created it before the fight. The damage is typically better than changing SDC weapons into MD with the "Frost-blade" or "Empower Weapon" At 4th level it does 6D6 MD which is pretty good for 4th level but its description says nothing about parrying energy attacks like you can do with "Frost-blade." And you can't hand one to someone else to fight with. Good against vampires but so is water. Again it is one of those powers that works best by surprise. The sword out of no where that can cut threw MD material so good for breaking out of a jail cell. Also, you can attempt to impersonate a Cyber-knight.

Psionic Invisibility (10): Pathetically weak psionic version of "Invisibility: Simple" spell. You can't attack or even have hostile intentions like planning on hurting them. Limited range of invisibility and can be seen and recorded on video cameras. You might as well use the "Disguise" skill unless you standout unmistakeably.

Psychic Body Field (30): Psionic Armor of Ithan.

Psychic Omni-Sight : It's short duration sort of ruins it as a stand on guard power like the "Watchguard" or "Mystic Alarm" spell. It is really only effective for searching areas. Given it takes 1 minute to get into psychic state to use it, starting it in battle would take you out of the fight until it is over. On a rare set of circumstances, a psychic could use this power to telepathically message the party about were the bad guys (even invisible or in mist form) are or "thing x" is located. With telekinesis the psychic could invisibily attack others until they are out of ISP.

Psychosomatic Disease (30): Basically if you want to play an evil doctor who cons people into believing they are sick and that only you can cure them.

Pyrokinesis (Varies) : Good for a hand full of fire spells but none very impressive except perhaps Fire Ball with +2 to strike and 6D6 MD

Radiate Horror Factor (8): High level horror factors are good and the range (within 100 feet of the psychic) on this is amazing. Still it would scare civilians and members of your group also. It really gives away your location but it could serve as a distraction especially if you want a crowd of people to run away from you in every direction.

Telekinesis (Super) (varies): Most versitle power.

Telekinetic Acceleration Attack (10; 20): Just get a good energy rifle. Under a special set of surprise circumstances this weapon "out of nowhere" could kill a hand full of unarmored people but that is for people who don't know about the power and think you are incapable of harming anyone. Example, items on desk or keys on wall fly into the wall behind the prison bars of the sheirfs cell you are in (maybe through the deputy's body). Or maybe your party uses their lunch spoons to take out the deputy from behind bars. I like the idea of silver bullets to kill vampires 2d4 times 10 SDC.

Telekinetic Force Field (30): Great protection for your, others or as a way to occupy enemies while the group tank destroys the others.

Telemechanics (10): Situational. They way I interprit this power. It allows the psychic to operate, pilot, diagnose instantly and repair ALL with 88%. In theory, since it says the psychic knows the machines special codes and programing the psychic could unlock the machine. Example, Telemechanics on a combination-lock would give you the number combination to unlock it but it would be useless on a lock that needs a metal key. Likewise, on a safe you would know the combination to the safe (like Safecracking at 88%). On a computer, a password. Same with a security alarm system (range touch or up to 5 feet (1.5 m) away. SO its great if you are a burgler / thief. Not a direct combat power.

Telemechanic Mental Operation (12): Tech dependent like the others. With a lot of forethought and preparation a psychic with this power could arrange for a machine to serve their desires (See via a security camera or turn it off, drive a car off in a direction until it is out of range, have a radio go silent or perhaps say something you want). Stealth is key in never allowing your mark to figure out you can temporariy and remotely control machines.

Telemechanic Paralysis (20) : Tech dependent. Requires telemechanics. In theory, the power would allow a psychic to turn a Dead Boys radio or even their energy rifle OFF and keep it that way. No save. While losing only 1 melee attack acton as long as the psychic stays in range (40 feet). Results should be the same for a robot gaint or otherwise and power armor (within the 40 foot range; Being AI, Skelbots get a save). I understand it to mean only one electronic device can be paralized with this power per use. The trick is getting in range. Also, these targets are almost never alone. You or the rest of your party have to deal with the others. Still, if the GM allows it this power would be great for paralyzing a single tech weapon or opponent while you or your party take care of the rest.

Telemechanic Possession (50): The big problem with this power is that the range is so poor the psychic basically has to touch the robot or such, and their body collapses (totally vulnerable like they are astrally projecting). It is a short term way to possess one robot (or maybe power armor). If a team does it "right" the other can blast a frozen robot. It is only as good as a team's ability to get their psychic close to a single robot. I never read of a robot by itself. There is always more than one and some fly.
I see it as good for an attempt to steal a vehicle, power armor or robot. And that might make it worth it if they can get the door open without damaging the whole thing. But, it means the psychic basically spends ALL their time locking it up while the rest of the group wipes out the rest of the robot/power armors.

[drewkitty ~..~]

You forgot to say that you were talking about Psionics in the Rifts game in your opening.

[ShadowLogan]

Levitation (varies): Feels like you can do everything here with telekinesis. How often do you need to lift something up and down? It look like they made it just to move a level up or down.

While TK allows 3-axis movement and Levitation only 1-axis, it should be noted that Levitation has a lower ISP cost to move the equivalent amount of weight/mass.

Nightvision (4): Why isn't this a psionic sensitive power? There are plenty of tech alterntives with or without MD armor. This power is only useful when out of power, at night, without a flashlight.

As to why it isn't a Sensitive Power, the description mentions that it is a form of bio-manipulation which likely puts it into physical category as opposed to sensitive.

While tech certainly has an advantage over it, there are communities who don't use tech or have as high a tech rating.

Resist Fatigue (4): Same as psionic healing power.

Resist Hunger (2): A psionic power for story elements but who is going to go 60 days without food?

Resist Thirst (6): See Resist Hunger.

Resist Fatigue has two advantages over Superhuman Endurance Spell: 1. it has a lower cost (4 ISP = 2 PPE at generic conversion trade used elsewhere) and 2. it's duration is impacted by level (so a Level 10 psychic will get 1hr +180minutes, vs a Level 1-15caster who will only get 2 hrs).

While Resist Hunger/Thirst users likely aren't going to do something like this intentionally (outside of maybe a Hunger Strike), it allows you to know which characters have powers that are more story element driven (this applies to others).

Commune with Animals (6): Do you want to be Dr. Doolittle? Beast Master? Doesn't really let you control animals just sorta motivate them.

Depends on the campaign and setting, but you could use it to "de-escalate" encounters with wild animals or even use animals as "sentries"

Bio-Regeneration (super) (20): Just do regular Bio-Regeneration (6)

uh, no. BR:S restores 4d6 HP and 4d6 SDC for 20 ISP, regular BR does either 2d6 HP OR 3d6 SDC for 6 ISP. That means BR needs to be cast x3 times and you still wouldn't match the healing power (at 4th time you get more SDC back, but you are also spending 4 ISP for an extra 2d6 SDC). So it really depends on how much healing you need to do.

Mind Bolt (6 to 40): Just get an energy pistol/rifle.

&

Telekinetic Acceleration Attack (10; 20): Just get a good energy rifle.

As a primary means to deal MD, you are right, but as a hold-out/hidden weapon both are valuable in that role.

They also have the advantage they can provide a potent ranged SDC attack for when MD is overkill/undesired.

[darthauthor]

Shadow Logan,

I have to admit you are right.

Of course, what remains to be determine are how useful are these traits/qualities in picking psionic powers. IF the GM cares to go into "that" much detail and critical-ness while players have little else in the alternative certain powers could be winners.

How do you pick the psychic powers you want?

[drewkitty ~..~]

...

How do you pick the psychic powers you want?

To fit the character concept.

If a char that 'find thing' sensing powers.
If a physical/fighting type char..then body enhancing or TK powers.
If an intellectual character then speed reading and total recall.

[Mack]

Mind Bolt is more of an assassin power than a combat power. You wait for the enemy to take his helmet off, then nail him with a called shot at +8 to Strike. Or you're sitting in a cafe casually enjoying your frappuccino when somebody three tables over suddenly has an unexplained chest cavity.

It's not the damage of Mind Bolt or the ISP cost. It's the threat of Mind Bolt. That at any time, a psychic can simply eliminate someone and there's practically nothing you can do to stop it.

[darthauthor]

I guess Psychics are well suited for espionage work and that includes assassination (at least of SDC beings). That includes being able to get close to their target without revealing themselves, their intentions, and being able to blend in with those around them. I guess they can be kind of like vampires (without the blood sucking and such) who can masquerade as normal people while deceivng, manipulating, and murdering those around them without anyone knowing what they really are and have done.

[ShadowLogan]

Of course, what remains to be determine are how useful are these traits/qualities in picking psionic powers. IF the GM cares to go into "that" much detail and critical-ness while players have little else in the alternative certain powers could be winners.

How do you pick the psychic powers you want?

As previously mentioned you pick abilities (psionic, magical, Skills and OCC) to fit a concept. Some coordination between GM and Player could also be useful in this regard to, even as the campaign progresses (what with new abilities being acquired as you level up), but it should be a two way street with the GM adjusting the campaign possibly to the players and not making the players always adjust to the campaign..

I guess Psychics are well suited for espionage work and that includes assassination (at least of SDC beings).

With powers like See Aura, Alter Aura, Object Read, Mind Bond, Hypnotic Suggestion, Astral Projection, various TK powers, Nightvision, Machineghost, Remote Viewing, Total Recall, Psionic Invisibility, Telemechanic powers, etc they are definitely well suited to espionage work.

[drewkitty ~..~]

I guess Psychics are well suited for espionage work and that includes assassination (at least of SDC beings). That includes being able to get close to their target without revealing themselves, their intentions, and being able to blend in with those around them. I guess they can be kind of like vampires (without the blood sucking and such) who can masquerade as normal people while deceivng, manipulating, and murdering those around them without anyone knowing what they really are and have done.

Let's see "deceivng, manipulating, and murdering" those are things normal people do....I mean these are thing people normally do. more the formers than the laters



Now when talking about normal psychics...no they would not be good at 'secret agent' stuff.