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A lot of Palladium's games share powers in the Healing/Physical/Sensitive and sometimes Super/Master categories. Sometimes the category of a power varies from game to game. We'll ignore the outlier categories from Rifts and BTS2 for now. (Mind Bleeder, Hydro-Psionics, Fire-walker/Pyrokinetic, Machine/Psi-Mechanic, for those who are curious.)

There's two sort of parallel developments here. First group is more based on the horror RPGs (BTS1,NB,BTS2). Second is based more on super-competent PCs (Rifts,HU2,SF,PF2). The design difference seems to be whether the Healing/Physical/Sensitive categories get any direct damage ability or whether that is reserved for the Super/Master category. An example is these powers (Bio-Manipulation, Empathic Transmission, Electro/Hydro/Pyrokinesis, Hypnotic Suggestion) are in the Healing/Physical/Sensitive categories for the horror RPGs (BTS1,NB,BTS2), but in the Super/Master category for the super-competent PCs (Rifts,HU2,SF,PF2).

The latter grouping somewhat limits latent/minor/major psychics and leaves these flashier? (not quite the right word) powers to master psychics. I came into Palladium through Robotech 1E and BTS1. I much prefer the horror RPGs (BTS1,NB,BTS2) groupings over the later super-competent PCs (Rifts,HU2,SF,PF2) groupings. Which grouping do you prefer?

I agree that the Mind Bleeder powers should be left out of consideration...because in their original concept they are racial restricted to the Mind Bleeder race.
The other BTS grouping I only sort of agree to be left out because they are more grouping for specific PCCs.

As to the rest of the question.....I've only really played one character that the central idea of the char concept was of being a psychic. It was a living nightmare psychic....and it was not in any of the standard PB setting. I do think that the BTS 1 psi texts are the best at describing the 'Why' behind how chars get/purchase/grow into their psi powers. Instead of the 'psi chars just have less PPE' text they use now.

I do wish that characters can be more creative with their psi powers. Like letting a psi with healer powers use them inverted. Doing damage as well. But I would put an alinement restriction (evil) or mental health restriction (something that enjoys causing pain or can't help it) on getting said variant/use.

As to the minor-major-latent-natural-master groupings of types of psions....I have no problem with them. It is because that even with skills most will be low powered, with only a few to be exceptional.

Side note: My 1st PB gamebooks were the RT 1st ed, but for the liner notes in them because they Anime related. But my 1st group to play PB games was Rifts with a group of band geeks that had started getting weird because they were board with it. Then, after getting online, the nightly pick up game that Great Thing ran. Currently is playing RT2ed online.

thorr-kan wrote:A lot of Palladium's games share powers in the Healing/Physical/Sensitive and sometimes Super/Master categories. Sometimes the category of a power varies from game to game. We'll ignore the outlier categories from Rifts and BTS2 for now. (Mind Bleeder, Hydro-Psionics, Fire-walker/Pyrokinetic, Machine/Psi-Mechanic, for those who are curious.)

There's two sort of parallel developments here. First group is more based on the horror RPGs (BTS1,NB,BTS2). Second is based more on super-competent PCs (Rifts,HU2,SF,PF2). The design difference seems to be whether the Healing/Physical/Sensitive categories get any direct damage ability or whether that is reserved for the Super/Master category. An example is these powers (Bio-Manipulation, Empathic Transmission, Electro/Hydro/Pyrokinesis, Hypnotic Suggestion) are in the Healing/Physical/Sensitive categories for the horror RPGs (BTS1,NB,BTS2), but in the Super/Master category for the super-competent PCs (Rifts,HU2,SF,PF2).

I use *all* of them. So far I have identified 24 different categories of psionics that the various books list as a category.
I would disagree that its a "horror vs super competent" its more a "do we want to have a Super/Master/Major category or not"
I am a fan of the "yes more kinds of psi please" so I like having a Super/Master/Major psionic category.
It gets even more complex now that Mind Bolt is allowed to healers in Rifts

thorr-kan wrote:The latter grouping somewhat limits latent/minor/major psychics and leaves these flashier? (not quite the right word) powers to master psychics. I came into Palladium through Robotech 1E and BTS1. I much prefer the horror RPGs (BTS1,NB,BTS2) groupings over the later super-competent PCs (Rifts,HU2,SF,PF2) groupings. Which grouping do you prefer?

As for the *kinds* of psychic... There are a *huge* range of them, I don't think we can just talke about "latent/minor/major" vs "master"
as the only places you get the lesser kinds of psi you discuss are the ones that have the "and this kind of psi is reserved for Classes/Races and 'masters'" in the first place.

NB is... weird in that it started with just the 3 main categories and added a (new) version of the 4th later.