Psionics

Key facts

Characteristic

Intuition

Overview

Psionics is the study of thought as a force: recognizing that a witness's memory was edited, sensing the residue of a telepathic contact in a room, knowing which psionic disciplines this creature is likely to use, understanding why a mind-affected victim behaves the way they do. It is an Intuition skill because psionic traces are felt before they are analyzed. It comes up around time raiders, dominated NPCs, mental intrusions, and anywhere the party suspects that what someone remembers is not what happened.

How it works

Characteristic: Intuition. Skill group: Intuition skills. Test: 2d10 + Intuition; 11 or lower is tier 1, 12 to 16 tier 2, 17 or higher tier 3. Training grants a benefit and unlocks attempts untrained heroes cannot make. How it is used: Tier 3 identifies the effect, its rough source, and what it did. Tier 2 confirms that something psionic happened. Tier 1 reveals nothing, and a strong psionic source may notice you probing. Edges and banes: A recent effect, a cooperative subject, or personal psionic training grants an edge (+2). Old traces, a skilled psion covering their work, and examining a hostile mind impose a bane (-2).

Tips and playstyle

Best for: Talents and Nulls, and any party facing time raiders or a campaign about stolen memories. Character concepts: Sage career researcher of the mind, a time raider raised among psions, a Null taught to recognize what they suppress. Synergies: Magic Lore when the effect turns out to be arcane, Read Person for the behavior it produced, Timescape for psionics of otherworldly origin.

Frequently asked questions