Psychic Disciplines
Psychic Disciplines are bought as individual skills; Greater Psychics
treat them as Mind skills, Lesser Psychics as Soul skills.
Other restrictions are noted under the description of the Lesser
Psychic and Greater Psychic skills, above. Note that Psi Points have
been eliminated.
Bio-PK:
As your skill crosses certain thresholds you gain access to a new use
of the power. Lesser psychics may only use the higher levels (51% and
up) upon themselves; greater psychics may use all levels on others.
1-40: Trance. May place target in trance with two consecutive rounds of
concentration; two successful rolls are required. During trance subject
may be hypnotised by skilled hypnotist as if willing. Psychic may set
trance to last a certain length of time or end it at any time they see
fit. Subjects entranced by greater psychics may never realise they were
entranced.
41- 50: Slow Metabolism. Once subject is in trance, heart rate and
breathing may be slowed to almost nil. Subject appears to be dead to
casual observation; however, food and lung capacity function for ten
times as long. Useful in survival situations.
51- 70: Bioenergetics Allows subject to regain up to 2D10 wounds.
May be used successfully only once until subject is wounded again.
71 – 90: Induce Adrenaline Surge. Adds 20 to subject's Initiative score
for the sequence.
91-00: Induce Cardiac Arrest. Target takes Body check; on any result
other than matched success or crit, target dies.
Clairvoyance:
This skill has four basic uses. First, it may be used to remotely view
a location identified by either a map reference or as the surroundings
of an individual the psychic knows and can 'zero in' on. There are a
number of stages in this; consult Shadows of the Mind, p.50, for more
details.On a successful roll, lesser psychics may ask three yes or no
questions about the location they are sensing. Greater psychics may ask
one yes or no question without a roll, or six with a successful roll.
Alternatively, a successful roll allows either type to perceive any
usually hidden supernatural manifestation or spirit.
Perhaps as a variant of this, the characters can 'dowse' to detect
hidden pockets of life – humans trapped beneath rubble, etc – or
physical items, e.g. water, land mines, etc.
Finally, the skill can also be used to 'channel' some manner of spirit
with whom the character or others present can interact. The spirit may
not, of course, be wholly truthful.
Empathy:
On a successful roll, lesser psychics can ask two yes or no questions
about the target's emotional state. Greater psychics may ask three.
Only one successful roll can be used per target per sequence.
The characters may also engage in 'psi-warfare'; by generating malign
or pained thoughts and planting them in the mind of another. Lesser
psychics do minor blast damage, greater psychics do significant damage.
Precognition:
On a successful roll, lesser psychics can use Second Sight once per
scene in addition to the normal allowance of one per week. This use
does not require a Zener test; the normal one, however, does. Greater
psychics can do the above without a test, or can ask six questions of
their Second Sight target with a successful roll. The psychics can
also, once per day, take a Zener test; if successful, they may ask
three yes or no questions about the future of a particular person.
Greater psychics take a R3 test for this; lesser psychics only R2.
Psychokinesis:
As your skill crosses certain thresholds you gain access to a new
degree of power.
1-25: Jinx: With a successful
roll, the character may prevent an
electronic device from working. Lesser psychics may only influence
non-shielded items; greater psychics may influence shielded items. All
alien technology is considered shielded.
26-40: Levitation: With a
successful roll, the character may lift an
item into the air. In subsequent rounds, they may move it and maintain
the lift with successful rolls. Lesser psychics may only lift items to
the size of a man. Greater psychics may lift items to the size of a car.
41-65: Micro-PK: As with Jinx,
but influencing items that are not
wholly electronic (aircraft, etc). Certain manually-operated items may
still be used, though not at full efficiency, while Micro-PK is pitted
against them. The GM has final say.
66- 80: Apportation: Items the
size of a cigarette packet or smaller
may be teleported from anywhere they are clearly visible to the
psychic's hands. Lesser and greater psychics use this alike.
81-90: Thermokinesis: The
psychic may ignite objects in sight by force
of will. Lesser psychics may ignite only flammable items, greater
psychics may ignite or superheat any substance. Used against humans
this does significant blast damage.
91-00: Teleportation: This is
only open to greater psychics who have
also a 91%+ mastery of Clairvoyance.
Retrocognition:
On a successful roll, lesser psychics may make use of the Basic ESP
faculty Ken as if they had just passed a Zener test. Greater psychics
may do so without a roll, or receive a vision about the subject's past
if they choose to roll.
Telepathy:
With a successful roll, lesser and greater psychics alike may project
images into the subject's mind. Describe the image using four words –
nouns and adjectives. They may also read images from a visible
subject's mind; the GM will supply a description of the same type you
can transmit. Most useful if subject is thinking about a relevant
subject; leading questions can be useful.
They may also send a message of eight words or ask three 'yes or no'
questions about the subject's thoughts.
Two successful tests allow the character to intercept any telepathic
message he is aware of.
Greater psychics also have the Influence power available to them, with
different levels according to their skill:
1-65: Remote Influence: (NOTE: This can be combined with clairvoyance).
If you can perceive the target, you may make a test to establish a
mental link with the target, and the following round you may make a
subsequent test to implant a post-hypnotic suggestion. The target makes
a Mind check; if successful, they realise their mind has been intruded
upon. They may resist the command, but must in any case make rank-5
Self and Helplessness checks.
66+: Domination: Only available against your own species. Make three
successful Telepathy checks over three rounds; if all are successful,
the sentence you implant takes firmly. The target has no way of
resisting, though confrontations at a later date may help them realise
what has happened. Hypnotic therapy can remove the suggestion.
Alternatively, you may make a single Telepathy check to place them in
an illusion; a successful check is required for each round you sustain
it. They will break the illusion for themselves only if they confront
something that obviously contradicts it.
The GM may modify the difficulty of these checks according to the
specific command.
Note that even Lesser Telepathy can be used in combination with Bio-PK
and the hypnotism skill to perform Telehypnotism; in UA-ConX, you must
succeed in all three skill rolls, one round at a time. The telepathy
roll is simply to establish a link and conveys no other benefit.