Psykers and the Psychic Rules
This section is closely linked with
Chapter 11: Psychic Powers. Whereas the following section is essentially a list
of all the Psychic Powers available this section details the rules covering how
to use psychic powers and the classes and character types which are allowed to
cast powers.
Before this a few technical notes.
The bulk of Psychic Power rules come from the Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 System
Reference Document. Psychic Powers are not
based on Psionics. The Warhammer 40,000 universe is a mingling of fantasy and
science and Psionics don’t reflect well the mystical/magical nature of psychic
powers in the Dark Millenium. In fact mechanically there was no difference
between the Psychic Powers in Warhammer 40,000 and the Magic Spells in
Warhammer Fantasy Battle until the most recent editions.
Also more people are familiar with
the Dungeons and Dragons Magic rules than the Psionic rules. So for those of
you that are familiar with the D&D magic rules you should be aware that
Warhammer 40,000 Psychic Powers are just magic spells by another name; the
rules have barely changed at all.
That’s not to say they haven’t
changed completely. For those familiar with D&D here’s a brief synopsis of
the changes:
1.) Spells/Psychic Powers have been
added / subtracted or modified. All of these are listed here. If in doubt as to
the effect of a Psychic Power refer to Chapter 11 of this book, not the spell
lists in the D&D game.
2.) The introduction of a Psychic
Check. The Psychic Check occurs each time a psychic power is cast and failure
results in not only a failed psychic power but also potential damage on the
psyker.
3.) The terms Psychic Level and
[type] Psyker Level. These are explained in more detail later on. Psychic Level
is equivalent to Caster Level and Effective Psychic Level equivalent to
Effective Caster Level but [type] Psyker Level references are reserved
exclusively for explanations of what sort of psyker you are and how powerful a
psyker of that kind you are. Eg: Innate Psyker Level 4 means you’re as good a
psychic powercaster as a 4th level sorcerer – regardless of what classes you
took to grant you said Innate Psyker Level (could be all Charismatic or
Charismatic / Witch or even something else).
If you’re not familiar with the
D&D Magic rules you can happily ignore all of the stuff above. Hopefully
this section will give you everything you need to know to properly play a
Warhammer 40,000 psychic.
KINDS OF PSYKERS & PSYCHIC RULES
There are three kinds of psykers.
Arcane Psykers are
formally trained psykers who have studied or are studying in the Scholastica
Psykana – an Imperial organization for the location and training of psykers for
military and other purposes. These psykers are often called Alpha Psykers by
the Imperium. They often serve in a military role for the Imperial Guard
providing the Guard with the equivalent devastation of a tank in a very small
and tidy package.
Mystic Psykers are
church-trained or independantly master-pupil trained psykers who have learned
to draw upon there internal store of warp energy without agitation by focusing
on a mystic force such as a Greater Power. In the case of the Imperium this
means most Mystic Psykers are devoutly religious and good servents of the
Emperor. It is from among these that the Imperium selects Astropaths.
Navigators are also a bit mystically psychic due to their warp eye.
Innate Psykers are
those who have trained themselves (hence innate). Sometimes these are called
Wyrds. Other times Witches or Warlocks. Most people fear innate psykers and the
Inquisition considers them a very dangerous threat. Innate psykers are
generally those most likely to be seduced by chaos because they haven’t been
formally trained to fight the fell powers. Innate psykers can become incredibly
– easily as powerful – if not more so – than any formally trained psyker.
This is the section to read once
you know which psyker you’re dealing with and how they work. These rules apply
universally to all psykers.
This section includes rules that
balance out the power of Psykers. in the game of d20 Warhammer 40,000.
PSYCHIC POWER LISTS
The following section contains all
the psychic powers available in the d20 Warhammer 40,000 game.
This section presents the format
with which psychic powers are listed and the way to read them. Also explains
what certain symbols mean (V represents Verbal components, MF a Mystic Focus
one and so forth) and what conventions are used. Also explains to those
familiar with D&D some of the general changes made across the board to
psychic powers.
These psychic powers are used by
Magi, Alpha Psykers, Primaris Psykers, Space Marine Librarians, Wyrds, Warlocks
and Witches. Most psykers use these two kinds of powers.
Mystic powers represent a more
complex, deeper sort of psychic power. These are used by Seers, Astropaths,
powerful Navigators and Clerics of the Ecclesiarchy who have a psychic mind.
XENO-POWERS
Certain races have access to
special psychic powers both of the Arcane/Innate type and of the Mystic type.
This section outlines some famous xeno-powers.
CHAOS POWERS
These psychic powers are
specifically designed for Chaos Sorcerers. They come in three categores
(Nurgle, Slaanesh and Tzeentch) because the blood god does not have any
psykers.