Psionics in Savage Dark Sun

Ok, here we are, psionics. Only thing left after this is the bestiary, which I might post tomorrow, and might post on Sunday, depending on my mood.

 

Psychic powers are very common on Athas; the Way, as it is known, is ancient, respected, and studied, in one form or another, among every species capable of study. Many creatures have and use psychic powers in their daily lives to hunt prey or escape predators, and many humanoids will develop a Wild Talent, even without formal study of the Way.

Psychic powers in Savage Dark Sun use the "No Power Points" rule from SWADE, p. 140. Accomplished psychics may be able to do many things, but they find it easiest when they take a moment to consider their actions. The psionics arcane background is slightly altered from SWADE, however, into The Way. Followers of The Way are often called Psionicists.

 

Arcane Background: The Way
Requirement: Smarts d6+, Spirit d6+, and Vigor d6+
Arcane Skill: Psionics (Special)
Starting Powers: 4 +1 (Special)
Psionics is a special skill, whose linked attribute is the lowest of a character's Smarts, Spirit, or Vigor. In addition to the four starting powers, a student of the Way will have a Wild Talent, which obeys the restrictions on Wild Talents (below). Unlike other Arcane Backgrounds, The Way can be learned after character creation; however, when learned that way, the character must have at least d4 in Psionics, and gains no skill increase from their study, only the additional powers.

Edge: Silent Caster (FC 37); psionics, including wild talents, do not require words or gestures to enact.

Available Powers: arcane protection, banish, barrier, beast friend, blast, blind, bolt, boost/lower trait, burrow, burst, confusion, conjure item, damage field, darksight, deflection, detect arcana, disguise, dispel, divination, elemental manipulation, empathy, entangle, environmental protection, farsight, fear, fly, growth/shrink, havoc, healing, illusion, intangibility, invisibility, light/darkness, locate, lock/unlock, mind link, mind reading, mind wipe, object reading, planar binding, protection, puppet, relief, sanctuary, scrying, shape change, sloth/speed, slumber, smite, sound/silence, speak language, stun, summon ally, telekinesis, teleport, time stop, wall walker, warrior's gift

Psionic powers learned are specific; they may not alter trappings, add power modifiers, nor add or remove limitations, except for experienced psionicists, and then with only a narrow set of powers. Note that these modifiers may be applied when the power is learned; if you wish to know a Bolt power with the telekinetic trapping that does 3d6/4d6 damage, and has an AP of 6, counts as a heavy weapon, and inflicts fatigue as well as damage, you may... but you must always use the power at that level, never reducing the damage, removing the AP, or eliminating the fatigue damage.

Wild Talents
Many people upon Athas have what is called a "Wild Talent"; some psychic ability they have developed without (much) formal training. All characters may choose to take and improve the Psionics skill, which is linked to the lowest of their Smarts, Spirit, and Vigor. If they do not have the Arcane Background, they will have only a single novice power, precisely defined as to its trappings, modifiers, and limitations. They also have an extra -1 applied to their Psionics roll, in addition to whatever is dictated by the strength of their power; a psychic bolt power will penalize a psionicist by 1 point (1 power point, divided by two, round up); the same power from a wild talent will be penalized by two points.

Psionic Combat
The Way is not only used to activate powers; it can also be used to directly engage another in mental combat. In the shared mindscape between two psychics, mighty Dragons batter against implacable Towers, then turn into subtle Shadows to try to infiltrate the mind that has suddenly become a series of twisting Canyons to confuse and mislead. To those who have learned the Psionics skill, psychic combat is second nature, as is psychic defense. Those without the Psionics skill are ephemeral in the mindscape; they cannot be engaged in psionic combat. Psionic combat has a range in inches of the greater psionics score of the person who initiated combat; someone with a Psionics score of d4 must be within 4" to initiate combat, but can attack and defend if someone with a psionics score of d12 engages them at 12". Happening at the speed of thought, psionic combat happens before the round commences in the physical world.
Upon entering psionic combat, each character is dealt a hand with a number of cards equal to half their Psionics skill; a d4 in psionics grants you two cards, a d12 grants you six. The character divides these into two decks, one for defense, and one for offense; the attack deck may contain zero cards, but the defense deck must always include at least 1. The attacker chooses a card, and the defender chooses one card, then the two are revealed, and the suits compared; a Spade beats a Heart, a Heart beats a Diamond, a Diamond beats a Club, and a Club beats a Spade. If one card is a trump suit of the other, then that card winds. If the two cards are not trump suits (two of the same suit, or a Spade and a Diamond, or a Heart and a Club) then the numbers are compared, and the higher number wins... but while a Two beats an Ace, an Ace beats a King. A Joker defeats all other cards, and removes a tangent when played in defense, and adds two tangents when played as an attack. Once played, a card is discarded from the deck; a Joker causes the deck to reset, except for cards in character's decks that they wish to keep. At the start of a new round, a character may choose to discard a card or keep all of their current cards, and then draws up to their maximum (if they kept two cards and have a maximum of four, they will draw two cards, not four).
The first card played in defense does not require an action; playing more than one card in defense, or the first card in attack, is an action. Playing more than one card in attack or defense is an action for each additional card played. Characters may also choose to spend a benny to play another card, but that must be announced with their other actions; they cannot see the cards played against them THEN spend a benny.
Any card played in defense is compared to all attacking cards that round; all the cards played in defense must be defeated by at least one card played by an attacker. If all the cards are defeated, then the defender takes a tangent. If one (or more) cards are undefeated, they do not. Once a defender has three tangents, they are Vulnerable for five rounds. At a fourth, and subsequent, tangents, the target becomes Shaken, and they remain Vulnerable for five more rounds (not cumulative; if the fourth tangent is gained on round 4, and a fifth on round 6, the target will be vulnerable until round 11). Psychic combat CAN cause wounds as muscles seize and portions of the brain are seared.

Psychic Combat Example:
Deestan has a Psionics score of d6, and is facing Caron the Sure, with a Psionics score for d8. Deestan is dealt 3 cards, Caron is dealt 4. Caron initiated at a range of 8.
Deestan receives KS, KD, and 3C. He chooses to allocate 1 to Offense (3C) and 2 to Defense, and will make one psionic attack. He plans to move into position to hit Caron with his singing sticks.
Caron receives JD, 4H, 6C... and a Joker. She will allocate 3 to defense and 1 (the Joker) to attack.
Caron chooses her Joker, while Deestan mounts a strong defense with his KS... not strong enough in the face of a Joker. Deestan receives 2 tangents, and curses the loss of a good card. Deestan responds with his 3C in attack, hoping she plays a spade. She responds with a 4H; Hearts don't trump Clubs, or vice versa, so they compare the numbers. Deestan fails in his attack.
Next round, Deestan draws two cards, and so his hand becomes KH, KD, and QH. Very strong, but he allocates all of them to defense, and declares that he'll try to put up two defense cards. He's also going to hit her with an ACTUAL club, which should work better than the 3C he played last round. He rolls a 1 for Psionics (3-2), and so can only put up a single defense card.
Caron draws 2 cards, so her hand is JD, 6C, 5C, and 7H. Assuming Deestan is putting nothing in attack, she allocates only her 5C to defense, and declares that she is making two attacks... but she ALSO rolls a 1 on her Psionics, and so will be making only one.
Caron goes first, and chooses her JD. Deestan plays his QH, which handily beats her card. Eschewing a psionic attack, he instead hits her with a club, rolling Fighting at -2, since he tried to play a second psionic defense. Caron might want to consider physical fighting, some other powers, or hiring someone to keep people from hitting her.

Psionics Edges

Clairsentient (Discipline Edge)
Requirement: Seasoned, Psionics d6+, Arcane Background (The Way), no other Discipline Edge
Clairsentients are psionicists who focus on using their powers for discovery and information. A Clairsentient may freely change the trappings, modifiers, and limitations on the following powers, provided they retain a clairsentient trapping (for example, Deflection due to precognition). If they already have multiple instances of the same power (for example, Empathy, with and without the Truth modifier), they may choose another power of this discipline for each such case.
Available Powers: arcane protection, darksight, divination, detect/conceal arcana, deflection, divination, empathy, farsight, locate, mind reading, object reading, scrying, speak language

Metapsionics
Requirement: Veteran, Psionics d10+, Arcane Background (The Way), a Discipline Edge
Highly experience psionicists can transcend the limitations of their discipline. For an additional 1 point penalty to their Psionics roll, a Metapsionicist may change the trappings, modifiers, and limitations of ANY power they know, in any way they wish. Powers affected by their Discipline edge do not require this penalty, unless attempting to change them outside the parameters of the discipline (a psychokineticist can freely alter their Bolt power, but if trying to throw a fire bolt, that would require the 1 point penalty). The 1 point penalty from this edge removes the need for the power modifier "Change Trapping" (FC, 98)

Psychic Focus
Requirements: Smarts, Spirit, or Vigor d8+, Psionics d6+
A character with Psychic Focus has honed their psychic powers in specific ways. From now on, their Psionics skill is linked to one attribute -- Smarts, Spirit, or Vigor -- chosen when this Edge is selected. Additionally, when they prepare powers (per No Power Points), they ignore an additional point of penalties.

Psychokineticist (Discipline Edge)
Requirement: Seasoned, Psionics d6+, Arcane Background (The Way), no other Discipline Edge
Psychokineticists are psionicists who specialize in manipulating matter with their powers; moving, destroying, and creating matter are all within their study. A psychokineticist may freely change the trappings, modifiers, and limitations on the following powers, provided they do retain a psychokinetic trapping (for example, their bolt may be throwing rocks or telekinetic force, but will not be creating firebolt, which is Psychoportive). If they have multiple instances of the same power, they may choose another power of this discipline for each such case.
Available Powers: barrier, blast, bolt, burrow, burst, conjure item, damage field, deflection, elemental manipulation, entangle, fly, havoc, intangibility, light/darkness, lock/unlock, protection, puppet, sloth/speed, smite, sound/silence, stun, telekinesis, wall walker

Psychometabolist (Discipline Edge)
Requirement: Seasoned, Psionics d6+, Arcane Background (The Way), no other Discipline Edge
Psychometabolists are psionicists who specialize in altering living bodies, usually their own. A psychometabolist may freely change the trappings, modifiers, and limitations on the following powers, provided they do retain a psychometabolic trapping (for example, protecting themselves by turning their skin into armor, but not creating a shield of force, which would be psychokinetic).
Available Powers: blind, boost/lower trait, burrow, damage field, darksight, disguise, environmental protection, farsight, fly, growth/shrink, healing, intangibility, invisibility, protection, puppet, relief, shape change, sloth/speed, slumber, smite, stun, wall walker, warrior's gift

Psychoporter (Discipline Edge)
Requirement: Seasoned, Psionics d6+, Arcane Background (The Way), no other Discipline Edge
Psychoporters are psionicists who specialize in manipulating time and space. A psychoporter may freely change the trappings, modifiers, and limitations on the following powers, provided they do retain a psychoportive trapping (for example, conjure item by bringing it from another place, not creating it from thin air, as the other would be psychokinetic).
Available Powers: banish, blast, bolt, burst, conjure item, deflection, intangibility, planar binding, plane shift, sloth/speed, summon ally, teleport, time stop

Telepath (Discipline Edge)
Requirement: Seasoned, Psionics d6+, Arcane Background (The Way), no other Discipline Edge
Telepaths are psionicists who specialize in manipulating the minds of others. A telepath may freely change the trappings, modifiers, and limitations on the following powers, provided they do retain a telepathic trapping (disguise to change others perceptions of them, instead of physically changing their body, as that would be psychometabolic).
Available Powers: arcane protection, beast friend, blast, blind, bolt, boost/lower trait, burst, confusion, disguise, empathy, fear, illusion, invisibility, mind link, mind reading, mind wipe, puppet, relief, slumber, speak language, stun

Altered Edges
Artificer and Master Artificer (FC 36): Psionicists may not make temporary arcane devices, but can use the Artificer edge to imbue (aka enchant) psychic items. They do not require an artificers kit or workshop to craft psionic items, nor must they pay a cost per week to imbue items. However, each week provides only 300cp worth of progress in the creation, rather than 1000cp, with raises creating 600cp. The Master Artificer Edge will allow multiple raises to contribute to imbuing an item, with each beyond the first adding an additional 300cp of progress. Critical failures still cost the creator 500cp worth of progress, however.

Channeling, Concentration (SWADE 46), Power Points, Power Surge, Rapid Recharge (SWADE 47): These are not available to psychics.

Familiar (FC 36): Psionicists may not acquire familiars.

Mentalist (SWADE 46): In addition to the benefits of the Edge in SWADE, Mentalists who engage in Psionic Combat receive 1 additional card per round, that may be added to either their attack or defense decks. They also may apply their +2 bonus to opposed Psionics checks to mitigate multi-action penalties for multiple psionic attacks or defenses.

New Powers (SWADE 47): Those with the Arcane Background for The Way gain two powers of their rank or lower when taking this ability. Those with Wild Talents may choose this background, but receive only one Novice power, subject to the usual restrictions of Wild Talents.

Silent Caster (FC 37): All psychic powers, including wild talents, benefit from this edge automatically.

Soul Drain (SWADE 47): While psychic powers normally do not use power points, psionicists may choose the Soul Drain Edge. Instead of providing 5 power points, however, it allows them to ignore up to 3 points of penalties to using their powers, before the fatigue sets in. This is compatible with Preparing Powers, and with the bonus from the Psychic Focus edge (potentially allowing the psychic to ignore 6 points of penalties to their powers).

Transfer (FC 38): Not applicable to psychic powers.

New Item
Receptacle: Psionic Artificers may create an item known as a Receptacle, similar to a Power Stone. Each Receptacle can be used to mitigate 5 points of penalties to psionic power activation. These points of mitigation do not return to the receptacle, unless the psionicist again imbues the item.