Not wanting to break my streak of posting at least one thing every month, here are some psychic powers I worked out over the last year, in response to some questions. First, "How can a psionicist hurt someone only vulnerable to magic weapons", which resulted in four devotions. Then there's "How can a psionicist bring someone back to life?", which gave us two Sciences. Then there's "How can I set shit on fire?", which I asked, and then answered.
As is traditional, they're organized by Discipline, then by Science or Devotion, then by name.
Sense Weakness (Clairsentient Devotion)
Power Score: Wisdom -5
Initial Cost: 5
Maintenance: 4/Round
Preparation Time: 1
Range: 30 feet
Area of Effect:
Prerequisites: Aura Sight
A very specialized use of Aura Sight, Sense Weakness allows the psychic to see the spots in a target's aura where they are weakest, allowing the psychic to strike creatures otherwise only damaged by magical weapons. While the power can be maintained, each strike must be accompanied by a successful Power Check; otherwise, the psychic has struck awry, and missed the vulnerable place.
The level (or HD) of the character being analyzed affects the psionicist's powercheck. The higher the subject's experience level, the tougher it is to find the weaknesses. This translates into a -1 penalty for every three levels (or hit dice) of the subject, rounded down. For example, a psionicist reading the aura of an 8th level character would suffer a -2 penalty.
Power Score: The next two power checks to attack the current target are automatically successful.
20: The aura blinds the psychic for 1d4 rounds.
Molecular Ignition (Psychokinetic Science)
Power Score: Wis-4
Initial Cost: 15
Maintenance Cost: 6/round
Range: 40 yards
Preparation Time: 0
Area of Effect: 1 item or creature
Prerequisites: molecular agitation
Molecular Ignition instantly ignites a small point on a creature or object (only an inch or so in diameter), then continues to feed psychic energy into the resulting fire, which will grow to consume the creature or object in short order.
When targeting a creature, Molecular Ignition causes 1d6 damage in the first round, and the affected character may make a saving throw v. polymorph. If the target fails a saving throw, they take 1d6 damage, +1d6 damage per saving throw they have failed. If the save succeeds, the next round will be identical to the previous round. Each round, they are entitled to make another saving throw v. polymorph, which will halt the further increase of the damage, until they fail another saving throw.
For example, if a troll is targeted by Molecular Ignition, the first round, it would take 1d6 damage. If it failed the saving throw, it would take 2d6 damage the 2nd round. If it succeeded at the second saving throw, it would take 2d6 damage in the third round, then 2d6 in the fourth if it made the third saving throw.
If a target is doused with 1 gallon of water, then damage will revert to 1d6, which can increase from there if the psionic maintains the power. If the target is immersed in water, damage will become 1d3 per round, and the target will receive a +3 to save v. polymorph. Creatures who are immune to fire take no damage from this power.
When targeting inanimate objects, the object must make a saving throw v. magical fire each round. Each round the power is maintained, allow another saving throw, with a penalty equal to the number of rounds the power has been maintained. When a saving throw is failed, the item is broken or destroyed. Very large objects might not be entirely consumed, at the DM's discretion; you cannot destroy an entire castle because it failed a single saving throw.
Power Score - Each failed saving throw adds +1d6+1 to damage, rather than only +1d6. When targeted against items, the saving throw gains a -1.5 (rounded down) penalty each round; -1 on the 2nd round, -3 on the third, etc.
20 - Roll 1d6; on a 1-2, the psionicist becomes the target of this power. On a 3-6, it instead targets an object in their possession. They are obviously under no obligation to maintain this power after the first round.
Kinetic Arrow (Psychokinetic Devotion)
Power Score: Con -2
Initial Cost: 5
Maintenance: N/A
Range: Touch
Area of Effect: 1 object
Prerequisites: Telekinesis
Kinetic Arrow allows a single projectile to be fired, launched, or thrown, and be considered a magical weapon for the purposes of what it can hit; the weapon does not need to be an arrow, but must be used as a missile (a thrown dagger, but not one held in the hand). Use of this power does not require an action, but it does reduce the ROF of a weapon by 1, to a minimum of 1 (or the ROF of the weapon, if worse; it won't make your heavy crossbow faster!). The projectile is considered a +2 weapon, but only within short range for the weapon.
Power Score: The projectile gains a damage bonus of +2, as well.
20: The arrow must make a saving throw v. crushing blow at -2 or disintegrate.
Kinetic Weapon (Psychokinetic Devotion)
Power Score: Con -4
Initial Cost: 8
Maintenance: 3/round
Range: Touch
Area of Effect: 1 object
Prerequisites: Telekinesis
Kinetic Weapon allows the psychic to sheath a weapon in psychokinetic energy, allowing it to harm creatures normally vulnerable only to magical weapons. This energy conveys no bonus to hit, only the ability to damage creatures otherwise invulnerable to non-magical weapons, and a slight bonus to damage.
The magnitude of this power is determined by the successful power check result. If the result is 1-7, then the weapon is considered +1, with a +1 to damage; if 8-13, +2, with a +1 to damage; and if 14-18, +3, with +2 to damage. A successful power check of 19 results in the weapon being able to affect those requiring a +4 or higher to hit, with a +2 to damage.
If the psionicist is using a weapon that they have personally refined through Molecular Rearrangement, then the damage bonus is increased by +2.
Power Score: The effective magical bonus, and the bonus to damage, increases by one category; a Power Score of 8 would result in a weapon able to hit creatures requiring a +3, and do 2 additional points of damage, instead of +2 and only +1.
20: The vibrations fling the weapon 10 feet away in a random direction, unless the psychic makes a saving throw v. paralyzation with a -4.
Revivify (Psychometabolic Science)
Power Score: Constitution -5
Initial Cost: 40
Maintenance: NA
Preparation Time: 10
Range: Touch
Area of Effect: One target
Prerequisites: Cell Adjustment, Lend Health
With Revivify, a psionicist can return life to someone from whom it has recently fled; dead for no more than an hour, and reasonably physically intact. The psionicist must remain in physical contact with the corpse for the entire preparation time, though it can be combined with other physical actions related to the body (such as bandaging obvious wounds or setting broken limbs).
At the end of the meditation time, the psionicist makes a power check, and takes damage equal to the revived character's level. If the power check succeeds, the subject makes a Resurrection Survival check. If they succeed, they return to life, stable but with 1 HP. The psionicist, however, is exhausted, and takes a -2 on all power score checks for the next hour.
Power Score: The exhaustion is considerably lessened; -1 on all power scores for three turns
20 - The damage to the psychic is doubled, and the person is still dead.
Biomomentum (Psychometabolic Devotion)
Power Score: Con
Initial Cost: 10
Maintenance: 5/round
Area of Effect: Personal
Preparation TIme: 1
Prerequisites: 4th level
Biomomentum allows a psychic to strike creatures requiring magical weapons as if they were powerful creatures using natural weapons, using their level as equivalent to their HD, as table 48 in the DMG (4+1 or more is +1, 6+2 is +2, 8+3 is +3, and 10+4 or more is +4).
Power Score: Two rounds of Maintenance are free.
20: No effect
Planar Revivification (Psychoportive Science)
Power Score: Int -6
Initial Cost: 65/110
Maintenance: 10/round
Preparation Time: 1 hour
Range: Touch
Area of Effect: One target
Prerequisites: Create Object, Summon Planar Creature, Summon Planar Energies (WatW, 78)
A psychoporter can, with careful preparation, call a departed soul back into its body, repairing it at the same time. If the target has been dead for less than (Power Score) days, the power requires only 65 PSPs; if they have been gone longer than (Power Score) days (up to Power Score in years), then the power requires 110. Simple failure (not a 20) on the first power check merely costs time and half the necessary PSPs.
Some part of the body must remain; Planar Revivification cannot create one ex nihilo. The process of Planar Revivification through psychoportation is not a simple one; the power must be maintained, with the percentage of the remaining body (flesh, blood, and bone) that remains indicating the time it must be maintained. Having any piece of the body counts as 1%; larger portions will begin from higher numbers. Each round, the amount of remaining body is doubled, such that having half a body will require only one round of maintenance, while having only a scrap (1% or less) will require seven rounds (2%, 4%, 8%, 16%, 32%, 64%, 100%.)
Interruption during this time will spoil the revivification entirely. At the end of the required maintenance period, the target is able to make a resurrection survival roll. If they succeed, they are returned to life. If they fail, they remain dead, and the freshly created body collapses, leaving only the original fragment. Using the power also takes a great toll on the psionicist; they must make a second power check, permanently losing one point of Constitution for every point by which it fails.
Power Score: The revived individual receives a +20% on their Resurrection Survival test; the psionicist receives a +4 on their second power check.
20 - Though the power fails, the psionicist must still make a second power check to avoid permanently losing Constitution.
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