Psionic Character Progression

Character Level Disciplines Known Bonus Psionic Talents Special
1st-2nd 1 Discipline 0 Avatar, Accidental Scan, Surface Scan, Specialization Option
3rd-4th 1 Discipline 1 Indomitable Personality
5th-6th 1 Discipline 1 Deep Scan
7th-8th 2 Disciplines 2 Danger Sense
9th-10th 2 Disciplines 2 Psychic Citadel
11th-12th 2 Disciplines 3
13th-14th 3 Disciplines 3 Action Block
15th-16th 3 Disciplines 4
17th-18th 3 Disciplines 4 Reality Fabrication
19th-20th 3 Disciplines 5

Disciplines Known: At level 1, a psionically-talented character has access to a single discipline of psionics.  Disciplines determine what psionic talents the character can learn through class levels and the bonus psionic talents that psions get as they level.  At level 7, a psion gains access to an additional discipline, and at level 13, a psion can access all 3 disciplines.  For more information about talents, and what talents fall under each discipline, see the Psionic Talents section.  The disciplines available are listed below

  • Influence: The Influence discipline focuses on offensive uses of psionics, along with the use of psionics to influence the way that beings think – be it overtly or covertly.
  • Investigation: The Investigation discipline focuses on knowledge, specifically on pulling knowledge out of the collective subconscious.  It also includes psychometry and abilities that are commonly referred to as ‘precognition,’ though in reality these abilities are functions either rapid-response or ‘best guesses.’
  • Networking: The Networking discipline focuses on telepathy and its various uses, including battle meditation and defenses against psionic attacks.

Bonus Psionic Talents: At level 3 and every 4 levels after (7, 11, etc), a psionically-talented character gains an additional talent that must be chosen from the list of Psionic Talents they have access too from their Discipline, or from the list of talents available to all psionically-talented individuals.

Avatar: At level 1, a psionically-talented character chooses what is referred to as an ‘avatar.’  Unlike a Shaman’s mentor spirit or a Theurge’s familiar, an avatar is not a conscious entity, but is merely more of an aspect of the collective unconscious, and therefore it has no statistics.  Each avatar gives a +2 bonus checks made for 4 skills, dependent on the avatar.  Once an avatar is chosen, it cannot be changed.  Available avatars are listed below.  If an Avatar gives a bonus to a skill, and at a later time the character gains the ability to make Psionics checks for that skill, the bonus applies to the Psionics check when making that skill.

  • Athlete – Acrobatics, Climb, Jump, Swim
  • Commander – Initiative, Knowledge [Bureaucracy], Knowledge [Tactics], Persuasion
  • Diplomat – Deception, Knowledge [Bureaucracy], Knowledge [Social Sciences], Persuasion
  • Hunter – Perception, Stealth, Survival, Treat Injury
  • Mystic – Unlike other Avatars, the Mystic avatar provides the following bonuses – +2 to Knowledge [Arcana] and the Mystic feat as a bonus feat (see Magic Feats)
  • Scholar – Any 4 Knowledge skills
  • Scientist – Knowledge [Life Sciences], Knowledge [Physical Sciences], Perception, Persuasion
  • Technician – Knowledge [Physical Sciences], Knowledge [Technology], Mechanics, Use Computer

Accidental Scan: It is for this ability alone that Humans were afraid of psionically-talented people and called for their regulation. Psions learn at an early stage in their development how to keep back the constant noise they hear from other people’s minds, usually by running little rhymes or reciting well-rehearsed chants.
However, accidents can always happen and if a psion should make physical contact with another person, there is always the risk that a stray thought can literally jump into his head. The subject will have no knowledge that this has happened and the psion will know what the subject is currently thinking, as well as actually feeling his present emotional state.
Accidental scans occur at the whim of the GM. Whenever a psion comes into physical contact with a sentient being, the Games Master can choose to make a Psionics check for the psion (DC 16 or the being’s Will defense, whichever is higher).
This is considered an involuntary free action on the part of the psion and may occur even if he is surprised or caught flat-footed. If the subject is feeling extremely strong emotions, such as rage or terror, the Psionics check gains a +4 bonus. Psions who wear gloves apply a -10 penalty to the Psionics check.
If the Psionics check is successful, the psion has garnered some flashes of useful information. Normally this is the equivalent of a successful surface scan that only lasts a few seconds, as an accidental scan will only last as long as the psion maintains physical contact with the subject.
If the Psionics check is failed, then the psion only gets random impressions and images, reading the incoherent babble of unformed thoughts that froth at the surface of the mind. Such information is very unlikely to be of any informative use.
Note that the psion will be visibly distracted and discomforted by an accidental scan, whether it is intentional or not. In order to avoid this reaction, a psion may make a Deception check at the same DC as the accidental scan’s Psionics check.

Surface Scan: This is one of the most well known of all psionic abilities. By lightly scanning the surface thoughts of a subject, the psion will cause no pain or discomfort and yet be able to read whatever the subject is currently thinking and actually feel the emotions they are currently sensitive to. This is commonly used by commercial psions in negotiations to verify whether someone is telling the truth or not, but anything the subject is currently thinking will be noticed. Only surface thoughts may be picked up with a surface scan and a deep scan will be required to discover any information the subject is not currently thinking about.
This requires a standard action, and you must be within direct line of sight of the target.  Make a Psionics check vs the target’s Will Defense.  If the Psionics check fails, then the telepath still picks up surface thoughts but cannot tell truth from lies or pick up on a specific train of thought.

Specialization Option: At level 1, select a specialization for your psionic abilities from the list below.

Indomitable Personality: Being a psion requires you to have a very hardy personality.  Psionically-capable characters of level 3 and above add their Charisma modifier to their Will defense instead of their Wisdom modifier.

Deep Scan: This is one of the most renowned and feared of all psionic abilities. While performing a deep scan, a psion is able to rummage through the entire contents of a subject’s mind, examining all their secrets, lies and ambitions. The successful use of the deep scan ability will effectively allow a psion to ask his subject one question every round which must be answered truthfully, though this is done telepathically.  This requires a full-round action, and requires the psion to make a Psionics check vs the target’s Will Defense.  Unlike Surface Scan, which merely requires direct line of sight to a target, you must be adjacent to the target of a Deep Scan.  Direct skin-on-skin contact with the target of a Deep Scan provides a +5 bonus to the Psionics check made to perform it.
A deep scan is extremely uncomfortable for the subject, both physically and emotionally, as the telepath penetrates roughly into their mind. Any subject trying to resist the deep scan will instead automatically suffer 1d3 points of damage every time a Psionics check is made (whether or not the check is successful).
Even a subject not resisting the deep scan will automatically suffer 1d3 points of nonlethal damage every round they are being scanned.
Any damage caused by a Deep Scan bypasses Damage Reduction.
When performing a Deep Scan, you may instead perform one of the following variations on it. Each of them imposes a penalty on the Psionics check you make to perform a Deep Scan.
Brute Scan (-4 Penalty) – You push deeply with the scan, causing much more damage and pain than necessary. This scan deals 1d6 points of damage instead of 1d3, and it always deals lethal damage even if the target is not resisting. When you make a Brute Scan, you can make a free Persuasion check to intimidate the target.
Extended Range (-6 Penalty per square) – You push the scan outwards, performing it against a target at a longer range than normal, although this is extremely difficult. Each additional square the target is beyond the ones adjacent to you imposes a -6 penalty to your Psionics check.
Gentle Scan (-2 Penalty) – You carefully protects the subject of the scan from any painful memories or aberrant thoughts, reducing the strain of the scan. Any damage inflicted during the scan is divided evenly between the you and the target.
Holistic Scan (-6 Penalty) – Instead of asking specific questions, you simply read the current state of the target’s mind. Each round, you must make a Gather Information check (DC 20); if successful, you learn one useful fact from the subject’s mind, assuming the subject knows any facts relevant to you. For example, you might come across a memory of a face in the crowd; the subject does not know this person but you do. Such a fact is useful to you but would not turn up in the course of normal questioning.

Danger Sense: The most powerful psions are continually tuned into the thought waves of those around them, even if they are not consciously aware of this at all times. Thoughts that revolve around harming the psion filter through particularly quickly, allowing him to react to danger before any trap or ambush is sprung. The psion will not be able to identify the source, nature or direction of the threat, only that he is in immediate danger. Danger sense will not function against completely automated threats such as drones or mechanical traps.
Danger sense is considered to be continually operational so long as the psion is above level 7. If the psion is about to be surprised by a sentient being, he may make a Psionics check (DC 25 or the sentient being’s Will Defense, whichever is higher) to avoid being surprised.  This Psionics check is a free action and occurs in addition to any other skill check that may be required to avoid the ambush (such as a Perception check to hear the sound of a gun being cocked).  This is a psionic effect, and if the sentient being is immune or resistant to psionics, these bonuses apply.  This ability has no effect vs non-sentient or non-biological targets.
As as move action, a Psion may re-focus their danger sense into a more advanced version. This adds additional benefits to Danger Sense, but imposes a penalty to the Psionics check made as part of Danger Sense. These variants remain active until you fall unconscious or deactivate them as a move action. Variants can be used in combination with each other.
Direction (-4 Penalty) – You know the direction and distance to the triggering attacker.
Target (-8 Penalty) – You may immediately make an attack against the triggering attacker. This counts as an attack of opportunity, and you must either already be armed, have the Martial Arts I feat, or have the Quick Draw feat. This is an instinctive action, you do not know where the target is before they shoot, you just react and attack them mere milliseconds after their attack on you begins. Your attack and the triggering attack resolve ‘at the same time’ for a lack of a better description. If your attack imposes a penalty or condition track movement on the triggering attacker, then they suffer the effects of that on their attack roll against you. If you kill or otherwise incapacitate the attacker, then your attack completely negates their attack (they miss).

Psychic Citadel: You gain a bonus to your Will Defense equal to half your character level (round down).  In effect, you add your character level to your Will defense 1.5 times.

Action Block: Few psions, and even fewer non-psions, realize that a psion can program a mind to prevent it from taking specific actions. Even if they did know it they would most likely avoid taking the idea to its logical conclusion; that psions can control the actions of others by forcing them to avoid specific ways of thinking.
Implanting an action block requires at least one minute of uninterrupted concentration, during which time the psion must be touching the target. Each round, the psion must make a Psionics check vs the target’s Will Defense.  Even just one failure of this check results in the block breaking down before it fully integrates with the target’s personality.  At the end of the minute, the psion must make another Psionics check, vs a DC of 25.  Failing this also means that the block breaks down.
An action block may prohibit the target from taking one general type of action or it may prevent him from taking a specific action for a given duration. Typically these blocks take the form of: ‘You may not harm or allow though inaction to come to harm myself’. At most a block can prevent a character from acting against one person or a specific location.

Reality Fabrication: By accessing the conscious mind of a subject, the psion is able to manipulate nerve endings and brain patterns to completely alter a subject’s perceptions. On successful use of this power, which takes a full-round action, and requires a Psionics check which must beat a DC of 30 AND the target’s Will Defense, the psion can take over a subject’s senses, choosing what the subject sees, hears, tastes, smells and feels. While this ability is in effect, the psion can literally create an entirely new reality for his subject. For example, the psion could potentially alter his appearance as far as the subject is concerned, cause the subject to hear suspicious noises that require investigation or cause the subject to have an entire conversation with someone who does not exist.  This reality remains in effect as long as the psion concentrates, requiring a new Psionics check each round (the GM may instead ask for checks for longer increments).
If the reality is meant to cause harm, it can do one of the following:

  • Create a destabilizing reality meant to break one’s will and grasp on normality. The world starts breaking down. This could be a sequence of repeating events that make so sense or a series of events that cannot occur in reality. The subject looses 1d4 Charisma (damage) after an hour in the reality, after which time you must make another Psionics check against their Will defense (but their Will defense is treated as 2 higher). This continues until the target cracks out or is reduced to a comatose stupor, with the target’s Will defense increasing by +2 for each hour in the fabrication.
  • Create a horrific nightmare the subject cannot break out of. The world turns into a Lovecraftian story of insanity and fear. The subject looses 1d4 Wisdom (damage) after an hour in the reality, after which time you must make another Psionics check against their Will defense (but their Will defense is treated as 2 higher). This continues until the target cracks out or withdraws into a deep sleep filled with terrible nightmares, with the target’s Will defense increasing by +2 for each hour in the fabrication.

Epic Space Adventures Abound!