psionics for Lindwyrm

[taichara]

Psionics! Some people hate psionics in fantasy rpgs -- and D&Dish stuff in particular -- and claim there’s no psionics in fantasy; and those folks can, putting it politely, go fuck themselves. Possibly with the entire Deryni series with a Valdemar series chaser, just to start.

I digress, though.

This here is a (slightly wordy because not trimmed down to fit tiny pages, ha) set of psionic powers + a class to go with them for Lindwyrm. There’s also two additions/tweaks to existing stuff, and a tiny faq because I do those on some class posts I guess, it’s not the first time.

Onward --



Psychic (Psionicist, etc)
d6 HD. Armour: light. Weapon: 1d6
- Awareness: mindspeech to 100’, 2-in-6 chance to sense psychic energy/effects/active minds
- The Gift: Choose two paths; choose a starting power from them. Gain 1 power/lvl, and 1 path/3 lvls. A psychic can use powers lvl/day freely, then 1 hp/usage.


Basic Psionic Rules

Psychics and other psi-using characters don’t carry spellbook equivalents; they know their powers innately.

It is possible to create a record of a power (an “imprint” or “pattern”), like a spell scroll, and they are used similarly. A psychic can learn a power from an imprint if it belongs to one of their paths; if it doesn’t, they can still use the imprint itself.

* Using a power: A psychic can use 1 power/level freely per day. More usages cost 1 hp each. Healing magic or psionics doesn’t restore psychic energy, only rest does.
-> a psychic can also spend extra hp to boost a power’s level, 2 hp : 1 lvl

* Psionic and magic interaction: Everyone always makes this complicated. It doesn’t have to be bloody complicated.
- a spell or power can only affect the opposite “category” if it says so explicitly (a magical ward against magic won’t stop psionics)
- a general effect can be affected by both psionics and magic because the effect is the significant part. Fire damage is fire damage, whatever the source and whatever the source of fire resistance.


Sample Paths

These cover a fairly typical slice of what’s “expected” of psionics, or at least a starting point. The standard slate if you would. It’s possible to add powers to paths, but I wouldn’t expand them to more than maybe six, just to keep a lid on things; adding more paths is more the speed we’re looking for here.


the Mind
* Suggestion: Plant a command into another’s mind; it may have a timer or trigger, and cannot be self-destructive.
* Mindsift: Search another’s mind for a specific memory, or place a false one.
* Decision Paralysis: Mental static causes paralysis in 1d3+1 targets. 1d6 actions.

Distance
* Flickering: Make a series of short dimension hops within 10’, 1/lvl max. 20 min. for total hops.
* Between: Return to a familiar place within 20 mil./lvl, bringing up to 6 along.
* Voidswing: Send a target elsewhere for 10 min./lvl. There is nothing elsewhere.

the Touch
* Unseen Hands: Manipulate objects up to 20’/lvl away. 1 hr/lvl.
* Forcebolt: Lance of projected psionic force deals 1d6/lvl to 100’.
* Soaring: Lift self+gear or 50 lbs/lvl into the air (up to 40’), move at normal speed. 10 min./lvl

Light
* Levinlymph: Generate electrical bolt or charge. 1d4/lvl damage and paralysis, 1d6+1 actions. 20’ if ranged.
* Luminesence: Create light (as candle); glowing eyes, skin patterns, hair, etc. 4 hrs.
* Absorption: Convert elemental or energy injury to healing (2:1) or a meal (one attack). 4 actions; 4 hp/lvl daily.

Rejuvenation
* Mending: Accelerate healing in self or others, restoring 1d6 hp + 1/lvl.
* Sacrificial Feast: Create rations from own life, 1 ration : 2 hp. Decide form of ration.
* Equilibrium: Purge a toxin or disease from subject.

Awareness
* Ruined History: Learn three facts about an object or discrete structure touched.
* Farsense: Cast a sense (usually sight) up to 10 mil./lvl in any direction. 10 min.
* Unwinding Spool: Reveal the direction and approximate distance of a known object or individual.

Communication
* Farspeech: Communicate with a subject up to 10 mil./lvl away. 1 hr.
* Beastspeech: Communicate with animals as with sapient beings, including with mindspeech.
* Empathy: Sense emotional states within 30’ rad. though not their causes. 10 min.

the Spirit
* Aura Reading: Sense the true nature of a subject (natural or otherworldly, alive/dead, etc), their motivations, or whether they lie.
* Mirror Ripples: See spirits, intangible or invisible entities, and planar connections; communicate with same. 1 hr.
* Unraveling: Destroy psionic or magical effect if lvl < or = own lvl; heal 1d4 hp if successful.

Forces
* Augment: Infuse weapon with psychic energy, allowing injury of non-mundane creatures. 4 actions.
* Frostfire: Target becomes icy and frost-rimed or burning, taking 1d6/lvl appropriate damage.
* Bulwark: Sheath of energy clings to the skin; +2 Armour Class (+1 / 3 lvls). 1 hr.

Shapes
* Body Weaponry: Treat unarmed attacks as armed. (claws, spurs, fangs …) 2 actions + 1/lvl.
* Beastform: Take shape of animal no smaller than a crow and no more than twice your size. 2 hrs.
* Thousand Faces: Change hair, eyes, complexion, build; any detail not requiring extra limbs. 4 hrs.

Craft
* Sculpt: Psychically soften 1 cubic foot/lvl of unliving matter, allowing it to be shaped like clay. 1 hr.
* Be Prepared: Shape toolkit or other object capable of being carried out of psychic essence. 1 hr/lvl.
* Infusion: Animate an object no bigger than twice one’s size. 1 hr/lvl; 1d4 (+1/lvl) actions in combat.

Prescience
* Thread-Pulling: Receive an answer or vision about a possible future for oneself or others.
* Battle Forecast: Sense opponent’s actions before they’re made; +2 init. and cannot be surprised. 1 hr.
* Wind Of Fate: When making a test or Save of any kind, roll twice; take the favourable result. 4 hrs (to use).


Of course, psionics can do more esoteric stuff if it suits a campaign setting; as long as it comes from and draws from an individual’s own mind, will and self as the setting lays out, it’s fair game. (yes this means a low-powered but in-spirit Saint Seiya riff is totally in sync with these rules.)

For example, suppose a setting has a concept of individuals’ experiences and even echoes of their memories joining (or lingering in) a collective psychic “echo” or “pool”. A psychic might learn ways to connect to that, maybe a path of:

the Soulpool
* Passing Wisdom: Choose a non-combat skill or profession; +1/lvl to tests and Saves involving it. 4 hrs.
* Experience: Ask one question about a past individual/place/event. Requires 10 min. quiet.
* Eidolon: Manifests an individual as remembered to inhabit a phantom body – or the psychic. Can have consequences. 24 hrs (possession) or 4 hrs + 1 day/hp temporarily sacrificed from total (phantom; HD = 1 / 2 lvl, min. 1)

Or, cultivating psionic power is imagined as resembling the slow development of a pearl, and those with an affinity for the ideal of “a pearl” have learned ways to invoke their wills to emulate pearl symbolism, as with a path of:

the Pearl
* Falling Tears: Stillness and sorrow projected to 2d4 targets; ML test or quiet, overcome with the emotion.
* Revelation: +1 / 2 lvls to Saves and tests involving Wis or creating harmony; 4 hrs.
* Rest Lost One: Sense undead within 30’ rad., 1 hr; once during period, cause one undead of < or = lvl to unanimate.

Or through emulating the ideals reflected by perceptions of colours, psychics have a kaleidoscope of paths drawn from colour symbology, or ...


Tweaks To Existing Lindwyrm Stuff: Not much, basically this –

- The esper species in Lockbox instead uses psionics (I mean they’re espers, come on) and choose a path to pick their power from. Maybe two or three paths, if that’s what the group prefers.

- Talent (class modifier): Choose one psionic path. Gain one power and another every 3 lvls, access to a second school at lvl5. Have one power use / 2 lvls free before requiring hp.


FAQ

* But y tho?

Because I like psionic abilities, and because I can, and because Lindwyrm is my creation and I can do what I want. Next question.


* Didn’t you do this before?

Multiple times, the major published-and-accessible-now versions being the Mystic + their abilities in The Blue Lotus Hack, and Seven-petals, a collection of basically systemless powers in a scheme much like this one.

You can plunder either one of those to make paths and it should be fine.


* Isn’t this just the magic system?

In that mechanically powers and spells are the same thing and if you want to steal a pile of spells to make into powers, or vice versa, and it’ll work? Yes. Lindwyrm is a simple little system, it didn’t need power points or other changes – the point is why and in-world how a psychic has their abilities.


* Any other classes?

I have a vague inkling to use a bit of this to overhaul the “monk” yet again (my eternal tilting-at-windmills, see TBLH, etc). I like the psionic warrior concept introduced in 3e D&D, but that one might get tricky – I could probably just use psionics as flavour, though. Hm.

Also, see below about zines.


* Being on a blog is awkward, what about a minizine?

Even before I trim down my wordiness to minizine style, this stuff doesn’t fill a whole 16-page zine and there would probably be a war if it did, or something. It’s substantial, with all the paths + their formatting, but not enough.

I’ll see about writing some other player-facing bits and when I have enough for 14 pages (because covers), I’ll make a minizine. Might be some more classes, some psi-flavoured, some not. We’ll see what comes together?


* Creative Commons?

After I see what gets trimmed, tightened up or tweaked for the minizine, but yes it will happen. (I’m likely putting Wandering Wayfarers into CC at the same time, watch the usual spaces.)


* But I don’t like psionics!

Then don’t use these rules, or borrow the guts for spells, or whatever. I don’t like grimdark mudfarmer shit but I don’t whine across the internet about it constantly every time someone coughs up yet another game of grimdark mudfarming just to ruin others’ fun.

Now in Creative Commons finally as promised, as part of Lindwyrm Liberty --

Lindwyrm Liberty: more additions and fancies by E. A. Bisson is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0