Telepathy
Telepathy
This focus allows the Adept to sense and influence the thoughts of other sentient beings. At higher levels of mastery, the Telepath can wreak havoc on the minds of others, binding them to his will or even killing them outright with nothing more than the power of his own mind. Telepaths have a wide range of talents available, but some talents are more narrow and specific in their use compared to the talents of other Psionic Foci.
Level 1—Life Sense/1, Thought Projection/3, Locate/5
Life Sense (1/7/Focus)—The adept can detect the presence of living beings through the energies given off from their mental auras. Successive uses of this talent can be used to determine (1) the nature of the life readings, (2) the number and (3) the general direction and range. Detection range is Essence die type x 50m. Duration for each activation 5 minutes.
Thought Projection (1/7/Focus-Presence)—The adept can project empathic messages into another mind. He can send a one word “message” to the target. It may be open to some interpretation, but will generally be regarded favorably. Timing and contextual dialog may be helpful to get the best effects out of this talent. Alternately, this talent can be used to read a target’s general mood. Range is 20m.
Locate This talent is a refinement of Life Sense. It can be used to pinpoint the position of any mental aura within range, as well as locate any psionic powers aimed at him or anyone in his vicinity. Locate acts passively as a kind of “sixth sense,” and will give warning of the presence of an unseen observer. If the adept’s locate talent warns him he is being watched, he can actively use the talent to pinpoint the watcher’s location to within a few meters. Range is Essence die type x 50m.
Level 2—Mind shield
Mind Shield (2/5/Focus)—Active use of this talent allows the adept to project a psychic shell around his mind that renders him nearly impervious to telepathic talents for 5 minutes per activation (The adept defends as a Null would). Passively, each 2 levels act as one level of the mental conditioning skill. Mind shield can also be used to peel back the layers of a target’s mental conditioning. It can be activated in conjunction with any other mental attack and every 2 levels will reduce the taget’s mental conditioning (or unskilled Essence check) dice pool by one.
Level 3— Mind Touch/1, Telepathy/3, Aura (Presence)/5
Mind Touch (1/5/Focus)—This talent allows the adept to enter into one-way or two way communication with another being’s mind if he can establish physical contact. Skin-to-skin contact is best; add 2 to the activation number is contact is through clothing or armor. The adept can freely converse with the target, and each party’s thoughts will be understood regardless of language differences. For one-way communication, the adept can read surface thoughts, which will generally be no more than a handful of words at each attempt. Contextual dialog with the target may be necessary to get him to “mentally flinch” and start thinking about what you want to hear, otherwise you might listen in while he is pondering what he wants for dinner or overhear how much he wants to have sex with the green-skinned girl across the room. If used on a sleeping target, Mind Touch can be used to deeply probe the target’s thoughts as though he were in a trance or under the effect of a “truth serum.” Each simple question the adept wants answered will require one activation, and it will be answered truthfully. Failure to activate may wake the subject (TN 7 vs. Target’s Acuity). Range is touch. Duration is 1 minute per activation for two-way conversation.
Telepathy (1/7/Focus)—This talent allows the adept to communicate with another being at great distances as though he were having a face-to-face conversation (regardless of language barriers). If the telepath has line of sight to the target, he can initiate contact. If the target has been contacted before and does not resist the telepath, the activation roll gets a +2 bonus. If the contact is not in sight, the adept must know their psychic “aura” by having made some form of telepathic contact with them previously. A telepathic “shout” can be made which can be heard by any telepath in range. Range is 20 km for level 1 Telepathy focus, doubled for each level after, up to a maximum of just over 2500 kilometers. Duration is 1 minute per activation.
Aura (5/7/Focus)—This talent allows the adept to subtly affect the minds of all those around him by altering his own mental signature in a favorable light. It manifests as improved charisma, leadership and personal appeal. While the talent is active, the adept raises his Presence die type by one. The adept’s Aura can also be focused on one person each day (they are allowed to resist as per mental attacks). After a number of successful daily checks equal to the target’s Essence die type, the target becomes permanently loyal to the adept, or in the case of a potential lover, infatuated with him or her. Some less scrupulous adepts will use this talent over the course of years to establish cult-like followings of devotees. Range for infatuation check: Conversational distance. Duration is 1 hour/1 scene.
Level 4—Suggestion/1, Detect Lies/3, Illusion/5
Suggestion (2/7/Focus-Presence)—This talent allows the adept to project an emotional state onto a neutral person or animal so that he seems friendly. This talent cannot be used to override any strong emotions the target is feeling at the time of the suggestion, nor will it cause the target to oppose its nature or threatens its safety. The suggestion is open to interpretation by the target, and takes the form of a very short phrase, usually only two or three words. If the target fails to resist, he tends to believe the suggestion that has been implanted. Range is Essence die type x 5 meters.
Detect Lies (1/7/Focus-Acuity)—With a successful activation, the adept can ascertain whether the speaker believes what he is saying is the truth in regard to the answer to one question or the making of a single statement. Before asking a question or immediately after getting an answer or hearing a statement, the adept can activate this talent to determine if the target is speaking the truth. The adept will know if he failed to activate the talent, but will not be able to tell if what the target is saying is incorrect—even if the facts are wrong, the target may believe them to be true. Range is close conversational range, approximately 2-3 meters, to allow the adept to clearly see all the visual cues the target is giving off.
Illusion (1/7/Mastery)—This talent allows the adept to create a believable illusion around an inanimate or unmoving object (which can be living creatures so long as they remain relatively motionless). The target(s) are able to make a resistance roll to see through the illusion. Range is line of sight. Duration of an illusion is up to 1 day.
Level 5—Mental Attack: Stun/1, Coma/3, Mind probe/5
Mental Attack: Stun (2/7/Mastery)—This mental attack is aimed at a specific target, and has the same effect as a stun pistol beam, but it is unaffected by personal armor. Range is 20m x Essence die type.
Mental Attack: Coma (5/9/Mastery)—This mental attack is an improved stun attack. If the victim fails his resistance check, he falls unconscious. Each round the victim is allowed to make a Fortitude check at TN 11. If the target fails this check a number of times equal to his fortitude die type, he is comatose for a minimum of 5 minutes, and can then only check to wake every 5 minutes. If the victim falls into a coma, he makes a TN 9 Essence check. If he fails that, he suffers short term amnesia, forgetting the events leading up to him being placed in a coma. If the adept expends 10 CT, he can force the amnesia on the victim. The use of drugs to revive the target (such as smelling salts or adrenaline) will add a +4 bonus to the Fortitude check to wake the target. Range is 20m x Essence die type.
Mental Attack: Mind Probe (5/9/Mastery)—This is a powerful mental attack that allows the adept to enter the mind of the victim and subject it to close scrutiny. If the target fails to resist, the adept can ask one very pointed question which the victim’s mind must answer truthfully. If the adept so chooses, he can ask additional questions for 2 CT each, and the victim is given a chance to resist each round. The adept may ask as many questions as his Telepathy focus level. The target will be aware of the questions he is being asked and what answers he is giving. Range is 20m x Essence die type. Duration is one round, maintenance is 2 CT per round.
Level 6—Delusion/1, Dominate/3, Great Command/5
Delusion (5/9/Focus)—This talent is a refinement of Illusion and suggestion, it will allow the adept to create a simple belief structure in the mind of the victim which may affect his decisions and attitudes. The victim will believe the essence of a simple—4 or 5 word—message and will act accordingly when involved in any situation on which that belief has a bearing. For example, the delusionary message “The police are corrupt,” might make the victim fear for his life and make him flee the police or refuse to cooperate with them if arrested. Range is 20m x Essence die type. Duration is 1 day.
Dominate (5/9/Mastery-Presence)—This mental attack allows the adept to dominate the will of the subject, basically turning the target into his puppet. The target must be sentient. If the attack is successful, the victim will carry out any instructions given by the adept. However, orders to commit blatantly suicidal acts will allow the target to make a simple (TN 3) Essence check to release the target from control. The target will then also gain a permanent +4 bonus to resist any domination attempts by that adept in the future. This does not preclude compulsions toward normally “heroic” orders where the victim might stand a reasonable chance of survival. An adept can have more than one victim dominated at a time, but can only make one attempt per round and can only issue orders to one at a time or the same orders to the entire group. Every time a victim suffers a wound, they may make a resistance check to snap out of their fugue state. Another telepath with the Dominate talent can release a victim if they fail to resist the “release” command. Dominated victims will have no memory of what happened while they were under the adept’s control. Duration is 24 hours, maintenance is 5 CT.
Great Command (5/11/Focus)—The adept begins to develop a psychic aura so intense that lesser men begin to pale before it. When utilizing this talent, the adept appears regal, almost godly in the eyes of others. Those who fight at his side in battle never need to make Bravery or Fear checks. While the aura is active, the adept can spend 2 CT to send such a menacing look at any NPC who crosses him that they must make a fear check at TN 11 if the NPC attempts to further oppose him (face-to-face contact is necessary, usually under 10m range). If the adept is of good character, his aura takes the form of respect and admiration by his followers. If the adept is of a violent and cruel nature, he earns their respect and fear. When one is exposed to an exercise of Great Command, a lasting impression will be made. Great Command can be used to sway the minds of large groups of people; he will not be elected supreme leader overnight, but if given time to speak, for 1 CT per 50 listeners he can sway 10% of the crowd for every point he exceeds a TN 3 leadership check. Range is line of sight. Duration is one scene.
Level 7—Mental Attack: PainBlast/1, DeathBolt/3, MindSlay/5
Mental Attack: PainBlast (5/7/Mastery)—This savage mental attack causes a violent shock to the target’s nervous system, forcing the target to make a Fortitude check at TN 9 to remain conscious. The pain is so terrible that the threat of another treatment causes a TN 11 fear check. Failing that roll, the target will attempt to flee, or if flight is impossible he may willingly succumb to interrogation or even cooperate freely with the adept. Each application of Painblast causes 2d6 CT damage which bypasses armor. Repeated use of this talent is often regarded as outright torture. Range is 20m x Essence die type.
Mental Attack: DeathBolt (5/7/Mastery)—A devastating mental attack that causes 4d10 damage and bypasses armor. Any wounds are applied singly to random locations from extreme seizure-like activity that can be so powerful as to tear muscles and break bones. Range is 20m x Essence die type.
Mental Attack: MindSlay (7/9/Mastery)—The ultimate direct mental attack, MindSlay causes 5d12 damage and bypasses armor. Any wounds are applied singly to random locations from extreme seizure-like activity that can be so powerful as to tear muscles and break bones. Range is 20m x Essence die type.
Level 8—Elemental Force
Elemental Force (10/3/Focus)—A truly awesome display of the ultimate telepathic assault. This talent allows the adept to attack multiple targets simultaneously. For each 2 points the activation roll is exceeded, an additional target may be targeted by the mental attack. Those that fail to resist are struck by 4d10 damage. If only one victim is targeted, the damage is increased to 5d12. This damage bypasses armor. Any wounds are applied singly to random locations from extreme seizure-like activity that can be so powerful as to tear muscles and break bones. The adept does not need line of sight to target; if he has established their location through the use of Sense Life, Locate or Telepathy, they can be targeted. Range is 50m all around the adept.
