Powers: Godminds

Powers: Godminds

Complete Psionic for D&D 3.5 is infamous for its divine mind class that is underwhelming both in flavor and mechanics. A 3rd-party supplement The Mind Divine by Dreamscarred Press presents another take on "divine" psionic characters. It describes godminds - quasidivine beings that can grant psionic abilities. I quite like the concept, so I included it in my setting as separate psionic powers with the Pact limitation.

                Godminds

            There exist entities of such immense psionic power that they transcend mortality and rival even the gods. Such entities are called godminds, and they are able to grant their worshippers powers, just like the true deities. Unlike the deities, the godminds do not grant domains, but grant access to specific powers with associated psionic skills. The following godminds are the most well known, but others may exist.

Imperial Mind Network

Focus: Communication, connection, and knowledge.

When a gith rebellion sundered the illithid overmind, destroying their vast empire, psionic energies of dying elder brains were so immense, they became a persistent network with a residual personality. While some sages doubt that Imperial Mind Network qualifies for being a godmind, it nonetheless provides powers to those connected to it. The Network requires the worshippers to gather as much new knowledge as possible.

Imperial Mind Network Talent – 5 points/level

Imperial Mind Network Abilities

Absolute Direction; Absolute Timing; Common Sense; Cultural Adaptability; Eidetic Memory; Intuition; Lightning Calculator; Modular Abilities, with Cosmic Power and Skills Only, representing learning skills of other people connected to the Network; Oracle; Precognition; Psychometry; Racial Memory; Social Chameleon; Wild Talent.

Power Modifier: Imperial Mind Network, -X% (Pact, -X%; Psi, -10%).

            Pyroviril

Focus: Energy manipulation.

A powerful fire elven psion Stoviril Lastcall achieved perfect mastery of mind and energy manipulation and transcended mortality, becoming a godmind, from that moment known as Pyroviril. A schism between the clergy of the elven pantheon and the worshippers of Pyroviril split the nation of Indaril. Pyroviril grants his worshippers energy manipulation abilities, but also requires the worshippers to avoid using physical weapons in combat, and strive for self-perfection.

Pyroviril Talent – 5 points/level

Pyroviril Abilities

Control (Energy); Damage Resistance, with Force Field and Limited, Energy (-20%) or Energy Type (-40%); Flight; Obscure, any, as long as it is flashy; Protected Power; Temperature Control. Various Innate Attacks and Afflictions dealing energy damage.

Power Modifier: Pyroviril, -X% (Pact, -X%; Psi, -10%).

Shm

Focus: Dreams, nightmares, fear.

Shm is not an active entity, but a dormant consciousness that spans the entirety of the Demiplane of Nightmares, a plane coterminous with the Region of Dreams and the Ethereal Plane, but also very prone to leakage from the Far Realm. Sages believe that it was born when one of the first gods had a nightmare. This nightmarish consciousness separated from the deity and remained dormant in the Demiplane of Nightmares, a plane both very distant metaphysically from the material world and very close to every dreaming mind. Shm is not worshiped, but revered by psions who found a way to tap into its power. Two typical ways to access Shm’s powers are permanent silence (Vow (Keep silent at all times) [-10]) and deep meditation (Disciplines of Faith (Mysticism) [-10]) that allow the psion to hear their deepest thoughts. Shm grants powers related to dreams, nightmares, and fear.

Shm Talent – 5 points/level

Shm Abilities

Abilities under Dream Control (GURPS Psionic Powers, pp. 73-74).

Animal Empathy*; Channeling, with Accessibility, Only while sleeping (-20%); Charisma (“my dream girl”); Detect (Fear); Empathy*; Fearlessness; Intuition, with Preparation Required (-60%) if it requires a night of dreams; Jumper (Spirit), with Limited Access, Dreams (varies); Less Sleep; Mind Control*, usually with Conditioning; Mind Probe*; Mind Reading*; Mindlink (“dream lover”); Oracle; Telesend*, and Terror. Abilities marked * have Accessibility, Only on sleeping targets (-20%).

Nightmare attacks include Afflictions with Disadvantage (Addiction to dream-delights, Delusions, etc.), Euphoria (for “paralysis by paradise”), or Hallucinating; Binding; and Fatigue Attacks with Missed Sleep. All should have Malediction.

Fear attacks are mainly Afflictions with Disadvantage (Combat Paralysis, Cowardice, Fearfulness, Panic Attacks, Paranoia, Phobias, etc.), Hallucinating, or Paralysis. Give offensive Fear abilities Malediction and Sense-Based (“I will show you fear in a handful of dust”).

Power Modifier: Shm, -20% (Pact, -10%; Psi, -10%).

Talinyon

Focus: Psychokinesis.

Not much is known about this godmind, but since its creation is not mentioned in any historical records of Karilan, sages believe that Talinyon originated on a different world or a plane of existence. What is known is that Talinyon is an active entity that grants psychokinetic abilities to its worshippers. Talinyon requires full devotion to psychokinetic powers in life, usually requiring such disadvantages as Vow (Never walk), Vow (Never use hands when TK can accomplish the task), Vow (Never wear armor). Of course, worshippers can mitigate these disadvantages with granted psychokinetic abilities, but they often have accompanying disadvantages that represent atrophied muscles – Crippled Legs, negative Arm ST, Klutz, etc.

Talinyon Talent – 5 points/level

Talinyon Abilities

Binding, with Unbreakable; Catfall, with Feather Fall; Clinging, with Attraction; Damage Resistance, with Force Field and Limited, Physical (-20%); Enhanced Move (Air); Flight; Protected Power; Stretching, with Force Extension; Super Climbing; Super Jump; Telekinesis; Temperature Control; Vibration Sense, with Sense of Perception; Walk on Air; and Walk on Liquid.

Many Innate Attacks are reasonable, but they should represent direct telekinetic attacks, not cryokinesis or pyrokinesis. Direct telekinetic attacks on vital areas are Afflictions with Choking or Heart Attack. All such attacks must have No Signature, and Afflictions require Malediction, too.

Power Modifier: Talinyon, -X% (Pact, -X%; Psi, -10%).

The First Thought

Focus: Psychoportation.

Like Shm, the First Thought is a dormant consciousness, not an active entity. All attempts to communicate with it fail, and all divinations regarding the age and nature of this godmind fail. Nonetheless, in the ancient past, a party of high elven adventurers has uncovered a library thousands of years older than Seylaril itself. Most of the tomes and records found were too damaged to read, but some excerpts survived. Transported to Sigil for translation, they shone a bit of light on the nature of the First Thought. The records written in the language of spell weavers proposed two hypotheses.

The first said that the First Thought is a projection of one of the Old Gods that have created this multiverse, left it, and sealed it behind them. This projection keeps the very fabric of space together and allows the Old Gods to observe the multiverse.

The second said the First Thought is a psychic remnant of the dead participants of the war between gods and draedens that happened before the current planes have fully formed.

None of the hypotheses were proven to be true, but those text described complex rituals required to gain access to the First Thought’s powers (Disciplines of Faith (Ritualism) [-5]). In addition, each time a creature uses the First Thought’s abilities, it must make an immediate Fright Check, using the Confusion (GURPS Powers, page 85) variant table if possible.

The First Thought Talent – 5 points/level

The First Thought Abilities

Psychoportation abilities and Jumper (Interplanar).

Power Modifier: The First Thought, -30% (Backlash, Fright Check, -15%; Pact, -5%; Psi, -10%).