Psionics: Telepathy Abilities

Psionics: Telepathy Abilities

Here's three new abilities for the Telepathy power based on psionic powers from D&D 3.5.

Bestow Power – 18/27/30/33/36/39 points for levels 1-6

Skill: Bestow Power (IQ/Hard).

You can restore the mental energy reserves of others. This takes a second of concentration, direct skin-to-skin contact with the subject, and a skill roll. Your skill is at a cumulative -3 penalty for every successful use on the same subject within 24 hours, at a flat -2 penalty if the patient is unconscious. Failure costs you 1d FP, while critical failure also does 1 point of injury to the patient, in addition to any other effects. Success restores 1 point or ER (Psi) per 1 FP spent to use this ability.

You may bestow power to subjects of your own race and any “similar” races (GM’s call); e.g., a human can lend energy to other humans but not dogs or plants. This ability cannot increase the subject’s ER score above its normal maximum.

You must make skin-to-skin contact with the subject at level 1. At level 2, any touch will do. At level 3, you can use it at a distance up to 10 yards. This range increases to 20 yards at level 4, then to 50 yards at level 5, and to 100 yards at level 6.

Statistics: Healing (Contact Agent, -30%; Heals Psionic ER Only, +0%; Telepathy, -10%) [18]. Further levels remove Contact Agent [27], then add Ranged and Reduced Range, x1/10 [30], then replace Reduced Range, x1/10 with Reduced Range, x1/5 [33], then replace Reduced Range, x1/5 with Reduced Range, x1/2 [36], then remove Reduced Range, x1/2 [39].

Xenobestow Power – Hard

Default: Bestow Power-4; cannot exceed Bestow Power.

You can use this ability on any living thing on Earth. For an additional -6 penalty (which can be bought off), you can even use it on aliens, zombies, sentient energy clouds, etc.

Brain Lock – 18/21/25/30 points for levels 1-4

Skill: Brain Lock (Will/Hard).

You lock away the victim’s higher mind, dazing him (p. B428). To affect your victim you must win in a Quick Contest of your skill against your victim’s Will. The effect requires a series of Concentrate maneuvers to maintain. Taking any other maneuver (such as Attack or Move) causes the effect to immediately end. Thus, you can only move one step per second while maintaining the effect, and can’t attack, aim, etc. You lose your hold of the victim’s mind if you lose your concentration (e.g., if attacked and you fail your Will roll). The effect lasts for as long as you keep concentrating up to a maximum of 1 minute per your margin of victory.

                At level 1, you must make skin-to-skin contact to use Brain Lock. At level 2, any touch will do. At level 3, you can use your ability at range; your skill roll is at -1/yard. At level 4, apply normal range penalties (p. B550) instead. Note that you don’t have to maintain physical contact at level 1 and 2 – you have to touch your victim only to initiate the ability, but not to maintain.

Statistics: Affliction 1 (HT; Contact Agent, -30%; Daze, +50%; Malediction 1, +100%; Melee Attack, Reach C, No Parry, -35%; No Signature, +20%; Nuisance Effect, Concentration, -15%; Telepathy, -10%) [18]. Further levels remove Contact Agent [21], then Melee Attack [25], and then improve Malediction to 2 [30].

Crisis of Breath – 22/25/28/33 points for levels 1-4, plus 33 points for each additional level

Skill: Crisis of Breath (Will/Hard).

You compel the subject to purge its entire store of air in one explosive exhalation, and thereby disrupt the subject’s autonomic breathing cycle. The subject’s lungs do not automatically function again while the ability’s duration lasts. To affect your victim you must win in a Quick Contest of your skill against your victim’s Will. The victim begins to choke (p. B428), as his lungs stop working. He still can consciously force his lungs to work by taking a Concentrate maneuver every second, while doing nothing else. Once he stops, his lungs stop working again. The effect lasts for 1 minute per your margin of victory.

                At level 1, you must make skin-to-skin contact to use Brain Lock. At level 2, any touch will do. At level 3, you can use your ability at range; your skill roll is at -1/yard. At level 4, apply normal range penalties (p. B550) instead. Each additional level imposes a -1 penalty on the subject’s HT rolls to resist.

Statistics: Affliction 1 (HT; Choking, +100%; Contact Agent, -30%; Malediction 1, +100%; Melee Attack, Reach C, No Parry, -35%; No Signature, +20%; Nuisance Effect, Can be mitigated, -30%; Telepathy, -10%) [22]. Further levels remove Contact Agent [25], then Melee Attack [28], and then improve Malediction to 2 [33].