Powers/Treasure: Psychobotanics

Powers/Treasure: Psychobotanics

The Psi, -10% power modifier consists of -5% for the existence of anti-powers and -5% for the existence of psychotronics that can hinder the use of psionics. But what about low-TL games? You could rework the power modifier (like in Dungeon Fantasy), but there is also a sidebar in GURPS Psionic Campaigns that suggests to change the psychotronic part to its low-TL equivalent - psychobotanics. However, it doesn't really provide any guidelines.

GURPS Psi-Tech has drugs that hinder the use of psionics or make people more resistant to psionics. These are Blocker, Monobloc, Muffler, and Shatter. Monobloc and Blocker make users more resistant to Telepathy, Muffler neutralizes psionic powers outright, and Shatter makes psis drunk. Since at low TL we lack other protective psychotronics, I think it would be reasonable to create analogues of Blocker and Monobloc that make the subject resistant to other psionic powers.

How does one prepare a psychobotanic preparation? GURPS Fantasy has guidelines for gathering ingredients for Herb Lore elixirs on page 138 - up to two Naturalist rolls per day, and you need to accumulate three successes or one critical success.

Let's put everything together. I won't be using Metatronic Alchemy rules for these, I will just approximate the crafting times and use costs given in GURPS Psi-Tech:

Blocker-tier concoction (GURPS Psi-Tech, p. 33) gives a +3 to resist a single psionic power, with its usual side effects. It kicks in one minute after use and lasts for 6 hours. Costs $100. Created with a successful Herb Lore or Naturalist-2 roll, takes 6 hours to craft.

Monobloc-tier concoction (GURPS Psi-Tech, p. 34) gives a +8 to resist a single psionic power, with its usual side effects. It kicks in one minute after use and lasts for 6 hours. Costs $150. Created with a successful Herb Lore or Naturalist-4 roll, takes 8 hours to craft.

Shatter (GURPS Psi-Tech, p. 34) can be applied as poison to weapons. Costs $20. Created with a successful Herb Lore or Naturalist-2 roll, takes 4 hours to craft.

Muffler (GURPS Psi-Tech, p. 34) can be applied as poison to weapons. Costs $800. Created with a successful Herb Lore or Naturalist-6 roll, takes 48 hours to craft.