Legacy: OURPGSoc Society Game 2006-2007

Psychics

History

It is hard to pinpoint when psychic powers were first discovered. Certainly there have been rumours of shadowy figures creating werelight in their hands, and old wives' tales of men who could feel knives that were stained with murder.

It was two hundred and six years ago that the Empire was presented with firm evidence that psychics were more than myths. This evidence came in the form of the explorer Syntyche Truniss, who had narrowly avoided the poisonous fangs of a Death World's monster by setting the creature's fur alight; he discovered he retained the ability, and demonstrated it to the current Emperor, Merak Lystra II. By the Emperor's leave, he searched throughout the Empire for those of comparable ability.

A small number of other psychics were found over time; they banded together, to study and improve their powers. They realised that they could increase their concentration through meditation, and so produce more powerful effects. They also found that some meditative techniques were more effective for some powers than for others; this formed the different psychic streams, although why a power lay within one stream rather than another was in several cases far from obvious. Psychics were unable to learn powers outside of one or two streams; why this is so remains unknown.

Merak II recognised the potential of the psychics. They were too scarce to form a guild, but there was still benefit in centralising their training; he gave them an area on the Imperial owned Mixed World of Ekor, upon which they set up the Imperial School of Psychic Study, with Syntyche Truniss Lystra as the Head Master.

Psychics Today

Over time, more psychics were discovered, although they are still very rare - there are only a few hundred, at present. Methods of training have been developed; the powers in each stream have been identified, as have the possible ranks of strength for each power. The Psi School remains independent of House, although its alumni are not. The teachers are usually psychics who wish to take a rest from their House work, or who have retired from more strenuous positions. The current head is Iomhar Truniss Lystra, a Thermo Psychic.

Psychic powers are active rather than passive; they do not happen on their own, they require intense concentration. The only exception to this is the Imprint Psychic's ability to read the residual feelings from inanimate objects; when the imprint was made in times of extreme emotion, it is unignorable - and possibly overpowering - to Imprint Psychics of little training.

The concentration required means that a psychic may only use one of their powers at their maximum ability. However, as they increase the ranks of a certain power, the less concentration is required for using it at a low rank's strength. A psychic may attempt to use two powers at once, at a strength less than their ranks in those powers, but they risk Over-Exerting themselves.

It is strictly forbidden for psychic powers to be used in a duel. It is dishonourable to solicit the aid of a Bio psychic in a sporting event. On the Emperor's City Ship, use of psychic powers (without permission of the Emperor) is forbidden as a matter of course; it is most certainly prohibited during Court Meetings. A strong Meta Psychic is always nearby a Court Meeting, ready to protect the Court Members should any 'accidental usage' occur.

Although psychic powers may look and sound vaguely scientific, they do not match up with the scientific theory - magnetic psychics may affect normally non-magnetic materials, and thermal psychics may melt that which normally burns (or vice versa). The Technologists do not even attempt to understand psychics and their powers - aside from the complexity, there would seem little point when they seem to know what they're doing, anyway.

The five Streams of psychic power are:

  • Thermo Psychics control temperature, fire and freezing.
  • Force Psychics create lightning and force-fields, and throw things about.
  • Bio Psychics encourage healing and hardiness - or wound and weaken.
  • Meta Psychics help or hinder the psychic powers of others, or detect a power's use.
  • Imprint Psychics feel the emotional imprints left on objects by past events of moment, or may record their own for all to read.

Rank 1 powers are not very impressive; they are usually easily accomplishable by more mundane means, such as a box of matches.
Rank 2 are slightly better: their strength small yet potentially significant.
Rank 3 powers can pick up bowling balls, or create electric bolts the size of a small snake.
Rank 4 does adds more strength; you can now act as a flame-thrower or forklift truck.
Rank 5 is strong enough to take down many men, or deflect bullets or lasers.
Rank 6 is so strong the psychic themselves is at risk.

It is believed that there are ranks beyond 6 for all powers; few enough psychics attain rank 6, so little is known. Discovering new ranks is a long and arduous process, and it is hard and often dangerous to learn at levels when use of a power may be fatal. It is, as yet, unknown if there is an absolute limit, or if there are further ranks to discover.

System

To be a Psychic, you must purchase the Psi School Training quirk. This shows that you have been to the Imperial School of Psychic Study, and so know how to use your powers, and how to meditate and practise them to improve their rank.

You also need to purchase the Psychic Power Stream skill, which gives you your mysterious power in one Stream of your choice. The rank you brought the skill at determines your starting ability; for example, if you spent 6 points to get the skill at rank 3, then all the powers in your chosen Stream are rank 3.

You may also buy a Specialisation, which means that one of your powers increases by a rank. The cost of this is equal to the rank of your Psychic Power Stream. For example, if you have a Psychic Power Stream at rank 2 (costing 3 points), then you can pay 2 points to have a Specialisation and thus have one power at rank 3 (while the rest remain at rank 2).

You cannot buy an entire Stream at rank 4 or 5. You could buy a Stream at rank 3 and a Specialisation (at 3 points), giving you rank 4 in one power and rank 3 in the others; this is the only way you can start the game with a rank 4 power. There is no way to start the game with a rank 5 power, although you can gain rank 5 within the game if you put enough action points in.

You may buy a second Psychic Power Stream skill for a different Stream. You cannot buy more than two Streams, nor the same Stream twice. You can only have one Specialisation per Stream.

During the game, you may improve your rank in any power from your Stream by spending action points. The number of action points required is twice the number of the rank; for example, if you are at rank 2, it will cost 6 action points to go to rank 3. If you do not have any power a rank above the power you are improving, add 2 action points; it is more difficult to attain a rank for the first time than if you had already attained it in a different power.

Streams

Thermo

The range of low level Thermo powers is generally small; rank 3 has the range of a regular room, higher ranks have the range of a hall. Heating and Cooling both work relative to the ambient warmth; the effects listed are assume normal room temperature.
  • Burning - burns something. Please note that this does not give you control over fires that are already burning - you can only start new ones. Also, please note that you are flammable.
    1. You can produce a flicker of fire, within reaching distance. You're as much use as a box of matches.
    2. You can produce a flame, and keep it going for around a minute, up to a metre or two away from you.
    3. You can produce fireballs the size of melons. This doesn't have to be on something flammable - it can be in thin air (although it will fizzle out when you stop concentrating).
    4. You can substitute for a flame-thrower. Or you can burn about a square foot of anything softer than diamond.
    5. You can substitute for several flame-throwers. Or burn a square metre of anything normally non-flammable (with the possible exceptions of the very hardest Legacy materials).
  • Melting - melts something solid, or evaporates something liquid
    1. You can melt a square of chocolate with a glance
    2. You can evaporate puddles on warm days
    3. You can melt about a square foot hardened steel. You can also guess the toughness of materials by looking at them, and are likely to spot hidden flaws in gems, metalwork and the like.
    4. You can melt a few square feet of anything softer than diamond. You can also, to some extent, change small amounts of substance into softer versions - fixing cracks in glass, for example, or creating faults in delicate machinery.
    5. You can melt a square metre or two of anything (with the possible exceptions of the very hardest Legacy materials).
  • Heating - heats a wide area
    1. You can increase the temperature in your immediate vicinity by a few degrees.
    2. You can substitute for a heater.
    3. You can warm the room very noticeably. Or bake a cake with the power of you mind. You also have a degree of blindsight that lets you spot nearby areas of high temperature.
    4. You make the room baking hot. Your temperature blindsight is enough to spot a person from their body heat.
    5. You can fire clay.
  • Cooling - cools a wide area
    1. You can decrease the temperature in your immediate vicinity by a few degrees.
    2. You can substitute for an air conditioner.
    3. You can cool the room very noticeably. Or substitute for a small freezer. You also have a degree of blindsight that lets you spot nearby areas of low temperature.
    4. You make the room very cold. Your temperature blindsight is enough to spot a person from the absence of coolness in their vicinity.
    5. You can make liquid nitrogen.
  • Freezing - freezes something liquid, or liquefies gas
    1. Butter won't melt in your mouth if you don't want it to.
    2. You can freeze puddles on cold days (or form snowballs from it).
    3. You can make ice sculptures with the power of your mind. You can also guess the durability of materials by looking at them, and are likely to spot their hidden flaws in gems, metalwork and the like.
    4. You can freeze a few square feet of any liquid, or condense a few square feet of gas. You can also, to some extent, change substances into harder versions - for example, removing hidden flaws.
    5. You can freeze a square metre or two of any liquid, or condense a square metre or two of gas.

At rank 6, you can burn, melt or freeze almost the entire room, but are liable to incinerate or freeze yourself in the process. Or you can warm or cool a wide area: but even if you avoid heat-stroke or hypothermia, the weather will backlash.

Force

Gravi and Electro powers will not work when too close to you - only on things at least a few metres away.
  • Gravi - flings stuff about. The bigger the thing, the less precision.
    1. You can pick up a spoon, or depress a button under its own weight.
    2. You can throw apples.
    3. You can lob bowling balls.
    4. You can pick up a person, or make them so heavy they can't get up.
    5. You can pick up a small car.
    6. You can pick up a bus, but it can cause strange waves of compression and weight that crush and tear anything in the area.
  • Electro - creates (small) bolts of lightning.
    1. You can create a little spark
    2. Sparks the size of a slug.
    3. Sparks the size of a small snake.
    4. Bolts the size of a boa constrictor.
    5. Lightning.
    6. Lots of lightening. This electrifies a large area, including you if you're not careful.
  • Magnetic - creates force-fields that protect against metal
    1. Your magnetic field will protect you against thrown pocket change.
    2. Your field may now encompass another person, and can deflect knives.
    3. A small group of people can fit in your field, but it's a bit of a squeeze. Metal bullets will be deflected enough to screw up any chance of aiming.
    4. Metal bullets will be deflected away.
    5. Cannon balls will be deflected away.
    6. People may be deflected. But don't try this while wearing anything metallic...
  • Radiative - includes holograms and low-power lasers
    1. You can produce as much light as a small pocket torch
    2. The light you produce could substitute for a disco ball. You can project vague images on the wall.
    3. You can make holograms around you as vague camouflage (provided neither you nor the background is moving too fast).
    4. You can camouflage yourself well (although you cannot hide your shadow when the light is too bright), or make hazy holograms. Or make a low power laser, capable of blinding people.
    5. You can become practically invisible. With a lot of concentration, you can deflect lasers.
    6. You can be invisible or blinding, but you may become increasingly sensitive to light - if not pained by it - when not exercising your psychic power.
  • Radio - intercepting and interefering with radio signals
    1. You can tell if there's a radio broadcast, maybe where it's coming from if the reception is good.
    2. You can listen to the radio when there's a good signal
    3. You can block the signal to any radios in the same room as you with static.
    4. You can listen to the radio when there's a lousy signal.
    5. You can block a radio transmitter, or broadcast your own signal.
    6. You can block or broadcast over a continent. But you may start to hear the radio even when you don't want to... constantly, a hiss in the background... whispering voices... This can be detrimental to your concentration and sanity.

Bio

These powers can affect anyone - yourself included. Their range, however, is limited to those you are physically touching. The power itself takes a several minutes concentration (although the process is quicker if you have high ranks in a power and are using it at low strength). The effect lasts a few hours, half a day at most.
At rank 6, Bio powers are difficult to target - you are liable to be affected, even if you are trying to use them on someone else.
  • Healing - you can heal or worsen injuries
    1. small scratches
    2. cuts, bruises
    3. wounds, dislocated joints
    4. large wounds, broken bones
    5. reattaching limbs (as long as you do it quickly enough). Or detaching them.
    6. you can turn major organs on or off at a whim.
  • Resilience - you can make people more or less resistant to poison, disease and drugs.
    1. Caffeine has no effect, or works like a kick to the chest.
    2. You get drunk much slower or quicker than normal
    3. Most knockout drugs have no effect or put you into a coma. Increasing resistance at this level or higher screws with your health capsules, by making them less effective.
    4. Most slow-acting fatal poisons are ignorable, or instantaneous. Decreasing resistance at this level or higher also screws with your health capsules, by making the medicines in them far more dangerous.
    5. Most fast-acting fatal poisons are ignorable, or small amounts of mild poisons (eg alcohol) can kill you. Any health capsules you take either have no effect, or kill you.
    6. Increasing: poison won't affect you, but neither will medicine. You're also hampering your body's control over yourself, as you've reduced the effect of your hormones. Decreasing: even minor impurities in the air could be deadly.
  • Strength - you can make someone stronger or weaker.
    1. You can pick up a kilogram or two more or less than normal.
    2. Several kilos
    3. Tens of kilos
    4. A person's weight. Decreasing strength at this level makes you barely able to move yourself.
    5. Several people's weight. Decreasing strength at this level kills, as you no longer have the strength to breathe.
    6. An elephant's weight. Increasing at this level may cause problems, as you underestimate your strength, and may accidentally break your bones. Decreasing at this level also causes problems, as your heart is too weak to beat.
  • Sense - you can make someone more or less alert and perceptive.
    1. Increasing: you're more likely to notice things, even if you can't pinpoint exactly what they are. Decreasing: you won't notice small subtleties.
    2. Increasing: Where's Wally is no longer the challenge it once was.
    3. Increasing: someone has to be rank 2 Stealth to get past you. Decreasing: anyone nonchalant and ordinary enough could get past you.
    4. Increasing: someone with rank 3 Stealth might get past. Decreasing: anyone who isn't as obvious as a clown playing the bagpipes will get past.
    5. Increasing: spider sense. Decreasing: anyone who is as obvious as a clown playing the bagpipes could get past.
    6. Increasing: the sheer number of things you notice is overwhelming - your clothes rippling against your skin, patterns in dust motes, someone breathing in the next room... Decreasing: you can't see, hear or feel anything.
  • Reflex - you can make someone slower or faster.
    1. You're a little bit faster or slower.
    2. You have a definite advantage or disadvantage in a sprint or game of dodge-ball.
    3. Increasing: you can outrun any human. Decreasing: you can't get faster than a brisk walk.
    4. Increasing: you can outrun a hare. The world around you is in slow-motion. Decreasing: you can't even walk - you're not quick enough to move your legs right. The world around you is a hideous, confusing blur.
    5. Increasing: you can outrun a cheetah. The world around you moves like treacle. Decreasing: you can't breath fast enough to survive without help.
    6. Increasing: you can move faster than your body can take. Decreasing: your heart can't beat fast enough to keep you alive.

Meta

  • Amplify - increases a psychic power's rank
    1. Increases a rank 1 power to rank 2
    2. Increases a rank 2 power to rank 3
    3. Increases a rank 3 power to rank 4, or a rank 1 power to rank 3
    4. Increases a rank 4 power to rank 5, or rank 2 to rank 4
    5. Increases a rank 3 power to rank 5, or rank 4 to rank 6, or increases rank 5 or higher by 1
    6. Increases a rank 1-3 power by 3, or increases rank 4 or higher by 2
  • Dampen - decreases a psychic power's rank. Decreasing a power to rank 0 means stopping the power all together.
    1. Stops a rank 1 power
    2. Decreases a rank 1-3 power by 1
    3. Decreases a rank 1-4 power by 2
    4. Decreases a rank 1-5 power by 3
    5. Decreases any rank of power by 4
    6. Decreases any rank of power by 5
  • Redirect - you can deflect the effects of a psychic power away from the intended target. (The new target must be within the range of the power in question (unless you want to Over-Exert))
    1. Deflects a rank 1 power (a nearby target is hit instead, but you can't control what this new target is)
    2. Changes the target of a rank 1 power, or deflects a rank 2 power
    3. Changes the target of a rank 2 power, or deflects a rank 3 power
    4. Changes the target of a rank 3 power, or deflects a rank 4 or 5 power
    5. Changes the target of a rank 4 power, or deflects any rank of power.
    6. Changes the target of a rank 5 power, or deflects any rank of power.
  • Detect - you can tell when a psychic power is used, what power it is, and who did it.
    1. You can tell that a power is being used by someone in the same room.
    2. You have a vague idea of which direction they're in, and know what Stream they are using.
    3. You have a better idea of where the psychic is, and what power they're using, and if a Meta Psychic is interfering. Or you can get vague ideas of who's doing what if several psychics are doing different things.
    4. You know who the psychic is, what power and what rank they are using. It's a lot less confusing if there are several psychics doing different things. The range is increased to a couple of neighbouring rooms.
    5. You can match psychic to power, even when there's around ten of them doing stuff at the same time.
    6. You can match even more psychics to their powers, as well as tell if they're using their power to their full ability.
  • Combine - you can use two of your other powers at the same time, at a strength level of their lowest rank, without Over-Exertion.
    1. The effects of Over-Exerting are reduced if you use two rank 1 powers together.
    2. You can use two rank 1 powers together
    3. Two rank 2
    4. Two rank 3
    5. Two rank 4
    6. Two rank 5

At rank 6, there may be psychic backlash - you might find your ability spontaneously deflected, or spread over all psychics in the area.
Also, Amplifying those of a low ability to very high ranks of power may also have unwanted side-effects, similar to those of Over-Exertion.

Imprint

Life and usage leave behind their residua on whatever they touch: faint shadows of events, traces of emotion, the gradual accretion of purpose. But only a select few notice these vestiges; these are Imprint Psychics. Imprints are left behind on all sorts of things; Imprint powers are used to read specific sorts of objects or places, or to leave a more powerful imprint on the world.

Some imprints are visions of a momentous event; a murder, for example, or a wedding. Some are the most common emotions associated with the imprint's carrier; a feel of fear or violence on a gun, or of boredom and mundanity in an office block. Some are the item's journey through existence; a book's meandering through different ownerships, or the dislocation of an ore shipped unbearably far from it's homeworld. An Imprint Psychic has little power over what they sense; indeed, the most strong imprints are impressed upon them, unbidden and uncontrollable. Most imprints, however, are faint; the fade over time, or are over-written.

Imprint Psychics are not telepathic; they cannot read living beings, although they can read the flesh of the dead. Imprints do not record reason or conscious thought, nor the time of events.

While often referred to as 'visions', the visual aspect of an imprint tends to be washy and indistinct - the parts that are clearest are the parts with most emotional significance, but these are the very places in which the emotion dominates and obscures. For example, you might feel the victim's fear, surprise or recognition upon seeing the face of an assailant, but these emotions cloud out the look of the face so you cannot recognise them yourself. Strong emotions can be overpowering, making them hard to read in detail or ignore.

The four powers of reading are:

  • Mineral - rocks, glass, brick
  • Organic - dead animals and plants
  • Artificial - Legacy or Empire technology
  • Location - your current locale

Your rank in each power determines how clear the vision or feeling will be. For a relatively recent imprint:

  1. Vague, fleeting impression - a general feeling of good (for objects connected with happiness) or bad (for objects connected with sadness, or fear, or anger).
  2. Dream-like image - broad, emotional brush-strokes. This is still an aggregate jist of the place or thing with only a little definition.
  3. Hazy vision - ideas of intent (you can feel the emotion behind the action, but not the rational motive). You can concentrate on different parts of the impression, to focus on a particular event or a particular type of emotion.
  4. The feelings are sharper - some parts of the image may be as well. You can easily separate recent events from the background.
  5. A live-action replay of emotion, sometimes overwhelming.

At rank 6, the experience is so intense you can lose yourself in it; you are unlikely to be able to cope with more than a brief glimpse before the information overload stops your concentration.

Older imprints will be faded, and so be less clear even for psychics of high levels. This happens over varying time-scales, depending on strength and type of image; strong imprints lose strength relatively quickly, but weak ones last long. Imprints of specific events fade fastest, impressions of emotion last the longest. Imprints of the Forerunners' time are likely to be so faded only rank 4 or higher can read them, and even then without detail.

The fifth power, instead of letting you read, allows you to 'write':

  • Impress

You can leave an imprint which even those who are not Imprint Psychics will be able to sense; this requires a few minutes touching the object (or meditating in the place). The imprint must be an impression of one of your recent memories, although this could be a strengthened version of a recently read imprint (although the copied imprint cannot be clearer than your original reading).

Any other Imprint Psychic will be able to tell the new imprint has been Impressed, although the Meta power Detect is required (at a reasonably high rank) to deduce who did the Impressing. While unexpectedly feeling an imprint may be disconcerting, its emotional content is not experienced as if it were the feeler's own; you cannot Impress reverence onto someone's clothing and expect them to thereby revere you.

Your rank in Impress determines how clear your imprint will be to those who are not Imprint Psychics. Those who are Imprint Psychics will feel the imprint with the clarity one rank higher.

  1. your imprint will give a vague hint
  2. a fleeting impression
  3. emotional brush-strokes on a vague image
  4. ideas of intent behind a hazy vision
  5. a stronger, emotional 'vision'

At rank 6, the Impression is sharp and overwhelming for the reader. It is also tiring and debilitating for the psychic doing the Impress; afterwards, you may feel drained and apathetic, and find it hard to feel the emotions associated with the Impression you have just made. Also, you may accidentally write more than you intended - your reactions to the scene you are trying to Impress, or your motive for Impressing, or any other thoughts in your head.

The imprint will fade after a number of readings by those who are not Imprint Psychics; the clarity decreases by one rank for every three people to have felt the imprint.

Over-Exerting

If you want to do something in your turnsheet which requires you to use a power with strength one rank above the power's current rank, you may try this if you Over-Exert. Also, if you wish to use two powers at once (at a strength level beneath both powers' ranks) (without the Combine power), you may try this if you Over-Exert.

Over-Exerting means that you're trying something that really should have been practised beforehand, but circumstances have driven you to desperate - or rushed - measures. You are pushing your mind and powers beyond what's sensible; it may work in a pinch, but it's liable to go wrong. The effects will be worse the higher the relevant power's actual rank; Over-Exerting a rank 1 power is less dangerous than a rank 4 power.

(Also note that if you try to use a Bio power on someone already affected by a Bio power, this may count as Over-Exerting (if the powers involved are too strong), and the results may well affect both them and you.)

If using a power is like trying to play a piano, then Over-Exerting is like trying to play a piano with a sledge-hammer - it's likely to sound bad and make a mess. The best you can hope for is a headache and the inability to concentrate for a few days; the worst rather depends on the powers involved and the amusement value circumstances. You're really better off taking the time to train, if you have the choice; we reserve the right to do bad stuff if you Over-Exert.