Psionics

Part of a series about Citadel Rules

• Combat
  • Safety
• Calls
• Skills
• Psionics
• Techgnosis
• Mutations
  • Basic Mutations
• Downtime
• Equipment
• Resources and Income
• Wounds

Part of a series about Psionics

• Psionics
• Powers and Communions
• Psionic Traditions

Psionics is a talent available only to gene-strains. It involves enacting changes on the world by focusing the mind. It is not fully understood why psionics can affect inorganic things, but it can. The act of psionics is an expression of changes in the heredity, which is why dead-strains may not express psionics. They can, for some reason, participate in Communions.

Focus

• Starting pool of two focus points
• Focus is spent on Communions and Powers
• Regenerates after 30s roleplay with other sentients

Starting psions acquire a focus pool of two points. Focus can be used to discharge Powers and participate in Communions. The focus pool can be enlarged by learning appropriate skills. It regenerates by spending 30 seconds interacting with sentient individuals while out of combat. Spending Focus, making any calls, participating in a Communion or a Ritual, or receiving any damage will prevent regaining of focus.

Powers

For a list of Psionic powers see here

• Powers require spending focus and short roleplay
• Psionic powers have 5s global cooldown

Expressed Powers are abilities that usually allow the player to make system calls, either by a strike of a weapon or at range. Manifesting a power requires the player to use a short phrase and then apply the effect ("Shaper hold you! *weapon hit* ENTANGLE" or "You will not run away! *point finger* Robb: STRIKEDOWN"). It should be obvious to those around you that you are using a psionic ability and it is encouraged that you chew some scenery while casting.

Psionic powers will almost always require the character to spend some focus. Following a successful cast of a psionic power, you are unable to use psionics for 5 seconds. This is a global cooldown on all expressed powers.

Communions

A Communion is a shared endeavour by multiple people that takes at least a minute of roleplay. Communions must be led by a psion with the relevant knowledge of the communion. Anyone may participate in a communion. The list of powers and communions describes formulaic communions that can be learned by psions by spending XP on relevant skills.

In general it is inadvisable to perform the same communion on the same target more than once per day. It's extremely inadvisable to do that with the same psion lead.

Communions must be overseen by a deadlocked AI.

Obfuscation

All participants of the communion will intuitively know the intent of the communion from the moment it starts. The participants are however not automatically privy to the details of the communion unless the lead psion decides to share them. For example, the lead psion does not need to inform other participants of the contents of the message that they transmit using the sending communion, but all participants will intuitively know that they are performing the sending communion.

The target however will intuitively know both the intent and the details of the communion that targets them and they will obtain this knowledge at the start of the roleplay performance.

Target and Movement

To perform a communion on a target, all participants must start while in touch range of the target. Once started, the participants may not move from the site of the communion but the target is free to move away.

Lead psions may always target themselves or one of the participants.

A successfully completed communion will take full effect regardless of how far the target has moved.

Communion Potency

The effects of communions are described at their base level. Communions can be empowered in several ways.

Additional contributors provide extra potency to the communions. Some communions that provide benefits to each contributor scale in an obvious way. Other communions might scale in a more unusual way. Contributors who are psions and spend four (eight) focus provide twice (three times) more potency than regular contributors.

Each participant may opt to spend one reagent, food or other organic material to increase the communion potency. When a participant chooses to do this, they count as two extra contributors to the communion.

Improvised Communions

• Interaction with this part of the game requires a power source more than a single PC on their own- be that more people, resources, or both. It also has more danger of going wrong.

Psions may improvise a Communion from any Pathway they walk. Improvised Communions are never as good as formulaic Communions or Expressed Powers, and often have high levels of fallout.

Improvising more than once per day has severely deleterious effects to the health of the psion. Improvising Communions which are close to abilities you already know is more likely to be successful. Improvised Communions with high potency are also much more likely to succeed.

United Purpose

Communions are primarily guided by intent. All the participants are gathered in an intimate ceremony, their minds made very receptive by the process. But communions do not happen in a vacuum, the surrounding environment, and in particular nearby psions can often have deleterious effects on the concentration of the participants. This is why various tribes that focus on communions often have special isolated rooms and sacred locations where communions are performed.

Accordingly, should a communion include every single person in the local vicinity, the potency of the communion will increase significantly, beyond what the group might otherwise be capable of.

Roleplaying a Psion

Different psionic characters will find certain “flavours” of interaction “tastier”, e.g. enjoying argumentation or debate, reassurance or friendship. These are not hard-and-fast rules, but guidelines for exploring your roleplay; with the exception of certain wounds/fallout which may change the ability to regain Focus.

Psionic characters might also come from a specific tradition though this is not required.