The Psion - My First Try

Well done Mr.Prim! Would someone have the knack of formatting like the other playbooks? So cool :) Thank you for working on this!

Once I'm a little further along, I'll do this up in playbook form.

Looks great, Prim! I'm eager to see some of the powers you have planned and learn more about that sub-system. :)

Alright, here are some Advanced Moves:

2-5
Create Psicrystal ("I'm my own best friend!" - Barf, Spaceballs)

Spend 1 Focus to create a psicrystal.  A psicrystal is a crystallized aspect of your own mind, a palm-sized shard of glowing crystal that contains some facet of your own intellect and personality.  The psicrystal can telepathically communicate with you, but cannot otherwise move or act without spending Focus.  While touching the Psicrystal, you may spend Focus to grant the psicrystal an equal amount of Focus.  The psicrystal can spend Focus at one-for-one to use the following Moves:
- Broadcast:  The psicrystal can telepathically communicate with any thinking being as if using Speak to Minds.
- Grant Insight:  The psicrystal can grant you a +1 when you Spout Lore, as its gragment of your unconscious mind helps guide you to something you know, but have trouble remembering.  This effect is instantaneous, to gain another +1, your psicrystal must spend another Focus.
- Hover:  The psicrystal floats under its own power.
- Shared Senses:  The psicrystal can send you what it sees.

Each power lasts until the psicrystal spends another Focus.  A psicrystal cannot contain more than 3 Focus and once you imbue the Focus into the psicrystal, you cannot retrieve it.  You may only have one psicrystal at any time.

Danger Sense

When using Defy Danger, you may Roll+Focus instead of any other stat.

Metaconcert
You may unite your party in a psychic communion, allowing them to plan and move as one.  Spend one Focus to allow all members of the party within Near range of you to communicate with each other as if using Speak to Minds.  Additionally, all members of the Metaconcert take +1 Ongoing on any Aid/Hinder action which affects another member of the Metaconcert.  This link persists until you end it.  Take -1 Ongoing to any INT, WIS, or CHA rolls while the Metaconcert is active.

Synesthesia
While you have Focus, you may use any of your senses as a replacement for another sense.  You can See with your skin, Smell with your ears, or Taste with your eyes.  You are effectively immune to blinding, deafening, or other sensory deprivation unless all five of your senses are neutralized.

Thoughtcaster
The range of your Speak to Minds Move extends to Far.

6-10
Psicrystal Resevoir
Requires: Create Psicrystal
You may draw Focus back out of a psicrystal, one-for-one, with a touch and an act of will.  This does not allow you to have more than your maximum amount of Focus at any on time.

Looks great, Prim! I'm eager to see some of the powers you have planned and learn more about that sub-system. :)

I'm glad you're eager, because I'm not at all sure what I'm doing!  :D

Just doing them like Spells seems to be the easiest/most boring way.

Doing them in a tiered fashion seems limiting...  and limiting.

What I want is for each "Bottom Tier" Power to have several options.  TK lets you make a shield or lift small objects.  And then buying upgrades/augments/new Powers, you increase the potency and variety of your options.  A low level Psychokineticist can pick up rocks and swords and pelt his foes with them... A high level one can pick up a catapult, float in a field of force, or play a lute with only his mind.

The problem I reach is, these are starting just to seem like new Move trees and not "Psionic Powers".  In fact, figuring out how to split up "Moves" and "Powers" is something I've been grappling with this whole time.  It's not cool for the other classes if Psions get cool Moves AND Powers which are just basically extra Moves.

I DO have a cool name for a Biofeedback, upper level power:  Phantom Limb - a target you touch replaces any severed, amputated appendage, with one created out of psychic force.

Perhaps instead of getting more automatically, you need to spend an advance to get more powers (1 advance = 2 or 3 powers?). This solves the "moves and more moves" issue then.

Perhaps each power is (generally, some could be different) a list of options you can invoke (fictional moves, like a druid shapeshifting). Then, for example, you can do this:

Telekinesis: When you invoke telekinesis, hold 3. Spend your hold to:
    - levitate an object you could hold in one hand
    - violently throw an object you're levitating
    - manipulate a simple object (push open a door, knock something over, etc)

Advanced Telekinesis: When you use telekinesis, you can levitate anything up to the size of a person and you can manipulate items of moderate complexity (example).

Greater Telekinesis (Replaces: Advanced Telekinesis): When you use telekinesis, you can levitate anything up to the size of a huge creature and manipulate even complex items at a distance (for example, a musical instrument).


This is just an example building upon your thoughts so far! :)

- AD

Edit: Oh, plus, Phantom Limb is super sweet!

An interesting idea.  Lemme try something similar:

Shaping: When you manifest Shaping, Hold 3.  Spend your Hold to:
-   Create a piece of gear that you can hold with one hand.
-   Create a gallon of unformed ectoplasm
-   Create an astral construct
All items created by Shaping are easily seen to be unreal, composed of psychic energy made manifest.   Shaping cannot create consumable items, such as rations, potions, or books.  You may only have your level in shaped items, ectoplasm, or creatures at any given time.

Ectoplasm is an otherworldly fluid made of raw thought that has the general consistency of saliva.  Ectoplasm evaporates in minutes.

An astral construct is a Hireling with no Cost, a Loyalty of 0, and 1 point in a single Skill.  An astral construct that rolls 6- on a loyalty test vanishes.  An astral construct that rolls 7-9 on a loyalty test completes your last order and then vanishes.

Advanced Construct:  You may spend extra Hold when creating an astral construct.  For each excess point of Hold spent, your Astral Construct gains 2 Skill points which can be split between its Loyalty, Primary Skill, and any Secondary Skills.

Greater Construct:  Requires Advanced Construct.  (Will be like Summon Monster, a starting with a base and adding abilities based on how much Hold you spend)

See, I like this! You might be on a track now...
What can you use ectoplasm for?

See, I like this! You might be on a track now...
What can you use ectoplasm for?

I have no idea!  :D

I needed a third option for Shaping, and creation of ectoplasm is a classic Psion ability....  But I have like 0 uses in mind at this moment for inert ectoplasm besides practical jokes.

It can't be super useful.  Afterall, a Psion can make a nearly infinite supply of it easily.  But it should be able to DO something....

What can you use ectoplasm for?

Please tell me you can bathe in it and then be able to hit a ghost or that its like having a gallon of Buckyballs.

Maybe Ecto is used like a clay to build BIG stuff and is then activated and it crystalizes?

Please tell me you can bathe in it and then be able to hit a ghost or that its like having a gallon of Buckyballs.

That's actually a good idea!  Ectoplasm can touch immaterial things, allowing you to dip your weapons and hands in it and be able to hit such things as if they were material.  This makes a Shaping-capable Psion vital when ghost-busting.

I mean, if it's slippery or sticky those are useful properties in some situations but not exactly *powerful*. Good for trap-making and some other things, though. Can you create ectoplasm inside of other things (IE people, and make them drown)? That'd be nuts.

Edit: Oh, plus, the fey _totally_ use it for currency, right? Except in the fey lands it doesn't evaporate all quick-like.

I mean, if it's slippery or sticky those are useful properties in some situations but not exactly *powerful*. Good for trap-making and some other things, though. Can you create ectoplasm inside of other things (IE people, and make them drown)? That'd be nuts.

Edit: Oh, plus, the fey _totally_ use it for currency, right? Except in the fey lands it doesn't evaporate all quick-like.

You know, that's not a bad idea.  I was avoiding making it slippery/sticky because I didn't want to add ANOTHER layer of mechanics...  and then, just now, I remembered THIS IS DUNGEON WORLD!  "Ectoplasm is extremely slippery" is all the mechanics I really need.

And, of course the fey use it for currency!  :D


Now we're cooking with gas.

It gives so many options for a clever player. Some players might be "Oh, it's slippery? Meh, not too useful.". But of course it can be used:

- To move something heavy more easily
- As a trap
- To slip into tight places
- To maybe open stuck doors
- Etc

Telepathy: When you manifest Telepathy, Hold 3.  Spend your Hold to:
-   Read someone’s surface thoughts.
-   Influence a sentient being’s emotions.
-   Confuse a monster.
When you read someone’s surface thoughts, ask the GM “What is he thinking right now?”  The GM will tell you.

When you influence a sentient being’s emotions, you can push them into a certain state of mind.  This is not a total and unbreakable effect – an enraged swordsman cannot be made to suddenly feel happy and relaxed not can a jovial man be thrown into the throes of suicidal depression in an instant.

When you confuse a monster, roll 1d6 and consult the list below.
-    1:  The monster uses a Move on a target of the GMs choosing.
-   2:  The monster deals its damage to you or an ally.
-   3:  The monster is dazed and does nothing for a few seconds.
-   4:  The monster deals its damage to itself or another enemy.
-   5:  The monster uses a Move on a target of your choosing.
-   6:  The monster flees the battle.

Psychic Bolt:  When you manifest Telepathy, add the following to your list of options.
- Unleash a psychic bolt.  Deal 1d6 Stun damage to an enemy.
Psychic bolts ignore armor, and are most efficacious against sentient beings.  Non-sentient beings have an effective armor of 2 against psychic bolts.

Psychic Barrage  When you unleash a psychic bolt, you may spend one extra hold to hit every enemy in range.

Control a Monster:  You may spend extra Hold when confusing a monster.  For every extra point of Hold you spend, you may make one selection from the list in addition to rolling one random selection. 

Advanced Influence:   Make a statement about the world.  This statement may be true or not.  (“I am your friend”, “Your sword is a snake”, and “These are not the droids you’re looking for”, are all classic examples).  Your target now believes that statement.  The target will not act suicidally (“You can fly!”  “I jump off the… WAIT A MINUTE!”), nor will they continue to believe something that is patently not true (“I am your friend!”  “Oh hey buddy I… WHY DID YOU STAB ME?!  WE ARE NOT FRIENDS ANYMORE!”)