The Deryni were first of the awakened to have any form of supernormal powers. And they called it magic and their practitioners sorcerers or adepts. Some of what they could accomplish was called spellcasting. There was no better name for it at the time and many continue to use those terms today. Even though some are calling what the Deryni can do Psionics and the practitioners still are called adepts in some circles and mentalists or mindwalkers in others.
Psionics are mental powers. They require little else but a thought and the application of the adept’s Willpower to preform feats of mind magic. This power, since it comes from the mind, is inherent to the individual. And is governed by the presence of the Secondary Attribute of Psi.
All characters can be categorized as some form of Psionic.
- A non-Psionic has no psionic ability of any kind. But can be affected by psionics. There is no cost to be a non-Psionic.
- A latent Psionic has the Psi Attribute, no other psionic talent other than the possibility of some form of rudimentary mental shielding. This costs buying the Psi Attribute from nothing up to Fair at character creation.
- A wild-talent Psionic has the Psi Attribute at Mediocre or higher and has ranks in 1 Psionic Talent. This costs 1 Gift and ignores any other prerequisites for the chosen Psionic talent.
- A full Psionic has the Psi Attribute at Fair or higher and is able to acquire all Psionic Talents and Gifts. This costs 2 Gifts.
In addition to the 4 types of psionic characters above there is another type of psionic character. The anti-Psionic.
An anti-Psionic character falls into 2 types:
- Some king of alien physiology that are immune to any form of Telepathic contact and some Clairsentient talents as well.
- A wild-talent Psionic that is broadcasting psychic static at an uncontrolled level.
Psionic Talents
These
are the collective skills and gifts of psionic characters. They are organized along several lines depending on the tradition of the adept.
Arcane Lore – Not a power, but this training unlocks other powers available to an Adept. This skill is the basics in understanding Psionics and unlocking its secrets.
Blocking (H, Blocking Gift) – This skill allows you to block an Adept’s power, essentially removing it.
Body Control* – This skill allows an Adept to reduce the effects of heat or cold, hunger or thirst, ensuring restful sleep for themselves or others. Including such feats as slower breathing, controlled heart rate, controlled body temperature, control bleeding, ignoring injuries.
Energy Augmentation – With Rapport one can draw energy from another.
Fatigue-Banishing – With Arcane Lore, fatigue can be pushed away for a time.
Inducing Sleep – This enables the Adept to allow themselves sleep or make others sleep.
Death-Triggers – An Adept can be sure that their secrets go to the grave with them. If their Shields are penetrated death will happen scrambling the memories of the Adept.
Enhance Attribute – A temporary boost to one’s physical Attributes. Arcane Lore is needed to unlock this aspect.
Life Extension – Preventing the negative affects of aging for just 30 days. Arcane Lore is needed to unlock this aspect.
Burst of Speed (Body Control: Good) – Increasing one’s speed of movement for a short time.
Casting* – This skill allows an Adept to “cast” their senses around them to gather information not readily apparent to the normal five senses. Casting can identify a person on the other side of a door, find hidden things, sense poison, or “sweep” an area for signs of danger. Casting can also detect psionic/magical workings, signs of life, and similar energy-based signs. One can also “read” an object, gaining impressions of its history.
Healing (H, Healing Gift) – This skills allows the Adept to heal the physical wounds of themselves or others. Some Adepts are able to use this power to harm.
Mind Control (H) – This skill allows an Adept to control the minds of others. Implanting suggestions, compulsions, or even altering memories.
Mind Reading*– The second most feared skill of an Adept. The ability to read the thoughts of others. When this is done with force it is called Mind-Ripping and can cause harm. And this skill can be used to read the mind of the recently deceased as well.
Mind Speech (Telepathy)* – You can speak with another Adapt mind to mind. Used with Mind Reading, Mind Speech allows you to establish Rapport with another mind.
Telemechanics – This little understood aspect allows for Mind Speech with machines. Arcane Lore is required to unlock this ability.
Move Objects (H) – You can move objects with a thought.
Blade Lock (Move Objects: Good) – This feat was developed by the Anadari Knights and is rarely taught outside of that order. It will bind 2 objects together for a short period of time making them immobile. Mainly used to prevent an opponent from drawing a weapon out of its scabbard.
Deflecting Arrows – This can either move an arrow towards a target or away from one.
Heart Stopping – Arcane Lore teaches a technique for using Move Objects to kill. The Adept reaches out and “clutches” the victim’s heart causing a fatal heart attack.
Open Locks – Guided by Casting the Adept is able to move the tumblers in a lock without the need of a key.
Shields*– Mental Shields are the primary defense against unwanted intrusions to the mind. This skill allows the Adept to raise or lower their shields, flare them for visual effect, and strengthen them against attack.
Psychic Static (H, no default) – A special use of Shields extending them into the surrounding area and causing a “white noise” effect for any Adept in the area that must overcome the static in order to use any of their abilities. This is treated as a separate skill from Shields and can never exceed one’s rank in that skill.
Spellcasting (H) – This is a set of particular applications of psionic power for desired effects. And are divided into Basic, Advanced, and Individual categories.
Basic Spells
Activation – A proper application of Mind Speech or Casting. Sometimes its just proximity to a psionic mind.
Attack – An Adept can channel pure psychic energy against an enemy.
Attunement – This application of psionic power allows an Adept to imbue items or weapons with power of their own.
Conjury – This has 2 aspects. The creation of illusions that are believable and the summoning of small real objects.
Flame Conjuring – The creation of fire to light candles, a torch, a fireplace. Increasing those flames or decreasing those flames.
Handfire – The creation of light, nothing more. No heat, generally about the size of a small ball cupped in one’s hand.
Warding – The creation of a protective barrier of psychic energy for containment, protection, or both.
Advanced Spells – all require Arcane Lore
Electrokinesis – One advantage of this power allows the Adept to create and direct electrical discharges from any near by power sources. Even directing lighting bolts from a storm.
Erase Signature (Psi: Good) – The Adept is able to remove the psychic signature left behind.
Preservation (Healing Gift) – This prevents a dead body from decaying.
Scrying (Remote Viewing) – This is casting out much further than the usual range of Casting allows.
Shape-Changing – This is altering one’s appearance to appear as someone else. Far more permanent than mere illusion and it is limited to something of the same size and mass.
Sympathetic Magic – As above, so below. Causing weather conditions to change is a primary example of this application of psychic force. This cannot create impossible effects but they can be improbable.
Individual Spells (H, no default) – all learned as individual skills.
Astral Projection (Psi: Good) – Scrying is a lesser form of this powerful application of power. This will allow the spirit to leave the body and move anywhere. There are dangers entering the Astral however.
Binding Souls – This is binding the souls of the deceased, generally to their own bodies or places of death. It is considered to be a terrible act of torment.
Create Transfer Portal – This has its roots in Attunment but is far more powerful as it allows for the focal point of a Transfer Portal to come into existence.
Endowment (Power Assumption) – This allows an Adept to bring a non-psionic into a full psionic. Generally done within the confines of a Ritual due to the amount of energy required.
Phase (Akashic Gift) – This allows the Adept to shift out of phase with the physical world. And walk through solid matter.
Sidestep (Akashic Gift) – A specific application of power devised by the Anadari Knight Master Bindar to bypass a Warded circle as if it wasn’t there.
Summoning – The art of calling creatures or worse.
The Forbidden Spell – This act of power is meant to cheat death and is related to binding souls.
Transfer Essence (Psi: Good) – This allows an Adept another way of cheating death and is considered to be most vile. As this allow the Adept to have his soul enter the body of another and overshadow the soul within.
Unseen Presence – This allows the Adept to vanish from sight and not be seen but still maybe detected by other means.
Truth Reading* – This skill allows the Adept to determine if someone is lying. It does not detect half-truths, lies of omission, and similar forms of deception.