Psionics (role-playing games)
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Psionics, in role-playing games, is a broad category of fantastic abilities originating from the mind, similar to the paranormal psionic abilities that some people claim in reality.
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[edit] Common features
Psionics are primarily distinguished, in most popular gaming systems, by one or more of the following:
- Magic-like abilities including:
- Telepathy and/or mental domination, and other extrasensory perception
- Telekinesis
- Teleportation
- Illusion
- Time travel and/or manipulation of the flow of time
- "Energy"-based offensive abilities (e.g. pyrokinesis)
- Purely mental offensive abilities with no physical manifestation
- Exclusive or near-exclusive association with highly intelligent beings
- Mental discipline required for training and use
- Lack of arcane ritual, gestures and other typical features of magic
- Lack of physical components required for use
[edit] Systems
The following role-playing game systems present psionics, each in their own way. Often a system will present both magic and psionics. In these cases, psionics is usually defined in terms of its differences from and interactions with the magic system rather than on any specific capabilities. The following are some of the more prominent examples; there are also other variations and systems in use among games.
[edit] Bureau 13
The Bureau 13 system, produced in the 80's and 90's, involved humans hunting down supernatural creatures. Psychic characters were one of the character options that could be optionally rolled to determine. This is one of the few systems that does not attempt to make psionics just a form of 'mind magic', i.e. that doesn't just use magic rules in a psionic context. Powers for magic and psionics are completely separate.
[edit] Champions/Hero System
The Hero System implements a wide variety of mechanical abilities, many of which are compatible with (and often used to build) psionic characters (often referred to as "mentalists" in Champions).
[edit] Dawning Star
The Dawning Star science-fiction setting introduces a modern take on the concept called Red Truth. This is a parallel dimension of pure information that overlays our own. The system itself uses the basic d20 Modern format, modified to comport with the concept. For example, information manipulation is much more viable than matter manipulation, and accessing the dimension can ultimately drive practitioners insane. Red Truth was first introduced in Helios Rising.
[edit] Dungeons & Dragons
The Dungeons & Dragons system provides an extensive set of optional rules for psionic characters in the Expanded Psionics Handbook and Complete Psionic. Psionics in D&D are designed to be on-par with magic, and so cover nearly every mechanical ability that the magic system does, organized into categories reminiscent of the Wizard's schools.
It should be noted that the d20 System, being a de-branded version of the Dungeons & Dragons rules, shares these mechanics for psionics in nearly every detail.
[edit] GURPS
The GURPS system also provides a broad range of psionic abilities, game-balanced with its magic system. In the case of GURPS, categories of ability are “powers”, purchased and refined by the player during character creation.
[edit] Palladium Megaverse
Several of the games published by Palladium Books, most notably Beyond the Supernatural, feature psychic characters. The psychic powers in this universe are powered by Inner Strength Points (or ISP). Beyond the Supernatural (both 1st and 2nd editions) focuses almost exclusively on various forms of psychics, each with differing abilities. The games Heroes Unlimited, Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game and Rifts (role-playing game) also make extensive use of these rules. The basic psionics system does not vary much between each product.
[edit] Paranoia, Gamma World, et al.
In some games (e.g. Paranoia and Gamma World), widespread, radiation-induced genetic mutation is the sole trigger responsible for psionic powers in player characters.
[edit] Star Trek, Star Wars, et al.
Many role-playing games based on popular science fiction settings have at least telepathic powers available to players. Examples include the Psi Corps and other telepathic characters from Babylon 5, Vulcans from Star Trek, and the Jedi from Star Wars all of whom have demonstrated various degrees of psionic abilities ranging from telepathy to telekinesis to mental domination.
[edit] White Wolf
In White Wolf's World of Darkness, Mages often work magic through a paradigm of psionic power. In addition, more ordinary humans in the setting sometimes possess psychic abilities, and these powers and others like them are often referred to as Numina.
In the Trinity Universe, the psions of the Æon Trinity are created from ordinary humans to battle the return of the mutated Aberrants.
[edit] PSI World
A game from the 80's put out by Fantasy Games Unlimited that focused on psionic powers. The player characters were either psi-cops on the hunt for psychics, or they were psychics on the run. Being psychic was illegal in this dystopia. Psionics were the result of a plague that nearly wiped out humans.
[edit] Silver Cord
Another game that focuses on psionic powers and has no rules for magic. Silver Cord
