Psionics for Novus - an Overview -- Opinions wanted...

[imported_Rasyr]

Okay, so one of the thing that I am working on is a Psionics system for Novus. I figured that I would lay out the basic structure of what I am intending to get some initial feedback on the idea...

Okay, to first thing is that pions will be grouped in 3 different ways....

Minor Disciplines - the lesser abilities
Major Disciplines - the greater abilities
Paths -- these are groups of Disciplines that fit together into something along the lines of a package deal... some example below:

• Telepath - includes abilities that affect the mind
• Kinetipath - telekinetic abilities
• Pyropath - fire abilities
• Cryopath - cold abilities
• Empath - emotional abilities
• Biopath - abilities involving the body

Classes - There would be a full and a semi psion using class. Each would get xx (and yy, respectively) psi-slots. Each psionic ability would cost a specific number of slots (Paths actually give a break on the slot costs). The psi-user would spend a portion of his slots at first level to gain initial abilities. He would also have an ability to purchase more slots as time progresses (using his Character Points), so that he could gain more abilities as he went up in level.. He would have one or more skills that he can purchase to control his abilities...

Talents - there would be talents that could be bought to gain "slots" to allow for the use of psions, and or talents for the purchase of additional psi points.

Using Psi abilities -- characters will have a small pool of psi points. They are used to activate abilities. Some abilities may be maintained. The activation points are not regained so long as the ability is active (i.e. if a psi ability, such as a shield has a maintenance of 2, then when it is active, he will have 2 less than his total available each round. (these are more like Concentration Points, I would say))


Now, granted, everything is still in flux, as it is still in development, but I was hoping to get some feeback about the direction I am heading...

thanks in advance...

[/list]

[Fidoric]

I am always reluctant to inject psionics in a fantasy setting. I feel they suit sci-if settings better.
Anyway, I find that what you suggest is a very good start. You have to give psionics a different feeling (and rule system) than magics.
I think a skill-based system as you suggest would be a good way to go. What about taking it a bit further and use psionics to either bolster natural abilities (stats and skills) or expand them (giving access to talent-like abilities such as natural attack...).
For example, Telepath could give access to: increase charisma, increase wisdom, detect illusions or lies by expanding perception and special abilities to read or alter minds.

[imported_Rasyr]

Oh, I am heading in those directions.... I haven't formalized anything yet, but I was thinking that direction.....

What I am picturing is something along the following lines:

Say your character has a Will of 15, this would give him a Mental Strength (MS) of 45 (I am still debating between making it 3x Will (for full psi user; 2x fo semi, 1x for non/wild), or of creating a Static number based up type of psion user.

Our psion user is a BioPath, so he focuses mostly on psions that enhance his own body. Combat is coming, so he decides to activate Armor. The TN for this is 18. He rolls a 34. This is 16 points above the TN, so he gets 1 to his AR for beating TN, and the +1 for every 5 points over TN (this also gives him a Boon point), so for a total of +4 to AR, he has to pay 2 MS for base, and +1 MS for every 5 points (or additional +1 to AR), for a total of 5 MS. Our Psion used DOES have the option of activating to a lesser degree (i.e. pulling his punch, as it were), but he cannot activate higher than he rolled. The Boon Point - he can use this to either increase the psi effect by 1 or to decrease the MS cost by 1 - he decides to increase the psi effect.

This means that so long as he has Armor up and running, his MS is reduced to 40.

Our Psion also decided to learn Energy Bolt (outside of his BioPath abilities). This lets him throw what appears to be bolts of electricity. Since this is outside his BioPath, he had to learn a separate skills for using this. So, he rolls and makes his attack, For this, he has to decide how many MS he is putting into before activating it, as this determines the Damage Rating (added to his Will stat bonus to determine Base Damage). Our psion user decide to put 3 MS into it (with his Will stat bonus of +2, that gives  a Base Damage of 5.  He rolls, and hits his target, getting 7 point over foe's DEF, so he does 1 extra point of damage...

Okay, so our psion user is now  down to 37 MS. Each round, he will recover 1 MS, until he is back to 40. He cannot regain those last 5 while using Armor.
However, should he become stunned or unconscious, those psi abilities that he was maintaining will automatically drop. If he is Dazed, then he has to make a save vs Will (TN 15 + # of rounds Dazed) or drop the maintained abilities.  That is unless he has enhanced Armor with another ability that makes the maitenance of the psi subconscious until he deliberately shuts it down (this basically increases the MS cost of a given Psi ability, but cannot be used on all abilities).

[imported_Witchking20k]

Must Digest before posting....new mantra

[Fidoric]

A series of good article have been written for RMSS about Psionics in the Guildcompanion. Have you read them?
http://www.guildcompanion.com/scrolls/2014/jan/psionics09.html

[imported_Rasyr]

Nope, and sorry, but not planning on reading them either... 

I am trying to come up with something that will be distinctly Novus, and not likened back to being based on another system....

besides which, IIRC, Rolemaster psions are basically the same as spell lists, which is not where I want to go.....

[Fidoric]

I agree with you fully. Psions have to be different than spells (and magic in general).
Besides, are you sure you want to make psionicists into professions?  Talent-based psionicists seem more natural to me.

[imported_Rasyr]

Oh, the psions will be very very much liked Talents (individual abilities), but they will be restricted in multiple ways as well, and a Psion class would be a class designed to specifically take advantage of how they are setup....


The Paths are going to be kinda/sorta like "Elemental Controls" and "Multi-Powers" from Champions, in that they are groups of related abilities that allow for more focused characters...

ooh.... and just had a bit of a thought...

magic is skill based - SOOOOO, we do not want psions to be skill based (except where appropriate, such as for attacks that can do physical damage (i.e. where they need to aim).

We can have Psions be Save-based.... Activating a psion requires making an appropriate Save......  Hmm... I am liking this idea the more that I think about it...

[imported_Witchking20k]

I was thinking the exact thing!  Save based makes it more of an "innate" ability- which differentiates it from Spell Casting. 

[imported_Rasyr]

Like I said before... this is definitely a work in progress.... and I do want it to work a bit differently from spells...

the Mental Exhaution thing is more of a measure of how much a psion user can do at 1 time (not an overall measure like spell points), as psion users should be able to maintain certain psions for a given period (also making the psion user choose which he has running since they have no duration except when they have mental energy/concentration focused on them...

[imported_Witchking20k]

I will use a dice pool example to formulate my thoughts; you have 10 Dice in Psionics, to activate Telekinesis is a minimum of 3D, but you can use up to 10D. If you want to activate a second ability your Dice Pool gets penalized by 1 Dice.  So, you want to activate Personal Shield at the same time as Telekinesis: Your Pool is now reduced to 9D,.

Personal Shield Has a minimum of 3 Dice to Activate. Telekinesis has minimum of 3D.  The remaining 3D from your Pisonics can be allocated round to round based on what the Psion wants to do...round 1 the Psion wants to lift a boulder off a comrade why maintaining a Shield to protect against missile fire- he allocates 3D to Shield and 6D to Telekinesis...round two he hurls the boulder at an Ogre- Allocating 6D to Telekinesis and 3D to Shield....round three the Ogre hurls the boulder back, he allocates all 10 Dice to Shield....

Now there is no dice rolling outlined- but I'm just trying to envision a pool of energy being divided up in a game setting...

[imported_Rasyr]

Kinda-sorta

Okay, say our psion user has the following abilities (the number in parenthesis represent the costs for using in a given round)

• Dangersense (4) - warns of danger a round before it happens, Will Save (TN18) to activate
• Mindsense (3) - locates all minds within a 50'; add +1 to cost for each aditional 50'; Will Save (TN20) to activate
• Telekinetic Bolt (5) - bolt does 5 points of Base Damage, range 50'; Will Save (TN15) to activate, use Bolt Skill (Favored) to aim/attack with Bolt
• Inertial Shield (3) - gives +2 to AR; +1 for each additional +1
• Deflection Field (3) - gaives +2 to DEF; +1 for each additional +1

Our psion user has 10 points of Mental Capacity (or Mental Strength or Mental Exhaustion)

So, in a given round, he could have Deflection Field, Mindsense and Dangersense all up and running, but could not use any other abilities as he has no more mental capcity left.

If in combat, he could drop the Danger Sense and Mindsense, only keeping the Deflection Field up, but strengthening it to a +4 to DEF (total MC of 5) and still be able to pummel a foe with his telekinetic bolt (at base damage, and base range)

Now, of course, the above numbers are made up... But the MC costs are within the range I am looking for them to be...The MC total for a given character is likely to be closer to 20 or perhaps 30.
I was also thinking of having some minor penalty, such as not making the MC immediately available upon dropping an ability (perhaps only for the sustained/maintained ones (perhaps increasing the cost by 1 to sustain a sustainable ability) -- for example, upon dropping the Mindsense, our psion user does not have all 3 MC available the next round, he only gets 1 back. the following round he gets another back, and the last back on the third round.

Just an idea, NOT set in stone...[/list]

[Fidoric]

I love that line of thought.
Maybe you can use stat value + bonus (linked to a talent, something like +10 for pure psionist) as MC total?
At the moment you can use as many Psions per day as you want. Maybe you can allow a PC to go beyond his MC but the consequence could be to burn out MC for an extended duration (say if you go 3 points over your MC, your MC goes down 3 points with a 1 point recovery per day).

[imported_Rasyr]

interesting suggestions! 

[imported_Witchking20k]

I think we both envision it working in a very similar fashion. 

My concern is that it makes the Psion really powerful in a group if they can have multiple powers active without penalty.  Also, it doesn't make sense to me not to penalize having multiple abilities active- they all require some sort of concentration- like tossing a ball up and down in one hand, then with the other reaching over to type an email.  It is possible, but both actions would suffer.

Spells should have the advantage of not requiring attention after they are cast- but the disadvantage of requiring attention to cast.  Psionics should be activated easily, but require attention to maintain.  IMO

My vision also makes the Psion very powerful doing one thing- but less powerful doing multiple things because they must spread their ability too thinly to be as effective.

My observation from playing a fair amount of Hero & D6 systems is that you need to make sure their is an inherent advantage/disadvantage trade-off between Magic & Psionics (& priestly abilities too). 

Maybe a +2 TN Penalty to activate additional abilities or something similar?