PSYCHIC POWERS
The use of psychic powers is encompassed by the term
psionics. Individual creatures capable of employing such powers are described as psychic
or as psykers. There are, of course, countless other names applied to these creatures
(some rather derisory). Within human society they may be called witches, warlocks,
telepaths and so on.
Some psykers are more powerful than others, this is
reflected in their psychic level. There are four grades, each corresponding to a
progressively more powerful individual.
It would be possible to imagine psykers of even greater
powers than those encompassed by level 4 - the Emperor of the Imperium is an individual of
that rank, and many psykers believe the voids of warp-space to be populated by comparable
entities.
Unlike WFRP, to use psychic powers you don't need those
ludicrous spell ingredients, the magic points system and those silly pointed hats. I can't
remember the amount of times I've had to keep an eye on PC wizards' power levels! We all
know they fiddle the odd magic point here and there! This psychic system is a lot easier
and quicker and a lot more enjoyable because a psyker risks the perils of the warp every
time he uses a power. Psychic powers are not as dramatic as magic spells, with the
possible exception of the level 4 powers, but they fit in with the new technological age
making psykers extremely useful - and dangerous.
THE WARP
Every day spaceships race through warp space, braving the
storms and currents of energy to maintain the fragile Imperium of mankind. Only the most
senior functionaries of the Imperium are aware of the true nature of the warp, and even
these wise and learned men realise that their understanding is severely limited. The warp
is an alternate dimension that coexists with the material universe. Though it is formed
from pure energy, it too has its inhabitants; voracious beings who would consume the
material universe to feed their hunger.
Some know the warp as the void or the Realm of Chaos, for
it is here that the dark gods of Chaos hold their court and exercise their absolute,
unbridled power over their innumerable subjects as the whim takes them. Others know it as
the Sea of Souls and these perhaps understand it best of all, for every creature in the
material universe also has an existence in the warp, a spirit-self or soul. With the death
of its physical body, the soul of a mortal creature is cast adrift in the limitless sea of
energy. Eventually the souls of all but the strongest are drawn to the Chaos gods to feed
their lusts. There are points where the material universe and the warp cross over, giving
the daemons access to the mortal world, but most are well known physical locations like
the Eye of Terror. Far more insidious are the embryonic gateways that lurk in the minds of
every psyker.
PSYKERS
The souls of mortal creatures stir currents and waves in
the energies of the warp. A few, the very strongest, can draw energy from the warp into
the material universe. With experience they can give form and purpose to the raw power of
the warp, reading minds, sending mental images or messages, locating people or objects,
seeing into the future or the past and so on. These psykers are often trained by the
Imperium to serve mankind in a myriad of ways. Some become Astropaths who speak between
the stars, others fuel the great beacon of the Astronomican, others are granted the honour
of sacrificing their souls to the Emperor.
With further training or greater experience, the strongest
psykers can wield the energy of the warp in ever more potent ways. They can transport
creatures at will, or project their image to give a false position of their location.
Psykers such as these serve the military forces and support ordinary troops on the
battlefield with their extraordinary abilities.
Even the strongest psyker is at risk from the daemonic
entities in the warp. Just as a psyker can draw energy from the warp into the material
universe so he can draw daemons too. Sometimes the power of Chaos corrupts the psyker
gradually, tainting his mind with alien ideas and motivations. Sometimes a daemon is
strong enough to possess a psyker's body and launch itself screaming with triumph into the
material universe to wreak havoc.
USING PSYCHIC POWERS
Psykers use the power of the warp to cast psychic powers.
There are no magic points associated with psykers or psychic powers, it is how mentally
adept a psyker is at manipulating the psychic energy that is important. Using high level
psychic powers can be dangerous as the energy used for such an ability lights up the warp
like a beacon, attracting the hungry daemons towards the source of the power. Even failing
to use a low level psychic power might attract a daemon to the psyker's presence. Mentally
adept and trained psykers will be able to use most of their powers without the fear of
something unexpected happening.
THE
PSYCHIC FORCE TEST
Psyker's have to control the psychic energy to use their
powers, failure to do so might mean that something terrible happens, or he simply fails.
To establish a psyker's Force level add the character's Intelligence characteristic to the
Will Power. Once you have done that divide the result by 2 and add to that number the
psyker's level multiplied by 5, for example a level 2 Adeptus Psyker has Int 55 and WP 45,
adding them both together comes to 100, dividing this by 2 comes to 50, plus 10 (because
of his level 2 mastery) giving a Force level of 60 - a very respectable level. However
this can be modified by the level of psychic power he wishes to use.
As the character increases in mental competence and
mastery, his manipulation of the warp becomes much easier and he can use many powers
without the risk of daemonic possession. However, even a high level psyker is not safe
from the perils of the warp should he fail to cast a powerful psychic ability.
USING
HIGH LEVEL PSYCHIC POWERS
Controlling the stronger warp currents needed to use the
more powerful psychic powers, can be difficult for weak minded individuals. Therefore
there are penalties for a psyker wanting to use a high level power. Casting a level 2
power incurs a penalty of -10 to the Force test, level 3 a penalty of -20 and casting a
level 4 power incurs a penalty of -30.
TAKING
POWERS FOR GRANTED
Although there are no energy levels associated with using
psychic powers, there is a danger of using these powers too many times in a short period
of time. The tides of psychic energy are constantly changing, but as soon as they are
concentrated into a psychic power it is as if a flare were lit in the warp. This acts as a
beacon for warp entities to rush to. The concentration needed to control the warp drains a
lot of energy from the psyker, causing them to tire. Successive castings of powers then
becomes harder to perform.
The number of times that a psyker can use his unique
abilities, without suffering penalties, depends on his level of mastery. Use the table
below to determine whether a power is successfully utilised
| 1st level psykers can use their powers three
times a day without extra penalties to the Force test. Each subsequent casting of a power
means that the Force tests are made with a penalty of -5 each time. |
| 2nd level psykers can use level 1 powers five
times a day and level 2 powers three times a day without extra penalties.
Subsequent castings have a penalty of -5 to each Force test roll. So a fourth level 2
casting will have a penalty of -15 to the Force test, a fifth at -20 and so on. |
| 3rd level psykers can use level 1 powers
any number of times a day without extra penalties. Level 2 powers may be cast five
times a day and level 3 powers may be cast three times a day. Subsequent
castings have a penalty of -5 to each Force test roll. So a fourth level 3 casting will
have a penalty of -25 to the Force test, a fifth at -30 and so on. |
| 4th level psykers can use level 1 and
level 2 powers any number of times a day without extra penalties. Level 3 powers may be
cast five times a day and level 4 powers may be cast three
times a day. Each subsequent casting of level 4 powers has an additional penalty of -10 to
the Force test roll. So a fourth casting of a level 4 power will have a penalty of -40 to
the Force test. |
The above restrictions only apply for a day
and after the psyker has rested he may use powers the next day starting from scratch.
USING POWERS UNSUCCESSFULLY
Using psychic powers is a very dangerous business as it
might alert the daemons that live in warp space. Every time a Force test is failed roll a
D100 and consult the following table to see what happens.
FORCE
FLUX TABLE
| 01-40 |
Psyker could not concentrate properly due to
outside distractions. Character may try again next round. |
| 41-60 |
Psyker has encountered some particularly
difficult currents of warp energy. Character may try again next round but with an
additional -10 penalty to the Force test. |
| 61-70 |
Psyker suffers from a minor flux in the warp.
Character is unable to use his psychic powers for another D6x10 minutes. |
| 71-80 |
Psyker suffers from a strong flux in the warp
which makes it impossible for the character to use any psychic power for D6 hours. |
| 81-89 |
Psyker experiences a major flux in the warp as
some daemons weaken the character's link to the warp. This makes it impossible for the
psyker to use any psychic powers for D12+12 hours. |
| 90-93 |
The psyker's soul is found by daemons in the
Eye of Terror. They gibber and laugh at him as they wrestle with his soul. As a result the
character cannot use any psychic powers for D4 days and must pass a Force
test at the end of that duration or permanently lose one random psychic power. |
| 94-97 |
The psyker completely underestimates a
particularly strong current of warp energy and is consumed by it. The psyker is not killed
but is trapped in the warp for D6 days. After that time has elapsed, he returns to the
material world D6 miles away from his original location. After this experience the psyker
must pass a Cl test or gain 2D6 insanity points and must also pass a Force
test or lose 10 points of Int and Cl permanently. |
| 98-00 |
The psyker's (mis)use of the psychic power
lights up the warp like a beacon. Daemons of Chaos, and other hideous entities, flock to
this sudden tear in reality where they gleefully grasp the terrified psyker and pull him
into the warp and his spirit is consumed. Cruel GMs will have the psyker possessed by a
Daemon of Chaos! |
PSYCHIC POWERS
To learn a psychic power, it is advisable to find a tutor.
This won't be a problem for Adeptus Psykers or the equivalent, but for Renegade Psykers it
will be very difficult to find someone willing to teach them. In this case it is likely
that the psyker will try to concentrate on a new power, spending days trying to hone the
skill. This is not without great risks: the psyker could be tried for witchcraft and burnt
at the stake, if lucky, they could be visited by the Inquisition, or worse, if a daemon of
the warp discovers the fledgling psyker.
PSYCHIC
POWER EXPERIENCE POINTS COSTS
Learning a psychic power requires a character to roll equal
to or under his Force level using a D100. A failed test means that the power is
not learnt and half the experience points expended are wasted.The experience points costs
depends on the psychic power to be learnt: a level 1 power will cost 100 experience
points, level 2 will cost 200 points, level 3 will cost 300 points and level 4 powers cost
400 experience points to learn.
If the psyker is learning a new power without the guidance
of another psyker then the risks are great. The character must roll equal to or under half
of their Force level. A failed test means that something terrible has happened,
with the fate to be determined by the GM depending on the degree of failure. Failure by a
small margin means that the psyker is probably distracted and needs a few weeks on their
own to learn the power, whereas failure by a large margin leads to a fate worse than death
as the psyker is consumed body and soul by a vile warp entity. A failed test means that
the experience points are wasted in all cases! |