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Old 04-22-2010, 07:44 AM   #6
Turhan's Bey Company
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Default Re: Psionics in 4th Ed: I'm not getting it...

In 4e, psi isn't an entirely separate batch of abilities with their own extra-special set of rules. Rather, GURPS has a bunch of generically described advantages (mind-reading, flight, setting fires, healing, flight, etc.), to which certain modifications may be made to reflect that a they're provided by psionic abilities, as oppose to magic or technology (which may have their own special modifications). That is, a character doesn't have, say, "psi healing" so much as she has "healing" with a batch of psi-related limitations and enhancements.

So, then, to be a psi, you start by deciding which advantages you want to have. The Psionics chapter in the Basic Set suggests some groupings of related advantages you may want to buy to play a particular kind of psi. See, for example, "PK Abilities" or "Telepathy Abilities." When you buy advantages off of those lists as psi powers, you need to buy them with the listed -10% limitation, indicating that they're vulnerable to things that limit psionic abilities. Depending on what you and your GM decide on, there may be additional limitations which you will apply to your psi advantages.

You may, but are not required to, buy a Talent related to your bundle of psi abilities. Telepathy talent provides a bonus to the abilities in the telepathy bundle, PK talent to abilities in the PK bundle, and so on. The talent gives a bonus to attribute or skill rolls you need to use your psi abilities.

And what attribute/skill rolls do you need to make? That's where you go back and look at the underlying advantages. Some advantages require specific rolls to activate or use. Some do not. However, unlike earlier editions, there won't necessarily be specific skills associated with each advantage.
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