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Old 12-18-2015, 06:34 AM   #11
Prince Charon
 
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Default Re: [Psionics] Pulp Psi-Phi

Skills

Alchemy/TL5^ & Herb Lore/TL4^, in the absence of powers like Psychography and Astral Binding, above (or other abilities, triggered by using these skills, or by items created with them), provide a semi-reliable understanding of psychobotanics and similar psi-drugs (see 'Old Time Psi,' GURPS Psionic Campaigns, p5 boxed text). This is done at a penalty of -5 to find or invent a preparation that both works and is useful for your purpose (as opposed to poison or useless filler), in addition to other factors, like Complexity (if inventing) or working conditions. The penalty does not apply to recipes that have already been established to work, if you know of them. Poisons is a Complementary Skill.

Area Knowledge (Astral) covers both the Inner Astral Plane, and interesting or dangerous locations in the Outer Astral Plane (areas of persistent Psi Static, places with strong or weak barriers (see Astral Travel under New, Modified, or Unavailable Abilities, above), haunted houses, homes of important or interesting Astral psis, et cetra). For individuals with Astral Sight or Astral Travel, and some with Spirit Communication, regional Area Knowledge includes knowledge of the Outer Astral Plane in that region.

Autohypnosis & Meditation are nearly always Complementary Skills for psi abilities, even if not used as trigger skills. Being unable to use one or both as Complementary Skills for your psi abilities counts as a quirk if you have either or both skills, or a feature if you have neither.

Current Affairs (Psionics) can be considered a combination of psi-specialized versions of CA (Headline News), CA (People), and CA (Science & Technology). You know about recent discoveries, Who's Who among the more powerful or effective psis and psychical researchers, and what major incidents are ongoing or recently occurred.

Dreaming is used as a triggering skill for a number of abilities, primarily Dream Control (of course), Astral Projection, and Telepathy, and sometimes Psychic Healing or Probability Alteration; one fairly common ability triggered by Dreaming is Spirit Communication. Psychics who use Dreaming for active abilities often use Fortune-Telling (Oneiromancy) as a triggering skill for sensory and divinatory powers.

Esoteric Medicine comes in a wide range of required specialties, any of which may be used as a triggering skill. In the absence of powers, these skills vary from 'not as good as Physician/TL6^, but noticeably better than First Aid' to 'about as good as First Aid in the short term, but detrimental to the medium- or long-term health of both the patient and the healer,' generally depending as much on what's being treated as on which tradition is being used. Unless the GM determines otherwise, Esoteric treatments should average to 'about as good as First Aid.'

Fortune-Telling specialties make good trigger skills, not only for sensory and divinatory abilities, but for Probability Alteration and other powers, as well: though rather less common, it is certainly possible to use tools like tarot cards or sacred dice for active abilities. Generally, using Fortune-Telling to trigger an active ability involves working backwards, by choosing the cards, dice, or whichever for the intended result. Ritual Magic and Symbol Drawing are Complementary Skills for some specialties.

Hidden Lore specialties include Psis, Spirits, Astral, Faeries, Demons, Angels, Ultraterrestrials, and specific conspiracies or practices, like Freemason Lore or Qabala Lore. While Faeries, Demons, Angels, and Ultraterrestrials are all spirits, and spirits are all astral entities, the various specializations do cover different areas: each group has its own society or societies, while Spirit Lore covers spirits in general, and especially those that do not fit in the other categories, and Astral Lore is more environmental, covering the secrets of the Astral Plane, not specifically its denizens. Note the distinction that Hidden Lore refers to matters that are obscure, as opposed to skills like History, Current Affairs, or Area Knowledge, which cover things that anyone may have access to.

Pharmacy (Psi)/TL6^ is a skill in development, and is currently quite limited, only covering the small number of psi-drugs that have not only been found to work, but have been properly studied, refined, and synthesized in a laboratory. This is a new science, and is poorly understood. GMs may wish to set a maximum skill level, or number of points that can be spent on it (e.g. limiting it to skill 9, or to one point, or even to being part of a Dabbler perk). The GM should look through Psi-Tech (and perhaps Ultra-Tech & Bio-Tech), and make a list of which psi-drugs or other unusual chemicals are currently available.

Ritual Magic and Symbol Drawing may be used as triggering skills, or to analyze the triggers or attuned items of those who use the same style or lexicon, but have no power on their own. They sometimes are used by stage magicians or con artists to assist them in faking powers, though. There is little point in purchasing specific symbols in this setting, but Paths and Books may be available if the GM wishes. If so, they should be treated as specialized social skills, with the rituals being fairly standard contracts that, depending on the spirit's Reaction Roll, may need a little negotiation (they should not be treated as spells, in other words).

Weird Science/TL6^ covers a wide range of fringe theories in this setting, none of which are so developed as to require specialization. It works well as a triggering skill, and is the basis for most 'psychotronic' devices. In the absence of power, it may be completely useless beyond analyzing the works of other psychics who use Weird Science, or it might be of limited use on its own, if the GM feels that some fringe theories have a basis in (this) reality.


Thoughts?
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Old 12-19-2015, 12:24 PM   #12
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Default Re: [Psionics] Pulp Psi-Phi

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Originally Posted by johndallman View Post
Historically, not at all. He was far more into high society, art, aeroplanes and uniforms; secret gatherings with weird people were really not his thing.

However, if the occult will get him power or wealth, he'll be all over it.
It would be a while before it would be clear that this would be the case, though he'd certainly know by 'now.' Perhaps the Thule Geselschaft would switch horses in 1932?
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-- Tacitus

Five Earths, All in a Row. Updated 12/17/2022: Apocrypha: Bridges out of Time, Part I has been posted.
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Old 12-19-2015, 12:57 PM   #13
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Default Re: [Psionics] Pulp Psi-Phi

Martial Arts

In the default version of this setting, Cinematic skills and techniques are either replaced by appropriate psi abilities, or treat them as prerequisites (with the motions serving as triggers). Trained by a Master and Weapon Master are not available (unless the GM really wants them to be; see Harmony with the Way, above). Some Cinematic abilities, like Initial Carving, simply require Adjustment with the Cinematic Martial Arts Only limitation, above, while others require something more specific. Add Special Exercises perks to these styles, to learn the necessary abilities.

Some skills and techniques below list specific abilities, while others only list powers. For the latter, choose the best fit, or create a new ability for the purpose. Not all styles will base the same skills or techniques on the same abilities (e.g one style might base Kiai off of Mental Blow, another off of Confuse, and a third off of a modified TK Crush).

Skills

Blind Fighting: ESP or Telepathy
Body Control: Psychic Healing or Psychometabolism
Breaking Blow: Adjustment, ESP, or PK
Flying Leap: Levitation or new PK ability
Hypnotic Hands: Suggestion or Emotion Control
Invisibility Art: Photorefraction, Mind Clouding, or Sensory Control
Kiai: Mental Blow, Confuse, or a similar Affliction or Innate Attack
Light Walk: PK
Lizard Climb: PK, Psychic Healing, or Psychometabolism
Power Blow: PK, Psychic Healing, or Psychometabolism
Precognitive Parry: Combat Sense
Pressure Points & Pressure Secrets: Psychic Healing or Biokinesis
Push: PK
Sensitivity: ESP
Throwing Art: Adjustment or PK
Zen Archery: Adjustment or PK


Techniques

Backbreaker: Adjustment, Psychic Healing, or Biokinesis
Binding: Adjustment or PK
Dual-Weapon Attack: Adjustment
Dual-Weapon Defense: Adjustment
Fighting While Seated: Adjustment
Flying Jump Kick or Flying Lunge: Adjustment or PK
Grand Disarm: PK
Hand Catch: Adjustment or PK
Hand-Clap Parry: Adjustment or PK
Initial Carving: Adjustment
Lethal Kick or Lethal Strike: Adjustment, Psychic Healing, or Biokinesis
Piledriver: Adjustment
Pole-Vault Kick: Adjustment or PK
Pressure-Point Strike: Psychic Healing or Biokinesis
Roll with Blow: Adjustment or PK
Snap Weapon: PK
Springing Attack: PK
Timed Defense: Combat Sense
Whirlwind Attack: Adjustment or PK


Thoughts?
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Warning, I have the Distractible and Imaginative quirks in real life.

"The more corrupt a government, the more it legislates."
-- Tacitus

Five Earths, All in a Row. Updated 12/17/2022: Apocrypha: Bridges out of Time, Part I has been posted.
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Old 12-19-2015, 01:44 PM   #14
johndallman
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Default Re: [Psionics] Pulp Psi-Phi

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Originally Posted by Prince Charon View Post
It would be a while before it would be clear that this would be the case, though he'd certainly know by 'now.' Perhaps the Thule Geselschaft would switch horses in 1932?
If they can cure his wife's tuberculosis in 1930-31, he'll be very favourably inclined to them.
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Old 12-19-2015, 03:17 PM   #15
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Default Re: [Psionics] Pulp Psi-Phi

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Originally Posted by Prince Charon View Post
It would be a while before it would be clear that this would be the case, though he'd certainly know by 'now.' Perhaps the Thule Geselschaft would switch horses in 1932?
I would think Himmler would be better suited to a world where his ideas were actually the case, and better positioned to take advantage of these powers.

As the architect and overseer of the death camps, the SS and Race and Resettlement office, I think Himmler would be a great leader of this timeline's Germany. The fact that his ideas were right, if based on psi instead of ... whatever he thought powered them... gives Himmler a huge boost of confidence. Not that he needed it. He is the evil mad scientist put in charge of everything.

Goering et. al. might be working to get control out from under him, and that might lead to some unlikely allies for player characters.
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Old 12-19-2015, 04:43 PM   #16
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Default Re: [Psionics] Pulp Psi-Phi

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I would think Himmler would be better suited to a world where his ideas were actually the case, and better positioned to take advantage of these powers.

As the architect and overseer of the death camps, the SS and Race and Resettlement office, I think Himmler would be a great leader of this timeline's Germany. .
Have you looked at some pictures of him?

https://images.search.yahoo.com/sear...Himmler&fr=w3i

Sure I can buy him being the one really in charge. But the party needs a...different face when it's on the way up to deal with the public.
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Old 12-20-2015, 01:12 AM   #17
Drifter
 
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Default Re: [Psionics] Pulp Psi-Phi

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Originally Posted by David Johnston2 View Post
Have you looked at some pictures of him?

https://images.search.yahoo.com/sear...Himmler&fr=w3i

Sure I can buy him being the one really in charge. But the party needs a...different face when it's on the way up to deal with the public.
Sure he looks like Wally Cox and Harry Reid could take his lunch money. But lots of evil leaders weren't/aren't very imposing. Hitler himself wasn't much more than Himmler, except when he was giving a speech. Then again I've never seen Himmler give a speech. Its the banality of evil, they look like middle aged bankers playing at army-men, dressed up in their cos-play uniforms and medals. In reality they were as evil as anything we can imagine.
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Old 12-20-2015, 02:39 AM   #18
David Johnston2
 
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Default Re: [Psionics] Pulp Psi-Phi

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Originally Posted by Drifter View Post
Sure he looks like Wally Cox and Harry Reid could take his lunch money. But lots of evil leaders weren't/aren't very imposing. Hitler himself wasn't much more than Himmler, except when he was giving a speech. Then again I've never seen Himmler give a speech. Its the banality of evil, they look like middle aged bankers playing at army-men, dressed up in their cos-play uniforms and medals. In reality they were as evil as anything we can imagine.
Ridiculous moustache aside if you look at the images for Hitler, rather than looking like someone could take his lunch money, he looks like someone who doesn't know karate but does know karazy.

https://images.search.yahoo.com/sear...3i&fr2=piv-web

I would steer clear of a man with those eyes. Himmler on the other hand, easy to underestimate.
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Old 12-20-2015, 12:09 PM   #19
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Default Re: [Psionics] Pulp Psi-Phi

For a cross-time adventure, Centrum would probably be interested in learning more from this timeline about psionics (something they can wrap their heads around, as opposed to magic). And they wouldn't have Homeline's natural aversion to working with Nazis.

This could set up the Centrum-Nazi team-up that Infinity has always feared. Or it could be a feint by Centrum, to play on the 'irrational' fear Secundus has of Nazis, while Centrum is actually learning from English and American psychics.
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Old 12-21-2015, 12:39 PM   #20
Prince Charon
 
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Default Re: [Psionics] Pulp Psi-Phi

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Originally Posted by fchase8 View Post
For a cross-time adventure, Centrum would probably be interested in learning more from this timeline about psionics (something they can wrap their heads around, as opposed to magic). And they wouldn't have Homeline's natural aversion to working with Nazis.

This could set up the Centrum-Nazi team-up that Infinity has always feared. Or it could be a feint by Centrum, to play on the 'irrational' fear Secundus has of Nazis, while Centrum is actually learning from English and American psychics.
That would be an interesting plot, IMHO.

EDIT: Sorry about that. Actual new content in next post.
__________________
Warning, I have the Distractible and Imaginative quirks in real life.

"The more corrupt a government, the more it legislates."
-- Tacitus

Five Earths, All in a Row. Updated 12/17/2022: Apocrypha: Bridges out of Time, Part I has been posted.

Last edited by Prince Charon; 12-22-2015 at 11:20 AM.
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