Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

Some of the powers in this pdf are mind boggling to me maybe i just haven't
digested it yet but i want to get a good handle on it before i try and use it.


1st

Divination - combat sense

It says that you're defense bonus is equal your success margin but then it
says that further levels increase your defense bonus. I don't get it. Does
the additional bonus add to your bonus after you make the roll, so if you
suceed by 2 but you have combat sense 3 your total bonus is equal to 5?


Statistics: Combat Reflexes (Active defense and “freeze”
benefits only, -20%; ESP, -10%; Requires IQ Roll, -10%) [9] +
Danger Sense (Only to detect surprise attacks, -20%; Based on
IQ, +20%) [15]. Further levels add Defense Bonus (ESP, -10%;
Requires IQ Roll, -10%) [24/level]. Defense Bonus is a metatrait
from GURPS Supers (p. 34).

2nd

Autoteleport

Additional levels increase range but on the teleportation modifiers it lists all
distances. I'm assuming that you have to buy the increased distance before
you can teleport that far regardless of penalties and prep?


3rd

General. Alot of techniques cost 2 FP. So i assume that using the base
power w/o technique costs 0 FP?

4th

Power design.

How did the author use the GURPS powers rules to factor in skill
penalties/modifiers to the total costs of powers?


5th

I want to design a psionically manifested energy sword. I was surprised that
psionic powers didn't cover it.

there are the modifiers melee attack(p20) but that is touch only, and the
limitation weaponized(p21) but that seems to only translate a ranged attack
to a touch (C) attack.


An energy sword would be a C,1 attack and i don't see anything like this.

EDIT: Maybe something moderately based on Astral Sword? But Would it fall
under psychokinesis?

EDIT: What about the rules in powers for buying a power tree where you purchase one advantage and then get a discount on subsequent related advantages? Could a player purchase Divination Combat sense and then get disounts on purchasing prognostication and retrocognition claiming that they are all parts of the same identical power?

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

The margin of success only matters when you want to use more than one active defense in a turn... your bonus will always equal your levels in Combat Sense.

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

oh i see, your bonus is equal to your combat sense, your margin of success determines how many times you that turn you get that bonus. Thanks.

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

Your level alone determines the bonus to your active defenses. The Margin of success is the number of active defenses you may apply the bonus to in a turn.Yes. It is easier to make a short hop than a long one regardless of your maximum range.Unless otherwise stated, yes. They are inspired and based on Power Techniques and Temporary Enhancements (GURPS Powers,
pp. 162 and 172).Well, penalties and modifiers always occur, you'll have to be more specific there. The addition of a skill is (I think) a zero point feature that's part of the "PSI" Power source. It balances the disadvantage of needing a skill with the benefit of being able to improve it easilyWhat do you want it to do? for pure damage, this is easy to do...Are you referring to Alternative Abilities? If so, sure! They're just different ways of using your ESP. Just keep in mind you have to use a ready maneuver to change which "channel" your power is set to. (remember, passive abilities are worthless if they're not the ready ability!)

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

Well, I apologize for any mental boggling, but I'll be more than happy to offer my unboggling skills to make up for it. :)

Exactly. If I have Autoteleport 7, I can choose to teleport any distance up to 500 yards. I have to look up that distance on the Teleportation Modifiers table and take the penalty. So if I wanted to go 80 yards, I'd be at -2 to skill. But I can't go more than 500 yards, no matter how much of a penalty I'm willing to accept, without using Extra Effort (p. 7).

And the penalties don't change at all when your power level changes. If I buy my Autoteleport up to level 12, I'm still at the same -2 penalty to jump 80 yards. But now I have the option of taking a -8 penalty to jump from the USA to China -- something I couldn't do at power level 7. (This means that, as you raise your Autoteleport power level, it's just as important to improve your skill, since jumping farther distances means accepting greater skill penalties.)

Since none of the rules in Chapter One mention spending FP for non-Getting-Tricky uses of psi, you are correct that there is no FP cost. Psi isn't spells. The very few psi abilities in Chapter Three that do require a FP cost to use all state their FP cost explicitly; if you don't see a FP cost mentioned, there is none.

I'll echo what's already been said here: Could you be more specific? I'll be happy to answer this, but I'm honestly not sure what you're asking.

Your view of "psi" will be different than my view, of course. But I haven't seen many "psi weapons" turn up outside of superhero comics. In fact, GURPS 3rd Edition had a psionic sword ("Mindsword") and I'd heard many people complain about it being unrealistic or silly. Beth McCoy told me that she changed it in her game to only work on the astral plane, and that was the inspiration for Astral Sword.

No, Melee Attack isn't touch only. Read the description of the limitation -- "Melee Attack, C, 1" is a -20% limitation. I'd do it as a very weak attack with the ST-Based variant of Melee Attack, from GURPS Powers. I'd also add some sort of interesting secondary ability (like how Astral Sword can banish foes), to make it more than just "I have a knife I can't drop" (which is kinda boring). Something like:

Psychic Sword (7 points/level)

Skill: Psychic Sword (DX/H); defaults to DX-6 or Force Sword-2.

Description: You can manifest a translucent sword of softly glowing energy. This sword is gauzy and difficult to see; those nearby must make a Per+2 roll, minus range penalties, to notice the weapon in your hand. Unlike Astral Sword, this psychokinetic weapon is capable of harming flesh and blood. You may swing or thrust with it.

Swinging attacks do swing+(level) cutting damage. For example, if you have Psychic Sword at power level 8, you would do sw+8 cut. If you injure the target, he must roll against HT, at a -1 penalty for every 2 full points of injury taken, or be mentally stunned from the psionic energy of your attack. He may roll HT (at no penalty) to recover each turn.

Thrusting attacks work the same way, but do thrust+(level) impaling damage, which can be much more harmful. In addition, a failed HT roll leaves the target not only stunned, but at -3 to HT for (20-HT) minutes. This is a flat HT penalty -- multiple Psychic Sword attacks will not double it, triple it, etc. -- but it does affect his rolls to recover from being stunned, and to resist being stunned by subsequent Psychic Sword attacks!

Statistics: Impaling Attack 1 point (Low Signature, +10%; Melee Attack, C, 1, ST-Based, +80%; Psychokinesis, -10%; Side Effect, Stunning and Attribute Penalty of HT-3, +65%; Variable, +5%) [6] + Cutting Attack 1 point (Low Signature, +10%; Melee Attack, C, 1, ST-Based, +80%; Psychokinesis, -10%; Side Effect, Stunning, +50%; Variable, +5%) [1]*.

* This is an Alternative Attack to Impaling Attack, priced at x1/5 normal cost.

Techniques: As for Astral Sword.

Note: The calculations here follow the rules in the box Innate Attacks and Partial Dice (p. 53). I specifically chose the modifiers to make Cutting Attack come to a nice, even 5 points/level (2.1 points * 2.35 from the +135% in enhancements), then I took those and added another +15% to Impaling Attack to make it come to an even 6 points/level (2.4 points * 2.5 from the +150%).

Sure, if the GM agrees with it. Remember that only abilities which could logically be "the same sense, only used differently" would be appropriate Alternative Abilities. I think most ESP Divination abilities make sense as AAs of each other, though, yes.

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

Actually, not quite so. Skills are actually harder to improve [4/level] until you get an ability worth 80+ points (when Reliable starts costing too like skills or even more).

The only reason I see to wanting skills is the access to Power Techniques. (While not explicitly stated anywhere, I suspect Power Techniques are not meant to be used with attributes, even though there are mundane technique precedents such as the ST-based Neck Snap.)

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

Thank you very much for your response. You are my new favorite person in the world for the week. I think you answered all my questions.



Well looking over the book and analyzing power cost and structures some
things came to mind. 1stly it clarified some things in the characters book
wherein it is said that psionics frequently required skill rolls and that the power talents effected skill rolls but
very few advantages required skill rolls. 2ndly These core rules that you
designed for psionic powers is a fantastic detailed system that makes things
a bit more crunchy and usable and i realized that by taking a referenced
ability and simply changing the power modifier ESP, PSI etc with something
like Divine, MAgic, SPririt etc this basic system could be modified to suit a
variety of campaigns and situations.

But my question refers to the actual CP of the system's modifiers. For example i can understand psi-power 'X' - requires att/skill roll, but what about psi-power 'x' -requires att/skill roll -4? Like the techniques or the effect that psi abilities take a penalty during subsequent uses on the same target or after a failure. Is this just unpointed crunch that falls under the psi modifier or are their exact CP cost rulings somewhere that i am missing?




Love it, Using it. Didn't even know that you could used Melee, str based to replicate a weapon attack...

[/QUOTE]


It was mentioned in an earlier post the greatest draw back to using this would be that you could only have one active power at a time including 'passive' abilities so i think this would probably only be good for ESP or Telepathy and such. but good to know.

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

A knife that you can't drop would be a Perk.

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

Where is the power modifier str-based at? Is it simply inferred by melee attack?

EDIT: I found it powers pg 103, it says +100% why did you choose +80%?

EDIT2: oh, i get it str based (+100%) is a modifier of melee attack (-20%) fora net of +80%.

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

So i've been reading the book in more detail and i have to say i absolutely love the perks, they are very cool and very detailed minor abilities that i probably never would have thought of.

But here's something that i did think of

What about using psychokinesis to effect guns/bows - bullet flight paths, ricochet shots, adding extra oomhp to a projectile, reloading a weapon using tk grab etc? Any thoughts?

EDIT: I could probably stat this out on my own except for how to tag an innate attack as a piggy back modifier onto a gun/bullet/arrow, would it be a single manipulate object in flight with techniques modifiers similar to tk bullet?

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

Google "ShorDurPerSav". It's a very useful word for situations just like this. :)

True. Now, note that both the Basic Set and GURPS Powers don't require skills for each ability. However, GURPS Powers introduced that as an option, which seemed perfect for psi. So GURPS Psionic Powers takes the approach that part of being a psi ability is needing a skill, even though the psi in the Basic Set is all about attribute rolls (instead of skill rolls). Think of the GPP psi as a more detailed version of the Basic Set psi, for games which focus on psi more heavily.

This is several different issues, actually. I'll address them separately.

Psi Techniques: See the box Under the Hood: Psi Techniques (p. 9) for details. The rules there are adapted from the rules for adding Temporary Enhancements in GURPS Powers (p. 172). Every +10% in enhancements being added is -1 to skill, and that's how I got the penalties for the psi techniques. For example, look at Telesend (p. 60). The Broadcast psi technique just adds the temporary enhancements Broadcast (+50%) and Selective Area (+20%). The total is +70%, so that's -7 to skill. Similarly, Full Communion just adds the new Full Communion enhancement (p. 17); that's a +20% enhancement, so that's -2 to skill, and so on.

Now, a few psi techniques are actually more complicated than that (and a few of those are a lot more complicated!), but the rules above cover 95% of them.

Penalties to skill for regular use: This just comes straight from the advantage rules. For example, look at Autoteleport (p. 68). It says that repeated attempts are at an extra -5 penalty. Where did I get that from? From the Warp advantage itself (p. B97), which says that on a failure, you're at -5 to try again right away. I didn't come up with any of these special penalties -- they're just straight out of the rules for each advantage or modifier.

I forgot one line. It should also say: "This sword is gauzy and difficult to see; those nearby must make a Per+2 roll, minus range penalties, to notice the weapon in your hand."

Why Per+2? Because a normal vision roll to see something in the open is Per+10. The SM of a sword is -4 (so, Per+6), and then GURPS Powers introduces the guidelines that Low Signature translates (more or less) into a -4 penalty to detect something, so Per+2.

Psionic perks are one of my favorite things about the book, too. I'm glad you like 'em. Over half came straight out of the playtest, so let me shout out some mad props to my playtestin' homies.

Unfortunately, this is one thing that the standard GURPS rules simply break at. It's easy (trivial, really) to stat up a power that applies an effect to one particular weapon. However, it is literally impossible to create a standard power that can apply that effect to any weapon imaginable, because the ability building rules require you to know how much range, damage, etc., the weapon can already do -- and once you've built it, what if someone comes along with a more powerful weapon?

That's why GURPS Power-Ups 1: Imbuements exists. It has new traits which let you apply effects like you want to any weapon of a given type. If you want this, I'd strongly recommend picking up that book, then you can make the Imbue advantage a psychokinetic one -- and instead of having one psionic skill, it can have whatever Imbuement skills are necessary to create the effect you want.

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

However, you can also improve a skill freely (where not every campaign allows adding enhancements to your advantages freely) and you can improve the skill far past Attribute+10 if you wish, exceeding the bounds of what Reliable can do.

Anyway, in my mind, requiring a skill is a negative thing. It's one of the "bad things" about psi. However, the "good things" more than balance it out. You can't just look at the skill requirement in a vacuum -- it is one facet of How Psi Works.

Absolutely true. Psi Techniques only work with Psionic Skills. If someone wants to port the concept over to another power, they need to keep those attached -- they were conceived of together and intended to stay together.

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

The problem with considering skills a Drawback - or whatever is the Powers name for it - is that, IIRC, it isn't listed as one.
Another thing to wonder about is that Reliable works as Talent for one ability, and Talent adds to Skill. I'm not sure, but even recall it being written rather explicitly.
Sure, GPP outright says not to use the two together, but that is a GPP-specific case.

. . . All of which boils it down to GM's decision.

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

Sure it is. See Source-Specific Rules (GURPS Powers, p. 174) -- it is considered one of the Limiting (i.e., "bad") Options.

Since the same can be said for (quite literally) 100% of the RAW, I'm more than willing to agree with your tautology. In other news, water is wet and the sky is high. :)

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

Well... he did say "IIRC" </helpful>More, as this story develops!

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

Weird, as the original box (P162) states that the drawbacks and benefits balance out . . . despite the fact that this is only true for abilities of more than 80 points.

. . . Hmmm, it also states that Power Techniques in general default to attributes. Which indeed once again makes Power Skills a drawback. I wonder what's wrong with the P162 box that it mis-explained skills.

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

I can't believe that you sent me on wild goose chase on the internet to find my home with the all powerful bob.


hmm, Imbuements are prohibitively expensive, though. I came up with a few ideas.

Innate attack similar to PK Bullet with the modifier requires a focus/delivery object. like breakable and can be stolen but not a unique item just one item class - arrow, bullet, gun. (This would be creating psi-bullets/arrows and using a gun/bow as a delivery object to channel/deliver the psi-energy and removing the damage of the original object all together)

Maybe a power structure more like your sword with incremental partial dice but instead of an innate attack it is a 'charge' attack that is temporarily passed onto an object - bullet, arrow and then delivered by the object when it hits it's target. (This would be using the original object, bullet/arrow damage and tacking on a limited 1pt/level damage modifier. Regardless of whether or not the rules cover it 1pt/level isn't going to break anyone's hearts.)

so that would cover the basic damage portion and then enhancements like guided, homing, would be techniques that could be applied to either delivery method?

I want to keep things a streamlined.

EDIT: I am determined to create a NPC Psychokinetic gunslinger

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

Probably a lack of self-esteem, which manifests as a need to impress anyone it sees as a mother figure.

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

+1 CP to you.

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

Not really. They're just IQ/VH skills instead of IQ/H. (As written, they're DX skills, but the rules support moving 'em to IQ for psis, mages, etc.) So that's just -1 to skill for the same price. That leaves the Imbue advantage, which is comparatively priced to most psi abilities -- Imbue 2 (PK, -10%) is the same price as a few levels of TK Grab, and cheaper than Pyrokinesis 2.

Also, it seems like all of the skills that could simulate "psychokinetic control over the bullet" are part of Imbue 2, with the sole exception of Homing Weapon. Still, Guided Weapon is almost as good, and it fits psis better -- it makes sense that you'd have to concentrate to guide the bullet to its target. So I'd just include the Arching Shot, Bank Shot, Far Shot, and Guided Weapon skills, which keeps the price down even more.

If you want to compensate for having to buy a bunch of skills, just bundle extra Imbuement Talent into the ability. If it only affects the Imbuement skills (no advantages), it's 5/level, and if you treat it as a special case and let it stack with PK Talent, you can achieve some large bonuses. (You could do the same by allowing lots of extra PK Talent, of course, but that opens the door for all psi -- bundling in Imbuement Talent lets you make it more of a "hidden exception" for Imbuement skills.) Like:

Psychic Gunslinging (12/17/22/27/32 points for levels 1-5)

Skill: Special (see description).

You can learn certain Imbuement Skills (see GURPS Power-Ups 1: Imbuements for rules and details) that let you do impossible things with bullets. You may only learn the Arching Shot, Bank Shot, Far Shot, and Guided Weapon skills, and only for specialties of the Guns skill. For example, you could learn Bank Shot (Pistol) and Far Shot (Rifle), but not Scattershot (Pistol) or Bank Shot (Bow). This ability is thus unique in that, theoretically, it could have up to 36 associated skills instead of just one. In practice, since all Guns skills (and thus all Guns Imbuement Skills) default to each other, it generally makes sense to buy skills for one specialty and default the others.

All such skills are IQ/VH (not IQ/H, like most psionic skills, or DX/H, like non-psionic Imbuement Skills). If you have Psychic Gunslinging at level 2+, add your (level-1) to all skills, cumulative with Psychokinesis Talent. For example, if you have Psychokinesis Talent 3 and Psychic Gunslinging 5, you'd add +7 to all Psychic Gunslinging skills.

In some campaigns, Gunslinger (p. B58) may be a prerequisite for this ability; ask your GM.

Statistics: Imbue 2 (Accessibility, Gun specialties only, -10%; Limited Skill Access, Four Skills, -20%; Psychokinesis, -10%) [12]. Further levels add Imbuement Talent, one level at a time [+5/level].

That would cover adding extra damage to the attacks, sure. You'd use Followup, Any Attack (+50%, from PU2).

Not really. The techniques would only apply to the extra damage that you're adding, not to the basic damage. That's the whole problem -- GURPS breaks on this without Imbuements.

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

w00t! I'm buyin' me a Perk! :)

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

Which one?

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

Strongpost, of course.

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

Thank you, you are a wonderful wonderful person. This is perfect. And BTW thank you very much for writing the psionic powers in the first place, it's an excellent supplement. I am so amazed i can't even think of any more questions right now.

I think this thread should be stickied or the content you stat'ed out published in pyramid or something or at least added onto the full 300pg manuscript of psionics 4th ed when it gets published in hardback ;)

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

Interface -- I go through enough keyboards that this perk would double as one that reduced my Cost of Living. :)

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

Yess!! I'd kill to know my CPU temperature during a Mirror's Edge rush :)

Cheers!

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

Deal. Check your user page. ;)

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

Nice thread! If you don't mind I will use it for a question regarding Psionic Powers. What do you guys think about using Imbuements as part of a Psionic Power as they are in the Psionic Powers? I have made a quick read in PP and I'm reading the Imbuements now. I would put the imbuement advantage in every psi power and limit the skills that wich one can buy with it?

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

See post #20 of this very thread. I think that Imbuements would mix very well with Psionic Powers, yes. It's not an approach that I took, because that would've taken things in very specific direction which (IMO) might not have worked for (or felt right to) most people . . . but I could definitely get behind an "Imbuement Add-On" of some sort.

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

*raises hand* ... Although, I think you might be wrong about "most people".

Ooh... You've got your own tag! Shiny! 8)

Re: Psionics 4th ed Questions
 

Dunno about most people, but it'd rub me the wrong way... I'm not a fan of Imbuements, feels alien to me. Not that I've read Psionic Powers yet...