Mindsword ability (for Psionic Powers)
 

Going through Psionic Powers, I noticed that Rev did not bring across one of my old favorite skills from 3E Psionics, Mindsword. He mimics aspects of it with the Astral Sword ability, but I liked the Telepathy-based attack, mainly for nostalgia reasons (Southern Knights *g*). This won't necessarily fit into any psionics campaign... in particular, it doesn't really make much sense if you're allowing Mental Stab. It's mostly just something I wanted to do :)

Mindsword

Skill: Mindsword (DX/Hard); defaults to DX-6, or Force Sword-2

You can create a visible blade of concentrated mental energy. This resembles a Force Sword or an Astral Sword, but does not have the variable appearance particular to the astral-powered weapon. Damage is unrelated to your ST. The sword does 1d-3 fat damage, plus your Mindsword level, and has Reach C, 1. It can parry attacks from other Mindswords or Astral Swords normally, and is unbreakable.

It can be called into existence quickly, and dismissed instantly at any time, but should the owner wish to keep it active for an extended period, he must make a maintenance roll against Mindsword every minute. Due to its quasi-mental nature, it completely ignores normal armor and shields, and cannot parry, nor be parried by, normal weapons. This nature also makes Mind Shields and Psionic Shields effective defenses against it, either Shield type providing DR equal to half their level.

Statistics: Fatigue Attack 1d-2 (Cosmic:Irresistible, +300% (Mind Shield and Psionic Shield give DR equal to half their level, -50%); Melee Attack, C, 1, -20%; Nuisance Effect, Requires maintenance roll every minute, -0%; Telepathy, -10%) [13] Further levels add +1 damage [10]


The limitation following the Cosmic is just a guess, but the value feels about right. Mindsword should probably have a technique, maybe something like Astral Sword's Penetrating Blow. That would give users more of a fighting chance against defenders with Mind or Psionic Shields, which should be common in most Psionic Powers games.

Re: Mindsword ability (for Psionic Powers)
 

PK actually wrote this up before, here and here is the main thread.

Ghostdancer

Re: Mindsword ability (for Psionic Powers)
 

I say use Innate Attack(Beam) or Force Sword; no need to make a new skill.

Re: Mindsword ability (for Psionic Powers)
 

*g* Thanks for the reminder... I had forgotten that thread. His write-up is for a PK version, though, rather than a translation of the Telepathy skill from 3E. I was considering doing Melee Attacks for some of the other powers, so at least that will save me some trouble :)

Re: Mindsword ability (for Psionic Powers)
 

Glad I could help a bit. :) I'll be watching the thread with interest ^_^

Ghostdancer

Re: Mindsword ability (for Psionic Powers)
 

Finally got around to doing another one :)

Neutralizing Sword

Skill: Neutralizing Sword (DX/Hard); defaults to DX-6, or Force Sword-2

You can create a visible blade of concentrated anti-psionic power. It resembles other such weapons in shape and size (Reach C,1), but has no color, instead being pure black. Psis (other than Anti-Psis) often find them vaguely unsettling to be around or to look at. A successful attack requires a QC of the skill vs. the defender's best skill in a random Power. If the attacker wins, that power is neutralized for minutes equal to his MoV, but a failure means that the sword will not affect that target for 24 hours. At Level 2, you can still attack the target after a normal failure. After that, the effect will last longer with each level, up to two days x the MoV at level 9.

The sword can be parried by normal weapons and other Neutralizing Swords, but not by other types of psionic weapons. Psionic Shields can block them, and Psychic Armor adds its level to the defenders QC roll. The Sword can be used to Interrupt, as per Cancellation. Levels of Extended Duration have no affect on such uses.

Statistics: Neutralize (Anti-Psi, -0%; Melee Attack, C, 1, -20%; Increased Immunity 3, -30%; Nuisance Effect, Only one power at a time, randomly determined, -10%) [20] Further levels remove Increased Immunity [35], then add Extended Duration, +20%/lvl, up to level 9 [+10/lvl].

The Crippling Attack and Precision Attack Techniques are as for Cancellation.


I kind of like this idea, but I'm not solid on its presentation, particularly the way it interacts with other defenses, which should be a big part of its 'flavor'. I toyed with the idea of adding the Cancellation special enhancer from Affliction, but decided against it, as it wasn't an option on any other Anti-Psi ability.

Re: Mindsword ability (for Psionic Powers)
 

An Ergokinesis melee attack :)

Electric Wand

Skill: Electric Wand (DX/Hard); defaults to DX-6, or Force Sword-2

You can create a rod of coruscating electrical energy. It can be mistaken for a Force Sword, possibly a malfunctioning one, but usually only by those with just a passing familiarity with those weapons. Damage is unrelated to your ST. The sword does 1d-1 burn damage, plus your Mindsword level, and has Reach C, 1. It can parry attacks from other Electric Wands or Force Swords normally, but not other types of psionic swords.

Like the Lightning skill, the energy to power the Wand must be drawn from a nearby source of electricity, and the damaging ability will be limited in the same manner. Additionally, the skill will take standard range penalties depending on the ergokinetic's distance from the source. Things struck by the wand tend to ignite a bit faster than might be expected for the damage done.

Statistics: Burning Attack 1d (Environmental, Sufficient sources of electricity, -20%; Ergokinesis, -10%; Incendiary, +10%; Melee Attack, C, 1, -20%; Nuisance Effect, Takes penalty based on distance from source, -10%; Side Effect, Stunning, +50%; Surge, Arcing, +100%) [10] Further levels add +1 damage [3]

Thunder Wand might be a good technique. It would have the same environmental requirements as Thunderbolt, and (I presume) represent a -4 to the base skill.


I was thinking to write up melee attacks for CyberK and PhotoK, but decided against it, as neither of those subsidiary powers have an offensive ability to easily model it from. I might come back eventually and do one for them anyway.

Re: Mindsword ability (for Psionic Powers)
 

what's an appropriate modifier for being able to ignore conventional DR but enjoying protection from Mind shield and equivalent mental defences?

Re: Mindsword ability (for Psionic Powers)
 

This is unnecessary. Innate Attacks are transient for all intents and purposes. If you are not using them as part of a manoeuvre or defence, they effectively don't exist unless you add Aura or persistent to them. Of course, having your melee power blink out of existence every time you're not doing that doesn't look cool, but since it won't make any practical difference whether it does so or not, apart from maybe the effect of an IA working as a light source or similar, it is for all intents and purposes just a special effect to have it 'on'.

Re: Mindsword ability (for Psionic Powers)
 

Are you talking about my limited Irresistible construction on Mindsword? That was the best I could come up with after a little thought about it, but I wouldn't call it efficient, nor necessarily balanced. Rev or Kromm might have a better idea.
Sure. That's why is a -0% "feature-level" limiter. It is a restriction (albeit a fairly trivial one) I put in to mimic a similar peculiarity of the same-named 3E psi skill.

Re: Mindsword ability (for Psionic Powers)
 

I had been trying to come up with a mindsword variation for the ESP power, but eventually gave up as I just couldn't come up with something that fit the power's theme and seemed gameable. After laying off for a while, I've gone ahead and picked up with an entry for Probability Alteration.

Curse Sword

Skill: Curse Sword (DX/Hard); defaults to DX-6, or Force Sword-2

You can create a blade of negatively aspected probability energy. It slightly resembles a Neutralizing Sword, having a black core, but it possesses a surrounding brightness that distinguishes it to those familiar with both. A successful attack requires a Quick Contest of the attacker's skill in the ability vs. the defender's Will. If the attacker wins, the target is Cursed for 10 seconds times his margin of victory, and immediately begins to suffer the effects.

Curse Swords cannot parry Neutralizing Swords, but defend normally against other types of psionic blades and against ordinary weapons. Additional levels in the ability cause the defender to roll the Quick Contest at -1 per level after the first.

Statistics: Affliction 1 (Based on Will, +20%; Disadvantage, Cursed, +75%; Melee Attack, C, 1, -20%; Probability Alteration, -10%; Reduced Duration, x 1/6th, -15%) [15] Further levels increase the Affliction level at the same cost.


I like fixing the duration and making the Affliction level the variable, as a way of differentiating it from the Curse ability, but that makes the two techniques for the latter less useful for this melee attack. You could keep them, I suppose, but they fit better for a longer duration of effect.

Re: Mindsword ability (for Psionic Powers)
 

Feeling the urge to twist another entry from Psionic Powers in an non-playtested, possibly unbalanced way :\ ;)

Staff of Insensibility

Skill: Staff of Invisibility (DX/Hard); defaults to DX-6, or Force Sword-2

You can create a rod of mental energy, charged so as to produce a dazing effect. To those with appropriate psychic senses, it will resemble (but be distinguishable from) a somewhat dim Force Sword, but it is virtually invisible to normal senses. A successful attack requires a Quick Contest of the attacker's skill in the ability vs. the defender's HT. If the attacker wins by four or less, the target is Dazed for minutes equal to his margin of failure, but a failure by five or more means he fall asleep for the same time.

The Staffs defend normally against many similar psychic weapons, but cannot parry normal weapons, nor psionic ones with mostly physical effects. This latter group includes, Electric Wands, Psychic Swords, and Neutralizing Blades. Additional levels in the ability cause the defender to roll the Quick Contest at -1 per level after the first.

Statistics: Affliction 1 (Daze, +50%; Melee Attack, C, 1, -20%; No Signature, +20%; Psychic Healing, -10%; Secondary, Sleep, +30%) [17] Further levels increase the Affliction level at the same cost.


The Techniques for Sleep should work OK for this ability. Anesthetic doesn't seem especially useful, but at least comes in a bit cheaper this way. The NoSig mod should make it tricky for non-psis to face.

The name breaks the two word pattern I had been following, but it kinda rolls off the tongue, and the imagery [a staff as a weapon for a 'healer'] fits my sensibilities. Despite the name, the construct is still wielded like a force sword, as with other psionic weapons.

Re: Mindsword ability (for Psionic Powers)
 

Due to sparse demand, copious spare time, and a lack of original ideas, I decided to revisit this thread with a entry for ESP.

Dowsing Rod (TL0+)

Despite the name, these are not restricted to wand-like objects. Though the most primitive (TL0) versions are simple forked sticks (traditionally of willow, hazel, or witch-hazel), manufactured ones might include precious stone or metal tips or handles, or be made entirely of metal. Modern ones are usually paired L-shaped rods of various compositions, some being collapsible or foldable for easier storage. Pendulums, usually with a gemstone or precious metal bob, are also used for the same purpose.

These work like a less powerful but safer form of Psionic Amplifier, adding to an ESPer's Talent for the following skills: Signature Sniffer; Psi-Sense; Psidar; Seekersense. If the GM allows any other Detect-based ESP skills, those may also be aided by the rod. They do not carry any risk of more dangerous critical failures (as opposed to psychotronic Psi-Amps). Before being used, a rod must be attuned to its owner, generally requiring several seconds of concentration and a successful Seekersense roll [see the Seekersense skill in Psionic Powers, p42, for details]. Afterwards, by taking a second to focus while holding the rod, and spending one FP, the character's ESP Talent will be effectively increased by one while using any of the above skills. If he switches skills, or if he stops using one to do something else, he must re-focus and spend another FP to get the bonus again. $20, +.25 lb. LC4

The price and weight represent what you might pay for a typical modern pair of L-shaped rods (or a pendulum) made of inexpensive but solid materials. Natural items can be used to make your own rod, but usually require a bit of searching in an area containing the traditional materials.


Since I could not come up with an appropriate skill for ESP that fit the attack theme I had established, I just went for one that kept the naming motif :) The Dowsing section from 3E's Psionics was the inspiration, but I tried to follow the format for equipment from the newer Psi-Tech. The method of using maps to dowse for something, as described in the older book, might be a good in-game explanation of the Pinpoint technique.

Re: Mindsword ability (for Psionic Powers)
 

This one took me several days to iron out, even though the final concept is fairly simple.

Sword of Ages

Skill: Aging Sword (DX/Hard); defaults to DX-6, or Force Sword-2

You can create a blade of vampiric energy that resembles a Force Sword or most other psionic weapons in shape, but is obviously something different to viewers with any familiarity with those others. The visual effect often involves alternating light and dark patterns. The sword is unbreakable, has Reach C, 1, and can parry the same attacks as a Mindsword. It does not do physical damage to those struck, but instead causes them to resist with their HT vs. the attacker's skill. If they lose, they age a month, and the attacker then has the immediate choice to reduce his own physical age by the same amount.

Armor (or other DR) will aid the target's resistance, and those with Unaging themselves are immune to the effects of the attack. The aging is usually not visually obvious unless a victim is struck many times in short order, but they will notice a marked, and uncomfortable, sense of loss, even if they are unfamiliar with such effects. The effects are cumulative, and last permanently, but all aging caused by the Sword is cancelled if the responsible Psi Vamp dies. Additional levels apply a penalty to the targets resistance roll, -1/level after the first.

Statistics: Affliction 1 (Accessibility {Only vs. Sapient, Living Targets}, -40%; Advantage, AF [one month older], +150%; Cumulative, +400%; Extended Duration, Permanent, +150%; Melee Attack, C, 1, -20%; Psychic Vampirism, -10%) [73] + Unaging (Accessibility {Only To Reduce Age One Month Per Use}, -80%; Age Control, +20%; Trigger (Very Common, Illegal), Successful attack with Aging Sword, -15%) [4]. Additional levels increase only the level of the Affliction [+73/level]

Penetrating might be a good technique against armored foes, but you're almost certainly better off using some other power against somebody that's fighting back *rolleyes*


I am still not too happy with this write-up, even though it looks reasonably accurate, from a technical viewpoint. Basing the aging effect on Alternate Form works out better than trying to cobble together something using Leech, but the price comes out more or less in line with what you would pay for a base version of Steal Youth. That form of Leech looks overly pricey to me also, but... there ya go. The Accessibilities are best guesses, and should not be off by much. The Unaging construct was built to avoid having to do a mirror AF build for the attacker. It is stretching the use of Trigger some, I suppose, but doesn't look like an egregious misappropriation. Note that, if you accept this use of AF, the same build and cost for the Affliction could apply to stronger versions that caused more pronounced aging, which makes me want to rewrite the thing as another type of Affliction. I am kinda partial to the skill name, though *g*

Constructive criticism of these builds is always welcome, but I'd be especially glad to see someone come up with a version that was both cheaper and involved less rules-bending. I thought about just using the -3 points per year hangover from 3E that's in the Fright Check Table, but this looks to me like it needs to be an Advantage Affliction.

Re: Mindsword ability (for Psionic Powers)
 

GURPS has never really been too consistent on Aging effects, I think largely because it's so very dependent on the particular campaign. For "dynastic" games tracking a number of family lines over multiple generations, traits like Unaging basically let the player run the same character throughout the whole game. In most campaigns I've seen, however, Unaging simply serves as an Unusual Background to justify some anachronistic skill picks (and is far overpriced for that role).

Leech with Aging has basically no combat value, apart from instilling fear in opponents. It does make the character potentially immortal, but costs nearly an order of magnitude more than (the arguably overpriced) Unaging, with a lot of hassle in its use. Your build using Afflicted, cumulative Alternate Forms is... imaginative, but very clunky, and I'd say is still overpriced for the actual utility of it. Sadly, I don't have a better suggestion...

Re: Mindsword ability (for Psionic Powers)
 

Hah! Compliments of all sorts gratefully accepted! ;)

Yeah, the build has some issues. The cost is the real sticking point for me, though, and the big enemy there is the Cumulative enhancement. There's probably a way to justify not using that that is escaping me :/

Re: Mindsword ability (for Psionic Powers)
 

How about afflicting an unrealistic amount of Short Lifespan? You don't need Cumulative or Permanent, because for the period of affliction they just age at the unnatural rate. For example:

Affliction (HT; Disadvantage, Short Lifespan 20, +200%; Accessibility/Melee/Psi, -70%; Reduced Duration, ×1/60, -35%) [20] + Unaging (...) [4]. If the subject fails a HT roll, they age one week every second for a number of seconds equal to their margin of failure.

That would mean you could only strike the same subject every few seconds which might not fit your concept.

Re: Mindsword ability (for Psionic Powers)
 

I actually considered Short Lifespan when I was tossing around different possibilities for the build. I gave up on it because I couldn't rationalize the attacker receiving an instant benefit while the target suffers from an ongoing effect. There still might be something there, if the Unaging is disconnected, or maybe just given a different limitation. I don't know if I'd want to exceed the mandated limit on levels, though.

Re: Mindsword ability (for Psionic Powers)
 

Does the attacker's benefit have to be instantaneous? As I wrote it up it's only going to take a few seconds anyway, and you could use Fixed Duration and another level of Reduced Duration to make it almost instantaneous.

I though about Short Lifespan. There are obviously realistic species with extreme levels of Short Lifespan compared to the GURPS human norm, so I'm guessing the limit exists so as to not give back too many points (say, compared to Terminally Ill, Ages Unnaturally Fast*). But I have no problem allowing additional levels when using it with an affliction, since that is requiring the user to pay more points for more benefit.


* I mean, really fast. Even progeria seems to be only Short Lifespan 3. You'd need Short Lifespan 6+ to get into Terminally Ill life expectancies.

Re: Mindsword ability (for Psionic Powers)
 

I guess the benefit doesn't have to accrue instantly, it's just the effect I was shooting for.

I've always figured that Short Lifespan was capped so as to not impinge on the territory of Terminally Ill, though I can't recall if that's ever been officially confirmed.

Re: Mindsword ability (for Psionic Powers)
 

A rather straightforward teleportation-based melee attack.

Port Foil

Skill: Port Foil (DX/Hard); defaults to DX-6, or Force Sword-2

You can create a blade of warping energy that is wielded like a thrusting only force sword. To those with the proper senses, it resembles (but can be easily distinguished from) those ultra-tech weapons, but the blade is all but invisible to normal vision. Unlike most other psychic blades, the Foil is more physical than mental in nature, and damage is increased if the teleporter is strong enough. The nature of the energy involved makes the weapon more effective against armor than most normal swords, though. It does 1d-3 thrust impaling damage, plus your ability level, and has Reach C, 1. It parries other weapons like a fencing Force Sword, only being useful against psychic weapons which can also parry those. While indestructible itself, the warping energy tends to quickly corrode and break parrying weapons made of normal matter, something that defenders need to be wary of.

Statistics: Impaling Attack 1d-2 (Armor Divisor (2), +50%; Destructive Parry, +10%; Low Signature {-8 to Vision rolls to see}, +20%; Melee Attack, C, 1, -20%; Strength-Based, +100%; Teleportation, -10%) [8] Further levels add +1 damage [6]

I don't know if any psionic techniques would fit well. Penetrating Blow might be used to improve the AD. Because it works much like a normal weapon, normal techniques might often be useful. With this blade, Aggressive Parry could be a good one to learn.


I had the idea for this skill months ago, but I held onto it, wanting to get the trickier write-ups for ESP and (especially) Psychic Vampirism worked out, since I knew this one would be comparitively simple. It is based on the Innerportation skill from Psionic Powers (p70), modified to make it resemble the other psychic melee attack skills. Like the parent skill, wounds caused by it will probably be gaping ones, with the same nasty special effect of the bits appearing a short distance away and then falling to the ground. Other than that, it seems less offensive, balance-wise, than Innerport... keeping in mind that all these builds are off-the-cuff and have not been playtested :)

Re: Mindsword ability (for Psionic Powers)
 

Heh... It's been a while since I was inspired to add a new ability here, but my recent entry in the Manakinesis thread got me to thinking about a melee equivalent to Mana Bolt.

Mana Blade

Re: Mindsword ability (for Psionic Powers)
 

Very nice. I like that Mana Surge modifier, it makes Manakineticists nicely distinct from both mages and other psis.

Re: Mindsword ability (for Psionic Powers)
 

When I was wrestling with what to do for the ESP power, this is one of the ideas that I tossed around before tossing it out :)

Wand of Nightmarish Visions

Skill: Nightmare Wand (DX/Hard); no default

Although ESP is primarily an introspective power, some ESPers are able to manifest their own version of the psychic blades that are used by practitioners of other psionic disciplines. Unlike most other psychic skills, the Wand has no default. Only actual training allows the psi to create the energy rod, which greatly resembles a Rod of Insensibility. Like that weapon, it is nearly invisible to normal sight, but looks like a dim force sword to those with appropriate psychic senses. Psis familiar with either weapon will be able to tell them apart, but will otherwise just know it is a psionic weapon of some type. Like the Rod, the Wand is unbreakable, has Reach C, 1, and can parry the same attacks. A successful strike requires a QC of the attacker's skill vs. the defender's HT. If the attacker wins, the target experiences a vision of some disturbing future event, and is mentally stunned for at least one second. They remain stunned until they make an IQ roll, rolling once each following turn.

Additional levels apply a penalty to the targets resistance roll, and to the IQ roll to recover from the mental stun, -1/level after the first.

Statistics: Affliction 1 (Accessibility {Only vs. Sapient, Living Targets}, -40%; Advantage, Nightmarish Vision [Based on Aspected Vision from Psionic Powers p39, plus Stunning, +10%], +100%; ESP, -10%; Melee Attack, C, 1, -20%; No Signature, +20%) [15] . Additional levels increase only the level of the Affliction [+15/level]


I kept the same Accessibility I used for the Sword of Ages. It made sense at the time I was working on it, and it gave a nice point break. In retrospect, changing it to (Sapient Only) might make more sense. One of the technical problems I had with the build was the Advantage pricing. I wasn't sure if it was cool to keep the Passive Only limiter from Visions on an Affliction that is not under the target's control anyway. I finally gave up on the build as more trouble than it was worth. It seems thematically inappropriate for the power, but I just included it here for grins ;)

Re: Mindsword ability (for Psionic Powers)
 

Just to give myself something to do, I decided to rework Rev's build :)

Variable Sword

Skill: Variable Sword (DX/Hard); defaults to DX-6, or Force Sword-2

By willing it, you can cause a rod of telekinetic force to appear in your hand. Although it resembles a Force Sword, anyone familiar with those weapons will know this is something different. These with appropriate senses will be able to detect, from long distances, when a Variable Sword is being. The sword is most dangerous when used as a thrusting attack but, by tweaking the force, the user can switch to a cutting or crushing attack. In each configuration, it does a base 1d-3 damage (modified for ST), plus your ability level, and the crushing version allows the teke to give an extra "push" to those struck, which may cause extra knockback. Like other such weapons, it is unbreakable, and has Reach C, 1. It can parry attacks as though it were an actual Force Sword, but without the destructive parry.

Statistics: Impaling Attack 1d-2 (Melee Attack, C, 1, -20%; Nuisance Effect, "Blatant" psychic signature, -5%; ST-Based, +100%; Telekinesis, -10%) + Cutting Attack* 1d-2 (Melee Attack, C, 1, -20%; Nuisance Effect, "Blatant" psychic signature, -5%; ST-Based, +100%; Telekinesis, -10%) + Crushing Attack* 1d-2 (Double Knockback, +20%; Melee Attack, C, 1, -20%; Nuisance Effect, "Blatant" psychic signature, -5%; ST-Based, +100%; Telekinesis, -10%) [8] Further levels add +1 damage to each configuration [+6 per level]

* The Cutting and Crushing Attacks are Alternative Attacks to the Impaling Attack, and are 1/5 normal cost.

I liked RPK's method of adding an Alternate Attack to the build to show another use of the weapon, and just expanded the idea, while taking away the elements that didn't fit my conception of a telekinesis version of Mindsword. The NE is another idea of his, from an earlier post in a tangentially related thread. I assume the +10 to detect from that post, meaning the VS will be quite obvious to those with the right Detects. It will probably be as noticeable as a Force Sword, otherwise. The name is borrowed from Niven, but here, I am riffing off the different configurations (imp, cut, cr).

Re: Mindsword ability (for Psionic Powers)
 

Surely you mean it does "ST-based damage plus 1d-3 plus ability level"? Also, if it can only use thr-based damage for impaling and sw-based damage for cutting, apparently there's a cheaper +30% enhancement in PU4 for that.

Re: Mindsword ability (for Psionic Powers)
 

I was thinking the stats section was clarification enough, but I suppose the wording could be more precise... fixing it now.