[Psionic Powers] Psychic Familiarity

[Donny Brook]

So in the setting this is for, if a character had only Control (Psi Energy) what, if anything, could they do with that?

How does the build:

Psychic Familiarity (Control Psi Energy (Only for effects conceptually-related to current Familiar, -40%; Meta-Psi, -10%) 1 [10] + Psi Sense 1 (with Signature Sniffer) [13] + Visions (Aspected: Psi activity related to current Familiar) [8] + Modular Abilities (Cosmic; Only for skills et al relating to current or previous Familiars, -30%; ESP, -10%; Requires IQ Roll, -10%) 1 [5] & (Cosmic; Only for skills et al relating to current Familiar, -40%; ESP, -10%; Requires IQ Roll, -10%) 2 [8] + Gestalt Familiarity [1])

differ in its effects from:


Psychic Somethingness (Psi Sense 1 (with Signature Sniffer) [13] + Visions (Aspected: Psi activity related to current Familiar) [8] + Modular Abilities (Cosmic; Only for skills et al relating to current or previous Familiars, -30%; ESP, -10%; Requires IQ Roll, -10%) 1 [5] & (Cosmic; Only for skills et al relating to current Familiar, -40%; ESP, -10%; Requires IQ Roll, -10%) 2 [8] + Gestalt Familiarity [1])

[Prince Charon]

Originally Posted by Donny Brook

So in the setting this is for, if a character had only Control (Psi Energy) what, if anything, could they do with that?

A wide range of things, but they'd have to learn them or figure them out the hard way, and depending on the GM, might have worse penalties in some things, like information-gathering abilities.

Originally Posted by Donny Brook

How does the build:

differ in its effects from:


Psychic Somethingness (Psi Sense 1 (with Signature Sniffer) [13] + Visions (Aspected: Psi activity related to current Familiar) [8] + Modular Abilities (Cosmic; Only for skills et al relating to current or previous Familiars, -30%; ESP, -10%; Requires IQ Roll, -10%) 1 [5] & (Cosmic; Only for skills et al relating to current Familiar, -40%; ESP, -10%; Requires IQ Roll, -10%) 2 [8] + Gestalt Familiarity [1])

Yours is a pure 'give me knowledge' build; it's great for that, but pretty much only for that. Apart from anything that I may be forgetting because opening up GURPS Powers right now would be just inconvenient enough that I'd prefer not to, the lack of Control or a similar advantage would mean higher penalties to the power stunts that are too far away from 'information-gathering abilities.' Depending on the GM, some things that drift too far from 'get data' would just not be allowed.

[Donny Brook]

Originally Posted by Prince Charon

A wide range of things, but they'd have to learn them or figure them out the hard way, and depending on the GM, might have worse penalties in some things, like information-gathering abilities.


Yours is a pure 'give me knowledge' build; it's great for that, but pretty much only for that. Apart from anything that I may be forgetting because opening up GURPS Powers right now would be just inconvenient enough that I'd prefer not to, the lack of Control or a similar advantage would mean higher penalties to the power stunts that are too far away from 'information-gathering abilities.' Depending on the GM, some things that drift too far from 'get data' would just not be allowed.

The Control (Energy) Advantage in the book specifies how it works and what it does with real world forms of energy. Obviously, what Psi energy does is something for the GM to define when s/he invents it, but as you are putting it in a power build, I am curious what you intend Psi energy (and by extension, Control of it) is supposed to do. You seem to seen Control functionin as a sort of unspecific access requirement which is usually more the role of the Power Modifier.

In the RAW description of Control, it's not about improving finesse with other abilities within a Power. You would use Talent for that and not bundle it into a portmanteau ability.

[Prince Charon]

Originally Posted by Donny Brook

The Control (Energy) Advantage in the book specifies how it works and what it does with real world forms of energy. Obviously, what Psi energy does is something for the GM to define when s/he invents it, but as you are putting it in a power build, I am curious what you intend Psi energy (and by extension, Control of it) is supposed to do. You seem to seen Control functionin as a sort of unspecific access requirement which is usually more the role of the Power Modifier.

In the RAW description of Control, it's not about improving finesse with other abilities within a Power. You would use Talent for that and not bundle it into a portmanteau ability.

I feel like we're talking past each other and I want an interpreter. Like, it seems like we're thinking about this in sufficiently different terms that we aren't communicating.

It also feels like you're looking at this in purely mechanical terms (though I may be wrong about that), and I'm thinking about it in both mechanical and fluff terms.

[Donny Brook]

Indeed there is some talking past each other.

I have read your descriptive text, but it is true my questions and comments are confined to the technicalities of powers crunch, and in particular the role of Control (psi energy) in the build.

[Prince Charon]

Originally Posted by Donny Brook

Indeed there is some talking past each other.

OK, at least we're clear on that part .

Originally Posted by Donny Brook

I have read your descriptive text, but it is true my questions and comments are confined to the technicalities of powers crunch, and in particular the role of Control (psi energy) in the build.

Yeah. One more try at conveying my thoughts, mostly as a response to your post this morning (#10): The Control advantage is not there to provide finesse at all, it's there to provide broad ease-of-access.

[Donny Brook]

Originally Posted by Prince Charon

Yeah. One more try at conveying my thoughts, mostly as a response to your post this morning (#10): The Control advantage is not there to provide finesse at all, it's there to provide broad ease-of-access.

Okay, but in the rules, that's not what it does. So my comment in reply to your request for input: Control (Psi Energy) doesn't seem necessary or appropriate in the build.