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Old 01-17-2021, 11:27 AM   #21
Prince Charon
 
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Default Re: [Psi/Space] Irar, the Jewel in the British Crown

Biopsionic Technology

Also called 'psionic biotechnology,' which is a fairly accurate literal description: Biotechnology in which psionics is very important to the intended function. Psi drugs also fall under this heading, but will be listed separately.

* Several methods have been attempted to activate latent psi abilities, by various cultures that either did not have a catalyst machine or catalyst drug, or wanted something better in some way: Brain Tissue Grafts (GURPS Psi-Tech p37) are generally illegal, and have proven to be largely ineffective. Neuro-Psi Implants (Psi-Tech p38) were experimented with on Gormel, but are basically inferior to and far more invasive and dangerous than the catalyst machine. The Irari already had catalyst machines before the idea even occurred to them. Soma-Traumatic Latency Therapy (Psi-Tech p40) is illegal in most civilised nations, and never worked very well in the first place; using telepathic illusions to briefly fake the loss of a body-part from the subject's perspective was tried on Gormel, and was slightly more effective, but is still cruel and illegal. These are left out of the public archive.


* Drones (Psi-Tech p37) are illegal in the UK and Irari territory, and in most civilized parts of Earth (specific laws are not especially needed, as making a person into a drone, or creating them via cloning, would break many existing ones). A disturbingly large number were made historically on Gormel. Few have been made on Irar, and none are known to have been made on Coeb'.


* Psibernetic Implants (Psi-Tech pp38-39) are basically just very small psychotronic generators that need to be surgically installed in the body to be useful. They've been used on both Irar and Gormel, but were never common, and might not become common on Earth. They are in the public archive, though.


* Psiborgs (Psi-Tech pp39-40) are generally considered creepy, even with the brains of less-intelligent animals. Using sophont brains to create them is illegal on Irar and in the UK, and most other Earth nations agree on this (again, making them would break existing laws). Not in the public archive (national governments were informed, though the process of making psiborgs was not conveyed to them, either).


* Living Tools (not from the book) are lifeforms that consistently activate a psi ability or abilities on command and in the manner that the user controls; they are most often plants, fungi, or lichens, but some are animals. The operating skill is most often that of the user, not the 'tool.' A few are catalyst creatures (for a sufficiently broad definition of 'creature'). Many have been selectively bred on Coeb', and a few were genetically engineered on Gormel before the Final War. While a relatively intelligent and versatile living tool might be written up as an ally that always appears (x4 to cost), most are quite literally equipment that happens to be alive.

A common living tool in some parts of Coeb' is the Repellor Vine: a lichen consisting of a vine-like neurofungus carrying dense cyanobacteria on leaf-like surfaces, which is normally worn on the arm or wrapped around the body. The vine has Telereceive (Shallow) 1 and a pair of psychokinetic abilities: PK Shield+PK Shield (Piercing Only, -40%) are one ability that acts rather like a shear thickening material; PK Shove (see below) is usually an Alternate Ability to the above, but may become the main ability if exercised enough. Some repellor vines may develop other psychokinetic abilities, or be specifically bred and/or trained for them. The operating skill is Innate Attack (Beam).

PK Shove (Crushing Attack 1d; Cone, +100%; Double Knockback, +20%; No Blunt Trauma, -20%; No Wounding, -50%; Psychokinesis, -10%) [7/level]


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