Psionicists

Psionicists are masters of mental discipline. Their unique command of their own minds allow them to influence the minds of others, see dimly into the future, control their own body, and use telekinesis to demonstrate the power of mind over matter.

Psionicists Skills Psionicist Foci Notes From the Legends

Skills

       Ordinary Skills                     Psionicist Specific Skills
1 dagger
Daggers are short bladed weapons, most commonly used by the rogueish classes and those of scholarly bent who lack the time to learn more complicated weapons. Dagger attacks usually involve quick thrusting, piercing or stabbing attacks. Daggers offer very little in the way of parrying, but their quick speed makes them hard to dodge.

1 recall
RECALL prays to the gods for miraculous transportation from where you are back to the appropriate temple of your hometown.

1 staff
The staff is the most common two-handed weapon, most typically made from wood into a long pole. The staff is typically used to pound, strike, or crush an opponent. Its long shaft allows for easy parrying of blows, for which the staff is not primarily as a defensive weapon. Due to its focus on defending against blows, the staff is often a favorite weapon among scholars.

1 meditation
The ability to meditate is a skill which allows for swifter than normal recovery of mana through various mentaltechniques.

1 spear
A spear is a long shaft topped by a sharpened tip. The shaft of a spear may also occasionally be barbed to inflict more damage. The attack of a spear is typically a pierce, stab, or impaling jab, and the weapon is favored by gladiators, who often use the spear to strike at vital organs. The spear is also occasionally used by barbarians, who use it to hamstring their victims, or fighters, who are often trained to use it in organized phalanxes.

1 sword
Swords are perhaps the most common of weapons in Avendar, known and used by all professions save those of the scholars and druids. A sword typically consists of a hilt (place to hold the sword), a crossbar, and a blade. Blade lengths can be anywhere from 2' to 8', with the very largest swords usable only by the giant races. Blades on swords can either be one or two-sided, curved, straight, or even barbed to inflict more lasting damage. Usually, a sword will inflict stabbing, slashing, chopping, cutting, piercing, or cleaving damage. Swords have traditionally been the weapon of choice for enchantments and other such magics.

5 parry
Parry is a skill learned for deflecting attacks, and is succesful more often than dodge. Parry requires a weapon for full success, the hand-to-hand skill may also be used, but results in reduced damage instead of no damage. The best chance of parrying occurs when the defender is skilled in both his and his opponent's weapon type.

7 haggle
Those who are skilled at haggle can attempt to persuade merchants to offer them a better deal in transactions.

14 kick
The kick skill is an extra attack performed in combat, used for extra damage. Kick can be attempted each round if desired.

15 trance
An enhanced version of the meditative techniques prevalent throughout Avendar, the skill of keeping the mystic portion of one's consciousness in a trance state increases like the ability to regain magical potential. Like meditation, the trance skill is automatic.

19 backlash
Backlash is an automatic ability, attempted whenever one psionicist breaks free of the mental hold of another.

25 second attack
The second attack skill allows one to make two attacks per round. Possessing this skill does not ensure two attacks will be attempted, but it does increase the liklihood of this occuring.

25 mindlink
This psionic ability attempts to create a link between a psionicist and their target. If successful, the psionicist will be able to affect them with psionic attacks at a distance.

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Foci

3 ordered mind
This psionic ability brings order to the target's mind, allowing them to replenish mental abilities more rapidly.

6 mindshield
This is a defensive psionic focused, used to protect either the psionicist, or his target, from mental attacks. The target must be in the room, unless mindlinked to the psionicist.

6 sense danger
A precognitive ability, Sense Danger allows a psionicist to be alerted to the presence of danger in their surroundings. The psionicist will be warned of dangerous creatures nearby, along with possessing a certain ability to avoid attacks that would surprise those without this ability.

7 shove
This telekinetic ability attempts to shove a target to the ground, in an attempt to stun them.

8 esp
This ability allows a psionicist to communicate messages to others via telepathy, even if they can no longer speak.

9 accelerated healing
Using their psychometabolic ability, psionicists can increase the powers of regeneration for the body. This healing requires more energy than normal, however, and will demand more food, as the body uses this energy to heal itself.

10 detect life
This ability allows psionicists to detect the presence of unseen life forms that pass near them, alerting them to their appearance.

11 block vision
This is an offensive psionic focus, used to sever the mental connection between a victim's eyes and his mind. The victim must be in the same room as the psionicist, or mindlinked to him. The victim will remain blind until he frees himself from the mental influence of the psionicist.

11 leech
This psionic attacks attempts to set up a conduit between the mind of the psionicist and his victim. Once in place, the psionicist can drainmana from his target per hour, until the target manages to resist the psionicist. The victim must be in the room, or the subject of a mindlink.

11 psionic blast
This psionic attack sends a burst of disruptive mental energy at a victim.

12 ignore pain
This psychometabolic ability allows a psionicist to completely ignore pain, and push his body beyond the limits of endurance, allowing them to fight with wounds that would fell normal men.

14 deflection
This psionic ability uses telekinesis as a defensive tool. In combat, the psionicist can take advantage of his powers to push his opponent's attacks away at critical moments, resulting in blows missing their target.

15 levitation
This psionic ability uses telekinesis to levitate the user above the ground. While levitating, the psionicist's movement will be more slow than normal, however, resulting in reduced combat effectiveness.

16 enhance pain
This psionic ability attempts to influence the mind of an unwary target. Attacks against the victim will appear (to him) to do more damage than normal, in an attempt to unnerve or confuse him. The victim must be in the same room as the psionicist, or the subject of a mindlink.

16 reduce pain
This psionic ability attempts to influence the mind of an unwary target. Attacks against the victim will appear (to him) to do less damage than normal, in an attempt to lure the victim into remaining until his death. The victim must be in the same room as the psionicist, or the subject of a mindlink.

16 sensory vision
This ability allows a psionicist to use their clairvoyance to "see" their immediate surroundings with their psychic senses. The net result is that they will be unaffected by attempts to physically or magically blind them.

17 paranoia
This psionic ability induces a state of paranoia in the victim. The effects are subtle, but become more drastic as more paranoia is induced. The victim must be in the room, unless they are subjected to a mindlink.

18 mind thrust
This psionic attack is used against another psionicist, to disrupt their existing focuses.

18 foresight
This precognitive ability is used by psionicists to avoid physical blows in combat. With their knowledge of the immediate future, they can avoid attacks which would hit those without this gift.

19 read thoughts
This ability allows a psionicist to read the thoughts of the target. While not able to deeply probe a person's mind, the psionicist will be able to overhear everything the target speaks, yells, or writes. The victim must be in the room, or the subject of a mindlink for this focus to work.

21 vertigo
This psionic ability alters the target's sense of motion and direction, making all exits jumbled in the victim's mind. Attempts at motion and action tend to fail under those influenced by vertigo. The victim of this ability must be in the room, or the subject of a mind link.

22 symbiont
This psionic ability attempts to form a symbiotic link between the psionicist and the target. This link will allow the psionicist to see through the eyes of the target. The target must either be in the room with the psionicist, or the subject of a mindlink.

23 enhance reflexes
A psychometabolic power, this focus allows a psionicist to move more rapidly in combat, striking more often against his foes.

23 prowess
This psychometabolic ability allows a psionicist to enhance their own natural combat ability, resulting in an increase to the amount of damage they can potentially inflict.

24 psychic block
This attempts to impede the psychic ability of another psionicist, by reducing the number of psionic abilities they can maintain at a given time.

26 confusion
This psionic ability invades a person's mind, inducing confusion and disorientation, particularly in regard to their spatial ability.

27 adrenaline rush
The product of intense psychometabolic ability, this psionic power allows the user to draw on his adrenaline reserves to drastically improve his combat ability. Along with mental energy, however, the adrenaline rush saps the psionicist's stamina.

29 overwhelm
This psionic ability attempts to overwhelm the consciousness of the target, rendering them unconscious. The victim must be in the room, or the subject of a mindlink.

30 dominance
This psionic ability attempts to dominate the will of another individual. If successful, there will be a delay while the psionicist attempts to exert his well. If the target fails to resist, he will fall under the control of the psionicist.

31 conceal thoughts
This psionic ability attempts to hide a psionicist from the prying eyes of others. He will not normally appear in an area, and even specific attempts to locate him can often fail.

32 slow reflexes
This psionic ability is psychometabolic in nature, allowing the a psionicist to manipulate a target's mind to influence their physical reactions. If successful, slow reflexes will cause a target to move more slowly in combat, getting fewer attacks and move more slowly in general. The victim must be in the room, unless subjected to a mindlink.

34 suggestion
This ability plants a suggestion deep within the target's mind. After a period of time has elapsed, the target will attempt to carry out the suggestion.

36 forget
Forget induces a temporary amnesia in a victim, causing them to be unable to cast that spell, use that ability, etc. The victim must be in the room, unless subjected to a mindlink.

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Notes From the Legends

Thajjil the Torn, Host of Urjilur, Master of the Mind:

          As you enter the cold and empty room walled with stone, you shiver as a chill runs down your spine. You have the peculiar feeling that you are being watched, yet you see no one. You jump, startled, as a hooded figure shifts behind you, swiftly banging the door shut.

          "You have come to learn the ways of the psionicist, youngblood?" Rasps the hooded man. "It takes a lifetime of dedication and training, but with patience, mastery can be achieved."

          The man sweeps off his hood and cloak with one deft movement, and before you stands a short, eyeless shuddeni named Thajjil.

          "I have learned many tricks in my time, and I will allow you to learn of them so that you will not have to go through the pain that I have endured," He says solemnly. "First of all, make sure your mind and will are strong enough to endure this training. If you come from a race that is not attuned to the mind, you will have a very hard time. I would suggest that only the smartest of pupils try to master the mind. If you are shuddeni as I am, do not attempt to learn the ability of sensory vision. This was created by those with eyes, and only mimicks our uncanny perception. Also, the ability to make an opponent feel more or less pain in battle is rather trivial, in my opinion"

          Thajjil extends his hand towards the corner of the room, and a thin pine staff leaps from the floor into his waiting grasp. "Although one sufficiently trained in the mind does not require the use of armor nor weapons, the staff is the basic weapon that you would concern yourself with. If you are fighting a mage, you may wish to use a sword or spear."

          With a flick of his wrist, Thajjil twirls the pine staff at you with incredible speed and precision, stopping the tip a half-inch away from your forehead! "The ability to enhance your reflexes, prowess, and adrenaline are very essential if you wish to be strong with physical weapons. You may also enhance the prowess of companions in battle if you so desire."

          Thajjil stares at you for a moment, grinning impishly, and you feel a concussive blow to the side of your head that sends you reeling! "The psionic blast is one of the most powerful weapons a psionicist has," he chuckles wryly. "It not only deals impressive physical damage, but also deals temporary mental damage as well." You suddenly feel very warm as Thajjil continues to concentrate at you, and your wounds buckle and stitch themselves together! "The ability to enhance healing can be used on yourself and others, and with it you can mend your wounds at a rate unmatched by any but a water scholar," he explains as your stomach rumbles. "However, you will find yourself a bit hungry if you use it."

          He tosses you a loaf of bread which you gobble down eagarly.

          "The last thing that you would spend adequate time using is the mindlink. The mindlink is the most essential skill you will learn as you become a Master of the Mind. With it, you can accomplish wonders. Now go, and explore for yourself the wonder of the mind." As you walk out the door, you feel a gentle thought in your mind wishing you farewell.

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