About Laurelin KentadesLaurelin Kentades
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AC 6 (studded leather armor + small shield)
+3 Wisdom bonus vs. mind-affecting powers
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Speed 30 ft.
Psionic Abilities
* indicates a power found in the Dragon Kings sourcebook.
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Str 13, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 16, Wis 17, Cha 16
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Starting weapon proficiencies: 2
Bola
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Starting nonweapon proficiencies: 3
Animal Handling (bonus): Wis-1
† indicates a proficiency found in The Will and the Way sourcebook. --------------------
Initial Funds: 180 cp Bola (5 bits, 2 lbs.)
Clothing:
Backpack (2 cp)
Cash on hand: 8 cp --------------------
Kit: Beastmaster (The Will and the Way pp. 23-24) Special Benefits: Beastmasters enjoy several talents that make their task easier. First of all, they may use the animal empathy ability of the ranger class. If the animal is wild or trained to attack, it receives a saving throw versus rods modified by -1 for every three experience levels the psionicist possesses, just like the ranger ability. Evil beastmasters generally cow animals rather than befriend them, but the effects are identical.
Special Hindrances: Beastmasters have difficulty using their Telepathic powers on sentient subjects and suffer a -1 penalty to the power score of any science or devotion used against an intelligent opponent. Secondly, the beastmaster's awkwardness imposes a -2 reaction check penalty when dealing with urban characters. Encounters in a city-state count, but meetings with desert nomads or villagers would not. Psionic Sciences Domination:
Telepathy science Power Score: Wis-4 Initial Cost: contact Maintenance Cost: varies Range: 30 yards Area of Effect: individual Prerequisites: mindlink, contact With domination, a psionicist can project signals from his own mind into the mind of one other person or creature. As a result, the subject is forced to do nearly anything the psionicist wishes. The dominated subject knows what is happening, but he cannot resist the psionicist's will. Commands are given mentally and automatically. The victim's abilities are neither diminished nor enhanced by this power. The subject can be forced to use any power or ability he normally can—assuming the psionicist knows about it. Domination does not reveal facts or secrets about a victim. As soon as domination is attempted, the victim makes a saving throw vs. spells. If this saving throw succeeds, the victim is not dominated. If it fails, the victim has fallen under the psionicist's control. However, if the victim is later forced to do something completely abhorrent (against his alignment), he can make another saving throw to regain his free will. Domination can exact a high price in PSPs. The cost to establish and maintain this power equals twice the cost to contact the victim. Power Score—The maintenance cost is halved. 20—The victim knows that someone attempted to dominate him. Mindlink:
Telepathy science Power Score: Wis-5 Initial Cost: contact Maintenance Cost: 8/round Range: unlimited Area of Effect: individual Prerequisites: contact Mindlink allows the user to communicate wordlessly with any intelligent creature he can contact (Intelligence 5 or greater on a human scale). This is two-way communication. It is not the same as mind-reading because the psionicist only receives thoughts which the other party wants to send. Language is not a barrier. Distance affects the telepath's ability to make contact, but it has no other effect (see "contact"). Power Score—The mindlink allows one probing question (see probe). 20—The psionicist must save vs. petrification or be stunned for 1d4 rounds. Psionic Devotions Cell Adjustment:
Psychometabolism devotion Power Score: Con -3 Initial Cost: 5 Maintenance Cost: up to 20/round Range: Touch Preparation Time: 0 Area of Effect: individual Prerequisites: none Cell adjustment allows the psionicist to heal wounds and cure diseases. Any sort of wound can be healed, but only nonmagical diseases are affected (e.g., this power cannot heal mummy rot, nor can it cure a lycanthropic curse). The psionicist can cure a disease in one round by spending 5 PSPs and making a succesful power check. If the die roll equals a 1, he succeeds but it's doubly taxing (10 PSPs). If it equals a 2, he fails because the disease is too widespread; he must spend another 5 PSPs and try again next round. A "cure" doesn't automatically restore hit points lost due to illness; it merely arrests the disease. However, the psionicist can heal up to 4 points of damage in each subsequent round by spending 5 psionic strength points per hit point recovered. He cannot cure the disease and restore hit points during the same round. Power Score—All disease—or up to 10 points of damage—is instantly healed at a cost of 5 PSPs. 20—The psionicist suffers ldlO points of damage but the patient is unaffected. Contact:
Telepathy devotion Power Score: Wis Initial Cost: varies Maintenance Cost: 1/round Range: special Preparation Time: 0 Area of Effect: individual Prerequisites: none Contact must be established before virtually any telepathic power can be used on another character or creature. It is just what its name implies—contact between the minds of the telepath and another character or creature. Contact does not allow communication by itself; it is merely the conduit for other telepathic exchanges. Many telepathic powers list "contact" as their initial cost. That means contact must be established in a previous round before those powers can be used. As long as contact is maintained, the psionicist can use other powers which require it, and can even switch (using attraction and then mindlink on the same subject after contact was established, for example). A psionicist can maintain contact with more than one subject at a time, but he must contact each one individually, and pay a maintenance cost for each use of the power. For example, if a psionicist wishes to inspire awe in two subjects, he must establish and maintain contact with each one separately. Once contact is established, it costs 1 PSP per round to maintain. The psionicist can perform any other action while maintaining contact. If he uses another telepathic power on the same subject while maintaining contact, the contact power is "free." (The cost of maintaining contact is covered by the other power's cost.) Establishing Contact: The initial cost of contact is based on the target's level or hit dice, as shown below. 1-5 levels or hit dice: 3 PSPs/round 6-10 levels or hit dice: 8 PSPs/round 11-15 levels or hit dice: 13 PSPs/round 16-20 levels or hit dice: 18 PSPs/round A psionicist cannot contact a subject that he knows nothing about. In other words, he can't use this power to scan around and "see what's out there." He must either have his subject in sight or know specifically who or what he is looking for. He cannot, for example, try to contact any random orc which may or may not be standing behind a closed door. However, he can try to contact a particular ore which he has seen before. If a psionicist fails to establish contact, he can try again the next round. Failure doesn't necessarily mean the target's mind cannot be contacted. Rather, it means the target has not been found yet. The psionicist can continue searching. Several factors can make telepathic contact difficult to establish: • how far the target is (distance) • resistance by the target—especially if the target is a psionicist • whether or not the target is an intelligent mammal Each factor is described below. Distance: The greater the distance between the two minds, the more difficult it usually becomes to make contact. If the psionicist can see the target—either with normal vision or by using psionic powers—distance is not a factor. If the psionicist cannot see his target, normal range modifiers apply. Simply knowing where to look does not constitute "seeing the target." Separation Distance: Power Score Modifier Line-of-sight: 0 1 mile: -1 10 miles: -3 100 miles: -5 1,000 miles: -7 10,000 miles: -9 The maximum range for establishing contact is 10,000 miles when a psionicist cannot view his subject. Contact can be maintained across any distance, however; it is not broken if a contacted subject moves out of range. There is one exception: contact cannot be extended beyond a crystal sphere. Resistance: An untrained character—i.e., a nonpsionicist—can actively resist intrusion, resulting in a —2 modifier to the psionicist's power score. To resist, the character fills his mind with a barrage of thoughts and emotions—much as a child avoids a lecture by plugging his ears and yelling. For example, a character might repeat a poem ad nauseam, or scream battle cries. However, even these efforts won't work unless 1) the character is specifically resisting psychic intrusion, and 2) resisting intrusion is his sole activity. If the character tries to fight or cast a spell, for example, his psychic defense has too many "holes" to be useful. Unless a wild talent knows a telepathic defense mode, he is as vulnerable to contact as any nonpsionicist. Psionicists (and psionic creatures) are much better at resisting contact. In fact, this power won't work against them unless they intentionally drop their natural defenses. They must allow another psionicist to use contact on them, and can exclude some contacts while remaining open to others. If a psionicist resists, contact can only be established through mental attacks: psychic crush, ego whip, id insinuation, mind thrust, or psionic blast. See Chapter 2, "Psionic Combat," for more information. Unusual Subjects: Contact can also be established with nonhuman minds, even plants. The further the subject is removed from mammals, the more difficult it becomes to establish contact. Modifiers that affect power scores are listed below. Life Order: Contact Score Modifier Mammal (except marsupial): -1 Marsupial: -2 Bird: -3 Reptile, amphibian: -4 Fish: -5 Arachnid, insect -6 Monster: -7 Plant: -8 These modifiers are in addition to any distance modifiers that may apply. That means contacting a distant plant or monster is an uncertain proposition at best. Breaking Contact: Contact is not severed until the psionicist breaks it off (fails to maintain it). If the person contacted is a psionicist, he may also do something to sever it. A psionicist often can eject an unwanted intruder (see "ejection"). Optional Rule: The minds of very intelligent beings are more difficult to latch onto. Increase the cost of contact by adding the creature's "# of Languages," minus two, as shown on Table 4 in Chapter 1 of the Player's Handbook. For example, a creature with Intelligence 17 knows six languages. The cost of contacting this creature's mind is increased by four. Power Score—The contact is maintained for four rounds for free. 20—Further contact with this mind is impossible at this experience level. Empathy:
Telepathy devotion Power Score: Wis-4 Initial Cost: contact (or 1*) Maintenance Cost: 1/round Range: unlimited Preparation Time: 0 Area of Effect: 20 ft. x 20 ft. Prerequisites: contact By using empathy, a psionicist can sense the basic needs, drives, and/or emotions generated by any mind. Thirst, hunger, fear, fatigue, pain, rage, hatred, uncertainty, curiosity, hostility, friendliness, love—all these and more can be sensed. *When used against nonpsionic targets, contact is not required. Power Score—The subject of the emotion is revealed. 20—The target senses the attempt. Insect Mind*:
Telepathy devotion Power Score: Int-2 Initial Cost: 7 Maintenance Cost: 1/round Range: 0 Preparation Time: 0 Area of Effect: personal Prerequisites: none With this power the psionicist attunes his mind to be like that of an insect. This makes dealing with insects easier both psionically and personally. The psionicist does not suffer the -6 penalty for contact with an insect or arachnid mind while this power is maintained. He instead receives a -6 penalty for contact with non-insect minds, and they suffer that same penalty when contacting him. Also, with a greater understanding of insect thinking, the psionicist gains a +2 bonus to his Charisma score when dealing with insects. Conversely, he suffers a -2 penalty to his Charisma score when dealing with non-insect minds. This power is commonly used when dealing with thri-kreen. Ambassadors to thri-kreen nations usually bring along a psionicist with this power. The power does not confer the ability to communicate—other powers must be employed. This power can be maintained while other powers are being used. Power Score—The psionicist gains incredible insight into insect thinking, and gains the benefit of this power without maintenance cost for 24 hours. 20—The psionicist attains insectoid intellect, but is perceived as a drone or workerinsects simply wont listen and may attack if the psionicist is persistent. Mind Over Body:
Psychometabolism devotion Power Score: Wis-3 Initial Cost: n/a Maintenance Cost: 10/day Range: touch Preparation Time: 0 Area of Effect: individual Prerequisites: none Mind over body allows the user to suppress his body's need for food, water, and sleep. In exchange for one hour of meditation per day, all of the psionicist's physical needs are overcome. He does not feel hunger, exhaustion, or thirst, nor does he suffer any ability reductions for privation. The psionicist can also suppress the basic needs of others while suppressing his own. To do so, he must pay an additional 10 PSPs per person and spend an additional hour of meditation per person. Each person being aided must be in physical contact with the psionicist throughout the entire period of meditation. Usually, all the characters hold hands, forming a continuous line or circle. The psionicist can survive in this fashion for a number of days equal to his experience level, or five days, whichever is more. At the end of that time, he collapses from exhaustion. He must then rest one day for every two days spent sublimating his body's needs. Or he can be restored through 24 hours of complete healing. These rules also apply to any characters the psionicist has aided. Power Score—The psionicist need not rest after using this power. 20—The power fails, but the psionicist collapses with exhaustion and must rest for 24 hours. Mind Thrust:
Telepathy devotion Power Score: Wis-2 Initial Cost: 2 Maintenance Cost: n/a Range: 30/60/90 yards Preparation Time: 0 Area of Effect: individual Prerequisites: contact, mindlink Mind thrust is one of the five telepathic attacks used to establish contact with another psionicist's mind. It is a stabbing attack which seeks to "short" the synapses of the defender. If the subject's mind has already been contacted, and he has psionic powers, then this power can do some damage. The subject loses the use of one power, chosen randomly, for 2d6 days. Beyond establishing contact, mind thrust has no effect on creatures or characters without psionic powers. This power has three ranges: short, medium, and long. At medium range, the psionicist's power score is reduced by two. At long range, it's reduced by five. Power Score—No other effect. 20—The telepath loses all tangents, but not contacts. Pheromone Discharge*:
Psychometabolism devotion Power Score: Int Initial Cost: 5 Maintenance Cost: 1/round Range: 0 Preparation Time: 0 Area of Effect: personal Prerequisites: none This power lets the psionicist's skin give off beneficial odors that affect lower insects. Only insects of animal intelligence are so affected, but their impressions of the psionicist can be controlled to a great degree. The psionicist can masquerade as any type of insect, or any class of insect within a society. In a hive, the psionicist can impersonate a worker, soldier, even a queen, changing whenever he likes. Changing his odor to that of another insect species usually draws an attack, which may be useful to the psionicist as a diversion. Any insect of greater than animal intelligence immediately sees the psionicist for what he really is. The psionicist can also perform rudimentary communication with controlled pheromone releases. He can send rudimentary information but has no means to interpret the answers received. Thri-kreen regard this power as most distasteful, a savage abuse of psionics against the near perfect order of common insect life. Power Score—The psionicist can maintain the power without PSP cost for 4d6 hours. 20—The insects are so taken with the psionicist that they cover him with attention, possibly suffocating him if he doesn't receive assistance. --------------------
Description: Laurelin has slightly reddish skin, unremarkable straight brown hair, and startling orange irises. Her build is lean as befits a traveler in the outdoors. She has a long, narrow nose, a smooth forehead, and a rounded chin, with thin, flat cheeks and a slim mouth. Hair: Brown, shoulder-length
Personality: Laurelin dislikes the confines of cities—the loud noises, smells, and especially treacherous people. She grew up on the outskirts of Tyr, appreciating the scrublands and the beautiful desert flowers, the serene quiet of the waste and the animals out there. She is friendly, but a bit provincial; she doesn't always immediately grasp insinuations or circuitous language. She pays attention to other people's feelings and body language.
Background: Laurelin grew up on the outskirts of Tyr with the herdspeople that raise erdlus and other such animals in the scrublands. A quick mind from a young age, she showed exceptional empathy with the herd animals raised by her extended family, and one of the tribal psionicists tutored her in the Way. She showed an unusual facility for communicating with insects—a very useful skill for controlling herds of kanks. With effort, she can even telepathically dominate an inix, which assured her a good life as a beastmaster.
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