About Nyxra the Wanderer---------------------
In the wake of the raid, Nyxra sought to improve her psionic abilities. Unfortunately, while the Silver Hand tribe had its share of psionicists, none of them were interested in tutoring her in the finer points of the mind—at least, not without an exorbitant fee of silver. It was only when the Oasis had a visit from a merchant caravan that she finally found a teacher—an elf clad in brown robes, bereft of any marks identifying tribe or status, looking upon the camp with a sneer of contempt. It was only when she asked her mother that she learned that such an elf was an exile—either as punishment for a terrible crime or because they sought something they could not find within their old tribe. Still, something about Nyxra caught the brown-wrapped elf’s eye, and he decided to spend more time than he planned at the Silver Springs. For a week, the teenage elf learned much under his tutelage—how to read someone’s mind, how to keep her own thoughts concealed, and even how to defend herself from other mindbenders. He also spoke much of how the Silver Hand tribe had forgotten what it meant to be elven—they did not run the wastes, revelling in their freedom to go where they pleased. Instead, they squatted on watering holes, gouging travellers for coin as a templar would. With that, Nyxra asked to leave with him, and he agreed. He finally shared his name with her—he was once Traako of the Sky Singers tribe, but until he found the enlightenment he sought, he would never be again. Nyxra and her mentor wandered the wastes for many years, and she learned much of what it meant to be an elf and a psionicist. Traako was a wise elf, serving as a father figure Nyxra herself never had. They would part ways when she reached her twentieth year, encouraging her to find other masters to learn from and grow. As of late, Nyxra has attached herself to a merchant house as she searches for a master to give her instruction in other psionic disciplines.
Nyxra speaks softly, but with authority. She seems considerably more emotionally stable and less flighty than other elves, but she is no less inclined to run, nor is she any less averse to manipulating others for her benefit. While she has a tendency to act aloof, she harbours a deep loneliness that she tries to repress—usually unsuccessfully. She is a surprisingly altruistic person, by elf standards—if someone asks her for help and genuinely needs it, she’ll likely offer what aid she can.
Non-Weapon Proficiencies
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Defence Modes:
Intellect Fortress
Power Score: Wis –3
Intellect fortress is one of five telepathic defenses against unwanted contact. It calls forth the powers of the ego and superego to stop attacks. Unlike most other defenses, intellect fortress has an area of effect beyond the psionicist’s mind, offering protection to other minds within that radius. Every mind within that area defends against telepathic attack with the psionicist’s intellect fortress power score. A psionicist can initiate one other psionic power in the same round that he uses intellect fortress. Power Score - No additional effect.
Mind Blank Power Score: Wis –7
Mind blank is one of five telepathic defenses against unwanted contact. It attempts to hide the mind from attack, making its parts unidentifiable. This defense is particularly effective against a psionic blast and id insinuation. Mind blank is unique. Unlike the other four defense modes, it costs nothing to maintain. In fact, a character can still recover PSPs while using this power. That’s because mind blank is almost instinctual; if a character knows it, it’s nearly always active, even when he’s sleeping or meditating. The power is inactive only if 1) the player announces it, or 2) the character uses another defense mode. Even though mind blank has no PSP cost, it still constitutes psionic activity. If the power is active, a character is vulnerable to detection. He still may attract psionic feeders, or suffer some other unpleasant effect. A psionicist can use one other psionic power (but not another defense mode) in the same round that he uses mind blank. Power Score - No other effect.
Telepathy Sciences:
Mindlink
Power Score: Wis –5
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).
Telepathy Devotions:
Conceal Thoughts
Power Score: Wis
This defensive devotion protects the psionicist against psionic or magical ESP, probes, mindlink, life detection, and other powers or spells which read or detect thoughts. To overcome thought concealment, an attacker must wage and win a psychic contest. Power Score - All related psychic contests will automatically be won by the defender.
Contact Power Score: Wis
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
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
Several factors can make telepathic contact difficult to establish:
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.
1 mile -1
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. 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 on the following page. Mammal (except marsupial) -1
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. Power Score - The contact is maintained for four rounds for free.
ESP Power Score: Wis –4
Extrasensory perception, or ESP, allows a psionicist to read someone else’s mind (as the power is treated here). The telepath can only perceive surface or active thoughts. He cannot use ESP to explore someone’s memories or delve into their subconscious. Most intelligent creatures tend to think in words, so language is a barrier to understanding. Unintelligent creatures think in pictures. Magical thought, such as a wizard uses in casting spells, is also unintelligible. However, a telepath can easily recognize such thoughts as part of the spell-casting process. Power Score - The first round of maintenance is free.
Id Insinuation Power Score: Wis –4
Id insinuation is one of the five telepathic attack modes. It seeks to unleash the uncontrolled subconscious of the defender, pitting it against his superego. The attack leaves the victim in a state of moral uproar. Technically speaking, this power drives him nuts, at least temporarily. His id - the seat of primitive needs, animal drives, cruelty, and ferocity - seeks to launch him into a rage of violence and desire. His superego - the seat of moral conscience and the “ civilized” part of his brain - struggles to maintain the upper hand. If this power is used against a contacted mind, the target can do nothing for 1d4 rounds. Id insinuation has three ranges: short, medium, and long. At medium range, the telepath's power score is reduced by two. At long range, it is reduced by five. Power Score - The victim's id overpowers his superego and he turns against his allies for 1d4 rounds.
Psychokinesis Sciences:
Telekinesis
Power Score: Wis -3
Telekinesis, or "TK" for short, is the ability to move objects through space without touching them. All telekinetic efforts tend to be physically taxing, because they involve real work. Moving small, light objects is relatively easy. As the objects become more massive, the task becomes significantly more difficult. The costs above (3 PSPs initially and 1 per round of maintenance) assume that the object being moved weighs 3 pounds or less. For heavier objects, these rules apply: • The initial cost equals the object's weight in pounds.
For example, to telekinetically snatch a 15-pound battle axe from a rack, a psionicist must pay 15 PSPs and make a power check with a -5 modifier to his score. A psionicist using TK can move an object up to 60 feet per round. The object can serve as a weapon. In this case, the character attacks using his own THACO score, with a penalty equaling the objects weight modifier (one-third its weight, rounded down). Power Score - The character can lift a second item of equal or lesser weight simultaneously for the same cost.
Psychokinesis Devotions:
Ballistic Attack
Power Score: Con -2
This power can make any psionicist a "David" when he's facing "Goliath." It's a special variation of the telekinesis science. Instead of moving any object relatively slowly, ballistic attack allows the character to hurl a small object at a target. The object, no more than 1 pound in weight, can achieve deadly speeds. It must be within sight of the psionicist and cannot be anchored or attached to anything else. A rock is the most common weapon. The psionicist uses his regular THACO to determine whether he hits the target. If he succeeds, the missile inflicts 1d6 points of damage (assuming, of course, that the character made a successful power check in the first place). Power Score - Damage increases to 1d12.
Control Body Power Score: Con -2
This science allows psychokinetic control of another person's body. In effect, the victim becomes a marionette. He knows that someone else is pulling his strings, though, and he's probably mad as all get-out. Before this science actually works, the psionicist must engage in a psychic contest, pitting his power score directly against the victims Strength. If the victim wins the contest, he breaks free (the psionicist still pays the power cost). In a tie, the contest continues into the next round, provided the psionicist maintains the power. The victim can't do anything else during this contest; all his effort is focused on retaining control of his own body. If the power works, the psionicist has rudimentary control over the victim's limbs. He can make the victim stand up, sit down, walk, turn around, etc. The body can be forced to attack physically, but with a -6 penalty on attack rolls (using the victim's own THACO). The victim can't be forced to speak. In fact, he keeps control over his own voice and can say whatever he likes. The victim must stay within the 80-yard range or the psionicist's control is broken automatically. If the body is forced to do something obviously suicidal, like walking off a cliff or poking at a red dragon, the victim can fight another contest with the psionicist to regain control (the adrenaline rush of imminent danger gives him renewed strength). Power Score - The psionicist automatically wins the initial psychic contest.
Inertial Barrier Power Score: Con -3
The inertial barrier is a defense. The psionicist creates a barrier of "elastic" air around himself and anyone else within 3 yards. Like an unpoppable, semipermeable bubble, this barrier helps soften missile blows and can shield those inside from many forms of damage. Specifically, the barrier helps protect against the following, by absorbing some (or with luck all) of the potential damage: • Any nonmagical missile weapon.
The inertial barrier has no effect against the following :
Furthermore, the barrier cannot keep enemies out, but it does slow them a bit. Anyone trying to cross the barrier must stop moving when he hits it. He can then cross inside (or outside) in the next round. Handling Missile Attacks: The inertial barrier saps energy from missile weapons by tightening around them as they pass through. If a missile strikes its target inside the barrier, the attacker rolls damage normally. The defender then rolls the same type of die (as the attacker just did) to see how much damage the barrier absorbed. The defender does not include any magical pluses the weapon may have. The defender then subtracts the result of his die roll from the attacker's damage. If anything is left over, the defender loses that many hit points. If the defender's roll equals or exceeds the total damage, the weapon falls harmlessly to the ground. If the missile is explosive, the barrier does prevent damage, but not the explosion. The barrier does not differentiate the direction of travel. If a weapon is fired from the inside, the penalties above still apply. Power Score - The barrier blocks an additional point per die.
--------------------- Gear --------------------- —1 Bone Spear (8 bits) —1 Club (Free) —1 Suit of Mekillot Hide Armour (15 CP) —1 Small Wooden Shield (3 CP) —1 Belt (3 bits) —1 pair of Soft Boots (1 CP) —1 Plain Cloak (5 bits) —1 Vest (6 bits) —1 pair of Breeches (2 cp) —1 belt (3 bits) —1 fire kit (2 bits) —4 waterskins (4 CP total) —1 week of rations (10 CP) —1 Backpack (2 CP) Money: 10.3 cp Carrying Capacity: Current Load: ---------------------
------------------------ (Belt Slot)
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