Scanning Discipline

The Discipline of Scanning is the primary use most telepaths put their powers to. By reaching into the minds of others, telepaths can unearth lies or long-buried secrets. The Psi Corps ensures honesty and fairness in business negotiations by scanning the minds of the parties involved; the Centauri use their telepaths to dredge secrets out of the minds of rivals.

Deep Scan

Power Required: 10

Range: Close (P12 Medium)

Action: Full round

Telepathy Check: DC 16

Concentration: Yes

Multiple Subjects: No

Chakra Cost: 20

This is one of the most renowned and feared of all telepathic

abilities. While performing a deep scan, a telepath is able to

rummage through the entire contents of a subject’s mind,

examining all their secrets, lies and ambitions. The successful

use of the deep scan ability will effectively allow a telepath

to ask his subject one question every round which must be

answered truthfully, though this is done telepathically.

A deep scan is extremely uncomfortable for the subject, both

physically and emotionally, as the telepath penetrates roughly

into their mind. Any subject trying to resist the deep scan

will instead automatically suffer 1d3 points of lethal damage

every time a Will save is rolled (whether the save is successful

or not).

Even a subject not resisting the deep scan will automatically

suffer 1d3 points of nonlethal damage every round they are

being scanned.

Deep Scan Variations

G Gentle Scan (DC 20): The telepath

carefully protects the subject of the scan from

any painful memories or aberrant

thoughts, reducing the strain of

the scan. Only a single point of lethal or nonlethal

damage is suffered by the target every round.

G Brute Scan (DC 20): The telepath pushes deeply with

the scan, causing much more damage that necessary.

This scan always deals lethal damage, whether or not

the target attempts to resist.

G Holistic Scan (DC +2): Instead of asking specific

questions, the telepath simply assesses the current state

of the target’s mind. Each round, the telepath must

make an Intrigue check (DC 20). If successful, the

telepath learns one useful fact from the subject’s mind,

assuming the subject knows any facts relevant to the

telepath. For instance, the telepath might come across

a memory of a face in the crowd; the subject does not

know this person but the telepath does. Such a fact

is useful to the telepath but would not turn up in the

course of normal deep scan questioning.

G Extended Range (DC +3 / every additional 5 feet):

The telepath can stretch the physical limits of the scan,

although this is extremely difficult. For every increase

of +3 to the DC, the range is increased by 5 feet. Note

that P12s can use deep scan at medium range; Extended

Range in this case increases the range by 10 feet for

every +3 increase to DC.

Surface Scan

Power Required: 7

Range: Close (P10 Medium)

Action: Standard

Telepathy Check: DC 16

Concentration: Yes

Multiple Subjects: No

Chakra Cost: Free

This is one of the most well known and oft-used of all

telepathic abilities. By lightly scanning the surface thoughts of

a subject, the telepath will cause no pain or discomfort and yet

be able to read whatever the subject is currently thinking and

actually feel the emotions they are currently sensitive to. This

is commonly used by commercial telepaths in negotiations

to verify whether someone is telling the truth or not, but

anything the subject is currently thinking will be noticed.

Only surface thoughts may be picked up with a surface scan

and a deep scan will be required to discover any information

the subject is not currently thinking about.

If the Telepathy check fails, then the telepath still picks up

surface thoughts but cannot tell truth from lies or pick up on

a specific train of thought.

Sense Threat (DC 20): The telepath opens his mind up

to the fl owing nature of the Mindscape, ignoring any sort

of signals he receives except for all but the strongest of

emotions that come immediately before an attack. Unless

the attacker is emotionally dead or outside the range of

the telepath’s senses, the telepath with this power active

may use a Telepathy check as his initiative score in the fi rst

round of any combat, including a surprise round if there is

one. After his fi rst action, the telepath must roll a normal

initiative check and act in later rounds on that score.

Area Scan (DC 22): The telepath tunes out the physical

world and concentrates on actually reading the ambient

noise of the local Mindscape. Making a successful Telepathy

skill check then calls for the telepath to make a subsequent

Concentration check. The degree of success of that check

(see table below) determines the number of minds within

30 feet of the telepath will need to pass the required Will

save or be subject to a surface scan.

Concentration

result

Number of

surface scans

10 or less 0

11 – 15 1

16 – 20 2

21 – 25 3

26 – 30 4

31 + 5

Shift Scan

Power Required: 18

Range: Medium (P12 Long)

Action: Full round

Telepathy Check: DC 20

Concentration: Yes

Multiple Subjects: Special

Chakra Cost: 26

This telepathic ability is used most often by investigators

who need to scan multiple targets in a short amount of

time but cannot afford to risk the stress of multiple

individual scans. The telepath instead opens his mind into

a ‘scanning beam,’ placing the minds of those he wants to

scan in it moment by moment. The telepath makes the

skill check for this ability and chooses a target for a Surface

Scan, who can resist as normal. If successful the telepath

gains the information from the scan and this ability is

maintained, allowing him to change to a different target

next round. If anyone resists the ability successfully the

telepath’s concentration is broken and he will need to start

the ability anew on the following round.