Power Required: 14 Range: Touch
Action: Special Telepathy Check: DC 22
Concentration: Yes Multiple Subjects: No
Chakra cost: 28
Few telepaths, and even fewer mundanes, realize that a telepath can program a mind to prevent it from taking specific actions. Even if they did know it they would most likely avoid taking the idea to its logical conclusion; that telepaths can control the actions of others by forcing them to avoid specific ways of thinking.
Implanting an action block requires at least one minute of uninterrupted concentration. The target may make one Will save every round to resist the effect. Success results in the block breaking down before it fully integrates with the target’s personality. An action block may prohibit the target from taking one general type of action or it may prevent him from taking a specific action for a given duration. Typically these blocks take the form of: ‘You may not harm or allow though inaction to come to harm myself ’. At most a block can prevent a character from acting against one person or a specific location.
Power Required: 8 Range: Long
Action: Standard Telepathy Check: DC 14
Concentration: Yes Multiple Subjects: Yes
Chakra cost: 16
Burrowing past the conscious mind, the telepath is able to send the subject into a dream-like state much like a shallow sleep. The subject will be unable to take any actions while held in the daze and to observers will appear to simply stare off into the distance.
Daze Variations
Reverie (DC 18): The subject has no memory of his time in the daze and is unaware anything odd ever happened.
Sleepwalk (DC 20): The telepath may control the subject’s gross motor functions – he can make the dazed target walk, nod, move their arms, open a door and so on. Fine control such as pressing a specific button on a keyboard, aiming a gun or speaking is not possible. Anything that would injure or alarm the target allows the target to make another Will save.
Power Required: 12 Range: Medium
Action: Standard Telepathy Check: DC 20
Concentration: No Multiple Subjects: Yes
Chakra cost: 24
The direct stimulation of nerves is an exacting ability that few telepaths can successfully master.
For the gifted, however, comes the ability to simulate actual physical contact by pushing nerve endings, making the subject feel as if they had been slapped or punched. This is often confused with telekinesis but this ability is performed purely through telepathy. Any subject failing their Will saving throw will automatically sustain 1d3 points of lethal telepathic damage. In addition, they become flat-footed until their next turn.
Nerve Stimulation Variations
Soothe (DC 22): The target is flooded with the feeling of being sedate and calm, forcing him to pass a DC 15 Will save to make any hostile action or comments. This effect lasts for 1d6 minutes but is cancelled instantly if the target is threatened or attacked.
Sensation (DC 22): The telepath sends mental messages to the target’s endorphin and adrenaline producing glands and floods the body with waves of chemical pleasure.
Other than a -2 reduction to all Dexterity and Wisdom based rolls due to lack of focus and bodily control, this ability has many interesting roleplaying uses for a crafty Centauri. Once the target has been affected, the surge wears off in 1d3 minutes – when it could be created again if the telepath wishes it.
Force Action (DC 24): The target takes a single action specified by the telepath instead of becoming flatfooted.
For example, the target might step to the side, pull a trigger, raise an arm or scream. The action must be a single one; raising a gun and pulling a trigger are two separate actions for example.
Nauseate (DC 25): The telepath seizes control of the target’s digestive, excretory or respiratory system.
Instead of becoming flat-footed, the target is nauseated for 1d4 rounds.
Spark (DC 24): By randomly scrambling the target’s nerves, the telepath forces the target to suffer a –5 penalty to his next skill check or attack roll, as long as that action occurs within one round.
Paralyse (DC 25): The target loses the ability to move or the function of any one of the following body parts per successful use of the power, having the listed effect for the listed amount of time.
Location Targeted Effect Duration
Arm, Hand Target appendage hangs lifelessly 1d6 minutes
cannot be moved or manipulated and does not feelpain or sensation
Leg, Foot Target appendage is wooden 1d4 minutes
and stiff, cannot be moved or
manipulated and does not feel
pain or sensation
Eyes Target cannot see clearly or at all 2d6 minutes
Mouth, Tongue Target can only speak in drooling 2d6 minutes
mumbles and not clearly
enough to be understood.
Target also cannot eat properly.
Bowels Target loses faculties long enough to Instant
soil him- or herself
Power Required: 6 Range: Close (P8 Medium, P10 Long)
Action: Standard Telepathy Check: DC 18
Concentration: Yes Multiple Subjects: Yes
Chakra cost: 12 (16 Medium, 20 Long)
A terrible ability that few telepaths take lightly, this directly targets the pain centres of a subject’s brain causing terrible agony for a limited period of time. However, during this time they will be utterly incapable of performing any organised action, consumed with the agony ravaging their mind.
Any subject failing their Will saving throw will automatically sustain 1d6 points of nonlethal telepathic damage every round. They will also be sickened. Their agony will be obvious to anyone witnessing this attack.
Pain Variations
Agony (DC 20): The telepathic damage dealt by this ability is increased to 2d6.
Targeted Pain (DC 22): The target feels the pain in a body part chosen by the telepath, instead of all over. For example, the pain might be concentrated in the target’s head or hand. Alternatively, the pain can feel like a particular type of pain (burning, acid, cold, vacuum) instead of generalised agony.
Amplify (DC 25): The telepath triggers the target’s nervous system to amplify the next source of physical pain. The next attack to infl ict any damage whatsoever against the target will infl ict exactly the same amount of damage again in a nonlethal form. This means that a target successfully affected by amplify who summarily gets punched by the telepath for six points of nonlethal damage will actually suffer 12 points of nonlethal damage! Should the target get stabbed instead for eight points of lethal damage, he would also suffer from an additional eight points of nonlethal damage due to theamplified pain of the wound. Although the target may feel a slight prickling of the skin after the ability takes effect, there is no way to tell a telepathic power is in effect.
Power Required: 16 Range: Medium
Action: Full round Telepathy Check: DC 22
Concentration: Yes Multiple Subjects: No
Chakra cost: 32
By accessing the conscious mind of a subject, the telepath is able to manipulate nerve endings and brain patterns to completely alter a subject’s perceptions. On successful use of this power, the telepath can take over a subject’s senses, choosing what the subject sees, hears, tastes, smells and feels. While this ability is in effect, the telepath can literally create an entirely new reality for his subject. For example, the telepath could potentially alter his appearance as far as the subject is concerned, cause the subject to hear suspicious noises that require investigation or cause the subject to have an entire conversation with someone who does not exist.
Reality Fabrication Variations
As You Wish (DC +2): Like the false memory implantation variant of the same name, this variant lets the target create a reality instead of the telepath imposing one on him. The target perceives what he wants to perceive. Again, the telepath can vaguely suggest the nature of the fabricated reality. For example, the telepath could force a target to see the telepath as someone who is allowed through a security check, but exactly who he is perceived to be is up to the target.
Sustained Reality (DC +2/round): The fabricated reality is sustained after the telepath stops concentrating. The target may make a Will save each round to break out of the reality.
Power Required: 14 Range: Medium
Action: Standard Telepathy Check: DC 18
Concentration: No Multiple Subjects: Yes
Chakra cost: 28
Similar to the Nerve Stimulation telepathic ability from the same Discipline, Spasm sends synaptic shockwaves through the muscles of a target. These impulses cause the target’s muscles to clench and release sporadically, eliminating any ability to use the affected area of the body. If successful, the ability will send a ripple of light muscle spasms across the target’s body. This will cause the target to drop any object(s) it might be carrying and make it unable to move or speak for 1d3 rounds.
Note: This ability only works on species with an internal musculature. Insectoid (Gaim) or mollusc (Ipsha) species are immune to Spasm.
Spasm Variations
5 Focused Area (DC 22): The telepath focuses the effects of Spasm to a single limb or body area. Choosing to affect a hand, leg, stomach or mouth, the telepath makes the chosen area’s muscles tighten as if cramped. Hands will drop what they are carrying before becoming twisted fists, legs will cause the target to limp or topple, the stomach will cause uncontrolled vomiting and the mouth will produce drool and guttural sounds instead of speech. Due to the controlled area of the attack, this variation lasts for 1d6 rounds.
5 Stress Tendon (DC 24): The telepath uses the Spasm ability to affect the areas of the target’s musculature that connect to its tendons in order to cause significant bodily damage. If successful, the target only suffers one round of the effects of Spasm, but immediately suffers 1d3 points of temporary Dexterity and Strength damage from pulled and stretched tendon connections. This damage cannot reduce an ability score below 3.
5 Wrack (DC 28): A more powerful version of Spasm, this variation brings the full weight of a wracking seizure down upon the target(s). The telepath sets a torrent of conflicting synapses fi ring through the target’s body, afflicting him just like the parent ability does. The severity of the seizure is far greater, inflicting 1d6 nonlethal damage upon targets for each round it affects them.
Power Required: 6 Range: Self
Action: Standard Telepathy Check: DC 14
Concentration: Yes Multiple Subjects: No
Chakra cost: 12
This ability functions in the same way Nerve Stimulation does, except in reverse. Using the strength of his telepathic training, the telepath shuts off pain sensors and reroutes unpleasant stimuli from the brain. While this ability is in use the telepath can choose to use Telepathy skill checks in place of Concentration skill or Fortitude save rolls when resisting pain or similar external stimuli.
Telepathic Conditioning Variations
5 Numb (DC 18): The telepath uses the telepathic conditioning ability to shut off higher degrees of sharp physical pain, like those caused by fi sts or shock sticks.
While the ability is in effect, the telepath shuts down most of the external pain sensors related to bruises and impacts. This creates a ‘damage buffer’ that will allow the target to ignore a number of points of nonlethal damage equal to the Telepathy skill check result. When this buffer is depleted, any further points of nonlethal damage are applied as normal.
5 Painless (DC 20): The telepath uses the telepathic conditioning ability to completely shut off pain of any kind from the target’s mind. The target can weather the worst injuries as mere nuisances, until they become too damaging to ignore. While the ability is in effect the target can stay conscious and act normally from 0 to –9 hit points, dying as normal at –10. This ability variation does have one drawback, however. The Games Master keeps track of the amount of damage the target has suffered in secret, only revealing the amount of hit point damage suffered if the target is looked over with a successful Medical skill check with a DC of 15 – the number of hit points below zero (or simply 15 if the target still has positive hit points).