Trinity RPG - Psikinesis

[Telgar]

After getting help from the WW Trinity Forumites and some people from this board, I've managed to work out systems for a Psi-control Aptitude. I haven't bothered with power descriptions because I want to work out the system stuff first, then add in flavor text to fit the final product. I'd really appreciate help making this balanced and workable. My grasp of Trinity rules isn't so strong yet. Thanks in advance for any help. Sorry this is such a long post, but breaking it up would take more space.

Psikinesis

Psikinesis, also called Psi-K, is the polar opposite of Quantakinesis and almost as rare. Psi-K deals with manipulating the local noetic fields directly instead of using them to accomplish other tasks. Though there was never a Psikinetic Proxy or Order, it is a fully developed Aptitude. Psikinesis is so similar to Psychokinesis that the two Aptitudes can be triggered by the same Prometheus Chamber, thus the majority of Psikinetics work with the Legions. Psi-K, like Quantakinesis, is an ability unique to humanity. Psi-K is remarkable in its ability to affect not only psi-based powers, but the quantum abilities of the Aberrants. The current theory is that Psi-K’s alteration of the noetic fields disrupts quantum in much the same way Taint disrupt other psi powers. Other Aptitudes are too focused a use of psi for this effect to take place.

Botching

A Psi-K botch isn’t as horrific as those of Biokinesis or Vitakinesis, but it isn’t anything to be taken lightly. Botched Psi-K attempts often result in warping the local noetic fields so badly that Psi powers become dangerously unstable in the region, possibly for long periods of time. It is also possible to severely damage your own noetic template with a Psi-K botch. There are rumors of Psikinetics reverting to neutrals, having burned the ability to channel psionic energy out of themselves.

Basic Technique

Tolerance Control

System: This power is in effect at all times once learned. Your permanent Tolerance limit is increased by one.

Augmentation

Using the Augmentation Mode, a Psikinetic is able to increase the power and degree of control he and others are able to exert over Psi. Only highly skilled Psikinetics are able to use Augmentation at the same time as another Mode, therefor it is most useful when aiding Gifted allies. Unless stated otherwise, all Aptitudes are able to benefit from the effects of Augmentation. Augmentation increases efficiency and power of psi-effects by making subtle changes the noetic fields of the target allowing temporary increases in psionic power.

* Jumpstart

System: Spend one Psi and roll. Add your successes in dice to one attempt by anyone in Psi x3 meters to use a Psi power. At level 3, you can use this power on yourself.

** Noetic Malleability

System: Spend two Psi and roll. For each success, reduce the difficulty on one attempt to use a Psi power by anyone inside Psi x3 meters. The difficulty can not be lowered past one. At level 4 you can use this power on yourself.

*** Refinement

System: Spend one Willpower, one Psi and roll. For every two successes, a Psion of your choice (must be within Psi x3 meters) gains an extra dot in the Mode of your choice. These extra dots do not grant powers, but allow already known powers to operate at higher levels. This effect lasts one turn per success. At level 4 Augmentation, the enhancement lasts for one hour per success and you can use this ability on yourself.

**** Channeling

System: Spend one Willpower, one Psi and roll. For every two successes, add one success to an attempt to use a Psi power inside Psi x4 meters. At level 5 you can use this power on yourself.

***** Psi Booster

System: Spend one Willpower, two Psi and roll. For every two successes, a Psion of your choice (must be within Psi x4 meters) gains an extra dot of Psi. These extra dots do not increase the psion’s maximum Psi pool, but they do add dice for rolls and calculations involving Psi. This effect lasts one hour per success.

Disruption

The opposite of Augmentation, Disruption allows a psion to make it difficult, or even impossible, to use psionic or Quantum powers. Depending on which specific technique is used, Disruption can affect an area or a person. Formatted Biotech and Aberrant hypertech are also vulnerable to the effects of Disruption.

Disruption can affect Psi and Quantum powers with equal ease. The effects of this Mode create noetic distortions that effectively ‘jam’ Psi powers. Quantum powers are disrupted in the same way that Taint normally makes it hard to use Psi, basically creating Anti-Taint.

* Flux

System: Spend one Psi and roll. For every success, remove one die from an attempt to use a Psi or Quantum power against you. At level 2 this power can be used to protect other people or objects. Only one target can be protected at a time.

** Noetic Warp

System: Spend two Psi and roll. For each success, remove one success from one attempt to use a Psi or Quantum power against you. At level 3 this power can be used to protect other people or objects. Only one target can be protected at a time.

*** Stasis Barrier

System: Spend two Psi and roll. Your character creates a disk-shaped barrier with a radius equal to twice your successes in meters. The shield can be curved at most 30 degrees, the default shape is a flat disk. Normally invisible, it will appear as an opaque whiteness to anyone using Attunement. Aberrants can sense it as well, to them it appears to be a hole in the quantum universe. A Psikinetic can only create one barrier at a time, but they can place it anywhere they wish inside a number of meters equal to their Psi. Each success gained on your Psi roll adds one to your soak for use against Quantum or Psi based attacks. Physical attacks, even objects hurled by telekinesis or an Aberrant’s Mega-Strength punch, are not affected. At level 5, the range this shield can be projected is doubled and it can be curved any degree, up to a full sphere. Entrapping a person inside a Stasis Barrier isn’t normally possible, considering that the Stasis Barrier isn’t effective against physical objects.

**** Stormwall

System: Spend two Psi and roll. For every two successes, increase the difficulty of one attempt to use a Psi or Quantum power against you. At level 4 this power can be used to protect other people or objects. Only one target can be protected at a time.

***** Lockdown

System: Spend 3 Psi, 1 Willpower. Roll Psi, resisted by the target’s Psi or Quantum. This can not be an extended roll. For each net success, the target looses the ability to channel Psi or Quantum energy. Use the following table to determine the duration of the effect. Remove one success (to a minimum of one) if the target is an Aberrant or a Nova. They are more easily able to resist the effect of this power as Quantum will erode the blocking Psi more quickly.

1 success – One scene

2 successes – One day

3 successes – One week

4 successes – One month

5+ successes – One year

Using Lockdown on a target who is already Locked down will have no effect. You must wait for the current Lockdown to wear off before attempting another.

Alteration

This is the Mode most similar to Psychokinesis. It enables the Psikinetic to re-arrange psion particles and, by doing so, accomplish many feats. Alteration allows for creation of Psychic Dead Zones like the one that existed around the Upeo wa Macho Spaceport, but on a far smaller scale. It is also possible to ‘steal’ psionic energy from other psions, dampen or enhance the effects of backlash and even shield yourself from it for periods of time.

* Psi Bleed

System: Spend one Psi and roll. For each success your target looses one Psi point. These can be regained at the normal rate. You must be in physical contact with a person to bleed off their Psi reserves. At level 3 Alteration, you gain a number of Psi points equal to your successes. This gain can’t take you beyond your normal maximum.

** Insulation

System: Roll Psi at +1 difficulty. For each success, remove one level of damage done by Backlash. At level 3 Alteration, this effect can be used to shield others from Backlash. Spend one Psi to shield another person, with whom you must be in physical contact. A level 4 Alteration, you can shield anyone in your line of sight.

*** Tolerance Control

System: Roll Psi. For every two successes, add one to your character’s maximum Tolerance level. This effect lasts for one turn per success. You can also use this ability to subtract one from another psion’s maximum Tolerance with the same duration.

**** Psi Condensation

System: Spend one willpower and roll Psi at +1 difficulty. Each success creates one point of Psi out of the ambient Psi energy around your character. These points can be added to the Psi pool of anyone inside Psi x2 meters.

***** Noetic Flare

System: Spend two Psi and one willpower, roll Psi at +1 difficulty. The blast can be directed at anyone in triple your Psi in meters and requires a Psi roll to hit. The base damage of this attack is the combined number of successes on your original Psi roll and the number left over (after dodge/soak) on your hit roll. The damage is Lethal and can be soaked by armor, stamina and any effect that blocks psi-based effects.

[Alistaire]

Hmm... well, I do have to commend you for coming up with 15 powers using just psi (except the last one, I'm not sure how that one works. Would maybe a focused psi "backlash" work instead?) I'm sure with a little more work it would be workable. I'm just not sure that I would allow something like that in my game (personal choice). I mean, first of all is play balance. Second is the social implications, such as, these particular psions would be valuable to any team, and therefor be a rare and valuable commodity, even for psions, yet, relatively unable to protect themselves. (yay for run-on sentences!) Thus they would need to be protected, and I can see "extractions" becoming common. Well, at least the psi orders would be relatively benign about that. I hope. ::unsure

Just my first impressions.

[Telgar]

Noetic Flare is Psi-to-energy conversion, my attempt to give the Psikinetics a combat ability. It turns ambient Psi into an energy discharge, doing damage to whoever happens to be the target. I'm not sure it fits either, but they need *some* ability to do damage.

Their ability to play around with Formatting allows them to use Bioapps better then other Psions, so a Biolaser or two is probably standard issue for these guys.

What sort of play balance issues do you see? They're what I'm trying to fix before I submit it to the Powers section.