[GLOG] Psion

Special: This class uses what I'm calling XYZ templates. The idea is simple: By default, you advance through this class from A to B to C to D. But if you get Special Training (in this case, to master your psionic powers) you can instead choose to advance to the X template, instead of whichever was next in ABCD order. If you do so, you now advance X to Y to Z going forward. You are still limited to four total templates, but you could be a Psion ABCX, ABXY or AXYZ instead of being a Psion ABCD.

Starting Skills & Equipment: per Paradigm

A. Paradigm, +1 Wild Talent
B. Improved Control, +1 Wild Talent
C. Telepathy +1 Wild Talent
D. Improved Control, +1 Wild Talent

X. Clarity, +1 Talent
Y. Telepathy, +1 Talent
Z. Sensor, +1 Talent

Δ. Apotheosis

Paradigm: When a Psion first manifests their psionic powers, they can only tap into them on an intuitive level, based on how they conceptualize their powers. Choose one of the five major Paradigms to represent this intuitive understanding. The choice of Paradigm decides what sorts of powers the Psion can access without dedicated pisonic training to broaden their horizons.

Wild Talent: Roll 1d4 on the powers chart for the Psion's chosen Paradigm. This is their current manifestation of psionic powers. Whenever they tap into it, they'll have access to that power for ten minutes. Then, they roll a 1d6 on their Paradigm's chart. If they retain their current power, it is available immediately. If not, they will gain the indicated replacement in an hour's time.

Track the power for each instance of Wild Talent independently. Having access to a power from multiple instances of Wild Talent does not make it stronger, but does mean that they hold an extra copy in reserve. Each Paradigm gives benefits and penalties for having Wild Talents. This is one per Wild Talent slot.

Clarity: If an intuitive Psion receives training, they convert all of their existing Wild Talents into regular Talents. These do not cause the mental side effects that Wild Talents do and last a full hour when used (instead of ten minutes). When that hour is up, the Psion chooses a different power from either of the power's source paradigms (so Mind Blade would let you pick any Discipline or Domination power to replace it) to access in an hour's time. A trained Psion can leapfrog their way over to any power out there, if they have enough time to reconfigure.

Telepathy: The Psion gains the ability to mentally communicate with anyone within 30'. Every creature understands telepathy.

Improved Control: At Templates B and D, an intuitive Psion improves their control over their powers. When rolling after using a Wild Talent, the 5th and 6th entries respectively let the Psion choose any power from their paradigm and gain it immediately, instead of retaining their current power. Psions who attain Clarity after gaining this learn a bonus Skill.

Sensor: If someone in Telepathy range has psionic powers, you know who they are and exactly which powers they currently have.

Apotheosis: A Psion achieves Apotheosis by wielding all four powers known to a given Paradigm simultaneously. The specific benefits depend on the Paradigm in question.

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Paradigms

Astral Body
The Psion conceptualizes their powers as invisible limbs that they have only just now discovered how to use. Their self-image becomes increasingly monstrous as their powers develop, leading many to modify their outer form in attempts to align it with their inner self. -1/+1 to Reaction with normies/outcasts per Wild Talent slot.

Starting Skill: Anatomy.
Starting Equipment: Concealing cloak, mirror, sketchbook.

1. Sense Attention. Understood as growing extra eyes.
2. Telekinesis. Understood as strong astral limbs.
3. Iron Body. Understood as a protective shell.
4. ID Injection. Understood as a toxic bite/sting.
5. Retain Current Power. If B Template, choose instead.
6. Retain Current Power. If D Template, choose instead.

Apotheosis: The Psion can choose to enter a cocoon. If left there for a week, they emerge in a new body, having been restored to perfect health and youth. They may freely alter their physical features while doing so, so long as the changes are within the range of variations for the Psion's species.

Sixth Sense
The Psion conceptualizes their powers as an expansion of their senses, revealing new information about the world around them. For most, this rapidly becomes as essential to daily life as sight or hearing. +1/-1 to Init vs. those sensed/not sensed prior to rolling per Wild Talent slot.

Starting Skill: Poetry.
Starting Equipment: Waterproof cloak, incense, chapbook.

1. Sense Attention. Experienced from others viewpoint.
2. Sense Emotions. Experienced as auras around others.
3. Sense Danger. Experienced as sudden tactile dread.
4. Sense Thoughts. Experienced as hearing thoughts.
5. Retain Current Power. If B Template, choose instead.
6. Retain Current Power. If D Template, choose instead.

Apotheosis: The Psion receives a vision of a possible future, based on how events might play out without this warning. The Psion does not get to choose what they see, but the longer they go without using this ability, the more important the events they get glimpses of. Overuse simply produces deja vu.

Spirit Energy
The Psion conceptualizes their powers as their emotions spilling out onto the world around them, in the form of dangerous energy fields. When they get angry, things break. Living a normal life means bottling up all emotions. -1/+1 to Saves vs emotion when using/not using your psionic powers per Wild Talent slot.

Starting Skill: Herbalism.
Starting Equipment: Padded cloak, soothing tea, dream journal.

1. Telekinesis. Felt as their emotions latching onto things.
2. Sense Emotions. Felt as a ripple in the world energy.
3. Levitation. Felt as floating, as if in a cosmic ocean.
4. Pyrokinesis. Felt as emotional energy grounding itself.
5. Retain Current Power. If B Template, choose instead.
6. Retain Current Power. If D Template, choose instead.

Apotheosis: The Psion becomes unstoppable. Their powers do not fade with time and anything that would kill or incapacitate them instead simply disables one power of their choice. They remain in this state until all of their powers have been disabled. A Psion in this state cannot manifest new powers until it ends.

Discipline
The Psion conceptualizes their powers as the result of intense training and self-discipline bringing their body under the full control of their mind. This tends to make such Psions come off as elitist snobs to ordinary warriors. +1/-1 to Morale/Loyalty for all hirelings recruited per Wild Talent slot.

Starting Skill: Acrobatics.
Starting Equipment: Short cloak, nutrient powder, prayer book.

1. Iron Body. Seen as intense training honing the body.
2. Sense Danger. Seen as a honed awareness and foresight.
3. Levitation. Seen as the power of mind over matter.
4. Mind Blade. Seen as a mental construct. Numbing, paralytic.
5. Retain Current Power. If B Template, choose instead.
6. Retain Current Power. If D Template, choose instead.

Apotheosis: The Psion gains the ability to contact anyone else who has ever achieved this particular Apotheosis via Telepathy regardless of distance. This lasts until they achieve another Apotheosis, but does not remove them from the list of people who can be contacted this way. This works even after the Psion dies.

Domination
The Psion conceptualizes their powers as a sign of their special destiny and unique superiority to other people around them. This isn't actually true, but it's easy to think that when you can set people on fire with your mind. -1 to all Reaction rolls but +1 to Hireling Loyalty per Wild Talent slot.

Starting Skill: Theatre.
Starting Equipment: Pauldroned cloak, sinister mask, manifesto.

1. ID Injection. Understood as manipulating naive fools.
2. Sense Thoughts. Understood as being a super genius.
3. Pyrokinesis. Understood as punishing their inferiors.
4. Mind Blade. Understood as an agonizing symbol of might.
5. Retain Current Power. If B Template, choose instead.
6. Retain Current Power. If D Template, choose instead.

Apotheosis: The Psion may force one intelligent being that they can see to save or swap bodies with the Psion. This effect is permanent, even after the Apotheosis state ends. The Psion can do this only once per Apotheosis.

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Powers

Id Injection - The Psion chooses an emotion that they have felt strongly in the past week and injects it into the mind of someone within 10 feet. They must Save or experience the emotion just as strongly as the Psion did at the heights of their emotion. If the Psion was still feeling the chosen emotion when using this power, they immediately enter into a state of profound calm and peace.

Iron Body - Whenever the Psion would fail a Save or be made to roll for Death and Dismemberment, they may choose to use this power to ignore whatever harm just befell them and become immune to equal or lesser dangers of the same general type for the rest of the duration. For example, a Psion could use this to cross a wall of fire and then be able to walk on hot coals right after.

Levitation - Any number of creatures or objects within a 10 foot radius cylinder float into the air at a maximum rate of 10 feet per round. The Psion can make objects float upward or downward, rotate around the axis of the cylinder or move inward or outward from the center, but all objects must undergo the same operation at the same time. This can do up to 2d6 damage via battery with debris and potentially more if used to create a cunning trap. The Psion cannot move objects more than 30' away from themself.

Mind Blade - The Psion manifests a glowing energy blade in their hands. It does 1d6 damage to anyone it hits and counts as magic for interacting with ghosts and the like. This weapon cannot kill and does not leave physical wounds on those struck by it. Instead, those defeated by it are left unconscious and without any clear memories of the entire period that the blade existed.

Pyrokinesis - The Psion sets one thing on fire with their mind. This does 2d6 damage immediately, and then normal on fire damage from that point on. As long as the Psion can see the fire they lit and has this power active, the fire cannot be extinguished. The Psion is immune to all flames created via pyrokinesis while this power is active, even those generated by other Psions.

Sense Attention - The Psion senses everyone that can directly sense them in the exact moment they use this power. They learn how many such creatures there are, where they are located, how they can sense the Psion and what their intentions are toward the Psion, if any. For the remaining duration, the Psion can tell whether each creature caught in the initial snapshot can still sense them, but not the other, more detailed information.

Sense Danger - The Psion knows if an action has the potential to cause them immediate harm (ie. before the end of their turn) and what the nature of that harm would be. It does not reveal the cause and effect relationship between the action and the harm. This power only provides one warning per turn, so no playing hot or cold with the GM, unless you spend a turn for each question.

Sense Emotions - The Psion chooses an emotion and learns both the most recent and most powerful occasion where that emotion was felt at the current location. They receive the reasons for both emotional imprints, all jumbled up together unless both are the same occasion. For the remaining duration, the Psion gets a one word summary of the emotional state of anyone they encounter.

Sense Thoughts - The Psion chooses a general topic. If anyone within 100' is thinking about that topic, the Psion receives a mental impression of that person and whether they have broadly positive, negative or neutral feelings about the topic. Knowing what a creature is thinking in detail requires laying both hands on the creature's head (or equivalent) and is very obvious.

Telekinesis - The Psion manifests the psychic equivalent of two giant-sized hands, which they can use to manipulate objects or people in their environment. Treat these hands as if they each have Ogre-equivalent strength and grappling abilities. The hands act at the start of the Psion's next turn and have what they are about to do clearly telegraphed by the Psion visibly miming it.