cypher systemtypesci fi

Psion

Your latent psychic talents were coaxed forth via study, specialized training, and perhaps even genetic manipulation and/or cranial implants. Now you routinely tap into another fundamental force of the universe, possibly an extradimensional energy field that gives you a mental connection to both the physical world and the minds of other creatures. How you choose to use your somewhat rare abilities depends on your circumstances and ambitions.

With your ability to peer into the minds of others, you can help your team avoid conflict. Your allies benefit from letting you help mediate situations, since you might gain an insight into the secret hearts of the other negotiators. But should you fail to read their thoughts (or dislike what you find), you're also a capable combatant, able to veil yourself in mental distortion while peppering foes with psychic violence.

Background Options

  • Raised in the border worlds, you and your parents were always on the run because of some terrible secret related to your birth. Now that you're older, you hope to learn the truth.
  • Recently, you were thrown out of the quasi-governmental psychic police force that trained you.
  • Your sibling, also a psychic but more powerful than you, joined the military last year.
  • Your parents went into debt to buy an experimental drug to save your life. The drug worked (and maybe gave you your abilities), but the debt got them killed and you on a wanted list.
  • About six months ago, psychics from all around the system began turning up murdered.
  • You were raised in idyllic surroundings by a caring clade. Now that you're grown, you want to bring similar peace to others with psi abilities that haven't been so lucky.
  • You keep your psychic abilities hidden. Recently, you received a blackmail threat on the topic.
  • Roughly a year ago, you started having unsettling dreams about a man with no face.

Psion Abilities

You gain all of the following benefits:

  • Able to take two more minor wounds and one more moderate wound
  • Add +4 to Intellect Pool
  • Add +1 Edge in Pool of your choice
  • Freely use light or medium weapons
  • Cannot freely use armor
  • At tier 3 and tier 6, choose an ability from the Science Fiction Genre Abilities list

Mind Reading (2 Intellect): You can read the surface thoughts of a creature you can see within short range. If the creature is unwilling, you must make an Intellect attack against them to read their thoughts. Once you have established contact, you can read the target's thoughts until you use a ten-minute or longer recovery. Action.

Onslaught (1 Intellect): You attack a foe using energies that assail either their physical form or their mind. In either case, you must be able to see your target. If the attack is physical, you emit a short-range ray of force that inflicts 4 damage. If the attack is mental, you focus your mental energy to blast their thought processes with a mindslice that inflicts 2 Intellect damage (ignores Armor). Some creatures without minds (such as robots) might be immune to your mindslice. At tier 3, you deal 1 additional damage with Onslaught. Action.

Psychic Veil (1 Intellect): Your appearance is distorted as if viewed through the visual aura of a migraine until you take a ten-minute or longer recovery. The distortion doesn't interfere with your actions, but your dodge and Intellect defense rolls are eased. While active, the distortion protects you from mental attacks, reducing their wound severity by one step (major to moderate, moderate to minor, minor to none). For example, if you are hit by a psychic blast attack that causes a moderate wound, you instead take a minor wound. Enabler.

Psion Equipment Bundle

Choose the following equipment bundle to quickly outfit your character, or assemble your own starting equipment.

A carryall pack, appropriate clothing, a dose of space-fit serum good for a month, a smart device (glasses, badge, ring, and the like), a backpack, a breather, an environmental tent, a single-use vacuum suit, an everlight, two days of rations and water, a grooming and toiletry kit, and eyeshades. Your character also starts with currency equivalent to a moderately priced item.

Part of Space Opera