Traveller - Book #04 - Psion {mgp3814}.pdf - 08 - Traveller (Mongoose) - Dihercen

T RAVELLER

P SION

C REDITS

C ONTENTS

Classic Traveller

Marc Miller

D EFINING P SIONICS

Loren Wiseman, John Harshman, Frank Chadwick, Darryl Hany,

Winston Hamilton, Tony Svajlenka, Scott Renner, Doug Poe,

David MacDonald, Wayne Roth, Paul R. Banner.

D OORS OF P ERCEPTION

P SION C AREERS

P SIONIC P OWERS

Mongoose Traveller

A UTHOR

Lawrence Whitaker

P SIONIC T RAUMA

P SIONIC E QUIPMENT

E DITOR

Richard Ford

M IND S HIPS

I NDEX

L AYOUT

Will Chapman

I NTERIOR I LLUSTRATIONS

Ryan Horvath, Ricardo Mendes, Danilo Morreti, Tony Parker,

German Ponce, Evan Shipard & Ronald Smith

S PECIAL T HANKS

Dominic Mooney, Stuart Machin, David Ives

P LAYTESTERS

Adam Gulwell, Alexander Fennell, Roger Calver, Dave Lai, Scott

Hughes

P ROOFREADING

Charlotte Law

significant characters, names, places,items, art and text herein are copyrighted by Mongoose Publishing.

This game product contains no Open Game Content. No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without written permission. To learn more about the Open Game

License, please go to www.mongoosepublishing.com.

This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United Kingdom and of the United States. This product is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual people organisations,

places or events is purely coincidental.

Traveller is a trademark of Far Future Enterprises and is used under licence.

Printed in the USA.

I NTRODUCTION

I NTRODUCTION

This book focuses on psions and psionics. It is intended for both

players and Referees and explores, in depth, psionic potential,

powers, careers, campaigns, equipment and special rules and

circumstances that need to be considered when psions are used in

Traveller games.

Chapter 3: Psion Careers

Core career tables for psion characters, including Life Events,

Mishaps, Career Progression and so forth. Special, campaign-

type Genre Tables help to gear psion characters to the style of SF

campaign being run.

It is a generic book, in that the rules are designed to fit any number

of science fiction campaign styles: hard SF, space opera, science

fantasy, anime, comic book recreations and so on. The rules are

flexible and therefore offer a toolkit for Referees to use in building

psionics that fit the feel and theme of their campaign. The rules also

offer players a wealth of information useful for designing, developing

and running psion characters.

Chapter 4: Psionic Powers

A comprehensive guide to psionic talents, powers and abilities.

Chapter 5: Psychosis and Psions

The effects of psionic capability on the sanity of psion characters,

including rules for trauma, insanity, instability, mental defects

and other conditions that may either enhance or diminish psionic

capabilities.

The Traveller core rules are needed to get the most from Psions but

you will find the core psionics rules from Traveller reproduced here

for general convenience. The rest of the book expands and develops

those rules, adding a plethora of new talents, powers, options and

other considerations.

Chapter 6: Psion Equipment

Devices and equipment geared specifically towards psionics: research,

testing, enhancement, containment and weaponry.

The book’s structure is as follows:

Chapter 7: Mind Ships

The role of psions in starship operations –

including rules for psionically powered vessels,

time machines and trans-dimensional

vessels.

Chapter 1: Defining Psionics

The basic psionics rules, plus an

exploration of what psionics

are and how they fit into

different types of campaigns

W HAT E LSE IS

N EEDED ?

Only the Traveller Core Rulebook is a

necessary adjunct to Psion . Mercenary and

High Guard may prove useful but are by no

means essential.

Chapter 2: Doors of

Perception

Testing for psionics and developing psionic

talents. This chapter also begins the rules

expansion in earnest.

D EFINING P SIONICS

Ordinarily, acquiring information is done through the five senses

of hearing, smell, taste, sight and touch. Likewise, performing

physical actions is done through the seen, physical manipulation of

the material world in ways that everyone can understand. These are

conventional, normal activities.

genuine force, with a scientific (as opposed to a superstitious) basis,

even if the full concepts of psionics are not fully understood. The

Psionics Tech Level table provides a general quantification of how

psionics are likely to be viewed in society – although low Tech Level

societies may well be enlightened enough to accept and appreciate

the powers of the mind to the extent that they are not considered to

be magical or divine powers and emanate from within.

Psionics or psionic power, is the ability to acquire information and

affect physical actions using the power of the mind. Psionics are

extrasensory in that they often bypass the traditional five senses as a

channel of entry for information (and imparting it). In societies where

scientific understanding of psionic phenomena and powers is limited

or non-existent, psionics are often labelled as magic, witchcraft,

sorcery, miracles or devilry. Those who are psionically gifted may

be viewed as witches, witch-doctors, victims of possession, insane

practitioners of evil or even prophets, saviours and messiahs. This is

generally the level of understanding found in Tech Level 4 societies

and below; at Tech Level 5, serious scientific research into psionics

starts. At Tech Level 6 and above, psionics are acknowledged as a

This table is provided only as a general guide for how psionics

might develop in Traveller campaigns. Advancements may occur

earlier or later, depending on the type of campaign genre being

played. Ultimately the Referee needs to decide the level of psionic

development, although this book provides some guidance on how

different campaign genres treat psionic abilities.

For example, in the universe of the Third Imperium a few humans

– and other sophonts – have developed potent psionic abilities such as

telepathy, telekinesis and even teleportation. In the Imperium, learning

P SIONICS T ECH L EVEL

Tech Level TL Definition

Psionic Understanding and Development

Primitive

Psionics are viewed as gifts from the gods – or devils and demons.

Psionics are viewed as magical or sorcerous powers.

Psionics are viewed as witchcraft; opposed to advances in learning and scientific endeavour.

Psionics are viewed as a form of supernatural science, with the first scientific-based explorations of

clairvoyance, telekinesis and telepathy.

Industrial

An acceptance that the mind can be used in ways beyond current scientific understanding but

accompanied by continued social scepticism.

Scientific endeavour begins to prove the existence of psionic powers and to develop the means of

identifying those with psionic potential.

Pre-Stellar

Psionic training begins, allowing the first, widely accepted demonstrations of psionic ability. Basic

psionic talents are understood and can be actively developed in controlled environments to maximise

potential.

Trained psions find acceptance to some degree in society, with psionics becoming integrated into

commerce, industry and the military.

Early Stellar

Psionic study and understanding helps develop artificial intelligence. Psionically-powered devices

become available, as do devices for enhancing (and restricting) psionic powers.

Average Stellar Advanced psionic talents are understood, trained and developed.

Basic psionic talents and powers replace certain conventional techniques, skills and practices in

everyday life. Advanced talents and powers are optimised.

Advanced psionic talents and powers replace certain conventional techniques, skills and practices in

everyday life. Higher states of being (Transcendence or Sublimation) are examined for the first time.

Psionically-powered starships are developed.

High Stellar

Inter-dimensional travel and manipulation is understood and may be achieved, depending on approach

and maturity of the society. Both basic and advanced psionic talents may also be the norm within

society, rather than the exception.

16+

Transcendent

The society is either on the verge of or capable of, transcending the constraints of physical existence

altogether. Inter-dimensional travel is not only possible but practiced. The need for traditional

starship drives become redundant as advanced psionic talents permit far more efficient, sometimes

instantaneous, forms of travel.

D EFINING P SIONICS

to harness this gift is a difficult process, made even harder by the Imperial

ban on psionics. The psionics institutes that study mental powers have

gone underground, following a disastrous attempt to guide human

development centuries ago. In other civilisations, such as the Zhodani

Consulate, psionics are an accepted part of the human condition.

When applying a multiplier as the modifier, always round up. For

example, a psionically trained super-soldier in a Hammer’s Slammers

type game has a base Psi of 7. Applying the modifier of x1.5 would give a

Psi Strength of 7+3.5, rounded to 4 – so 11.

C ORE P SIONIC R ULES

Psionics are powered by the Psionic Strength characteristic

(abbreviation Psi). This characteristic cannot be rolled or bought

during character creation without the Referee’s permission. To

determine a character’s Psionic Strength, roll 2d6 and subtract

the number of terms served by the character in any career (Psionic

Strength diminishes over time unless actively used). For example,

a 38 year old character (five terms served) would roll 2d6–5 to

determine his Psionic Strength. A character with a Psionic Strength

of 0 has no potential for psionic powers.

T ESTING FOR P SIONICS –

B ASIC P ROCEDURE

The basic procedure for testing for psionic ability is presented here

and is identical to that found in the Traveller Core Rulebook . More

detailed options are provided in the next chapter but for a quick start

for psion characters, the basic procedure is fine.

Any character who wishes to develop psionic abilities requires

training. In settings where psionics are uncommon or illegal

he must find a teacher. Finding such an instructor may be an

adventure in itself. Most teachers will charge at least Cr. 5,000 to

test the character’s abilities. Testing takes two weeks. The first step

is testing a character’s Psionic Strength, which is determined as

described above (2d6 – number of terms served, plus any modifiers

for campaign type). If the character still has any Psionic Strength

remaining, he can be trained. Training requires four months of

work and costs Cr. 100,000, if the character is funding the training

himself. If the character is discovered by a psionics development

programme or a teacher seeking an apprentice, then training costs

may be lower, negligible or nil – depending on campaign demands.

As part of training, the character may attempt to learn any of the

common psionic talents on the Common Psionic Talents table by

making a Psionic Strength check. He may attempt the talents in any

order but suffers a –1 DM per check attempted. If a character learns

a talent, he gains that talent at level 0.

Using a psionic talent costs a number of Psionic Strength points,

temporarily reducing the character’s total. As the Characteristic DM

for all Psionic skill checks is determined by the characters’ current

Psionic Strength total, it gets harder and harder to use powers as

the character’s strength declines.

Recovering Psionic Strength Points: Expended Psionic Strength

points are recovered at the rate of one point per hour, beginning

three hours after the character last used a psionic talent.

Campaign Level and Psi Points

Campaigns that have a heavy emphasis on psionics or where

advanced talents are used regularly, may find that the method of

calculating Psi offers too low a pool of Psi Strength to cope with the

campaign or genre’s demands.

C OMMON P SIONIC T ALENTS

Talent

Referees may therefore increase the Psi characteristic if they so

wish. Determine the Psionic Strength as per above and then apply a

modifier to the base rating to increase the Psi characteristics. Some

suggestions are:

Learning DM

Telepathy

Clairvoyance

Telekinesis

Psionic Strength

Modifier

Awareness

Campaign/Genre Type

Example

Teleportation

Traditional SF

Third Imperium

Base Psi

For example, Luka has just determined that she has a Psionic Strength

of 9. She now rolls to determine powers. She can select powers in any

order, so she begins with telekinesis. She roll 2d6+1 (her Psionic Strength

DM) +2 (the Telekinesis learning DM) but unfortunately, the dice roll

is a 3 for a total of 6 – less than eight, a failure and so she does not

develop telekinesis. Next, she tries telepathy. She rolls 2d6 +1 (her

Psionic Strength DM) +4 (the telepathy learning DM) –1 (one previous

talent acquisition check) and gets a total of 10. Luka gains Telepathy

at level 0.

Psi-heavy, hard SF

campaigns

Babylon 5

Psi + Int DM

Space Opera; Anime

Hammer’s

Slammers

Psi x 1.5

Science Fantasy; Comic

Book

Judge Dredd,

Strontium Dog

Psi x 2

Transcendent Cultures

Dune, The Culture Psi x 2.5

Traveller - Book #04 - Psion {mgp3814}.pdf

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