Wiki Showcase: True Communion

When I created Communion, I divided it into three “types.”  True Communion (originally just called “Communion,” but one of my readers took to calling it “True Communion” in his game, and I’ve borrowed the name) represents the Communion of Super-Ego, the drive and impulse towards community, self-denial and judgment; it’s that voice in your head that tells you “No” when you want something that you know you shouldn’t have.

True Communion works the most like vanilla Divine Favor, though obviously it has shifted to a more psychic flavor to fit the psychic origins of powers in Psi-Wars.  Its self-denial means it requires a Pact limitation that pushes one towards rather traditional conceptions of holiness.  It also helps one connect to others, such as sharing the same language, or psychically contacting someone no matter how far away they are. It also denies others the use of psychic powers or even communion miracles (True Communion “says no.”) to those it deems unworthy. It has a conception of worthiness, and helps the user judge that in others, to differentiate the outsider from the insider.

All forms of Communion grant a basic bonus to anyone who has unlocked them, and True Communion grants Meditative Psionics. That is, you can meditate for 8 hours to earn one energy reserve point for psychic powers.  There’s no upper limit to how much you can have.  This might not seem like much, but there’s no upper limit to how much you can have.  There’s some True Communion saint on a swampy planet somewhere with several thousand psychic ER points built up ready to lay the smack down on some mouthy punk who complains that ships are too heavy to lift with your mind.  I did put a limit on how much you can spend, though.  You can waive that if you want a truly epic, one-time feat, of course.

The main updates to True Communion are Auras, Ghost-fighting powers, and some versions of Blessed that boost your IQ.

You can check out the updated form of True Communion here.

On the Morality of True Communion

A lot of readers chafe under the idea of “No morality in Psi-Wars,” but I think they misunderstand my intent when I say that. I personally believe that, as a setting designer, it’s not my job to instruct you, dear reader, on what should be Good vs Evil in your campaign.  I do not believe that your campaign shouldn’t have good vs evil!  So, I write my material from as neutral a perspective as I can, and then try to provide you with the tools to help you tell the story you want to.  Nonetheless, this leads to people asking questions like:

“But True Communion is the Good form of Communion, right?”

Well…

“Yes, obviously, True Communion is the Good Form of Communion.”

If you set aside my prattle about the Super-Ego, True Communion really does have all the trappings of the “Holy” side of Communion.  It uses the language of sanctity, it heals people, it rids the world of evil powers, it brings communities together.  It tends to have powers that bring light, warmth and comfort and requires you to have self-discipline to control.  If you want to be a space paladin or space cleric, you probably use True Communion.

I’ve seen a lot of people just ignore all the nuance I’ve introduced and just treat True Communion as basically the same as the Light Side of the Force and they are not doing it wrong.  That’s a perfectly valid interpretation of True Communion.

“No, True Communion isn’t good, it’s about denial of self, which isn’t the same thing”

On the other hand, if you really look at True Communion at face value, it’s about the Super-Ego, which may not have your best interests at heart. It tends to elevate the community above the self, and the self is important, because that’s you.  The Super-Ego is that part of you that says “No” when you want to eat some chocolate cake while you’re on a diet, but it can go too far and tell you “No” when you want to eat while on a diet, and you’re already underweight.  Judgement and self-denial can go too far.  Yes, the soldier who dies for his people is following True Communion, but so is the suicide bomber.

It also judges who is, and who is not, part of a community.  To paraphrase a meme that seems to be pervading the internet at the moment, True Communion “believes in tolerance, but does not tolerate the intolerant.”  It seeks to “embrace everyone,” true, but then it sets itself up as judge and jury over who gets to count as “everyone.”  This is probably its greatest point of tension.  It celebrates life, but it’s also totally fine with you executing “criminals” and going on crusades against “the Other” so long as it protects your community.  And it encourages you to die for your people while doing so.

True Communion tends to push back against ambition.  No single person can truly rule over others while embracing True Communion (as is visible in the themes of its paths), but that doesn’t mean it can’t be oppressive.  The cult with no clear leader, yet absolutely devoted to the idea of community and belonging and judging those who they think don’t belong, is very typical of True Communion.  This can create a pervasive sense of uncertainty and fear, because everyone judges everyone else on who is “truly one of us,” and if one steps out of line, True Communion itself casts them out.  This can be as generous or as tyrannical as the GM wishes.

Finally, True Communion tends to be a deeply conservative force, in the sense that once traditions have been decided upon, True Communion tends to want people to stick to those traditions.  A galaxy under the sway of True Communion would seek to revert to some communal golden age that never actually existed and might ruthlessly enforce those ancient traditions.  Those who seek to innovate, to push back against those traditions risk alienating themselves from the community, and thus from True Communion.

In this sense, we can see True Communion as “evil,” or at least having the potential to be evil.  It is the Communion of the Inquisitor, of the Cult of Belonging, the tyranny of tradition, and the dissolution of the self into the greater community.  This is not to say that True Communion must be evil, but if you want a True Communion-following Villain, this is how you do it.

Wiki Showcase: the Swift Form of Force Swordsmanship

Maradonian Duelist Art by Kriz Villacis Owned by Daniel Dover

If you’ve been following my blog for awhile, you might remember my discussion of Martial Arts as power-ups. That was, in fact, born out of my desire to better explore the force swordsmanship styles of Psi-Wars, which I’ve been building since Iteration 4.  So, you’re likely familiar with the styles I’ll lay out over the next few days, but I wanted to explore them as power-up structures. I wanted a player to be able to say “I’m an Adept at the Swift Form” and have it mean something.  These power-ups have also been built into the structure of the Space Knight, but as you upgrade your character, it’s nice to have an upgrade path, and I’ve provided that, for the Swift Form, here.

(One thing to understand before exploring it too much is that I’ve instituted a house rule in Psi-Wars where all Technique prices are halved. One point buys you +1 to the first level of a Hard technique, and +2 to all subsequent levels of a Hard technique, or all levels of an Average technique, to the listed maximum.  This is to allow for characters to have a greater variety of techniques).

I ran a snap poll months and months ago where I asked my Patrons what Force Sword style they would choose as players.  Of the Maradonian styles, the Swift Form came dead last with zero votes.  I don’t believe this is a condemnation of the Swift Form, so much as a preference for players to explroe something else.  The Swift Form is, in many ways, symptomatic of the malaise afflicting Maradonian Space Knights, who have come to focus on courtly dueling over more practical battlefield applications.  Thus, I imagine players might expect to face a duelist using the Swift Form, and expect to dismantle him with their other, more unique styles.

That said, the Swift Form is probably the “best” force sword style, if your focus is actually on fighting with a force sword against a single opponent.  It’s ruthlessly focused, great at hitting first (though the Serene style is competitive for the “first hit”) and stacks up multiple advantages against a single opponent.  It tends to do well against any style where it can dictate terms.  It struggles a bit to get around the force buckler of Knightly Force Swordsmanship, and can be outmaneuvered by the Graceful form.  The Destructive Form usually just lops the Swift Swordsman’s arm off or punches him in the face, but modern Duelists wear an extra heavy gauntlet and a face-mask to prevent these tactics.

If you’re a Star Wars fan looking to crib my stuff for your game, the Swift Form is closest to Makashi, or Form II.

Transcendent Principles: The Truths of the Cult of the Mystical Tyrant

The Path of the Mystic Tyrant is a path of transcendence. Those who walk that path violate the norms of the world and show that new things, never thought possible before, can be made to be true through the will of the Tyrant. This allows those who follow the path of the Mystic Tyrant to achieve unparalleled power, but at a cost.

Transcendent Powers are a new power-set available only to followers of the Cult of the Mystic Tyrant. Characters with Transcendent Master or Illuminated may freely learn or create them; other characters may use a Communion Oath to learn a transcendent power, provided a master is willing to teach it to him.

Transcendent Powers consist of the principle and the powers. The principle represents the world-view that the Tyrannical Master has imposed upon the world and represents a “category” or “container” of individual abilities, similar to how a psionic power contains numerous abilities associated with it. To gain access to a principle, a character needs an appropriate Transcendent Principle perk, after which he may gain any associated Transcendent Powers. Characters may only gain the Transcendent Principle perk if they have the Transcendent Master or Illuminated trait, or learn it from someone who does.

Transcendent Powers represent the effects of internalizing the Transcendent Principle. The character so completely believes the vision and so thoroughly changes the world with it that he is fundamentally changed. Thus, characters do not use Transcendent Powers, they have Transcendent Powers. Transcendent Principles can also grant access to new miracles, typically the miracles of Broken Communion paths, or entirely new miracles that the character may invoke.

While beyond the scope of most Psi-Wars games, the GM can allow characters with Transcendent Master or Illuminated to invent new principles and powers, using the Philosophy skill. A new principle is an Amazing invention, while a new power associated with a principle the character already knows is an Average invention.

All Transcendent Powers come with a Transcendent Power modifier worth -10%. All Transcendent Powers come with drawbacks worth no more than a -5% nuisance. Additionally, Transcendent Powers have one of two additional limitations: the character must either have a Communion Oath, or their powers are vulnerable to Communion Miracles. Characters with a Communion Oath must stay true to their Oath, or lose their power immediately; restoring the power requires a week’s worth of adventuring or a minor quest to prove one’s restored dedication to the Oath. Alternatively, for characters without Communion Oaths (generally Transcendent Masters or Illuminated characters), the transcendent power may be countered through the use one of the following miracles:

Restore True Order

Reaction Required: Very Good

Learned Prayer Prerequisite: True Communion 11

Learned Prayer Cost: 19 points

The character taps into the consensus of natural reality embedded within True Communion and, with a touch, uses it to rip apart the tissue of lies and aberrations that makes up the Mystical Tyrant’s transcendent vision. Upon the completion of this prayer, the next time the character touches a target, he may choose to roll a quick contest of Meditation vs the target’s Will. If he succeeds, the target loses all of his Transcendent Powers for a number of minutes equal to his margin of victory; if he fails, the target loses all of his Transcendent powers for the next minute.

Alternately, the character may touch the subject of a Transcendent Power (typically a miracle gained via a Transcendent Principle) and disrupt that miracle, ending its effects on the subject.

Statistics: Neutralize (Cosmic, No Die Roll Required +100%; Divine -10%) [95]

Unleash Paradox

Reaction Required: Good

Learned Prayer Prerequisite: Broken Communion 9, (Broken Communion Path) Legendary Reputation 2.

Learned Prayer Cost: 11 points

Corruption: 12 points

The transcendent principle of the mystical tyrant threatens to unravel reality and feed Broken Communion. With a miracle, the character can unleash that potential. Upon invoking this miracle, the mystic must touch the target and roll a quick contest of Meditation vs the target’s will. If the mystic wins, the target suffers 3d corruption and loses access to their powers for a number of minutes equal to his margin of success. If the target wins, the miracle has no effect and fades.

Alternately, the character may touch the subject of a Transcendent Power (typically a miracle gained via a Transcendent Principle) and disrupt that miracle, ending its effects on the subject; this does not inflict corruption on either the target nor the character using the Transcendent Power.

Unleash Paradox can only be invoked by characters on a path to which the transcendent principle is vulnerable.

Statistics: Neutralize (Broken Path -25%, Link +10%) [43] + Innate Attack 3d (Fatigue; Accessibility: target must have a Transcendent Principle compatible with the character’s path -80%; Broken Path -25%; Corruption +0%; Link +10%; Malediction +100%; Reach, Melee -30%) [8]

The Principle of Amortality

Ever since Anthara made his devil’s bargain with the Ranathim Cult of Death, the Cult has sought to overcome and escape Death, and their whispered promises of the secrets of immortality have drawn many into the fold.

The Principle of Amortality represents the closest the Cult has come to true immortality. The principle argues that death is not real. The tyrant asserts his will, claiming that death is a choice made by fools who do not recognize any other option, or that the Tyrant, himself, is just too important or powerful to suffer the same fate as mere mortals. The principle goes beyond mere immortality, though, and contends that no afterlife exists and that ghosts aren’t real. For the masters of this principle, death does not exist.

Those who master this principle can harness the powers of Death for their own purposes, or walk unmolested through a supposed haunting or, most critically, achieve some measure of immortality.

Drawbacks: The powers of Amortality can be overcome by the Path of Death. Furthermore, all followers of the Path of Death immediately recognize anyone with the Transcendent Principle (Amortality) and react to them at -3. They know the contract between Anthara and the Cult of Death has been broken, and will seek to rectify it!

Inviolate Soul

23 points

Mortals fear the lingering souls of the dead that haunt the world of the living, but the Inviolate Soul of Amortality does not, for he knows that ghosts cannot exist, and therefore, cannot hurt him. Ghosts cannot approach within a yard of him, and cannot affect him, or those within a yard of him, with their powers. The character need not do anything to use this power: it is always true.

This power does not protect the character from non-ghost followers of the Path of Death.

Statistics: True Faith (Chosen One; Cosmic, no active use required +50%) [23]

Twisted Aura

43 points

Those who fear the dead claim that they can twist psionic energy, but the masters of this principle realize that the reverse is true: that twisted psionic energy creates the perception of ghosts. As proof, they can twist their own psionic energy, and teach others to do the same.

The character emanates an aura of twisted energy with a radius of 2 yards. Anyone who uses psionic powers within this region, or uses psionic powers on anyone in this region suffer a -2 to their psionic skill rolls and any failures of a psionic skill counts as a critical failure. The character automatically exempts his own powers from this effect, and may exempt others, as he wishes.

Statistics: Twisted Energy Generator (Advantageous; Selective Area +200%; Transcendent Power -10%) [43]

Perks of Amortality

Alien Path (Death as Dark Communion): You may access the Death path as though it was a Dark Communion path.

Signature Miracle (Corrupt Ground; Corrupt Ground (Enhanced)): You gain a +1 to reaction rolls to use your signature miracle; this perk is leveled and may be purchased up to 4 times.

Immortality

The most fabled power of Amortality is some form of immortality. Such a thing, however, might not be possible or, if it is, it may have been achieved by a previous master and this master still lives to this day. The following presents three possible forms of immortality, each associated with one of the transcendent masters of the Cult.

The Immortality of Anthara

Anthara made a pact with the Cult of Death to serve and honor their laws. As a result, Anthara always knew he would die, but was able to create his escape in the fine print of that agreement. While he could not live forever, according to legend, he mastered the art of reincarnation. Upon his death, he used his powerful telepathic powers to possess and infect his direct descendants with his own mind, and has continued to do so from generation to generation, with varied results. With the death of Ranagant and the ascendance of the Cult of Satra Temos, the majority of his lineage died, but some bastard children scattered throughout the galaxy remained vulnerable to his possession and, according to legend, bides his time and restores his strength until the Cult of Anthara can find him and restore him to his throne.

If the legends of Anthara’s immortality are true then the descendants of Anthara have the following traits:

Heir of Ranathim 9 points

Advantages: Bloodline (Anthara) [1], Racial Memory (Passive) [15]

Disadvantage: Duty (Puppet of Anthara; 6 or less; Involuntary) [-7]

New Traits

Bloodline (Anthara): This works like the Bloodline perk, but proves to genetic analysis that the character descends from Anthara.

Secret Miracle (Anthara’s Possession): The character has access to a unique miracle. See below.

Anthara’s Possession

Reaction Required: Excellent

Learned Prayer Prerequisite: Dark Communion 15, Mystic Tyrant Legendary Reputation 4.

Learned Prayer Cost: 32 points

Anthara has the ability to invoke Dark Communion to swap his mind with that of a direct descendent, or anyone else who has been explicitly prepared for as a host for his mind. Once this miracle has been invoked, it cannot fail unless the mystic who invokes it wills it to fail. However, the target must be close enough that Long-Distance modifiers do not reduce his Meditation skill to below 3 (typically “on the same planet” is enough). Once initiated, the process takes a week, during which time omens begin to haunt the target: he sees the face of Anthara replacing his in mirrors, he begins to dream of being Anthara, people begin to refer to him as Anthara, or omens associated with the Cult of Anthara manifest themselves. Those with Occultism can recognize that the character is cursed, while those with Hidden Lore (Communion) can recognize that the character will soon be possessed by Anthara. The possession can be prevented with the same countermeasures one uses against ghosts: exorcism, protective talismans, etc. The miracle can also be defeated by using appropriate counter-miracles, such as Restore True Order. Killing the mystic that invoked the miracle also ends the effects of the miracle.

If the miracle is not prevented from occurring, the mystic “swaps minds” with the target. He may choose to drop any skills or traits he has and replace them with those of his target. The possession is permanent, and as such, the character must pay for any improvements he gains.

Variations of this miracle may exist if other masters have perfected it. For example, a player character who learns the miracle would be able to possess his own descendants, rather than the descendants of Anthara.

Statistics: Possession (Assimilation +10%; Divine Path -15%; Ghostly Countermeasures -10%; Long Ranged 2 +100%; Mind-Swap +10%; Onset, 1 week or more -40%; Puppet Only -30%; Ranged +40%; Visible (Omens) -5%) [25]

The Immortality of Satra Temos

According to the lore of the Cult of Satra Temos, their founder never died. While Anthara had sworn an oath to Death, Satra Temos broke with the old ways and walked away from all of the old oaths of Anthara to forge a new reign of shadows and terror. He achieved a mastery of the Amortality principle, and transcended death by drawing life from Dark Communion itself.

If this legend is true, then Satra Temos has the following traits (and others might learn it as well). It also means that Satra Temos is still out there somewhere. The Cult may be obsessed with uncovering his location, which only the Knights of Communion may know, leading to yet more strife between those two organizations.

New Traits

Immortality of Satra Temos: 25 points

The character cannot be killed unless he is bodily destroyed, or he is killed, directly or indirectly, by an invocation of True Communion (such as Guide My Hand). He does not age, but he can only heal in places with High or Very High Sanctity, which means his seemingly dead body must be buried in a desecrated grave site.

Statistics: Unkillable 1 (Achilles Heel; True Communion Miracles -10%) [45]; Unaging [0]; Unhealing (Partial; Not In Locations with Dark Sanctity) [-20]

The Immortality of Revalis White

For his treachery, Revalis White was eventually killed by the Knights of Communion; this fact is beyond dispute. Yet, despite this, legends of his continued survival continue, that he managed turned his mastery of all three forms of Communion into the ability to transcend death by returning as a ghost. In this form, he was able to pass on his secrets and take revenge on those who had killed him.

If this legend is true, Revalis White may continue to guide his cult from beyond the grave. He might act as a mentor to promising masters of his cult, or as a terrifying, phantasmal final opponent to finally destroy the last remnants of this traitorous cult. It also means that those who follow him might be able to cheat death in the same way.

The following traits assume the use of Broken Communion ghosts; they might not be suitable to player characters; in which case, consider the perk version instead of the full version.

New Traits

Haunting Death: Perk; see Pyramid #3/69, page 6.

Immortality of Revalis White: 18 points

After you die, you are guaranteed to return as a Broken Communion ghost. Your point value does not change, but you may redesign your character based on your new racial template (and given its high cost, you may have to acquire new disadvantages or remove old advantages). While not required, consider replacing psionic powers with similar, ghostly power.

This form of immortality is subject to all the same limitations as any Transcendent Power, but if someone prevents your power from working or you violate your oath, this simply prevents you from returning as a ghost; it does not disrupt your ghostly state after the power has triggered, re-animating you.

Statistics: Extra Life (Reanimation -20%; Transcendent Power -10%) [18]

The Principle of Nihilism

Philosophies spend an inordinate amount of time trying to sort truth from deception, the real reality from the illusions of our wishful thinking. The Master of the Cult, however, has realized that no such thing exists. No truth is greater than any other truth, and that truth is fundamentally subjective. His truth might not be the same as your truth, but both are equally valid. Moreover, when one tries to get at any objective truth, one must necessarily simplify, and thus all “objective” truths are nothing less than the very wishful thinking, usually tinged with subjective beliefs, that the philosopher accuses others of having.

Masters of this principle can impose this subjectivity of truth onto the world (or, as they would put it, “reveal it to the world.”) They can strip the truth from things others hold to be self-evident, bring in confusion where others profess certainly, and enforce their own vision of the truth, even to the point of turning lies into truth.

Drawbacks: The Path of Madness understands the principle of Nihilism all-to-well, and strips the Mystic Tyrant of all truth, leaving only chaos and madness. The Path of Madness can defeat or overcome the Principle of Nihilism. Furthermore, Mystic Tyrants with the Principle of Nihilism make the world less certain around them. The GM can make any roll that relies on information (criminology rolls to find a culprit; an intelligence analysis roll to guess the intent of an enemy, etc) automatically fail, not for the Mystic Tyrant himself, but for those around him. The GM should do this no more than once per session.

Powers of Nihilism

Amorphous Conviction

21 points

The cultist has learned that the precept of objective truth is false, that all truth is subjective, and that the cultist may choose what they sincerely believe in. The result is a malleable set of internally held convictions: the Cultist will believe whatever is convenient for himself at the moment, which makes reading what he truly believes very difficult!

Any attempts to detect what the character truly believes automatically fail. This applies to attempts to uncover whether the character is lying, or what they truly believe, via the Body Language skill, Detect Lies skill, Empathy, Telepathy, or a Communion Miracle that detects the truth. The character may choose what the person attempting the detection learns. He may choose to reveal that he is lying, or that he is telling the truth, or that he believes he is telling the truth but has some doubts, etc.

Statistics: Resistant to Detect Lies (Immunity, Rare; Cosmic, applies to all forms of sensing deception +300%; Selective Effect +20%; Transcendent Power -10%) [21]

Shroud of Uncertainty

27 points

Psionic powers and Communion offer perfect knowledge of truths that the Cultist knows cannot be true, because nothing is true. The character and events taking placing within 2 yards of him apply a -5 to all attempts to see, detect or divine it with psionic- or communion-based powers, and this manifests and heightened uncertainty. Characters attempting to seek answers or to find things do not see “darkness,” but instead struggle to understand what they see, as they receive the sort of conflicting results typical of a very complicated situation or a simple failed roll. This makes the Cultists manipulation of their senses virtually impossible to detect!

Statistics: Obscure 5 (Divination, Clairsentience and Detect +40%, Defensive +50%, Stealthy +100%; Affects only Psionic or Communion powers -10%, Transcendent Power -10%) [27]

Unknowable Fate

18 point

Destiny represents the weight of the future dragging your character to an absolutely certain fate… but how can that be when the future cannot be known, and when no such thing as true destiny actually exists? The cultist who understands this becomes immune to destiny. No expenditures of impulse buy points from Destiny can affect him, whether it is used to purchase a successful use of a power against him, or to negate a success that the character had. Such characters also cannot have Destiny themselves.

Statistics: Static (Cosmic, any origin +50%; One ability, Destiny -80%; Transcendent Power -10%) [18]

Perks of Nihilism

Alien Path (Madness as Dark Communion): You may access the Madness path as though it was a Dark Communion path.

Signature Miracle (Dark Charisma, Mask of Madness, Fractured Reality): You gain a +1 to reaction rolls to use your signature miracle; this perk is leveled and may be purchased up to 4 times.

Secret Miracle (Truth from Lies): You may access the Truth from Lies miracle, below.

Truth from Lies

Reaction Required: Good

Learned Prayer Prerequisite: Dark Communion 7, Mystic Tyrant Legendary Reputation 2.

Learned Prayer Cost: 7 points

When it comes to sorting truth from lies, most people turn to real world events to tell them what is real and what isn’t, but how can one even trust the real world not to lie? The cultist can state a bald-faced lie and, conveniently, the world makes it true. After invoking this miracle, the GM may create a coincidence that makes a lie (specified by the player) true. The cultist has no direct control of how this occurs, and the GM is free to veto especially ridiculous ones (“I am immortal”), though generally the more absurd lies result in coincidences that make the lie technically true (“His birth name was ‘Immortal’”). Thus, this power is best used on subtle lies.

Statistics: Serendipity (Accessibility, only to make a stated lie true -20%; Cosmic, needn’t be a plausible coincidence, +50%; Transcendent Power -10%; Wishing +100%) [33]

The Principle of Autotheism

The Cult of the Mystic Tyrant claims that no Gods exist, that the supernatural, as a distinct thing from the physical world, does not exist. Instead, all supernatural or divine phenomenon can be explained by the inherent psionic nature of the world and the will of great men. “The divine” is a manifestation of men, not gods.

If no gods exist, the Cult may invent them, and when they do so, they invariably choose to be gods themselves, to declare themselves divine and worthy of worship. For them, Dark Communion is a mere extension of their own will. Their true potential comes rushing out in a torrent, and they may enact any miracle they wish at will. The price for this power is the need for worship and the danger that such hubris posses to the character.

Drawbacks: The powers of Autotheism can be canceled with any True Communion miracle that can overcome a Communion miracle, or with a minor blessing of the Exiled Master. Furthermore, once per session, weird effects occur around the character that tend to reveal an unholy nature to the character and may seriously inconvenience those around him, as though reality is slowly breaking down for everyone but the self-declared god.

Powers of Autotheism

Instant Miracle

9 points

As the Master understands that he is inherently divine, then he does not need to “communion with Communion” to access a miracle: he simply wills it to be, and it is! The character may ignore the -2 to rolls for instant miracles.

Statistics: Faster Prayers (See Pyramid #3/36 page 8; Transcendent Power -10%) [9]

Unholy Power

3 points per 5 ER

The character can draw power from the unholy energy of Dark Communion itself! The character has energy reserves that only charge so long as he is in a site of High or Very High Dark Communion Sanctity. While in such a location he regains his energy at a normal speed of 1 point every 15 minutes. Outside of a site of High or Very High Dark Communion Sanctity, the character loses these energy reserves at 1 point per second. These energy reserves may be spent on any psionic power.

Every 3 points spent on the trait produces 5 energy reserve points.

Statistics: Energy Reserves (Psi; Special Recharge, High or better Dark Sanctity, Energy Bleed -80%) [0.6/level]

Unholy Radiance

45 points

The master’s disdain for the sanctity of others is eclipsed only by his self-regard for his own inherent divinity. Wherever the character goes, he radiates divinity that allows him to treat the local Dark Sanctity level as one level higher than it normally is (thus, in normal circumstances, he behaves as though he were in a high Dark Communion Sanctity area, while he treats a low Dark Communion Sanctity area as normal, etc). This also means that he can never be in a “No Sanctity” area (he treats it as Low Sanctity).

Statistics: Dark Sanctity Generator (As Mana Generator, but for Dark Communion Sanctity Level; Transcendent Power -10%) [45]

Wild Radiance

20 points

The character does not rely on some external force for his miracles. He enacts them himself! As such, he does not need to rely on the uncertainty of Communion to afford him his miracles, he can simply dictate which miracle he wants! This enormous power, however, does not come without risks, for any wavering in confidence and connection in Communion can result in a spectacular lashback.

Once per hour, when the character invokes Communion, he may choose to use Wild Radiance and roll the reaction roll normally. Any neutral or better (10+) reaction allows the character to choose any miracle he wishes to invoke (regardless of the required reaction). Any poor or worse (9-) reaction counts as a disastrous reaction! If character rolls poor or worse reaction, this does not count as the use of Wild Radiance for the hour, but any additional attempts to use the power apply a -1 to the reaction roll when using this power (in addition to any other penalties to reaction rolls picked up as a result of the previous, disastrous reaction).

Statistics: Super Luck (Aspect, only Communion Reaction Rolls -40%; Fickle -20%; Nuisance Effect, Very Bad Reaction on failed Fickle check -10%; Transcendent Power -10%) [20]

Perks of Autotheism

Signature Miracle (Dark Majesty, Dark Power of the Id, Desecrate Ground, Greater Avatar of the Mystic Tyrant or Psychic Nova): You gain a +1 to reaction rolls to use your signature miracle; this perk is leveled and may be purchased up to 4 times.

Secret Miracle (Dictate Fate): You may access the Dictate Fate miracle, below.

Dictate Fate

Reaction Required: Very Good

Learned Prayer Prerequisite: Dark Communion 10

Learned Prayer Cost: 13 points

The character can use his godlike power to dictate the destiny of another. That character must be within a few yards (the better of Meditation or Will) yards of the character when the miracle is invoked. If so, the target automatically permanently gains either advantageous or disadvantageous Destiny (up to the invoker). The exact nature of the Destiny is up to the mystic; the most common use is to force the target onto a Path. This destiny remains unless the target is a player character who chooses not to pay points for it (in which case it fades at the GM’s discretion) or events conspire to grossly violate the destiny of the character.

Statistics: Afflictions (Advantage, Destiny 3 +150%; Alternative Enhancement, Disadvantage Destiny 3 +3%; Cosmic, No Die Roll Required +100%; Extended Duration, Permanent (Unless not paid for or events grossly violate Destiny) +150%; Malediction +100%;) [61]

Patron Post: Power-Up Previews

A lot of my work lately has been on organizational power, and I think some players will really want to embrace that beyond what the Officer and the Diplomat can do.  They’ll want to be more than action heroes, and become the movers and shakers of the setting who happen to also be action heroes.  In that line, I’ve worked on a few new power-ups, one associated with the Spy and the Diplomat, which you may have already seen, and an entirely new power-up anyone can take for 50 points: the Conspirator and the Magnate.

If you want to look at the design notes and get a deeper look at the logic of them, become a $1+ patron!

Heroism and Experience as Power-Sets

Heroism as Power-Set

So far, we have psionic powers, martial arts and cybernetics as power-sets. Each invests the character more deeply into a particular aspect of the setting, and expresses what makes him cool.

• Psionic Powers invest the character more deeply into Communion and Psi-Wars as a mystical setting. It lets your character be cool in a “spooky” way.
• Martial Arts invest the character more deeply into a particular culture and Psi-Wars as a warrior setting. It lets the character be cool in a “lethal” way.
• Cybernetics invest a character more deeply into technology and the robots of Psi-Wars. It lets your character be cool in a profoundly physical way.

I’ve decided on a Heroicpower-set as a fourth option. It represents a more generic power-set, someone who is cool for the sake of being cool. A heroic character embraces the fact that he’s an action character as his prime element and turns that particular aspect up to 11. It also has no specific focus. Whereas the other powersets require huge catalogs of options for the player to navigate, the heroic power set will not. The hero isn’t required to worry about the specific nature of his heroism. He’s free to work those details out later.

This doesn’t tie a character into anything specifically, but it seems very probable that such characters would have a great deal of destiny. These characters matter. Wherever they show up, the world shifts and changes. They’re “the chosen one.”

Attributes: Choose one of DX +1 [20], IQ +1 [20] or both HT +1 [10] andWill +2 [10]

Advantages: Destiny (Varies) 3 [15]; Choose 15 points of Appearance (Varies), Combat Reflexes [15], Danger Sense [15], Daredevil [15], Destiny +2 or +3 [5/level], Fearlessness or Unfazeable [2/level or15], Hard to Kill [2/level], Rapier Wit [5], Serendipity [15], or improve Luck to Extreme Luck [30] for 15 points.

Experience as Power-Set

The rest of the power-sets involve moving the character in a new direction. But what about characters who want to be more of what they already are? Should a spy take psionic powers, she becomes able to read minds or see the future, while a martial artist spy becomes a lethal ninja, and cyborg spy becomes a master of technology, but what about a spy who wants to be more of a spy?

After the End also has power-sets, though less dramatic than those of Psi-Wars (it’s a lower-key game), and it also features an Experiencedpower-set. It represents an additional investment into your characters capabilities, and it’s specificto each template, which is very suitable to Psi-Wars. It would also address a concern I have, namely that players who enjoy the more high-octane gameplay typical of the super-hero-style antics of the prequels might want to start at higher point totals (400, perhaps). Can non-Psi-Knight characters keep up without resorting to psionic powers and martial arts?

Dungeon Fantasy doesn’tuse these sorts of power-sets. Instead, they offer power-ups, smaller packages that characters can grab as they increase in experience. This actually fits the rest of the power-sets pretty well: A psionic character doesn’t buy psionic powers 50 points at a time, nor do martial artists. Instead, they improve a few skills and buy a few powers 5-10 points at a time. Power-ups work the same way.

So, I propose mixing the two: Every template has associated power-ups, and characters who choose Experience as their power-set get a 50-points worth of power-ups.  I’d like to make the individual power-ups worth no more than 25 points, so players can buy them in place of something in their advantage set, if they wished.

To make this work, I need to define power-ups for each individual template, which is a lotof work, work that I’m willing to do, but we should start one template at a time.

I’d like to start with the Spy, as the Spy is the most non-combat focused of the character templates thus far. If I can’t come up with ~100 points worth of power-ups for the Spy, then this idea won’t work.

Advantages:Choose 50 points from your template Advantages, or from your template Power-Ups.

Spy Power-Ups

Conspirator 25 points

Advantages: Spend 20 points on Forgettable Face [1], Honest Face [1], Illuminated [15], Security Clearance [5 to 15], Serendipity (Conspiratorial -20%) [12], Truth Seeker +1 to +4 [5/level], Zeroed [10]

Skills: Expert Skill (Conspiracy Theory) (H) IQ [4]; Spend one additional point on Current Affairs (Headline News or Politics) (E) IQ [1], Propaganda (A) IQ-1 [1], or Intelligence Analysis (H) IQ-2 [1] or Detect Lies (H) Per-2 [1].

Illuminated allows the character to roll IQ in place of Hidden Lore (Communion) to recognize any Communion symbolism, and the character may roll IQ to recognize someone’s Destiny, provided it’s involved in any conspiracy. Finally, it grants a +3 to Pulling Rank rolls.

Master of Disguises 25 points

Advantages: Spend between 0 and 20 points on Impersonator, raising it to a minimum of +4 [20]. Spend remaining points on Accent (Any) [1], Convincing Nod [1], Cultural Familiarity (Any) [1] orCultural Adaptability [10], Disposable Identity [1], Equipment Bond (Disguise Kit) [1], Gizmo 1 (Disguise Kit Only -80%, Cosmic: Retcon +50%, Requires Disguise Roll -10%) [3], Passing Appearance (Androgynous or Passing Complexion) [1], Voice [10]

Skills: Mimicry (Speech) (H) IQ+2* [1]; Spend an additional 4 points improving Acting, Disguise or Mimicry.

Note that Voice adds +2 to Mimicry.

Cosmic: Retcon means that the character can claim he was alreadyusing said gizmo. For the Disguise gizmo, this means that the character can claim to have been diguised “the whole time” as some other character (that the GM approves).

Ghost 25 points

Advantages: Spend between 0 and 20 points on Craftiness, raising it to a minimum of +4 [20]. Spend remaining points on Skills (below) or on Catfall [10], Flexibility [5] orDouble-Jointed [15], Forgettable Face [1], Nightvision +1 to +5 [1/level], Perfect Balance [15], Serendipity (Stealth Opportunities Only -80%) [3], Silence +1 to +2 [5/level], Trained by a Master (Evastion -50%) [15].

Skills: Improve Stealth by 1 level for 4 points; Spend one point on Jumping (E) DX [1], Climbing (A) DX-1 [1], Acrobatics or Escape (H) DX-2 [1].

Hacker 25 points

Advantages: Cyberneticist 4 [20]

Skills: Computer Hacking (H) IQ+4 [4]; Spend one point on Computer Operation (E) IQ+4* [1], Computer Programming (AI) (H) IQ+2* [1], Electronic Repairs (Computer) (A) IQ+3* [1], or one of the following perks: Beep Fluency [1], Cross-Trained (Computers) [1], Equipment Bond (Computer) [1],

Psionic Powersets

So, now that we’ve defined Psionics and Communion and how they’ll work with Psi-Wars, we should offer players the chance to explore them.

A power set is 50 points we set aside for purchasing powers of a specific set.  So what’s the Psionic Powerset?  Well, spend 50 points on psionic traits!  There you go, have fun!  We can do the same for Communion, provided you have some kind of psionic power already.

That’s not enough?  You need something more specific?  Well, alright.

Psionic Powerset: 50 points

Talents: Choose one of Anti-Psi +1 [5], Electrokinesis Talent +1 [5], ESP Talent +1 [5], Psychic Healing Talent +1 [5], Psychic Vampirism Talent +1 [5], Psychokinesis Talent +1 [5], Telepathy Talent +1 [5].  

Additional Traits: Choose 25 points of abilities and skills from a power corresponding to your talent (See below).  Spend an additional 20 points on the following: Will [5/level], Energy Reserves (Psionic) [3/level], additional levels of Talent [5/level], a minor psionic power appropriate to your chosen talent, a perk appropriate to your talent, or Expert Skill (Psionics) (IQ/H) [2], or improve any of your psionic skills.

Really, you can do anything you want with this, but to make it easier for players and guide them, I’ve created some power-packages below.  Where possible, I’ve tried to stick with 25 points for major powers and 5 for minor, but that doesn’t always work out. Don’t take an exclusion in the following list as a canonical exclusion of that power.  Also, consider the power-sets from GURPS Psis.

The resulting powers are, generally speaking, rather minor, but remember Godlike Extra-Effort for boosting their effects!

Psionic Power Packages

Anti-Psi

Screamer 25 points

Advantages: Screaming 2 [24]

Skills: Screaming (Will/H) [1]

Psychic Shadow: 25 points

Advantages: Para-Invisibility 4 [20], Non Threatening [1]

Skills: Parastealth (IQ/H) [4]

True Seer: 20 points

Advantages: True Sight 1 [16]

Skills: True Sight (Per/H) [4]

Minor Anti-Psi Powers

Resistant 5 points

Advantages: Resistant +3 (to specific power) [5]

Skills: Resistance (Will/H) [0]

Psionic Shield 5 points

Advantages: Psionic Shield 2 [4]

Skills: Psionic Shield (Will/H) [1]

Ergokinesis

Remote Controller 25 points

Advantages:Remote Control 3 [20], Interface [1]

Skills:Remote Control (IQ/H) [4]

Dampener: 25 points

Advantages:Dampen 2 [24]

Skills:Dampen (IQ/H) [1]

Lightning Blaster: 25 points

Advantages:Lightning 2 [24]

Skills:Lightning (IQ/H) [1]

Arc-Wielder:

Advantages:Surge 2 [22], Power Source [1]

Skills:Surge (IQ/H) [2]

Minor Ergokinetic Powers

Resilient Ergokinetic 5 points

Advantage: Protected Power (Ergokinesis) [5]

IO Tapper 10 points

Advantage: I/O Tap 2 [9]

Skill: I/O Tap (IQ/H) [1]

Electric Seer 10 points

Advantage:Electric Vision 1 [8]

Skill: Electric Vision (Per/H) [2]

ESP

Combat Esper 25 points

Advantages:Combat Sense 1 [24]

Skills:Combat Sense (IQ/H) [1]

Visionary: 25 points

Advantages:Prognostication 2 [23]

Skills:Prognostication (IQ/H) [2]

Seer: 25 points

Advantages:Awareness 7 [21]

Skills:Awareness (Per/H) [4]

Psi-Detector 25 points

Advantages:Psidar 3 [19]

Skills:Psidar (Per/H) [4]

Techniques: Extended Range (H) [2]

Intuitive 15 points

Advantages:Psychic Hunches 1 [14]

Skills:Psychic Hunches (IQ/H) [1]

Sentinel 15 points

Advantages: Danger Sense [14]

Skills: Danger Sense (Per/H) [1]

Minor ESPer Powers

Sniffer 5 points

Advantage: Signature Sniffer 1 [4]

Skill: Signature Sniffer (Per/H) [1]

Dreamer 5 points

Advantage: Visions (Dreams) [5]

Seer 5 points

Advantage:Visions (Second Sight) [5]

Psi-Sensor 10 points

Advantage: Psi-Sense 1 [8]

Skill:Psi-Sense (Per/H) [2]

Resilient Esper 5 points

Advantages: Protected Power (ESP) [5]

Psychic Healing

Healer 25 points

Advantages:Cure 2 [24]

Skills:Cure (IQ/H) [1]

Regenerator: 25 points

Advantages:Regeneration 2 [23], +1 HP [2]

Psionic Ascetic: 25 points

Advantages:Metabolism Control 5 [23]

Skills:Metabolism Control (HT/H) [2]

Minor Healer Powers

Aura Reader 5 points

Advantages:Aura 1 [4]

Skills: Aura (Per/H) [1]

Reslient Healer 5 points

Advantage: Protected Power (Psychic Healing) [5]

Poison-Drinker 5 points

Advantage:Resistant +3 (Poison) [5]

Disease-Sentinel 5 points

Advantage: Resistant +3 (Poison) [5]

Psychic Vampirism

Drainer 25 points

Advantages:Drain (ST, DX or HT) [24]

Skills:Drain (ST, DX or HT) (IQ/H) [1]

Life Reader 20 points

Advantages:Detect Life 1 [12]

Skills:Detect Life (Per/H) [8]

Vampire 25 points

Advantages: Drain Life 1 [25]

Skills: Drain Life (IQ/H) [0]

Minor Vampiric Powers

Reslient Vampire 5 points

Advantage: Protected Power (Psychic Vampirism) [5]

Psychokinesis

TK-Controller 25 points

Advantages:TK-Control 3 [24]

Skills:TK-Control (IQ/H) [1]

TK-Hammer 25 points

Advantages:TK-Thrust 15 [21]

Skill:TK-Thrust (IQ/H) [4]

Minor Psychokinetic Powers

Reslient Psychokinetic 5 points

Advantage: Protected Power (Psychokinesis) [5]

Jumper: 10 points

Advantage: Super-Jump 1 [9]

Skill: Jumping (DX/E) [1]

TK-Grabber: 5 points

Advantage: TK-Grab (Short-Range) 1 [4]

Skill: TK-Grab (IQ/H) [1]

Telepathy

Mind Reader 25 points

Advantages: Telerecieve 1 [21]

Skills: Telerecieve (IQ/H) [4]

Mind Trick: 25 points

Advantages: Suggestion 2 [20], Ping [1]

Skills: Suggestion (IQ/H) [2]

Techniques: Amnesia (H) [2]

Mind Clouding: 25 points

Advantages: Mind Clouding 4 [24]

Skills: Mind Clouding (IQ/H) [1]

Psionic Nightmare: 25 points

Advantages: Instill Terror 2 [21]

Skills: Instill Terror (IQ/H) [4]

Minor Telepathy Powers

Empath 5 points

Advantages: Emotion Sense 1 [4]

Skills: Emotion Sense (IQ/H) [1]

Strong Aura 5 points

Advantages: Aspect 1 [4]

Skills: Aspect (IQ/H) [1]

Resilient Telepath 5 points

Advantage: Protected Power (Telepathy) [5]

Mind Link 5 points

Advantages: Mind Link (Single individual) [5]

Mind Shield 5 points

Advantages: Mind Shield (Feedback) 1 [3]

Skills: Mind Shield (Will/H) [2]

Telepathy Sense 5 points

Advantages: Telepathy Sense 1 [4]

Skills: Telepathy Sense (Per/H) [1]

Communion Power Set: 50 points

Communion is a slightly easier power to work out. Once you’ve dedicated yourself to a particular path, you simply invest in Divine Favor for that path.

Prerequite: A character must be a non-latent psion (that is, have at least one psionic power and at least one point in a skill associated with it.

Advantages: Choose one of Communion 6 [25], Dark Communion 6 [25], or Broken Communion 6 [25]. Spend an additional 20 points on Destiny [5/level], Legendary Reputation +1 or +2 [7 or 14], Psi-Sensitivity [15/level], Signature Symbolism [1], any Learned Prayer, or increase Communion, Dark Communion or Broken Communion to 7 for +10 points [35] or 8 for +20 points [45].

Disadvantage: Characters with Communion are required to take an appropriate disadvantage worth [-10], depending on his tradition (by default, Disciplines of Faith (Mysticism) [-10]). Characters who choose to follow a path may add their path’s chosen disadvantage to the list of appropriate disadvantages.

Skills: Meditation (Will/H) [2]; Philosopy (Any) (IQ/H) [2]; Choose one of Connoisseur (Relics or Places of Power) (IQ/A), Hidden Lore (Communion) (IQ/H), History (IQ/H), Literature (IQ/H) or Occultism (IQ/A) all [1]