Here There Be Monsters

Psychic Origin

In the Here There Be Monsters setting, unlike Mystics and Believers who draw their Supernatural abilities from external extradimensional energies, Psychic abilities are purely personal and internal.

Characters with personal psionic abilities should choose the Psychic Origin, which unlocks the Psychic Special Resource Pool for free.

PSIONICS

Unlike Magic and Faith which are means for the channelling of extradimensional energies, Psionics are innate abilities controlled (usually subconsciously) using parts of the human brain normally undeveloped and unused in baseline humanity.

Psionics is a term usually synonymous with "mental" powers in most settings, but in the Here There Be Monsters setting it is a broad, catch-all idea for any Supernatural ability that is not based upon the extradimensional energies known as Magic or innate mystical abilities stemming from a Supernatural heritage.

Psionic abilities are often very tiring to use, require intense concentration or some form of physical or eye contact to work, or perhaps are simply unreliable (require a roll to activate). However, Psionic abilities do not have to be limited in any way. Limitations should be applied to properly modely how a Psionic ability is intended to function of course, but no particular sort or volume of Limitation is mandated.

To avoid blurring the line between Psionics and Magic, Psionic abilities should not take spell-like Incantations, Gestures, or Foci.

Psionic Abilities

The following types of Psionic abilities exist in the Here There Be Monsters setting. For each given type of ability, there might be many different ways to mechanically represent the underlying concept and this is fully embraced. Players and GM's should work together to precisely define the nature of a character's Psionic abilities.

Kinesis
- Psychokinesis (raw force projection)
- Telekinesis (control over physical systems)
- Cyberkinesis (control over computer systems)
- Biokinesis (control over biological systems)
  - Psychic Surgery (alteraing flesh at the cellular level using the power of the mind; cannot Ressurect)
  - Cellular Destruction (destroying organic systems at the cellular level)
- Ergkinesis (control of dynamic forces)
  - Pyrokinesis (heat emission and / or control)
  - Cyrokinesis (cold emission and / or control)
  - Electrokinesis (electricity emission and / or control)
  - Lumenkinesis (light emission and / or control)
  - Magnekinesis (magnetic emission and / or control)
  - Plasmakinesis (plasma emission and / or control)
Extra Sensory Perception
- Empathy (sensing of the emotions of others)
- Mono-directional Telepathy (receiving the thoughts of others)
- Sensitivities (abnormal awareness of various things)
- Clairsentience (perceiving things at great distances)
- Tempuscogniton
  - Precognition (perceiving things in the future)
  - Postcognition (perceiving things in the past)
    - Psychometry (perceiving things by contact with objects)
Mental Projection / Manipulation
- Bi-directional Telepathy (direct mental communication, reading and sending thoughts)
- Mental Possession (direct piloting of other living beings)
- Mental Domination (control over emotional states and / or behavior)
- Mental Invisibility (invisibility acheived by blocking living minds from perceiving)
- Mental Assault (directly attacking minds)
- Astral Projection (out of body experience)
- Empathic Domination (control over emotional states and / or behavior)
Spatial Manipulation (teleportation and non-linear spatial phenomenon)
Probability Manipulation (alteration of statistical outcomes; luck)
Vitruviology (psionically enhanced physical abilities)
Savantism (psionically enhanced skills)
Suppression (psionically suppressing other Supernatural abilities)

NOTE: The subitems listed are not intended to refer to actual HERO System Powers, though they do have the same name in some cases; rather they refer to particular concepts within a larger group. Thus Psionic "Telekinesis" might be modeled using the Telekinesis Power...but then again it might not.

RESTRICTIONS

In a Here There Be Monsters campaign, Psychics have the following restrictions:

Psychic Power Real Cost Limit: ((Base Points + Max Complications + Experience Points) / 4)
Psychic Power Active Point Limit: ((Base Points + Max Complications + Experience Points) / 2)
Power Frameworks:
- Elemental Controls (5e) and Unified Powers (6e) are allowed
- Once a character's (Base Points + Max Complications + Experience Points) equals or exceeds 200 points, they can purchase a Multipower for their Psionic abilities
  - A character upgrading to a Multipower can choose to collapse an existing Elemental Control or set of Unified Powers into their new Multipower Pool as they prefer

ARCHETYPES

The following are common Archetypes among those of a Psychic Origin.

Esper: (Sabrina) Psychics that are exceptionally aware...and maybe even can tell the future.
Mentalist: (Jennifer Hale) Some psychics have incredible telepathic abilities, up to and including the ability to kill with a thought.
Pusher: (George Montgomery) Psychics able to push thoughts, commands, and even alternate realities into the heads of others.
Pyschic Surgeon: (Darren Walters) Pyschics that can heal with the power of their mind.
Firestarter: (Kevin Saroa) some Pyschics can cause fires, project lightning, burn with a touch, and so forth. Quite fearsome but the nature of their abilities requires special effort to avoid notice and Sanctioning.
Luckster: (Drew Altman) Psychics that manipulate probabilities to their own benefit, usually subconsciously.
Vitruvian: (Joshua Lake) athletic, physically capable Psychics that subconciously use their Psionics to enhance their abilities, sometimes to superheroic levels.
Savant: (Dorothy Michaels) some Psychics are generally "normal" but are superhumanly skilled or competant at a specific thing or at a specific interest, capable of feats that normal people simply cannot attain.
Autodidact: (Wayne Wales) some Psychics are able to assimilate new abilities very quickly, and adapt themselves to any situation. A few even have "photographic reflexes" that allow them to instantly mimic any physical maneuver they have seen.
Exorcist: Many Psychics are aware of extradimensional beings lacking a physical form such as ghosts, possessor daemons, and evil spirits, but some Psychics can also directly attack them with their Psionic abilities...though they generally aren't as good at Exorcisms as Believer Exorcists tend to be.
Suppressor: (Jimmy Hunt) Psychics in denial regarding the existence of the Supernatural and their own Psionic potential that subconsciously suppress all Supernatural things in their vicinity.