Ars Psichae

Rules for paranormal and psychic powers in Ars Magica.

Paranormality is a common trait in every human being and may manifest, without warning, in anyone. However, its awakening is usually tied with adolescence, and its capabilities do not go much further after this period.

To reflect that, the table for psychic power costs is different for characters which are going through adolescence (12 to 19 years), and cheaper for them.

Any human being may develop paranormal powers during the game, except those which already have some sort of magical training. These rules consider that paranormality is, in essence, magic, and magic as taught by mages is in fact a more versatile and controlled way of focusing one’s own psychic potential.

Therefore, paranormality is the complete Gift, and paranormal characters suffer the full extent of the gift’s advantages and impairments, even being able to purchase the “gentle gift” and “blatant gift” virtues and flaws.

Thus, if a paranormal character becomes a mage, he does not lose his previous points allocated in psychic powers, rather, during his training, he transfers that experience points into magical arts and spells. This transference occurs as if the character were being trained from scratch, but twice as fast.

Because paranormal abilities are in fact an untrained, very strong gift for magic, its cost, usage and power is deliberately weaker than its related hermetic spell.

There are seven paranormal powers:

Clairsentience: The ability to see at a distance. Points spent in this power can be converted in Intellego and Corpus if the paranormal chooses to become a magus.

Psychic Healing: The ability to perform miraculous healing. Points spent in this power can be converted in Corpus or Creo if the paranormal chooses to become a magus.

Psychometabolism: The ability to control one’s metabolic processes. Points spent in this power can be converted in Muto or Corpus.

Telekinesis: The ability to move objects with the mind and make them float. Points spent in this power can be converted into Rego or Terram.

Teleinduction: The ability to induce other’s minds at a distance. Points spent in this power are converted into Muto or Mentem.

Telemorphosis: The ability to alter one’s mind. Points spent in this power can be converted into Muto or Mentem.

Telepathy: The ability to read other’s thoughts. Points spent in this power can be converted into Intellego or Mentem.

Paranormality and its relation to Faith and Magic:

Many of the so called miracles (though maybe not all) can be attributes to the use (mostly unconscious) of psychic abilities.

Depending on how this power manifests itself, it can be associated with a divine or demonic manifestation. In the superstitious minds of the medieval folk, however, it is rarely neutral.

So, it is not uncommon to encounter paranormal clergyman who believe fervently that their powers are gifts from on High. Such people may (and sometimes do) possess a True Faith, and yet, they use their powers without any hindrance from divine auras.

Therefore, characters with paranormal abilities are most usually connected to the clergy, or considered saints, or rather hunted down by the church. More often than not, they are associated with real demons who approach them to exploit their troubled life to their own agendas. What a paranormal character is NOT, however, is ordinary. Most certainly, when his powers began to manifest, tragic or shocking events may have disturbed their lives.

Introspective Powers and Projective Powers:

Paranormal powers are divided in two groups: Introspective and Projective.

Introspective powers are those which demand a relaxation of one’s attention: they are based in one’s ability to discern among the mental images which are formed when the mind is loose. Therefore, they never tire the user. In fact, they even relax him. However, they can never be used in a fast, tense situation, and always demand some minutes of relaxation before they can be used.

Introspective powers are: Telepathy and Clairsentience.

Projective powers, on the other hand, are those which demand strong mental focus, usually quick and violently. Therefore, they may wear their user, but can be performed under stressful and agitated conditions (such as combats).

Projective powers are: Psychic Healing, Psychometabolism, Telekinesis, Teleinduction and Telemorphosis.

Using Powers:

Psychic Total: Int + Power + stress die

Each of the seven powers have a level which must be recorded in the character sheet, going from 1 and without a limit. Each use of that power (called “effect”) have its own level, which is the minimum value that a Psychic Roll must reach in order for the power to manifest.

For projective powers, the roll is performed after an entire turn of concentration. If the final roll is greater than, or equal to the effect’s level (and it penetrates any of the target’s supernatural resistance), it manifests. The user, than, must make a fatigue roll (Stamina + Concentration + stress die) against an ease factor of 8 plus the effect’s level divided by 5. If he fails this roll, he gains a fatigue level, representing the effort in creating that effect.

Introspective powers use the same roll, but the user never gains a fatigue level, and must prepare for about one minute before making the roll.

If a character’s Psychic Total equals three times the effect’s level, the character can perform that effect without danger tiring himself, and may “fast-cast” it rolling at –10.

Using more than one power simultaneously:

Under no circumstance may more than one psychic power be performed at the same time, by a same character. A character cannot focus on two different effects at a time, and cannot even maintain one while creating another. Each effect requires the character’s undivided concentration.

Purchasing Powers:

The cost of powers follows the same logic of progression than the cost for hermetic arts. However, they are considerably more expensive once they cannot be combined, as techniques and forms can.

Level:	Cost:	Cost for teens:		Level:	Cost:	Cost for teens:
1	1	1		16	136	51
2	3	2		17	153	57
3	6	3		18	171	63
4	10	5		19	190	70
5	15	7		20	210	77
6	21	9		21	231	84
7	28	12		22	253	92
8	36	15		23	276	100
9	45	18		24	300	108
10	55	22		25	325	117
11	66	26		26	351	126
12	78	30		27	378	135
13	91	35		28	406	145
14	105	40		29	435	155
15	120	45		30	465	165

The cost in experience to increase a psychic power is equal to the next level. For teenagers, this cost equals the next level, divided by three, round up.

Secondary Insight:

Paranormal characters may purchase the “Secondary Insight” major hermetic virtue. However, it has a different modus operandi for them. With this virtue, when spending experience points in one Psychic Power, the character also gains points in another, predefined power.

Each paranormal power has a “secondary” power associated with it. When spending experience with secondary insight, the character automatically gains one fourth of the spent experience in the secondary power (round down, minimum of 1):

Secondary powers are:

Primary Power:	Secondary Power:
Clairsentience	Telepathy
Psychic Healing	Telekinesis
Psychometabolism	Psychic Healing
Telekinesis	Psychometabolism
Teleinduction	Psychometabolism
Telemorphosis	Teleinduction
Telepathy	Telemorphosis

Advancing Paranormality

One cannot study paranormality. A psychic character have no idea of how to teach it, and there are no books on the subject. The character itself has no choice over how his powers will progress (although the player has). Thus, paranormal powers can only be advanced through story experience.

Paranormal Effects

Unlike spells, a paranormal character can attempt any psychic effect if his Psychic total have a chance to beat its level.

Clairsentience

Clairsentience is the capacity to see at a distance and through solid objects. For it to work at great distances, an arcane connection with the target is always required.

If the character is specially relaxed, or is not in any particularly tense moment, the storyguide can always rule that he will perform these effects unconsciously, without his consent. In fact, most part of clairsentient perceptions occur uncontrollably.

Some of these effects clearly violate the Hermetic Limit of Time, which may greatly intrigue any magus, and serve as sources of insight for effects attempting to overcome it.

Directing (5)

The character is able to always move in the same direction, regardless of his environment. He can also, intuitively, always point out to a determined fixed point whose location he is aware of (for instance: what is the direction of this labyrinth’s entrance, which direction is the tavern where we last slept, etc).

Clairtasting (5)

The character can taste food at a distance.

Nutritional Presentience (5)

The character can sit at a table and, right before ingesting his food, know if it is good or rotten, poisoned, etc.

Mystic Sensing (5)

The character has a sixth sense for magic and other supernatural effects, being able to sense their occurrence and even (on a roll of 5+) tell its approximate direction and distance.

Distant Touch (5)

The character can touch in an object at a distance, and feel its texture and form, inner and outer, although he cannot apply any force to it. If used in a mechanical equipment, with time enough, the character may be able o draw a schematic of it.

Aura (10)

The user can see the auras of people, animals and things around him (he must focus for that, he cannot see auras by default).

The aura of a being can display: his basic emotional state, his general power level, and something about its psychological nature. A roll of a specific ability (like Symbolism or Dream Interpretation) may be required for the character to understand what he sees.

Penetrating Awareness (10)

The character can form a mental image regarding what is happening beyond a physical barrier that he can touch. He sees this image not with his eyes, but with his imagination. This barrier can be anything, from a stone wall to the envelope of a letter. With level 15, this image is clear enough to allow reading.

Vision of the written fate (10)

The character can, touching someone else, sense which are the greatest dangers to his health that are already within his body. Thus, he can predict genetic diseases, or the time needed for the development of an already present cancer. He can also predict if the character will recover from this disease under normal conditions (not counting supernatural interferences).

Antidote (15)

If the user is in contact with, or close to a poison, an he is aware of that, he may, with a successful roll, find out what is the antidote for that poison (even if he have never heard of it). This effect is also useful in discovering antidotes for poisons already ingested by someone. It can also be used to find the cure for diseases, although there is an additional increase in level according to the strength of the disease (at the storyguide’s discretion).

Path of the Clear Purpose (15)

By focusing on a clear purpose, the character can know which way to go to get there as fast as possible. He is guided by a strong sense of which way to turn, where to travel to, etc. These perceptions become clear to him at the very time he must make a decision about which way to turn to, and although he knows where he is heading to, he has no way of knowing where is this power taking him through to get there.

Touch of the Minutes Past (15)

The character may touch an item and have a clear feeling of what has happened to it in the past few minutes. The margin by which the roll exceeds the effect level (plus the target’s resistance) is the number of minutes that he can sense into the item’s past.

The first impression, as they say, is the one that sticks. If a character attempts this effect more than once on the same item, he is bound by his first impressions, and achieves no further knowledge.

Eventually, if the item being touched have a strong enough emotional charge, relating it to an event which happened further into the past, the character may be drawn into those impressions regardless of the time from which they took place, although he has no way to know exactly when that happened.

Recipe (20)

Like “antidote”, but the user can find out the recipe of anything he is eating.

Disastrous sight (20)

The character can sense when he or those he care about are in danger. This danger may be imminent, or may yet be some time in the future. In any event. The character senses it as a feeling of urgency, which is greater as he comes close to the danger itself.

The character does not need an arcane connection to sense the danger around his intimate friends or family: he himself is considered an arcane connection to those people for the effect of this power.

Touch of Prescience (25)

The paranormal can, using some sort of pretext (a crystal ball, tarot cards, tea leaves, etc), talk something about the future of one specific person right before him. This information must be very accurate, but generic enough to allow to multiple interpretations. These predictions are always vague and never definite, and, in spite of anything else, they may be avoided (although as a rule they aren’t).

As in “Touch of the minutes past”, the first impression is the one that sticks. If a character attempts this effect more than once on the same target, he is bound by his first impressions, and achieves no further knowledge, at least until his previous prediction comes true or is avoided entirely.

Distant Sight (30)

This is the ability to see what is happening far away.

This effect always requires an arcane connection with the target. It shows what is happening in a generic present, but not exactly NOW. For instance: if a character uses this power and sees someone jumping from a roof, he may run to that place and arrive just in time to see the man jumping: The effect have not shown him what was happening at that precise time, but rather what the character saw when he got there. As a rule, though, the time range of this effect never goes beyond the time that the character would take to get there (or the time he would take to get someone else there).

Distance is irrelevant.

As before, the first impression is the one that sticks, and if a character attempts this effect more than once on the same target, he is bound by his first impressions, and achieves no further knowledge, at least until a sufficiently long time has elapsed to make that sighting obsolete.

Sometimes, the local or event being spied on carries with it a strong component on other sense (sound, smell. For instance: an orchestra playing, a rose garden). In these cases, the effect may also carry strong impressions on other senses, other than sight.

Distant Presence (35)

With this power, the character may see, hear, feel, and act as if he were someone else, with which he have an arcane connection to. To all effects and purposes, it is as if he were a ghost present at that place: he can watch but not interact with the events. In practice, however, he is not really there, but is hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting and sensing so clearly what happens there as to make no distinction.

The character cannot for much further away from the place with which he has the arcane connection, but he can move about five paces in each direction.

Confluence (40)

The character can determine a person or place which are the center of a confluence of causal forces. He must determine what he is looking for (for instance: a car accident, a train robbery, a single woman willing to marry, etc.)

The result of the roll indicates the number of days in the future that he can perceive. Specific events are impossible (such as: when is this person going to get mugged), as the more specific they are, the more difficult the roll is, at the storyguide’s discretion (it is easier, for instance, to find a car robbery than the robbery of a red, sport car).

Psychic Healing

This is the ability to alter one’s own biochemistry and in others, in order to effect miraculous feats of healing. In part, it can also be used as a sort of Psychometabolism which affects others.

For all effects of Psychic Healing which target someone else other than the character himself, he must touch the target of the effect. In many cases, he must touch the very region being healed.

Some of these effects allow for the character to permanently heal a target without the expenditure of Raw Vis. This is a great advantage of Psychic Healing over traditional hermetic magic, but it does take its toll: The character, instead, loses vitality whenever healing someone else.

Iron Health (Gen)

Characters with “Psychic Healing” can add one third of their power level in any roll to recover from diseases or wounds, and one tenth of his power level in all aging rolls. They can also grant that bonus to someone else by spending one fatigue point, and lasting for a day (they cannot, however, grant the bonus on aging rolls to others).

This effect do not count as an active power when used over the character himself, and does nor incur in a fatigue level. He can benefit from this bonus even while performing other paranormal effects.

Diagnosis (5)

The character can sense the general state of a body, identifying its healthy and sick areas just by touching them, as well as identifying the advance state of the diseases. With level 10, the paranormal can also precisely identify which disease or poison is afflicting the target if he have any sort of medical skill to allow for the interpretation of his perceptions.

Illusion of Life (10)

The character can cause a target to cease feeling the symptoms of any particular disease or poison he may be afflicted by. In some cases, the target may heal from the disease without even knowing he had it.

The target will not feel any detrimental effect for that particular disease or poison for one day.

Breath of Life (10)

The character can prevent wounds from getting worse or bleed, and softens their pain considerably, allowing the target to move and act as if he were not wounded at all.

This effect lasts for an entire day.

Vital Transference (15 to 30)

The character can transfer the target’s wounds into himself, thus healing him. The target’s wounds close, leaving only a faint scar, and the character loses vitality in the form of blood loss (internal, he does not effectively bleed). Although the character must assume the same wound levels as the target, his wounds, when assumed, do not worsen or bleed, and are instantly stabilized. Therefore, the character himself can never die from applying this effect, considering that he cannot assume more damage than he can deal with.

This effect, beyond the health levels lost, costs one fatigue point.

The magnitude of the wounds healed depend on the effect’s level:

Light wounds:	level 15.
Medium wounds:	level 20.
Heavy wounds:	level 25.
Incapacitating wounds:	level 30.

Energy Transference (20)

Like “Vital Transference”, but only for fatigue.

Restoring Touch (20)

The target of this effect is instantly healed of a wound or disease that may be afflicting him. This effect does not heal wounds, only damage caused by diseases or poisons.

This effect costs one fatigue level and grants the character one wound of the same caliber as that being healed.

Regenerating Touch (25)

The character can heal any lasting effect left over by a disease or poison, or premature aging. Serious effects, such as senility, can be recovered with a greater cost of health levels, as the storyguide’s discretion.

This effect costs, at least, one wound level in addition to the traditional fatigue point. The wound level is as high as that being healed.

Psychometabolism

This is the ability to alter the modus operandi of one’s own body, making it able of great superhuman feats of strength or athletics, going far beyond what would be feasible for a human body.

All psychometabolic effects work on the user’s body only.

Body of Steel (Gen)

Psychometabolic characters can increase their soak rolls to superhuman levels, gaining +1 in their soaks for each 5 levels of Psychometabolism while they concentrate. This counts as an active power.

Unending Breath (Gen)

With this effect, the character can hold his breath for much longer than humanly acceptable. If he can catch his breath and inhale deeply before using this power, he can stay for as many minutes without breathing as he has levels in Psychometabolism.

Bear’s Strength (Gen)

The character can add to his Strength attribute a bonus equaling one tenth of his Psychometabolic power, rounded to the closest integer (level 5 rounds to +1, level 15 rounds to +2, etc).

Eagle Eyes (Gen)

The character can increase his physical perception, enhancing his “Perception” attribute in one tenth of his power, rounded to the closest integer.

Cat’s Agility (Gen)

The character can, focusing this attention on the environment around him and his muscles, increase his precision of movement and physical coordination, increasing his “Dexterity” attribute in one tenth of his psychometabolic power, rounded to the closest integer.

Serpentine Quickness (Gen)

The character can boost his reaction response by controlling his hormonal activity and cerebral speed, enhanhing his “Quickness” attribute in one tenth of his power level, rounded to the closest integer.

Hibernation (5)

The character can lower his metabolism so much as to look completely dead. For all effects and purposes he will be as a corpse (except for spells which act on corpses, although an Intellego Corpus spell would register him as dead, if it does not overcomes his penetration).

While under this effect, diseases will not progress, wounds will not worsen (or heal), and diseases or poisons will not consume him. The character can program his body to awaken after a certain time, or after a certain circumstance has occurred, such as a specific event around him which he would be able to sense (with his hearing, his touch, etc).

While in this state, he must take on one fatigue point per week. When his fatige levels are all consumed, he enters a normal sleep, of which he will awaken normalle some hours later (supposing his wounds, diseases or poisons will not kill him first).

Enhanced Running (10)

With this effect, the user can run at an absurd speed, achieving “20 x Athletics” meters per second in a straight line, or “10 x Athletics” meters per second while turning. At every 30 seconds of running, he must assume a fatigue point.

Enhanced Jumping (15)

The character can jump great distances normally, reaching up to “10 x Athletics” meters high or “15 x Athletics” meters long. Each jump grants him one fatigue point.

The distance covered can be enhanced to a further gain in fatigue.

Tiger’s Balance (20)

The user can perform unbelievable feats of balance, being capable of the geatest malabaristic feats, such as walking on a suspended rope amidst a storm.

Die Hard (40)

This character achieved a degree of self control in which he can command each cell of his body independently. When he receives a damage which would otherwise kill him, he can roll this effect and, in a success, he will not die, but take only an “Incapacitating” wound. The extra damage points are ignored.

Each roll grants him a fatigue point. If he runs out of fatigue, he is out of luck…

Telekinesis

Telekinetic effects are among the most spectacular and visual of paranormal effects, being responsible for a series of legends and histories in themselves, and the very idea of “traditional” psychic powers.

A telekinetic character hardly escapes the fate of being confused with a witch or demon. Usually, a telekinetic who is discovered by the superstitious folk doesn’t last long if he sticks around.

For all effects and purposes, it is considered that items are moved by telekinetic abilities as if they were being handled by a character with a strength score of the Telekinetic power, divided by 5, minus 3.

Telecontrol (Gen)

This is the basic ability of controlling matter at a distance, making it float and move with the power of one’s mind. The character’s level in Telekinesis indicates how heavy the moved object is, or how fast it moves.

Telecontrol can only be used in ONE target at a time, regardless of the Telekinetic power level.

Level:	Weigth:	Speed:
10	Pencil, pen, small rocks.	1 m/s
15	A weapon, an item of up to 30 kg.	4 m/s
20	A person with average load, 100 kg.	16 m/s
30	A loaded person, 150 kg.	Arrow speed.
40	A horse, an ox.	Bullet speed.

The maximum speed must be calculated by the difference of the actual telekinetic power level and the minimum power required to lift the object. For instance, a Telekinetic character of power 30 can move a loaded person at 1m/s, or a weapon at 4m/s, or a pen up to the speed of an arrow.

Telecontrol has ho fine tune: the objects are moved in a general way, and cannot be manipulated in parts. With this effect, the character can, for instance, move a key and make it open a lock, but he could not pick the lock telekinetically.

If used to move a weapon, Telecontrol grants it a damage bonus equaling to the Telekinetic strength of the character ((Level / 5) – 3).

Trans-formation (Gen)

With this effect, the character can alter the form of an inanimate object, making it bend, twist, fold, etc. The effect level depends on the size (and not the weight) of the object being altered:

Level:	Target:
5	Small objects: forks, knifes, glasses, etc.
10	Pans, short swords, small statues.
15	Average weapons: swords, staffs.
20	Prison bars, poleaxes, sculpted busts.
25	Armor plates.
30	Full suits of armor, chairs.
35	Human-sized statues.
40	Great closets, sofas, thrones.
45	Chariots, wagons.

This effect takes as many seconds to happen as levels required. It always required fatigue, even if its interrupted.

This effect is only possible in inanimate objects.

Ignition (5)

With this effect, the character can set fire to usually flammable objects.

Fire Control (10)

The user can cause a flaming object to be consumed more quickly or slowly, increasing or decreasing the damage of the flames every turn in “Telekinesis / 2” points of damage. If he can maintain the damage zeroed for three turns, the fire is put out.

This effect acts on one square meter per turn (at most).

Boiling (10)

The character can boil water. He can boil one liter of water per minute of concentration. The same effect can be used to liquefy steam.

Ice (10)

This effect allows a character to freeze water. He can freeze one liter of water per minute of concentration. The same effect can be used to melt ice.

Magnetize (15)

The character can magnetize metallic objects, turning them into magnets and attracting other metallic objects. This magnetization lasts for as long as the character concentrates, but if the affected object is also ferromagnetic, it can become a permanent magnet.

Freefall (15)

Although, at this level, a character is still unable to float with telekinesis, they can already reduce their falling speed (or other target’s) in a way as to make them land softly in the ground.

Heat control (25)

The user can control the temperature of inanimate objects, increasing of reducing it in “Telekinesis / 5” degrees at every 10 seconds.

Flame control (25)

The character can control and manipulate an existing flame, making it spread in a specific direction, or altering its form, being able to direct it at specific targets.

Distant blow (25)

The user can damage a target at a distance. This is treated as a normal missile attack, with a range equal to “sight”. The character rolls his Dexterity + Telekinesis to hit the target, and damage equals his Intelligence + (Telekinesis / 2).

The blow needs a physical medium to propagate, and may be blocked normally by solid obstacles. When hitting the target, it applies its full soak to the damage.

Kinetic Influence (25)

If the character is aware of a missile attack, he can influence it in a way to make it more or less likely to hit. By focusing for one turn, the character can add or subtract from a missile attack roll his “Telekinesis / 5”.

Manipulation (30)

With this effect, a character can perform fine manipulations in his telekinetic controls, becoming able to, for instance, type at a distance, tie or untie knots, pick a lock, etc. To use specific abilities with this effect (such as picking a lock), the character must know what he is doing, and thus roll his skill normally, as if he were touching the object at a distance.

Rain (30)

The character can sublimate water very quickly, filling the local atmosphere with water micro-particles, thus making rain much more likely. This effect takes one hour to make effect, requires 3 fatigue points, and doesn’t guarantee rain, but does make it much more probable.

Dry (30)

As in “Rain”, but the character condenses the local micro-particles, drying the atmosphere and making rain much less likely. As before, the effect takes one hour and requires 3 fatigue points.

Explosion (35)

The target of this effect suffers in intense increase of heat: enough to blow up wood, flammable objects, water, etc. The force of the explosion depends on the object targeted: a napkin, for instance, would explode with a damage of 1. The maximum damage caused if given by the user’s telekinesis level.

This effect cannot explode non-flammable, solid objects such as metal, but may start the spontaneous combustion of a human body (causing it 35 points of damage).

Rupture (35)

The character can disrupt the inner cohesion of an inanimate object, thus shattering it. If the object is a simple one (a weapon, for instance), it simply breaks in the middle. If it’s a big one, the character damages it for “Telekinesis” points of damage.

Fusion (40)

Now the character can take two, non organic objects of similar composition and fuse them together. At the end of the effectm they will be so joined as if they had been formed together.

This effect does not work on crystals or jewels, and requires 2 fatigue points.

Anti-kinetic field (40)

By assuming one fatigue point, the character can create an anti-kinetic field around himself which prevents any missile attack from being successful. Arrows or bullets simply stop in midair before him.

Lightning (45)

The character can diminish the air’s electric permissivity, allowing electricity to run freely from a given source and into the target. Sources can be the most diverse: an electric plug, a magnet, a battery, a cloudy sky. The lightning strength depends on the source’s strength, but given a large enough source (like a cloud), the maximum damage is Intelligence + Telekinesis.

This effect requires 2 fatigue points.

Teleinduction

Charisma (Gen)

The character can increase his social attributes (Communication and Presence) in as much points as his Teleinduction / 10.

Exorcism (Gen)

The user can banish a possession, be it magical, spiritual or psychic. He must overcome the possession’s might (or power) with his own power, and, in doing so, he expels the intruder from the target’s mind.

Primal Attention (5)

The user can paralyze a non-magical irrational animal and keep him under his command while he maintains direct eye contact with him, even so much as being able to calm and domesticate it temporarily.

Idea (5)

The character can grant an idea to the target. He will not fell specially compelled to perform it, applying over it his own normal judgment, but he will perceive it as if it were his own.

Primal Control (10)

The user can control the actions of an irrational, non-magical being, or a swarm of insects, with his mind.

Mental Words (10)

The character can send a few words to the mind of a target with which he have an arcane connection to. The target will hear these words as a thought, although the “voice” of that thought is clearly not his. Mages or telepaths with some supernatural knowledge, or someone who knows of this effect will identify it immediately, and know that those words came from someone else.

The user can send as many words as his Intelligence + 3.

Command (15)

The character can issue a one-word command to a target, and if he fails his resistance, he must obey it to the best of his understanding. The command must not be spoken, but in that case the target gains a bonus of +5 in his resistance (even gaining resistance if he had none).

Emotional Infusion (15)

The character can control the emotions of a target, making him feel any emotion with which he himself is familiar with.

Fear (15)

The user can instill fear in a target. This fear must be related to something specific (it cannot be a generic, irrational fear).

Partial Paralysis (15)

The character can paralyze one of the target’s peripheral members (arms, legs, hands and feet) that he can see. To maintain this effect, the character must keep the affected member within his line of sight.

Peripheral Control (20)

The character can controle one of the target’s peripheral members (arms, legs, hands and feet) that he can see as if it were his own. For the duration of this effect, the corresponding member on the character will be useless.

Paralysis (20)

The character can paralyze a target with which he can establish direct eye contact. It lasts for as long as this contact is maintained.

Suggestion (25)

With this effect, the user can compel a target to a specific action. This action must be simple, direct and clear (something that he can do and then be over with it: it cannot be a compulsion for the remainder of his life). The target will attempt to execute this action to the best of his ability, but if he cannot perform it within one hour (tops), the effect withers away.

Whisper (25)

This effect works like “Mental Words”, but the character can send entire phrases into the target’s mind. Each different phrase count as one use of this ability.

Marionette (30)

The character can control the target’s actions as if he were a marionette. He has no access to his senses. And must keep him within his line of sight, or he will not know exactly what to do.

Fatal Smile (30)

The character becomes irresistibly attractive for the target. He will feel an utter admiration towards the character, and treat him as he would an icon of perfection.

Transgnosis (40)

The character can transfer knowledge into the target, or send him one of his abilities. He can only use this power in one ability per turn.

This effect is obviously temporary, but does have a lasting effect: the target takes 1 hour per point of ability to forget the transferred ability.

Pain (45)

By focusing intently, the character can stimulate an excruciating pain in the target, as strong as his brain is capable of withstand. The character can describe the indices pain in any way he wants (for instance: as if someone were opening his entrails and placing a hot iron inside).

This effect costs 1 fatigue point for each 10 long, unbearable seconds it lasts.

Possession (50)

The character can, assuming 2 fatigue points, possess the target’s body and use it as if it were his own. When the effect is over, the target will not remember what was done to his body, but it he is a telepath or a mage, he will know what happened.

For the duration of this effect, the character’s own body becomes inert, as if in a coma.

Telemorphosis

Mental Hiding (Gen)

This character, when being targeted with a mental invasion (by any possible means: magical, paranormal, faerie, etc) can resist this attempt with his fill Telemorphosis level. If he succeeds, the invading target will see in his mind a complete blank.

This effect can also hide the character’s emotions, and also works on mundane skills which would deduce one’s emotions or thoughts by normal means.

Mind Trap (Gen)

If this character is victim of a mental invasion (psychic, magical, or whatever), he can, in the same turn (as long as he performs no other action), counter-attack it regardless of distance. He rolls his Intelligence + Telemorphosis – 5 and, if he overcomes the attacking penetration, the invasion is cut-off, and the invading party is immediately assaulted by a “Fear” effect.

Deductive Manipulation (Gen)

With this effect the user can alter the target’s Intelligence attribute in as much as his Telemorphosis / 10 points.

Perceptive Manipulation (Gen)

With this effect the user can alter the target’s Perception attribute in as much as his Telemorphosis / 10 points.

Social Manipulation (Gen):

With this effect the user can alter the target’s Presence attribute in as much as his Telemorphosis / 10 points.

Eloquence Manipulation (Gen):

With this effect the user can alter the target’s Communication attribute in as much as his Telemorphosis / 10 points.

Think of me (5)

By using an arcane connection with a target, the character can cause the target to think of him. He have no way of knowing, however, in what way is the tarfget thinking of him.

Telepathic of magical targets immediately know that this thought is coming from a non-invasive use of Telemorphosis.

Awaken (10)

Used on a sleeping target, this effect causes him to wake up. It can also bring people back from a coma, but the effect for that is level 30.

Sleep (10)

This effect puts a target to sleep.

Mnemonic Programming (10)

This character can, by concentrating on what’s going on around him, perfectly record the actual situation in his memory, making this moment always accessible to him. He could, for instance, glance at an intricately complex map for a few instants and remember it in every detail later on.

This action must be declared: it cannot be assumed to be always working.

Sensorial Block (15)

The character can block one of the target’s senses (vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch, pain, speech) while he maintains concentration.

Confusion (15)

This effect confuses the target’s perceptions. He could become disoriented, or lose a count, or forget how much he is charging for something, etc.

The target must roll his Intelligence against an ease factor of 9 whenever he wants do to something cohesively while being targeted by this effect. On a roll of 15 or more, the confusion is broken. In a failure, the target is utterly puzzled and cannot do anything logical.

Torpor (20)

The target of this effect enters a state of torpor, like that of a very sleepy person, and is incapable of clear thinking or full use of his perceptions. This effect works like “Confusion”, but the ease factors are 12 to do anything and 18 to break the effect.

Overconfidence (25)

This effect alters a specific belief that the target may have about himself. He could, for instance, start to believe that he is capable of defeating a very powerful opponent, or that he is not capable of using the gun in his hand, or that he does not love his wife.

This effect cannot chance the target’s perceptions or memory (for instance, making him believe that he is nor married), only alter some belief about himself.

Say what? (30)

In using this effect, the character causes the target to forget the last thing he did. The fact is erased from his short-term memory, although contrary evidences may easily lead him to deduce what happened.

This loss occurs instantly, but its effects are permanent.

Illusion (30)

This effect can alter one (or more) of the target’s sensorial elements, causing him so see something that doesn’t exist, or hear sounds that were not emitted, etc.

This illusion involves an object which, for the subject, will be real, but not his whole environment. It could fabricate an illusory person, for instance, but could not cause the target to believe he is somewhere else.

Forgetfulness (35)

The target of this effect forgets something. The character must know which memory he is removing from the target. If the memory is short-term (less than 20 minutes), it simply vanishes, as in: “Say What?”. If it is long-term, it can be reawakened if the target is stimulated enough. In this case, the memory isn’t truly gone, but simply moved to the more subconscious places of the mind, and remembering it will be, for the target, as if remembering a specific event which occurred over 20 years ago.

Hallucination (40)

As in “Illusion”, but all of the target’s environment can be altered, making him believe he is somewhere entirely different, experiencing unimaginable things…

False Remembrance (40)

With this effect, the character can fabricate a memory in the target’s mind, making him believe that a certain event of his life occurred differently. The character must know which event he is altering, and how it actually happened. The true memory is not gone, but, as in “Forgetfulness”, it is moved to the subconscious mind, and accessing it may need strong physical evidence or emotional stimulation.

This effect can easily make someone insane if the implanted memory is completely incompatible to the other facts of his life: the target may be locked in an unsolvable neurosis about what really happened.