From: scythe@stein.u.washington.edu (The Grim Reaper)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Psi Power Questions
Date: 26 Jan 1993 16:22:20 GMT
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
NNTP-Posting-Host: stein.u.washington.edu
Keywords: psionics

In article <1993Jan26.152235.15990@dale.ksc.nasa.gov> rramser@dale.ksc.nasa.gov (Rusty Ramser) writes:
>
>I've got three questions about some psi powers that I've
>been discussing with another r.g.f.dnd-er through e-mail.
>These probably get into a person's "philosophy" of how
>certain things work, but I figured I'd throw them out in
>order to get some differing viewpoints.
>
>First, the TCPH indicates that psi PCs can "sense" another psi
>attempting to Contact their mind.  They can then allow or dis-
>allow Contact to occur; presumably just by sensing the Contact
>they can likewise tell who is attempting Contact without com-
>pletely "letting that psi in".  Does this sound like a correct
>interpretation?  If so, how can they tell who's "calling" with-
>out "lifting up the receiver and talking"?

Hmm.  I'd say they can sense that someone is trying to contact them,
but unless they can see the person, they can't tell who it is.

>Second, for non-psionicists, the TCPH never really definitely
>states whether they can sense when/if Contact is occurring.  I
>believe that they can't, based upon some of the statements
>made in the TCPH.  Statements along the lines of, "Part of
>the reason psionicists are feared in society is because they
>can get into your head and read your thoughts without you even
>knowing."  That's my paraphrase, of course, but that idea
>along with several others leads me to believe that a non-psi
>has no way of knowing Contact (or many other Telepathy powers)
>is occurring.  Now, the confusing issue to me is a series of
>statements in the TCPH that describe how non-psionicists can
>resist Contact.  (You know, the part where it describes how a
>character can fill his head with a poem repeated ad nauseam,
>etc.)  If a non-psionicist cannot sense Contact, I wonder how
>they're supposed to know when to try to resist.  Presumably in
>this case, a character would have to know the PC was a psi,
>and would have to just feel that the psi was attempting some-
>thing; ("He's staring really hard at me!  What the hell is he
>up to?")
They can sense something wierd going on.  If they've experienced
contact before, they might be able to recognize this as contact.

>
>Third, the Mindlink power is not inhibited by language differ-
>ences, while the ESP power is.  I'm not sure of the reasoning
>behind allowing one to function even if the two creatures
>don't share a common language, while not allowing the other.
>The reason behind ESP not allowing mind reading of disparate
>languages is because "ESP allows reading of a creature's sur-
>face thoughts, and creatures tend to think in their language."
>(Once again, my paraphrasing.)  However, the sharing of infor-
>mation between Mindlinked creatures is done by one allowing
>thoughts to pass to the other.  Wouldn't the same reasoning of
>thoughts being in a creature's native language still apply?
>[A request:  Please don't give an "answer" to this one along
> the lines of, "Because Mindlink is a science and ESP is
> only a devotion."]
Sorry, but that's the only way to explain it.  Mindlink is a
"deeper" link between to people, allowing them to communicate without
language.

>
>Thanks for any and all input, comments, criticism, flames, etc.
>(Well, not as much thanks for flames, actually.)
>
>+---------------------------------+
>| Rusty B. Ramser                 |
>| DL-DSD-21                       |
>| Kennedy Space Center, FL  32899 |
>|                                 |
>| rusty-ramser@ksc.nasa.gov       |
>+---------------------------------+
>

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When he goes swimming does he get wet, | The Grim Reaper
Or does the water get him instead?     | scythe@u.washington.edu
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