Psionics

**Psionics** is the practical application of psychic phenomena in the form of mind, matter, and energy manipulation. Its applications range from empathy and minor telekinetic feats to more advanced disciplines which draw on the fundamental forces of the universe—gravity, electromagnetism, entropy, and nuclear fusion.

Innate psionic talent can vary widely between individuals, but honing that talent into usable form typically takes years of rigorous training—thus, a number of organizations dedicate themselves to recruiting and training the psionically sensitive, some working with the full range of psionic potential while others specialize in one or a handful of disciplines.

The scientific study of psionics is known as **psiology**.

## Proficiencies

* Psionic Training
	+ Telekinetic Technique
	+ Telepathic Technique
	+ Ionic Technique
	+ Exigent Technique
	+ Entropic Technique
	+ Radiant Technique
	+ 🩸 Blood Technique
	+ 👁️ Domination Technique

## Core concepts

### Sensitivity & development

The capacity of an individual to develop their mind to the point of psionic ability is commonly known as *psionic sensitivity*. This can range from psionic deafness, in which an individual is completely unable to develop psionic abilities, to psionic hypersensitivity, an impossibly rare, mostly theoretical state in which an individual may develop sensitivity to up to three of the four energy forms. In nearly all cases, however, a psion who takes on the advanced disciplines will only be able to develop an affinity for one or two energy forms.

The development of psionic ability is closely intertwined with an individual's connection to life and others, be it through faith, community, family, or something similar. Conversely, psionics resists the synthetic and unnatural, always seeming to slip away from attempts to harness it technologically; artificial life and machines seem entirely incapable of psionics.

Psionic sensitivity is not necessarily restricted to sapient creatures, and there are countless examples of psionic fauna existing across the Aegis Cluster.

### Psiotypes

The majority of psionic abilities fall into one of five basic categories: neutral techniques and any of the four **psiotypes** (also known as energy forms or elements).

Telekinetic and telepathic abilities, blood psionics, and mental domination are considered neutral techniques. However, more advanced applications of psionics such as hurling fireballs, conjuring lightning, and manipulating gravity require specialization into one of the four advanced disciplines. The powers drawn on by these disciplines correspond to the four fundamental forces of the natural world: Template:Magic for gravity, Template:Magic for electromagnetism, Template:Magic for the strong nuclear force, and Template:Magic for entropy and nuclear decay.

Training an affinity for any of the energy forms, or the more complex types of neutral psionics, first requires mastery of the basics of psionics.

### Psionic focus

A *psionic focus* is an otherwise mundane medium which can act as a conduit for extending or amplifying one's psionic field. While not all psions use them, they can be a useful resource for building on the abilities one develops through training. Most psionic foci take the form of staves, gauntlets, or weapons implanted with Empyrean Power Crystals.

## Advanced topics

### Psionic wraiths

Psionic wraiths are a category of psionic creatures created when a psion's essence outlives their mortal body, disembodied minds which may or may not remember their previous life and are dependent on absorbing the life essence from living things to survive. They are variously regarded as spirits, undead, or a kind of quasi-life by different cultures.

Many wraiths require some kind of corporeal container to "possess" to avoid dissipating into the environment, though the most skilled and powerful can sustain wispy bodies of their projected thoughts alone, taking on whatever appearance they desire.

### Details

**Psionic Wraiths** are a form of psionic creature. Some consider them a form of ghost, spirit, or undead. They are created when a psicaster's psionic essence outlives their mortal and living body. This creates a disembodied consciousness which may or may not have memories of their previous life.

#### BIOLOGY

Wraiths are thought to be made of pure essence without living bodies to contain it. They instead give themselves corporeal form by possessing closed containers such as other bodies or suits of armor. The most psionically skilled among wraiths may create thin wispy shells made of nothing but their projected thoughts, requiring constant and sustained concentration to maintain. These corporeal forms may be manipulated to take on appearances desired by the wraith projecting them.

Killing a wraith usually involves piercing their container enough that they "bleed" their essence into their environment. The less essence a wraith has, the weaker and less conscious they are. When they get low enough on essence, they lose the ability to concentrate and dissipate entirely unless captured within a small container. Wraiths captured this way may hibernate for years, subsisting on the little essence they have left. To restore them to their original form, they must be fed another creature's essence.

Wraiths are aberrations which have none of the biological needs, processes, or emotions that characterize living creatures. As a result, they tend to be highly alien to most other sapients, though they can learn to live among sapient societies. This results in a wide spectrum of wraith consciousnesses, from the insane to the well-socialized, though even well-socialized wraiths tend to come across as a little uncanny to their interlocutors. Wraiths are often feared and stigmatized in many societies due to their alien and ghost-like nature, and for the way they feed: literally absorbing the life essence (souls, some believe) of living creatures in order to survive.

### Psi-tech

"Psi-tech" is a term applied to the poorly understood practices and creations of some ancient societies—the Ancient Aoshanti most notably—which have some relationship to psionics. Devices which reveal the memories and emotions imprinted on an object, crystal pylons that influence the minds of wildlife, and the great gateways between galaxies are all remaining examples of psi-tech.

## Telekinetic Technique

**Telekinetic Technique** comprises more advanced applications of telekinesis, an energy-neutral psionic power rooted in the projection of one's thoughts as a physical force.

While basic telekinetic powers are among the core psionic abilities, years of training can hone these into more complex applications: sustained levitation, slowing and holding creatures in place with one's mind, and even creating invisible walls and surfaces of pure thought. This level of telekinetic proficiency must be nurtured, strengthened, and maintained through a lifetime of commitment and practice, often with the help of a creed, structured communal experiences, rituals, and religious beliefs.

#### LEAP

 You push up against the ground telekinetically as you jump, allowing you to leap an impossible distance. This can allow you to cross 2 ranges in a single movement, although it will incur an attack of opportunity from characters with a ranged weapon who can see you. Conversely, this can allow you to leap over a character with a melee weapon without their being able to strike at you. This technique counts as a movement.

#### LEVITATE

 One creature or loose object of your choice that you can see within range rises vertically during your turn. If you are not interrupted until your next turn, the target is raised up to 20 feet and remains suspended there for as long as you are able to concentrate on the technique, or until you release them. The spell can levitate a target that weighs up to 250 pounds. If you use this ability once in both hands, you can lift a target that weighs up to 500 pounds. You expend 1 Energy for every turn the target is levitated after the first turn. The target can move only by pushing or pulling against a fixed object or surface within reach (such as a wall or a ceiling), which allows it to move as if it were climbing. You can change the target's altitude by up to 20 feet in either direction on your turn. If you are the target, you can move up or down as part of your move. Otherwise, you can use your action to move the target, which must remain within the spell's range. Levitating yourself does not require the use of your hands.

#### BALL OF FORCE

 You generate a ball of force in your hands and send it hurtling towards a target. Make a 11 dice ranged attack against anything in its path until it strikes either an immovable object such as a wall or a creature which successfully resists its attack. This attack may be resisted with an opponent's Shield proficiency plus shield armor, **Athletics** plus armor, **Survival** plus armor, or **Will** with advantage.

#### SLOW

 You concentrate on an area in front of you within short or medium range. You fill it with your mind, grasping at arms, legs, weapons, making it as difficult as possible for others to move within that space. While you are channeling this technique, every time a creature you have targeted must make a roll, they do so with disadvantage. Every time this occurs, remove 1 Energy from your pool. While channeling this technique, you cannot move or take other actions. If you are injured or forced to act in any other way, the ability's effect is broken. Initiating this technique costs an action. Characters under the effect of this technique cannot benefit from charge bonuses.

#### HOLD

 You crowd your thoughts around a creature in such a way that they cannot move. For as long as you are able to channel this technique, the target cannot take actions or move. They can, however, struggle against you by attacking your hold with **Grapple** or with a melee attack. In order to defend against them, roll your  Telekinesis proficiency. For every point they score on you above your defense roll, dock 1 Energy from your pool. If you go under 0, you are stunned until the following turn. You cannot move or take actions while channeling and if you are forced to move or take any other actions, the effect is broken.

#### WALL OF WATER

 You raise a roiling wall of water from a body of water which you can see. Provided there is enough liquid water, you can make the wall up to 30 feet long, 10 feet high, and 2 feet thick, or you can make a ringed wall up to 20 feet in diameter, 20 feet high, and 2 feet thick. The wall is opaque and impassible. Any attacks made through the wall have disadvantage on hitting their targets. Heat and plasma abilities cannot pass through the wall. The wall costs 1 Energy per turn to maintain and requires you to concentrate. If you are forced to move or are injured while channeling the ability, you lose control of the wall and it collapses.

#### TIDAL WAVE

 After raising a wall of water, you can push it away from you with both hands to unleash a tidal wave which crashes down on the area immediately behind it. All characters 10 feet behind the wall must roll **Athletics** to keep their footing against a CL of 4. If they fail, they are swept off their feet and are knocked prone. The rest are staggered. The water then spreads out in all directions, extinguishing unprotected flames in its wake.

#### WALL OF FORCE

 You extend your consciousness outwards to form an impenetrable wall or dome. The wall appears in any orientation you choose, as a horizontal or vertical barrier or at an angle. It can be free floating or resting on a solid surface. You can form it into a hemispherical dome or a sphere with a radius of up to 10 feet, or you can shape a flat surface made up of 6 5-foot-by-5-foot panels. Each panel must be contiguous with another panel. The wall holds for as long as you have the concentration and mental energy to sustain it. No creature or attack may pass through it. If attacked, the wall defends with a dice roll of 7+2, where 2 are armor points which can be pierced by armor-piercing weapons. If the wall is successfully damaged, subtract the damage from the psicaster's energy pool. More than one psicaster may maintain the wall at a time. Only one of those casters must know  Telekinetic Technique 5, but all must have at least  Telekinesis 5.

## Blood Technique

**Blood Technique** is a psionic technique which focuses on using telekinesis and a practitioner's advanced knowledge of anatomy to manipulate blood and other aspects of physiology. To be able to reach out to another being and affect their physiology in such a precise way is an esoteric art even among psions, requiring extensive study and practice. It is one of the most difficult disciplines to master.

Like all practitioners of the advanced psionic disciplines, practitioners of blood technique train for years first to develop their core psionic abilities. Then they must train for years more to develop their affinity for this specific art. At first, a blood psion's connection with the living body is weak to nonexistent, and it must be nurtured, strengthened, and maintained through a lifetime of commitment and practice, often with the help of a creed, structured communal experiences, rituals, and religious beliefs.

### Blood Technique

#### HEMATOLOGIC LOCK

**Biology Generalist 5**
 You reach out your hands towards a target and seize control of the blood in their veins. For as long as you are able to channel this technique, the target cannot take actions or move. They can, however, struggle against your hold with **Grapple** or **Athletics**. In order to maintain your hold, roll 8. For every point they score on you above your defense roll, dock 1 Energy from your pool. If you go under 0, you are stunned until the following turn. You cannot move or take actions while channeling and if you are forced to move or take any other actions, the effect is broken. This does not work against creatures without blood.

#### BLOOD BOIL

Channeled
**Biology Generalist 5**
 You reach your hand out towards a target and attempt to size control of their blood vessels. You tighten your grip, leading blood vessels to burst and causing internal bleeding. On the first turn where you are channeling the ability, make a 7 dice attack against the enemy's **Survival**, ignoring their armor. On every subsequent turn you are channeling this ability, your attack against the creature gains 1 dice. You cannot move while channeling this ability. This does not work on creatures without blood.

#### BLOOD CORRUPTION

Channeled
**Biology Generalist 5**
 You reach your hand out towards a target and attempt to interfere with their blood's ability to coagulate properly, making any injury which they take while this effect is active worse. You start casting this ability on your turn and begin to channel it on the next turn. Once you begin channeling this ability, and so long as you are channeling it, the target will suffer +1 injury level every time they receive an injury. This means that if they receive a minor injury, they will receive a medium injury instead, up to a fatal injury. This cannot cause a fatal injury (4 over) to be an instant kill (5 over). If the target has HP, they take +3 additional damage instead. This does not work on creatures without blood.

#### ACCELERATE CLOTTING

**Biology Generalist 5**
 You staunch the flow of blood from a minor or medium injury. This ability can be used up to short range. This counts as bandaging the injury. This does not work on creatures without blood.

#### PREVENT DEATH

**Biology Generalist 5**
 You kneel alongside a downed target and raise your hands above them. By extending your mind to the affected areas, you use your considerable knowledge of anatomy alter the flow of blood in their veins and prevent them from bleeding out. So long as this ability is channeled, the need for the downed character to roll death saving throws is paused. This does not work against characters without blood. The character channeling this ability is entirely blind and deaf and cannot move, as this ability requires the utmost concentration. This ability costs 1 Energy per turn to maintain. This does not work on creatures without blood.

## Radiant Technique

**Radiant Technique** is one of the four fundamental advanced psionic disciplines. Radiant technique is associated with the strong nuclear force and involves harnessing the energy stored within atoms.

Radiant energy, also known as radiance — a form of plasma — is drawn from the nuclei of atoms and held in the palm of the psicaster's hand using telekinesis. By crowding around the energy with their thoughts, the psicaster can manipulate the energy into desired shapes, such as an explosive sphere, a spear, or a shield. It is by far the most powerful psionic discipline in terms of raw energy output.

Like all practitioners of the advanced psionic disciplines, practitioners of radiant technique train for years first to develop their core psionic abilities. Then they must train for years more to develop their affinity for radiance and connect with their art. At first, a radiant psion's connection with the strong nuclear force is weak to nonexistent, and it must be nurtured, strengthened, and maintained through a lifetime of commitment and practice, often with the help of a creed, structured communal experiences, rituals, and religious beliefs.

### Radiant Technique

#### POWER OF THE ATOM

 Radiant psions manipulate the strong nuclear force, the ties that bind atomic nuclei together. By tugging on these bonds, they can release subatomic quarks into a sort of "quark soup," most often referred to as "radiant energy," or "radiance," a sort of concentrated superenergetic plasma, but also sometimes emitted as light. Generating radiant energy is only the first part of plasmakinesis, as radiant energy must be kept contained in order to be useful. Otherwise, it dissipates into the environment. While channeling radiant energy, the psion must create a mental barrier around the plasma, crowding it in with their projected thoughts until there is enough of it that it can be used. This gets exponentially more difficult the more radiance there is to contain. A more experienced radiant psion will be able to maintain more radiant spheres at once:
* **Radiant Technique 1:**
* **Radiant Technique 2:**
* **Radiant Technique 3:**
* **Radiant Technique 4:**
* **Radiant Technique 5:**

#### RADIANT SPHERE

 Telekinetically reach into atoms held within the palm of your hand and feel for their atomic structures. Find their weakness, and yank. They come unraveled, and energy surges within the palm of your hand. You rush to capture it, trapping it within a prison created by your own projected thoughts. You generate 1 Radiant Sphere's worth of energy, which you must now hold on to until you use it. While you concentrate on holding the spheres, and any subsequent energy which you may choose to add to it, you may walk, but you may not run. This means that you may move into areas immediately adjacent to you, but you cannot change ranges with your opponent without dissipating the spheres you are holding. If you are injured in any way, you lose concentration and the spheres dissipate. You may keep track of your spheres in your ammunition section by using this template.

#### HURL

 You hurl your accumulated radiant sphere towards a target, causing it to explode in a fiery mass of plasma. This does not consume an action. Depending on how much radiance you've accumulated, the sphere has a different effect:
* **1 :** Make a physical ranged attack against a target in short or medium range which you can see with 10 dice. You may use this attack at long range with disadvantage.
* **2 :** You may attack two targets which are immediately adjacent to each other, making one 10-die ranged attack against each target.
* **3 :** Your conflagration engulfs three targets which are immediately adjacent to each other, allowing you to make a 10-dice ranged attack against each target.
* **4 :** Your conflagration engulfs four targets which are immediately adjacent to each other, allowing you to make a 10-dice ranged attack against each target.
* **5 :** You discharge your sphere into an area which detonates into a fireball which consumes everything it touches. Make a ranged attack against a single target within short, medium, or long range with 10 dice. All creatures (friend and foe) within melee range of that creature are similarly attacked with 10 dice.

#### LIGHT

 You stoke the radiance in your hand to generate light within a certain area.
* **0 :** You project light within a 20 foot radius and dim light for 20 feet after that. You may take other actions while maintaining this technique, although being injured will cause you to lose concentration. You may move this dot of energy around with a half-action, although you must recall the dot to you to run.
* **1 :** The light which you call has double the radius and brightness.
* **2 :** The orb of light must now be channeled, but it burns brightly enough to blind creatures with sight which look directly at it. Any creature which must look directly at it while making a roll makes the roll with disadvantage.

#### STARSPEAR

 You reel back the radiance in your hand, form it into the shape of a powerful spear, and hurl it at the enemy.
* **1 :** Make an armor-piercing ranged attack against a single target with 12 dice, or an attack against a vehicle with 1d5.
* **2 :** Make an armor-piercing ranged attack targets in a line with 12 dice, or an attack against a vehicle with 1d6.

#### RADIANT SHIELD

 Cast a shield the width and height of a hallway or in the form of a bubble around a single target. For as long as you can maintain the shield with concentration, you provide +2 armor to the target which can exceed the armor cap.
* **1 :** The shield may contribute to defending against 2 attack before breaking.
* **2 :** The shield may contribute to defending against 4 attacks before breaking.
* **3 :** The shield may contribute to defending against 5 attacks before breaking.

You may explode the shield at any time to unleash the equivalent of a Fireball on a target adjacent to the shield with the shield's remaining spheres.

#### RADIANT FURY

 You infuse yourself with radiant energy which courses through your entire body and animates you and your weapon for two turns. During those two turns, you may take two actions per turn and all of your abilities cost no energy. You cannot roll defense except your armor and you must stand upright, so you cannot benefit from cover. All injuries suffered over the duration take effect at the end of Radiant Fury. Switching weapons ends Radiant Fury.

## Entropic Technique

**Entropic Technique** is one of the four fundamental advanced psionic disciplines. It is associated with the weak nuclear force and entropy and relies primarily on the active manipulation of energy within a given space, especially heat.

Entropic psicasters are able to leech energy from their surroundings and other creatures, empowering themselves while cooling the source of that power. Through rapidly depleting spaces of energy, an entropic psion can create flash freezes and walls of ice, and then release the siphoned energy as discharges of heat and fire.

Like all practitioners of the advanced psionic disciplines, practitioners of entropic technique train for years first to develop their core psionic abilities. Then they must train for years more to develop their affinity for entropy and connect with their art. At first, an entropic psion's connection with entropy is weak to nonexistent, and it must be nurtured, strengthened, and maintained through a lifetime of commitment and practice, often with the help of a creed, structured communal experiences, rituals, and religious beliefs.

### Entropic Technique

#### CHANNEL HEAT

 You tap into a target heat source within short or medium range, leeching it into your hands to use it for your heat abilities. On the first turn, you leech 1 point of temporary Energy from your target. On every subsequent turn after that, you leech 2. If your target is a creature as opposed to an inert source of heat, you apply a stacking dice malnus equal to the energy you've sapped from them. When you are not channeling this technique, the malnus fades at a rate of 2 per turn. You may use the temporary energy you have gained this way in anti-entropic heat techniques until the combat ends, at which point you must release the energy back into the environment. Temporary energy gained this way may exceed your Energy cap. So long as you are able to maintain your concentration, this technique is active. You cannot move while using this technique. If you are damaged or forced to move in any way, you lose concentration and the effect ends. If you are forced to defend yourself in melee combat, you are unable to maintain this effect.

#### COMBUSTION

 You set something combustible on fire.

#### SCORCHING BLAST

 You unleash the heat energy you have stored in a concentrated blast. Make a ranged attack against a target within grappling, melee, reach, short, or medium range with 12 dice. At grappling, melee, and reach range, the attack pierces armor.

#### HEAT LANCE

 You accelerate some of the heat you have stored towards a single point. Make a ranged attack against a target in short or medium range with 12 dice.

#### FLASH FREEZE

 You freeze wet ground in a target area. Until the ground is unfrozen by another ability or by the passage of time, all units, friend and foe, who make a movement within that zone must make an **Athletics** roll to determine if they slip and fall prone. The CL is 5. You gain 3 temporary Energy. This can also be used to freeze a wall of water solid.

#### FROST TRAP

 You gather water at someone's feet and leech it of heat, freezing them in place. In order to get out, the target must make attempts to get out, each attempt taking one of their actions. In order to escape the trap, they must succeed two **Athletics** rolls with a CL of 3. If the target is already traversing through water up to ankle height, gain 2 temporary Energy instead.

#### WALL OF FIRE

 You create a wall of fire on a solid and flammable surface within short range of you. You can make the wall up to 60 feet long, 20 feet high, and 1 foot thick, or a ringed wall up to 20 feet in diameter, 20 feet high, and 1 foot thick. When the wall appears, each creature within its area must make an **Athletics** roll (CL 3) to get out of the way. If they fail this roll, they take two minor injuries. The wall is permeable to bullets and projectiles and can be seen through. However, it cannot be traversed without creatures suffering a 1d5-armor injury. So long as you are able to maintain your concentration, the wall remains in place. You cannot move while channeling this technique. If you move or are successfully damaged in any way, your concentration breaks and you lose control of the flames. How they spread from there depends heavily on the environment. This spell cannot be used in a vacuum; fire does not burn without oxygen.

#### PYROCLASM

 Unleash hell. You discharge a blast of concentrated heat into an area which detonates into a fireball which consumes everything it touches. Make a ranged attack against a single target within short, medium, or long range with 15 dice. All creatures (friend and foe) within melee range of that creature are similarly attacked with 12 dice. This ability must be channeled for two turns and the psicaster cannot move or do anything else while channeling it. If they are forced to move, take any other action, or are injured during this period, the technique fails, though the Energy which would have been spent on it is not lost.

## Exigent Technique

**Exigent Technique** is one of the four fundamental advanced psionics disciplines, associated with gravity and manipulation of spacetime.

Exigent psicasters tend to apply the technique indirectly, increasing or decreasing the effective weight of weapons and people, bending the trajectories of projectiles, and even using gravitational lensing to become nearly invisible. To be an exigent psion is to understand the less evident, but grander-scale power of manipulating the environment in subtle ways to enhance more direct applications of energy, both psionic and mundane.

Like all practitioners of the advanced psionic disciplines, practitioners of exigent technique train for years first to develop their core psionic abilities. Then they must train for years more to develop their affinity for the gravitational force and connect with their art. At first, an exigent psion's connection with entropy is weak to nonexistent, and it must be nurtured, strengthened, and maintained through a lifetime of commitment and practice, often with the help of a creed, structured communal experiences, rituals, and religious beliefs.

### Exigent Technique

#### MASSIVE STRIKE

 You manipulate the mass of your weapon or unarmed strike to come down on a target with terrible force, granting the attack up to +2 guaranteed dice. Each guaranteed dice costs 1 Energy.

#### BEND LIGHT

Channeled
 You warp spacetime around yourself, causing light to bend around you. You appear as a blurry spacetime distortion, requiring a CL4 Perception roll to spot. All attackers have disadvantage when making ranged attacks against you. At night or in darkness, you are completely invisible (CL5 Perception).
While this ability is active, normal channeling rules apply, which means that you move at half speed. If you are hit by a melee or ranged attack, you lose concentration and your invisibility drops. If the attack against you misses, roll a CL3 **Concentration** check. If you fail, the invisibility drops.
This ability costs 1 additional Energy for every minute you maintain the cloak.

#### MASS INCREASE

 You reach out to a target within medium range or shorter which you can see. You condense spacetime around them, drastically increasing the effect that their mass and gravity has on them. For as long as you are able to channel this technique, the target receives 2 additional points of armor, only gains benefit from half their Athletics, and receives +2 guaranteed wins to the Grappling skill. This technique requires 1 Energy per additional turn to maintain. This technique may be used on yourself.

#### LESSEN MASS

 You reach out to a target within medium range or shorter which you can see. You do your utmost to lessen the impact that their mass and gravity has on them. As long as you are able to channel this technique, the target loses the benefits of their armor but gains double the value from their Athletics. They can move twice as far, roll Athletics with twice their dice, and jump twice as far with abilities such as Leap. This technique requires 1 Energy per additional turn to maintain. This technique may be used on yourself.

#### ALTER GRAVITY

Channeled
 You alter gravity within a 4x6 square space within medium range or shorter which you can see, either to add gravity artificially or to take it away. When adding gravity to a space which already has gravity, all creatures within have their speed halved. When taking away gravity in a space which already has it, all creatures within can float, as if weightless. When adding gravity to a space which doesn't have it, all creatures can move as normal. Channeling this ability requires 2 Energy per turn after the first turn.

#### GRAVITY SPHERE

 You place a gravity sphere at a specific location within medium range or shorter which you can see. The sphere takes up 1 square and can be used to curve the trajectory of ranged projectiles and attacks. This allows your allies to make ranged attacks against targets they cannot see, so long as they are within line of sight of the gravity sphere. Maintaining the gravity sphere takes 1 Energy per turn after the first turn.

#### DEVOUR

 You generate a gravity well in front of you or an ally within medium range or shorter which you can see. The gravity well is so powerful that it eats and contains one ranged attack or explosion, then disappears. This must be done before any defense dice are rolled.

## Ionic Technique

**Ionic Technique** is one of the four fundamental advanced psionic disciplines. It is associated with electromagnetism and control over electrical currents.

Electrical energy exists in constant motion, arcing between points of positive and negative charge to a wide range of possibilities. Ionic psions insert their minds into this motion, flexibly channeling it into bolts of lightning, electrified weapons, and the thunder of air displaced by energy, drawing power from the motion in their environment as much as they send it out.

Like all practitioners of the advanced psionic disciplines, practitioners of ionic technique train for years first to develop their core psionic abilities. Then they must train for years more to develop their affinity for electromagnetism and connect with their art. At first, an ionic psion's connection with the electromagnetic force is weak to nonexistent, and it must be nurtured, strengthened, and maintained through a lifetime of commitment and practice, often with the help of a creed, structured communal experiences, rituals, and religious beliefs.

### Ionic Technique

#### CRACKLING AURA

 You give off a psionic aura which crackles with latent power, especially during moments of intense emotion, stress, and pain. Crackling Aura may be activated or deactivated at any time without using an action. Activating Crackling Aura sets your energy to 0 and deactivating it does not return you to your previous energy state. While Crackling Aura is active, every time an enemy makes an attack against you or anyone immediately adjacent to you, you gain 1 Energy, up to your cap. Energy recovery abilities such as Recuperate do not work with Crackling Aura.

#### CONTROLLED DISCHARGE

 You aim down your arm at a target with two fingers extended. Power surges through you. The air cracks. A bolt of lightning crashes into your target. Make a physical ranged attack against a target at short or medium range with 10 dice. This attack gains advantage when you are standing still.

#### LIGHTNING STRIKE

 You spend a turn infusing your weapon with crackling energy. On the following turn, take one of the following actions:
* Make your first melee attack on your next turn with +3. If the attack lands, it also cleaves through to an adjacent target. Make a normal attack against that second target.
* Strike the ground, sending bolts of lighting arching in every direction. Make a normal melee attack against all creatures around you, friend and foe.

#### STORM BOLT

 You spend a turn infusing your weapon with crackling energy. On the following turn, hurl your weapon at an enemy to strike them with +3. If the attack lands, on top of any injury you might inflict, the target and all creatures immediately adjacent to them are staggered for one turn. Your weapon returns to you at the beginning of your next turn. If you are interrupted during the turn where the weapon is flying through the air, you lose control of the weapon and it clatters in whatever direction it was flying before you were interrupted. You can recover it later by using telekinesis.

#### THUNDER CLAP

 All creatures in melee or reach range with you need to make an **Athletics** save (CL 5). If they fail, they are staggered for one turn. May not be used while grappled.

#### REDIRECT LIGHTNING

 If you are targeted by an electrokinetic discharge or are immediately adjacent to someone who is and have a movement and an action free, you may step in the path of your enemy's psicast and roll your  Ionic Technique proficiency. The opposing psicaster must also roll their proficiency with disadvantage. If you succeed, you may absorb the discharge's energy into yourself and redirect the ability at another target of your choosing. You may also add it to your energy reserve and store it for later. If assimilating the energy would cause you to exceed your cap, you gain a number of minor injuries equal to the amount it exceeds your cap by, but keep the rest of the energy.

#### CHAIN LIGHTNING

 Make a ranged attack against a target at short or medium range with 12 dice. If you manage to hit and damage the target, the bolt jumps to another target of your choice. You roll an attack against that target with -2 dice relative to previously. If you manage to hit and damage that target, the bolt may jump to another target 2 fewer dice. It bounces until a creature successfully resists it.

#### TOTAL DISCHARGE

 Requires Crackling Aura. Discharges all your stockpiled energy in a ranged attack at short or medium range. The dice you roll with are 9 plus 1 for every point of energy you have stockpiled. If you manage to hit and damage the target, the bolt jumps to another target of your choice. You roll an attack against that target with -2 dice relative to previously. If you manage to hit and damage that target, the bolt may jump to another target 2 fewer dice. It bounces until a creature successfully resists it.