Psionic (Psychokinesis)

(Source: Sonic 06 (The greatest game of all time) and the Superpower Wiki: http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/File:Silver\_Psychokinesis.jpg)

**Psychokinesis** is the use of psionic and psychic powers. The most common ability employed by psionic controllers is telekinesis, moving things using one's mind. However, a number of other powers are available. Arguably the most powerful is mind control, but remember that no character can take control of another character without the express permission of that character's player.

Sometimes referred to in slang as Jedi dropouts.

### **Common Strengths**

* Telekinesis has tons of uses, but the most obvious one is controlling different projectiles. They do this with equal skill to a gravity controller, (living things cannot be lifted, however) and can have just as much variety in their choice of ranged weapons. While psychokinetics lack the other gravity-defying abilities of a gravikinetic, they make up for it with their other utility.
* A psionic user's ability to mess with another's mind is unparalleled. Experienced users could force certain emotions in opponents, such as anger or fear. (This does not mean you can control them to sit there and hit themself with a hammer for five hours, unless that's normally what they do when feeling a certain emotion.) These factors give Psionic controllers an above average utility rating.
* Psionic users can inflict direct attacks onto the psyche of an enemy, dealing their own form of direct damage which is difficult to mitigate. Combined with the potential to also inflict direct fear as part of the attack to break down willpower, Psionic has above average damage.
* Each of these effects can easily be performed from a great range, giving the psionic user a range advantage in many fights. They can even be used on several opponents at once, making foes who specialize in outnumbering less effective than normal.

### **Common Weaknesses**

* Psionic powers have limits. Enemies cannot have individual limbs controlled unless the mind itself is controlled, and unless specifically studies abilities capable of visual/audio illusions, sensory deprivation is not an option. The human mind is a complex force which even psionic users cannot have full domain over.
* Psionic users are greatly adept with powers of the mind, but their bodies tend to be frail. Their speed is low, and their intense ability to manipulate their will by cancelling out fear or pain is negated by their generally weak bodies, putting their HP right at the average.
* While mind reading in combat can give an indication as to what your opponent plans to do, it takes several seconds for information from someone else's mind to be transferred to yours and then processed, so mind reading will not add to your ability to dodge an incoming attack in any way.
* What use is driving an opponent who's already mad to madness?

### **Sample Abilities**

* Playing a psionic controller is usually less about thinking about what you can do, and more about what you can't. Be creative, mess with people's heads, but remember your limits.
* Some psychokinetics will focus on victory through physical damage, controlling something using telekinesis to beat enemies down. This approach is more universally applicable.
* Some psychokinetics will focus on victory through psionic damage, causing damage to an opponent's mind. This method gives the damage a side-effect of interfering with how enemies are able to think and control their emotions, acting as a substitute for ordinary crowd control.
* Alternatively, try a more well-rounded combination of both, winning primarily through physical damage but using mental interference to help in this process. A powerful psionic user may be able to gain access to abilities possessed by their foe, temporarily gaining certain aspects of their kinesis to help them achieve victory.
* Any unique abilities you want to give your character!

#### **Sample Archetypes**

Feel free to take inspiration from these archetypes when making your psychokinetic. Emulate one of their styles, combine their features, or go another direction entirely!

**The Ascendant** has such a massive brain that they can use it to control matter: they redirect enemy projectiles while beating them to death with telekinetically-controlled weapons, or whatever the battle area offers as improvised bludgeons. Much of their power comes from using telekinesis to negate their foes' physical attacks, but this is of little use against attacks made from raw elements or magical energy.

**The Tormentor** destroys their enemies on every axis, supplementing their weapons with psychic manipulation. They sabotage senses and induce panic to leave their enemies vulnerable to physical attack, but this multi-pronged offensive often comes at the cost of their own defense.

**The Propagandist** believes that perception is everything, and prefers to sidestep the messiness of physical combat in favor of psychological warfare that shatters a mind or induces a heart attack. While remaining elusive through specialized illusions, they probe their enemies' consciousness for fears to exploit and conjure fictional horrors nearly as effective as the real thing; while fighting on the mental battlefield lets them bypass physical defenses like armor, it also leaves them unable to exploit physical weaknesses.