Psychotronics

**Psychotronic technology** is technology related to the interaction of the psyche with technological means, and *vice versa*. It is part of the broader spectrum of psionic technology and specifically denotes the influence of the mind via rays or currents, whereas psionic technology encompasses other means, such as chemicals.

## Equipment

### Portable psychotronic emitter

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A hand-held device, somewhat reminiscent of a Port-a-Tesla, connected to a large backpack power supply. The Psychotron can be adjusted to broadcast various frequencies. A highly experimental piece of technology, it is impossible to predict with any degree of certainty the effect the device will have on a given victim, but it is known that they fall within a narrow spectrum of possible effects.
Unprotected victims in a narrow band extending from the emitter will either become [[mind control]led or suffer from confusion and uncontrollable rage. Mind-controlled victims have greatly slowed reaction times and will neglect even the simplest forms of self-preservation. No matter what effect occurs, the victim's nervous system takes heavy damage and after a short period, ranging from minutes to a day or two, depending on the constitution of the victim, they will die from the accumulated psychic damage. Psychotron rays cannot be blocked by most solid matter, although vehicle armor can mitigate the effects and the crews of structures are generally safe because the weapon cannot focus on them.

#### Effect

Infantry caught in a linear AoE will be afflicted with either:

* Berzerk, +25% ROF, +25% Attack, -25% Defense, psychic DoT
* Dominate, -25% Speed, -25% Attack, -25% Defense, psychic DoT

### Vehicle-mounted psychotronic emitter

A larger psychotronic device, designed to be mounted on tanks as support weapon for non-lethal applications and urban warfare. It is sometimes mounted on Soviet tanks as an auxiliary weapon for short to intermediate range engagements. Longer-range variants require dedicated vehicles that have to be deployed behind the frontline and often affect large portions of the map.

An issue encountered with the Tank Psychotron is that its effect is extended to friendly units within the beam, which led to disastrous results when these weapons were deployed from within tank platoons. The Tank Psychotron in its current form is generally considered unsafe for work.

## Units and Buildings

### Psychotronic Infantry

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The **Psychotronic Soldier** is an ordinary human Soviet soldier, equipped with a portable psychic disruptor, top-secret soviet mind-altering technology.

Psychotronic weaponry is fundamentally based upon the generation of psychic suppression fields. The effect achieved depends on the strength of the field. At low frequence, only super-human psychic abilities are suppressed. At high field strength, even basic functions of the nervous system are suppressed, leading to rapid dysregulation of vital functions, resulting in death.

### Psychotron

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A soviet combat vehicle mounting a psi-emitter which can alter the mental state of allies and enemies. The psychotron is strictly a support vehicle, and although it comes with an initial crew of two RPG Conscripts, it is highly vulnerable to concerted air or artillery strikes.

### Psychic Emitter 72P1

Small-scale psychic emitter that can be used for intermediate-range base defense.

### Psychic Emitter 72P2

Medium-scale psychic emitter; capable of inflicting un

## Skills

### Stun

A weak setting that temporarily depolarizes the victim's nervous system, resulting in a cancellation of all orders.

### Amnesia

Causes the victim to forget experience and education, demoting them to their initial veterancy level. Effect can be temporary, with lost memories returning after a period of time, or it can be permanent, with experience having to be re-gained by learning.

### Panic

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Inflicts an inordinate amount of fear in victims, causing them to attempt to flee the scene of battle and generally run around erratically.

### Frenzy

* **Psychedelic** - Inflicts Confusion and Berzerk, causing victims to attack each other and former allies in a frenzy.

### Control

* **Control** - Makes the target highly susceptible to suggestion.
	+ The commands are broadcast into the victim's brain via the Psychotron, which has to be aimed at the target throughout the time one wishes to control it.

### Death

* **Death** - Shuts down the victim's nervous system, resulting in instant death as various vital organs decouple from coordination.
	+ On vehicles, this setting results in the crew being killed.
	+ This is the only setting which is powerful enough to traverse buildings, but even then it is limited to barricaded civilian structures, where it wreaks havoc on garrisons.
	+ The death effect is the same as if exposed to Yuri's brainblast - the victim's head will explode.

### Psychic Disruptor

Cast by a Soviet superweapon, the Psychic Suppression Field scrambles all minds in the target area. Victims are afflicted with Confusion. Zombies and machines are naturally immune to this effect.

### Psychic Suppressor

Broadcast by the Soviet Psychic Emitter, the Psi Suppression Field causes rapid neural degeneration in its victims, deregulating vital functions and leading to rapid death in the affected area. Exposed infantry are instantly killed, the crews of vehicles perish soon after. Structure crews fare better.

### Psychic Dominator

A stronger field which broadcasts commands to its victims.

### Psychic Devastator

Not really an influencing of the mind with technological means - much rather, the reverse: influencing the physical world with the powers of the mind. The Psychic Devastator releases a localized, amplified pulse of psionic forces, ripping the very fabric of reality. All matter in the area is adversely affected and no form of armor protects from this effect. Used in excess, this superweapon has been known to permanently warp the laws of nature and biology locally, giving rise to physical anomalies and the appearance of mutants.

## Notes

* Wave-based psionic weapons ignores damage resistance, armor, bunkers, etc - they use psychic frequencies (like psionic abilities), which bypass all matter.
* Because of the difficulty modeling the effect of the various psychic effects that can be achieved with this technology in *YR*, as a rule of thumb, psychic weapons kill UC garrisons when aimed at occupied buildings. They are generally ineffective against the buildings themselves, and against the crews of non-UC buildings. Weaker weapons may not affect garrisons either.
* Psychotronic weaponry has a drawback: the actual effect of the weapon is subject to a random effect and a certain frequency setting will not always result in the desired outcome.

## Notes

* Psychotronic technology in *Continuum* was, for the most part, inspired by giving the psychic technology of the Soviets from *Red Alert 2* a realism update with ideas from the *S.T.A.L.K.E.R.* series.
* The Spetsnaz' portable psychotronic device was in part inspired by the Mesmetron from *Fallout 3*.

## See also

* Psionics
* Psychochemics
* Mind Control
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