Playing a Psychic...?

[adgramaine]

The Psychic powers in the books are fairly limited. Worse, there's no Template that fits the concept. I'm thinking above Minor Talent; something moving more towards Jean Grey or psychics from the Palladium games.

I know I'll probably end up statting out templates and powers, but I was curious to see how some of you guys might handle it.

[Morgan]

Well saying a charcter's powers are 'Psychic' as opposed to 'Magic' is really just color. For a psychic character Channeling (Spirit) should do fine for mimicking most Jean Grey style telekinetic effects, for mind reading though your in Third Law trouble if you're sticking to Dresden Files canon. Probably your best bet is The Sight with Soulgaze to really get into people's heads without violating the Laws of Magic, and you should also take a look at Psychometry for a good model for new minor psychic powers that don't break the Third Law. A good Empathic power could probably worked up which combined with stunts could make it almost like mind reading especially with some good interrogation and questioning maneuvers. Of course if you're just using the game as a rules set and not worrying about canon there are plenty of preexisting ways to read peoples minds in the rules already.

[FangGrip]

I'm not sure that mega-psychics fit the "canon" setting of the world.  That said, its your game so go with it.

It seems that people are generally either minor talents, and he uses them to fill in the role of real world psychics.  You know, the kind that are generally considered con-artists and charlatans in our world.  Just the perception, not saying one way or another about the beliefs of others.  It gives a certain feel to the setting, where people are usually just prey to those few larger, nastier, supernatural monsters.

There is no reason not to be "granted psychic powers" from a sponsor though.  Especially if the sponsor is not exactly up front about their true motives.

[Belial666]

A psion would have:

[-2] Channeling; Spirit
[-2] Ritual; Neuromancy
[-1] A Few Seconds Ahead
[-1] The Sight/Soulgaze
[-2] Senses (mindsight, sense emotions, sense magic, danger sense)

[Tbora]

I consider true non magic psychic powers to be perfectly acceptable for a game, because for the same reason that most people don't believe in Magic they don't believe in Psychic's whose to say the supernatural community is not just as blinded and arrogant towards the thoughts of evolved humans.

Additionally it provides a great value - psychic powers are Lawbreaker immune as they are not Magic.A big distinction that needs to be made even if you are just re-skinning channeling and ritual.

[HobbitGuy1420]

Which offers a game-balance issue - Lawbreaker is both a story issue and a limiting factor, as the PCs can't just go magicking willy-nilly.  You'd need to offer some other sort of limiting factor in exchange.

[Tbora]

No you don't, psychic powers would be far less flexible.

No elements to be assigned to fulfill catches, no thaumaturgic rituals, none of the scope magic normally possesses.

The balance is built in by the very concept, it all works out in the end.

[HobbitGuy1420]

Compare a "focused practitioner" with Spirit channeling vs. a psychic with modified Spirit channeling to represent telekinesis.  There's no in-game difference aside from the lack of Lawbreaker.  That's what I meant. 

Besides, I honestly think psychics can be represented via minor talents and focused practitioners.  Channeling: spirit for telekinesis.  Channeling: fire for pyrokinetics, etc.

[Tbora]

Plenty of in game difference from my point of view, but I think we will have to agree to disagree.

And represented sure but I don't doing that does psychics justice.Where is the fun in treating the powers of evolved humans as magic when its not ?

I just don't understand your point of view I guess.

[HobbitGuy1420]

... Wizards live for centuries, have access to energies that may as well equate to the life-force of the planet, and can perform incredible mental and physical feats that are beyond the ken of normal mortals.  How d'you know mortal magic *isn't* a result of "evolved humanity?"

[Tbora]

I don't, but again - Where is the fun in that?

It seems I dunno kind stupid to me for a lack of a better term to make Prof.X a wizard and what your suggesting would do precisely that.

Not everthing in the DFverse has to be hocus pocus imo.

[HobbitGuy1420]

I dunno, I think the reason I'm hesitant to throw in X-style mutants and such is that they clash with the supernatural themes of the setting.  The books say that magic is real.  They never say anything about hyperevolved teenagers in spandex. 

I'm a fan of the X-Men and of cryptoscience such as psychic phenomena, aliens, and the like.  I just feel like the Dresdenverse isn't quite the playground for 'em. 

That said, I ain't yer mama.  If your game would be more fun with it, feel free. :-)

[adgramaine]

Perhaps my example of Jean Grey was a bit off the mark from what I intended. Certainly, I would never include any level of mutants or spandex into the Dresdenverse. I agree that any use of psychic powers in the game would be a lot less impressive than the verisimilitude of wizardry. I would really like psychics to have their own place, not simply through changing the window dressing per say.

I've been playing around with a few things; maybe some sampling will give folk the basics of what I'd like to see:

Psychic Template
Musts - High Concept Phrasing (Telekinetic Bounty Hunter, or Sensitive Homemaker)
Physical (-3) or Sensitive (-3) Psionics
Supernatural Senses: (-1) i.e. emotion, thoughts, magics, psionics, corruption, faith

Options: use the Sight and/or the Soulgaze; select a Kinetic specialization (-1; which could function like Channeling without the Item Slots)

Important Skills: Conviction, Discipline, Presence, Alertness

Minimum Refresh Cost: -4

Each flavor of psionics (physical or sensitive) could provide a sort of hit list of what could be done at a base psychic energy cost (Conviction shifts), using Discipline to defend against. These might resemble Rotes at first glance; any ideas on how to make it stand on its own?

Physical Psionics: Healing Surge (3), Regeneration (4), Inner Strength (2), Death Trance (1), Ectoplasm (3), Resistance (4), Blind (3), Pain (3), Inhuman Strength (5), Inhuman Speed (5), Psychic Blade (6), Psychic Shield (6), Sleep (2), Combat Intuition (4)

Sensitive Psionics: Empathic Transmission (2), Astral Projection (6), See Aura (1), Sixth Sense (3), Perfect Memory (1), Suggestion (4), Cure Insanity (6), Insert Memory (5), Illusion (5), Possession (5), Domination (5), Mind Bond (4), Mind Wipe (6), Mind Trap (5)

[Arcteryx]

I would never include any level of mutants or spandex into the Dresdenverse.

Win!

LOL

[Belial666]

Except that magic in the dresdenverse is not hocus-pocus. Evocation is an act of will - the incantation is just a minor focusing aid for the wizard. Besides, there is no reason you cannot use Evocation/Thaumaturgy game mechanics with a different flavor.