The budding psionicist who enters Ravenloft may
find that his own mind has become the worst of
his enemies. As with spells and magical items,
psionic powers in the land of the Mists are not
always as they seem. The Demiplane of Dread twists and
perverts everything that touches it, so even the dark
recesses of the mind teem with danger.
The Dungeon Master should keep in mind that the
traveling psionicist is not the only creature in this evil place
that can slip into the minds of others. Deep under the
mountains of Bluetspur, the illithids' power coils and grows,
and in the domain of Dementlieu, a master hypnotist battles
with a powerful, disembodied brain for control of the all-but-mesmerized populous. Across the Lands of the Mists,
madness and thoughts of madness are as prevalent as the
vapors of Ravenloft themselves.
Errata and Clarifications
The following section corrects errors from the first
printing of The Complete Psionics Handbook. The
second and subsequent printings of that
supplement contain the correct information.
Psychokinesis Discipline
The following psychokinetic devotions do not require
telekinesis as a prerequisite: animate shadow, control
light, control sound, molecular agitation, soften, and
telekinesis. All other psychokinetic devotions and
sciences have telekinesis as a prerequisite.
Telepathy Discipline
Telepathic defense modes (intellect fortress, mental
barrier, mind blank, thought shield, and tower of iron
will) have no prerequisites. All references to
prerequisites for these sciences and devotions should be
deleted. A character does not need access to the
telepathy discipline to learn defense modes.
The mindlink science is not a prerequisite for the
following telepathic devotions: empathy, ESP, identity
penetration, incarnation awareness, psychic
impersonation, and send thoughts. Mindlink has never
been required for ejection, conceal thought, contact, life
detection, mind bar, psionic blast, psychic messenger.
Mindlink is a prerequisite for all other telepathic
sciences and devotions.
Psychic crush should be a devotion, while psionic blast
should be a science.
All references to the "telepath" power (or prerequisite)
should be to the mindlink science instead.
On page seventy-five, the heading for the fate link
science is missing.
Ego whip and mind thrust both require contact as a
prerequisite.
Psionic Monster Listings
References to the "amplification" power of the brain
mole should be changed to psychic drain. Also, "mind"
is a telepathic devotion, not a metapsionic one.
References to the "amplification" power of the intellect
devourer should be changed to psychic drain. Also,
ectoplasmic form should be listed as a devotion, not a
science.
Psionics and the Undead
Undead present more of a threat in Ravenloft than
in other worlds, especially to the psionicist. The
Demiplane's connections to the Negative Energy
Plane are stronger in Ravenloft than on the Prime
Material Plane, so those who peer into the minds of the
living dead may expose themselves to thoughts too
hideous for the mortal mind to grasp.
For the most part, any reference to undead in this
chapter indicates self-willed undead unless the text
specifically states otherwise. Technically, this refers to
those monsters with at least a low Intelligence (5 or
higher); when in doubt, the Dungeon Master should check
the appropriate entry in the MONSTROUS MANUAL tome or
other resource. Even if controlled by another creature, an
undead being may qualify as self-willed. Such a slave
remains "self-willed" for the purposes of looking into its
mind, unless the master has specific instructions as to
what the slave should or should not think under those
circumstances.
In Ravenloft, undead beings can put up a shield of false
thoughts that are indistinguishable from real thoughts,
even if the psionicist uses ESP or similar powers. However,
this is a conscious function, not an automatic one. The
undead being must deliberately decide to project artificial
thoughts, which it normally would do only if it was aware
that it was under examination. This deception does not
require an action or otherwise hinder the creature. Furthermore, the monster can specify exactly what thoughts and
emotions it sends out. For the most part, the undead tend
to project emotions that they understand, such as anger,
hatred, jealously, and so forth. More intelligent monsters
are capable of projecting positive emotions such as love
and friendship, though they find them distasteful.
Undead are immune to most mental-control powers or
mind-altering abilities in Ravenloft, including many of the
powers in the telepathic discipline. Unfortunately, this does
not mean that the walking dead cannot use psionics or have
telepathic powers. A psionic vampire able to use the
telepathic discipline is a horrifying opponent indeed!
Altered Sciences and Devotions
Table 32 lists psionic powers from The Complete
Psionics Handbook that are either altered by the
dark powers of Ravenloft or that need further
clarification for use in the Demiplane. If the table
does not list a particular science or devotion, then it
functions normally. Psionic powers sometimes have special
effects when the power score or a 20 is rolled; any
changes to these conditions are noted as well in the text on
the following pages. As is true of most of Ravenloft's
insidious effects, psionicists remain unaware of these new
limitations until the results make them painfully obvious.
Table 32: Altered Psionic Powers
Clairsentient Sciences |
|
Life draining * |
|
Telepathic Sciences |
Aura sight |
|
Metamorphosis |
|
Domination * |
Clairaudience |
|
Shadow-form * |
|
Mass domination |
Clairvoyance |
|
Psychometabolic Devotions |
|
Mindlink |
Object reading |
|
Absorb disease |
|
Mindwipe |
Precognition |
|
Aging * |
|
Probe |
Sensitivity to psychic impressions |
|
Cause decay
|
|
Telepathic Devotions |
Clairsentient Devotions |
|
Cell adjustment |
|
Contact |
Danger sense |
|
Double pain * |
|
ESP |
Know location |
|
Psychoportive Sciences |
|
Identify penetration |
Poison sense |
|
Banishment |
|
Inflict pain * |
Radial navigation |
|
Probability travel |
|
Life Detection |
Spirit sense |
|
Summon planar creature |
|
Truthear |
Psychokinetic; Devotions |
|
Teleport |
|
Metapsionic Sciences |
Animate object |
|
Teleport other |
|
Appraise |
Animate shadow |
|
Psychoportive Devotions |
|
Aura alteration |
Control body * |
|
Astral projection |
|
Psychic surgery |
Psychometabolic Sciences |
|
Dimensional door |
|
Ultrablast |
Animal affinity |
|
Dimension walk |
|
Metapsionic Devotions |
Death field * |
|
Teleport trigger |
|
Psychic drain * |
Energy containment |
|
|
|
Retrospection |
|
|
|
|
Wrench |
* Could require a Raventoft power check
Five major types of changes occur to psionic powers in
the Demiplane of Dread:
Anything psionically summoned or transported into
Ravenloft cannot go back automatically. Since most
outer-planar creatures know this fact, they are likely to
be very angry with the character who summoned them.
Since the Mists weaken divination, psionicists cannot
determine whether people and creatures are good or
evil. They can detect only law and chaos.
If a psionicist uses his powers for evil purposes (or uses
evil powers), he must make a powers check. Most
necromantic functions and energy-draining powers fall
under this rule.
Any powers that deal with the living dead or
necromancy (by assisting or creating undead, not
hindering them) function better in Ravenloft.
The powers of a domain lord always take precedence
over those of a psionicist.