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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.

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