| Ability Requirement: |
Constitution 11+ Intelligence 12+ Wisdom 15+ |
|
| Prime Requisite: | Constitution, Wisdom | |
| Races Allowed: | Any |
Psionicists are an optional player character class described in The Complete Psionics Handbook and Player's Option: Skills&Powers. The former version is the model upon which these rules are based, although those who use the latter in their campaigns should have no difficulty adapting the rules that follow.
In order to have psionicist characters in his game, a Dungeon Master must make use of the rules provided in either The Complete Psionics Handbook or Player's Option: Skills&Powers. These rules are not duplicated in this book. It is also worth noting that the rules presented in the latter book are almost identical to those found in the revised edition of the Dark Sun Campaign Setting. Because of this, one could make use of that product to allow the introduction of psionicist characters in his Ravenloft campaign.
This is not to say, however, that the powers of the mind function normally in Ravenloft. Just as the magic of wizards and priests is altered by the whims of the dark powers, so too are the rules governing psionics changed. All of the variations on the standard psionics powers are presented in Chapter Ten: Mazes of the Mind.
Ability Requirements
In order to qualify as a psionicist, a character must meet several ability score requirements. Because his body must be sound before he can begin to undertake the rigorous training of this class, his Constitution score must be no lower than 11. In addition, the determination and mental stamina required to master even the most basic of psionic disciplines requires that the character have an Intelligence score of at least 12 and a Wisdom score of no less than 15.
Wisdom and Constitution are the prime requisites for members of this class. A character with an exceptionally high score (16 or higher) in both of these areas is so sound in both mind and body that he receives a +10% bonus to all experience points awarded to him by the Dungeon Master.
Alignment
Psionicist player characters can be of any nonchaotic, nonevil alignment. Because of the need for structured thought and mental discipline, only characters who are lawful or neutral can attain the levels of mental control required to use psionic powers.
Arms and Armor
Psionicists disdain the use of weapons, favoring the powers of the mind over those of the body in all cases. Because of this, the only weapons available to psionicists are short bows, hand crossbows, light crossbows, daggers, dirks, knives, clubs, hand axes, throwing axes, horseman's maces, horseman's picks, scimitars, spears, short swords, and war hammers. In domains where they are available, psionicists can employ handguns as well. A good rule of thumb in judging whether nonstandard arms can be used by psionicists is to assume that they can employ any small or medium weapon that weighs six pounds or less.
Psionicists also lack training in the use of armor and shields. To reflect this, they cannot make use of any form of metal armor and can use only small shields. Should a psionicist opt to don a metal helmet (as part of a disguise, for example), he is unable to use his powers due to the metal's disruptive effect on the energies of the brain. Of course, if the helmet has itself been imbued with psionic powers (or magical abilities that mimic psionic powers), the character's abilities function normally.
Spells and Magical Items
As psionicists are not wizards or priests, they have no access to the spells used by those masters of the supernatural and spiritual world. This is not to say, however, that they do not make use of magical items. Psionicists can use magical versions of any weapon that they normally have access to as well as those magic items not restricted to the use of a specific class, like a ring of regeneration or potion of healing. In addition, a psionicist can use magical items whose effects are deemed by the Dungeon Master to duplicate those obtained through the use of one of his disciplines. For example, a psionicist who is a master of clairsentience could employ a crystal ball.
Hit Dice
Psionicists begin play with 6 hit points. When they advance in level, a six-sided die is used to determine the number of hit points that they gain. The roll of this die can be modified by an exceptionally high or low Constitution score. This process continues until the character attains 10th level. At that point, the character gains 2 hit points with every new level and no longer receives bonus hit points for a high Constitution score.
Attack Rolls
Although each of the character groups begins with a THAC0 of 20, a psionicist's THAC0 follows that of the rogue's group in that it improves by one point for every two experience levels. So, when a psionicist attains 3rd level, his THAC0 becomes 19. Once he reaches the 5th level, his THAC0 becomes 18, and so on.
Saving Throws
All psionicist characters use Table 105 to determine their resistance to special attacks. As a rule, characters of this type are more resistant to those attacks that require willpower and determination but tend to be somewhat vulnerable to those that require combat ability to escape.
Table 105: Psionicist Saving Throws
| Character Level | Paralyzation, Poison, or Death Magic | Rod, Staff, or Wand | Petrification or Polymorph* | Breath Weapon** | Spell*** | |||||
| 1-4 | 13 | 15 | 10 | 16 | 15 | |||||
| 5-8 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 15 | 14 | |||||
| 11-12 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 13 | 12 | |||||
| 13-16 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 12 | 11 | |||||
| 17-20 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 9 | |||||
| 21+ | 8 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 7 |
| * | Excluding polymorph wand attacks. | |
| ** | Excluding those that cause petrificafion or polymorph. | |
| *** | Excluding thosefor which another saving throw type is specified, such as death magic, petrification, polymorph, etc. |
Fear, Horror and Madness
The psionicist character is a master of the mind. He devotes most of his time to perfecting the mental disciplines that give him his unmatched mental abilities. Because of this, these characters are very resistant to the effects of madness checks. Conversely, however, the terrors and horrors of the world are often overwhelming to them. This is not to say that psionicists are in any way cowardly, only that they are sometimes unprepared for the physical horrors that often lurk in the Mists.
Table 106: Psionicist Fear, Horror and Madness Checks
| Character Level |
Fear Check |
Horror Check |
Madness Check |
|||
| 1-2 | 15 | 17 | 16 | |||
| 3-4 | 14 | 16 | 15 | |||
| 5-6 | 13 | 15 | 14 | |||
| 7-8 | 12 | 14 | 13 | |||
| 9-10 | 11 | 13 | 12 | |||
| 11-12 | 10 | 12 | 11 | |||
| 13-14 | 7 | 11 | 10 | |||
| 15-16 | 5 | 9 | 9 | |||
| 17-18 | 3 | 7 | 8 | |||
| 19-20 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
Madness
Ravenloft is a land of horrors far beyond the ken of most folk. Even the heroes and adventurers who travel these misty realms are often subjected to sights, sounds, and experiences that threaten to destroy their very sanity. Psionicist characters, however, are especially resistant to such assaults.
Teetering on the Brink: When a psionicist character fails a madness check, his mind automatically erects a series of defensive mental blocks. These protect the character from the normal effects of a failed madness check but shut down all of his psionic powers for twenty-four hours.
During this time, the psionicist is teetering on the brink of madness. His mind is feverishly trying to cope with whatever it was that caused his madness check in the first place. Such characters are generally nervous and shaken, although no game effects (other than the loss of psionic powers) are associated with such trauma.
At the end of that time, the character's mind is fully restored, and his powers return. The number of PSPs (see "Psionic Strength Points") that he has is the same as it was when he failed his madness check. Apart from this one-day fugue, such a character suffers no ill effects from the failed madness check.
If the character fails a second madness check while his mind is in this state, these protective barriers collapse. Such a catastrophe subjects the character to the normal results of a failed madness check. In essence, this special ability allows the psionicist to shake off the effects of any one failed madness check in a twenty-four-hour period. A second such failure, however, is just as debilitating to the psionicist as it would be for a character of any class; plus, he still cannot use his psionic abilities.
Stepping Back from the Brink: In addition to having the best chance of surviving a madness check unharmed, psionicists are also less injured by a failed check. In all cases, the time required to treat a psionicist who has been driven mad is halved. Thus, any program of treatment that would normally allow the character a weekly check for improvement gives the psionicist a check after four days have passed and then again once the full week has passed.
Level Advancement
As a psionicist character accumulates experience points, he advances in level. Table 107 indicates the number of points required to attain each level. In addition, the character's accumulated Hit Dice totals are also indicated.
Table 107: Psionicist Experience Levels
| Character Level |
Experience Points |
Hit Dice |
||
| 1 | 0 | 1d6* | ||
| 2 | 2200 | 2d6 | ||
| 3 | 4400 | 3d6 | ||
| 4 | 88000 | 4d6 | ||
| 5 | 16500 | 5d6 | ||
| 6 | 30000 | 6d6 | ||
| 7 | 5000 | 7d6 | ||
| 8 | 100000 | 8d6 | ||
| 9 | 200000 | 9d6 | ||
| 10 | 400000 | 9d6+2 | ||
| 11 | 600000 | 9d6+4 | ||
| 12 | 800000 | 9d6+6 | ||
| 13 | 1000000 | 9d6+8 | ||
| 14 | 1200000 | 9d6+10 | ||
| 15 | 1500000 | 9d6+12 | ||
| 16 | 1800000 | 9d6+14 | ||
| 17 | 2100000 | 9d6+16 | ||
| 18 | 2400000 | 9d6+18 | ||
| 19 | 2700000 | 9d6+20 | ||
| 20 | 3000000 | 9d6+22 |
* Player Characters begin with 6 hit points plus Constitution adjustments
Followers and Holdings
In most campaigns, a high-level psionicist attracts a large number of followers who wish to study his methods and learn from his teachings. This simply does not happen in Ravenloft. After the psionicist reaches 9th level, a Dungeon Master might want to introduce an apprentice or student nonplayer character, but this should be done strictly for roleplaying purposes.
Just as they can normally attract followers, so too are high-level psionicists entitled to build special sanctuaries once they attain the 9th level of experience. In Ravenloft, however, they do so at their own peril. As is so often the case, anyone who would dare to establish such a fastness does little more than advertise his presence and draw the attention of the domain lord.
Starting Wealth
A psionicist character begins play with 3d4xl0 gold pieces. These funds can be used to purchase equipment, cached for later use, or otherwise disposed of as the player sees fit.
Gaining Disciplines and Powers
As psionicist characters advance in level, they gradually accumulate new powers. This represents the training of their minds and the natural increases in ability that come with experience. Table 108 indicates the number of disciplines available to a psionicist of a given level, as well as the total number of sciences and devotions that he can have within them. Lastly, it lists the number of psionic defense modes available to the character through the use of his contact proficiency (see The Complete Psionics Handbook for explanations on psionic proficiencies).
Table 108: Psionicist Disciplines, Powers, and Modes
| XP Level |
Total Disciplines |
Total Sciences |
Total Devotions |
Defense Modes |
||||
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | ||||
| 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | ||||
| 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 2 | ||||
| 4 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 2 | ||||
| 5 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 3 | ||||
| 6 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 3 | ||||
| 7 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 4 | ||||
| 8 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 4 | ||||
| 9 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 5 | ||||
| 10 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 5 | ||||
| 11 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 5 | ||||
| 12 | 4 | 6 | 17 | 5 | ||||
| 13 | 4 | 7 | 18 | 5 | ||||
| 14 | 5 | 7 | 19 | 5 | ||||
| 15 | 5 | 8 | 20 | 5 | ||||
| 16 | 5 | 8 | 21 | 5 | ||||
| 17 | 5 | 9 | 22 | 5 | ||||
| 18 | 6 | 9 | 23 | 5 | ||||
| 19 | 6 | 10 | 24 | 5 | ||||
| 20 | 6 | 10 | 25 | 5 |
Psionic Disciplines
All of the psionic powers in the AD&D game are divided into general groups called disciplines. Each of these is further subdivided into devotions (or minor powers) and sciences (or major powers).
When a character is first created, the player must select the single discipline that the character is skilled in. This is known as his primary discipline, and it marks the way in which his character's mental powers and abilities progress throughout his adventuring career. It also marks the way in which his fellow adventurers perceive him. For example, a character whose primary discipline is telepathy is always considered a telepath, no matter how many psychoportive powers he might master later in his career.
A player creating a new psionicist can freely select the discipline that his character begins play with. In Ravenloft, as in AD&D, there are six disciplines, each of which is briefly described below.
Clairsentience: Those who have mastered this discipline perceive things that those around them are unable to. Some of the sciences and devotions that fall under this heading allow characters to see things that are hidden from them, read the past events associated with an object, or even learn of events that have not yet transpired.
Psychokinesis: Psychokinetic characters have the ability to manipulate the world around them through sheer exertion of will. Masters of this discipline can often raise or lower the temperature of an object, move heavy weights with their minds, and even take flight.
Psychometabolism: Those who have gained the powers of psychometabolism can exert great control over the functions of their own bodies as well as those of others. A person so trained might be able to heal wounds, cure diseases, drain life energy, accelerate aging, and induce sleep.
Psychoportation: A psychoportive character can instantly transport himself or others across great distances. Indeed, by warping the very fabric of time and space such a character can visit alternate universes, walk the planes of existence, or even travel in time.
Telepathy: When the average citizen thinks of a psionicist (which, admittedly, he does not often have cause to do), he thinks of those who have mastered the discipline of telepathy. Such characters can read the thoughts of others, sweep away memories of past events, or even cause people to doubt their senses.
Metapsionics: Metapsionics are powers that augment or otherwise combine with other psionic abilities. Because this limits their use somewhat, many people consider them inferior to the other disciplines. In actuality, though, a resourceful character can do wondrous things with metapsionics.
Psionic Sciences
The most potent abilities within any given discipline are called sciences. When a psionicist begins play, he will have mastered only a single science within his chosen discipline.
A player creating a new character can freely select his first devotion. Upon attaining higher levels, when Table 108 indicates that the character has mastered a new discipline, he can again select the one that becomes available to him. Of course, the Dungeon Master is free to veto any choice or to require the selection of a specific science if the needs of the campaign so mandate.
Psionic Devotions
In addition to the powerful sciences that comprise each discipline, a trained psionicist uses the powers of his mind to accomplish a number of lesser abilities. These are called devotions, and even a low-level psionicist will have mastered many of them.
Defense Modes
One of the first things that a psionicist learns in his training is how to defend himself from mental attack by other psionicists or psionic creatures. A newly created character has mastered only a single defense mode. This can be chosen by the player (or assigned by the Dungeon Master) from the following list: intellect fortress, mental barrier, mind blank, thought shield, and tower of iron will.
Restrictions
The powers of the mind, great though they may be, are not beyond measure nor without limitations. A player must obey certain restrictions when selecting the disciplines, devotions, and sciences available to his character.
Selecting New Powers
When a character increases in level he always gains the ability to use new psionic devotions. He can also acquire new sciences and, occasionally, master a new discipline.
When this happens, all new abilities are selected at once. Normally, this choice is utterly up to the player, although the Dungeon Master can veto selections that do not fit well in the campaign. As long as the player obeys the limitations described below, he can select sciences and devotions from any discipline, even one that he has only just acquired.
Minimum Number of Devotions: Within any single discipline, a character must always have at least twice as many devotions as he does sciences. For example, a psionicist who has mastered the telepathy discipline cannot acquire a third science in that field until he has learned at least six devotions.
For starting characters, who have only a single discipline, this is not a problem. As the character advances in level, however, the player and Dungeon Master should double check all new selections to ensure that this tenet is not violated.
Primary Disciplines: When selecting new sciences and devotions, a player must always make certain that he does not exceed the number that his character has mastered in his primary discipline. Again, for starting characters this is not a problem. Only higher-level psionicists are in danger of violating this rule. For example, consider a psionicist who has two sciences and five devotions in his primary discipline. Such a character can have no more than one science and four devotions in any other discipline.
Psionic Strength Points
In Ravenloft, as in all AD&D campaign worlds, psionicist characters power their special abilities via psionic strength points (or PSPs). However, the fluctuations of the Mists and all pervasive essence of the land has a dampening effect on psionics in general. Thus, while PSPs are initially acquired at the same level that they are in other realms, they are regained more slowly after use.
Starting PSP Scores
The number of psionic strength points that a character begins play with is determined using the following steps:
Base PSPs: A psionicist begins play with a base number of PSPs equal to 20 plus 2 points for every point of Wisdom over 15. Thus, someone with a 17 Wisdom score has a base of 24 PSPs.
Additional PSPs: For every point over 15 in the character's Intelligence and Constitution score, another point is added to the base value. Thus, if a character had scores of 17 for his Wisdom, Intelligence, and Constitution, he begins play with (24+2+2) 28 psionic strength points.
Gaining PSPs
As a psionicist increases in level, he can use his powers more freely. This is reflected by an increase in the number of PSPs available to the character.
Whenever a psionicist increases in level, he receives a minimum of 10 additional psionic strength points. To this base, 1 point is added for every point of Wisdom that the character has over 15. Thus, a character with a Wisdom score of 17 receives an additional +2 points for a total of 12.
Recovering PSPs
The exact rate at which expended PSPs are regained is based upon the location of the character. For some reason, the psionic dampening effect of Ravenloft is greatest in the Core and weakest in the Pocket domains.
Exactly why this is, none can say for certain, but many speculate that a living essence exists in the land that interferes with the use of mental powers. If this is the case, then the argument by some that the land is a vital, living thing seems a likely assertion. Still, for the time being, such mysteries must remain unexplained and mankind must simply live with the effects of the unknown.
Closed Domains
The actions of a domain's lord can have a detrimental effect upon the rate at which expended points are recovered. In any domain that has had its borders closed, the rate of PSP recovery is halved for any psionicist trapped there. Thus, a telepath caught in Borca when Gabrielle Aderre creates her ring of terror would regain only one point every two hours.
Traveling the Mists
Any psionicist who travels within the swirling clouds that embrace Ravenloft discovers that they do not appear to recover expended PSPs at all. It has been speculated that this is not actually the case. Rather, some scholars say, the rate of recovery is slowed to the point where it appears to have stopped. While this sort of distinction may warm the hearts of psionic scholars who are safe at home, those who are trapped in the Mists and running low on PSPs take little comfort in it.
Table 109: Regaining PSPs in Ravenloft
| Character's Current Location |
Points Recovered per Hour | |||||||
| Hard Exertion |
Walking/ Riding |
Sitting/ Reading |
Sleep/ Meditation |
|||||
| Any Core domain | none | 1 per 4 hours | 1 per 2 hours | 1 per hour | ||||
| Any Cluster domain | none | 1 per 2 hours | 1 per hour | 2 per hour | ||||
| Any Island of Terror | none | 1 per hour | 2 per hour | 4 per hour | ||||
| Any Pocket domain | none | 2 per hour | 4 per hour | 8 per hour | ||||
Willpower
The powerful mind of a psionicist makes him especially resistant to certain forms of magical attack. Whenever one of these characters is the target of a spell from the enchantment/charm school, he receives a +2 bonus to his saving throw. This adjustment is in addition to any received for an exceptional Wisdom score or other consideration.
