[Psionics] (M C) - Psionics of Bakaan

[DrewDaGreek]

(Hope I got this in before the clock)


Note: My campaign uses the Iron Heroes system. It is a variant to D&D, but focuses much more on combat than magic items and spells. Thus Psionics here is more a villian’s tool, and it would be rare for a PC to pick it up. Also for historical reasons, Aboleths in my world are not psionic, their power stems from a different source.

While the famiilar magic of the world involves manipulating an underlying energy current inthe fabricof the universe, psionics is something wholy different. It is a form of insane reality-shaping. Untethering the concept 'I think, therefore I am' from the laws of sanity, psionic villans are incredibly dangerous.

History

The Far Realm was created inside the Inner Astral. It is a prison for the gods who nearly destroyed the world twice. After breaking their parole, the Far Realm was created as a way to trap these powerful beings. Here the laws of sanity are distorted, so the prisoners cannot even conceptualize escape; some don’t even recognize that they are trapped. However their servants run loose on the Madhouse Plane. Just before the dawn of humanity, some foolish wizards in the Ghorimloche civil war summoned them.
When they arrived on the prime material, the entities of the Far Realm had great powers, called psionics. Unlike the magic of that drew on the latent creation energy of the universe, there is no source to psionics. Psionics is the product of deep seated madness, to the point where a grip on reality has been utterly lost. To a psionic creature, their own delusions matter more than the laws of logic, sanity and reality. Untethered by reality, they are free to shape it.
That is the source of psionics: Deep seated madness so severe that one can change reality, simply because they don’t believe in it. Most of the few humans to
experiment with this power have gone utterly mad, though rumor has it one monastic order has used intense meditation to allow psionic reality-bending without loosening one’s grip on the world.

Workings

A modern parallel is the abilities of the Matrix: Morpheus can jump the huge buildings, simply because he believes that he can
The mental powers of psionics are really just a sharing of their own insane mind, conforming the victims reality to the distroted reality of the psinoicist.
Physical powers (psychoportation, telekinesis, metabolisms and creation) are a bending of reality to conform to perceptions.
Clairvoyent powers are reduced in Iron Heroes, but they stem from simply thinking you know something so well that you actually know it. (such is the madness of the Far Realm)

[DrewDaGreek]

In my world, psionic creatures are the spawn of insane gods. One such spawn are the twisted Psalans

(Note: CR may be off, I've yet to test it thoroughly. Also, the save DCs are are for D&D, for IH increase them by 5 due to IH heroes having different saves.)

Psalan -Medium Outsider (Good, Psionic)
HD: 7d8+18
Init +6
Movement: 30ft
Face/Reach 5*5/10
AC : 22 +6 Dex, +1 Size, +5 Natural
Bab/Grapple +7/+9
Attack: Slam 1d6+2 or by weapon
Special Attack : Enrage, Pacify, Sword to Plowshares, Extended Reach
SQ: Flux size, Damage reduction 10/natural materials, Resitance fire, acid, cold, electricity 10
Saves: F +9, W+7, R +12
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 6, Char 18
Skills: Psalan’s receive 120 skill point spread over various skills. No two have the same expertise
Feats: Psionic Body, Combat Manifestation, Iron Will
CR: 6
Favored Class: Psion

An amalgam of disjointed body parts floats as if connected. Its strange three-eyed face seems fluid, as if the organs are floating rather than fixed.

Appearance: A psalan is an extremely odd sight. Psalans have all the basic functional body parts: head, shoulders, elbows, hands, hips, knees and feet… but nothing else. There body parts float is if connected by unseen limbs, but there is nothing there. The Psalan believes its parts are connected and whole, so it moves as if it was whole. Its head resembles that of a bald human with an extra eye in the center. However its facial features are not fixed: Rather that turn its head to look at a speaker to its left, the psalan’s eyes will simply pick up and move to follow.

History: Psalans are a race of the Far Realm, created by one of the Fundamental gods in their mad prison. Psalans are the offspring of Unity, the god of benevolence who turned into an over-zealous crusader. Thus, the Psalans are generally good-hearted; they genuinely wish the best for everyone. They also seek to punish and purge those who would hurt others. In theory this sounds good, but the Psalan perception of ‘the best’ and their views of ‘right and wrong’ are tainted by their otherwordly madness.
Psalans were rarely summoned to the prime material plane and are thus rare today. They build secluded enclaves, which are often surrounded by the twisted remnants of those that they have ‘helped’. Psalans are incredibly benevolent, yet see themselves as perfection. Thus they set out to improve the world for its own sake, by altering creatures and plantlife into their own image. Adventurers who have wandered into psalan enclaves often receive ‘upgrades’ for their own good (or the individual psalan’s specific view of it) These upgrades are for the best, so the psalans disregard unreasonable requests such as ‘please don’t do this to me’ or bouts of foolishness such as ‘I’m OK as I am’
With few rare exceptions, the subjects of psalan ‘upgrades’ are driven utterly insane. They often manifest psionic powers themselves. Psalan created creatures often linger near psalan enclave, supporting the ‘righteous’ cause of their psalan creators. At one time psalanic creatures were sent to ‘crusade’ against various ‘wrongs’, but for centuries the psalan have been in isolation. Knowledge of them has been forgotten by all but the most wizened sages. (The demonic mythical figure Wheatreaver, known for the baker massacre of Makra, is thought to have been an ‘enhanced’ adventurer crusading against the evil of Bread)
Psalans understand any language spoken to them. Their speech is unusual: The listener hears it as his or her native tongue. This is a byproduct of psionic madness; the Psalans believe there is only one native tongue, so that is what they speak; the listener’s mind conforms to hear it. Those immune to mind-influencing effects cannot understand the speech of a psalan.

Combat: In combat, Psalans are confusing, as their madness makes their tactics bewildering.

Flux Size (su) : A psalan’s body is held together the fact that it believes itself to be held together. While it takes up the space of a medium creature, its extendable concept of limbs give them a 10ft reach. Defensively, the lack of most major organs give the psalan a +1 size bonus to defense.

Inflated Ego: Psalans believe themselves to be invincible, give them a +2 bonus to all saving throws.

Damage Reduction: Psalans have DR 10/natural materials as they cannot conceive other beings hurting them. For unknown reasons, natural weapons, bone, and wood deal normal damage. Scholars suspect that the psalans have a more difficult time distorting their view of natural materials

Percieve: When a psalan truly observes something, that act of observing changes it. A psalan perceives its enemies in one of two world views: aggressive or pacifist. All abilities have a range of 100 ft and a save DC of 17
- Pacifiy (su) As a standard action, a psalan can perceive an opponent to be a pacifist, but like they hope. Beings must make a Will save or become unable to take any aggressive action against a Psalan for 3 rounds. At the beginning of each round, the affect character may spend a full round action to make another will save.
- Rage (su) As a standard action, a psalan can percieve an opponent to be a mindless brute. Opponents who fail a saving throw get +4 strength, -4 AC and cannot take any actions aside from moving or attacking.
- Swords to plowshares (su) – A psalan can percieve a weapon to be a harmless creature. The weilder of the weapon must make a saving throw or have his weapon transmuted into a harmless psalanic creature. Weapons made of wood or bone receive a +4 saving throw bonus. This effect ends if the weapon is more than 100ft from a living psalan.