COMPLETE NEW PSYCHIC DISCIPLINE: LOGOKANCY
Logokancy is one of the rarest psychic disciplines. Logokines are master manipulators and spies who use their powers to control their voice to such a degree that they can convince almost anyone of almost anything. Related to (but more subtle than) telepathy, the discipline plays tricks on the mind rather than dominating it completely. Logokines are smooth, sociable and devious, yet often prone to arrogance, simply because they cannot resist showing off how easily they manipulate people.
DISGUISE
“Grammaticus sighed and sat down on the bed. In looks and build, he was nothing like Kaido Pius, het of the Carnivales. It was amazing what a confident, clear tone of voice could do. Such was the strength of a logokine.”
Threshold
14
Focus time:
Half action
Sustain:
Yes
Range
20m
Without changing your physical appearance, you manage to convey the impression simply through your tone of voice and behaviour that you are another person. So convincing is this illusion that even those extremely familiar with the individual imitated will be fooled. The power is harder to use against large groups, or against those who are already suspicious about your behaviour.
Upon manifesting this power, select a number of targets within range equal to your willpower bonus. Each target must succeed on a willpower test or they will believe that you are whoever you claim to be for as long as you sustain the power. If you are acting in an actively suspicious way, far removed from the normal behaviour of the individual imitated, then each target will get a +10 modifier to their willpower for the purposes of the willpower test. This power has no effect on creatures with an intelligence of 15 or less, as they do not have the mental subtlety to be manipulated in this sophisticated way.
Overbleed:
for every 5 points by which you exceed the power’s threshold you may add another target or impose a -10 penalty on one target’s willpower test to resist this power.
LANGUAGE MASTERY
“You don’t know the half of it, Grammaticus thought. I’m fluent instantly in every tongue, every language I encounter. It’s my particular talent, and my curse.”
Threshold:
5
Focus time:
half action
Sustained:
yes
Range:
you
You are able to instantly understand every human language spoken to you. Your command of the language varies according to how successfully you utilise this power, but you will always have enough understanding to communicate adequately. Whenever you use this power, you are assumed to instantly posses the Speak Language skill relevant to whatever individual you are interacting with.
Dealing with Xeno languages is more difficult, as the mind of an alien is harder to understand and empathise with. Translating an alien language is an intellectually draining and challenging exercise, even for a Logokine. Broadly speaking, the less complex the xenos, the easier they are to understand. Assume that you are able to use this power in the normal way with any alien whose “average” intelligence (as shown in creatures anathema etc) is lower than yours.
Thus, for example, if Galen the logokine (intelligence of 36) wanted to communicate with Krogtoof, an Ork warboy (intelligence 24) he would have no problems. However if he attempted to speak to an Eldar (intelligence 38) or an Enoulian (intelligence 47) he would be at a loss. If he wants to speak Enoulian, Galen is going to have to go about it the old fashioned way and dig out some Enoulian phrasebooks!
Overbleed:
for every 5 points by which the threshold is exceeded, you may opt to increase your mastery of the relevant language to +10 or +20. Thus you will often speak the language more fluently and eloquently than the person you address!
SILVERTONGUE
“I’m not about to disrobe for some sordid little tryst in this briefing room. I’m not sure I’m going to disrobe for you at all.”
Grammaticus allowed a smile to cross Heniker’s face.
“My dear uxor,” he said, “the simple doubt expressed in that sentence is all I could ever ask for.”
This power is identical to the power “suggestion” on page 28 of “Disciples of the Dark Gods.” However, like all Logokancy powers, it is a verbal power, so the range is as far as you can project your voice (say 20m). The tradeoff for this additional range is that the power has a threshold of 10 rather than 9.
VOICE OF COMMAND
Threshold
18
Focus Time:
Half action
Sustain:
No
Range:
20 metres
By snapping a simple verbal command in a carefully modulated, psyk-enhanced tone of voice, you cause your victim to leap to comply. When you manifest this power, make an opposed test, pitting your willpower against the target’s. If you succeed, the target must follow your command. The nature of the command must be simple and must be able to to be taken in a single round.
This power is similar to the Telepathy power “Compel,” but there are subtle differences. The art of Logokancy is highly contextual and based upon tricking the victim with subconscious desires, fears and guilts. If you are able to deliver the verbal command in the tone appropriate to someone able to command the victim to obey such an order, then you receive a +10 bonus to your willpower for the purpose of the opposed test. For example, Dave is playing Galen, a Logokine psychic. A spooked PDF trooper has him at gunpoint. Dave shouts “Drop the gun!” This doesn’t give him the +10 bonus. However, if he’d shouted “Holster your sidearm, trooper!” in the strident tones of a Regimental Sergeant Major, he would have received the +10 bonus. This bonus rewards devious thinking and good roleplaying.
Overbleed: For every 10 points by which you exceed the power’s threshold, you gain a +10 bonus on your opposed willpower test.
MASTER MANIPULATION
Threshold
26
Focus time:
Full action
Sustained:
no
Range:
20m
This is the most feared power of the Logokine: rarely encountered, it has – in the hands of alpha level psykers – led to the downfall of whole sectors. Whenever you use this power, you are able to tell a victim a single piece of information, and they will automatically, unhesitatingly believe it to be true. Even the most horrific, unlikely or bizarre scenario will be accepted without question. The uses of the power are practically endless: from something as simple as “If you don’t give me that doughnut the moon will fall out of the sky and crush you” or as horrific as “If you don’t shoot yourself in the head immediately, your daughter will be eaten alive by dogs” to something as far-reaching and disastrous as “Marius Hax is the head of a Slaaneshi coven.” The power is exhausting and difficult to use, but very powerful and insane alpha level psykers have been known to dominate entire sectors of Imperial space through the repeated use of this ability. Indeed, so feared is this power that Logokines are the type of psyker most carefully monitored by the Ordo Hereticus.
Make an opposed test, pitting your willpower against the target’s. If you succeed you are able to tell the target a single fact, which will be believed without question. Logical argument and proof that the fact is incorrect will not change the victim’s belief in the slightest.
Overbleed: For every 10 points by which you exceed the power’s threshold, you gain a +10 bonus on your opposed willpower test.
MIMIC
Threshold:
7
Focus time:
Half action
Sustained:
yes
Range:
you
You are able to modulate your voice so as to mimic anyone you have ever heard, perfectly. Your voice sounds exactly like the person imitated in every way: timbre and pitch are flawless, and accents are replicated to the finest detail. Even high level logiscanners and voice activated audiolocks are fooled. Of course, your appearance does not change in the slightest.
THROW VOICE
Threshold:
6
Focus time:
Half action
Sustained
: no
Range:
20 metres
You are able to throw your voice perfectly, so as to make it come from somewhere outside your immediate presence. This is more than mere ventriloquism: your voice actually IS coming from somewhere else! Your lips do move, however, as you speak. You are only able to say a single sentence of no more than twenty words using this power.
PSYCHIC ROAR
Threshold:
15
Focus time:
Half action
Sustained:
no
Range:
10m x willpower bonus
Taking a deep breath, you emit a stunning blast of sound at tremendous volume, shaking the grounds and blasting eardrums. This blast of pure sound can be directed at a single target as a psychic missile: test willpower to hit your target. If you succeed, your attack deals 1d10 Impact Damage, +1 damage per point of your willpower bonus. The target will also be deafened for 5 rounds, and prosthetic ears of anything less than good quality will be destroyed.
Overbleed: For every 5 points by which you exceed the power’s threshold, you deal 1 additional point of impact damage.
NB: A NOTE ON THE VERBAL USE OF LOGOKINE SKILLS
I know what everyone’s going to ask: can my logokine psyker use his skills over the telephone? I’m actually not going to answer that question! I think it’s ultimately up to the GM and the player to use some common sense as to which of these powers are appropriate to use over vox-links, speakers, etc etc.
For example, Dave wants to get his character, Galen the psyker, to use the “throw voice” power over an open vox link to the security room of an arbites cell 5000 miles away, so as to make the guard monitoring the security cameras turn away for a second. Pete, the GM, thinks that’s waaaay to ambitious, and tells him the power doesn’t work like that. Thinking quickly, Dave instead suggests that Galen uses the “Mimic” power to imitate the head of the Arbites on the planet to order the guard to go away. Pete accepts this approach.
