Another gift/mutation for heretics: -

Wyrdling - Heretic/mutant has developed minor psyker abilities which has thus far been able to conceal. Gain the Psyker Trait and Psy Rating 1 and one power from Telepathy, Divination or Telekinesis.

A lot less noticeable than the Hellspawn mutation/gift.

For anyone else other than a heretic in BC, acquiring the Psyker Trait should be the subject of a long drawn out campaign. For instance, the PC's run afoul of the Serrated Query (as describbed in PtU for DH), who as it happens at the time are trafficking in a particularly nasty batch of Spook during a shady deal. Now during a firefight one or more of the PC's lands in one of these batches and nearly winds up choking on the psychoactive narcotic - following which after much struggling and insanity whilst the wyrd talents manifest the psyche of the afflicted stabilises. GM rules that the PC's have become awakened and earn the psyker trait as well as Psy Rating 1 talent after say 1,000 XP forfeiture (not to mention the disorders acquired with the hazards attributed with Spook).

Other that that plot device perhaps exposure to some form of phenomenon to the empyrean which awakens psyker abilities.

Failing that there is always sorcery as depicted in DotDG for DH or Edge of the Abyss for RT...

andrewm9 said:

It doesn't even need to be rolled from Gifts as you can get Mark of Tzeentch automatically with enough Tzeentch-aligned advances.

Glowcat said:

Shouldn't even be too hard considering all Forbidden Lore skills are alligned to Tzeentch.

But if you don't want to be Tzeentch aligned? What about a Nurgle or Slaneesh sorceror (as aside from psykers).

borithan said:

Then it's a corner case situation better dealt with by individual GMs.

Personally, I wouldn't allow anyone to simply spend XP to get any trait they wanted. If you want that sort of character-changing ability, you have to work for it, and that kind of thing typically comes as a result of making pacts with daemons, performing obscure and arcane rituals, or even something as esoteric as securing the services of a Dark Eldar Haemonculus to enhance you.

The psyker trait is what divides psykers from non-psykers, and jumping from one to the other isn't something that anyone can do..

I'm against any form of nascent psyker trait/talent. Psychic powers are the reason I'll play psyker archeotype, if I could easly get them other way, I'll get Renegate, choose willpower on his ability and wreck havoc with force storm. (Still possible while aligning yourself to tzeentch, but takes a little more time).

I could agree to make a little change to mark of slanessh/nurgle however, allowing for purchase of psy rating (capped at 4-5) and limiting powers to unaligned and chosen god's powers (all this for emulating sorcery and devotion for a god). This would replace the talents/traits you get from the mark (hightened senses (all) and The Stuff of Nightmares).

Sometime soon, when I get my copy, I'll write some sorcery houserules. Bye, I have to get back to work.

Turned into own thread instead.