Should Psychic Powers be more modular?

By Adeptus Ineptus, in Game Mechanics

Posted at

I've been thinking how to word this and I think modular is the word I need. In RT the Psychic Powers felt like you were learning how to do new tricks with your power with the modifier increasing as a power got more complicated. With this in mind why not take it a step further by making a list of the most basic things each power can do and building Psychic Powers up from there?

As I see it the basics are:
Telepathy, Read thoughts, send thoughts.
Telekinesis. Moving stuff (that's is).
Divination. Dowsing (leading to remote viewing), aura sight, fate and luck stuff.
Pyrokinetic. Make fire, control fire.
Biomancy. Um? help me internet.

Once you have one of the basics you can buy things like range and fine control, anything that requires more skill gives a -x to the roll to manifest and anything that reaches into the warp gives a +x to risk and risk increases the bad stuff if you get perils.

I know there's little chance of FFG ripping up the hole chapter at this point but I've been trying to word this since I first heard about the beta so other than than that what do you think?

Posted at

I am intrigued.

I confess that I also want a wild magic feeling system in which there are fewer rules on what you can do and a greater sense of the inherent chaos in channeling the warp. But a free magic system would be grossly overpowered with regard to the rest of the RPG, alas.

Edited by Togath
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I think it already would help a lot, if they put together powers that are too similar and use scaling to portray the small difference.

For the free slots, missing powers could be added that complete the whole.

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It wouldn't have to be overpowered, and it CAN be done.

Check out Strands of Fate for a possible free-form magic system (The "Control" Meta-Power)

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Thanks for the feedback. I posted this at 11 oclock last night and woke up this morning thinking "I posted something I knew couldn't get into the finished game that was basicly I think my ways better, I must look realy egotistic."

I feel better now.

Posted at

Ok so in light of resent news I'm going to try to make this work.

We have a list of the most basic manifestations of 4 of the 5 comon disciplines, using them is a +0 roll to manifest and -40 to risk.

When you role to manifest you compare you role to both manifest (at +10 per PR) and risk (at +10 per PR,) if you fall your risk roll then you have to check for perils if the gap between the tens and the units on the manifest roll is equal or less than your DoF, if you pass on risk then the player may modify any perils roll by DoS-PR (inspired by BC Gift of the gods modified by Infamy Bonus.) This way a high PR is more likely to both make the power work and let the warp leak though.
I also think it would help to have some way to increase your skill in individual disciplines as I find it hard to believe that reading minds is the same skill as controlling fire. This needs a name and affects both risk and manifesting.

How's this so far? Is -40 for risk right?

Edited by Adeptus Ineptus
Posted at

Ok if I don't get any feedback I'll assume this is my little vanity project and let it die.
The Telepathy powers are read thoughts and send thoughts. If we assume read lets you hear suffice thoughts (10 meters per PR) and send lets you use words rather than just feelings (again 10 meters per PR) at 200 XP each with Increased range x10 (-10 to manifest, double any risk increase, 200 XP needs PR 3) influence emotion (+10 risk, 300 XP needs PR 2 and send thoughts) mind trick (-10 manifest, +10 risk, 500 XP needs influence emotion, PR 3 and Discipline Training (Telepathy) 1) puppet (-20 manifest, +10 risk, 750 XP needs mind trick and PR 5) mind probe (+10 to risk, 300 XP needs PR 2)
The Psychokinetic power has make fire and control fire (10 meters per PR). I think both are worth 100 XP each. From here a fire ball (200 XP needs both) heat ray (-10 manifest, 300 XP, double range needs fire ball, Discipline Training (Psychokinetic) 1, PR 2) melta (-20 manifest, +10 risk, 500 XP, half range, melta needs heat ray, Discipline Training (Psychokinetic) 2, PR 4) explode (-10 manifest, +20 risk, Blast equal to PR, 500 XP needs PR 5)

Telekinesis lets you move up to 5kg per PR with a range of 5 meters per PR for 200 XP. Bolt (100 XP) double range (-10 manifest, 100 XP) crush (200 XP needs PR 2) TK weapon (200 XP needs bolt and PR2) double lifting stangth (+10 risk 300 XP needs PR 4)

I think I need to look over costs some what but could this work?

Edited by Adeptus Ineptus