Adding Substance to Psionic Combat

All psionic combat takes place in the minds of the combatants. This mindscape has its own rules and reality. Each combatant reaches into his or her own nexus of power, the place where the energy of mind, body, and spirit come together. The trained psionicist can readily draw upon this nexus of power, as can the wild talent. Nonpsionicists can’t access this energy, but it springs forth to protect them in the form of natural Mental Armor Class (MAC).

The attacker and the defender appear as glowing forms, mental pictures of themselves in the mindscape. Psionicists can shape these psionic forms as elaborately as they see fit. Wild talents, however, appear as crude, featureless shapes of humanoid light. Nonpsionicists are simply glowing balls surrounded by mental armor, usually in the shape of a luminescent wall.

While the only thing that determines the success of psionic combat is the MTHAC0 rolls and the choices of psionic attacks and defenses, players and DMs are encouraged to add flavor by describing how their characters’ psionic forms look and how the powers they use manifest themselves. Being creative and having fun with the mindscape as a psionic battle progresses enhances the roleplaying experience for all.

Example: Tylk of the Westwoods, a psionicist, decides to use the mind thrust attack against Neecha Nightmoon (also a psionicist). A glowing sword of energy takes shape in his psionic form’s hand. The sword slashes out, but Neecha calls forth a thought shield, and a luminescent shield forms suddenly to block Tylk’s attack. Then Neecha shapes her own attack, unleashing a psionic blast. Energy swells up from her nexus, forming the image of a glowing tiger. The claws of the great beast slash through the maze of ruins Tylk has formed from his mind blank defense, then scrape across Tylk’s psionic defenses, reducing his PSP total as the psionic blast finds its target.

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