Psychic Contests
Sometimes two or more psionicists try to use a psionic power on the same
target. For example, two psionicists might try to use telekinesis to move a stone in
two different directions, or they might attempt to teleport the same character
to different locations, or they might use any psionic powers in such a way as
to be in direct conflict with each other. Which power use prevails? The
struggle results in a psychic contest.
To resolve a psychic contest, compare the competing characters’ MTHAC0 rolls
made to activate the powers. The character who has the lowest successful MTHAC0
roll wins the contest. If none of the competing characters roll successfully,
none of the power uses succeed. If one character succeeds and the others fail
the rolls, then that character wins the contest. If competing characters have the
same MTHAC0 score and they roll the same numbers on the dice, then a psychic
lock occurs.
In a psychic lock, neither competing character wins the psychic contest that
round. Both are applying equal psionic pressure, thus creating a stalemate. To
resolve the contest, both characters must pay the power’s PSP cost and engage in
another round of psychic contest. If either character fails to pay the
cost—effectively giving up—that character suffers a psychic backlash and loses 4d4
PSPs immediately.
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