Telepathy is measured by the character's sensitivity to it. Characters that are sensitive to telepathy can both use it, resist it and be affected by it. The higher the TEL stat is, the more easily the character can use, resist and be affected by telepathy.
If the character is not telepathic, the TEL stat is negative. The higher the negative number, the harder it is for the character to be affected by telepathy.
Telepathic communication is nothing like speech. It doesn't sound like anything, but to a person who doesn't know anything about telepathy, it will be like voices in eir head, only without a distinctive sound or sense of direction to it. Once the person knows it is telepathy, the person will always recognize it as telepathy and might even start to recognize the differences between different people's telepathic communication. Telepaths recognize the differences quite easily.
Telepathic people tend to communicate via just ideas rather than any common language, though there are often condensed words within the communication as well. This communication also perfectly understandable for non-telepaths and silencers. Lack of common language hinders communication a bit, but even a complex idea can go through just by ideas and images. Teaching languages is thus quite fast and efficient when done using telepathy, though if done that way, the teacher can greatly influence what is learned.
There are four categories for telepathy:
– [
#Non-telepathic skills] to be used by people who can't use telepathy to fend off telepathy
– [
#Natural telepathic skills] that all telepaths know
– [
#General telepathic skills] that all telepaths can learn
– Actual telepathy and its five stages, the skills telepaths can learn to use:
1) [
#Empathy]: emotional awareness and control
2) [
#Neurological control]: neurological and metabolic awareness and control
3) [
#Telepathy]: thought and conscious awareness and control
4) [
#Telekinesis]: kinetic control
5) [
#Nanokinesis]: matter (molecular) control
Each of five stages has three skill levels the character can learn. The stages and levels must be learned in order: the character has to know, for example, level 1 Empathy, level 1 Neurological control and level 1 Telepathy before level 2 Telepathy.
A normal telepathic character will start with Empathy and then eventually grow to use the other kinds. A telepath with a special telepathic occupation will learn the stages faster.
The telepathic skills are learned the same way as normal skills, but instead telepathic skillpoints (TP) will be used. A telepath has 5 TP to spend in the beginning. A non-telepath gains 2 TP when the TEL stat is decreased, but otherwise none. A telepath gains a TP every level.
The telepathic skill description is as follows:
TP cost / active or passive / action amount / CC cost (default is for all parties) / automatic, learnable, practiceable, teachable / range: all, self, other, distance
(Note that for non-telepaths, these are the same as for skills.)
Telepathic skills for non-telepaths
Conscious resistance – A non-, slightly or somewhat telepathic character can resist a telepath by using the INT stat. (Since in this case the TEL stat will affect it as well, this skill isn't at all useful for non-telepaths.) (Most somewhat telepathic characters know this skill automatically.)
1 TP / active / 1 action / attack's CC / learnable / self
TEL + INT / telepathic attack
Lie – Non-telepaths can't usually lie to telepaths (they get a -15 penalty). However, non-telepaths can learn the tricks to deceive a telepath by organizing their thoughts (negates the penalty and allows a non-telepath to use |TEL| to lie. 3 or less difference in rolls means that the telepath won't know whether the person is lying or not.
3 TP / passive / 1 action / 0 CC / practiceable / self
|TEL| + INT / TEL + INT
TELEPATHIC INSENSITIVITY – Non-telepathic characters and those slightly and somewhat telepathic character who don't want to use telepathy will be automatically insensitive to telepathy. This means that the character is so unskilled with telepathy that a telepath has trouble figuring out how to apply telepathy to the other character.
0 TP / passive / 0 actions / attack's CC / automatic / self
|TEL| / telepathic attack
Natural telepathy
Telepathic communication – A telepath can communicate telepathically without any kind of training. Most often the communication is fast, condensed words with the idea and emotion of the message obviously clear, so it's hard to create misunderstandi
ngs via telepathy. However, the more alien the two people are, the less they understand each other's thinking patterns and the risk of misunderstanding grows. Still, telepathic communication is nothing like speech. It doesn't sound like anything, but to a person who doesn't know anything about telepathy, it will be like voices in eir head, only without a distinctive sound to it. Once the person knows it is telepathy, the person will always recognize it as telepathy.
Telepathic people tend to communicate via just ideas rather than any common language. It is also perfectly understandable for non-telepaths and silencers. Telepathic communication doesn't consume concentration if the target is in visual range or otherwise in a very obvious location within five kilometers. If the two (or more) people share a telepathic link, communication makes no strain at all if there are no obstacles in way. Telepathic communication in combat does not take an action if it is done without concentration consuming or within visual range. Telepathic broadcasting (talking to everyone within a 100–1000 m range) does not consume concentration, but the telepath can't make sure everyone gets it.
0 TP / active / 0 or more actions depending on the amount of communication / 0 CC unless situation is sub-optimal (for telepath) / automatic
Telepathic link – The telepath creates a simple mental link between people. The link enables even easier communication between the people, this also means that the telepath has some control over them and they can hear each other's thoughts as well as emotional states.
0 TP / active, passive once established / 1 action per person when establishing / 0 CC / automatic
TELEPATHIC SCAN (the standard way to attack telepathically and do other telepathic things) – The telepath can do an uneducated rough surface scan on a target. It has several purposes, one is to detect mental activity, another to check a person's surface thoughts, third to subtract CC and fourth to deal damage.
1) Detecting mental activity (very similar to the normal skill Observe): The telepath automatically notices the presence and location of a conscious character within about 50 m (provided there are no obstacles around and the character isn't using telepathy-blocking equipment or isn't trained to avoid telepathic detection). Takes one action and 2 CC for each 50 m radial increment. If a character is unconscious, the telepath needs to spend an action determining that the character is indeed only unconscious and not dead. Works without action if the telepath spends one turn right next to the character. If a character is in a coma, the telepath needs to spend two actions probing the mind and loses target's |TEL| amount of CC to check that ey really isn't dead.
2) Checking surface thoughts: A full telepath reads a person's surface thoughts casually all the time unless the character is trained to avoid it or is using equipment to prevent that. The telepath can spend 1 CC per minute not to do that. Slightly or somewhat telepathic characters have to spend 1 CC to read surface thoughts. Telepaths can decide whether their surface thoughts will be free for reading or not. When reading surface thoughts, there is a 1 % chance the telepath misinterprets (if it can be misinterpreted) what ey reads. If the target is of another species, the chance is 5 %, and if the target is a silencer, the chance is 10 % (or 25 % if the telepath doesn't know a thing about a priori languages). Silencers have a 10 % chance of misinterpretation with targets of other species. This skill also means that in casual situations, the telepath knows what a character is about to do.
3) Subtracting concentration: A telepath can subtract CC from another character. The cost is 1 action and TEL/4 CC for subtracting telepath's TEL plus target's |TEL| divided by three ((TEL+|TEL|)/3) CC.
4) Dealing telepathic damage: A telepath can make a simple telepathic roll to deal neurological damage. It is simply telepath's TEL+INT versus the target's |TEL| (if non-telepath) or TEL+INT (if another telepath) and the damage dealt is the difference in rolls. The CC cost is TEL+LVL/2 for the telepath and (target's) LVL/2 for a non-telepathic target and (target's) (TEL+LVL)/2 for a telepathic target.
0 TP / active or passive / # / # / automatic
General telepathy
Force message – The character can force a message/emotion into another character's mind.
Effect: target receives message and thus becomes aware of what's going on. Can also be a lie, but it's up to the target to decide how believable it is.
1 TP / active / 1 action / 1 CC / learnable / others
Confuse resist – A telepath can scramble eir own mind to resist a telepathic attack. The character can subtract an amount of CC to add to the resist roll.
2 TP / active / 1 action / # CC / learnable / self
Telepathic concentration – The character can concentrate to regain CC. Doesn't work in combat or other stressing situations, the character has to be doing something monotonous or relaxing (such as walking, blabbing, watching TV, etc.). Character regains 5 CC per 10 minutes.
2 TP / active / 0 actions / 0 CC (if used on another person, 1 CC per 5 CC the other regains) / learnable / all
Hibernation – Character can go a sort of hibernation mode to regain CC. Character can't act or react for X turns (decided by telepath). Does not wake up even if disturbed, unless another telepath specifically interrupts the hibernation (counts as using Anxiety, but an outsider does not need that skill to wake up the hibernater). This doesn't count as rest as it just reorganizes the brain.
Hibernation 1: 1D6 CC per turn
Hibernation 2: 2D6 CC per turn
Hibernation 3: 3D6 CC per turn
2 TP per stage / active when performed, passive otherwise / 1 action / 0 CC (5 CC is target is not the telepath) / learnable / all
Anxiety – Allows character to self-interrupt Hibernation.
1 TP / active / 1 action / 5 CC for the hibernater / learnable / self
Telepathic counterattack – The telepath can use the momentary CC loss sensitivity to counterattack with one telepathic action.
Telepathic counterattack 1: The telepath can counterattack only if ey managed to not be harmed.
Telepathic counterattack 2: The telepath can counterattack only if ey was harmed.
Telepathic counterattack 3: The telepath can counterattack whether ey was harmed or not. Requires both previous stages. If character has both the previous stages but not the third, ey must state which counterattack will be used before the roll.
2 TP per stage / passive / 1 telepathic action / 1 CC / learnable / self
Telepathic multitask – The character can perform several telepathic actions at once.
Telepathic multitask 1: Character can perform three telepathic actions during one turn (one per first action).
Telepathic multitask 2: Character can perform two telepathic actions during one action (four per turn).
Telepathic multitask 3: Character can perform five telepathic actions during one turn (two per first action).
Telepathic multitask 4: Character can perform three telepathic actions during one action (six per turn).
2 TP per stage / passive / 0 actions / 1–4 CC (depending on number of extra actions) / learnable / self
Empathy
Induce emotion – The character induces an emotion in the target. The skill comes in sets of three:1 TP:
anger -> +1 to ATK/TEL and -1 to INT/DEF
apathy -> paralysis or sleep (effect cancels if target is disturbed)
confusion -> -1 INT/TEL/ATK/ACC
despair -> +1 to SPD and -1 to INT
determination -> +1 to CON
fear -> paralysis (able to move around but not do anything else) or escape (effect cancels if target is disturbed)
joy -> +1 to CHA and TEL
pity -> -1 to ATK
stress -> -1 to CHA and INT
2 TP:
clarity -> +20% to INT
distress -> paralysis or confusion
flirtation -> +20% to CHA
frustration -> +2 and -1 to any stats of target's choice
fury -> +20% to ATK/TEL and -10% to INT/ACC
hatred -> target attacks object(s) of hatred (decided by telepath)
love -> target helps object(s) of love (decided by telepath)
reluctance -> +2 to CON
sympathy -> +2 to CHA and target is unable to attack
3 TP:
carefree -> target ceases to care about pain, granting +10 % HP
compentence -> +1 to all stats
hope -> +20% to any stat of target's choice
ignorance -> -20% to INT/TEL/ATK/ACC
incompetence -> -1 to all stats
nonchalance -> +3 to TEL and -1 to ATK/DEF/ACC
rage -> +20% to ATK/TEL
sorrow -> -1 to any three stats of telepath's choice
zeal -> +1 to any three stats of target's choiceThese emotions cause a described status effect during combat and changed reactions during normal gameplay. The character can spend extra TP on a set to increase the duration:
0: D4
+1: D6
+2: D8
# TP per set / active / 1 action / 1 CC / learnable / all
Induce complex emotion – double the effects of Induce emotion.
4 TP / passive / 0 actions / +1 CC / learnable / self
Cancel emotion
Cancels the effect of any telepathically induced emotion or calms/inspires normal emotion.
2 TP / active / 1 action / 2 CC / learnable / all
Cancel complex emotion – Cancels the effect of any telepathically induced complex emotion or calms/inspires powerful emotion. Cancel emotion required.
3 TP / active / 1 action / 2 CC / learnable / all
Emotionless – The character feels and shows no emotion whatsoever, creating the perfect poker face. Charisma and intelligence increase by D4+level for level*D10 minutes.
3 TP / active (passive once performed) / 1 action / 1 CC for telepath / learnable / all
Emotional strain – The telepath emotionally strains the target, dealing neurological damage for D4 turns.
Emotional strain 1: D4 damage
Emotional strain 2: D6 damage
Emotional strain 3: D8 damage
Emotional strain 4: D12 damage
1 TP per stage / active / 1 action / 2 CC for telepath, telepath's TEL amount of CC damage to target / learnable / all
Psychic mimic – The telepath takes on to one person's traits and acts and thinks exactly like that person for D6 + level turns. Can be used to fool people, even telepaths, of a person's identity (only mentally). At initiating, there is a chance that the telepath thinks ey actually is the person who ey is trying to mimic (grants character's control to the mimiced character's player).
Psychic mimic 1: 25 % chance
Psychic mimic 2: 10 %
Psychic mimic 3: 5 %
Psychic mimic 4: 1 %
1 TP per stage / active when performed, passive otherwise / target LVL*10 divided by telepath's TEL minutes, at least one / 5 CC for telepath and target / learnable / others, proximity
Hear thoughts – The telepath drops the mental blocks and listens to some of the randomly flying surface thoughts of all people around. The telepath has a chance to become confused due to all the noise, but if that doesn't happen, the desired effect, predicting everyone's actions the next turn, is achieved.
Hear thoughts 1: 75 % chance to become confused
Hear thoughts 2: 50 %
Hear thoughts 3: 25 %
Hear thoughts 4: 5 %
1 TP per stage / active / 1 action / sum of everyone else's |TEL| divided by telepath's TEL is the CC cost for the telepath / learnable / others
Mass induce emotion – allows character to use Induce emotion on a group of people simultaneously.
3 TP / active / 1 action / +1 CC per target for telepath / learnable / all
Mass induce complex emotion – allows character to use Induce complex emotion on a group of people simultaneously. Requires Mass induce emotion.
3 TP / active / 1 action / +1 CC per target for telepath / learnable / all
Neurological control
Accelerate – The telepath enchances reactions and senses up to such a point that the character gains a bonus to SPD and ACC and extra actions per turn for D4 turns. An extra TP can be spent to increase the duration to D6, D8 and D12 turns.
Accelerate 1: D4+LVL to SPD and ACC, 1 extra action
Accelerate 2: D8+LVL to SPD and ACC, 1 extra action
Accelerate 3: D8+LVL to SPD and ACC, 2 extra actions
3 TP / active / 1 action / 5 CC / learnable / all
Blood flow control – The telepath can control blood flow to certain places and thus either prevent damage, increase bleeding, disable limbs or enhance healing.
2 TP / active / 1 action / 1 CC for telepath / learnable / all
Body force action – Once fainted, the telepath has a chance to recover LVL+D4 (but at least up to one) HP. Telepathic subprogram () required.
4 TP / active / 1 action / +1 CC per target for telepath / learnable / all
Endocrine secretion – The telepath can induce or inhibit endocrine secretion. Different hormones cause different results. (Hormones by human standards; they are different in aliens, but most have equivalents.) Epinephrine 1 -> Increases/decreases ACC.
Epinephrine 2 -> Increases/decreases SPD.
Epinephrine 3 -> Increases/decreases STR.
Epinephrine 4 -> Increases/decreases CON.
Basic: stat increased/decreased by TEL/3 (1 TP increases the two effects)
+1 TP: stat increased/decreased by TEL/2
+2 TP: stat increased/decreased by TEL
Epinephrine 5 -> Dilates/constricts vessels, therefore making the target more resistant to cold/heat.
Endorphin -> Increased/decreased pain resistance, grants/removes TEL+LVL temporary HP. (If the character would go
unconscious when the effect ends, the character retains 1 HP. If the character's HP would go lower than
-9, no additional damage happens. If the character would regain consciousness, HP stays at 0.)
Cortisol -> Cancels/doubles negative status damage by relieving/inducing stress. (And enhances/reduces the effectiveness
of the immune system and self-healing outside combat.)
Melatonin -> Makes target tired (25 % chance to fall asleep, otherwise SPD and STR decreased by TEL/3) or agitated (SPD
and TEL increased by TEL/2).
The duration of the effect (1 TP increases the duration of two effects) can be increased by spending more TP:
0: D4
1: D6
2: D8
1 TP per two effects / active / 1 action / 2 CC for all / learnable / all
Neuron severance – The telepath inflicts a neural shock on the target. With an extra TP, the durations can be increased to D6 and D8 (or damage increment to D8 and D12).
1 TP: Deals D6 neurological damage
2 TP: Stun for D4 turns
3 TP: Disable a limb/sense/skill for D4 turns
4 TP: Paralysis for D4 turns
# TP / active / 1 action / 1 CC for telepath, roll difference for target (but at least 1) / learnable / all
Neuron fix – The telepath fixes any neurological damage. Neuron fix 1: Heal D4+LVL neurological damage.
Neuron fix 2: Regain D4 CC.
Neuron fix 3: Cure paralysis, stun or sleep.
Neuron fix 4: Enable a disabled limb.With an extra TP, effectiveness can be increased to D6, D8 and D12 for two sets.
2 TP per set / active / 1 action / 3 CC for telepath (unless regaining CC) / learnable / all
Organize brain – The telepath fixes and enchances neuron pathways to enchance intelligence and responsiveness. Lasts until character sleeps, CC is depleted or brain is otherwise disturbed (like via Neuron severance).
Organize brain 1: INT increases by D4 points
Organize brain 2: INT increases by D6 points
Organize brain 3: INT increases by D8 points
3 TP per stage / active when performed, passive afterwards / 4 actions / 10 CC / learnable / all
Sense enchancement – The telepath can make different sense receptors more sensitive to stimuli. Only works on species that already have the senses in question. The skill does not widen the range of sensation, just the intensity. With an extra TP, increments can be increased to D6 and D8 (for two senses).
Sense enhancement: Sight: All related actions (like Observe) (including seeing in dark) gain a D4+LVL bonus. Increases resistance against sudden brightening.
Sense enhancement: Hearing: All related actions (like Observe) gain a D4+LVL bonus. Increases resistance to loud noises.
Sense enhancement: Touch: All related actions (like feeling anomalies and noticing physical changes in surroundings) and ACC gain a bonus. Decreases the effect of sense dulling.
Sense enhancement: Smell: All related actions (like Observe) gain a D4+LVL bonus. Decreases the effect of sense dulling.
Sense enhancement: Taste: All related actions (like Observe) gain a D4+LVL bonus. Decreases the effect of sense dulling.
Sense enhancement: Telepathy: All related actions gain a D4+LVL bonus. Decreases CC consumption by 25 %.
Sense enhancement: Electricity and magnetic fields: All related actions gain a D4+LVL bonus. Increases resistance to damaging electromagnetic impulses.
2 TP per sense / active when established, passive afterwards / 1 action / 1 CC / learnable / all
Sense maximization – The telepath can make all sense receptors more sensitive to stimuli. Sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste, telepathy and electromagnetism gain a D4+LVL bonus. Only works on species that already have the senses in question. The skill does not widen the range of sensation, just the intensity. With an extra TP, increments can be increased to D6 and D8. It should be noted that unlike Sense enhancement, this skill also makes the target more subjectible to damage due to enhanced senses. Sight: too fast brightening causes blindness; hearing: too loud sounds cause deafening; touch: physical damage doubled; smell and taste: strong smells/flavors cause D4/D6/D8 neurological damage; telepathy: telepathic damage doubled; and electromagnetism: electromagnetic damage doubled.
4 TP / active when established, passive afterwards / 1 action / 3 CC / learnable / all
Sense effect cancellation – The telepath can cancel all neurologically inflicted sense effects.
4 TP / active / 1 action / 1 CC / learnable / all
Sense protection – The telepath can protect senses (especially in the case of Sense maximization) from harm. Lasts for D4+LVL
3 TP / active / 1 action / 1 CC / learnable / all
Mass sense modifying – The telepath can modify the senses of a mass of people. Requires Sense enhancement, Sense maximization, Sense protection or Sense effect cancellation.
4 TP / active / 1 action / 1 CC / learnable / all
Synapse disconnect – The telepath temporarily disconnects synapses in the target's brain, causing a paralysis for a few turns.
Synapse disconnect 1: D4 turns
Synapse disconnect 2: D6 turns
Synapse disconnect 3: D8 turns
Synapse disconnect 4: D12 turns
1 TP per stage / active / 1 action / 2 CC for telepath, target's |TEL| amount of CC damage to target / learnable / all
Telepathy
Deep scan – The telepath finds eir way in someone's mind and has access to the information ey is searching for.
Mind control – The telepath can take control over a person's mind.
Memory modification – The telepath can modify the target's memories.
Memory modification 1: The telepath can edit simple things, such as the name of a random character met a few days ago, the place where the character left eir keys or the date on which something happened.
Memory modification 2: The character can edit basic memories, like where something happened or when
Memory modification 3:
Memory modification 4:
Memory modification 5:
Memory modification 6: The character can recreate an entire life.
Project – The telepath can create a detailed telepathic illusion.
Project self – The telepath can project eir mind to some distance away, with or without a visual impression.
Psyche detach – The telepath can detach eir mind from eir body and transfer it to another body, which, if the other body is not mindless, will be a struggle.
Suggestion – The telepaths implants a powerful suggestion in a character's mind.
Suggestion 1: The suggestion comes without a logic, so the character can be talked out of it.
Suggestion 2: The suggestion comes with only a simple logic, so the character can still be talked out of it.
Suggestion 3: The suggestion comes with a detailed logic so that only another telepath can try to remove the suggestion by using similar means by which it was implanted.
Telepathic subprogram – The telepath can create a subprogram of emself to remain conscious by force (applies when paralyzed, stunned, asleep or unconscious by negative HP). However, the body will not be able to move so the subprogram can only observe the happenings or use telepathy. The subprogram fades if the character becomes comatose or enters deep sleep, or if the telepath is knocked unconscious while the subprogram is in charge.
4 TP / active, passive afterwards / 2 actions / 5 CC / learnable / self
Telekinesis
Telekinetic adjust – The telekinetic can adjust the route of bullets or use telekinesis to assist in tasks requiring great accuracy. (+# ACC)
Telekinetic bash – A bash of telekinetic energy. Can cause damage or push the target back.
Telekinetic countering field – The telekinetic can use telekinesis against telekinesis to escape harm.
Telekinetic melee weapon – An impression of a melee weapon to use in a fight.
Telekinetic movement/hold – The telekinetic can move an object around or hold it still. Only works for objects that the telekinetic can see with a bare eye (sight enhancement counts).
1 CC for every 10 kg and every 2 m
Telekinetic push – An expanding circle that pushes everyone (and items) back.
Telekinetic severance – The telekinetic can try to sever a character's limbs.
Telekinetic shield – A shield that blocks visible things.
Telekinetic shockwave – A shockwave that knocks down characters and small items within a radius.
Telekinetic strength – The telekinetic can use eir telekinesis to add to eir strength.
Nanokinesis
Change temperature – The telekinetic can speed up or slow down the molecules floating about, achieving a change in temperature.
Disintegrate – The telekinetic breaks molecular bonds and overall disturbs the integrity of the target.
Integrate – The telekinetic can make a simple object out of molecules found around.
TSr Detailed rulesTSr StatisticsTSr CombatTSr LevelsTSg Character classesTSg Character skillsTSg Special abilitiesTSg Telepathy
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