ESPers are quite simply put, the next stage in human evolution. That's right. If you play an ESPer, you are, evolutionarily speaking superior to all the other characters. At low levels these abilities are cute parlor tricks. At the zenith of their development they can teleport to Saturn, kill people with a thought and pull Starships out of orbit and send them crashing into cities. With all this power comes the balance of an unfortunate downside...
NO BODILY ENHANCEMENTS
That's right, no implants, no cybernetics, no artificial augmentations of any kind. You get what your born with and are willing to work for and that's IT. Kind of sucks, I know. But still there's more than a little compensation. (see paragraph one) So while you will be the weakest link in some battles during the game, which sucks! At other times the other characters will be slack-jawed, dumbstruck in AWE of your hideous POWER! Which is awesome.
PSI POINTS
These points initially start at a value equal to the EMPathy stat times the ESPer’s Role Special Ability, “Sixth Sense”* Rank (for example Combat Sneak), and are recorded on the character’s Sheet. Psi Points is a flexible value, and will be expended and replenished over the course of games and campaigns.
*NEW ESPer Special Ability: “Sixth Sense” – Works like Combat Sense, represents an innate, Jedi-Like awareness of the near future, the enemies intent and generally being conscious of one’s surroundings. The Ranks in Sixth Sense can be added to any initiative roll, any awareness check and any roll for the PERception skill.
How Psi Points are Spent
Every Psionic power has a listed Cost. This is the number of Psi Points that must be expended to activate a single level of that Psionic skill:
A power with a Cost of 4 would require an expenditure of 4 Psi Points to activate one level of the power, 8 for two levels, etc. Psi Points, once used, are subtracted from the total and cannot be used again; Psi Points are regained with a full eight hours rest. This rest need not be sleep, but that character can undertake no strenuous activity during this time.
For example: Kenty has a PSI Stat of 8, so she has 8 Psi Points. She has Telepathy at a skill level of +4. She wishes to activate the power. Telepathy has a Psi Cost of 1, so every skill level she wishes to activate will cost her 1 Psi Point; having more than 4 Psi Points, she can fully use her Telepathy. If she had the skill at +9, she could only use it at a skill level of +8 (which would use up all her Psi Points) instead of her full potential of 10.
This means that many characters will have skills in powers that they can’t fully use—for the moment.
Increasing Psi Points
Psi Points are earned just like IP—for each game in which the ESPer uses Psionic powers, the Referee should award from 0 to 3 Psi Points. These add to the total available. Psi points work on a sliding scale. It is entirely up to the Referee to put a ceiling on Psi Points for his campaign; if the game world has powerful ESPers in it, the Ref should give out Psi Points relatively freely, and allow the villains to gain greater numbers of Psi Points. If powerful ESPers are not desired, never allow the characters to have more than their PSI Stat in Points—this will keep all Psionic activity to a minimum. In general, it is the Referee’s duty to allow characters to advance only as far he feels is appropriate.
POWER LEVEL PSI POINTS
Low . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-10
Normal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-30
Medium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31-50
Medium-High . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51-74
High . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75-99
Very High . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100+
UC3K is a ‘High’ Power Level campaign. The ESPers are brokin into four ‘classes” representing approximate power levels. A class D ESPer has 1 to 30 Psi Points, a Class C, 25 to 50, Class B, between 45 and 75 and Class A 75 to 100
PSIONIC SKILLS
Characters make practical use of their Psionic potential through the use of Psionic Skills. Most characters receive Psionic Skills through their Lifepath (as mentioned above), and may increase them with Education Points as determined by their Lifepath. A very few will possess Wild Talents that are inborn and ready to use from the time the character reaches maturity (see Wild Talents, below). As usual, you may not put more than 10 points into a single skill. Also, unlike other types of skill, a character may not raise any Psionic Skill to a level higher than his Psi Potential Stat. All Psionic skills fall into four Categories: Mind, Body, Force and Will. These categories define how Psionic powers are resisted—the Stats used to resist each Psionic skill are listed below.
Mind: Intelligence
Body: Body Type
Force: Luck
Will: Cool
Resisting Psi Skills
Any character who is attacked by an ESPer (ie, has a Psionic power used on him against his will) gets a chance to resist the attack. The roll is a contest of Stats between the two parties involved; if the attacker wins the power works as normal, and if the defender wins the Psionic skill has no effect, but the attacker still expends all the Psi Points he put into the attack (this includes the points he used to activate the skill as well as any he pumped into the attack as a bonus). If the Defender is also an ESPer then he has the option of adding his own PSI Stat and any extra Psi Points he wishes to put into the defense (in addition to getting the normal Stat defense).
The formulas for the opposing rolls are:
ATTACKER: PSI Stat + Psionic Skill +1D10
vs
DEFENDER: Appropriate Stat (see above) +EMP Stat +1D10
Under GM moderated conditions the ESPer may add additional PSI points to an attack roll. Most of the time this will not be allowed however if dramatic circumstances call for a ‘push’ for the sake of the story, then up to 5, maybe a maximum of 10 extra points my be added.
Situational Modifiers may also apply, and, as always, Luck may be expended to help defend against any form of Psi attack.
Using Psionic Skills
Most resistance rolls against use of Psionic Skills should be made by the Referee secretly. When the goal is to gain information from another mind or across time and space, the Referee should reveal more of the information desired on a very good roll (well over the Difficulty), less information on a roll that barely gets by, and no useful information on an unsuccessful roll. The user of the skill should not know for certain about the completeness of the information, but the Referee can give a hint when he describes the results: “Your visualization is hazy, but you think you see a burning mecha behind a blue building.” Or, for a very good roll: “You see a green and white Mark IV Spitfire powered armor collapsed and burning behind a building marked ‘Satellite Protective Services.’ You can make out every detail of the damaged mecha, right down to the serial number VT4004 on the left shoulder.” When the goal is to affect another person or object (examples: an attack, an illusion, a use of telekinesis, or an attempt at healing), the character should learn only as much as he can observe about the effects of the attempt. When the Referee says, “your foe clutches his head and falls,” it may be an indicator of a successful mental attack, or a ruse by a clever enemy who has deflected your attack. Likewise, a psychic healer may see a wound stop bleeding and begin to close, but she will never know the exact number of damage points that are removed by the effort. A telekinetic can see a book lift from the table across the room, but should not be told how solid a “hold” he has, except in very general terms. “You easily lift the book, and see it rise smoothly to the ceiling” indicates a good roll. “The book wobbles, then rises unsteadily a meter into the air, where it remains, trembling” indicates marginal success. In some cases, such as Stat Boost, the player always knows how successful the attempt will be if it succeeds at all. Resistance rolls may be made freely by the player in such cases. But in most cases, keep the element of uncertainty in the use of Psionic Skills, to add role playing flavor to the game.
Concentration
The use of most Psionic Skills requires concentration. In general, a person using one of these skills must focus attention on the use of the skill. No other action may be taken by a person using such a skill. Some skills (such as Aura Viewing) require a bit of concentration, but allow the user to do other things at the same time. These skills still may be disrupted by distractions, however. Danger Sensing is the only Psionic Skill considered to be “on” at all times, and needs no concentration at all.
Distractions
A character who is injured or startled while using a Psionic Skill must make a COOL Stat roll (no skill applies) to avoid losing her concentration for a Turn. The difficulty level applied depends on the amount of distraction. An unexpected gunshot right behind you is about a Difficulty Level 10. Being hit in the face with a left hook is probably a Level 15 distraction. A major wound is at least a Level 20 distraction. A real emotional trauma, like seeing your best friend’s mecha explode, should be worth a Level 25 or more. If the roll fails, the concentration is interrupted and the power stops operating for one turn. At the end of the next full Turn, concentration can be reestablished if the distraction is gone. In the case of a continuing distraction (such as painfully loud noise all around you or the pain of a severe wound left untreated), a COOL Stat roll is required each turn until the distraction goes away.
Psi Unpredictability
Psionics is still something of an inexact science, and psi abilities and skills have a tendency to act unpredictably from time to time. This allows the Referee to use Psionic Skills to further the plot of an adventure. For example, a Referee may give a character with Clairvoyance or Precognition a warning of something that is happening or about to happen as the “spark” for an adventure situation (“Suddenly, your vision blurs and you can see Randal’s mecha stuck up to its waist in mud, sinking fast!”). In turn, an ability can fail when it is important to the plot that a piece of vital information remain secret. That is why the Referee makes most die rolls for Psionic Skills. The Referee should not use this unpredictability as an excuse to frustrate the players. In fact, spontaneous, uncontrolled use of Psionic powers should help the characters as often as it hinders them. Psi unpredictability keeps Psionic Skills from unbalancing the game and making characters into supercharacters who know everything and can do anything.
PSI POINTS
These points initially start at a value equal to the EMPathy stat times the ESPer’s Role Special Ability, “Sixth Sense”* Rank (for example Combat Sneak), and are recorded on the character’s Sheet. Psi Points is a flexible value, and will be expended and replenished over the course of games and campaigns.
*NEW ESPer Special Ability: “Sixth Sense” – Works like Combat Sense, represents an innate, Jedi-Like awareness of the near future, the enemies intent and generally being conscious of one’s surroundings. The Ranks in Sixth Sense can be added to any initiative roll, any awareness check and any roll for the PERception skill.
How Psi Points are Spent
Every Psionic power has a listed Cost. This is the number of Psi Points that must be expended to activate a single level of that Psionic skill:
A power with a Cost of 4 would require an expenditure of 4 Psi Points to activate one level of the power, 8 for two levels, etc. Psi Points, once used, are subtracted from the total and cannot be used again; Psi Points are regained with a full eight hours rest. This rest need not be sleep, but that character can undertake no strenuous activity during this time.
For example: Kenty has a PSI Stat of 8, so she has 8 Psi Points. She has Telepathy at a skill level of +4. She wishes to activate the power. Telepathy has a Psi Cost of 1, so every skill level she wishes to activate will cost her 1 Psi Point; having more than 4 Psi Points, she can fully use her Telepathy. If she had the skill at +9, she could only use it at a skill level of +8 (which would use up all her Psi Points) instead of her full potential of 10.
This means that many characters will have skills in powers that they can’t fully use—for the moment.
Increasing Psi Points
Psi Points are earned just like IP—for each game in which the ESPer uses Psionic powers, the Referee should award from 0 to 3 Psi Points. These add to the total available. Psi points work on a sliding scale. It is entirely up to the Referee to put a ceiling on Psi Points for his campaign; if the game world has powerful ESPers in it, the Ref should give out Psi Points relatively freely, and allow the villains to gain greater numbers of Psi Points. If powerful ESPers are not desired, never allow the characters to have more than their PSI Stat in Points—this will keep all Psionic activity to a minimum. In general, it is the Referee’s duty to allow characters to advance only as far he feels is appropriate.
POWER LEVEL PSI POINTS
Low . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-10
Normal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-30
Medium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31-50
Medium-High . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51-74
High . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75-99
Very High . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100+
UC3K is a ‘High’ Power Level campaign. The ESPers are brokin into four ‘classes” representing approximate power levels. A class D ESPer has 1 to 30 Psi Points, a Class C, 25 to 50, Class B, between 45 and 75 and Class A 75 to 100
PSIONIC SKILLS
Characters make practical use of their Psionic potential through the use of Psionic Skills. Most characters receive Psionic Skills through their Lifepath (as mentioned above), and may increase them with Education Points as determined by their Lifepath. A very few will possess Wild Talents that are inborn and ready to use from the time the character reaches maturity (see Wild Talents, below). As usual, you may not put more than 10 points into a single skill. Also, unlike other types of skill, a character may not raise any Psionic Skill to a level higher than his Psi Potential Stat. All Psionic skills fall into four Categories: Mind, Body, Force and Will. These categories define how Psionic powers are resisted—the Stats used to resist each Psionic skill are listed below.
Mind: Intelligence
Body: Body Type
Force: Luck
Will: Cool
Resisting Psi Skills
Any character who is attacked by an ESPer (ie, has a Psionic power used on him against his will) gets a chance to resist the attack. The roll is a contest of Stats between the two parties involved; if the attacker wins the power works as normal, and if the defender wins the Psionic skill has no effect, but the attacker still expends all the Psi Points he put into the attack (this includes the points he used to activate the skill as well as any he pumped into the attack as a bonus). If the Defender is also an ESPer then he has the option of adding his own PSI Stat and any extra Psi Points he wishes to put into the defense (in addition to getting the normal Stat defense).
The formulas for the opposing rolls are:
ATTACKER: PSI Stat + Psionic Skill +1D10
vs
DEFENDER: Appropriate Stat (see above) +EMP Stat +1D10
Under GM moderated conditions the ESPer may add additional PSI points to an attack roll. Most of the time this will not be allowed however if dramatic circumstances call for a ‘push’ for the sake of the story, then up to 5, maybe a maximum of 10 extra points my be added.
Situational Modifiers may also apply, and, as always, Luck may be expended to help defend against any form of Psi attack.
Using Psionic Skills
Most resistance rolls against use of Psionic Skills should be made by the Referee secretly. When the goal is to gain information from another mind or across time and space, the Referee should reveal more of the information desired on a very good roll (well over the Difficulty), less information on a roll that barely gets by, and no useful information on an unsuccessful roll. The user of the skill should not know for certain about the completeness of the information, but the Referee can give a hint when he describes the results: “Your visualization is hazy, but you think you see a burning mecha behind a blue building.” Or, for a very good roll: “You see a green and white Mark IV Spitfire powered armor collapsed and burning behind a building marked ‘Satellite Protective Services.’ You can make out every detail of the damaged mecha, right down to the serial number VT4004 on the left shoulder.” When the goal is to affect another person or object (examples: an attack, an illusion, a use of telekinesis, or an attempt at healing), the character should learn only as much as he can observe about the effects of the attempt. When the Referee says, “your foe clutches his head and falls,” it may be an indicator of a successful mental attack, or a ruse by a clever enemy who has deflected your attack. Likewise, a psychic healer may see a wound stop bleeding and begin to close, but she will never know the exact number of damage points that are removed by the effort. A telekinetic can see a book lift from the table across the room, but should not be told how solid a “hold” he has, except in very general terms. “You easily lift the book, and see it rise smoothly to the ceiling” indicates a good roll. “The book wobbles, then rises unsteadily a meter into the air, where it remains, trembling” indicates marginal success. In some cases, such as Stat Boost, the player always knows how successful the attempt will be if it succeeds at all. Resistance rolls may be made freely by the player in such cases. But in most cases, keep the element of uncertainty in the use of Psionic Skills, to add role playing flavor to the game.
Concentration
The use of most Psionic Skills requires concentration. In general, a person using one of these skills must focus attention on the use of the skill. No other action may be taken by a person using such a skill. Some skills (such as Aura Viewing) require a bit of concentration, but allow the user to do other things at the same time. These skills still may be disrupted by distractions, however. Danger Sensing is the only Psionic Skill considered to be “on” at all times, and needs no concentration at all.
Distractions
A character who is injured or startled while using a Psionic Skill must make a COOL Stat roll (no skill applies) to avoid losing her concentration for a Turn. The difficulty level applied depends on the amount of distraction. An unexpected gunshot right behind you is about a Difficulty Level 10. Being hit in the face with a left hook is probably a Level 15 distraction. A major wound is at least a Level 20 distraction. A real emotional trauma, like seeing your best friend’s mecha explode, should be worth a Level 25 or more. If the roll fails, the concentration is interrupted and the power stops operating for one turn. At the end of the next full Turn, concentration can be reestablished if the distraction is gone. In the case of a continuing distraction (such as painfully loud noise all around you or the pain of a severe wound left untreated), a COOL Stat roll is required each turn until the distraction goes away.
Psi Unpredictability
Psionics is still something of an inexact science, and psi abilities and skills have a tendency to act unpredictably from time to time. This allows the Referee to use Psionic Skills to further the plot of an adventure. For example, a Referee may give a character with Clairvoyance or Precognition a warning of something that is happening or about to happen as the “spark” for an adventure situation (“Suddenly, your vision blurs and you can see Randal’s mecha stuck up to its waist in mud, sinking fast!”). In turn, an ability can fail when it is important to the plot that a piece of vital information remain secret. That is why the Referee makes most die rolls for Psionic Skills. The Referee should not use this unpredictability as an excuse to frustrate the players. In fact, spontaneous, uncontrolled use of Psionic powers should help the characters as often as it hinders them. Psi unpredictability keeps Psionic Skills from unbalancing the game and making characters into supercharacters who know everything and can do anything.
