Psionics

This article hasn't been updated since the last theme upgrade. Leave a comment or report anything that's unusable, unreadable, or could simply use some improvement.
Psionics is the umbrella term for all psychic abilities. Today, it's divided into six discrete disciplines, each with their own techniques associated with them. Those who can learn these techiques are known as Psions.
  Though psionics allows one to perform superhuman feats, it comes with risk. Any who aren't careful pay a high price.

Basics

MES

Metadimensional Extraversion Syndrome is a disease in which metadimensional energies flood the mind. If not carefully controlled, it can lead to brain damage, death, or worse.
  Symptoms of MES typically appear in adolescence.
 

Psions

Those afflicted with MES can learn to control metadimensional energy through super-human abilities called psionics. Practitioners are psions.
  There are six psionic disciplines, but most psions specialize in one or two, with some only ever able to learn a single technique. All must remain careful, however, or suffer the painful consequences of MES.

Effort

It takes Effort to control MES, and psions have a limited amount. Some techniques are more tiring than others, taking a day to recover from, while others the psion can recover from within an hour.

Torching

Psions can push themselves past their Effort limits by Torching, but without total control over MES, they often suffer brain damage from it. There is no cure for Torching's side effects.

Feral

If a psion Torches too much, they may lose all sense of self and self-preservation. A Feral psion is a puppet of MES. They have infinite Effort and commonly attack on sight.
 

 

Psionic Disciplines

Icon Discipline Description
Icon-Psion-BI.webp
Icon of Biopsionics by Rin Garnett
Biopsionics The practice of manipulating the human body, whether healing, hurting, or transforming. A master biopsion is near unkillable.
Icon-Meta.webp
Icon for Metapsionics
Metapsionics The practice of detecting, stopping, or amplifying other psionic techniques. A master metapsion can become immune to other psionic techniques.
Icon-Precog.webp
Icon for Precognition
Precognition The practice of glimpsing into the future to predict or prevent certain outcomes. Precognition is the rarest form of psionics.
Icon-Telekin.webp
Icon for Telekinesis by Rin Garnett
Telekinesis The practice of manipulating physical space to move objects or create constructs. A master telekinetic can even control another person's body.
Icon-Telepath.webp
Icon for Telepathy by Rin Garnett
Telepathy The practice of seeing, manipulating, and communicating through human thoughts. A master telepath can rewrite someone's memories.
Icon for Teleportation
Teleportation The practice of moving people and objects instantly through space. Teleporters are impossible to imprison.
Your backstory may unlock personalized content.
Select or Update

Timeline

2240
MES first manifests as a deadly condition
2275
Psionic Authority is founded
2398
Psionic Authority disbands
2665
The Scream destroys all psitech and kills most psions
2898
The Blue Spire Academy is founded on Xeros

On Willingness

Some techniques only work on willing targets. It's believed all creatures have an innate ability to subconsciously defend against unwanted psionics.
  Someone who is unconscious only sometimes counts as a willing target. There's no clear explanation for this, but it might relate to a theorized quantum nature of the metadimension.
 

FACTS

The acronym of FACTS stands for Far, Amount, Consent, Time, and Sense, and summarizes limitations of psionic disciplines. Each discipline is ruled by a separate set of FACTS.
 

Did you know?

Psions once could use their abilities without fear of Torching or going Feral. These methods were lost in The Scream, leaving today's psions far more vulnerable.

Psionic Institutions

Historic

Surviving MES requires learning how to direct the energy toward healthier outlets. The first organization to create a curriculum for this was the Psionic Authority. They made rapid progress, developing techniques, disciplines, and what became known as psitech - technology that amplified or mimicked psionic abilities.
  However, this progress came at a steep cost in lives. Once it was revealed how deeply unethical their methods were, and how many people suffered because of it, arrests were made and the Authority ultimately disbanded. Laws and oversight committees were created to make sure nothing like that happened again.

Modern

Today, the Blue Spire Academy is the largest institution of psionics learning. It's historically been well regarded, but its reputation has fallen significantly after the arrest of the university's then-president. Many fear BSA might become this era's version of the Psionic Authority.
  These large institutions are what make the news, but they're far from the only psionics schools. Smaller ones dot most planets, many aimed at helping adolescents come to grips with their new abilities, and a smaller number serving as sources of higher education and research. The Protectorate even has a program to subsidize creating such schools in areas that don't have one, knowing that education is how we save lives.


Cover image: Global Banner by Aaron Lee (left), Nick Ong & Norah Khor (right)

Comments

Please Login in order to comment!