Alter Matter

A psionicist with this devotion can randomly change the composition of a substance, allowing him to spoil the flavor of an exotic spice, destroy a potion, kill a mold or disease, turn a fine wine rancid, or neutralize a poison that the psionicist is familiar with. If the poison is already in the bloodstream, though, the psionicist must check his power every turn to see if he has done more damage than good. Healing and Herbalism proficiencies each add +4 to this check. Due to unfamiliarity with alien physiologies, psionicists working on different species must face the same penalties as the telepath working on Alien minds.

This power cannot be used to harm unwilling creatures above one ounce in mass, though it might be used to neutralize the venom in a snake’s fangs—providing the snake failed a saving throw vs. Poison.

Animate Object

This power allows the user to control the movement of an otherwise inanimate object, giving it the appearance of life. For example, animate object can make chairs walk or stones dance, though objects being animated must weigh 100 pounds or less. The material the item is made of affects the difficulty of the task, as indicated below.

Once animated, all materials become flexible to some extent, though fluid motion is uncommon. Animated items move like puppets, with jerky, clumsy motions. if the item was rigid initially, it makes loud creaking, groaning, or grating sounds as it moves. An animated item moves up to 60 feet a round (movement rate 6). It can be used to attack, acting like a club with a THAC0 of 20 and a damage score of 1 d6 points.

With this devotion the psionicist can animate the shadow cast by anyone or anything and make it seem to have life of its own. The shadow can even move away from the person or thing that cast it. It must, however, remain flatly cast along a surface. It can never be more than two-dimensional.

An animated shadow can’t really do anything other than startle or amuse someone. It cannot attack or disrupt a mage’s concentration. In this regard. it is similar to a cantrip’s effect. It can serve as a diversion by entertaining someone or attracting a guard’s attention.

Fumble—The shadow disappears completely for one round.

This power can make any psionicist a "David" when he’s facing "Goliath." It’s a special variation of the telekinesis science. Instead of moving any object relatively slowly, ballistic attack allows the character to hurl a small object at a target. The object, no more than 1 pound in weight, can achieve deadly speeds. It must be within sight of the psionicist and cannot be anchored or attached to anything else. A rock is the most common weapon.

The psionicist uses his regular THAC0 to determine whether he hits the target. If he succeeds, the missile inflicts 1d6 points of damage (assuming, of course, that the character made a successful power check in the first place).

Fumble—Ballistic boomerang. The psionicist becomes the object’s target.

Bonding

Bonding allows the psionicist to joins two surfaces together. An enemy’s boots can be joined to the floor, his sword to its sheath, or the joints of his armor fused together into a useless plug of metal. Bonding can also be used to repair damaged items, joining two shards of a sword together or repairing a broken bowstring. The power does not affect living creatures.

The rate of joining is approximately 6 square inches per round. If used on someone’s armor, this will suffice to freeze one joint or fix one boot to the ground. A character immobilized in this fashion can usually wriggle out or tear free in one round, but a character wearing bonded plate mail is probably stuck for quite some time.

Fumble: The psionicist bonds his own boots to the ground and becomes stuck.

This power allows the user to weaken an object’s molecular bonds. When stress is applied to the object or a blow is struck, it snaps. The user can create one "weak point" of approximately 2 square inches each round. Deterioration occurs across a plane (in two dimensions, not three). One round’s application is enough to fatally weaken most small objects (knives, ropes, saddle straps, bows, etc.). Larger objects require more time and are subject to the DM’s discretion.

The DM must decide how vulnerable Manipulate Solids makes larger, oddly shaped items (such as doors and shields). An object need not be in two pieces to be useless. A small boat, for example, is unsafe if it has a crack in its hull.

This power enables the user to excite the molecules of a substance, causing paper to ignite, wood to smolder, or skin to blister, for example. The degree of destruction is as follows, depending on the number of rounds the item is agitated:

One round. Readily flammable materials, such as paper and dry grass, ignite; skin becomes red and tender (1 point of damage); wood becomes dark.

Two rounds. Wood smolders and smokes-metal becomes hot to the touch; skin blisters (1 d4 points of damage); hair melts; paint shrivels.

Three rounds. Wood ignites; metal scorches (1 d4 points of damage); skin burns away (1d6 points of damage); water boils, lead melts. The damage inflicted doesn’t increase beyond this round, but targets continue to suffer the 1 d4 or 1 d6 points for each subsequent round the power continues.

Four rounds. Steel grows soft.

Five rounds. Steel melts.

Magical items receive saving throws against magical fire, but a +10 penalty is applied to the number needed. The heat produced by this power is highly destructive as it comes from inside the item instead of outside.

This power lets the psionicist compact any nonliving material into a very small size. The material retains its original mass, but its substance is compressed. Each use of this power can compact 10 cubic feet of material into one cubic foot of space. The material can be gaseous, liquid, or solid, and reacts to temperature changes normally while compacted. It will remain compact for 24 hours. Then it quickly expands to its original size, exerting tremendous force.

When expanding, the material forces its way around existing things. For instance, an expanding bounder on a surface of sand causes no damage, but compacted water poured into the cracks of stone severely damage the stone when it expands. If carefully applied, each cubic foot of compacted materials can cause as much as 25 structural points of damage on expansion. A creature that ingests compacted materials takes 1d20 points of damage per ounce taken in when the material re-expands. Expansion is quick, but not explosive.

As a side effect of compaction, the material receives a +4 bonus to all item saving throws.

This power lets the psionicist collect all moisture within the area of effect as water in a single container. The amount collected depends on the local terrain type.

The psionicist must hold the container while using the power. If the container is too small to hold the water collected, or if it is leaky, the excess spills onto the ground.

The power only collects uncollected vapor and droplets around the caster. Free-standing water in a glass, pool, or other container is not collected. It does not adversely affect plants or animals in the area. The drying effect on any local flora becomes evident in the next few lays, but most Athasian plants can survive the temporary loss of ground moisture.

Fumble—The power also collects a large portion of water from the psionicist’s own holy, inflicting an immediate loss of half his hit points.

This discipline allows the psionicist to attempt to control another person’s body like a puppet on psionic strings, in order to succeed, the psionicist must win a contest similar to a psychic contest, except that the target’s THAC0 is used instead of his MTHAC0. The target’s strength bonus applies.

By controlling flames, a psionicist can make a normal fire bigger, smaller, hotter, or colder. He can even make it move around as if it were a living creature.

A fire’s size can be increased by 100% or decreased by 50%. If the fire’s heat is increased, it causes double damage. If its heat is reduced, the damage is halved. This applies to flaming torches, burning oil, and other normal fires, but not to magical fires such as fireballs or burning hands.

An animated fire can move up to 90 feet per round (MR 9). It can be shaped like a person or an animal, as long as it covers no more than 10 square feet of ground. If the fire moves away from its fuel, it can survive for only one more round, then dies out.

An animated fire can also attack by engulfing an opponent. The psionicist must make an attack roll using his regular THAC0. If successful, the attack causes 1d6 points of damage.

Fumble—The psionicist burns himself, suffering 1d4 points of damage.

This power allows the user to manipulate ambient light. He can’t create light from darkness, but he can create darkness from light. Use of control light can accomplish the following:

	Deepen existing shadows. A thief hidden in such shadows receives a +20% bonus to his hide-in-shadows rolls.
	Brighten existing shadows. This reduces a thief’s hiding ability by 20%.
	Brighten a light source until it becomes blinding. Those exposed to the light receive a -2 penalty to attack rolls.
	Dim a light source. This has no effect on attack rolls.
	Extend shadows into areas that are well lit. Only existing shadows can be lengthened, increasing in size by 200%.
	Extend light into areas that are in shadow. Shadows can be reduced by 50%.

This power allows the user to shape and alter existing sounds. A man’s words could emerge as a lion’s roar, or the noise of marching soldiers can be made to sound like the wind of a sandstorm. Sounds also can be layered, so that one singer can be made to sound like a choir. Control sound can also dampen a noise. The player must specify what sound his character intends to eliminate. For example, the user might quiet the strike of a hammer or erase the creak of a door. He couldn’t eliminate both at once however.

With this power, a user can gain limited control over wind speed and direction. The speed of any existing wind can be increased or decreased by 10 miles per hour or 25%—whichever is greater. The direction of the wind can be changed by up to 90 degrees. These changes are temporary, lasting only as long as the PSP cost is paid. The changes occur in the round that the power is successfully activated. The wind returns to its original course and speed the round that the PSP cost is not paid.

Wind above 19 miles per hour prevents anything smaller than a human from flying and imposes a -4 modifier on missile fire. On the water, such wind makes sailing difficult. Wind gusting at more than 32 miles per hour causes minor damage to ships and buildings. This wind also kicks up clouds of dust and prevents all but the largest creatures from flying. Wind more than 55 miles per hour prevents all flight, knocks down trees and wooden buildings, and may swamp ships. Wind more than 73 miles per hour is a hurricane gale.

This power allows the user to create a sound from silence. That means that the psionicist can choose from the source or location of the sound. For example, he can make rocks sing, weapons cast insults, and trees sound as if there were a battle occurring inside. The sound can be as soft as a whisper, or as loud as several people shouting in unison. Once the sound is created, the psionicist can maintain it by paying the cost each round.

Fumble— Suspicious sound occurs at location of psionicist

Cryokinesis is the opposite of molecular agitation. Instead of increasing the energy of the target’s molecules to raise its internal heat, molecular motion is suppressed to lower the object’s heat. Objects may freeze, become brittle, crumble, shatter, or explode from extreme drops in temperature. The list below shows some of the possibilities, depending on how tong the power is maintained.

Being frozen and then thawing out does not automatically destroy most items, but they may become more susceptible to breakage. Armor and Weapons that become brittle due to Cryokinesis must make saving throws versus Crushing blows each time they deliver or receive blows in combat. (Thri-kreen who are struck while their chitin is brittle suffer double damage from any physical blow.)

Fumble—The psionicist inflicts mild hypothermia on himself and suffers 1d4 points of damage.

This power resembles the displacer beast's natural ability to make itself appear to be up to 3 feet from his actual location. The psionicist decides where (within the 3-foot limitation) this false image of himself will appear. This is a very effective means of protecting oneself from attack, giving the psionicist a two-point bonus on his armor class (lowering it two points). True seeing will reveal the character's real location.

This power is used to create charged psionic items such as psionic rods and enchargeable receptacles. Unlike Empower, Encharge does not imbue the device with intelligence or extraordinary abilities. An Encharged device is simply charged a set number of times to release one single psionic power.

The following types of items may be encharged: obsidian spheres, gems, objects containing crystal. Like any item to be magically or psionically enhanced, the device must be of superior quality. The exact quality or cost for encharging any particular power is left to the DM.

Unlike processes such as Entune or Empower, the device need not be freshly made, nor does the device require extensive preparation. The psionicist simply spends an hour preparing the object to receive charges, and then spends an hour per charge that she wishes to place in the item. She must make the MAC check for the power being encharged once during the preparation phase, and she must make the MAC check for Encharge at each hour of the Encharge process. In addition to the hourly psp cost of the Encharge power, the psionicist must spend the cost of the power being placed into the item for each charge. The psionicist must charge the item continually without interruption; the item can never be charged beyond its first number of charges (see below). Encharged Psionic items may only be used once every eight hours, but the power may be maintained at the cost of 1 charge per round (or turn or day, depending on the power.)

For example, Troika, a 14th level psychoporter, uses Encharge to store Dimension Door into a fine opal-tipped rod. She spends 24 psp (20 plus 4 psp, the cost of the Dimension Door power) to prepare the item to receive the charges. After an hour of preparation, she spends 24 PSP per hour for 36 hours. Troika uses Mind Over Body to stay awake and focused on the task, and only stops charging because she failed the MAC roll for Encharge. As a result, Troika’s rod contains 36 charges of Dimension Door. The rod could be used to create 1-round duration Dimension Doors (at 8-hour intervals), or it could be used to maintain a single Dimension Door for up to 36 rounds, etc.

Encharged items can also be recharged using this devotion. The recharging psionicist need not know the power being charged; he only needs to know the Encharge power. Each recharge requires the same time and number of psps placed as would be required to charge, with the exception of the preparation cost. The psionicist must recharge the item continually without interruption up to the item’s maximum number of charges. When she stops recharging, the number of charges in the item becomes the new maximum.

For example, Troika’s rod falls into the hands of her arch-enemy, Brandt the Psychometabolist. By the time that Brandt reaches 12th level, and manages to learn the Encharge power, he has used 32 charges from the rod, leaving only 4 charges remaining. Since he does not possess the Mind over Body power, Brandt falls asleep after eight hours of charging. Therefore from now on, the rod cannot be recharged to over 12 charges.

If the item is ever completely drained of charges, then it cannot ever be recharged, nor used by the psionicist to Encharge any psionic power.

If this devotion is used to create an Encharged receptacle, then the psionicist may store up to 25 psps per level item using the Receptacle discipline. Like standard gem receptacles, such an item will "leak" 1 psp per day after recharging. If the receptacle ever reaches 0 psps, then it needs to be recharged.

Fumble—The Psionicist can never again Encharge (or recharge) that item

This power yields the same results as the Meditative Focus proficiency, in less time. When a psionicist learns this power, he selects one discipline to enhance. As long as he maintains the enhancement power, all MTHACO attempts within the chosen disciplines are given a bonus of two. At the same time, all other powers receive a penalty of one.

Fumble—All MTHACO rolls receive the penalty of one for 24 hours.

This power is used to create metapsionic jewelry (such as psionic rings), metal items that affect the wearer’s psionics. Metapsionic items do not confer psionic abilities, but alter existing ones. All metapsionic items are made of pure metal such as gold, platinum, or steel, and expertly crafted. The metal must be purified using the Rearrange Matter science. This skill is rarely learned outside the Order or the personal tutelage of a sorcerer-king. The majority of metapsionic jewelwry in Athas dates back to the mid-Green Age.

Each items takes a set number of days to make, depending on the degree of power bestowed (DM’s discretion). For example, a ring entuned to reduce the wearer’s MAC by one could take 4 days to make, while a bracelet designed to halve psps spent on Clairsentience powers might take 90 days. If one day is missed, or any of the checks fail, the creator must begin again. Each item is different, and the secrets behind fabricating a given item are usually taught by a powerful master. It can take years for a psionicist to discover the methods in creating one type of metapsionic ring.

This power is used as a defense, creating a barrier of psionic energy around the user and anyone within three yards of him. This barrier softens missile blows, shielding the user from damage by slowing and absorbing some or all of the potential damage caused by incoming attacks. However, the barrier also slows outgoing missile attacks-a drawback the user should consider.

The power protects against damage from these forms of attack: any non magical missile weapon; any physical missile created by magic; any missile with magical bonuses; flames; some breath weapon attacks (depending on the nature of the breath); acid; gas; all forms of disintegration; and falling (damage is halved). Inertial barrier cannot stop missiles conjured from pure magic or protect against raw heat or cold, pure energy or light, or gaze weapons. An inertial barrier cannot keep enemies out, but it does slow them. Anyone trying to cross a barrier must stop moving when contact is made. In the next round, the barrier can be crossed (either entering or exiting).

Missile weapons, whether passing into or out of the barrier, inflict damage in a modified fashion because the power saps energy from the missile. If a missile strikes its target after passing through the barrier (in either direction), the attacker rolls for damage as normal. However, the defender then rolls the same die to see how much damage the barrier absorbed. (Note: The defender doesn’t include any magical bonuses the weapon may have.) The defender subtracts his die roll from the attacker’s damage total. If anything remains, the defender loses that many hit points. If the defender’s roll equals or exceeds the total damage, the weapon falls harmlessly to the ground. If the missile is explosive, the barrier prevents weapon damage but not explosive damage.

This power allows the user to float by using telekinesis on himself. The user can lift himself at the rate of 1 foot a second, or 60 feet a round. He can descend as quickly as he wants by simply letting himself fall, then slowing down as he nears the ground. The user can always levitate his own weight. Additional weight, such as equipment or passengers, is a hindrance. Every 25 pounds of added weight improves the power’s MAC by 1.

Levitation isn’t flying. The power provides no horizontal movement. The user can hover motionlessly and drift with the wind, or he can push off a wall or other fixed object and drift up to 60 feet a round in a straight line. He can’t stop, however, until he meets another solid object, lowers himself to the ground, or stops paying the PSP cost. Two powers-control wind and project force-can help the levitating user propel himself forward and change direction. The use of these additional powers requires the extra expenditure of PSPs and MTHAC0 rolls.

A psionicist using magnetize can change the magnetic orientation of a metal object, strongly magnetizing it. The initial cost is 2 PSPs per pound of metal so affected, so a four-pound long sword requires 8 PSPs to magnetize. The item remains magnetized for a number of rounds equal to the psionicist’s level before reverting to normal.

The effects of this power are simple the psionicist can make the item attracted to other metal objects or repelled by other metal objects. Any metal objects within 20 feet of the magnetized object are within its magnetic influence. Metallic creatures get a saving throw versus spells to avoid being magnetized.

In deciding how magnetism affects an object, remember that a heavier object remains stationary, while a lighter object moves toward or away from it. If a character’s short sword is magnetized and his friend standing beside him is wearing plate mail, the short sword will go flying over to stick to the armored fellow—not the other way around. A creature holding or wearing an object unless magnetic influence may attempt a strength check to retain control of the item.

A character wearing metal armor can be immobilized if he fails his Strength check. Other effects are left to the DM’s Imagination, but small objects such as daggers can reach impressive speeds when attracted or repelled by magnetism.

Fumble—All metal objects on the psionicist’s person are scattered 2-20 (2d10) feet in random directions.

A psionicist with this devotion can affect the way in which gravity affects an item. The weight of the item can be increased to 200% normal or reduced to 25% normal. The effect remains as long as the psionicist maintains the power.

This power allows a psionicist to drain a target of its momentum, causing it to stop moving. The stolen momentum is dissipated harmlessly in the ground at the psionicist’s feet. Arrows, catapult missiles, and even flying creatures can be halted in mid-air and begin to fall. (Winged creatures can usually break their fall after a drop of 10 to 20 feet, however.)

Creatures walking or fighting are temporarily thrown off-balance and must make a dexterity check to avoid stumbling and losing their action for the round. A running or charging creature must make a Dexterity check with a -4 penalty or take a running tumble for 1d4 points of damage. The victim is stunned for 1-2 rounds.

If this power is used on a failing character, it stops him instantly and he begins to fall again. However, since his speed was reduced to 0, falling damage is only counted for the distance he fell after his momentum was neutralized.

It is hard to remove the momentum of heavy and fast-moving objects. The larger and faster an item, the more PSPs it costs to arrest its movement. It requires 5 PSPs to stop a man-sized creature (200 pounds) with a movement rate of 12, which is equal to walking at about four miles per hour. Each doubting of speed or weight costs an additional 5 PSPs, so it costs 25 PSPs to stop a charging half-giant in his tracks.

Fumble—The psionicist knocks himself sprawling and must save versus death or be stunned 1-3 rounds.

This power allows the user to focus a psychokinetic "punch" against a target up to 200 yards away. If used offensively, this punch causes damage equal to 1d6 points plus the target’s Armor Class (negative armor classes are subtracted from the die roll). Only AC provided by actual armor is added to or subtracted from the roll—not Dexterity or magical bonuses. A successful save vs. breath weapon reduces the damage to half.

Project force can also be used to trigger traps, throw levers, open doors (not locked or latched), break windows, etc. No attack roll is needed, just the MTHAC0 roll to activate it.

When a psionicist invokes this power, he sends out a powerful ring of psionic noise (extending to 100 feet). All psionic activity within this area requires twice the normal initial cost and maintenance. The initiating psionicist is not affected; the noise actually begins about an inch beyond his aura, creating a bubble of relative quiet around him.

Other psionicists in the area of effect will not realize anything is wrong until they have actually used a power. If they are maintaining a power, they discover the inflated rate after paying twice the normal cost.

If two psionicists initiate psionic inflation in the same area, the psionicists must conduct a psychic contest. The loser's psionic inflation ceases. If both characters fail, then both cease their power maintenance. Reroll ties.

Fumble—The psionicist cannot recover PSPs for two hours.

This power lets a psionicist collect PSPs after expenditure of PSPs from other characters or creatures. Whenever PSPs are spent, a residue of psionic energy remains in the area, permeating the prime, astral, and ethereal planes in the vicinity. The residue fades after five rounds. When the power is used, the psionicist immediately aids PSPs to his total equal to 1/10 of all PSPs expended by other characters within the area of effect within the preceding five rounds (round fractions down.)

PSPs expended by the psionicist himself aren’t counted.

This power allows psionicists to store PSPs for future use. Receptacles can be crystaline gems, or encharged items (see Encharge devotion). Crystaline gems can contain up to 1 psp per GP value of the gem (Athasian rate!). Encharged receptacles can contain as many psps as the psionicist can store (see below).

A psionicist can have as many receptacles as she would like, but can store only up to 20 psp per level of experience in all of her combined receptacles.

Both gems and empowered receptacles "leak" 1 psp per day—per receptacle. Hence encharged receptacles are extraordinarily valuable, and powerful psionicists tend to covet large, unflawed gems.

Any psionicist can use another’s receptacle, but is advised against doing so, because this is an easy way to contract cerebral parasites. You never know where someone else’s psyche has been!

To fill a receptacle (whether gem or encharged), a psionicist must spend a turn in concentration. After this turn, the psionicist can store 1 psp every round. Each psp stored costs 2 psps.

To take stored psps back in, the psionicist’s skin (or chitin) must be in contact with the receptacle. Minimal concentration is required: the character can move or attack while taking in psps, but cannot do all three at the same time. This also applies to psionics: characters can initiate another psionic ability in the round that they drain psps from a receptacle, but they cannot move and initiate an ability and drain a receptacle. Players must declare that their character will take in psps before initiative, and the transfer does not actually take place.

If a psionic receptacle is damaged, the psps are lost.

No MTHACO check is required for the use of this power. This power can be used to draw psps at the same time as other powers are triggered normally. This power must be declared before initiative, and takes effect at the very end of the round.

This power resembles Break, except that it weakens the entire object instead of small area across a single plane. The object softens overall, losing its rigidity and strength. Specific effects vary, depending on the material. When the psionicist ceases to maintain the power, the item resumes its original rigidity, but not necessarily its shape.

Metal: For each round of softening, weapons incur a -1 penalty to attack rolls and cause one less point of damage, cumulatively. The armor class of metal armor increases one point per round of softening. After 10 rounds, any metal becomes soft and rubbery, but retains its shape.

Wood: Like metal, weapons with wooden shafts or handles suffer a -1 penalty to attack rolls and damage per round of softening. After six rounds, wood becomes stringy and rubbery but retains its shape. After 10 rounds, the grain can be split easily and a punch can break through even the hardest and thickest doors or chests.

Stone: After two rounds, stone becomes noticeably soft to the touch. After five rounds, it can be worked like stiff clay, but this is as soft as it gets.

Magical Items: Save vs. crushing blow to escape the effect entirely.

Living Tissue: No effect .

DMs can use their own judgment and the examples above to handle other materials.

Fumble—The item is strengthened, and can’t be affected again until the psionicist gains one level.

A psionicist with this ability can use his control of magnetism to accumulate a charge of static electricity and then discharge it in the form of violent electrical shocks. The longer the psionicist accumulates the charge, the more damaging the discharge will be; the attack inflicts 1 d4+ I points of damage per round of accumulation. Maintaining this power doesn’t count as an attack, but the discharge does. The psionicist must make an attack roll to hit his target, but only magical protections apply—armor and Dexterity do not.

Fumble—The psionicist shocks himself for 1 d4 damage and magnetizes any metal items he has on him.

Synaptic Static interferes with all psionic activity within a given area. Even the psionicist is affected; when he or she creates static, no power can be used simultaneously. However, anyone who tries to use a psionic power within the area of effect must fight the static’s creator in psychic combat (which unlike psionics, is possible in the static—see Psionics primer for the distinction between psionics and psychic attacks). If the opponent wins, the static stops.

Exposure to synaptic static for more than five rounds will give anyone a splitting headache. This has no game effect, but it will make NPCs and animals irritable.