Thursday, September 17, 2009

Dark Sun: 1st Level Disciplines

Ah, it's good to be back at solid work and leave the theorizing for awhile. Here's is the proposed list and description of the 1st Level Disciplines for Psychic Sorcery in Dark Sun. I'd love to get some feedback on them: whether they seem appropriate to the level; whether I've left out something obvious; whether they feel right for the setting. As I mentioned long ago, I started with the Disciplines from Eldritch Wizardry, came up with a rough ranking from level 1 to level 6, and then began adding, subtracting, and modifying as I saw fit. Anyway, here's the list:


Level One
1. After Images
2. Body Equilibrium
3. Detect Psions
4. Empathy
5. Hypnosis
6. Mind over Body
7. Psychic Obfuscation
8. Psychometry
9. Psychokinetic Push
10. Sensory Enhancement
11. Sensual Obscurement



Discipline Descriptions

Level One

After Images
Duration: 1 Immediate Range: Line of Sight Save: Wisdom

Allows the psychic to briefly and subtly confuse the subject’s senses. The usual effect is to create a brief flash as of an after-image, but the psychic could also make the subject think a shadow has moved at the edge of vision or hear a muffled footstep behind him and so forth. This Discipline can be used to briefly distract someone, gain the drop on them or make them turn their head. Nervous subjects might be made scared depending upon the situation.


Body Equilibrium
Duration: 1 Turn/Level Range: Self Save: N/A

This discipline allows the user to adjust the weight of his or her body to correspond with the surface upon which he or she is. Thus, the possessor can walk upon water, silt, mud or whatever. With respect to falling, the psychic cannot levitate, but can reduce falling speed so that no harm occurs.


Detect Psions
Duration: 1 Turn/Level Range: 10’/Level Save: None

Psions are the quanta of psychic energy. All psychics can detect the use of Disciplines or Modes at a range of 10’ per Level/Hit Dice. This Discipline, however, allows one to detect the presence of both passive psychic activity and psychically-powered objects as well. Range in this case is 10 feet per level.


Empathy
Duration: 1 Turn/level Range: Line of Sight Save: None

This discipline allows the basic needs, drives and/or emotions generated by any unshielded sentient mind to be sensed by the possessor of the psionic power. Thus, he or she can sense thirst, hunger, fear, fatigue, pain, rage, hatred, uncertainty, curiosity, hostility, friendliness, love and like emotions. The discipline functions in a directional path determined by the direction in which the possessor is facing.


Hypnosis
Duration: 1 Turn/Level Range: Eye-contact Save: Wisdom

This Discipline allows the psychic to implant simple suggestions upon the target by locking eyes. The suggestion may be a single-word imperative (“Halt” or “”Trip”); it may also be a simple sentence (“These aren’t the nobles you’re looking for”). The subject is allowed a WIS Save to resist. Although there is a duration listed, if the subject has no reason to be suspicious afterward, he will remain unaware that anything unusual has happened. If, however, it is called to his attention after expiration, he will immediately begin to remember the hypnosis.


Mind over Body
Duration: 2 Days/Level Range: Self Save: N/A

This discipline allows the possessor to suppress or mentally satisfy the need for water, food, rest and/or sleep. At some point, however, the possessor must spend an equal number of days of complete rest so as to restore this power. While the individual is not harmed, the discipline cannot be used again until complete rest is taken.


Psychic Obfuscation
Duration: 1 Turn/Level Range: Self Save: None

This Discipline allows the psychic to dampen his own psions rendering himself invisible to Detect Psions. However, the Obfuscation ends if the psychic actively uses his powers.


Psychokinetic Push
Duration: Instant Range: 10’/Level Save: Strength*

The first minor manifestation of telekinetic power, the Psychokinetic Push is just that: an instant shove of force. The Push has a Strength of 10 + psychic’s level for purposes of what can and can’t be moved. The Push can be directed against an opponent who gets a STR Save to resist being knocked over.


Psychometry
Duration: 1 Turn/Level Range: 10’/Level Save: N/A

Deaths and other highly dramatic events leave a "psychic residue" in the very earth and stones where they occur or upon objects held, which may last for centuries. The possessor of this ability can sense emotions, perhaps see momentary visions, of those who have died or suffered some powerful emotion in a place just by standing in it for a moment.


Sensory Enhancement
Duration: 1 Turn/Level Range: Self Save: N/A

This Discipline allows the psychic to enhance his own senses. The sense effectively doubles in range. Alternately, vision may be attuned to low-light (granting darkvision).


Sensual Obscurement
Duration: 1 Round/Level Range: Line of Sight Save: INT

The psychic may use this Discipline to distort one of the subject’s senses. Vision becomes blurry, sounds become indistinct, etc. A subject with obscured vision is not rendered blind, but cannot recognize faces or read writing; he also attacks at a -2. A subject with obscured hearing is not prevented from hearing someone sneak past him, but will be unable to recognize the sound for what it is.

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