anyone can be a psionicist?

[endwarde]

Here's a quick question...

While rolling up characters tonight, people of course gravitated to the psionics. I might have missed something, but I can't find any limiter in the game that keeps anyone from being a psionicist as long as they spend a feat to get psionics affinity or training or whatnot. So, effectively, any character can get tested for psionics at 18 and have SOME level of psionic ability (3d6). If their PSI scores are good enough, they can get a scholorship for training, and then take the %95 of the nothing (practically) that they have at the time, and then get psionic ablility. They can then go on with their career in previous history and put in character feats and skill points into their stuff.

To me it seems a bit odd that every character, and every race, are all potential psionics just waiting to get tested. If my take on this is wrong, I would really like to be corrected so I can clear this up for my players! Thanks everyone.

 

[Bruce]

Anyone has psionic potential.
You have to spend FEATS to get the abilities under the sphere's of influence.
This is showing your dedication to being psionic and the training needed.
So you can be psionic and if you don't put feats into it on a regular basis, you might have a good psionic strength, but you won't be very versitile. You might have one ability in ONE sphere.
This shows a fine example of how they say some people have some minor psionic power..."I get hunches about people" or "I sometimes can tell what someone is thinking"...but if you want to be a major psionic bada&&, you are going to have to use a lot of feats to do it and your other facets will suffer.
So there is no way to be a raging Marine with a psionic blast and all the other feats tht give marines good combat ability.
But something interesting might be...a trader with precognition or telepathy to help make those deals go down.
This is partially due to setting reasons, in the OTU, psionics are illegal int he Imperium. If you are caught using psionic powers I think the best you can hope for is a lobotomy!
And in the OTU, the official Traveller universe, another reason it's open is it's HARD to find a place to be trained. They have to be hidden and under the radar so to speak, or they'll all be killed or worse.
BUT, ultimately, it is YOUR universe, if you want to change it or make it easier you can. If you want to make psionics not so hated and hunted, you can.

just because it's int he urles does not mean it's available in YOUR universe.

It's YOURS, you decide!

Bruce
The Man Behind the Curtain

 

[endwarde]

Thanks for the reply! That really helped me iron out the intent of the rules. I have some ideas for how to incorporate all this. Thanks again.

 

[lord irial]

My take on this would be that if you want your character to be trained for psionics, you can't do it through prior history; you have to find an Institute and train for it during the actual game.

More fun letting everyone try to figure out where to go, dodging the law and prejudiced citizenry, and then (hopefully) finding the place and playing through the basic training. Of course, some of the PC's might be prejudiced against pionics themselves...

 

[PapaGolfWhiskey]

Myself I tend to limit players to The 'Natural Talent' Feat.

or alternatively I'm not above playing favourites.

players who want to do something I or the rules don't normally allow are more likely to get what they want if they are good RP'er whom I've learned to trust not to munchkin-out.

Inexperienced players, Players I don't completely trust not to min/max players who still the game is about Beating the Ref and haven't got over the concept of a game you cannot 'win'...

To them I tend to be a 'by the book'(and then some) prick.

 

[tjoneslo]

I think the best limiter for Psionic powers is requiring the following choice for players who wish their character to be psionic.

1) Take the Natural Talent feat, get trained by the PSI institute. You can not take any prior history, and you start at 1st level.

2) Take the natural talent feat, but no training. You can go through prior history system, then rely on me (The GM) to let you find a PSI institute in the game.

3) Don't take the Natural Talent feat, but do go through the prior history system. If you can roll the find PSI institute, you can be trained with what ever psi strength you currently have.

Back in the CT days, where there was no Natural Talent feat, you only had the choice of option 1 or option 3.

 

[xloop]

There is also a slight issue with the cost of the Psi training. If you take the Psi feats at first level, say while in college, you have nothing to give 95% of. You haven't mustered out yet and to take 95% of anything the character gains in the future just goes agaibnst the grain of the game. I mean why bother to muster out then. So long to that ship you worked those 4 terms for, oh and now you're too old to really use the psi.

I have expanded the Psi in my system much more. I wanted a method of healing and other mystical type powers to be avilable. To do this I just used the Psion out of the Psionics handbook. Use any spell allowed for MU or Clerics and pay twice the spell level, minus 1 in PP to cast. There are some other restrictions so it doesn't get crazy. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[endwarde]

Something I have decided on instituting is method where, if in their prior-history, if the player wishes to attempt to be tested and trained, (unless Zhodani)they have to make a gather information roll with a 18DC or so at whatever point in their career they are at in order to even find the training facility to get tested. Every term they serve elsewhere gives them a +1 to their roll. They can only make the role once per term served. I think this will make characters tend to get their psi later in their careers, and will make them think twice on whether they want to give up their loot they have already collected. What do you all think?