Psionics... Practical Application thereof

[txnetwolf]

Looking at the T20 rules for Psionics and the playtest file ruleset (26JUN2004)...

I wanted to come up with some hard and fast rules for psionic powers (specifically, Telekinesis) in combat, then suggest them to my gamemaster for adoption. The rulesets are pretty vague when it comes to the psi-powers, so I'm looking to get some more "umfff" out of them without unbalancing the game. I'd appreciate your feedback on the following...

1) Telekinetic Disarm
Say a Psionicist decides to TK the weapon from an enemy's hands. Compute range, compute weapon weight/psi point cost, make sure psion has requisite skill ranks... then what? Opposed rolls - D20+PSI Mod VS D20+STR Mod???
At first glance, this might look ok... but it fails to account for the "surprise factor." If you're holding a weapon and someone attempts to wrest it from your grasp, I could see comparing STR checks... but a mental "disarm" from out of the blue?
Instead, I propose the enemy weapon holder make a REF save at DC[Psion's skill check number] (ie, D20+PSI mod)

2) Speed of a Telekinetically-controlled Object
Ok, so you telekinetically have an enemy's weapon. How fast does it travel back to you? (or to the edge of the platform, or into the incinerator, etc. etc.)
I propose that a base movement of 30' (uh... 9m) be used (double moves allowed, but no hustle or run) when the item is in its minimum weight category of the Telekinesis Sphere chart. And for every weight category above the minimum that the Psionicist "pays for" you get a doubling of speed.
Example, an 8kg pistol is being TK'd through the air. The controling Psi user must have 8 ranks of Skill:Telekinesis and expend 12 Psi points (+ range modifier) at a minimum to accomplish this. The pistol moves at 30'/round or 60'/round with a double move.
If the Psionicist spends 14 points (instead of 12) the pistol will move twice as fast (ie, 60'/round or 120'/round.)
An expenditure of 16 Psi points has it flying through the air at 90'/round (double move: 180')

3) Telekinetic "Slam" Attack
So you've TK'd an object and have it flying through the air... now, you want it to slam into your opponent. How do you determine if you hit, and what kinda damage are we talking about?
First I propose that to damage anyone with a TK Slam, the object must be controlled at two weight categories beyond the minimum to move it. (See above example - something moving at the speed of a walk is not going to hurt much.)
Second, the Psionicist makes an attack roll using BAB+PSI mod with no adjustment for range (taken into account already when computing Psi point cost.)
Finally, damage is based upon weight of the hurled object - 1d4+Psi Mod for a 1kg object, 1d6+Psi mod for 10kg, 1d8+Psi mod for 100kg.


Do these rules appear balanced and fair?

 

[princelian]

From a play balance point of view:

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1. In the d20 system, all disarms, whether by spell, psionics, or person, use the standard opposed disarm check. This is true of Ranged Disarm (see Crystalkeep for an excellent list of feats, btw) as well as the psionic ability that lets you do it. No surprise, no harsher opposed check.</font>
2. No free increase in speed for moving lighter objects. You might require less effort (lower roll to succeed) for a smaller object, or if you have a psionic power point system, less power points expended.</font>
3. No free slam attack without learning a different power. If you want Telekinetic Disarm, that's a skill or feat, and if you want Telekinetic Slam, that's another. A power that does both is, well, two powers.</font>

I'm setting aside the inherent unbalanced-ness of the psionic rules as they are in the T20 handbook - teleporters are really cheap to buy vs telepaths that require signfiicant investment - because I assume that if your GM is using psionics he's fixed that somehow.

(I both plan to use psionics and to fix it such that each domain of psionic talent takes the same total effort to develop to its end configuration. If telepathy takes 10 feats and 23 ranks of a skill, then so will telekinesis, teleportation, clairvoyance, and awareness. What abilities fall within each gradiation of character development cost are as yet to be determined... Of course, if none of my players are interested in a psionic character, I won't make it a very high priority.)

 

[Valarian]

Rules for damage caused by hurled objects using the Force can be found in the Star Wars game errata on the Wizards of the Coast website.

 

[txnetwolf]

I guess I should clarify a bit regarding the psionic rules we're using in the campaign in question...

My character will be using the Psionic Rules as they exist in THB and modified by the Playtest Ruleset. These rules state that as you take levels in the 'Psionicist' class you no longer have to spend feats to gain the Psi-abilities. As long as you have sufficient ranks in the appropriate skill (ie, Telekinesis, Telepathy, Awareness, etc) then you may use any of the talents contained in each sphere.

Your level of Psionicist now dictates which spheres you gain access to... ie, 1 sphere at 1st level, 2 spheres at 5th level, etc.

I like the suggestion of using SW-D20 'Force Throw' rules... I'll go check your URL. Thanks!!

 

[archhealer]

I did create a feat called "TK Combat" that allowed combat maneuvers to use the characters base attack score, modified by PSI instead of DEX, for combat maneuvers (Including but not limited to, disarming, sundering, and actual attacks with a TKed item). I do not allow TK "Force Punches", but do allow TKed items to be used to strike. I use the improvised weapons rules for non weapon items, and the weapon values for weapons. TKing ranged weapons at anything beyond point plank range is extremely difficult to do accurately due to the viewpoint issues, and i handle such on a case by case basis.

Without this feat, a character can still do all of these things, but rolls only a PSI check, as opposed to using their attack bonus.

Note: Modifiers to difficulty for size of objects is handled as penalties to the TKers attack rolls, in addition to the initial skill check to move it at all.