Games - Psionics

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	Games - Psionics

Psionics, in the context of role-playing games, is a broad category of fantastic abilities, similar to the paranormal psionic abilities that some people claim in reality. These fictional abilities are primarily distinguished by one or more of the following common features:

Magic
-like abilities including:
* Telepathy and/or mental domination
* Telekinesis
* Teleportation
* Illusion
* Time travel and/or manipulation of the flow of time
* "Energy"-based offensive abilities (e.g. pyrokinesis)
* Purely mental offensive abilities with no physical manifestation
Exclusive or near-exclusive association with highly intelligent beings
Mental discipline required for training and use
Lack of arcane ritual, gestures and other typical features of magic
Lack of physical components required for use

Systems

The following systems present psionics, each in their own way. Often a system will present both magic and psionics. In these cases, psionics is usually defined in terms of its differences from and interactions with the magic system rather than on any specific capabilities.

Champions/Hero System

The Hero System implements a wide variety of mechanical abilities, many of which are compatible with (and often used to build) psionic characters (often referred to as "mentalists" in Champions).

Dungeons & Dragons

The Dungeons & Dragons system provides an extensive set of optional rules for psionic characters in the Expanded Psionics Handbook. Psionics in D&D are designed to be on-par with magic, and so cover nearly every mechanical ability that the magic system does, organized into categories remeniscent of the Wizard's schools.

It should be noted that the d20 System, being a de-branded version of the Dungeons & Dragons rules, shares these mechanics for psionics in nearly every detail.

GURPS

The GURPS system also provides a broad range of psionic abilities, game-balanced with its magic system. In the case of GURPS, categories of ability are "powers", purchased and refined by the player during character creation.

Paranoia, Gamma World, et al.

In some games (e.g. Paranoia and Gamma World), widespread, radiation-induced genetic mutation is the sole trigger responsible for psionic powers in player characters.

Star Trek, Star Wars, et al.

Many role-playing games based on popular science fiction settings have at least telepathic powers available to players. Examples include the Psi Corps and other telepathic characters from Babylon 5, Vulcans from Star Trek, and the Jedi from Star Wars all of whom have demonstrated various degrees of psionic abilities ranging from telepathy to telekinesis to mental domination.

White Wolf

In White Wolf's World of Darkness, Mages often work magic through a paradigm of psionic power. In addition, more ordinary humans in the setting sometimes possess psychic abilities, and these powers and others like them are often referred to as Numina.

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