Rick's D&D style psionics for TFT. Post 4

[Rick Smith <rick_ww@lightspeed.ca>]

ATTACK MODES:

If you have no points in your psychic pool, you may not psionically attack. The point costs listed below are paid from the psychic pool. The following are the attack modes:

1) Psychic Blast: Cost 4. This is a wave of energy that overloads the victim's brain causing dizziness, and confusion. It can affect non-psions. The major disadvantage is that it is very expensive.

By spending 3 times the normal cost, (12 points), it will affect all figures in a 7 hex circular area.  You pick the center hex, that is within your range.

2) Mind Melding: Cost 1. This ability subtly insinuates itself and merges with the defender's defences. Its goal is to sabotage the defence to drain away the defender's pychic pool.

3) Dominate Ego: Cost 2. This attack mode attempts to establish mental dominance which prevents an effective mental defence.

4) Mental Stab: Cost 4. A quick abrupt stab at some part of the victim's mind. The hope is that some damage will be done before the defence can rally about to protect that location. If successful, this is a high cost, high reward style of attack.

5) Cortex Crush: Cost 6. This feared, high expense attack attempts to so shock the defender that all defences are paralyzed and works best vs. the cheaper defences. It can do permanent brain damage.

(Optional rule: By paying 10 points rather than the normal cost of 6, then if a damage result is gained, increase damage by 1 point. If brain damage is caused on a 5, 6 or 7 damage, then any rolls on the brain damage table add 2 to that roll. This 'Cruel Crush' greatly increases the chance of causing permanent brain damage.)

DEFENCE MODES:

If you have zero points in your psychic pool, you may not take any defence, you must choose 'no defence' and are treated as a non-psion for when attacked. The costs listed below are paid from the pool. The following are the defence modes:

6) Mask Mind: Cost 1. The defender quiets the mind and attempts to prevent the attacker from getting a good grasp on any part of the brain to minimize damage. This defence mode costs 1 point from the psychic pool to power, however, if you take zero points of damage, you get that one point refunded.

7) Brain Barrier: Cost 1. The most straight forward defence, psychic energy is rushed to the point of the attack to directly fend off the assault.

8) Thought Fortress: Cost 1. This defence has a very tough crust but if the defence is breached a large amount of damage is done. It is inflexible and less direct attacks do well against it.

9) Psychic Shield: Cost 2 or 3. A high cost defence will stop most attacks. However, it will quickly exhaust your psychic pool so it is best used in emergencies. For cost 2 it protects just the psion. However, if 1 extra point is paid from the psychic pool, (so a cost of 3 points) then it also protects those near the psion. So with this defence up, any figures within 2 hexes may be protected by this defence at the psion's option. (The psion may protect some, none or all figures within that area.)

10) Iron Will Trap: Cost 5. This forms a mental trap that attempts to use the enemies power against him. If successful, energy can be drained from the attackers pool & put into your own pool.

PSIONIC COMBAT TABLE: (ATTACKER AND ACTIVE DEFENCE.)

Cross index the attack mode to the defence mode, to see the results. Damage is done to the defender's psychic pool, minimum damage is zero. If one side is forced to lose more points than they have, they lose all points, and the extra is ignored. (That is to say, no Psychic Pool can ever have negative points.) If one side is forced to pay psychic points to the other, the points are simply transferred to the opponent's pool. (If there are not enough points to transfer completely, as many points are moved as possible.)

N/E stands for No Effect.     Def = Defender.    Att = Attacker.    Dam = damage.    Pool = Psychic Pool.

The number after the name is the cost to use that attack or defence mode.

Def to side --> Att below.	Mask Mind                       1	Brain Barrier                1	Thought Fortress              1	Psychic Shield            (2 or 3)	Iron Will Trap                  5
Psychic Blast                      4                 (area cost 12)	N/E Def gains +1 point to pool	Def gets –3 DX for 3 turns, & 1d–2 dam.	N/E	N/E	Def gets –3 IQ for 3 turns, & 1d–1 dam.
Mind Melding                 1	1d–5 dam. If dam = 0 then def gains +1 point to pool.	N/E	1d+1 dam	Attacker must pay 2 pt from pool to def.	1d–1 damage.
Dominate Ego                         2	1 pt of damage, then Def must attempt a 2vsPSI or take one extra pt of damage.	Attacker starts a X:X–1vsIQ Battle of Wills. Loser loses 1d damage. (This may damage attacker.)	1d–5 damage, Then Def must attempt a 3vsPSI or take one extra pt of damage.	1d–2 dam, but attacker does a minimum of 1 point of damage.	Defender must start a X:XvsIQ Battle of Wills. Loser must pay winner 2 pt. from pool.
Mental Stab                       4	N/E Def gains +1 point to pool	1die damage.	N/E	1d damage. If 6 dam, then roll on Brain Dam Table at a –2 modifier.	Trap Sprung! Attacker must pay def 2 pts from pool.
Cortex Crush                   6                   (Optional 10)	1d of damage. If 5+ dam, roll on Brain Dam Table.	1d–4 damage.	1d of damage. If 5+ dam, roll on Brain Dam Table.	N/E	Trap Sprung! Attacker must pay def 5 pts from pool .

In some cases if the defender loses 5 or 6 points from their pool, the shock is so great that they must roll on the Brain Damage Table (below). Note that a Mental Stab on a Psychic Shield can possibly do brain damage, but the roll on the table below is at a –2 modifier, so the damage will be less severe.