Gaining New Psionics Across the mega verse

Diabolists, Techno-Wizards & Psionicists, Oh my! All things that are Magics and Psionics in all Palladium Games.

Moderators: Immortals, Supreme Beings, Old Ones

User avatar
darthauthor
Hero
Posts: 1226
Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2020 8:55 pm

Gaining New Psionics Across the mega verse

Unread post by darthauthor »

If a RIfts Mind Melter or another Psychic character class went dimension adventuring with a Shifter buddy could they learn psionics native to Palladium Fantasy, BTS, and Nightbane?

For Example, could a Rifts Mind Melter learn Astral Navigation, Astral Transference, Insert Memory, Attack Disease, etc.
What, if any are the requirements?
Can they just hear about it via word of mouth?

Can they just see a psychic use the psionics?

Do they need a teacher?

Do they have to level up in that dimension?

Please, share your thoughts?
User avatar
taalismn
Priest
Posts: 47908
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:19 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven, Hell, and New England

Re: Gaining New Psionics Across the mega verse

Unread post by taalismn »

If they had the slots for extra psionics, and the powers weren't species- or OCC-specific, and they could see them in action)Ideally through. psychic connection like telepathy or sense psionics), I say they could pick up appropriate new powers.
-------------
"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair,
Than the Sage among his Books,
For all the Empires and Kingdoms,
The Armies and Works that you hold Dear,
Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment,
To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger,
And the Turning of a Page"

--------Rudyard Kipling
------------
User avatar
ShadowLogan
Palladin
Posts: 7401
Joined: Thu Mar 30, 2006 10:50 am
Location: WI

Re: Gaining New Psionics Across the mega verse

Unread post by ShadowLogan »

darthauthor wrote:If a RIfts Mind Melter or another Psychic character class went dimension adventuring with a Shifter buddy could they learn psionics native to Palladium Fantasy, BTS, and Nightbane?

We don't require a dimension hopping adventure to learn psychic powers provided:
-the Psychic's Native Setting takes precedence in terms of power categorization and description (for example Rifts/PF a Psi-Sword is Super Category, but if in Nightbane it was in the Physical Category instead (off hand I don't know if this is the actual case, I don't have Nightbane), a Rifts/PF Character could only take it as a Super)
-the settings use the same Power Categorization format (IINM some settings don't have powers by Category, but also by Level such as 1E PF, see their GM-Shield on the Cutting Room Floor), this is for simplicity (we don't have to work out how Power Categorizations translate between settings).
-the powers cannot be restricted or considered restricted by/to RCC/OCC/PCC (example the Mystic Martial Arts powers in Rifts CB1r or DB3 that are ISP powered, would not be available, Animal Psychic Powers in HU2E would also be restricted). Now in some cases you could change your class, but that is another can of worms I would seek to avoid.
-powers are really region specific (example Astral Golem is only really viable on the Astral Plane, so if you haven't visited the Astral Plane, you can't take it without have spent some time there)

darthauthor wrote:Can they just see a psychic use the psionics?

Do they need a teacher?

Actually, it isn't clear how psychics "learn" or "unlock" their new powers when they level up IMHO. Presumably they've been working on developing their talents off to the side by some means and when they level up, they have "mastered" the ability to be able to use it reliably.
User avatar
Library Ogre
Palladium Books® Freelance Writer
Posts: 9800
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2001 1:01 am
Comment: My comments do not necessarily represent the views of Palladium Books.
Location: Texas
Contact:

Re: Gaining New Psionics Across the mega verse

Unread post by Library Ogre »

I would say they can learn the psychic abilities if they are not, for some reason, race or class restricted (Mind Bleeder powers, or a Burster's abilities, for example), and they can conceive of them... like, I think it would take a conceptual shift for someone from the Palladium World to learn Machine Ghost, simply because the ideas behind it are so alien to someone who lives in a world of sword and sorcery, not science and computers.
-overproduced by Martin Hannett

When I see someone "fisking" these days my first inclination is to think "That person doesn't have much to say, and says it in volume." -John Scalzi
Happiness is a long block list.
If you don't want to be vilified, don't act like a villain.
The Megaverse runs on vibes.
All Palladium Articles
Mutant Dawn for Savage Worlds!
User avatar
Mack
Supreme Being
Posts: 6295
Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2000 2:01 am
Comment: This space for rent.
Location: Searching the Dinosaur Swamp
Contact:

Re: Gaining New Psionics Across the mega verse

Unread post by Mack »

A good discussion point would be Rift's Mind Melter traveling to Palladium Fantasy where the physical psionic Teleport Object exists. It's a minor power, but it doesn't exist in Rifts. If the MM leveled up while in PF, would he/she be able to snag that psionic?
Some gave all.
Love your neighbor.
Know the facts. Know your opinion. Know the difference.
User avatar
Library Ogre
Palladium Books® Freelance Writer
Posts: 9800
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2001 1:01 am
Comment: My comments do not necessarily represent the views of Palladium Books.
Location: Texas
Contact:

Re: Gaining New Psionics Across the mega verse

Unread post by Library Ogre »

Mack wrote:A good discussion point would be Rift's Mind Melter traveling to Palladium Fantasy where the physical psionic Teleport Object exists. It's a minor power, but it doesn't exist in Rifts. If the MM leveled up while in PF, would he/she be able to snag that psionic?


Personally, I'd allow them to snag it without travelling; it's a fairly standard power, not really limited. It just doesn't appear in any Rifts book to date.
-overproduced by Martin Hannett

When I see someone "fisking" these days my first inclination is to think "That person doesn't have much to say, and says it in volume." -John Scalzi
Happiness is a long block list.
If you don't want to be vilified, don't act like a villain.
The Megaverse runs on vibes.
All Palladium Articles
Mutant Dawn for Savage Worlds!
User avatar
darthauthor
Hero
Posts: 1226
Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2020 8:55 pm

Re: Gaining New Psionics Across the mega verse

Unread post by darthauthor »

Champion Prysus shared some excellent insights about pyshics and developing psionic abilities.

Along the lines of their insights I feel that psionics (like a mystic develops magic) can either happen randomly or a psychic trains toward the new psionic powers they want to develop. I guess the difference lies in what the psychic believes/knows is possible and what they can experiment towards.

if they experiment, I imagine, developing new psionics powers would be like spell invention. So with spells in mind, new psionics (not in any Palladium Book) could be gained but through the same methods a spell caster would experiment and train for a new spell (veration on an existing one or entirely new - made from scratch).

What remains to be determined are the details like range, duration, ISP cost, saving throws, level requirements, etc.

The possibilities are greater but so are the potenial for abuse and great power scale imbalances. Hey, welcome to Rifts!

I'd limit it to a greater degree than I would magic.
No transmuting one substance or person into another thing (flesh to stone, metaphorasis, etc) although I would allow for greater powers of illusion, mind control, mind over matter, different types of damage.
Real out of bonds stuff would involve time travel, seeing the future with perfect prediction, and that sort of thing.
User avatar
Glistam
Megaversal® Ambassador
Posts: 3631
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2005 2:09 pm
Comment: The silent thief of Rozrehxeson.
Location: Connecticut
Contact:

Re: Gaining New Psionics Across the mega verse

Unread post by Glistam »

darthauthor wrote:If a RIfts Mind Melter or another Psychic character class went dimension adventuring with a Shifter buddy could they learn psionics native to Palladium Fantasy, BTS, and Nightbane?

For Example, could a Rifts Mind Melter learn Astral Navigation, Astral Transference, Insert Memory, Attack Disease, etc.
What, if any are the requirements?
Can they just hear about it via word of mouth?

Can they just see a psychic use the psionics?

Do they need a teacher?

Do they have to level up in that dimension?

Please, share your thoughts?

I've allowed it without the dimension hopping. Psionics from Palladium Fantasy, Heroes Unlimited 2nd Edition, and the Nightbane sourcebooks slot in fairly well imo. Psychic powers from the main Nightbane Book and the powers from Beyond the Supernatural 2nd Edition require a bit more adjudication by the GM since they have different power structures. But in general, if the Mind Melter player wanted a power from outside Rifts when they level up amd can gain new powers,, I'd generally allow them to take it. A conversion for MDC may necessary, that would be up to the GM.

I played a Mind Mage in a Palladium Fantasy game and the GM let me bring in powers from across the Megaverse - he would review the power, make some adjustments as he felt necessary for the game, and if I was satisfied I'd learn that power. I ended up compiling a large list of powers by the time the character reached level 23
Zerebus: "I like MDC. MDC is a hundred times better than SDC."

kiralon: "...the best way to kill an old one is to crash a moon into it."

Image

Temporal Wizard O.C.C. update 0.8 | Rifts random encounters
New Fire magic | New Temporal magic
Grim Gulf, the Nightlands version of Century Station

Let Chaos Magic flow in your campaigns.
killgore444
Wanderer
Posts: 66
Joined: Tue Jan 03, 2023 5:07 pm
Comment: Brains are of little value to a warrior if they are no longer contained in his broken skull.
Contact:

Re: Gaining New Psionics Across the mega verse

Unread post by killgore444 »

My own take on it is that you can learn it if you know about it. So once your dimensional traveling psychic gets home, he can still learn anything he encountered elsewhere.

BTW
Newly joined here on this board (though I was an active poster on the old boards years ago), but I can't find a rule section. Is resurrecting old/dead threads allowed here, and if not, what's the cut off?
History is where we look to for answers and guidance. History explains who we are, where we came from, and everything about our world. History is full of lies.
"Changing history to suit your purposes has a long and successful history."
User avatar
13eowulf
Megaversal® Ambassador
Posts: 1150
Joined: Tue Nov 24, 2009 6:15 pm
Location: Ontario, Canada

Re: Gaining New Psionics Across the mega verse

Unread post by 13eowulf »

IIRC Rifter #30 has a section about exchanging spell slots for psi powers, among other things.


killgore444 wrote:BTW
Newly joined here on this board (though I was an active poster on the old boards years ago), but I can't find a rule section. Is resurrecting old/dead threads allowed here, and if not, what's the cut off?

Welcome, or I guess welcome back?
In general the rules thread is at the top of the list of topics in each section, but here is a link: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=104657
And this will take you directly to the necro-posting part: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=104657#p2839141
But the germane portion is:
    If a topic is 12 months old [based on the last post, not the first], please start a new topic and if you need to, either:
    1. Quote the original topic and/or
    2. link to the original topic
Oderint Dum Metuant.
killgore444
Wanderer
Posts: 66
Joined: Tue Jan 03, 2023 5:07 pm
Comment: Brains are of little value to a warrior if they are no longer contained in his broken skull.
Contact:

Re: Gaining New Psionics Across the mega verse

Unread post by killgore444 »

13eowulf wrote:In general the rules thread is at the top of the list of topics in each section, but here is a link: https://palladiumbooks.com/forums/viewt ... 1&t=104657
And this will take you directly to the necro-posting part: https://palladiumbooks.com/forums/viewt ... 7#p2839141

Thanks! I'm used to boards that have a separate forum for rules.

But the germane portion is:
    If a topic is 12 months old [based on the last post, not the first], please start a new topic and if you need to, either:
    1. Quote the original topic and/or
    2. link to the original topic

And double thanks.
That will cut my reading time a bit since the vast majority of rules are the same across the boards.
Except apparently Necroing.
History is where we look to for answers and guidance. History explains who we are, where we came from, and everything about our world. History is full of lies.
"Changing history to suit your purposes has a long and successful history."
Post Reply

Return to “Guild of Magic & Psionics”