Mind Reading
Rank: Novice
Power Points: 1
Range: Smarts
Duration: Instant
Trappings: Concentration
Changing Trappings
Should a psionicist be allowed to change his
trappings to take advantage of a situation? For
example, can he use a pyrokinetic blast against a
combustible target and then use the same power
with a cryogenic trapping? That’s up to you.
The argument against is that each trapping
represents a unique ability. Characters should
pick a trapping when they select a power and
that becomes immutable.
For instance, if you have a pyrokinetic blast
then it will always have a fire trapping. If the
psionicist wants to do an electrokinetic blast,
he’ll need to learn a new power.
The argument for is that the psionicist has
a basic understanding of the power, and can
add trappings simply by altering the way his
mind invokes the power. With this method,
the character knows one blast power but can
produce a multitude of special effects.
Which version you prefer is personal choice,
but it should be defined before play begins and
then remain a constant.
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Mind reading allows a psionicist to read the minds
of others. With a successful Psionics roll, the psionicist
reads the target’s current surface thoughts. Such
an intrusion goes unnoticed as the psionicist is only
receiving broadcast signals.