Difference between revisions of "Mind Powers (FiD)"

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{{FiD}}
 
 
{{FiD-Powers}}
 
{{FiD-Powers}}
Mind delves into sentience and intelligence. It is the power most associated with normal folk such as humans and alternate humans such as elves, orcs, social aliens, and other sentient creatures and even intelligent objects like control devices all the way up to sentient AI.  
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Mind delves into Sapience and Intelligence.
 
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As the Form of society and social connection, Mind concerns cognition, identity, and social awareness rather than raw problem-solving ability. 
Anthropomorphic man is the epitome of mind, a civilized being, part of a society, sapient and cultured if not necessarily human. It represents the end product of evolution and, by extension, ultimate intellect. It can exist independently of life, in machines and undead.
+
It is the Form most closely associated with people; humans and variant humans like elves, orcs, and other social beings.
 
 
Mind attacks are mental bolts and blades that can only hurt sentient creatures.
 
 
 
== Mind Power Effects ==
 
  
 +
== Mind Abilities ==
 
{| class="wikitable"  
 
{| class="wikitable"  
|align="center" | '''Action'''  
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|valign=bottom | '''Action'''  
|align="center" | '''Basic'''    <br> No minimum    <br>  3 Stress
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|align="center" valign=bottom | '''Basic'''     
|align="center" | '''Advanced''' <br> Minimum 2 Dice <br>  5 Stress
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|align="center" valign=bottom | '''Advanced'''  
|align="center" | '''Master'''  <br> Minimum 4 Dice <br>  7 Stress
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|align="center" valign=bottom | '''Master'''   
|align="center" | '''Apex'''    <br> Minimum 6 Dice <br> 13 Stress
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|align="center" valign=bottom | '''Apex'''    
 +
|- 
 +
|valign=bottom | '''Dice '''
 +
|align="center" valign=bottom | —   
 +
|align="center" valign=bottom | Minimum 2d
 +
|align="center" valign=bottom | Minimum 4d 
 +
|align="center" valign=bottom | Minimum 6d      
 +
|-
 +
|valign=bottom | '''Stress'''
 +
|align="center" valign=bottom | Avoid fumble (2+).
 +
|align="center" valign=bottom | Succeed (4+).
 +
|align="center" valign=bottom | Full success (6).
 +
|align="center" valign=bottom | Critical (2 sixes).
 
|-
 
|-
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Attune'''
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|align="left" valign="top" | '''Attune'''  
|valign="top"| '''Mind Monitor''' <br> You can detect sentient creatures and use of mind powers.
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|valign="top"| '''[[#Conceptual Context|Conceptual Context]]''' <br> Detect Mind.
|valign="top"| '''Mindforge''' <br> You can end the operation of a mind ability. You can summon an spirit skilled in a particular action. These are not creatures, their advice gives +1d on their chosen action.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Conceptual Constraint|Conceptual Constraint]]''' <br> Dismiss Mind.
|valign="top"| '''Summon Hero'''   <br> You can summon folk from other planes, which is usually alternate realities. This is used to summon heroes in times of crisis. Learning who to summon may require study or be a a score in itself.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Conceptual Collapse|Conceptual Collapse]]''' <br> Merge Astral plane.
|valign="top"| '''Parallel Plane'''     <br> You can create a portal that allows travel to and from another reality for a limited time.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Conceptual Connection|Conceptual Connection]]''' <br> Summon hero.
 
 
 
|-
 
|-
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Command'''
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|align="left" valign="top" | '''Command'''  
|valign="top"| '''Mental Mandate''' <br> You can command intelligent creatures even if normally couldn't, but you cannot understand them.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Telepathic Threat|Telepathic Threat]]''' <br> Telepathic leverage.
|valign="top"| '''Telepathy'''   <br> You and allies can communicate with intelligent creatures.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Telepathic Transfer|Telepathic Transfer]]''' <br> Signal sapients.
|valign="top"| '''Mental Monarchy'''   <br> You can give commands to intelligent creatures as if you were their superior. This does not remove existing loyalties, which can lead to conflicts.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Telepathic Triumph|Telepathic Triumph]]''' <br> Command sapients.
|valign="top"| '''Thought Thrall'''   <br> You can permanently bind intelligent creatures to service. Unless affected by other powers, they will stay in one location and act according to your instructions, like very loyal and literal-minded goons.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Telepathic Thrall|Telepathic Thrall]]''' <br> Bind sapients.
 
|-
 
|-
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Consort'''
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|align="left" valign="top" | '''Consort'''  
|valign="top"| '''Pretend Persona''' <br> You can an assume an identity and reflect it in your actions, such as a healer, noble, merchant etc. This the impression you give without changing your appearance.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Pretend Persona|Pretend Persona]]''' <br> Project a role.
|valign="top"| '''Assume Aspect'''   <br> You assume the form of a normal humanoid, such as humans and variant humans. Add 1d to one action and subtract 1d from all actions covered by an attribute except if you just raised one of them.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Polymorph Persona|Polymorph Persona]]''' <br> Transform self.
|valign="top"| '''Gift of Guise'''   <br> You can shapechange a willing or helpless creatures into any humanoid. This can be a curse, it can be broken but it is not easy. You can easily break the effect.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Project Persona|Project Persona]]''' <br> Project Persona on Crew.
|valign="top"| '''Gift of Gab'''     <br> You can give sentience and intelligence to non-sentient creatures, giving them roughly human intellect.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Paragon Persona|Paragon Persona]]''' <br> Increase intelligence.
 
|-
 
|-
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Finesse'''
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|align="left" valign="top" | '''Finesse'''  
|valign="top"| '''Psychic Saddle'''               <br> If there is an intelligent (but not sentient) mount or vehicle, you can ride it as if it was domesticated and you had the keys.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Neural Navigation|Neural Navigation]]''' <br> Ride any intelligence.
|valign="top"| '''Neural Needle''' <br> You can use the power as a fine and potent close-range attack, similar in effect to a fine potent dueling sword or pistol.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Neural Needle|Neural Needle]]''' <br> Psychic attack.
|valign="top"| '''Neural Nudge'''         <br> You can do fine manipulation of the power, allowing you to do send small and exact suggestions to intelligent creatures. This allows you to make others open doors and perform other minor manipulations.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Neural Numbness|Neural Numbness]]''' <br> Induce reactive Mind.
|valign="top"| '''Psyche Surge'''             <br> Your power manifests like a storm of blades, suppressing the effect of multiple opponents and acting as a fine potent weapon.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Neural Nexus|Neural Nexus]]''' <br> Create astral realm.
 
|-
 
|-
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Hunt'''
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|align="left" valign="top" | '''Hunt'''  
|valign="top"| '''Trace Thought'''             <br> You can focus on a particular thought and vaguely sense and track creatures that share this thought.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Cognitive Cue|Cognitive Cue]]''' <br> Track a thought.
|valign="top"| '''Mental Marksman''' <br> You can use your power to attack, similar in effect to a fine and potent rifle doing mental damage.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Cognitive Crosshairs|Cognitive Crosshairs]]''' <br> Mental snipe.
|valign="top"| '''Cloud Consciousness'''           <br> Targets lose their sense of location and purpose, as if just waking up.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Cognitive Cascade|Cognitive Cascade]]''' <br> Manifest from astral space.
|valign="top"| '''Cognitive Cascade'''       <br> You can use your power to attack similar to a fine  and potent grenade. This allows you to fight many creatures in the same area very effectively, but there is a risk of collateral damage.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Cognitive Collapse|Cognitive Collapse]]''' <br> Psychic area attack.
 
|-
 
|-
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Prowl'''
+
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Prowl'''  
|valign="top"| '''Psychic Pursuit''' <br> You can hide in crowds and identify someone you know when you see them, even if normal identification is not possible.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Astral Alliance|Astral Alliance]]''' <br> Hide in crowds.
|valign="top"| '''Astral Ascent''' <br> You can detach your astral body, which is immaterial, transparent, and can hover. Any attack scatters it and sends your consciousness back to your body. While you project your astral body, your physical body is like an automaton; it can be led but takes no actions.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Astral Ascent|Astral Ascent]]''' <br> Astral body scouting.
|valign="top"| '''Astral Adventure''' <br> You send your and allies' astral bodies to any location you know of or into the presence of any creature you know.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Astral Adventure|Astral Adventure]]''' <br> Crew Prowl.
|valign="top"| '''Astral Gateway'''   <br> You send your and allies' astral bodies to other planes, into someone's dream, and other mystic locations not of this world.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Astral Anywhere|Astral Anywhere]]''' <br> Astral travel.
 
|-
 
|-
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Skirmish'''
+
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Skirmish'''  
|valign="top"| '''Mental Melee'''   <br> You can use the power as a close-range mental attack, similar in effect to a melee weapon or pistol.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Mindfulness|Mindfulness]]''' <br> Resist Mind.
|valign="top"| '''Psychic Strike''' <br> Same as Skirmish Attack, except the weapon is fine and potent.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Mind Melee|Mind Melee]]''' <br> Mind melee attack.
|valign="top"| '''Cognitive Cover''' <br> Your power creates distractions that prevents an intelligent enemy from benefiting from numbers and otherwise works as a fine potent weapon.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Mind Mastery|Mind Mastery]]''' <br> Gives Scale.
|valign="top"| '''Mental Storm'''   <br> Your power strikes out in all directions, attacking all enemies in a wide area.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Mind Merge|Mind Merge]]''' <br> Group Action.
 
|-
 
|-
 
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Study'''   
 
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Study'''   
|valign="top"| '''Identify Intellect'''     <br> You can identify intelligent objects and creatures.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Identify Intellect|Identify Intellect]]''' <br> Identify intelligence.
|valign="top"| '''Analyze Intellect'''       <br> You learn the powers and abilities of something you analyze.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Inspect Intellect|Inspect Intellect]]''' <br> Analyze Mind.
|valign="top"| '''Past Perception'''         <br> You can read the past events of something you analyze. This includes previous owners and how the object has been moved around as well as significant scenes.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Infiltrate Intellect|Infiltrate Intellect]]''' <br> Enter dream.
|valign="top"| '''Universal Understanding''' <br> You research everything in a wide area. This is easy to do where you are, more difficult at range. You can then use hindsight on some of these targets.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Inescapable Intellect|Inescapable Intellect]]''' <br> Area analyze Mind.
 
|-
 
|-
 
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Survey'''   
 
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Survey'''   
|valign="top"| '''Thought Trace'''   <br> You can sense manifestations of the mind power at a distance and understand their general nature. This works even when you can't see the target, but both range and information suffers.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Thought Trace|Thought Trace]]''' <br> Sense Mind.
|valign="top"| '''Astral Assembly''' <br> Choose an ally; you can send your astral body to their location. See prowl: Astral Ascent.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Thought Thread|Thought Thread]]''' <br> Astral messenge.
|valign="top"| '''Astral Audience''' <br> Choose a location or creature. You send your astral body to that location.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Thought Tether|Thought Tether]]''' <br> Astral spying.
|valign="top"| '''Psychic Panorama''' <br> You perceive from all intelligent creatures at once over a wide area.  As long as you concentrate you retain this perception and can report what you see to others.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Thought Topology|Thought Topology]]''' <br> Perceive from many sapients.
 
|-
 
|-
 
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Sway'''   
 
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Sway'''   
|valign="top"| '''Intellectual Intuition''' <br> You can understand intelligent creatures even if normally couldn't, and gauge their motivations.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Eloquent Empathy|Eloquent Empathy]]''' <br> Understand motivations.
|valign="top"| '''Intelligent Interpreter''' <br> You and allies can communicate with intelligent creatures.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Eloquent Exchange|Eloquent Exchange]]''' <br> Crew can communicate.
|valign="top"| '''Eloquent Enchantment'''   <br> You can post suggestions in the mind of intelligent creatures, which will be triggered under conditions you specify. Common suggestions are to steal something, attack someone, or ignore some event. This is a subtle power, but easier to spot once triggered.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Eloquent Enchantment|Eloquent Enchantment]]''' <br> Suggestions to sapients.
|valign="top"| '''Cognitive Conversion'''   <br> You change the personality and motivations of intelligent creatures. This power is permanent, but blatant. The target remember their past, but regard it as unimportant compared to their new motivations.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Eloquent Enlightenment|Eloquent Enlightenment]]''' <br> Bind sapients.
 
|-
 
|-
 
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Tinker'''   
 
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Tinker'''   
|valign="top"| '''Automation'''       <br> You imbue mind into objects. Handle can create simple triggers, like a push button.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Mnemonic Modification|Mnemonic Modification]]''' <br> Reactive mechanisms.
|valign="top"| '''Create Cognition''' <br> You can imbue limited intelligence in an object, allowing it to sense a situation nearby and react by directing whatever abilities the item may have or send a mental alarm.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Mnemonic Mechanism|Mnemonic Mechanism]]''' <br> Reactive devices.
|valign="top"| '''Install Intellect''' <br> You can imbue limited intelligence able to hold simple conversations. With Attune: Mindforge you can  make sentient items.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Mnemonic Matrix|Mnemonic Matrix]]''' <br> Imbue intelligence.
|valign="top"| '''Mass Mind'''         <br> This is similar to create, above, but you mass produce intelligent objects, even a set of different objects.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Mnemonic Manifold|Mnemonic Manifold]]''' <br> Mass Mnemonic Mechanism.
 
|-
 
|-
 
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Wreck'''   
 
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Wreck'''   
|valign="top"| '''Disrupt Device''' <br> You mess with intelligence in items, that is their ability to react to the environment. Noisy and leaves the damaged object in place.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Prohibition Protocol|Prohibition Protocol]]''' <br> Jam intelligent items.
|valign="top"| '''Sabotage System''' <br> Similar to Disrupt Device. Can also mess with control surfaces like buttons or steering.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Pervert Protocol|Pervert Protocol]]''' <br> Disable networks.
|valign="top"| '''Silent Sabotage''' <br> Similar to Sabotage System, but destroyed targets are disabled silently or you can remove certain functions from them, such as the ability to sense you and allies.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Parasitic Protocol|Parasitic Protocol]]''' <br> Silent system sabotage.
|valign="top"| '''Terminate Tech''' <br> Similar to Sabotage System, but over a large area. This can negate control devices over a large area, forcing everyone to rely on manual handling of objects.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Pandemonium Protocol|Pandemonium Protocol]]''' <br> Area system sabotage.
 
|}
 
|}
  
== Mind Powers Autogenerated ==
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== What is Mind ==
Mind can detect, influence, communicate with, and even create intelligence.
+
Mind governs perception of self, understanding of others, abstract reasoning, culture, language, and moral judgment. 
 +
While often found in living creatures, Mind can exist independently of life, inhabiting spirits, elementals, machines, and certain undead.
 +
 
 +
Anthropomorphic creatures are the archetypal expression of Mind: civilized beings embedded in societies, capable of reflection, cooperation, and ethical reasoning. 
 +
Mind represents the ability to conceptualize, plan, judge, and belong, rather than instinct or immediate reaction.
 +
 
 +
=== Categories of Mind ===
 +
These terms have specific meanings when used with Mind powers.
 +
 
 +
Mind powers primarily affect '''[[#Intelligent |Intelligent]]''' and '''[[#Sapient |Sapient]]''' targets. 
 +
Effects that rely on identity, belief, guilt, ideology, long-term motivation, or moral reasoning require Sapience.
 +
 
 +
Mind attacks are immaterial assaults on cognition, will, and identity rather than physical or neurological force. 
 +
They can only affect [[#Intelligent |Intelligent]] and [[#Sapient |Sapient]] targets, as creatures without internal models, abstract thought, or selfhood have nothing for such attacks to strike.
 +
 
 +
==== Insensate ====
 +
Lacks the capacity to perceive, interpret, or meaningfully respond to sensory input.
 +
Insensate entities do not register illusion, deception, or intent, and cannot be influenced by effects that rely on awareness or interpretation.
 +
This makes them immune to [[Illusion Powers (FiD)|Illusion]] and Mind abilities.
 +
Some insensate things, such as plants and fungi, may react to stimuli, but only over hours or days rather than moments.
 +
Objects, plants, inert matter, and the simplest forms of life are typically insensate.
  
The position usually starts controlled, with the usual consequence that you cannot try again. If the setting is chaotic or violet, your position worsens.
+
==== Reactive ====
 +
Creatures or objects without an internal model of the world who operate primarily on basic survival instincts. They respond automatically to environmental stimuli but do not demonstrate learning, complex problem-solving, or higher reasoning.
 +
Most [[Animal Powers (FiD)|animals]] such as insects, most herbivores, and primitive predators, simple [[Death Powers (FiD)|undead]], [[Abyss Powers (FiD)|lesser elemental]] creatures and basic constructs such as simple robots fall into this category.
 +
These beings lack the complexity of intellect to be affected by Mind powers and are instead affected by [[Animal_Powers_(FiD)|Animal]] or an appropriate elemental form.
  
 +
==== Intelligent ====
 +
Beings capable of learning, planning, and pursuing goals. They can model situations and respond flexibly but may lack stable self-identity, culture, or moral frameworks in relation to other creatures.
 +
Smarter [[Animal Powers (FiD)|animals]], clever monsters, artificial intelligences, and most [[Death Powers (FiD)|undead]] are Intelligent.
 +
An intelligent creature can be very creative and solve complex problems, can follow instinctive social norms such as a pack hierarchy, but cannot follow a pluralistic society and gets stressed and confused in such settings.
 +
 +
==== Sapient ====
 +
The defining trait of civilized beings such as humans, elves, orcs, and other social peoples. Sapient beings possess self-awareness, abstract reasoning, language, culture, and moral judgment. They can engage meaningfully with creatures of different species and cultures, potentially applying empathy, reflection, and social reasoning across complex societies.
 +
Sapience is not a measure of raw intelligence, but of the ability to participate in sustained social and moral systems. 
 +
Even super-intelligent artificial intelligences, [[Monster_(FiD)|monsters]], and [[Spirit_(FiD)|spirits]] are rarely Sapient. Most Powers that can affect [[#Sapient |Sapient]] targets can also affect [[#Intelligent |Intelligent]] creatures.
 +
 +
<div style="text-align:center;"> — [[#top|Back to top]] — </div>
 +
 +
== Expanded Mind Abilities ==
 
=== Attune ===
 
=== Attune ===
'''Mind Monitor'''
+
Connect with the mental realm and harness psychic energies for powerful manifestations.
''You can detect sentient creatures and use of mind powers.
+
The position usually starts controlled, with the usual consequence that you cannot try again. If the setting is chaotic or violent, your position worsens.
  
This can detect thinking creatures that you cannot see and disguised or bestial intelligent creatures, but is also useful to detect the use and effects of Mind powers.
+
Unlike most forms, Mind does not have a class of supernatural creatures at its beck and call.
 +
It uses the [[Cosmology_(FiD)#Astral_Realms|astral plane]] a lot, but is not connected to it or its creatures the way other Forms are.
 +
It is possible to summon [[#Sapient|sapient]] creatures, but they are not native to other planes, rather they must be summoned from [[#Cosmology_(FiD)#Parallel_Worlds|parallel realities]], which is quite difficult and comes with precious little control.
  
Limited effect suffices against a creature you can clearly see. You need greater effect against against a creature that is hidden (standard effect) or behind a wall (great effect).  
+
==== Conceptual Context ====
 +
Detect Mind.
  
'''Mindforge'''
+
You can detect [[Mind_Powers_(FiD)#Intelligent|intelligence]] and [[#Sapient|sapience]] where you don't expect it, but is also useful to detect Mind powers.
''You can end the operation of a mind ability. You can summon a spirit skilled in a particular action. These are not creatures, their advice gives +1d on their chosen action.
 
  
Dispelling is often used as a setup action to help another character in a situation when the opposition is using mind powers. Opposed success effect creates an opening that makes the supported action potent. Full effect improves the position of the supported action. Critical success improves both position and effect.
+
Limited Outcome suffices against a creature you can clearly see. You need greater Outcome against a creature that is hidden (standard Outcome) or behind a wall (great Outcome).
  
When used directly, the effect is usually standard, which causes an ongoing effect to crash.  
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==== Conceptual Constraint ====
 +
Dismiss Mind.
 +
 
 +
You can end the operation of a Mind ability and force any Spirit to materialize or dematerialize.
 +
 +
Dispelling is often used as a setup action to help another character in a situation when the opposition is using mind powers. Opposed success creates an opening that makes the supported action potent. Full success improves the position of the supported action. Critical success improves both position and Outcome.
 +
When used directly, the starting effect is usually standard, which causes an ongoing ability to crash.  
 
Against an opponent that uses power to fly or even breathe you can have a better effect.
 
Against an opponent that uses power to fly or even breathe you can have a better effect.
Poor targeting increases the needed effect.
+
Poor targeting increases the needed Outcome.
 +
 
 +
{{ : Include Attune Dispel Materialize Spirits (FiD) }}
 +
 
 +
==== Conceptual Collapse ====
 +
Merge Astral plane.
  
The spirits summoned here don't themselves act, they inspire others to act more intelligently, which provides an extra die for one roll, in addition to normal assistance. You cannot both use this and assistance on the same roll.
+
In an Area (p 221) you take down the barrier between the [[Cosmology_(FiD)#Astral_Realms|Astral]] and whatever plane you are on or near, usually the [[Cosmology_(FiD)#The_Prime|Prime]] plane.
 +
This allows astral creatures to interact fully with the physical world, but also removes their protection, they are now effectively on the physical plane and must move out of the Area to regain the advantages of being astral.
  
'''Summon Hero'''
+
This creates a door between worlds, and because of how travel on the [[Cosmology_(FiD)#Astral_Realms|astral plane]] is instantaneous, there is a risk of creatures on the [[Cosmology_(FiD)#Astral_Realms|astral plane]] using this breech to escape into the physical world and vice-verso.  
''You can summon folk from other planes, which is usually alternate realities. This is used to summon heroes in times of crisis. Learning who to summon may require study or be a score in itself.
+
This can be an immediate Consequence, but can have long-lasting effects on the story.
  
A common trope in the tradition of the Narnia books, this summons people form another world to help you.
+
==== Conceptual Connection ====
Highly unpredictable, and rarely useful to player characters as such a summon would compete for the limelight.
+
Summon hero.
It does well as the backstory of a character that otherwise wouldn't fit the setting.
 
  
'''Parallel Plane'''
+
You contact a hero from an [[#Cosmology_(FiD)#Parallel_Worlds|parallel world]]. This is used to ask advice or to summon a hero in times of crisis. 
''You can create a portal that allows travel to and from another reality for a limited time.
+
 
 +
Mind is the Form of thoughts, and the power will focus on a person with the right abilities and mentality that you need, but consequences may alter this.
 +
These Consequences depend on how odd your motivations are and how odd an hero you want to summon.
 +
* If you have few hangups and few demands, the Position is Controlled.
 +
* Most hero summoning is Risky an long as yo only specify one thing about the hero; area of competence, personality, or form.
 +
* If you are a shut-in and you want a very specific type of necromancer hero, the Position is Desperate.
 +
 
 +
Depending on your degree of outcome, the power may only allow communication or summon a hero for a longer or shorter time.
 +
* '''Limited Outcome''' does not actually summon anyone, but establishes a connection, you can communicate and ask questions or you can look around to seek a particular type of individual to contact.
 +
* '''Standard Outcome''' summons them for a short while, assisting you on a single score, and you can dismiss a hero that wants to be sent home.
 +
* '''Great Outcome''' summons them until they are sent home, and you can dismiss a hero that wishes to remain.
 +
 
 +
This also allows your crew to travel to a [[#Cosmology_(FiD)#Parallel_Worlds|parallel world]], but there is usually little reason to do so.
 +
 
 +
''Highly disruptive to the game, a long-lasting hero summon would compete for the limelight.
 +
''It works well as the backstory of a character that otherwise wouldn't fit the setting, and might be the basis for a whole campaign of people doing heroics in a different world.
 +
 
 +
<div style="text-align:center;"> — [[#top|Back to top]] — </div>
  
 
=== Command ===
 
=== Command ===
'''Mental Mandate'''
+
Impose your will upon the minds of [[#Sapient|sapient]] creatures.
''You can command intelligent creatures even if normally couldn't, but you cannot understand them.
 
  
This allows you to issue telepathic commands to intelligent creatures, allowing use of the action across language and cultural barriers.
+
==== Telepathic Threat ====
 +
Telepathic leverage.
  
'''Telepathy'''
+
You can induce leverage telepathically regardless of language, useful for intimidating and commanding foreign or alien [[#Sapient|sapient]] creatures
''You and allies can communicate with intelligent creatures.
+
This provides the leverage needed to use Command to intimidate without an open threat of violence.
  
This is telepathy, allowing communication between chosen targets across language and cultural barriers.
+
==== Telepathic Transfer ====
This is dry and factual communication, suited to command more than converstion.
+
Signal sapients.
  
'''Mental Monarchy'''
+
You can telepathically communicate with [[#Sapient|sapient]] creatures you know over any range, and at line-of-sight even to strangers. 
''You can give commands to intelligent creatures as if you were their superior. This does not remove existing loyalties, which can lead to conflicts.
+
You can communicate with the most powerful [[#Sapient|sapient]] in a vehicle or installation as long as you can see the exterior.
  
Much like Telepathy, and your projected thoughts carry extra weight, as if issued by an authority targets respect
+
The communication is simple and direct, as fits the Command Action and Mind reaches above language barriers. 
 +
Either party can end the communication at any time.
  
'''Thought Thrall'''
+
==== Telepathic Triumph ====
''You can permanently bind intelligent creatures to service. Unless affected by other powers, they will stay in one location and act according to your instructions, like very loyal and literal-minded goons.
+
Command sapients.
  
They will stay in one location and act according to your instructions, like very loyal and literal-minded goons, unless affected by other powers.
+
[[#Sapient|Sapient]] creatures will see you as an officer, professional superior, alpha, or other leader type outranking them. 
This won’t work unless you are already in a position of power. The effect is similar to Mental Monarchy but potentially permanent. A creature under your enemies' care may break free over time. Strong emotions can also break your control, but otherwise, it lasts until dispelled.
+
This is essentially an attempt at Command from a position of strength, increasing your base Effect compared to a normal attempt. 
 +
 
 +
This does not remove existing loyalties, which can lead to conflicts. 
 +
Understanding the social order of your targets helps avoid conflict with their established loyalties. 
 +
 
 +
Ordering city guards to ignore a disturbance requires greater Outcome than ordering them to deal with it and move on, because their duty is to protect the city.
 +
 
 +
Position depends on the creature’s actual relationship to you:
 +
* Ordering a creature that sees itself as your superior is a '''Desperate''' Position.
 +
* A creature that agrees you outrank it is usually a '''Controlled''' Position, with Consequences focused on limiting retries.
 +
* A creature that sees itself as your equal is usually a '''Risky''' Position, potentially leading to Heat, misunderstood orders, or small rebellions.
 +
 
 +
==== Telepathic Thrall ====
 +
Bind sapients.
 +
 
 +
This will not work unless you are already in a position of power over the target.
 +
This functions like Telepathic Triumph, but the Effect is permanent rather than situational.
 +
 
 +
The initial Position is usually '''Desperate''' unless the target is already restrained, subordinate, or socially broken.
 +
Strong emotions, conflicting authority, or major narrative upheaval can break your control; otherwise, it lasts until dispelled.
 +
 
 +
<div style="text-align:center;"> — [[#top|Back to top]] — </div>
  
 
=== Consort ===
 
=== Consort ===
'''Pretend Persona'''
+
Adopt new roles, or bestow them upon others.
''You can assume an identity and reflect it in your actions, such as a healer, noble, merchant, etc. This is the impression you give without changing your appearance.
+
 
 +
==== Pretend Persona ====
 +
Project a role.
 +
 
 +
You can assume an identity such as a healer, noble, merchant, etc. This changes your actions, the way you move, and the way you speak, altering the impression you give without changing your shape or appearance.
 +
You are acting the role so naturally that people will assume you are who you pretend to be.
 +
You can allow your crew to do this as an Advanced ability, but they use their own Consort action rating.
 +
 
 +
You can use this on your entire Crew as an Advanced ability.
 +
 
 +
==== Polymorph Persona ====
 +
Transform self.
 +
 
 +
You take the form of a [[#Sapient|sapient]] creature.
 +
This includes humans and whatever else is [[#Sapient|sapient]] in the setting, such as elves, dwarves, civilized aliens, and uplifted animals.
 +
This is an actual physical transformation.
 +
 
 +
* Limited outcome allows transformation into yourself like you would have been, had you grown up as the creature whose mind you assume. Those familiar with you will still recognize you.
 +
* Standard outcome can make you a generic creature, very hard to recognize as yourself.
 +
* Great outcome allows you to assume the shape and personality of a specific creature you have studied.
 +
 
 +
==== Project Persona ====
 +
Project Persona on Crew.
  
This makes Consort actions potent and can explain away a lack of a disguise—you are acting the role so naturally that people will just assume you are on leave rather than an imposter.
+
You can use Polymorph Persona on your entire Crew or on a willing or helpless creature.
 +
The duration depends of the outcome.
  
'''Assume Aspect'''
+
* Limited outcome is very temporary.
''You assume the form of a normal humanoid, such as humans and variant humans. Add 1d to one action and subtract 1d from all actions covered by an attribute except if you just raised one of them.
+
* Standard outcome lasts for the duration of a score.
 +
* Great outcome lasts a long time and potentially become permanent, depending on the the story.
 +
If you also want to make the target unrecognizable, that requires additional outcome, see Polymorph Persona.
  
You take the form of an intelligent social creature, such as a human and whatever else can be emancipated in your world.
+
This is sometimes used as a kind of poetic justice, transforming the target as a punishment, a curse that is very hard to break.
This is an actual physical transformation, but it can also change your thought patters, giving you abilities you do not normally have, which explains how your action values change.
+
It can even be a faux resurrection, transforming the mind and body of a target into that of a loved one, tough this will never be perfect, intimate details of personality and memory will always be missing.
  
With limited effect you can transform into yourself like you would have been, had you grown up as an the people whose form you assume. Those familiar with you will recognize you.
+
==== Paragon Persona ====
Standard effect can make you a generic creature, very hard to recognize as yourself.
+
Increase intelligence.
Great effect allows you to assume the shape and some of the personality of a specific creature you have studied.
 
  
'''Gift of Guise'''
+
This creates intelligence and the ability to communicate in a creature that lack it.  
''You can shapechange a willing or helpless creature into any humanoid. This can be a curse; it can be broken, but it is not easy. You can easily break the effect.
+
This usually lasts for a score but can be made permanent using long-term actions.
  
This is Assume Aspect used on another. The effect needed depends on their similarity to the new form.
+
Creating permanent intelligence is a long term project, but even short term intelligence can allow you to discuss and learn from the temporarily awakened, who will retain simple memories from before their awakening.  
 +
It is an 8 tick long term project to make each stage of this transformation permanent.
  
'''Gift of Gab'''
+
* Limited Outcome can turn an [[#Intelligent |Intelligent]] creature [[#Sapient |Sapient]]. 
''You can give sentience and intelligence to non-sentient creatures, giving them roughly human intellect.
+
* Standard Outcome can make a [[#Reactive |Reactive]] creature [[#Sapient |Sapient]]. 
 +
* Great Outcome can make an [[#Insensate|Insensate]] thing [[#Intelligent|Intelligent]].
 +
You can increase intelligence to a lower level if desired.
  
This creates intelligence and the ability to communicate in a creature or object that lacks it.
+
Such a creature begins with a child-like devotion to you, but over time develops its own personality, including going through rebellious phases even if you treat them well.
Creating permanent intelligence is a long term project, but even short term intelligence can allow you to discuss and learn from the temporarily awakened, who will retain simple memories from before their awakening.
+
Consequences can make the creature hostile.
 +
 
 +
<div style="text-align:center;"> — [[#top|Back to top]] — </div>
  
 
=== Finesse ===
 
=== Finesse ===
'''Psychic Saddle'''
+
Utilize refined psychic control and mobility in both the physical and astral planes.
''If there is an intelligent (but not sentient) mount or vehicle, you can ride it as if it was domesticated and you had the keys.
+
 
 +
==== Neural Navigation ====
 +
Ride any intelligence.
 +
 
 +
If there is a friendly [[#Reactive |reactive]] or [[#Intelligent |intelligent]] (but not [[#Sapient|sapient]]) mount or vehicle, you can ride it as if it was domesticated and you had the keys.
 +
This works on a creature of animal intelligence and gives it the training required to act as a mount. It works on smart vehicles as long as they are not [[#Sapient|sapient]].
  
This works on a creature of animal intelligence and gives it the training required to act as a mount.
+
==== Neural Needle ====
It might work on smart vehicles depending on how the setting regards machine intelligence.  
+
Psychic attack.
  
'''Neural Needle'''
+
You focus your mental power into a fine and potent close-range attack, similar to a fine potent psychic dueling sword or pistol.
''You focus your mental power into a fine and potent close-range attack, similar in effect to a fine potent psychic dueling sword or pistol.
 
  
In a fight, using this does not take any more time, activating your attack power is equivalent to drawing a weapon, no more, no less.
+
In a fight, using this does not take any more time, activating your attack power is equivalent to drawing a weapon, no more, no less.  
Inflicts psychic damage, which is fine against intelligent creatures but weak against animals and automatons.
+
Inflicts psychic damage, which is fine against [[#Sapient|sapient]] creatures but weak against [[#Reactive |reactive]] creatures and useless against things that lack any kind of mind.
 +
It works perfectly in [[Cosmology_(FiD)#Astral_Realms|astral space]].
  
'''Neural Nudge'''
+
==== Neural Numbness ====
''You can do fine manipulation of the power, allowing you to send small and exact suggestions to intelligent creatures. This allows you to make others open doors and perform other minor manipulations.
+
Induce reactive Mind.
  
You send a very short and precise order, often only affecting a small part of the target's body.  
+
A creature is disoriented and finds it hard to make decisions, their minds momentarily reduced to a [[#Reactive |reactive]] state.
Can make an intelligent target push a button or trigger, open or close a door, lose Ballance of themselves or a vehicle they drive and similar small and immediate actions. Great effect can make the target change what it is doing, limited effect makes them do small and inconsequential things.  
+
If an appropriate action is obvious, such as if they are being attacked, targets will recover quickly, but they may respond slowly if allies are attacked, and otherwise will blunder about responding to immediate needs before returning to normal. {{ Include Finesse Master }}
  
'''Psyche Surge'''
+
==== Neural Nexus ====
''Your power manifests like a storm of blades, suppressing the effect of multiple opponents and acting as a fine potent weapon.
+
Create astral realm.
  
This is Neural Needle, but with scale.
+
You can create a structure in [[Cosmology_(FiD)#Astral_Realms|astral space]], technically a small [[Cosmology_(FiD)#Astral_Havens|astral haven]] or [[Cosmology_(FiD)#Dreamscapes|Dreamscape]].
 +
This is typically a ship, a house, or a redoubt that can serve as a vehicle, an abode, and a base. All variants can move in astral space.
 +
Creatures inside your nexus cannot use astral travel, which affords you a way to temporarily trap them for a confrontation, until they break out of the Nexus.
 +
You must lure them inside or create the nexus around them for this to work.
 +
 
 +
Higher Outcome creates a larger, more elaborate nexus, from a small hut to a large building. Position is normally Controlled, but you can create it to surround creatures which is at least Risky. You can also increase the duration by worsening Position, which usually results in attracting attention from things in the [[Cosmology_(FiD)#Astral_Realms|astral plane]].
 +
 
 +
You can make a permanent nexus as a 12-tick long-term project for a Limited Outcome, two such clocks for a Standard Outcome, four times for Great Outcome.
 +
 
 +
<div style="text-align:center;"> — [[#top|Back to top]] — </div>
  
 
=== Hunt ===
 
=== Hunt ===
'''Trace Thought'''
+
Track and attack targets using focused mental energy.
''You can focus on a particular thought and vaguely sense and track creatures that share this thought.
+
All these abilities work just as well in [[Cosmology_(FiD)#Astral_Realms|astral space]] and in physical reality.
  
'''Mental Marksman'''
+
==== Cognitive Cue ====
''You can use your power to attack, similar in effect to a fine and potent rifle doing mental damage.
+
Track a thought.
  
'''Cognitive Cascade'''
+
You focus on a particular thought and vaguely sense and track creatures that share this thought.
''You can use your power to attack similar to a fine and potent grenade. This allows you to fight many creatures in the same area very effectively, but there is a risk of collateral damage.
+
This works best (needs Limited Outcome) on creatures that are very focused on a difficult task, such as someone driving in an unfamiliar location or a tracker in pursuit of a quarry.
 +
A target that is whimsical, drunk, or asleep requires great Outcome.
 +
The age of the tracks and the number of other minds that left similar traces reduces your Outcome.
 +
This works in [[Cosmology_(FiD)#Astral_Realms|astral space]] as well as in physical reality.
  
'''Cognitive Cataclysm'''
+
==== Cognitive Crosshairs ====
''You call down the equivalent of a fine potent artillery barrage, attacking everything and intelligent creatures in a wide area.
+
Mental snipe.
 +
 
 +
You can make an attack similar to a Fine and Potent rifle, but inflicting mental damage.
 +
Using an attack power is much the same as shooting a weapon, no more, no less.
 +
Cognitive Crosshairs inflicts potent psychic damage, which is weak against [[#Reactive |reactive]] creatures and useless against things that lack any kind of mind.
 +
 
 +
==== Cognitive Cascade ====
 +
Manifest from astral space.
 +
 
 +
You and your crew can physically manifest your astral bodies. You must first project your [[Cosmology_(FiD)#Astral_Projection|astral body]] (perhaps using [[#Astral_Ascent|Prowl Mind: Astral Ascent]]) and then travel to the desired location.
 +
 
 +
You can then use this ability to move your astral body into the physical world. This body functions like your normal body and carries clothes and a light load. It is visually distinctive by being monochrome.
 +
Duration depends on your Outcome.
 +
 
 +
* '''Limited Outcome''': A few seconds.
 +
* '''Standard Outcome''': A scene.
 +
* '''Great Outcome''': A score.
 +
 
 +
You can then return to [[Cosmology_(FiD)#Astral_Realms|astral space]] or dissolve your astral body and return to your original physical body. You cannot bring anything along when returning.
 +
 
 +
==== Cognitive Collapse ====
 +
Psychic area attack.
 +
 
 +
Cognitive Crosshairs with Scale (p 221).
 +
Like Cognitive Crosshairs it does mental damage.
 +
You use your power to attack similar to a Fine and Potent mental grenade.
 +
This allows you to attack a cohort gang at full effect, but there is always a risk of collateral damage.
 +
 
 +
<div style="text-align:center;"> — [[#top|Back to top]] — </div>
  
 
=== Prowl ===
 
=== Prowl ===
'''Psychic Pursuit'''
+
Use your psychic abilities to hide, scout, and transport yourself and others.
''You can hide in crowds and identify someone you know when you see them, even if normal identification is not possible.
+
 
 +
==== Astral Alliance ====
 +
Hide in crowds.
 +
 
 +
You can hide in a crowd of [[#Sapient|sapient]] people (creatures of approximately your own shape) even if you look or dress different by matching the mentality projected by people around you.
 +
Surveillance devices will still record you, but anyone watching it within the next few minutes will likely miss you.
 +
You still need to make a Prowl roll to escape attention, with better starting Effect the more people you have to hide among.
 +
 
 +
==== Astral Ascent ====
 +
Astral body scouting.
 +
 
 +
You detach your astral and physical bodies and send your [[Cosmology_(FiD)#Uses|astral body]] to '''spy'''.
 +
You can see and hear through your astral projection, but your senses are dulled and only perceive what is within a few meters.
 +
You can clearly see creatures and psychic emanations.
 +
Your [[Cosmology_(FiD)#Astral_Projection|astral body]] is immaterial, transparent, and can hover at walking speed.
 +
You are hard to see from the physical world, your astral body glows faintly in darkness and appears as a grayish outline in bright light.
 +
 
 +
==== Astral Adventure ====
 +
Crew Prowl.
 +
 
 +
You can include allies when using Astral Alliance and Astral Ascent.
 +
If allies need to roll Prowl, they use their own Prowl dice.
 +
This is often a Group Action.
  
'''Astral Ascent'''
+
==== Astral Anywhere ====
''You can detach your astral body, which is immaterial, transparent, and can hover. Any attack scatters it and sends your consciousness back to your body. While you project your astral body, your physical body is like an automaton; it can be led but takes no actions.
+
Astral travel.
  
'''Astral Adventure'''
+
You and allies [[Cosmology_(FiD)#Uses|astral bodies]] can '''travel''' instantly to other planes and other mystic locations connected to the [[Cosmology_(FiD)#Subrealms|astral plane]].
''You send your and allies' astral bodies to any location you know of or into the presence of any creature you know.
+
This delves into worlds of thought rather than matter, exploring dreams, realms of logic, or realms of pure forms and ideals.
 +
An expedition into such an astral realm is usually a score in its own right, done for esoteric reasons.
 +
It is possible to do such travel without this power, which is slow and dangerous.
  
'''Astral Gateway'''
+
<div style="text-align:center;"> — [[#top|Back to top]] — </div>
''You send your and allies' astral bodies to other planes, into someone's dream, and other mystic locations not of this world.
 
  
 
=== Skirmish ===
 
=== Skirmish ===
'''Mental Melee'''
+
Engage in psychic combat, protecting and attacking with mental force.
''You can use the power as a close-range mental attack, similar in effect to a melee weapon or pistol.
+
All of these work in [[Cosmology_(FiD)#Astral_Realms|astral space]] as well as in physical reality.
 +
 
 +
==== Mindfulness ====
 +
Resist Mind.
 +
 
 +
{{ : Damage Resistance Template (FiD)}}
 +
 
 +
==== Mind Melee ====
 +
Mind melee attack.
 +
 
 +
You can use the power as a close-range mental attack, similar to a Fine and Potent melee weapon or pistol.
 +
All Mind attacks do psychic damage, which is fine against [[#Sapient |Sapient]] creatures but weak against [[#Reactive |Reactive]] creatures and useless against things that lack any kind of mind.
  
'''Psychic Strike'''
+
==== Mind Mastery ====
''Same as Skirmish Attack, except the weapon is fine and potent.
+
Gain Scale.
  
'''Cognitive Cover'''
+
Your power strikes out in all directions, attacking all enemies in a wide area.
''Your power creates distractions that prevents an intelligent enemy from benefiting from numbers and otherwise works as a fine potent weapon.
+
This gives you Scale (p 221).
  
'''Mental Storm'''
+
==== Mind Merge ====
''Your power strikes out in all directions, attacking all enemies in a wide area.
+
Group Action.
 +
 
 +
This allows you and allies to initiate a Group Action when persuading, communicating, or judging opinions against each other. {{ : Apex Skirmish Include (FiD) }}
 +
 
 +
<div style="text-align:center;"> — [[#top|Back to top]] — </div>
  
 
=== Study ===
 
=== Study ===
'''Identify Intellect'''
+
Delve into the nature of intelligence and Mind powers to uncover deeper knowledge.
''You can identify intelligent objects and creatures.
+
 
 +
Study digs into the details of intelligence, sapience, and Mind powers.
 +
* Limited Outcome usually suffices against something you touch which does not resist you.
 +
* Standard Outcome works against someone you could reach, but who resists you.
 +
* Great Outcome can reach out a long way, as long as you have some way to zero in on your target. This is usually vision, but can be other things depending on the way your playbook uses powers and the theme of the game.
 +
Alien minds new to you are harder to analyze.
 +
 
 +
==== Identify Intellect ====
 +
Identify intelligence.
 +
 
 +
This Basic ability lets you see if something has intelligence or sapience, name it, understand its basic type, and learn its capacity to communicate.
 +
It does not allow you to communicate or read thoughts.
 +
 
 +
==== Inspect Intellect ====
 +
Analyze Mind.
 +
 
 +
A more thorough analysis of intelligence or sapience, and what Mind powers and similar abilities are in effect, including the relevant rules.
 +
You also learn the basic motivations of an [[#Intelligent|intelligent]] or [[#Sapient|sapient]] creature, and what those motivations are directed at.
 +
Finally, you can translate text but not ciphers.
 +
 
 +
==== Infiltrate Intellect ====
 +
Enter dream.
 +
 
 +
You enter the mind of a creature to read its thoughts and memories.
 +
This is a [[Cosmology_(FiD)#Dreamscapes|Dreamscape]]; you enter directly into a creature's dreams.
 +
 
 +
This is most effective, but also most dangerous, when the target is asleep. Otherwise the dream world is less vivid and meaningful, a dry husk of dreams that you can study for information but cannot meaningfully influence.
  
'''Analyze Intellect'''
+
Entering an awake creature's dreams lets you read thoughts, memories, and motivations, giving a picture of their personality.
''You learn the powers and abilities of something you analyze.
+
You can probe to learn the target's relationships and objectives toward something specific.
 +
You navigate memories by association, which makes the information you find somewhat random.
 +
Finding more obscure memories and attitudes is random and time-consuming.
  
'''Past Perception'''
+
In the dreams of a sleeper, you can interact with them and create scenarios for them to experience, but your control of the dream-world is limited and the dreamer's subconscious can overpower your control.
''You can read the past events of something you analyze. This includes previous owners and how the object has been moved around as well as significant scenes.
+
Digging around in a creature's mind can awaken painful and dangerous memories that manifest as situations, creatures, and even traps.
 +
Dream logic applies, so you can suddenly find yourself shunted into a dangerous encounter.
  
'''Universal Understanding'''
+
Depending on the importance and mental strength of the target, Infiltrate Intellect might be a simple roll or an entire score.
''You research everything in a wide area. This is easy to do where you are, more difficult at range. You can then use hindsight on some of these targets.
 
  
=== Survey ===
+
==== Inescapable Intellect ====
'''Thought Trace'''
+
Area analyze Mind.
''You can sense manifestations of the mind power at a distance and understand their general nature. This works even when you can't see the target, but both range and information suffers.
 
  
'''Astral Assembly'''
+
Use Inspect Intellect on every mind in an Area (p 221).
''Choose an ally; you can send your astral body to their location. See prowl: Astral Ascent.
 
  
'''Astral Audience'''
+
Alternatively, you can read codes and ciphers.
''Choose a location or creature. You send your astral body to that location.
 
  
'''Psychic Panorama'''
+
<div style="text-align:center;"> — [[#top|Back to top]] — </div>
''You perceive from all intelligent creatures at once over a wide area. As long as you concentrate, you retain this perception and can report what you see to others.
 
  
=== Sway ===
+
=== Survey ===
'''Intellectual Intuition'''
+
Explore the [[Cosmology_(FiD)#Astral_Realms|astral]] realms, perceiving distant thoughts and manifestations.
''You can understand intelligent creatures even if normally couldn't, and gauge their motivations.
+
The outcome you need depends on the target's concealment.
 +
* '''Limited Outcome''' can perceive known minds or strong, obvious mental activity.
 +
* '''Standard Outcome''' can perceive unknown but nearby minds or weakly connected targets.
 +
* '''Great Outcome''' can perceive distant, hidden, or conceptually remote minds.
 +
 
 +
==== Thought Trace ====
 +
Sense Mind.
  
'''Intelligent Interpreter'''
+
Sense [[#Intelligent|intelligent]] or [[#Sapient|sapient]] creatures and manifestations of Mind powers at a distance.
''You and allies can communicate with intelligent creatures.
+
You can sense if something is familiar or alien and recognize creatures you are familiar with.
 +
You can opt to ignore known minds and Mind powers to find those you do not know.
  
'''Eloquent Enchantment'''
+
==== Thought Thread ====
''You can post suggestions in the mind of intelligent creatures, which will be triggered under conditions you specify. Common suggestions are to steal something, attack someone, or ignore some event. This is a subtle power, but easier to spot once triggered.
+
Astral messenge.
  
'''Cognitive Conversion'''
+
Choose an [[#Intelligent |intelligent]] or [[#Sapient|sapient]] creature you are familiar with; you can send your [[Cosmology_(FiD)#Astral_Projection|astral body]] to their location and perceive the physical world from there or manifest to communicate with them.  
''You change the personality and motivations of intelligent creatures. This power is permanent, but blatant. The target remembers their past but regards it as unimportant compared to their new motivations.
 
  
=== Tinker ===
+
==== Thought Tether ====
'''Automation'''
+
Astral spying.
''You imbue mind into objects. Handle can create simple triggers, like a push button.
 
  
'''Create Cognition'''
+
This works like Astral Assembly, but with an open destination, you need very little information on a place or creature to go there and peer into the physical world.
''You can imbue limited intelligence in an object, allowing it to sense a situation nearby and react by directing whatever abilities the item may have or send a mental alarm.
 
  
'''Install Intellect'''
+
==== Thought Topology ====
''You can imbue limited intelligence able to hold simple conversations. With Attune: Mindforge you can make sentient items.
+
Perceive from many sapients.
  
'''Mass Mind'''
+
You perceive from all [[#Sapient|sapients]] at once over a wide area.
''This is similar to create, above, but you mass produce intelligent objects, even a set of different objects.
+
Enhances your senses impossibly, the sum of what each individual across the scene senses.
 +
Creates a comprehensive mental image of the area, revealing numerous details simultaneously.
 +
You perceive what everyone in range perceives, but no self-perceptions from those observers, so someone who is alone can escape your detection.
  
=== Wreck ===
+
<div style="text-align:center;"> — [[#top|Back to top]] — </div>
'''Disrupt Device'''
 
''You mess with intelligence in items, that is their ability to react to the environment. Noisy and leaves the damaged object in place.
 
  
'''Sabotage System'''
+
=== Sway ===
''Similar to Disrupt Device. Can also mess with control surfaces like buttons or steering.
+
Influence [[#Intelligent|intelligent]] and [[#Sapient|sapient]] creatures with your psychic suggestions and manipulations.
  
'''Silent Sabotage'''
+
Sway Mind is subtle and useful for persuading people and other intelligences.
''Similar to Sabotage System, but destroyed targets are disabled silently or you can remove certain functions from them, such as the ability to sense you and allies.
+
Sway powers use soft, persuasive arguments rather than the dictates of the [[#Command|Command]] action.  
  
'''Terminate Tech'''
+
* '''Limited Outcome''' works if it follows the target's existing impulses.
''Similar to Sabotage System, but over a large area. This can negate control devices over a large area, forcing everyone to rely on manual handling of objects.
+
* '''Standard Outcome''' can convince a target with no particular stake in the matter.
 +
* '''Great Outcome''' will convince a reluctant target, but not a passionate one.  
 +
Effect in excess of what's needed allows you to affect a group of allies matching the scale of your tier (p 221), as long as they are in a group.
  
== Expanded Mind Powers ==
+
==== Eloquent Empathy ====
Expanded descriptions of effects that differ significantly from [[Powers (FiD)#Typical Powers and How to Use Them|Typical Powers]].
+
Understand motivations.
  
=== Attune ===
+
You can speak to [[#Intelligent|intelligent]] and [[#Sapient|sapient]] creatures even if no shared language exists, and you can gauge their motivations.  
Harness the power of Attune to perceive and manipulate supernatural energies, allowing you to detect and interact with beings and phenomena from other planes of existence.
 
  
'''Perceive:'''
+
==== Eloquent Exchange ====
You gain the ability to detect supernatural creatures and powers. Your senses become attuned to the chaotic energies that permeate the world, allowing you to perceive entities and phenomena that are beyond the ordinary senses of mortals.
+
Crew can communicate.
  
'''Dismiss:'''
+
You and allies can communicate with [[#Intelligent|intelligent]] and [[#Sapient|sapient]] creatures.
Through sheer force of will, you can compel any creature native to another plane of existence to return to that plane, or to cease the operation of any power. By disrupting the connection between the target and their plane of origin, you can banish them from the mortal realm or neutralize their abilities.
+
This allows the full range of the Sway action, overcoming barriers of culture and language.
  
'''Summon:'''
+
==== Eloquent Enchantment ====
By tapping into the chaotic forces of other planes, you can call forth creatures from realms of pure chaos. However, these summoned beings are generally unwilling servants, and their obedience may be tenuous at best. You can issue them a single command, which they must obey, but maintaining control over them beyond that initial command may require further study or even a separate score.
+
Suggestions to sapients.
  
'''Gate:'''
+
You implant suggestions in the minds of [[#Sapient |Sapient]] creatures, which will be triggered under conditions you set. This power is subtle until it triggers.
With the power of Gate, you can create temporary portals that allow travel to and from chaotic planes of existence. These portals are unpredictable in nature, and the destination may vary each time they are opened. Exercise caution when using this power, as it can lead to encounters with beings of immense power and unpredictability.
 
  
=== Command ===
+
Essentially this is an attempt to Sway with two advantages.
Assume control over intelligent beings and shape the course of events to your will.
+
The target will not remember that you swayed them, and if you succeed, you can give them instructions that will activate later, in a situation you specify.
 +
Common suggestions include stealing something, attacking someone, or ignoring an event.
 +
This cannot force actions fundamentally opposed to the target’s core identity
 +
Besides the normal challenges of Sway powers, untriggered suggestions fade over time depending on your Outcome.
 +
* '''Limited Outcome''' an hour or so.
 +
* '''Normal Outcome''' lasts for the duration of the score.
 +
* '''Great Outcome''' can last past the end of the score, as makes sense in the story.
  
'''Mental Mandate'''
+
==== Eloquent Enlightenment ====
You can command intelligent creatures even if normally couldn't, but you cannot understand them.
+
Bind sapients.
  
'''Psyche Parley'''
+
You change the personality and motivations of a [[#Sapient |Sapient]] which is unable to resist.
You and allies can communicate with intelligent creatures.
+
This is permanent and blatant.
 +
This changes the target on a deep level, changing their loyalties and priorities.
 +
The target remembers their past but regards it as unimportant compared to their new motivations.
 +
Exceptional creatures and exceptional circumstances can break this change, depending on plot and role-play more than on die rolls.
  
'''Mental Monarchy'''
+
<div style="text-align:center;"> — [[#top|Back to top]] — </div>
You can give commands to intelligent creatures as if you were their superior. This does not remove existing loyalties, which can lead to conflicts.
 
  
'''Thought Thrall'''
+
=== Tinker ===
You can permanently bind intelligent creatures to service. Unless affected by other powers, they will stay in one location and act according to your instructions, like very loyal and literal-minded goons.
+
Infuse intelligence into objects, creating autonomous machines and constructs.
  
=== Consort ===
+
Mind tinkering is about automation and intelligence in objects.
Influence and manipulate social situations to your advantage.
+
This benefits greatly when combined with other powers to make devices for this intelligence to control.
 +
The Outcome determines  how long it will last.  
  
'''Pretend Persona'''
+
* '''Limited Outcome''' will only be good for a single scene.
You can assume an identity and reflect it in your actions, such as a healer, noble, merchant etc. This the impression you give without changing your appearance.
+
* '''Standard Outcome''' lasts until the end of the score.
 +
* '''Controlling several''' devices at once requires an additional degree of outcome.
  
'''Assume Aspect'''
+
The position depends on how quiet your workplace is and how much time you have to work with.
You assume the form of a normal humanoid, such as humans and variant humans. Add 1d to one action and subtract 1d from all actions covered by an attribute except if you just raised one of them.
+
Permanent effects require long-term projects.
  
'''Gift of Guise'''
+
==== Mnemonic Modification ====
You can shapechange a willing or helpless creatures into any humanoid. This can be a curse, it can be broken but it is not easy. You can easily break the effect.
+
Reactive mechanisms.
  
'''Gift of Gab'''
+
You imbue a simple [[#Reactive|reactive]] mind into an object. 
You can give sentience and intelligence to non-sentient creatures, giving them roughly human intellect.
+
This allows machines to do a sequence of actions with the push of a single button or single trigger, the level of intelligence possible to clockwork.
 +
This is often used for traps, but also for simple things like lifts, vending machines, and penny arcades.
 +
It can also set up control surfaces to help in the operation of a complex vehicle or machine.
 +
This allows the creation of temporary complex mechanisms without the crafting time that mundane clockwork requires.
  
=== Finesse ===
+
==== Mnemonic Mechanism ====
Master subtle and precise applications of your powers to achieve your goals.
+
Reactive devices.
  
'''Psychic Saddle'''
+
You can imbue senses and an advanced [[#Reactive|reactive]] mind in an object, allowing it to sense and react to a nearby situation.
If there is an intelligent (but not sentient) mount or vehicle, you can ride it as if it was domesticated and you had the keys.
+
This is on the mental level of a simple animal and can control much more complex systems of traps and machines that interpret and react to events, but is incapable of planning or improvising around its orders.
 +
In addition to controlling whatever mechanism it is attached to, it can send a mental alarm to person(s) attuned to the machine.
  
'''Neural Needle'''
+
==== Mnemonic Matrix ====
You can use the power as a fine and potent close-range attack, similar in effect to a fine potent dueling sword or pistol.
+
Imbue intelligence.
  
'''Neural Nudge'''
+
You can imbue an object with [[#Intelligent|intelligence]] able to hold conversations and solve problems in a constructive way.  
You can do fine manipulation of the power, allowing you to do send small and exact suggestions to intelligent creatures. This allows you to make others open doors and perform other minor manipulations.
+
This can hold simple conversations and run complex devices such as a vehicle. Is able to improvise and figure out new things after a time, but complex social interactions are beyond its ability.
 +
It can follow security protocols, but is otherwise trusting and fairly naive.
  
'''Psyche Surge'''
+
Combined with [[#Paragon Persona|Consort: Paragon Persona]] you can make [[#Sapient|sapient]]  items.
Your power manifests like a storm of blades, suppressing the effect of multiple opponents and acting as a fine potent weapon.
+
Begin with Mnemonic Matrix  to create an [[#Intelligent |intelligent]] item and then use Paragon Persona to make it [[#Sapient|sapient]].
  
=== Hunt ===
+
==== Mnemonic Manifold ====
Track down targets and unleash the power of your mind in combat.
+
Mass Mnemonic Mechanism.
  
'''Trace Thought'''
+
This is similar to [[#Mnemonic Mechanism|Mnemonic Mechanism]], but you can mass produce advanced [[#Reactive|reactive]] objects, even a set of different objects.
You can focus on a particular thought and vaguely sense and track creatures that share this thought.
+
This allows the simultaneous creation of a small army of [[#Reactive|reactive]] machines.
 +
You can instead install a single [[#Intelligent|intelligent]] mind to run a large installation like a factory or ship.
  
'''Mental Marksman'''
+
<div style="text-align:center;"> — [[#top|Back to top]] — </div>
You can use your power to attack, similar in effect to a fine and potent rifle doing mental damage.
 
  
'''Cognitive Cascade'''
+
=== Wreck ===
You can use your power to attack similar to a fine and potent grenade. This allows you to fight many creatures in the same area very effectively, but there is a risk of collateral damage.
+
Sabotage and disrupt reasoning ability in creatures and items with mental force.
  
'''Cognitive Cataclysm'''
+
Wreck Mind works differently from most other wrecking powers.
You call down the equivalent of a fine potent artillery barrage, attacking everything and intelligent creature in a wide area.
+
The Outcome needed depends on the complexity of the device to be wrecked, with more complex devices being easier to break.
 +
A very busy and dangerous setting adds to your initial Effect, while a still and polished setting reduces it.
  
=== Prowl ===
+
* '''Limited Outcome''': A cutting-edge device.
Navigate unseen realms and explore the depths of consciousness.
+
* '''Standard Outcome''': A complex device normal for the setting.
 +
* '''Great Outcome''': A simple device like a gun, bow, or door.
 +
* '''Impossible''': A device with no moving parts, like a sword or hammer, cannot be jinxed.
 +
* Security can increase the required Outcome by one step.
  
'''Psychic Pursuit'''
+
The Position depends on the situation. 
You can hide in crowds and identify someone you know when you see them, even if normal identification is not possible.
+
A quiet workspace is '''Controlled''', the general hustle of adventure '''Risky''', and dealing with direct attacks, massive crowds, or dangerous construction '''Desperate'''.
  
'''Astral Ascent'''
+
Attacks work in [[Cosmology_(FiD)#Astral_Realms|astral space]] as well as in physical reality.
You can detach your astral body, which is immaterial, transparent, and can hover. Any attack scatters it and sends your consciousness back to your body. While you project your astral body, your physical body is like an automaton; it can be led but takes no actions.
 
  
'''Astral Adventure'''
+
==== Prohibition Protocol ====
You send your and allies' astral bodies to any location you know of or into the presence of any creature you know.
+
Jam intelligent items.
  
'''Astral Gateway'''
+
Mess with intelligence in items.
You send your and allies' astral bodies to other planes, into someone's dream, and other mystic locations not of this world.
 
  
=== Skirmish ===
+
You mess with intelligence in items in your immediate presence, reducing their ability to react to the environment. 
Engage in mental combat with precision and finesse.
+
This destroys control functions, leaving the item physically whole but obviously malfunctioning. 
 +
Guns are duds, triggers activate randomly, traps misfire, and alarms either fail or continually turn on and off. 
 +
Devices can be repaired, but are usually out for the score.
  
'''Mental Melee'''
+
This can also be used as a weapon like a nerf club to inflict mental damage to [[#Intelligent|intelligent]] and [[#Sapient|sapient]] opponents.
You can use the power as a close-range mental attack, similar in effect to a melee weapon or pistol.
 
  
'''Psychic Strike'''
+
==== Pervert Protocol ====
Same as Skirmish Attack, except the weapon is fine and potent.
+
Disable networks.
  
'''Cognitive Cover'''
+
Similar to Prohibition Protocol, but on a larger scale.
Your power creates distractions that prevents an intelligent enemy from benefiting from numbers and otherwise works as a fine potent weapon.
+
You can reach through a network to sabotage a nearby control hub such as a guard station or computer server withing an Area (p 221).
 +
This can create a battle between Tinker and Wreck to keep a system alive.
 +
You introduce new and interesting flaws in even larger systems, like ships and buildings.
  
'''Mental Storm'''
+
This can also be used as a '''Fine''' and '''Potent''' gag hammer to inflict mental damage to [[#Intelligent|intelligent]] and [[#Sapient|sapient]] opponents.
Your power strikes out in all directions, attacking all enemies in a wide area.
 
  
=== Study ===
+
==== Parasitic Protocol ====
Uncover secrets and unlock the potential of your intellect.
+
Silent system sabotage.
  
'''Identify Intellect'''
+
Similar to Prohibition Protocol, but targets are disabled silently.
You can identify intelligent objects and creatures.
+
Systems seem to continue to work when they in fact do not and respond maliciously to repairs.
 +
It is as if the system intelligently resists repairs and introduces new flaws when old ones have been corrected.
 +
You can make systems function properly until a moment of stress.
  
'''Analyze Intellect'''
+
==== Pandemonium Protocol ====
You learn the powers and abilities of something you analyze.
+
Area system sabotage.
  
'''Past Perception'''
+
Similar to Prohibition Protocol, but within Range (p. 221).
You can read the past events of something you analyze. This includes previous owners and how the object has been moved around as well as significant scenes.
+
This can negate control devices over a city block or an entire port or fort, forcing everyone to rely on manual handling of objects.
 +
It is not selective; everything stops working.
  
'''Universal Understanding'''
+
<div style="text-align:center;"> — [[#top|Back to top]] — </div>
You research everything in a wide area. This is easy to do where you are, more difficult at range. You can then use hindsight on some of these targets.
 

Latest revision as of 21:32, 12 March 2026

Fox in the DarkFox in the Dark logo
Starfox's Blades in the Dark Powers

Mind delves into Sapience and Intelligence. As the Form of society and social connection, Mind concerns cognition, identity, and social awareness rather than raw problem-solving ability. It is the Form most closely associated with people; humans and variant humans like elves, orcs, and other social beings.

Mind Abilities

Action Basic Advanced Master Apex
Dice Minimum 2d Minimum 4d Minimum 6d
Stress Avoid fumble (2+). Succeed (4+). Full success (6). Critical (2 sixes).
Attune Conceptual Context
Detect Mind.
Conceptual Constraint
Dismiss Mind.
Conceptual Collapse
Merge Astral plane.
Conceptual Connection
Summon hero.
Command Telepathic Threat
Telepathic leverage.
Telepathic Transfer
Signal sapients.
Telepathic Triumph
Command sapients.
Telepathic Thrall
Bind sapients.
Consort Pretend Persona
Project a role.
Polymorph Persona
Transform self.
Project Persona
Project Persona on Crew.
Paragon Persona
Increase intelligence.
Finesse Neural Navigation
Ride any intelligence.
Neural Needle
Psychic attack.
Neural Numbness
Induce reactive Mind.
Neural Nexus
Create astral realm.
Hunt Cognitive Cue
Track a thought.
Cognitive Crosshairs
Mental snipe.
Cognitive Cascade
Manifest from astral space.
Cognitive Collapse
Psychic area attack.
Prowl Astral Alliance
Hide in crowds.
Astral Ascent
Astral body scouting.
Astral Adventure
Crew Prowl.
Astral Anywhere
Astral travel.
Skirmish Mindfulness
Resist Mind.
Mind Melee
Mind melee attack.
Mind Mastery
Gives Scale.
Mind Merge
Group Action.
Study Identify Intellect
Identify intelligence.
Inspect Intellect
Analyze Mind.
Infiltrate Intellect
Enter dream.
Inescapable Intellect
Area analyze Mind.
Survey Thought Trace
Sense Mind.
Thought Thread
Astral messenge.
Thought Tether
Astral spying.
Thought Topology
Perceive from many sapients.
Sway Eloquent Empathy
Understand motivations.
Eloquent Exchange
Crew can communicate.
Eloquent Enchantment
Suggestions to sapients.
Eloquent Enlightenment
Bind sapients.
Tinker Mnemonic Modification
Reactive mechanisms.
Mnemonic Mechanism
Reactive devices.
Mnemonic Matrix
Imbue intelligence.
Mnemonic Manifold
Mass Mnemonic Mechanism.
Wreck Prohibition Protocol
Jam intelligent items.
Pervert Protocol
Disable networks.
Parasitic Protocol
Silent system sabotage.
Pandemonium Protocol
Area system sabotage.

What is Mind

Mind governs perception of self, understanding of others, abstract reasoning, culture, language, and moral judgment. While often found in living creatures, Mind can exist independently of life, inhabiting spirits, elementals, machines, and certain undead.

Anthropomorphic creatures are the archetypal expression of Mind: civilized beings embedded in societies, capable of reflection, cooperation, and ethical reasoning. Mind represents the ability to conceptualize, plan, judge, and belong, rather than instinct or immediate reaction.

Categories of Mind

These terms have specific meanings when used with Mind powers.

Mind powers primarily affect Intelligent and Sapient targets. Effects that rely on identity, belief, guilt, ideology, long-term motivation, or moral reasoning require Sapience.

Mind attacks are immaterial assaults on cognition, will, and identity rather than physical or neurological force. They can only affect Intelligent and Sapient targets, as creatures without internal models, abstract thought, or selfhood have nothing for such attacks to strike.

Insensate

Lacks the capacity to perceive, interpret, or meaningfully respond to sensory input. Insensate entities do not register illusion, deception, or intent, and cannot be influenced by effects that rely on awareness or interpretation. This makes them immune to Illusion and Mind abilities. Some insensate things, such as plants and fungi, may react to stimuli, but only over hours or days rather than moments. Objects, plants, inert matter, and the simplest forms of life are typically insensate.

Reactive

Creatures or objects without an internal model of the world who operate primarily on basic survival instincts. They respond automatically to environmental stimuli but do not demonstrate learning, complex problem-solving, or higher reasoning. Most animals such as insects, most herbivores, and primitive predators, simple undead, lesser elemental creatures and basic constructs such as simple robots fall into this category. These beings lack the complexity of intellect to be affected by Mind powers and are instead affected by Animal or an appropriate elemental form.

Intelligent

Beings capable of learning, planning, and pursuing goals. They can model situations and respond flexibly but may lack stable self-identity, culture, or moral frameworks in relation to other creatures. Smarter animals, clever monsters, artificial intelligences, and most undead are Intelligent. An intelligent creature can be very creative and solve complex problems, can follow instinctive social norms such as a pack hierarchy, but cannot follow a pluralistic society and gets stressed and confused in such settings.

Sapient

The defining trait of civilized beings such as humans, elves, orcs, and other social peoples. Sapient beings possess self-awareness, abstract reasoning, language, culture, and moral judgment. They can engage meaningfully with creatures of different species and cultures, potentially applying empathy, reflection, and social reasoning across complex societies. Sapience is not a measure of raw intelligence, but of the ability to participate in sustained social and moral systems. Even super-intelligent artificial intelligences, monsters, and spirits are rarely Sapient. Most Powers that can affect Sapient targets can also affect Intelligent creatures.

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Expanded Mind Abilities

Attune

Connect with the mental realm and harness psychic energies for powerful manifestations. The position usually starts controlled, with the usual consequence that you cannot try again. If the setting is chaotic or violent, your position worsens.

Unlike most forms, Mind does not have a class of supernatural creatures at its beck and call. It uses the astral plane a lot, but is not connected to it or its creatures the way other Forms are. It is possible to summon sapient creatures, but they are not native to other planes, rather they must be summoned from parallel realities, which is quite difficult and comes with precious little control.

Conceptual Context

Detect Mind.

You can detect intelligence and sapience where you don't expect it, but is also useful to detect Mind powers.

Limited Outcome suffices against a creature you can clearly see. You need greater Outcome against a creature that is hidden (standard Outcome) or behind a wall (great Outcome).

Conceptual Constraint

Dismiss Mind.

You can end the operation of a Mind ability and force any Spirit to materialize or dematerialize.

Dispelling is often used as a setup action to help another character in a situation when the opposition is using mind powers. Opposed success creates an opening that makes the supported action potent. Full success improves the position of the supported action. Critical success improves both position and Outcome. When used directly, the starting effect is usually standard, which causes an ongoing ability to crash. Against an opponent that uses power to fly or even breathe you can have a better effect. Poor targeting increases the needed Outcome.

Dispelling can be used as a defense against others' use of powers, or it can be used to break continuing effects. Dispelling is often used as a setup action to help another character in a situation when the opposition is using powers. This usually improves the position of the supported action and can work in addition to other Set Up actions. When used directly, the effect is usually limited unless the opponent is relying on powers for their safety. Against an opponent that uses astral projection or turned into a merman to breathe underwater you have a better base effect. When its dramatically appropriate that a power is hard to dispel, often because it is the crux of the situation, this may not negate the power but instead give you a clue to what you need to do to resolve the situation.

Forcing a spirit to materialize or de-materialize is easy, but limited in range. The spirit cannot return under its own power for a while, usually after the score.

  • Limited Outcome only works on spirits within reach.
  • Standard Outcome covers an area based on your tier (p 220).
  • Great Outcome reaches out to a range covered by tier (p 220).

Dismissing a creature back to its home plane and usually requires a high Outcome.

  • Limited Outcome: Dismissing a creature that wants to return.
  • Standard Outcome: Dismissing a weakened or damaged creature.
  • Great Outcome: This is the norm, most dismissing requires this Outcome.

Conceptual Collapse

Merge Astral plane.

In an Area (p 221) you take down the barrier between the Astral and whatever plane you are on or near, usually the Prime plane. This allows astral creatures to interact fully with the physical world, but also removes their protection, they are now effectively on the physical plane and must move out of the Area to regain the advantages of being astral.

This creates a door between worlds, and because of how travel on the astral plane is instantaneous, there is a risk of creatures on the astral plane using this breech to escape into the physical world and vice-verso. This can be an immediate Consequence, but can have long-lasting effects on the story.

Conceptual Connection

Summon hero.

You contact a hero from an parallel world. This is used to ask advice or to summon a hero in times of crisis.

Mind is the Form of thoughts, and the power will focus on a person with the right abilities and mentality that you need, but consequences may alter this. These Consequences depend on how odd your motivations are and how odd an hero you want to summon.

  • If you have few hangups and few demands, the Position is Controlled.
  • Most hero summoning is Risky an long as yo only specify one thing about the hero; area of competence, personality, or form.
  • If you are a shut-in and you want a very specific type of necromancer hero, the Position is Desperate.

Depending on your degree of outcome, the power may only allow communication or summon a hero for a longer or shorter time.

  • Limited Outcome does not actually summon anyone, but establishes a connection, you can communicate and ask questions or you can look around to seek a particular type of individual to contact.
  • Standard Outcome summons them for a short while, assisting you on a single score, and you can dismiss a hero that wants to be sent home.
  • Great Outcome summons them until they are sent home, and you can dismiss a hero that wishes to remain.

This also allows your crew to travel to a parallel world, but there is usually little reason to do so.

Highly disruptive to the game, a long-lasting hero summon would compete for the limelight. It works well as the backstory of a character that otherwise wouldn't fit the setting, and might be the basis for a whole campaign of people doing heroics in a different world.

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Command

Impose your will upon the minds of sapient creatures.

Telepathic Threat

Telepathic leverage.

You can induce leverage telepathically regardless of language, useful for intimidating and commanding foreign or alien sapient creatures. This provides the leverage needed to use Command to intimidate without an open threat of violence.

Telepathic Transfer

Signal sapients.

You can telepathically communicate with sapient creatures you know over any range, and at line-of-sight even to strangers. You can communicate with the most powerful sapient in a vehicle or installation as long as you can see the exterior.

The communication is simple and direct, as fits the Command Action and Mind reaches above language barriers. Either party can end the communication at any time.

Telepathic Triumph

Command sapients.

Sapient creatures will see you as an officer, professional superior, alpha, or other leader type outranking them. This is essentially an attempt at Command from a position of strength, increasing your base Effect compared to a normal attempt.

This does not remove existing loyalties, which can lead to conflicts. Understanding the social order of your targets helps avoid conflict with their established loyalties.

Ordering city guards to ignore a disturbance requires greater Outcome than ordering them to deal with it and move on, because their duty is to protect the city.

Position depends on the creature’s actual relationship to you:

  • Ordering a creature that sees itself as your superior is a Desperate Position.
  • A creature that agrees you outrank it is usually a Controlled Position, with Consequences focused on limiting retries.
  • A creature that sees itself as your equal is usually a Risky Position, potentially leading to Heat, misunderstood orders, or small rebellions.

Telepathic Thrall

Bind sapients.

This will not work unless you are already in a position of power over the target. This functions like Telepathic Triumph, but the Effect is permanent rather than situational.

The initial Position is usually Desperate unless the target is already restrained, subordinate, or socially broken. Strong emotions, conflicting authority, or major narrative upheaval can break your control; otherwise, it lasts until dispelled.

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Consort

Adopt new roles, or bestow them upon others.

Pretend Persona

Project a role.

You can assume an identity such as a healer, noble, merchant, etc. This changes your actions, the way you move, and the way you speak, altering the impression you give without changing your shape or appearance. You are acting the role so naturally that people will assume you are who you pretend to be. You can allow your crew to do this as an Advanced ability, but they use their own Consort action rating.

You can use this on your entire Crew as an Advanced ability.

Polymorph Persona

Transform self.

You take the form of a sapient creature. This includes humans and whatever else is sapient in the setting, such as elves, dwarves, civilized aliens, and uplifted animals. This is an actual physical transformation.

  • Limited outcome allows transformation into yourself like you would have been, had you grown up as the creature whose mind you assume. Those familiar with you will still recognize you.
  • Standard outcome can make you a generic creature, very hard to recognize as yourself.
  • Great outcome allows you to assume the shape and personality of a specific creature you have studied.

Project Persona

Project Persona on Crew.

You can use Polymorph Persona on your entire Crew or on a willing or helpless creature. The duration depends of the outcome.

  • Limited outcome is very temporary.
  • Standard outcome lasts for the duration of a score.
  • Great outcome lasts a long time and potentially become permanent, depending on the the story.

If you also want to make the target unrecognizable, that requires additional outcome, see Polymorph Persona.

This is sometimes used as a kind of poetic justice, transforming the target as a punishment, a curse that is very hard to break. It can even be a faux resurrection, transforming the mind and body of a target into that of a loved one, tough this will never be perfect, intimate details of personality and memory will always be missing.

Paragon Persona

Increase intelligence.

This creates intelligence and the ability to communicate in a creature that lack it. This usually lasts for a score but can be made permanent using long-term actions.

Creating permanent intelligence is a long term project, but even short term intelligence can allow you to discuss and learn from the temporarily awakened, who will retain simple memories from before their awakening. It is an 8 tick long term project to make each stage of this transformation permanent.

You can increase intelligence to a lower level if desired.

Such a creature begins with a child-like devotion to you, but over time develops its own personality, including going through rebellious phases even if you treat them well. Consequences can make the creature hostile.

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Finesse

Utilize refined psychic control and mobility in both the physical and astral planes.

Neural Navigation

Ride any intelligence.

If there is a friendly reactive or intelligent (but not sapient) mount or vehicle, you can ride it as if it was domesticated and you had the keys. This works on a creature of animal intelligence and gives it the training required to act as a mount. It works on smart vehicles as long as they are not sapient.

Neural Needle

Psychic attack.

You focus your mental power into a fine and potent close-range attack, similar to a fine potent psychic dueling sword or pistol.

In a fight, using this does not take any more time, activating your attack power is equivalent to drawing a weapon, no more, no less. Inflicts psychic damage, which is fine against sapient creatures but weak against reactive creatures and useless against things that lack any kind of mind. It works perfectly in astral space.

Neural Numbness

Induce reactive Mind.

A creature is disoriented and finds it hard to make decisions, their minds momentarily reduced to a reactive state. If an appropriate action is obvious, such as if they are being attacked, targets will recover quickly, but they may respond slowly if allies are attacked, and otherwise will blunder about responding to immediate needs before returning to normal. The effect is small, precise, and momentary. When it makes sense in the story that this creates leverage, you may roll Finesse without expending any time. Resolve this as a normal Set Up, then immediately roll the Action you are Setting Up.

Neural Nexus

Create astral realm.

You can create a structure in astral space, technically a small astral haven or Dreamscape. This is typically a ship, a house, or a redoubt that can serve as a vehicle, an abode, and a base. All variants can move in astral space. Creatures inside your nexus cannot use astral travel, which affords you a way to temporarily trap them for a confrontation, until they break out of the Nexus. You must lure them inside or create the nexus around them for this to work.

Higher Outcome creates a larger, more elaborate nexus, from a small hut to a large building. Position is normally Controlled, but you can create it to surround creatures which is at least Risky. You can also increase the duration by worsening Position, which usually results in attracting attention from things in the astral plane.

You can make a permanent nexus as a 12-tick long-term project for a Limited Outcome, two such clocks for a Standard Outcome, four times for Great Outcome.

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Hunt

Track and attack targets using focused mental energy. All these abilities work just as well in astral space and in physical reality.

Cognitive Cue

Track a thought.

You focus on a particular thought and vaguely sense and track creatures that share this thought. This works best (needs Limited Outcome) on creatures that are very focused on a difficult task, such as someone driving in an unfamiliar location or a tracker in pursuit of a quarry. A target that is whimsical, drunk, or asleep requires great Outcome. The age of the tracks and the number of other minds that left similar traces reduces your Outcome. This works in astral space as well as in physical reality.

Cognitive Crosshairs

Mental snipe.

You can make an attack similar to a Fine and Potent rifle, but inflicting mental damage. Using an attack power is much the same as shooting a weapon, no more, no less. Cognitive Crosshairs inflicts potent psychic damage, which is weak against reactive creatures and useless against things that lack any kind of mind.

Cognitive Cascade

Manifest from astral space.

You and your crew can physically manifest your astral bodies. You must first project your astral body (perhaps using Prowl Mind: Astral Ascent) and then travel to the desired location.

You can then use this ability to move your astral body into the physical world. This body functions like your normal body and carries clothes and a light load. It is visually distinctive by being monochrome. Duration depends on your Outcome.

  • Limited Outcome: A few seconds.
  • Standard Outcome: A scene.
  • Great Outcome: A score.

You can then return to astral space or dissolve your astral body and return to your original physical body. You cannot bring anything along when returning.

Cognitive Collapse

Psychic area attack.

Cognitive Crosshairs with Scale (p 221). Like Cognitive Crosshairs it does mental damage. You use your power to attack similar to a Fine and Potent mental grenade. This allows you to attack a cohort gang at full effect, but there is always a risk of collateral damage.

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Prowl

Use your psychic abilities to hide, scout, and transport yourself and others.

Astral Alliance

Hide in crowds.

You can hide in a crowd of sapient people (creatures of approximately your own shape) even if you look or dress different by matching the mentality projected by people around you. Surveillance devices will still record you, but anyone watching it within the next few minutes will likely miss you. You still need to make a Prowl roll to escape attention, with better starting Effect the more people you have to hide among.

Astral Ascent

Astral body scouting.

You detach your astral and physical bodies and send your astral body to spy. You can see and hear through your astral projection, but your senses are dulled and only perceive what is within a few meters. You can clearly see creatures and psychic emanations. Your astral body is immaterial, transparent, and can hover at walking speed. You are hard to see from the physical world, your astral body glows faintly in darkness and appears as a grayish outline in bright light.

Astral Adventure

Crew Prowl.

You can include allies when using Astral Alliance and Astral Ascent. If allies need to roll Prowl, they use their own Prowl dice. This is often a Group Action.

Astral Anywhere

Astral travel.

You and allies astral bodies can travel instantly to other planes and other mystic locations connected to the astral plane. This delves into worlds of thought rather than matter, exploring dreams, realms of logic, or realms of pure forms and ideals. An expedition into such an astral realm is usually a score in its own right, done for esoteric reasons. It is possible to do such travel without this power, which is slow and dangerous.

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Skirmish

Engage in psychic combat, protecting and attacking with mental force. All of these work in astral space as well as in physical reality.

Mindfulness

Resist Mind.

You increase the effect of Skirmish rolls for endurance in such environments. Roll Skirmish to resist such Harm. 1-3: No reduction. 4-6: Reduce Harm by 1 level. Critical: Reduce Harm by 2 levels.

As a Master power, you can protect an ally for a score; as an Apex Power, you can protect your crew. Allies roll their own Skirmish dice.

Mind Melee

Mind melee attack.

You can use the power as a close-range mental attack, similar to a Fine and Potent melee weapon or pistol. All Mind attacks do psychic damage, which is fine against Sapient creatures but weak against Reactive creatures and useless against things that lack any kind of mind.

Mind Mastery

Gain Scale.

Your power strikes out in all directions, attacking all enemies in a wide area. This gives you Scale (p 221).

Mind Merge

Group Action.

This allows you and allies to initiate a Group Action when persuading, communicating, or judging opinions against each other. You may do this even when some participants would not normally be able to contribute meaningfully due to physical limitation, Scale, or environmental constraint.

You lead the Group Action and roll Skirmish. Choose the Action most appropriate to the shared physical task. Each participant other than you rolls that Action. Stress to the leader is resolved as normal for a Group Action.

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Study

Delve into the nature of intelligence and Mind powers to uncover deeper knowledge.

Study digs into the details of intelligence, sapience, and Mind powers.

  • Limited Outcome usually suffices against something you touch which does not resist you.
  • Standard Outcome works against someone you could reach, but who resists you.
  • Great Outcome can reach out a long way, as long as you have some way to zero in on your target. This is usually vision, but can be other things depending on the way your playbook uses powers and the theme of the game.

Alien minds new to you are harder to analyze.

Identify Intellect

Identify intelligence.

This Basic ability lets you see if something has intelligence or sapience, name it, understand its basic type, and learn its capacity to communicate. It does not allow you to communicate or read thoughts.

Inspect Intellect

Analyze Mind.

A more thorough analysis of intelligence or sapience, and what Mind powers and similar abilities are in effect, including the relevant rules. You also learn the basic motivations of an intelligent or sapient creature, and what those motivations are directed at. Finally, you can translate text but not ciphers.

Infiltrate Intellect

Enter dream.

You enter the mind of a creature to read its thoughts and memories. This is a Dreamscape; you enter directly into a creature's dreams.

This is most effective, but also most dangerous, when the target is asleep. Otherwise the dream world is less vivid and meaningful, a dry husk of dreams that you can study for information but cannot meaningfully influence.

Entering an awake creature's dreams lets you read thoughts, memories, and motivations, giving a picture of their personality. You can probe to learn the target's relationships and objectives toward something specific. You navigate memories by association, which makes the information you find somewhat random. Finding more obscure memories and attitudes is random and time-consuming.

In the dreams of a sleeper, you can interact with them and create scenarios for them to experience, but your control of the dream-world is limited and the dreamer's subconscious can overpower your control. Digging around in a creature's mind can awaken painful and dangerous memories that manifest as situations, creatures, and even traps. Dream logic applies, so you can suddenly find yourself shunted into a dangerous encounter.

Depending on the importance and mental strength of the target, Infiltrate Intellect might be a simple roll or an entire score.

Inescapable Intellect

Area analyze Mind.

Use Inspect Intellect on every mind in an Area (p 221).

Alternatively, you can read codes and ciphers.

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Survey

Explore the astral realms, perceiving distant thoughts and manifestations. The outcome you need depends on the target's concealment.

  • Limited Outcome can perceive known minds or strong, obvious mental activity.
  • Standard Outcome can perceive unknown but nearby minds or weakly connected targets.
  • Great Outcome can perceive distant, hidden, or conceptually remote minds.

Thought Trace

Sense Mind.

Sense intelligent or sapient creatures and manifestations of Mind powers at a distance. You can sense if something is familiar or alien and recognize creatures you are familiar with. You can opt to ignore known minds and Mind powers to find those you do not know.

Thought Thread

Astral messenge.

Choose an intelligent or sapient creature you are familiar with; you can send your astral body to their location and perceive the physical world from there or manifest to communicate with them.

Thought Tether

Astral spying.

This works like Astral Assembly, but with an open destination, you need very little information on a place or creature to go there and peer into the physical world.

Thought Topology

Perceive from many sapients.

You perceive from all sapients at once over a wide area. Enhances your senses impossibly, the sum of what each individual across the scene senses. Creates a comprehensive mental image of the area, revealing numerous details simultaneously. You perceive what everyone in range perceives, but no self-perceptions from those observers, so someone who is alone can escape your detection.

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Sway

Influence intelligent and sapient creatures with your psychic suggestions and manipulations.

Sway Mind is subtle and useful for persuading people and other intelligences. Sway powers use soft, persuasive arguments rather than the dictates of the Command action.

  • Limited Outcome works if it follows the target's existing impulses.
  • Standard Outcome can convince a target with no particular stake in the matter.
  • Great Outcome will convince a reluctant target, but not a passionate one.

Effect in excess of what's needed allows you to affect a group of allies matching the scale of your tier (p 221), as long as they are in a group.

Eloquent Empathy

Understand motivations.

You can speak to intelligent and sapient creatures even if no shared language exists, and you can gauge their motivations.

Eloquent Exchange

Crew can communicate.

You and allies can communicate with intelligent and sapient creatures. This allows the full range of the Sway action, overcoming barriers of culture and language.

Eloquent Enchantment

Suggestions to sapients.

You implant suggestions in the minds of Sapient creatures, which will be triggered under conditions you set. This power is subtle until it triggers.

Essentially this is an attempt to Sway with two advantages. The target will not remember that you swayed them, and if you succeed, you can give them instructions that will activate later, in a situation you specify. Common suggestions include stealing something, attacking someone, or ignoring an event. This cannot force actions fundamentally opposed to the target’s core identity Besides the normal challenges of Sway powers, untriggered suggestions fade over time depending on your Outcome.

  • Limited Outcome an hour or so.
  • Normal Outcome lasts for the duration of the score.
  • Great Outcome can last past the end of the score, as makes sense in the story.

Eloquent Enlightenment

Bind sapients.

You change the personality and motivations of a Sapient which is unable to resist. This is permanent and blatant. This changes the target on a deep level, changing their loyalties and priorities. The target remembers their past but regards it as unimportant compared to their new motivations. Exceptional creatures and exceptional circumstances can break this change, depending on plot and role-play more than on die rolls.

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Tinker

Infuse intelligence into objects, creating autonomous machines and constructs.

Mind tinkering is about automation and intelligence in objects. This benefits greatly when combined with other powers to make devices for this intelligence to control. The Outcome determines how long it will last.

  • Limited Outcome will only be good for a single scene.
  • Standard Outcome lasts until the end of the score.
  • Controlling several devices at once requires an additional degree of outcome.

The position depends on how quiet your workplace is and how much time you have to work with. Permanent effects require long-term projects.

Mnemonic Modification

Reactive mechanisms.

You imbue a simple reactive mind into an object. This allows machines to do a sequence of actions with the push of a single button or single trigger, the level of intelligence possible to clockwork. This is often used for traps, but also for simple things like lifts, vending machines, and penny arcades. It can also set up control surfaces to help in the operation of a complex vehicle or machine. This allows the creation of temporary complex mechanisms without the crafting time that mundane clockwork requires.

Mnemonic Mechanism

Reactive devices.

You can imbue senses and an advanced reactive mind in an object, allowing it to sense and react to a nearby situation. This is on the mental level of a simple animal and can control much more complex systems of traps and machines that interpret and react to events, but is incapable of planning or improvising around its orders. In addition to controlling whatever mechanism it is attached to, it can send a mental alarm to person(s) attuned to the machine.

Mnemonic Matrix

Imbue intelligence.

You can imbue an object with intelligence able to hold conversations and solve problems in a constructive way. This can hold simple conversations and run complex devices such as a vehicle. Is able to improvise and figure out new things after a time, but complex social interactions are beyond its ability. It can follow security protocols, but is otherwise trusting and fairly naive.

Combined with Consort: Paragon Persona you can make sapient items. Begin with Mnemonic Matrix to create an intelligent item and then use Paragon Persona to make it sapient.

Mnemonic Manifold

Mass Mnemonic Mechanism.

This is similar to Mnemonic Mechanism, but you can mass produce advanced reactive objects, even a set of different objects. This allows the simultaneous creation of a small army of reactive machines. You can instead install a single intelligent mind to run a large installation like a factory or ship.

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Wreck

Sabotage and disrupt reasoning ability in creatures and items with mental force.

Wreck Mind works differently from most other wrecking powers. The Outcome needed depends on the complexity of the device to be wrecked, with more complex devices being easier to break. A very busy and dangerous setting adds to your initial Effect, while a still and polished setting reduces it.

  • Limited Outcome: A cutting-edge device.
  • Standard Outcome: A complex device normal for the setting.
  • Great Outcome: A simple device like a gun, bow, or door.
  • Impossible: A device with no moving parts, like a sword or hammer, cannot be jinxed.
  • Security can increase the required Outcome by one step.

The Position depends on the situation. A quiet workspace is Controlled, the general hustle of adventure Risky, and dealing with direct attacks, massive crowds, or dangerous construction Desperate.

Attacks work in astral space as well as in physical reality.

Prohibition Protocol

Jam intelligent items.

Mess with intelligence in items.

You mess with intelligence in items in your immediate presence, reducing their ability to react to the environment. This destroys control functions, leaving the item physically whole but obviously malfunctioning. Guns are duds, triggers activate randomly, traps misfire, and alarms either fail or continually turn on and off. Devices can be repaired, but are usually out for the score.

This can also be used as a weapon like a nerf club to inflict mental damage to intelligent and sapient opponents.

Pervert Protocol

Disable networks.

Similar to Prohibition Protocol, but on a larger scale. You can reach through a network to sabotage a nearby control hub such as a guard station or computer server withing an Area (p 221). This can create a battle between Tinker and Wreck to keep a system alive. You introduce new and interesting flaws in even larger systems, like ships and buildings.

This can also be used as a Fine and Potent gag hammer to inflict mental damage to intelligent and sapient opponents.

Parasitic Protocol

Silent system sabotage.

Similar to Prohibition Protocol, but targets are disabled silently. Systems seem to continue to work when they in fact do not and respond maliciously to repairs. It is as if the system intelligently resists repairs and introduces new flaws when old ones have been corrected. You can make systems function properly until a moment of stress.

Pandemonium Protocol

Area system sabotage.

Similar to Prohibition Protocol, but within Range (p. 221). This can negate control devices over a city block or an entire port or fort, forcing everyone to rely on manual handling of objects. It is not selective; everything stops working.

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