Difference between revisions of "Mind Powers (FiD)"

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{{FiD}}
 
 
{{FiD-Powers}}
 
{{FiD-Powers}}
Mind delves into Sapience 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 Sapient creatures and even intelligent objects like control devices all the way up to Sapient AI.  
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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. 
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 Sapient 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
+
|align="center" valign=bottom | '''Basic'''     
|align="center" | '''Advanced''' <br> Minimum 2 Dice <br>  5 Stress
+
|align="center" valign=bottom | '''Advanced'''  
|align="center" | '''Master'''  <br> Minimum 4 Dice <br>  7 Stress
+
|align="center" valign=bottom | '''Master'''   
|align="center" | '''Apex'''    <br> Minimum 6 Dice <br> 13 Stress
+
|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'''  
 
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Attune'''  
|valign="top"| '''Mind Monitor'''   <br> Detect Sapience and use of Mind powers.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Conceptual Context|Conceptual Context]]''' <br> Detect Mind.
|valign="top"| '''Mindforge'''     <br> Dispel Mind. Summon a spirit instructor.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Conceptual Constraint|Conceptual Constraint]]''' <br> Dismiss Mind.
|valign="top"| '''Summon Hero'''   <br> Summon heroes from alternate realities.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Conceptual Collapse|Conceptual Collapse]]''' <br> Merge Astral plane.
|valign="top"| '''Parallel Plane''' <br> A portal to an alternate reality.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Conceptual Connection|Conceptual Connection]]''' <br> Summon hero.
 
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Command'''  
 
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Command'''  
|valign="top"| '''Mental Mandate''' <br> Comprehensible command to Sapients.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Telepathic Threat|Telepathic Threat]]''' <br> Telepathic leverage.
|valign="top"| '''Telepathy'''       <br> Communicate with sapiengents at range.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Telepathic Transfer|Telepathic Transfer]]''' <br> Signal sapients.
|valign="top"| '''Mental Monarchy''' <br> Command Sapient creatures as a superior.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Telepathic Triumph|Telepathic Triumph]]''' <br> Command sapients.
|valign="top"| '''Thought Thrall''' <br> Permanently bind sapient creatures.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Telepathic Thrall|Telepathic Thrall]]''' <br> Bind sapients.
 
|-
 
|-
 
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Consort'''  
 
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Consort'''  
|valign="top"| '''Pretend Persona''' <br> Assume and project a role.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Pretend Persona|Pretend Persona]]''' <br> Project a role.
|valign="top"| '''Assume Aspect'''   <br> Assume the form of a humanoid.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Polymorph Persona|Polymorph Persona]]''' <br> Transform self.
|valign="top"| '''Gift of Guise'''   <br> Assume Aspect a willing creature.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Project Persona|Project Persona]]''' <br> Project Persona on Crew.
|valign="top"| '''Gift of Gab'''     <br> Increase intelligence.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Paragon Persona|Paragon Persona]]''' <br> Increase intelligence.
 
|-
 
|-
 
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Finesse'''  
 
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Finesse'''  
|valign="top"| '''Psychic Saddle'''     <br> Ride any intelligent mount or vehicle.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Neural Navigation|Neural Navigation]]''' <br> Ride any intelligence.
|valign="top"| '''Neural Needle'''       <br> Fine and potent melee psychic attack.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Neural Needle|Neural Needle]]''' <br> Psychic attack.
|valign="top"| '''Neural Nudge'''       <br> Short precise suggestions.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Neural Numbness|Neural Numbness]]''' <br> Induce reactive Mind.
|valign="top"| '''Cloud Consciousness''' <br> Reduce targets to reactive state.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Neural Nexus|Neural Nexus]]''' <br> Create astral realm.
 
|-
 
|-
 
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Hunt'''  
 
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Hunt'''  
|valign="top"| '''Trace Thought'''     <br> Focus on and track a specific thought.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Cognitive Cue|Cognitive Cue]]''' <br> Track a thought.
|valign="top"| '''Mental Marksman'''   <br> Fine and potent ranged metal attack.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Cognitive Crosshairs|Cognitive Crosshairs]]''' <br> Mental snipe.
|valign="top"| '''Astral Avatar'''     <br> Physically emerge out of astral space.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Cognitive Cascade|Cognitive Cascade]]''' <br> Manifest from astral space.
|valign="top"| '''Cognitive Cascade''' <br> Fine and potent psychic grenade.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Cognitive Collapse|Cognitive Collapse]]''' <br> Psychic area attack.
 
|-
 
|-
 
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Prowl'''  
 
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Prowl'''  
|valign="top"| '''Crowd Camouflage''' <br> Hide in crowds.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Astral Alliance|Astral Alliance]]''' <br> Hide in crowds.
|valign="top"| '''Astral Ascent'''   <br> Detach astral body to scout.  
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|valign="top"| '''[[#Astral Ascent|Astral Ascent]]''' <br> Astral body scouting.
|valign="top"| '''Astral Adventure''' <br> Crew Crowd Camouflage and Astral Ascent.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Astral Adventure|Astral Adventure]]''' <br> Crew Prowl.
|valign="top"| '''Astral Gateway'''   <br> Send crew's astral bodies anywhere.
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|valign="top"| '''[[#Astral Anywhere|Astral Anywhere]]''' <br> Astral travel.
 
|-
 
|-
 
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Skirmish'''  
 
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Skirmish'''  
|valign="top"| '''Mindfulness''' <br> Block Harm from Mind.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Mindfulness|Mindfulness]]''' <br> Resist Mind.
|valign="top"| '''Mind Melee'''   <br> Fine and potent mental melee attack.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Mind Melee|Mind Melee]]''' <br> Mind melee attack.
|valign="top"| '''Mind Mantle''' <br> Negate scale in melee.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Mind Mastery|Mind Mastery]]''' <br> Gives Scale.
|valign="top"| '''Mind Mastery''' <br> Mind melee against all.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Mind Merge|Mind Merge]]''' <br> Group Action.
 
|-
 
|-
 
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Study'''   
 
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Study'''   
|valign="top"| '''Identify Intellect'''     <br> Identify sapience and Mind powers.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Identify Intellect|Identify Intellect]]''' <br> Identify intelligence.
|valign="top"| '''Analyze Intellect'''       <br> Analyze sapience and Mind powers.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Inspect Intellect|Inspect Intellect]]''' <br> Analyze Mind.
|valign="top"| '''Mind Meld'''               <br> Crew can enter astral space within a mind.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Infiltrate Intellect|Infiltrate Intellect]]''' <br> Enter dream.
|valign="top"| '''Universal Understanding''' <br> Wide area Analyze Intellect.
+
|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> Sense manifestations of the mind power.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Thought Trace|Thought Trace]]''' <br> Sense Mind.
|valign="top"| '''Astral Assembly''' <br> Send astral body to an ally.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Thought Thread|Thought Thread]]''' <br> Astral messenge.
|valign="top"| '''Astral Audience''' <br> Send astral body to a creature or location.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Thought Tether|Thought Tether]]''' <br> Astral spying.
|valign="top"| '''Psychic Panorama''' <br> Perceive from many sapients at once.
+
|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> Understand sapient creatures.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Eloquent Empathy|Eloquent Empathy]]''' <br> Understand motivations.
|valign="top"| '''Intelligent Interpreter''' <br> Crew can communicate with sapience.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Eloquent Exchange|Eloquent Exchange]]''' <br> Crew can communicate.
|valign="top"| '''Eloquent Enchantment'''   <br> Suggestions to sapients.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Eloquent Enchantment|Eloquent Enchantment]]''' <br> Suggestions to sapients.
|valign="top"| '''Cognitive Conversion'''   <br> Permanently change sapient minds.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Eloquent Enlightenment|Eloquent Enlightenment]]''' <br> Bind sapients.
 
|-
 
|-
 
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Tinker'''   
 
|align="left" valign="top" | '''Tinker'''   
|valign="top"| '''Automation'''       <br> Create simple automaton.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Mnemonic Modification|Mnemonic Modification]]''' <br> Reactive mechanisms.
|valign="top"| '''Create Cognition''' <br> Imbue intelligence in an object.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Mnemonic Mechanism|Mnemonic Mechanism]]''' <br> Reactive devices.
|valign="top"| '''Install Intellect''' <br> Imbue sapience in an object.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Mnemonic Matrix|Mnemonic Matrix]]''' <br> Imbue intelligence.
|valign="top"| '''Mass Mind'''         <br> Mass Create Cognition.  
+
|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> Mess with intelligence in items.  
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Prohibition Protocol|Prohibition Protocol]]''' <br> Jam intelligent items.
|valign="top"| '''Sabotage System''' <br> Disable networked things.
+
|valign="top"| '''[[#Pervert Protocol|Pervert Protocol]]''' <br> Disable networks.
|valign="top"| '''Silent Sabotage''' <br> Silent System Sabotage.
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|valign="top"| '''[[#Parasitic Protocol|Parasitic Protocol]]''' <br> Silent system sabotage.
|valign="top"| '''Terminate Tech''' <br> Area Sabotage System.
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|valign="top"| '''[[#Pandemonium Protocol|Pandemonium Protocol]]''' <br> Area system sabotage.
 
|}
 
|}
  
== Expanded Mind Powers ==
+
== What is Mind ==
An important distinction for Mind powers is the difference between between reactive, intelligent, and sapient creatures.
+
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.
  
'''Reactive''' creatures operate primarily on basic survival instincts, such as insects or simple herbivores. They respond automatically to environmental stimuli but do not demonstrate learning, complex problem-solving, or higher reasoning. Simple automatons and mechanical functions, including basic machines, also fall into this category. These beings lack the complexity to be affected by Mind powers.
+
==== 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''' creatures can solve problems, adapt to stimuli, and learn from experience, but lack the ability to fully participate in diverse societies. While some may communicate, this is often limited to their own kind. They can follow instructions but need guidance in complex social environments. Wolves, for instance, thrive within packs but struggle in mixed societies. Most monsters and wild animals are intelligent but not sapient. Even a highly intelligent dragon may be confused by the variety of cultures and ideas among sapient beings.
+
==== 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.
  
'''Sapience''' is the defining trait of civilized beings like humans. Sapient beings possess the ability to engage with creatures of different species and cultures, applying abstract thought, empathy, and social reasoning. These beings are capable of self-awareness and reflection, often making them more resistant to Mind powers, as their advanced sense of self gives them a greater ability to protect their thoughts and emotions. Any power that can affect sapients can also affect intelligent creatures.
+
==== 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 ===
 
Connect with the mental realm and harness psychic energies for powerful manifestations.
 
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 violet, your position worsens.
+
The position usually starts controlled, with the usual consequence that you cannot try again. If the setting is chaotic or violent, your position worsens.
  
'''Mind Monitor'''
+
Unlike most forms, Mind does not have a class of supernatural creatures at its beck and call.
Detect Sapience and the use of Mind powers.
+
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.
  
This can detect intelligence and sapience where you don't expect it, but is also useful to detect the use and effects of Mind powers.
+
==== Conceptual Context ====
 +
Detect Mind.
  
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).
+
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.
'''Mind Monitor'''
 
Detect Sapience and use of Mind powers.
 
  
'''Mindforge'''
+
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).
Dispel Mind. Summon a spirit instructor.
 
  
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.
+
==== Conceptual Constraint ====
 +
Dismiss Mind.
  
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.
+
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.
 +
 
 +
{{ : Include Attune Dispel Materialize Spirits (FiD) }}
 +
 
 +
==== Conceptual Collapse ====
 +
Merge Astral plane.
 +
 
 +
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.
  
When used directly, the effect is usually standard, which causes an ongoing effect to crash.  
+
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.  
Against an opponent that uses power to fly or even breathe you can have a better effect.
+
This can be an immediate Consequence, but can have long-lasting effects on the story.
Poor targeting increases the needed effect.
+
 
 +
==== Conceptual Connection ====
 +
Summon hero.
  
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.
+
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.
  
'''Summon Hero'''
+
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.
Summon heroes from alternate realities.
+
These Consequences depend on how odd your motivations are and how odd an hero you want to summon.
Summon heroes from alternate realities.
+
* 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.  
  
You can summon folk from other planes, which is usually alternate realities. This is often used to summon heroes in times of crisis, which is the beginning of many campaigns.  
+
Depending on your degree of outcome, the power may only allow communication or summon a hero for a longer or shorter time.  
Unlike many other summon powers, this is usually cast blindly, hoping your mental image of who you need to be sufficient.
+
* '''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.
Highly unpredictable, and rarely useful to player characters as such a summon would compete for the limelight.  
+
* '''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.
It does well as the backstory of a character that otherwise wouldn't fit the setting.
+
* '''Great Outcome''' summons them until they are sent home, and you can dismiss a hero that wishes to remain.
  
'''Parallel Plane'''
+
This also allows your crew to travel to a [[#Cosmology_(FiD)#Parallel_Worlds|parallel world]], but there is usually little reason to do so.
A portal to an alternate reality.
 
Create a portal to an alternate reality.
 
  
You can create a portal that allows travel to and from another reality for a limited time.
+
''Highly disruptive to the game, a long-lasting hero summon would compete for the limelight.  
The first time you gate to a certain place the position is at least risky and becomes desperate if there is any kind of disturbance.
+
''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.
  
Mind has no plane of origin.
+
<div style="text-align:center;"> — [[#top|Back to top]] — </div>
There is the astral plane (see Prowl Mind), but that is not a full plane, it is only a mental projection of our world.
 
Instead Mind links to alternate realities, which are similar to our world and a mix of all types of matter and power and which hold sapient creatures.
 
  
 
=== Command ===
 
=== Command ===
Impose your will upon the minds of Sapient creatures.
+
Impose your will upon the minds of [[#Sapient|sapient]] creatures.
  
'''Mental Mandate'''
+
==== Telepathic Threat ====
Comprehensible command to Sapients.
+
Telepathic leverage.
  
This is useful for intimidating and commanding foreign or alien sapient creatures. Combined with Sway: Communicate, it allows two-way communication.
+
You can induce leverage telepathically regardless of language, useful for intimidating and commanding foreign or alien [[#Sapient|sapient]] creatures.
 +
This provides the leverage needed to use Command to intimidate without an open threat of violence.
  
'''Telepathy'''
+
==== Telepathic Transfer ====
Communicate with sapients at range.
+
Signal sapients.
  
Telepathically communicate with sapients over any range, and a line-of-sight even to stranger. 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, suitable for the Command skill.  
+
You can telepathically communicate with [[#Sapient|sapient]] creatures you know over any range, and at line-of-sight even to strangers.
 +
You can communicate with the most powerful [[#Sapient|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.
 
Either party can end the communication at any time.
  
'''Mental Monarchy'''
+
==== Telepathic Triumph ====
Command Sapient creatures as a superior.
+
Command sapients.
  
Targets will see you as an officer, professional superior, alpha, or other leader type outranking them. This is essentially a fine attempt at communication, increasing your outcome compared to a normal attempt at Command. 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 is harder (needs more outcome) than telling them to deal with it and move on, because their task is to protect the city.
+
[[#Sapient|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.
  
Position depends on the creatures' actual relationship to you—ordering a creature that sees itself as your superior is a desperate position. A controlled position comes from a creature that agrees you are superior, usually just making retrying harder. A risky position is typical against a creature that sees itself as your equal and not your enemy, possibly leading to heat, misunderstood orders, or small rebellions.
+
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.
  
'''Thought Thrall'''
+
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.
Permanently bind sapient creatures.
 
  
This won’t work unless you are already in a position of power. This is similar to Authority but permanent. Strong emotions can break your control, but otherwise, it lasts until dispelled.
+
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 ===
Adopt new roles and forms, or bestow them upon others.
+
Adopt new roles, or bestow them upon others.
  
'''Pretend Persona'''
+
==== Pretend Persona ====
Assume and project a role.
+
Project a role.
  
You can assume an identity and reflect it in your actions, such as a healer, noble, merchant, etc. This changes the impression you give, without changing your appearance.
+
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.
The power explains 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 are acting the role so naturally that people will assume you are who you pretend to be.
You can use this on your crow as an Advanced ability.
+
You can allow your crew to do this as an Advanced ability, but they use their own Consort action rating.
  
'''Assume Aspect'''
+
You can use this on your entire Crew as an Advanced ability.
Assume the form of a humanoid.
 
  
You take the form of a sapient creature, but not an intelligent creature.
+
==== Polymorph Persona ====
This includes humans and whatever else is sapient in your world. This is an actual physical transformation.
+
Transform self.
  
* Limited outcome allows transformation into yourself like you would have been, had you grown up as the creature whose form you assume. Those familiar with you will recognize you.
+
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.
 
* Standard outcome can make you a generic creature, very hard to recognize as yourself.
* Great outcome allows you to assume the shape and some of the personality of a specific creature you have studied.
+
* Great outcome allows you to assume the shape and personality of a specific creature you have studied.
  
'''Gift of Guise'''
+
==== Project Persona ====
Assume Aspect of a willing creature.
+
Project Persona on Crew.
  
You can shapechange a willing or helpless creature as Assume Aspect.  
+
You can use Polymorph Persona on your entire Crew or on a willing or helpless creature.  
 
The duration depends of the outcome.
 
The duration depends of the outcome.
  
Line 200: Line 274:
 
* Standard outcome lasts for the duration of a score.
 
* Standard outcome lasts for the duration of a score.
 
* Great outcome lasts a long time and potentially become permanent, depending on the the story.
 
* 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 Assume Aspect.
+
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.
 
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.
  
'''Gift of Gab'''
+
==== Paragon Persona ====
 
Increase intelligence.
 
Increase intelligence.
  
 
This creates intelligence and the ability to communicate in a creature that lack it.  
 
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.
 +
 +
* Limited Outcome can turn an [[#Intelligent |Intelligent]] creature [[#Sapient |Sapient]]. 
 +
* 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.
  
* Limited Effect can turn an intelligent creature sapient. 4 tick long term project to make it permanent.
+
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.
* Standard effect can make a reactive creature intelligent.  6 tick long term project to make it permanent.
+
Consequences can make the creature hostile.
* Great effect can make a reactive creature sapient. 8 tick long term project to make it permanent.
 
  
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.
+
<div style="text-align:center;"> — [[#top|Back to top]] — </div>
  
 
=== Finesse ===
 
=== Finesse ===
 
Utilize refined psychic control and mobility in both the physical and astral planes.
 
Utilize refined psychic control and mobility in both the physical and astral planes.
  
'''Psychic Saddle'''
+
==== Neural Navigation ====
Ride any intelligent mount or vehicle.
+
Ride any intelligence.
  
If there is a friendly intelligent (but not sapient) mount or vehicle, you can ride it as if it was domesticated and you had the keys.
+
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 log as it is not sapient.
+
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]].
  
'''Neural Needle'''
+
==== Neural Needle ====
Fine and potent melee psychic attack.
+
Psychic attack.
  
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.
+
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.  
 
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.
+
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 Numbness ====
 +
Induce reactive Mind.
  
'''Neural Nudge'''
+
A creature is disoriented and finds it hard to make decisions, their minds momentarily reduced to a [[#Reactive |reactive]] state.
Short, precise suggestions.
+
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 }}
  
You can do fine manipulation of the mind, allowing you to send small and exact suggestions to sapient creatures. 
+
==== Neural Nexus ====
You send a very short and precise order, often only affecting a small part of the target's body. Can make a sapient 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 safe, inconsequential things.
+
Create astral realm.
  
'''Cloud Consciousness
+
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]].
Reduce targets to reactive state.
+
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.
  
Targets appropriate to scale at your tier (p 221) are disoriented and find it hard to make decisions, their minds reduced to a reactive state.
+
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]].
If an appropriate action is obvious, such as if they are being attacked, targets will recover quickly, but otherwise will blunder about for a time before returning to normal.
+
 
* Limited Outcome: A few seconds.
+
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.
* Standard Outcome: About a minute.
+
 
* Great Outcome: Remainder of score.
+
<div style="text-align:center;"> — [[#top|Back to top]] — </div>
  
 
=== Hunt ===
 
=== Hunt ===
 
Track and attack targets using focused mental energy.
 
Track and attack targets using focused mental energy.
 +
All these abilities work just as well in [[Cosmology_(FiD)#Astral_Realms|astral space]] and in physical reality.
  
'''Trace Thought'''
+
==== Cognitive Cue ====
Focus on and track a specific thought.
+
Track a thought.
  
You can focus on a particular thought and vaguely sense and track creatures that share this thought.
+
You focus on a particular thought and vaguely sense and track creatures that share this thought.
This works best (needs limited effect) of 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.  
+
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, asleep, or in a varied social setting requires great effect.
+
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 acts as a higher tier, reducing your effect.
+
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.
  
'''Mental Marksman'''
+
==== Cognitive Crosshairs ====
Fine and potent ranged mental attack.
+
Mental snipe.
  
You can use your power to attack, similar in effect to a fine and potent rifle doing mental damage.
+
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.  
 
Using an attack power is much the same as shooting a weapon, no more, no less.  
Mental Marksman inflicts psychic damage, which is fine against sapient creatures but weak against reactive creatures and useless against things that lack any kind of mind.
+
Cognitive Crosshairs inflicts potent psychic damage, which is weak against [[#Reactive |reactive]] creatures and useless against things that lack any kind of mind.
  
'''Astral Avatar'''
+
==== Cognitive Cascade ====
Physically emerge out of astral space.
+
Manifest from astral space.
  
You and your crew can physically manifest your astral bodies. You must first manifest your astral body (using Prowl: Astral Ascent or Astral Adventure) and then travel to the desired location. You then step back into the physical world and create a temporary body to use, made out of ethereal materials. This body functions like your normal body and carries clothes and a light load. It is visually distinctive by being monochrome and a little lighter than your physical body. Any harm this body takes also applies to your physical body. If you project another astral body, this temporal body and all gear fades away.
+
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.  
  
'''Cognitive Cascade'''
+
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.
Fine and potent psychic grenade.
+
Duration depends on your Outcome.
  
Mental Marksman with scale.
+
* '''Limited Outcome''': A few seconds.
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.
+
* '''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 ===
 
Use your psychic abilities to hide, scout, and transport yourself and others.
 
Use your psychic abilities to hide, scout, and transport yourself and others.
  
'''Crowd Camouflage'''
+
==== Astral Alliance ====
 
Hide in crowds.
 
Hide in crowds.
  
You can hide in a crowd of sentients even if you look or act different by mentally matching the people around you.
+
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.
'''Astral Ascent'''
+
You still need to make a Prowl roll to escape attention, with better starting Effect the more people you have to hide among.
Detach astral body to scout.
 
  
You can both see, hear, and speak through your astral projection.
+
==== Astral Ascent ====
Your astral body is immaterial, transparent, and can hover at walking speed.
+
Astral body scouting.
Moving your astral body far is like recalling memories, it can be instant or slow depending on your memory of the destination.
 
An astral body is hard to see, but glows slightly in darkness and appears as a greyish outline in bright light.
 
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 initiates no actions
 
  
'''Astral Adventure'''
+
You detach your astral and physical bodies and send your [[Cosmology_(FiD)#Uses|astral body]] to '''spy'''.
Crew Crowd Camouflage and Astral Ascent.
+
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.
  
You can include allies when using the basic and advanced Prowl Mind powers.
+
==== Astral Adventure ====
Each ally uses their own Prowl action.
+
Crew Prowl.
  
'''Astral Gateway'''
+
You can include allies when using Astral Alliance and Astral Ascent.
Send crew's astral bodies anywhere.
+
If allies need to roll Prowl, they use their own Prowl dice.
 +
This is often a Group Action.
  
You send your and allies' astral bodies to other planes, into someone's dream, and other mystic locations not of this world.
+
==== Astral Anywhere ====
 +
Astral travel.
  
Entering others' dreams or psyche can affect them in subtle way, planting ideas, reinforcing fears, or helping to heal mental issues.  
+
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]].
It is also possible to find consensual dreamlands, places that manifest the hopes, fears, and desires of groups of people.
+
This delves into worlds of thought rather than matter, exploring dreams, realms of logic, or realms of pure forms and ideals.
In such a place you can change the mood of an entire group.  
+
An expedition into such an astral realm is usually a score in its own right, done for esoteric reasons.
These are usually long-term projects.
+
It is possible to do such travel without this power, which is slow and dangerous.
  
Unlike Attune Mind: Parallel Plane, this delves into worlds of thought rather than matter.
+
<div style="text-align:center;"> — [[#top|Back to top]] — </div>
An expedition into such an astral realm can be a score in its own right.
 
  
 
=== Skirmish ===
 
=== Skirmish ===
 
Engage in psychic combat, protecting and attacking with mental force.
 
Engage in psychic combat, protecting and attacking with mental force.
 +
All of these work in [[Cosmology_(FiD)#Astral_Realms|astral space]] as well as in physical reality.
 +
 +
==== Mindfulness ====
 +
Resist Mind.
  
'''Mindfulness'''
+
{{ : Damage Resistance Template (FiD)}}
Block harm from Mind.
 
  
Roll Skirmish when subject to Harm from Mind or Illusion powers and similar mental attacks.
+
==== Mind Melee ====
This is your inherent resistance, it does not require any activity on your part.
+
Mind melee attack.
Reduce the level of harm inflicted based on the level of success.
 
1-3: Nothing. 4-5: Reduce level of harm by one. 6: Reduce level of harm by two. Crit: Negate all harm and recover 1 stress.
 
  
'''Mind Melee'''
+
You can use the power as a close-range mental attack, similar to a Fine and Potent melee weapon or pistol.
Fine and potent mental melee attack.
+
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.
  
You can use the power as a close-range mental attack, similar in effect to a fine and potent melee weapon or pistol.
+
==== Mind Mastery ====
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.
+
Gain Scale.
  
'''Mind Mantle'''
+
Your power strikes out in all directions, attacking all enemies in a wide area.
Negate scale in melee.
+
This gives you Scale (p 221).
  
Your power creates distractions that prevents a sapient enemy from benefiting from numbers and otherwise works as a fine potent weapon.
+
==== Mind Merge ====
This overcomes scale but attacks only a single opponent.
+
Group Action.
  
'''Mind Mastery'''
+
This allows you and allies to initiate a Group Action when persuading, communicating, or judging opinions against each other. {{ : Apex Skirmish Include (FiD) }}
Mind melee against all.
 
  
Your power strikes out in all directions, attacking all enemies in a wide area.
+
<div style="text-align:center;"> — [[#top|Back to top]] — </div>
This overcomes and attacks multiple opponents.
 
  
 
=== Study ===
 
=== Study ===
Line 345: Line 448:
  
 
Study digs into the details of intelligence, sapience, and Mind powers.
 
Study digs into the details of intelligence, sapience, and Mind powers.
* Limited effects usually suffices against something you touch which does not resist you.
+
* Limited Outcome usually suffices against something you touch which does not resist you.
* Standard effect works against someone you could reach, but which resists you.
+
* Standard Outcome works against someone you could reach, but who resists you.
* Great effect 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 your playbook and the theme of the game.
+
* 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.
 
Alien minds new to you are harder to analyze.
  
'''Identify Intellect'''
+
==== Identify Intellect ====
Identify sapience and Mind powers.
+
Identify intelligence.
  
This basic ability lets you see if something has intelligence or sapience.
+
This Basic ability lets you see if something has intelligence or sapience, name it, understand its basic type, and learn its capacity to communicate.
If you are familiar with its type, such as "human", you can identify it as such.
+
It does not allow you to communicate or read thoughts.
  
'''Analyze Intellect'''
+
==== Inspect Intellect ====
Analyze sapience and Mind powers.
+
Analyze Mind.
  
A more thorough analysis, including what Mind powers and similar abilities, including the relevant rules.
+
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 basic motivations are and what these motivations is directed at.
+
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.
  
'''Mind Meld'''
+
==== Infiltrate Intellect ====
Crew can enter astral space within a mind.
+
Enter dream.
  
 
You enter the mind of a creature to read its thoughts and memories.
 
You enter the mind of a creature to read its thoughts and memories.
This works much like Prowl Mind: Astral Ascent, but you enter directly into a creatures mind.
+
This is a [[Cosmology_(FiD)#Dreamscapes|Dreamscape]]; you enter directly into a creature's dreams.
This allows you to read thoughts, memories, and motivations, giving a picture of the target's personality.
+
 
You read memories based on association, which makes the information you find somewhat random.
+
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.
You can probe to learn the target's relations and objectives towards something specific.
 
Finding more obscure memories and attitudes is random and time consuming.
 
  
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.
+
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.
  
'''Universal Understanding'''
+
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.
Wide area Analyze Intellect.
+
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.
  
Analyze Intellect on every mind in a wide area.
+
Depending on the importance and mental strength of the target, Infiltrate Intellect might be a simple roll or an entire score.
  
=== Survey ===
+
==== Inescapable Intellect ====
Explore the astral and mental realms, perceiving distant thoughts and manifestations.
+
Area analyze Mind.
 +
 
 +
Use Inspect Intellect on every mind in an Area (p 221).
 +
 
 +
Alternatively, you can read codes and ciphers.
  
The effect required depends on the targets concealment.
+
<div style="text-align:center;"> — [[#top|Back to top]] — </div>
* Limited effect suffices for targets in clear line of sight.
 
* Standard effect can penetrate concealment, sense those hiding behind corners, or far to points you can only barely see.
 
* Great effect can look around behind walls and into hard cover.
 
  
'''Thought Trace'''
+
=== Survey ===
Sense manifestations of Mind powers.
+
Explore the [[Cosmology_(FiD)#Astral_Realms|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.
  
Sense manifestations of minds or Mind powers at a distance.
+
==== Thought Trace ====
You can recognize minds you are familiar with and sense if something is familiar or alien, but that is about it.
+
Sense Mind.
You can opt to ignore known minds to find what you do not know.
 
  
'''Astral Assembly'''
+
Sense [[#Intelligent|intelligent]] or [[#Sapient|sapient]] creatures and manifestations of Mind powers at a distance.
Send astral body to an ally.
+
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.
  
Choose an intelligent creature you are familiar with; you can send your astral body to their location. See prowl: Astral Ascent.
+
==== Thought Thread ====
As long as you remain still, you are invisible, tough particularly perceptive targets might still sense a presence.
+
Astral messenge.
  
'''Astral Audience'''
+
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.  
Send astral body to a creature or location.
 
  
Choose a location or creature. You send your astral body to that location.
+
==== Thought Tether ====
This works like
+
Astral spying.
Astral Assembly, but with an open destination, you need very little information on a place or creature to go there.
 
  
'''Psychic Panorama'''
+
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.
Perceive from many sapients at once.
 
  
You perceive from all sapients at once over a wide area.
+
==== Thought Topology ====
 +
Perceive from many sapients.
  
Enhances your senses impossibly, the sum of what each individual across the scene perceives.  
+
You perceive from all [[#Sapient|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.  
 
Creates a comprehensive mental image of the area, revealing numerous details simultaneously.  
It's challenging for targets to hide unless they are aware of how to conceal themselves.
+
You perceive what everyone in range perceives, but no self-perceptions from those observers, so someone who is alone can escape your detection.
 +
 
 +
<div style="text-align:center;"> — [[#top|Back to top]] — </div>
  
 
=== Sway ===
 
=== Sway ===
Influence intelligent creatures with your psychic suggestions and manipulations.
+
Influence [[#Intelligent|intelligent]] and [[#Sapient|sapient]] creatures with your psychic suggestions and manipulations.
  
 
Sway Mind is subtle and useful for persuading people and other intelligences.  
 
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.  
+
Sway powers use soft, persuasive arguments rather than the dictates of the [[#Command|Command]] action.  
  
* Limited effect works if it follows the target's existing impulses.  
+
* '''Limited Outcome''' works if it follows the target's existing impulses.  
* Standard effect can convince a target with no particular stake in the matter.  
+
* '''Standard Outcome''' can convince a target with no particular stake in the matter.  
* Great effect will convince a reluctant target, but not a passionate one.  
+
* '''Great Outcome''' will convince a reluctant target, but not a passionate one.  
* Effect in excess of what's needed allows you to affect targets matching the scale of your tier (p 221), as long as they are in a group.
+
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.
  
'''Intellectual Intuition'''
+
==== Eloquent Empathy ====
Understand sapient creatures.
+
Understand motivations.
  
You can understand sapient creatures even if normally couldn't, and gauge their motivations.
+
You can speak to [[#Intelligent|intelligent]] and [[#Sapient|sapient]] creatures even if no shared language exists, and you can gauge their motivations.  
This does not allow you to be understood by those whose intentions you read. Used together with Command: Mental Mandate, this allows full communication.
 
  
'''Intelligent Interpreter'''
+
==== Eloquent Exchange ====
Crew can communicate with sapience.
+
Crew can communicate.
  
You and allies can communicate with sapient creatures.
+
You and allies can communicate with [[#Intelligent|intelligent]] and [[#Sapient|sapient]] creatures.
 
This allows the full range of the Sway action, overcoming barriers of culture and language.
 
This allows the full range of the Sway action, overcoming barriers of culture and language.
  
'''Eloquent Enchantment'''
+
==== Eloquent Enchantment ====
 
Suggestions to sapients.
 
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.
+
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.
  
 
Essentially this is an attempt to Sway with two advantages.
 
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.
 
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.  
 
Common suggestions include stealing something, attacking someone, or ignoring an event.  
Besides the normal challenges of Sway powers, untriggered suggestions fade over time depending on your effect.  
+
This cannot force actions fundamentally opposed to the target’s core identity
* Limited outcome A minute or so..  
+
Besides the normal challenges of Sway powers, untriggered suggestions fade over time depending on your Outcome.  
* Normal outcome lasts for the duration of the score.
+
* '''Limited Outcome''' an hour or so.
* Great outcome can last past the end of the score, as makes sense in the story.
+
* '''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.
  
'''Cognitive Conversion'''
+
==== Eloquent Enlightenment ====
Permanently change sapient minds.
+
Bind sapients.
  
You change the personality and motivations a sapient. This power is permanent, but blatant. The target remembers their past but regards it as unimportant compared to their new motivations.
+
You change the personality and motivations of a [[#Sapient |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.
  
This changes the target on a deep level, changing their loyalties and priorities.
+
<div style="text-align:center;"> — [[#top|Back to top]] — </div>
Exceptional creatures and exceptional circumstances can break this change, depending more on plot and role-playing than die rolls.
 
  
 
=== Tinker ===
 
=== Tinker ===
Line 465: Line 580:
 
Mind tinkering is about automation and intelligence in objects.
 
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.
 
This benefits greatly when combined with other powers to make devices for this intelligence to control.
 +
The Outcome determines  how long it will last.
  
The effect determines  how long it will last.
+
* '''Limited Outcome''' will only be good for a single scene.
* Limited Outcome will only be good for a single scene.
+
* '''Standard Outcome''' lasts until the end of the score.
* Standard Outcome lasts until the end of the score.
+
* '''Controlling several''' devices at once requires an additional degree of outcome.
* Controlling many or devices requires an additional degree of outcome.
 
  
 
The position depends on how quiet your workplace is and how much time you have to work with.
 
The position depends on how quiet your workplace is and how much time you have to work with.
 
Permanent effects require long-term projects.
 
Permanent effects require long-term projects.
  
'''Automation'''
+
==== Mnemonic Modification ====
Create a reactive mind.
+
Reactive mechanisms.
  
You imbue a simple mind into objects.   
+
You imbue a simple [[#Reactive|reactive]] mind into an object.   
This allows machines to do a sequence of actions with the push of a single button or single trigger.
+
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 vending machines and penny arcades.
+
This is often used for traps, but also for simple things like lifts, vending machines, and penny arcades.
It can also set up controls to run a complex vehicle or machine.
+
It can also set up control surfaces to help in the operation of a complex vehicle or machine.
This allows complex clockwork devices without the time that mundane clockwork requires.
+
This allows the creation of temporary complex mechanisms without the crafting time that mundane clockwork requires.
  
'''Create Cognition'''
+
==== Mnemonic Mechanism ====
Imbue intelligence in an object.
+
Reactive devices.
  
You can imbue limited intelligence in an object, allowing it to sense and react a situation nearby.
+
You can imbue senses and an advanced [[#Reactive|reactive]] mind in an object, allowing it to sense and react to a nearby situation.
You can do much more complex traps and machines that interpret and react to events.
+
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.
This is about the same intelligence that a desktop computer with some sensors attached.  
 
 
In addition to controlling whatever mechanism it is attached to, it can send a mental alarm to person(s) attuned to the machine.
 
In addition to controlling whatever mechanism it is attached to, it can send a mental alarm to person(s) attuned to the machine.
  
'''Install Intellect'''
+
==== Mnemonic Matrix ====
Imbue sapience in an object.
+
Imbue intelligence.
  
You can imbue intelligence able to hold conversations and solve problems intelligently.  
+
You can imbue an object with [[#Intelligent|intelligence]] able to hold conversations and solve problems in a constructive way.  
This has the intelligence of an intelligent animal and can hold simple conversations and run complex devices such as a gun or vehicle. Is able to improvise and figure out new things after a time, but complex social interactions are beyond its ability.
+
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.
 
It can follow security protocols, but is otherwise trusting and fairly naive.
  
Combined with Consort: Gift of Gab you can make sapient items.
+
Combined with [[#Paragon Persona|Consort: Paragon Persona]] you can make [[#Sapient|sapient]]  items.
Begin with Install Intellect to create an intelligent item and then use Gift of Gab to make it sapient. This counts as uplifitng a reactive mind because of the problems of understanding intelligent items.
+
Begin with Mnemonic Matrix  to create an [[#Intelligent |intelligent]] item and then use Paragon Persona to make it [[#Sapient|sapient]].
Another way to make sapient items is to have an intelligent spirit possess an intelligent item.
 
  
'''Mass Mind'''
+
==== Mnemonic Manifold ====
Mass Create Cognition.
+
Mass Mnemonic Mechanism.
  
This is similar to Create Cognition, but you can mass produce intelligent objects, even a set of different objects.
+
This is similar to [[#Mnemonic Mechanism|Mnemonic Mechanism]], but you can mass produce advanced [[#Reactive|reactive]] objects, even a set of different objects.
This allows the simultaneous creation of a small army of intelligent machines.
+
This allows the simultaneous creation of a small army of [[#Reactive|reactive]] machines.
You can also install a mind to run a large installation like a factory or ship.
+
You can instead install a single [[#Intelligent|intelligent]] mind to run a large installation like a factory or ship.
 +
 
 +
<div style="text-align:center;"> — [[#top|Back to top]] — </div>
  
 
=== Wreck ===
 
=== Wreck ===
Sabotage and disrupt intelligent systems and technology with mental force.
+
Sabotage and disrupt reasoning ability in creatures and items with mental force.
  
'''Disrupt Device'''
+
Wreck Mind works differently from most other wrecking powers.
Mess with intelligence in items.
+
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.
  
'''Sabotage System'''
+
* '''Limited Outcome''': A cutting-edge device.
Disable networked systems.
+
* '''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.
  
'''Silent Sabotage'''
+
The Position depends on the situation. 
Silent System Sabotage.
+
A quiet workspace is '''Controlled''', the general hustle of adventure '''Risky''', and dealing with direct attacks, massive crowds, or dangerous construction '''Desperate'''.
  
'''Terminate Tech'''
+
Attacks work in [[Cosmology_(FiD)#Astral_Realms|astral space]] as well as in physical reality.
Area Sabotage System.
 
  
== Old Expanded Mind Powers ==
+
==== Prohibition Protocol ====
Mind can detect, influence, communicate with, and even create intelligence and sapience.
+
Jam intelligent items.
  
The position usually starts controlled, with the usual consequence that you cannot try again. If the setting is chaotic or violet, your position worsens.
+
Mess with intelligence in items.
 
 
=== Attune ===
 
'''Mind Monitor'''
 
You can detect sapient creatures and use of mind powers.
 
 
 
This can detect thinking creatures that you cannot see disguised or bestial intelligent and sapient creatures, but is also useful to detect the use and effects of Mind powers.
 
 
 
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).
 
 
 
'''Mindforge'''
 
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.
 
 
 
When used directly, the effect is usually standard, which causes an ongoing effect to crash.
 
Against an opponent that uses power to fly or even breathe you can have a better effect.
 
Poor targeting increases the needed effect.
 
 
 
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.
 
 
 
'''Summon Hero'''
 
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.
 
 
 
A common trope in the tradition of the Narnia books, this summons people form another world to help you.
 
Highly unpredictable, and rarely useful to player characters as such a summon would compete for the limelight.
 
It does well as the backstory of a character that otherwise wouldn't fit the setting.
 
 
 
'''Parallel Plane'''
 
You can create a portal that allows travel to and from another reality for a limited time.
 
 
 
=== Command ===
 
'''Mental Mandate'''
 
You can command intelligent creatures even if normally couldn't, but you cannot understand them.
 
 
 
This allows you to issue telepathic commands to sapient creatures, allowing use of the action across language and cultural barriers.
 
 
 
'''Telepathy'''
 
You can communicate with sapient creatures at range.
 
 
 
Telepathy allows communication over vast distances as long as you know the target, and a line-of-sight even if you do not.
 
You can communicate with the commander of a vehicle or installation as long as you can see the exterior.
 
The communication is simple and direct, suitable for the Command skill.
 
 
 
'''Mental Monarchy'''
 
You can give commands to sapient creatures as if you were their superior. This does not remove existing loyalties, which can lead to conflicts.
 
 
 
Much like Telepathy, and your projected thoughts carry extra weight, as if issued by an authority targets respect
 
 
 
'''Thought Thrall'''
 
You can permanently bind sapient 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.
 
 
 
They will stay in one location and act according to your instructions, like very loyal and literal-minded goons, unless affected by other powers.
 
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.
 
 
 
=== Consort ===
 
'''Pretend Persona'''
 
You can assume an identity and reflect it in your actions, such as a healer, noble, merchant, etc. This changes the impression you give, without changing your appearance.
 
 
 
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.
 
 
 
'''Assume Aspect'''
 
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.
 
 
 
You take the form of a sapient creature, but not intelligent creatures.
 
This includes humans and whatever else is sapient in your world.
 
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.
 
 
 
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.
 
Standard effect can make you a generic creature, very hard to recognize as yourself.
 
Great effect allows you to assume the shape and some of the personality of a specific creature you have studied.
 
 
 
'''Gift of Guise'''
 
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 is Assume Aspect used on another. The effect needed depends on their similarity to the new form.
 
 
 
'''Gift of Gab'''
 
You can give sapience and intelligence to non-sapient creatures, giving them roughly human intellect.
 
 
 
This creates intelligence and the ability to communicate in a creature or object that lacks it.
 
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.
 
 
 
=== Finesse ===
 
'''Psychic Saddle'''
 
If there is an 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.
+
You mess with intelligence in items in your immediate presence, reducing their ability to react to the environment.
It might work on smart vehicles depending on how the setting regards machine intelligence.
+
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.   
'''Neural Needle'''
+
Devices can be repaired, but are usually out for the score.
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.
 
Inflicts psychic damage, which is fine against sapient creatures but weak against reactive creatures and useless against things that lack any kind of mind.
 
 
 
'''Neural Nudge'''
 
You can do fine manipulation of the power, allowing you to send small and exact suggestions to sapient creatures. This allows you to make others open doors and perform other minor manipulations.
 
 
 
You send a very short and precise order, often only affecting a small part of the target's body.
 
Can make a sapient 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.
 
 
 
'''Astral Avatar'''
 
Physically emerge out of astral space.
 
 
 
You and your crew can physically manifest your astral bodies.
 
You must first manifest your astral body (using Prowl: Astral Ascent or Astral Adventure) and then travel to the desired location.
 
You then step back into the physical world and create a temporary body to use, made out of ethereal materials.
 
This body functions like your normal body and carries clothes and a light load.
 
It is visually distinctive by being monochrome and a little lighter than your physical body.
 
Any harm this body takes also applies to your physical body.
 
If you project another astral body, this temporal body and all gear fades away.
 
 
 
=== Hunt ===
 
'''Trace Thought'''
 
You can focus on a particular thought and vaguely sense and track creatures that share this thought.
 
 
 
This works best (needs limited effect) of 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, asleep, or in a varied social setting requires great effect.
 
The age of the tracks and the number of other minds that left similar traces acts as a higher tier, reducing your effect.
 
 
 
'''Mental Marksman'''
 
You can use your power to attack, similar in effect to a fine and potent rifle doing mental damage.
 
 
 
Using an attack power is much the same as shooting 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.
 
 
 
'''Cloud Consciousness'''
 
Targets lose their focus and sense of location, as if just waking up.
 
 
 
If what to do is obvious, they will quickly do it.
 
But if things are calm, they need some time to orient themselves, which creates an opening for you to act.
 
 
 
Limited effect suffices for a single target. Great effect can affect more than a dozen people all at once.
 
 
 
'''Cognitive Cascade'''
 
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.
 
 
 
Mental Marksman with scale.
 
 
 
=== Prowl ===
 
'''Crowd Camouflage'''
 
You can hide in crowds.
 
 
 
You can hide in a crowd even if you look or act different by mentally matching the people around you.
 
 
 
'''Astral Ascent'''
 
You can detach your astral body to scout.
 
 
 
You can both see, hear, and speak through your astral projection.
 
Your astral body is immaterial, transparent, and can hover at walking speed.
 
Moving your astral body far is like recalling memories, it can be instant or slow depending on your memory of the location.
 
An astral body is hard to see, but glows slightly in darkness and appears as a greyish outline in bright light.
 
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'''
 
You and allies can use Crowd Camouflage and Astral Ascent.
 
 
 
You can include allies when using the basic Prowl Mind powers.
 
Each ally uses their own Prowl action.
 
 
 
'''Astral Gateway'''
 
You send your and allies' astral bodies to other planes, into someone's dream, and other mystic locations not of this world.
 
 
 
Entering others' dreams or psyche can affect them in subtle way, planting ideas, reinforcing fears, or helping to heal mental issues.
 
It is also possible to find consensual dreamlands, places that manifest the hopes, fears, and desires of groups of people.
 
In such a place you can change the mood of an entire group.
 
These are usually long-term projects.
 
 
 
Unlike Attune Mind: Parallel Plane, this delves into worlds of thought rather than matter.
 
An expedition into such an astral realm can be a score in its own right.
 
 
 
=== Skirmish ===
 
'''Mindfulness'''
 
Block harm from Mind.
 
 
 
Roll Skirmish when subject to Harm from Mind or Illusion powers and similar mental attacks.  
 
This is your inherent resistance, it does not require any activity on your part.
 
Reduce the level of harm inflicted based on the level of success.
 
1-3: Nothing. 4-5: Reduce level of harm by one. 6: Reduce level of harm by two. Crit: Negate all harm and recover 1 stress.
 
 
 
'''Mind Melee'''
 
Fine and potent mental melee attack
 
 
 
You can use the power as a close-range mental attack, similar in effect 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 Mantle'''
 
Negate scale in melee
 
 
 
Your power creates distractions that prevents a sapient enemy from benefiting from numbers and otherwise works as a fine potent weapon.
 
This overcomes scale but attacks only a single opponent.
 
 
 
'''Mind Mastery'''
 
Mind melee against all.
 
 
 
Your power strikes out in all directions, attacking all enemies in a wide area.
 
This overcomes and attacks multiple opponents.
 
 
 
=== Study ===
 
Study digs into the details of intelligence, sapience, and Mind powers.
 
Limited effects usually suffices against something you touch which does not resist you.
 
Standard effect works against someone you could reach, but which resists you.
 
Great effect 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 your  playbook and the theme of the game.
 
Alien minds new to you are harder to analyze.
 
 
 
'''Identify Intellect'''
 
You can identify sapient objects and creatures.
 
 
 
This basic ability lets you see if something houses intelligence or sapience.
 
If you are familiar with its type, such as "human", you can identify it as such.
 
 
 
'''Analyze Intellect'''
 
You learn the powers and abilities of a mind or Mind powers.
 
 
 
A more thorough analysis, including what Mind powers are present and what a sapient creature is good or bad at and its basic motivations, like hunger, hatred, love, or curiosity and what these motivations is directed at.
 
 
 
'''Mind Meld'''
 
You enter the mind of a creature to read its thoughts and memories.
 
 
 
This allows you to read thoughts, memories, and motivations, giving a picture of the target's personality.
 
You read memories based on association, which makes the information you find somewhat random.
 
You can probe to learn the target's relations and objectives towards something specific.
 
Finding more obscure memories and attitudes is random and time consuming.
 
 
 
'''Universal Understanding'''
 
Analyze every Mind in a wide area. You can then use Past Perception on some of these targets.
 
 
 
Godlike perception giving you an insight on every person in the vicinity and the ability to dive into some of them, using Mind Meld at range.
 
 
 
=== Survey ===
 
The effect required depends on the targets concealment.
 
Limited effect suffices for targets in clear line of sight.
 
Standard effect can penetrate concealment, sense those hiding behind corners, or far to points you can only barely see.
 
Great effect can look around behind walls and into hard cover.
 
 
 
'''Thought Trace'''
 
You can sense manifestations of the minds or Mind powers at a distance.
 
 
 
You can recognize minds you are familiar with and sense if something is familiar or alien, but that is about it.
 
   
 
'''Astral Assembly'''
 
Choose an intelligent creature you are familiar with; you can send your astral body to their location. See prowl: Astral Ascent.
 
 
 
As an astral body is easily destroyed, gaining more than a glimpse of the location may depend on a Prowl action.
 
 
 
'''Astral Audience'''
 
Choose a location or creature. You send your astral body to that location.
 
 
 
Astral Assembly, but with an open destination, you need very little information on a place or creature to go there.
 
 
 
'''Psychic Panorama'''
 
You perceive from all intelligent creatures at once over a wide area.
 
 
 
You Thought Trace all points you have line-of-sight to, and then from there what your effect allows to see into concealment and cover.
 
 
 
=== Sway ===
 
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 effect works if it follows the target's existing impulses. Standard effect can convince a target with no particular stake in the matter. Great effect will convince a reluctant target, but not a passionate one. Effect in excess of what's needed allows you top affect ten or so targets, as long as they are in a group.
 
 
 
'''Intellectual Intuition'''
 
You can understand intelligent creatures even if normally couldn't, and gauge their motivations.
 
 
 
This does not allow you to be understood by those whose intentions you read. Used together with the basic Command power, this allows full communication.
 
 
 
'''Intelligent Interpreter'''
 
You and allies can communicate with sapient creatures.
 
 
 
This allows the full range of the Sway action, overcoming barriers of culture and language.
 
 
 
'''Eloquent Enchantment'''
 
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.
 
Besides the normal challenges of Sway powers, suggestions fade depending on your effect. Limited effect lasts in the immediate situation.
 
Normal effect lasts for the duration of the score, and great effect can last past the end of the score, as makes sense in the story.
 
 
 
'''Cognitive Conversion'''
 
You change the personality and motivations a sapient. This power is permanent, but blatant. The target remembers their past but regards it as unimportant compared to their new motivations.
 
 
 
This changes the target on a deep level, changing their loyalties and priorities. '
 
Exceptional creatures and exceptional circumstances can break this change, depending more on plot and role-playing than die rolls.
 
 
 
=== Tinker ===
 
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 effect determines the effectiveness of your construction, but also how long it will last.
 
Devices that are more powerful are harder to contain, and thus wont last as long.
 
Most tinkering will only be good for a single scene, but if your effect surpasses that required for the effect you want, you can stretch the effect until the end of the score.
 
Long lasting or permanent effects are long-time downtime projects.
 
The position depends on how quiet your workplace is and how much time you have to work with.
 
 
 
'''Automation'''
 
You imbue mind into objects. Create simple triggers, like a push button, to rigger one or more devices
 
 
 
This allows machines to do a sequence of actions with the push of a single button or single trigger.
 
Any precision must be supplied from the outside or be set when the device is made.
 
This is often used for traps, but also for simple things like vending machines and penny arcades.
 
This allows clockwork complexity in devices without the skill and time that mundane clockwork requires.
 
 
 
'''Create Cognition'''
 
You can imbue limited intelligence in an object, allowing it to sense and react a situation nearby.
 
 
 
You can do much more complex traps and machines that interpret and react to events.
 
It cannot distinguish individuals, but can identify species, gender, uniforms, and the like and react to such information. It can also act if it is idle for a set time.
 
This is about the same intelligence that a desktop computer with some sensors attached.
 
In addition to controlling whatever mechanism it is attached to, it can send a mental alarm to person(s) attuned to the machine.
 
 
 
'''Install Intellect'''
 
You can imbue limited intelligence able to hold simple conversations. Combined with Attune Mind: Mindforge you can make sapient items.
 
 
 
This has the intelligence of an intelligent animal and can hold simple conversations and run complex devices such as a gun or vehicle. It is not able to improvise and figure out new things without instruction.
 
 
 
'''Mass Mind'''
 
This is similar to create, above, but you mass produce intelligent objects, even a set of different objects.
 
 
 
This allows the simultaneous creation of a small army of intelligent machines.
 
 
 
=== Wreck ===
 
Wreck Mind works differently from most other wrecking powers.
 
The effect needed depends on the complexity of the device to be wrecked, with more complex devices being easier to break.
 
A cutting-edge device or one with with the latest addons require only limited effect.
 
A simple device like a bow or winch requires great effect.
 
A device with no moving parts, like a sword or hammer, cannot be jinxed.
 
A very busy and dangerous setting adds to your effect, while a still and polished setting reduces effect.
 
  
The position depends on the situation. A quiet workspace is controlled, the general hustle of adventure risky, dealing with a fight, massive crowds, or dangerous construction is desperate
+
This can also be used as a weapon like a nerf club to inflict mental damage to [[#Intelligent|intelligent]] and [[#Sapient|sapient]] opponents.
  
'''Disrupt Device'''
+
==== Pervert Protocol ====
You mess with intelligence in items, that is their ability to react to the environment. Noisy and leaves the damaged object in place.
+
Disable networks.
  
This destroys control functions, leaving the item whole but malfunctioning. Guns are duds, triggers make the shot miss, traps misfire or refuse to activate, alarms ring randomly. Simple devices can be repaired, but are usually out for the score.  
+
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.
  
'''Sabotage System'''
+
This can also be used as a '''Fine''' and '''Potent''' gag hammer to inflict mental damage to [[#Intelligent|intelligent]] and [[#Sapient|sapient]] opponents.
Similar to Disrupt Device. Can also mess with control surfaces like buttons or steering.
 
  
Introduce new and interesting flaws in larger systems, like ships and buildings.  
+
==== Parasitic Protocol ====
 +
Silent system sabotage.
  
'''Silent Sabotage'''
+
Similar to Prohibition Protocol, but targets are disabled silently.
Similar to Sabotage System, but destroyed are disabled silently and respond maliciously to repairs.
+
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.
  
Its like the system intelligently resists repairs and introduces new flaws when old ones have been corrected. Can function properly until a moment of stress. This is a constant battle between Tinker and Wreck!
+
==== Pandemonium Protocol ====
 +
Area system sabotage.
  
'''Terminate Tech'''
+
Similar to Prohibition Protocol, but within Range (p. 221).
Similar to Sabotage System, but over a large area.  
+
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.
  
This can negate control devices over a city block or entire port or fort, forcing everyone to rely on manual handling of objects.
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<div style="text-align:center;"> — [[#top|Back to top]] — </div>

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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