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- Magical Energy Conservation (Mental 2, Intelligence/Reason for casters of wizardly magic,
Wisdom/Understanding for casters of priestly magic) — Only spellcasters
may take this skill. It allows the spellcaster to conserve energy
that might normally be wasted during spellcasting, collecting
it for use as cantrips or orisons.
- Each day, a character with this skill who makes a successful skill
check may cast one cantrip or orison per spell level they have
attained at no additional cost. This means that a 7th-level mage
with this skill would be able to cast four cantrips per day, whereas
a 4th-level priest could use two orisons per day.
- Manipulation (Mental 2, Charisma/Appearance -2) — The Manipulation skill allows
a character to “push someone’s buttons.” The character must spend
at least a half hour getting to know the target, so he or she
has some idea of what the target’s likes and dislikes are. At
any time after that, the character may try to convince the target
to feel an emotion about someone, something, or some event. A
successful skill check indicates success. The margin of success
(including modifiers) should be recorded.
- The target experiences the desired emotion until some circumstance
changes it. When confronted with circumstances that could change
the target’s feelings, the target makes a Sanity check. The margin
of success is the negative modifier to the Sanity check. If the
Sanity check succeeds, the target realizes he has been manipulated
and will react accordingly.
- Again, the DM should not try to tell players how their character
feels. However, DMs can allow villainous NPCs to manipulate the
emotions of potential allies (or other NPCs) to give them bad
feelings about the PCs. Imagine the PCs trying to get information
about a well-loved (though evil) person in a town full of strangers
who already hate the PCs.
- Note, an emotionally manipulated target is not controlled. This
is not a charm or other magic. The character will react in accordance
to his personality and alignment.
- Meditative Focus (Mental 1, Ego/Aura +1) — Through this skill, a psionicist can
focus his mental energy on one particular discipline. As a result,
his power scores in that discipline temporarily increase, while
those in other disciplines decline. This skill can also be used
by any character to temporarily boost a mental ability score and
is commonly learned by members of the clergy as a method of spiritual
discipline.
- By spending at least 12 hours in meditation (and prayer) and making
a successful skill check, the character can temporarily boost
one mental ability score — Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma or Ego
— by one point. The last four hours of this meditation are spent
in a deep, sleep-like trance. The effect of this form of meditation
lasts three hours. Meditation for this purpose requires freedom
from disturbance, and does not eliminate the needs for food, drink
or sleep. Only one ability can be boosted at any given time. This
type of meditation can be used to raise an ability score no more
than once per week.
- In order for a psionicist to focus mental energy on a particular
discipline this skill requires the character to meditate, uninterrupted,
for 12 hours. The last four hours of this meditation are spent
in a deep, sleep-like trance. The psionicist can recover PSPs
normally during the entire period.
- When the meditation is complete, the player makes a skill check.
If the character passes the check, he has successfully focused
his mind on one particular discipline (which was chosen when the
process began). All the character’s psionic power scores in that
discipline are increased by two points for the next 24 hours —
or until the character’s PSPs have been reduced to zero, whichever
comes first. All of his power scores in other disciplines are
reduced by one for the same period.
- Medium (Mental 2, Ego/Aura) — This skill, normally only used by shamans,
allows a character to invite selected spirits to temporarily possess
them. The usual reason for a character to seek possession is so
that a certain spirit may be easily conversed with. The spirits
thus contacted are usually benign spirits with whom the character’s
community has a steady relationship, since inviting an unknown
spirit to take part in the possession could be very dangerous.
- Many tribal shamans routinely contact the ancestors and other
key spirits this way in order to establish why some hardship has
befallen the tribe or to seek advice in a political matter. In
some tribes, the spirits are routinely contacted whenever a person
falls sick or suffers any minor misfortune. In these circumstances,
the spiritual possession is regarded as something quite mundane
and other senior tribesmen, besides the shamans, might have this
skill.
- In order to use this skill, a character must spend one round in
quiet meditation on the target spirit. If the spirit wishes, it
simply enters the shaman’s body, causing it to move around and
speak as the spirit desires. The character acting as the host
for the spirit may not converse with it and so another must put
questions to and speak with the spirit.
- Successful use of this skill depends not only on the skill check,
but also on the presence of at least one spirit within 150 feet
of the medium — either in the spirit world or the prime material
world. Spirits are most easily found at their “home” or attending
important festivals.
- The advantage of this method over the shaman’s usual method is
that it may be used to selectively contact only one spirit whose
words are publicly heard.
- Any spirit in the area, even one different from the one a shaman
wishes to contact, may attempt to possess him or her. The shaman
can sense that it is not the desired spirit and can resist the
attempt if a successful saving throw vs. paralyzation is rolled.
A malign spirit could easily use the shaman’s body for murderous
ends.
- Finally, if a character is ever unwillingly possessed, the Medium
skill allows him a greater chance of regaining control from the
spirit. The character attempts a saving throw vs. paralyzation
at the end of the first round after the possession takes place,
and then at the end of the next turn, at the end of the day, the
end of the week, and so on (month, year, decade, century, etc.).
If any of these rolls succeed, the spirit is expelled and may
not attempt to possess the character again.
- Mental Resistance (Mental 1, Ego/Willpower -1) — Through lengthy training and iron
discipline, a character with this skill prepares himself to resist
magical or psionic assaults on his mind. The character receives
a +1 bonus to his saving throws against attacks of this nature
(upon a successful skill check), if the attack normally allows
a saving throw. Generally, this includes any attack form that
a character’s magical attack adjustment for his Ego/Willpower
score might affect, including mind-affecting spells, charm or
fear powers of monsters, and psionic telepathic sciences or devotions
that allow the subject a saving throw. Attacks which allow no
saving throw are unaffected by a character with a Mental Resistance
skill score less than 90%.
- A character with a skill score of 90% or higher, on a successful
skill check, receives a saving throw of 20 for a mental attack
that normally allows no saving throw.
- Mind Over Matter (Mental 2, Ego/Willpower -2) — Characters with this skill are
able to cause their minds to reduce pain induced upon their bodies.
For instance, a character using this skill could upon a successful
skill check be able to walk across a path of hot coals, lie upon
a bed of nails or have stone blocks broken across his chest.
- To use this skill the character must prepare by meditating for
one turn. If the one turn of meditation is not possible or desired,
the character may attempt the feat desired but for every round
under the minimum required his skill check is penalized by -10%.
- After this period of meditation, the character may undertake actions
which would normally cause great pain or damage for up to two
rounds per point of Ego/Willpower -2 that he possesses. During
this time any pain caused by situations similar to those mentioned
above is negated and any damage is reduced to two points per die
or by 20 percent of the total damage, whichever is less.
- This skill cannot be used to avoid damage or pain in melee combat,
nor does it negate damage caused by spells or magical items. However,
the character could stick his hand into a roaring campfire and
retrieve a necklace and suffer only very minor burns.
- When the duration of the meditative state has expired, the character
will feel a slight numbing in any areas which were injured. This
disappears within minutes, however.
- This skill may only be used once per day per five character levels.
Thus, a fifth-level character could use the skill twice a day,
a 10th-level character, three times, etc.
 
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