Psion

The striking fist or flashing sword pales beside a psion’s focused stare. Psionic powers arise from a regimen of strict mental discipline developed over months and years of selfscrutiny and subconscious discovery. Those who overcome their personal demons, fears, and other pitfalls of intense self-reflection learn to call upon an internal reservoir of psionic power.

Psions depend on a continual study of their own minds to discover an ever wider range of mental powers. They meditate on memories and the nature of memory itself, debate with their own fragment personalities, and delve into the dark recesses of their minds’ convoluted corridors. “Know thyself” is not just a saying for a psion⁠—​it’s the road to power.

Adventures: A psion adventures to stimulate his mind. New experiences translate to new avenues of thought, and eventually to the discovery of previously latent abilities. A psion’s powers are innate but not effortlessly attained.

Good psions seek what is best in the world and attempt to preserve those elements with their mastery of mental powers. Evil psions seek to mold others to their own desires, whether using their powers openly or in secret.

Characteristics: The psion draws real power from his mind. His power is a logical expression of lore attained through ongoing self-study. His aggressive powers do not freely scale as do the spells of arcane and divine casters, but he enjoys supreme flexibility in accessing those powers. A psion must choose one discipline in which to focus, at the cost of losing access to the signature powers found in other disciplines⁠—​so in a sense the psion character class is six classes rather than one. A shaper (a psion who has selected metacreativity as her discipline) is a very different character from a telepath (a psion whose discipline is telepathy).

Alignment: For a psion, psionics is a personal art. Psions look always inward, so they tend slightly toward neutrality over both chaos and law, but being neutral is not a requirement. Psions can be either good or evil.

Religion: Psions are not particularly drawn to any deity, due to their exceptional focus on their own personal potential. Psions who do revere a deity do not conform to any general choice.

Background: Those destined to be psions show signs of mental powers from the time they are just a few years old, but manifestations become especially noticeable at puberty. Unexplained noises and lights, crockery flying through the air of its own accord, and the appearance of small items out of thin air are common occurrences. Many who have the gift grow out of it, turning away from their potential. However, a few embrace their newfound special powers. Psions are often on their own, misunderstood and feared by friends and family. Sometimes, psions find others with similar abilities and form informal networks, small societies, or even tiny communes populated with individuals who all possess some psionic ability.

Races: The inborn gift for psionics is unpredictable, and it can show up in any of the common races. Of the races with a penchant for psionic ability (those described in the Races Index), elans are most likely to take up the psion mantle.

Mind flayers are especially likely to become psions, since their abilities are actually components of a deeper psionic nature⁠—​they possess awesome psionic might even without taking levels in the psion class.

Other Classes: Psions enjoy the company of monks and psychic warriors, sharing those characters’ dedication to self-mastery. Psions sometimes get off on the wrong foot with members of spellcasting classes such as sorcerers and wizards, because some psions feel that magic is a crutch for the mind. They are very suspicious of wilders, since the uncontained raw emotion of the wilder is anathema to the psion’s disciplined path.

Role: A psion’s powers make him a good addition to any party. Psions take on differing roles within a party, based on the discipline each one selects. For example, seers (specialists in clairsentience) serve to guide parties in difficult spots, while shapers (psions who have chosen metacreativity as their discipline) vastly upgrade the party’s options in a fight.

The psion’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Knowledge (psionics) (Int), Knowledge (all other skills, taken individually) (Int), Profession (Wis), and Psicraft (Int). In addition, a psion gains access to additional class skills based on his discipline:

Seer (Clairsentience): Gather Information (Cha), Listen (Wis), and Spot (Wis).

Shaper (Metacreativity): Bluff (Cha), Disguise (Cha), and Use Psionic Device (Cha).

Kineticist (Psychokinesis): Autohypnosis (Wis), Disable Device (Dex), and Intimidate (Cha).

Egoist (Psychometabolism): Autohypnosis (Wis), Balance (Dex) and Heal (Wis).

Nomad (Psychoportation): Climb (Str), Jump (Str), Ride (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).

Telepath (Telepathy): Bluff (Cha), Diplomacy (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), and Sense Motive (Wis).

Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) × 4.

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier.

A discipline is one of six groupings of powers, each defined by a common theme. The six disciplines are clairsentience, metacreativity, psychokinesis, psychometabolism, psychoportation, and telepathy.

Each of the psion discipline names below is linked to its discipline power list.

Clairsentience: A psion who chooses clairsentience is known as a seer. Seers can learn precognitive powers to aid their comrades in combat, as well as powers that permit them to gather information in many different ways.

Metacreativity: A psion specializing in metacreativity is known as a shaper. This discipline includes powers that draw ectoplasm or matter from the Astral Plane, creating semisolid and solid items such as armor, weapons, or animated constructs to do battle at the shaper’s command.

Psychokinesis: Psions who specialize in psychokinesis are known as kineticists. They are the masters of powers that manipulate and transform matter and energy. Kineticists can attack with devastating blasts of energy.

Psychometabolism: A psion who specializes in psychometabolism is known as an egoist. This discipline consists of powers that alter the psion’s psychobiology, or that of creatures near him. An egoist can both heal and transform himself into a fearsome fighter.

Psychoportation: A psion who relies on psychoportation powers is known as a nomad. Nomads can wield powers that propel or displace objects in space or time.

Telepathy: A psion who chooses the discipline of telepathy is known as a telepath. He is the master of powers that allow mental contact and control of other sentient creatures. A telepath can deceive or destroy the minds of his enemies with ease.