Psionics Q&A

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by PrivateNomad, Jul 28, 2020.

  1. PrivateNomad

    PrivateNomad There goes my hero, watch him as he goes Staff Member Technician Gold Donator Event Builder

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    This is a thread for questions related to the new psionic changes, to clear up any confusion or to clarify anything. If the answer isn't secret, we will answer it.

    FAQ:
    • Why?
      • These changes were made to develop psionics as a system more unique to roleplay and our setting. They were made to allow characters to develop unique abilities separate from the basic ones such as telekinesis. These changes were also made to separate psionics more from common technology
    • How do I adapt to the new changes?
      • Soon, several members of the staff team will be going around working with people with psions privately to work with making sure they conform to the new system. For most characters that do not stray too far from the currently given example abilities, this will simply involve choosing your character's aptitude. However, for some with unique abilities that the new system is designed to encourage the creation of, you may have to create an ability application.
    • I shouldn't have to know x to make an ability application.
      • As with tech apps, staff will happily help you in applying for a psionic ability.
    • This sounds like magic...
      • Always has been.
    • I want my custom species to have certain affinities towards types of psionic subjects or abilities.
      • Work with staff or your grader on editing your species application to include such information.
    • This is a lot of information...
      • Most of the actual anomaly lore is hidden to public view. In an effort to reveal more information to everyone so they can make use of it, none of the new lore is redacted, so that's why there is a lot of it.
     
    Last edited: Jul 28, 2020
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  2. Teldrassil

    Teldrassil Galactic Officer

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    Are we going to need to re-app our existing psions to fit within the system?
     
  3. PrivateNomad

    PrivateNomad There goes my hero, watch him as he goes Staff Member Technician Gold Donator Event Builder

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    No. Staff will be going to everyone individually to work on editing their apps. It should be pretty easy unless your character has wacky abilities.
     
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  4. Teldrassil

    Teldrassil Galactic Officer

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    Could you expand a bit more on what tulpamancy and a tulpa is? I looked on the internet and it seems to be like summoning a ghosty to do stuff for you. So like, psionic qarins?
     
  5. majo

    majo Magical Girl Ex-Staff

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    Hey! Staff spiritualist here to explain what tulpas are.

    Tulpas are the concept of what happens when someone believes in something enough, it becomes real. They're also known as thoughtforms. Thoughtforms are the modern version of the ancient Tibetan practice, which functions on the notion that meditating and dedicating your energy to a being, it will become an individually functioning spirit, created of your will. Some can be "programmed" to complete certain tasks. Think of it as... creating spiritual AI.

    As far as how this functions in psionics, it can mean a variety of things. For example, more simple thoughtforms that do not function as independent entities are called servitors. Potentially, a psionic tulpamancer would be capable of constructing a small servitor to complete basic tasks. More advanced psionic tulpamancers would be able to create beings of their own imagination- having anything from fully realized imaginary friends with their own consciousness who can influence the real world to god-constructs (meaning- in a sense, making a being they see as a god), to Persona/Stand like creatures. They can't be seen by other people, though, so you'll probably look really crazy trying to explain this to other people.
     
  6. AD INFINITUM

    AD INFINITUM Watcher from The Void Ex-Staff Gold Donator

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    Are the Psionic ability apps for specific special abilities a psion may have in addition to the typical ones seen in their class or are psion players being limited to their list of apped abilities?
     
  7. PrivateNomad

    PrivateNomad There goes my hero, watch him as he goes Staff Member Technician Gold Donator Event Builder

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    Basic abilities that you awaken with like telekinesis, thermokinesis, emotion reading, etc., need no app. Any ability beyond that would require an app, though
     
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  8. Dorfus

    Dorfus Sword Fiend

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    are you planning on limiting the amount of psions in the future? since you mentioned in the lore post that they're supposed to be rare, of course. I'm mentioning this because having a big majority of the server being psions while psionics themselves are supposed to be rare wouldn't look very lore-accurate, so if you eventually decided to do that it'd make sense, but at the same time I'll probably want to app a psion after I've re-settled inside the server properly, and I don't know how long that'll take, which is why I'm wondering if psionic apps will become stricter in the future

    apologies if this question has been answered before, I've been gone for like 3 years so I probably missed it if there ever was an answer to this
     
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  9. Teldrassil

    Teldrassil Galactic Officer

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    Not staff, just gonna voice my opinions on the matter here because why not, if staff want me to un-opinion here I will delete the post.

    I personally am not a fan of that idea, it would end up with new players not being able to make one because all the old members had all the spots, very unfun. Perhaps a better idea would be limiting how many psions there are per-person, idk though.

    Also, the pcs on GC are only a small percentage of the fringe population, there's a ton of npcs out there, so it'd still be rare lore-wise.
     
  10. inactive account

    inactive account Inactive Account Ex-Staff Impervium Donator

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    Are there any particular species that are ineligible for psionics due to it not making sense in the lore? (i.e inorganics, non-ORED animals, etc)
     
  11. Pinkbat5

    Pinkbat5 pocl v3.6.7 Staff Member Moderator Diamond Donator

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    From player-to-player, no. It wouldn’t be fair if most people just couldn’t ever make a psion just because a smaller section of the population got around to it first. The onscreen sections of the Fringe we all see is already kind of statistically weird (why do all the famous people hangout in the same chatroom?) so we can just pretend the high concentrations of psions in the area is a fluke. That said, I wouldn’t recommend any one player make several psionic characters in a short period of time for the same reason you shouldn’t make, say, multiple rich characters at a time.
     
  12. PrivateNomad

    PrivateNomad There goes my hero, watch him as he goes Staff Member Technician Gold Donator Event Builder

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    Basically all inorganic species and robots except novakids and Glitch.
     
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  13. schizothotep

    schizothotep Ozymandias's very own Diamond Donator

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    are metanoids inorganic
     
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  14. Pinkbat5

    Pinkbat5 pocl v3.6.7 Staff Member Moderator Diamond Donator

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    Their brains certainly aren’t
    If they don’t have a brain they can’t get psionics
    And if their brain is totally nonfunctional and not involved in, say, movement or emotion than the metanoid won’t be able to develop telekinetic or empath powers
    If the brain is involved in emotional expression than they can use clairsentient abilities that involve reading emotions. If the brain processes sensory information before forwarding it to the computer-mind, a clairsentient can read the sensory input from another mind, etc
    If the brain is involved in motor activity then the person could be a telekinetic.
    Basically, it depends on if your metanoid cares about brain injuries or not.
     
  15. 17

    17 The Shining Wife Silver Donator

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    How does fear, panic, being drunk and confusion in general affect mage's psionic abilities?
    Can psionics (like "neuroinvasion") be used to cripple/disable other mages?
    Can a neuroinvader defend themselves from other neuroinvaders?
    Is it possible to "put one's psionic abilities to sleep" (so they need another awakening)? Is it possible to remove someone's psionic abilities permanently?
    Can ECF go negative?
    Is it possible to affect ECF levels in an area? Perhaps using psionics?
     
  16. Khaos

    Khaos Purple Man Impervium Donator

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    They probably won't be able to perform more complicated actions and unexpected mishaps might happen at worst. I'd say it'd really depend on what sort of influence they're under. I'd handle it case-by-case.

    I'm sure somebody will try to app an ability like that. We'll find out.

    Refer to my previous answer.

    Find out IC.

    Refer to Ordo.

    Something like that would fall under the aberrant category.
     
  17. D&K

    D&K Nicotine Mogul Bronze Donator

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    Where do Cuilwalkers fit in this new psionic rework?

    dont sleep on the cuilwalkers like that they're not epic as is.
     
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  18. Teldrassil

    Teldrassil Galactic Officer

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    CUIL WALKING
    Cuil-Walking is the physical ability for an individual to resist high levels of cuils. This typically occurs through the individual’s genetics, physical structures and processes, and circumstances of birth, but very rarely it can happen to those exposed to cuils throughout their lives. The most powerful cuil-walkers can tolerate otherwise fatally high ECFs at the expense of losing the ability to return to lower ECFs.”
     
  19. Mir

    Mir The Kentucky Fried Cyborg Impervium Donator

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    What do you mean by 200% strength?
     
  20. Pinkbat5

    Pinkbat5 pocl v3.6.7 Staff Member Moderator Diamond Donator

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    We forgot them in this rework :( I want to rework them too... they're next on the list when it comes to psionic lorewriting

    Essentially, psions with specializations that give them 200% in something are twice as strong in that area. Ex. telekinesis that lifts things would have roughly twice the lifting power compared to an unspecialized psion that also knows telekinesis.