Psionic Combat (POSP)

Psionicists automatically receive the contact bonus proficiency when they are created. Contact gives them access to psionic attacks and allows them to participate in psionic combat. The psionic attacks come naturally and don't take up any proficiency slots.

Wild talents, however, must select the contact proficiency and place it in an open nonweapon proficiency slot. (Note that this should occur at the point when a character becomes a wild talent, whether when he is first created or later in his career when his psionic ability becomes known.) Along with the proficiency, wild talents receive only one psionic attack form. However, as a wild talent rises in level and gains nonweapon proficiency slots, he may select additional attack forms. These fill open slots, and the wild talent may choose more forms (for a total of three) as he gains slots. Wild talents may never have more than three of the five psionic attacks.

Psionic combat is used to assault closed minds so that they can be opened to further psionic contact. This is accomplished like other attacks in the AD&D game system: The attacking psionicist selects an attack form and makes an MTHAC0 roll equal to or exceeding the defender's MAC. Regardless of that MAC, a roll of 1 always fails and a roll of 20 always succeeds.

Psionic attacks can be used against psionic and nonpsionic minds. A nonpsionic mind is defined as any character without a PSP pool. The procedures are the same, but the results are slightly different.

When attacking a psionic mind, psionic combat continues until one opponent is reduced to 0 PSPs or until the battle is broken off. A mind with 0 PSPs is open and can be subjected to other psionic powers. When attacking a nonpsionic mind, however, only one successful attack is required to open the mind.

Psionic powers only can be used on open minds, whether willingly opened or attacked until that state occurs. A psionic power can be used in the same round that a mind is opened by psionic attack.

Psionic defenses, like armor and shields in physical combat, remain in place until the defender's PSP total is reduced to 0 (in the case of a psionic character) or one successful psionic attack breaches the defenses (of a nonpsionic character).

Psionic attacks require concentration. A psionicist who uses one during a combat round can move at only half his walking rate. A character using a psionic attack also can be disrupted the same way as can a wizard casting a spell. In the round when a character using a psionic attack is disrupted, the attack can't be used. A disrupted psionic attack costs 1 PSP for the attempt.

Psionicists can make a number of psionic attacks in a round according to their level: 1–6, 1/1 round; 7–12, 3/2 rounds; 13+, 2/1 round. Wild talents can never make more than one psionic attack in a round.

Psionicists and wild talents receive MTHAC0 bonuses depending on their Intelligence scores, making it easier to accomplish psionic attacks.

Psionic Combat Sequence[]

The DM secretly decides what actions the monsters or NPCs will take—including choosing psionic attacks and defenses (if they have access to any). The DM doesn't announce that decision to the players.
The players indicate what their characters will do, including choosing psionic attacks and defenses from the ones they have access to.
Initiative is determined. Note that psionic attacks and powers don't have initiative modifiers.
Attacks are made in order of initiative.

All psionic attacks require line of sight, as do the use of all psionic powers—with a few exceptions, such as those in the clairsentience discipline.

Table 75: MTHAC0 Modifiers
Intelligence Score	MTHAC0 Modifier
15 or less	0
16–17	–1
18–19	–2
20–22	–3
23+	–4

Adding Substance to Psionic Combat[]

All psionic combat takes place in the minds of the combatants. This mindscape has its own rules and reality. Each combatant reaches into his or her own nexus of power, the place where the energy of mind, body, and spirit come together. The trained psionicist can readily draw upon this nexus of power, as can the wild talent. Nonpsionicists can't access this energy, but it springs forth to protect them in the form of natural Mental Armor Class (MAC).

The attacker and the defender appear as glowing forms, mental pictures of themselves in the mindscape. Psionicists can shape these psionic forms as elaborately as they see fit. Wild talents, however, appear as crude, featureless shapes of humanoid light. Nonpsionicists are simply glowing balls surrounded by mental armor, usually in the shape of a luminescent wall.

While the only thing that determines the success of psionic combat is the MTHAC0 rolls and the choices of psionic attacks and defenses, players and DMs are encouraged to add flavor by describing how their characters' psionic forms look and how the powers they use manifest themselves. Being creative and having fun with the mindscape as a psionic battle progresses enhances the roleplaying experience for all.

Example: Tylk of the Westwoods, a psionicist, decides to use the mind thrust attack against Neecha Nightmoon (also a psionicist). A glowing sword of energy takes shape in his psionic form's hand. The sword slashes out, but Neecha calls forth a thought shield, and a luminescent shield forms suddenly to block Tylk's attack. Then Neecha shapes her own attack, unleashing a psionic blast. Energy swells up from her nexus, forming the image of a glowing tiger. The claws of the great beast slash through the maze of ruins Tylk has formed from his mind blank defense, then scrape across Tylk's psionic defenses, reducing his PSP total as the psionic blast finds its target.

Table 77: THAC0s & MTHAC0s
	————— Psionicistís Level —————
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30
THAC0	20	20	19	19	18	18	17	17	16	16	15	15	14	14	13	13	12	12	11	11	10	10	9	9	8	8	7	7	6	6
	————— Psionicistís Level —————
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30
MTHAC0	20	19	18	17	16	15	14	13	12	11	10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1	0	—1	—2	—3	—4	—5	—6	—7	—8	—9
	————— Wild Talentís Level —————
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30
MTHAC0	20	20	19	19	18	18	17	17	16	16	15	15	14	14	13	13	12	12	11	11	10	10	9	9	8	8	7	7	6	6

Table 78: Psionicist Saving Throws
Level	Paralyzation, Poison, or Death Magic	Rod, Staff, or Wand	Petrification or Polymorph*	Breath Weapon†	Spell‡
1—4	13	15	12	16	15
5—8	12	13	10	15	14
9—12	11	11	8	13	12
13—16	10	9	7	12	11
17—20	9	7	6	11	9
21+	8	5	5	9	7

* Excluding polymorph wand attacks.

† Excluding those that cause petrification or polymorph.

‡ Excluding those for which another saving throw type is specified.

Using Psionic Powers[]

All psionic powers have a MAC score. To determine if a psionic power works against an open mind, a player must make an MTHAC0 roll against the power's MAC score on 1d20. Any roll equal to or greater than the number means the power has been activated and its effects are applied for that round of play.

All powers have a cost per round of use. The cost listed to the left of the slash is the number of PSPs needed to use the power for a single round. The cost listed to the right of the slash is the number of PSPs expended if the MTHAC0 roll fails (in which case the power's effects aren't applied).

Powers that have been successfully activated can be maintained from round to round without making additional MTHAC0 rolls. The psionicist simply expends PSPs to pay for the power's cost. The first round that the character fails to pay the cost (either voluntarily or because his PSPs have been depleted), the power's effects cease to function. If the psionicist wishes to reactivate the power in a later round, even against the same target, he must make a new MTHAC0 roll. If an MTHAC0 roll to activate a psionic power fails, and the character has enough PSPs remaining, he can try to activate the power again in the next round by making another MTHAC0 roll.

A roll of 1 is always a failure and a roll of 20 is always a success, no matter what the power's MAC or the psionicist's MTHAC0 scores are.

Closing an Open Mind[]

A nonpsionic mind is one that has never had any PSPs. Its natural state is closed unless willingly opened or opened by psionic means. If such a target's mind has been opened, but the subsequent psionic attack or power used against it wasn't successful, the target can attempt to re-close its mind in the next round. This requires a saving throw vs. paralyzation at no penalty. If a psionic power was used successfully against the newly opened nonpsionic mind, the target can still attempt to close its mind, but its saving throw is at a –4 penalty. The target may attempt to close its mind every round thereafter.

For a newly opened psionic mind (one whose PSPs have been reduced to 0), the target can't attempt to re-close its mind until 1d4+1 rounds have passed. After the required rounds have passed, the target can make a Wisdom check at a –3 penalty every round thereafter to attempt to close its mind.

When either a nonpsionic or psionic character succeeds at re-closing his mind, the following occurs: any psionic power currently in use against the character ceases to function, and contact between the two minds is broken. If the power's effect already took place in the round in which the mind re-closed, the psionicist expends the full PSP cost. If the power's effect didn't take place yet in the round, then the lower PSP cost is subtracted from the psionicist's PSP total (as if the activation attempt failed). If the psionicist wants to reestablish contact, he'll have to once again open the target's mind.

Psionics in a Round[]

A psionicist can do several actions during a single round. He can:

Make as many psionic attacks as his experience level indicates.
Use one psionic defense.
Activate one psionic power against an open mind.
Maintain as many previously successfully activated powers as he wishes, provided he can afford to continue paying the PSP costs. Further, if a psionic attack succeeds and opens a closed mind, a psionic power can be used against the mind that same round.

Limitations to Psionic Powers[]

Psionic powers have definite limitations. Some of these already have been discussed, but are repeated here to emphasize them. Other limitations are new.

PSPs: Psionicists and wild talents have a finite amount of psionic strength available to them at any given time. This strength, expressed as PSPs, must be expended to use psionic attacks, defenses, and powers. The total also indicates how much damage a hero's psionic defenses can withstand before his mind opens. As such, the psionic character must always balance the use of powers, attacks, and defenses with how strong he wants his own internal walls to remain.

Line of Sight: All psionic attacks and most powers require line of sight to use. If line of sight is blocked, most psionics won't work.

Touch: Some psionic powers have a range of “touch.” These can be used in melee combat, but they require a physical attack roll and an MTHAC0 roll to work. Like all psionic powers, they only can be used against open minds.

Obstructions: Anything that hinders a character's normal vision blocks line of sight. Unless the description states otherwise, psionicists require a line of sight to use a power. Obvious exceptions to this rule are the clairsentient powers and many of the telepathic powers. However, certain materials can obstruct these psionic powers if they completely block the target. These are lead and iron (at least 1 inch thick), obsidian (at least 2 inches thick), stone (at least 1 foot thick), and the antimagic shell spell.

Psionics and Magic[]

Psionics and magic use completely different forces. Psionics uses internal energy, while magic taps into extraplanar power. Both arts can produce similar effects, but they do so in very different ways. For this reason, psionics and magic don't ordinarily mix. Magical spells, for instance, can't be used to detect or dispel psionic activity, unless otherwise stated. Likewise, psionic powers can't detect magic that simulates psionic abilities. Lastly, if a psionicist uses a psychokinetic, psychometabolic, psychoportive, or telepathic power against a magical illusion, he automatically gets a saving throw vs. spell to disbelieve it. Specific spells, as listed below, intermix with psionics in the following ways.

Antimagic Shell: This spell blocks the effects of psionic powers.

Detect Charm: This spell detects telepathic control, such as domination.

Detect Invisibility: This spell allows the caster to see clearly psionic invisibility, astral travelers, shadowform, and ethereal creatures. It doesn't work against characters in other dimensions.

Detect Magic: This spell has no effect on psionics.

Detect Scrying: This spell will detect psionic scrying, though psionicists get a save vs. spell to avoid detection.

ESP: If this spell is used against psionicists, they get a save vs. spell with a +2 bonus to negate the effects.

False Vision: This spell works against psionics, though psionicists get a save vs. spell to negate effects.

Forbiddance: This spell effectively blocks all teleportation and metabolic powers.

Free Action: This spell overcomes all psychokinetic effects against the subject's body, as well as domination.

Globe of Invulnerability/Minor Globe of Invulnerability: These spells have no effect on psionics.

Magic Jar: Psionicists use their combined Wisdom and Constitution scores when determining the differential modifier.

Mind Blank: Psionicists get a save vs. spell to overcome this enchantment.

Misdirection: This spell has no effect on psionics.

Mislead: A psionic attack reveals this spell, but the first attack automatically fails.

Nondetection: This spell works normally against psionics.

Otiluke's Resilient Sphere: Psionics can't penetrate this spell's protection.

Protection From Evil/Protection from Evil, 10-Foot Radius: These Spells Provide +2 Bonuses To Macs.

Spell Immunity (Priest): This spell has no effect on psionics.

Trap the Soul: Psionicists trapped by this spell can't use any psionic powers.