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The Complete Psionics Handbook[]

Psychic surgery allows a telepath to repair psychic damage. He can even

operate on himself if need be, though his power score is reduced by 5 in this case. Phobias, aversions, idiocy, comas, seizures - all these psychic ailments can be treated and cured, as well as several others. Curses or magical conditions - such as geases and charms - cannot be cured.

This power cannot cure possession, either. However, psychic surgery can confirm that the problem really is possession, and can force the possessing entity into psionic combat if the surgeon desires. This may be risky, since creatures capable of possession are often quite powerful and the psionicist cannot ascertain their power beforehand. On the other hand, psychic surgery could cure the possession indirectly by forcing a psionically weak entity to flee rather than face combat.

Most psychic ailments can be cured in one turn or less. However, if the psionicist's power check result equals 1 or 2, the problem is particularly tricky and requires another turn to repair. If the power check fails, the problem is too great for the psionicist to fix. He can try again after gaining another experience level.

Special Operations: Psychic surgery has two special uses. First, the surgeon can use this power to help nonpsionicists unleash their wild powers. If the psionicist performs this kind of operation successfully, the patient gains a

-2 bonus to his wild talent roll (see Chapter 1).

The second operation can make the effect of any power in the telepathy discipline permanent with no maintenance cost. The patient is rarely grateful, because the power is not bestowed on the subject, only its effect. In this way, a person can be permanently dominated or fate-linked, for example. The following restrictions apply:

  1. The power must be maintainable (i.e., it must have a maintenance cost).
  2. The power must have a range of other than zero.
  3. The surgeon must know the power and use it successfully on the patient.
  4. A psionicist cannot use this type of surgery on himself or on another psionicist. If he tries, nothing happens.
  5. At most, only one power can made permanent per turn. If the result of the power check is 1 or 2, the procedure takes two turns instead of one.

This procedure can also be reversed; i.e., psychic surgery can be used to remove a permanently implanted telepathic effect.

Power Score - The surgery takes only 5 rounds per "implanted" power.

20 - The surgeon cannot use this power successfully again for 1d4 days.

Player's Option: Skills & Powers[]

This power allows the user to repair psionic damage. He can operate on himself if need be, but the power's MAC improves to 5. Phobias, aversions, idiocy, comas, seizures—all these mental ailments and more can be treated and cured. However, curses or magical conditions such as charms can't be cured by this power. Nor can the surgery cure possession, though it can identify such a condition and force psionic combat. Most such ailments can be cured in 1 turn. If the MTHAC0 roll fails, the problem is too great for the user; he can try again when he gains a new experience level.

This power has two special uses. First, it can help characters unleash their wild talents. If the user performs this kind of operation successfully, the patient gains a +2% bonus to his wild talent roll.

Second, the user can make the effect of any telepathic power permanent without any PSP costs. The power isn't bestowed upon the recipient, only the effect. This has the following restrictions: 1) The power must have a range greater than 0; 2) the surgeon must know the power and successfully use it on the patient; 3) the user can't do this type of operation to himself or another psionicist; 4) only one power can be made permanent per turn, and 5) if the MTHAC0 roll equals the MAC number, the procedure takes 2 turns. Likewise, this power can also remove a permanently implanted power. The PSP cost is determined by the target's level, as below.

Target's Level PSP Cost
1–5 levels or HD 9/5
6–10 levels or HD 10/5
11–15 levels or HD 11/6
16–20 levels or HD 12/6
21+ levels or HD 14/7
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