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Gaining Psi Moves

To gain Psi moves you may take the following special move at Character creation. This move may also be gained post character creation with MC approval in appropriate circumstances.

Watts-MacLeod Infection

You have been infected with the Watts-MacLeod strain of the exsurgent virus. Gain +psi and mark one off the sanity track which can never be cured or removed. When you assess the situation, you may roll+Willpower instead of +Intuition. You also gain the The Infection Advances and Calm the Beast moves. Next choose the Strain of your infection and it’s influence effects. Finally add the The Infection Track to your character sheet.

The infection track

Upon gaining the +psi tag you get an ‘infection’ track: 0/1/2/3. When making any Psi move on a miss (6-) take The Infection Advances special move. You also gain the Calm the Beast move.

The Infection Advances

Roll-infection. On a 10+ you successfully resist the infections hold on you. On a 7-9 choose 2:

  • Advance the infection track by 1
  • You are glitched forward
  • You wrestle with your infection. You are catatonic util the end of the scene or another player snaps you out of it
  • Your next action is driven by your infection, not you

On a miss (6-) advance the infection track by 1 and the GM gains hold 2 over you until the end of the session that can be spent to trigger your influence effects.

Calm the Beast

Meditation, yoga, substance abuse - whatever it is, it works. Once per day of game time you may engage in your chosen routine to manage your infection. Roll+Willpower. On an 10+ reduce your infection rating by 2, to a minimum of 0. On a 7-9 reduce it by 1, to a minimum of 1. On a miss there is no change, but the experience leaves you boosted forward regardless.

PSI Moves

Note: You may only take these moves if you have the +psi tag. Psi moves only affect biomorphs, and can only be used if your ego is inhabiting a biomorph. Remember, all psi moves trigger The Infection Advances on a miss.

Impulse

In battle, you can use your psychic training as a weapon with (n-damage ap-2 close/far), where n- is equal to your Willpower.

Psi-Chi Sleights

At the start of the game session, roll+Willpower. On a 10+, hold 3. On a 7-9, hold 1. At any time during that session you can spend your hold, 1-for-1, to apply one of the following tags to yourself for a single scene.

  • +circadian regulation
  • +enhanced (sense)
  • +oxygen reserves
  • +reflex booster
  • +temperature tolerance
  • +toxin filters
  • +Eco-Empathy
  • +Xeno-Empathy

Psi-Chi Reception

When you assess a situation and you spend hold to ask a question about a person in the scene, you get the following information, in addition, for free:

  • dominant emotional state
  • honesty or dishonesty

You may spend 2 hold to instead read their surface thoughts.

Psi-Gamma Domination

You must have at least one Psi-Chi level move before you can take this move.

You attempt to dominate a person or animal running on a biological substrate (i.e. a brain). roll+Willpower. On a 10+, hold 2, on a 7-9, hold 1. At any time, spend your hold 1 for 1 to:

  • Make the target’s attack miss its mark – it strikes someone other than the intended target, or a wall, or the ground.
  • Impress, dismay, or frighten the target.
  • Overload the target. Inflict 3 damage per hold spent.
  • Take over their body. They can try to resist by rolling+Willpower in subsequent rounds. 10+ throws off your control, 7-9 contests control, and failure leaves control in your hands.

You cannot use this move if you have unspent hold from this move.

Psi-Gamma Deep Scan

You must have Psi-Chi Reception before you can take this move.

When you take time and physical intimacy with someone – this can be one-sided if you need or wish, you just need time and touch – you may roll+Willpower to read them in-depth. On a 10+, hold 3. On a 7-9, hold 1. While you’re reading them, spend your hold to ask them questions, 1 for 1…

  • What was your character’s lowest or highest moment?
  • For what does your character crave forgiveness, and of whom?
  • What are your character’s secret pains or joys?
  • What are your character’s greatest dreams or ambitions?
  • What does your character hold closest to his heart?

On a miss, your subject rolls the trauma move

Psi-Gamma Sleights

You must have Psi-Chi Sleights before you can take this move.

When you psychically alter the perceptions of those around you, roll+Willpower. On a 10+, hold 3. On a 7-9, hold 1. You can spend your hold 1 for 1 at any time to…

  • Make an attack miss its mark – it strikes someone other than the intended target, or a wall, or the ground.
  • Make someone lose their footing or drop their weapon.
  • Make someone miss noticing something important (your call).
  • Impress, dismay, or frighten someone.
  • Scramble someones language centres, making them unable to communicate for the scene
  • Block one of their sensory cortexes (your choice) for the scene

You cannot use this move if you have unspent hold from this move.

Psychometry

When you handle or examine something interesting, roll+Intuition. On a hit, you can ask the GM questions. On a 10+, ask 3. On a 7-9, ask 1:

  • Who handled this last before me?
  • Who made this?
  • What strong emotions are recently associated with this?
  • What has been done most recently to this, or using this?
  • What’s wrong with this, and how can I fix it?

On a miss, you roll the trauma move.

Downtime

You slip the targets mind into a fugue-state of regenerative downtime, to repair the psyche. This state lasts for four (4) hours of game time, during which both you and the target are essentially catatonic. Only severe disturbances or physical shock (such as being wounded) will bring you and the target out of it. Any interruption ends the effect with no healing and resets the 4 hour timer.

On completion of the 4 hours roll+Willpower. On a 10+ heal 2 Trauma. On 7-9 heal 1 Trauma. On a miss the target rolls the trauma move

Ego Sense

Roll+Willpower. On a 10+ hold 3, on a 7-9 hold 1. At any point during the scene you may spend hold 1 for 1 to ask the following questions:

  • The presence and rough location of all sentient and biological life forms within Close range.
  • The approximate size of one creature
  • The exact location of one creature
  • The type of one creature

On a miss you gain no information and one of the potential targets becomes aware of your presence.

Illusion

You inflict an illusion on your targets mind. The illusion can range from a simple single-sense impression to a completely immersive false reality and can override actual sensory input. The illusion cannot directly harm the target, but it can provoke reactions that are dangerous or even fatal (i.e., tricking someone into walking off a roof ). Because the illusion is unsubstantial, it also may not stop or start movement, hold weight, provide protection, etc. If the target carefully examines the illusion or physically interacts with it, they may see through it. Likewise, if the illusion in any way defies reality or inspires common-sense incredulity, or the real world interferes with the illusion (sudden loud noises, walls hidden by the illusion impede movement, etc.), the target may disbelieve.

Illusions must be sustained, while doing so you cannot make any other moves. If you choose to stop, or are forced to stop, maintaining the illusion the effect ends immediately.

Roll+Willpower. On a 10+ choose 2, on a 7-9 choose 1.

  • Affect one additional target
  • The target believes the illusion even if it contradicts reality
  • ??

Cutting the Lies

When you take time and physical intimacy with someone, and you cut away the skin that hides their lies, roll+Willpower. On a 10+, hold 3. On a 7-9, hold 1. While you’re cutting their flesh, spend your hold to ask them questions, 1 for 1:

  • For what are you most ashamed?
  • What lie do you tell even to yourself?
  • What would cause you to despair?
  • What/Who do you hate more than anything?
  • What punishment do you most deserve and fear?

This move can only be used if you are sleeved in a biomorph, and only works on subjects sleeved in biomorphs.

Opening the Gates

When confronted by a barrier intended to keep people out, either physical security or virtual defenses, roll+Intuition. On a hit, you see the flaws and comprehend any opportunities. On a 10+, you unravel it, opening the way.

Entropic Destiny

When you increase localized entropy roll+Willpower. On a 10+ hold 3, on a 7-9, hold 1. At any point in the scene, you may spend your hold, 1 for 1, to:

  • Cellular Decay: inflict 2-damage, ap-2, on someone in the scene
  • Power Drain: drain the power from any one power source, including energy weapons, generators, someone’s +mesh inserts, etc.
  • Thermal Degradation: remove all thermal energy from the room inflicting 1-damage +ap-1, +area, +bio

Probability Sight

When you go into combat or a charged situation roll+Intuition. On a hit, name one NPC on the scene and say whether they will die or survive. The GM will do everything possible to make it happen. On a 10+, you are +boosted forward. On a miss, you’ve misinterpreted causality and are +glitched forward.

Signal Interference

When facing those infected by the exsurgent virus, roll+Willpower. On a 10+, hold 3. On a 7-9, hold 2. At any point in the scene you may spend your hold, 1 for 1, to:

  • Instantly kill any exsurgent (including asyncs)
  • Shield any one person from exsurgent infection or async sleights for a scene
  • Suppress the virus: Allow an infected person (including an async) to be temporarily free of the virus for a scene.

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