Psionics in Blackmoor

[Havard]

There's a discussion of Psionics in Blackmoor here. Would you allow it?

DA3 does mention that the crew of the FSS Beagle are aware of "paranormal abilities" so there is a presedence for it, although perhaps limited to origins linked to the Valley of the Ancients?

-Havard

[aldarron]

In my experience, psionics sounds good but becomes just another magic system in practice. I wouldn't allow it for native Blackmoorians. Maybe though, for aliens, like the Beagle crew who come from a non magic world, psionics would be okay.

[RobJN]

There's a discussion of Psionics in Blackmoor here. Would you allow it?

DA3 does mention that the crew of the FSS Beagle are aware of "paranormal abilities" so there is a presedence for it, although perhaps limited to origins linked to the Valley of the Ancients?

-Havard

I would allow it, certainly, especially if a player could come up with a cool way to work it into the setting. Having the ability intruduced by extraterrestrial Beagle crew is one way. Perhaps the ability manifests in those born in the North, being exposed to the wild magic of the area. Or it could come about through manipulation by the Egg of Coot.

I would be inclined to have psionics manifest as something of the Egg's doing, and have it linked in somehow with the Burrowers, as well.... :twisted:

In Thorn's Blackmoor, the twins often communicate silently with each other through nothing more than a glance or a touch. It was said that Rowena and Leansethar were able to pick out several of the Egg's agents masquerading perfectly as humans, foiling a plot against the Regency Council, even though the visitors had already been subjected to various magical scans. When asked how they knew, the girls simply shrugged, and said that the agents' thoughts 'felt even stranger than those of Father's people.'

[Freedom92]

When I included psionics in my Blackmoor game I looked into a lot of the old sci-fi fantasy adventures and pulled alot of inspiration from Tale of the Comet, Expedition to Barrier Peaks, and the Blackmoor modules, and the Mage VS. Machine articles. I've even looked into the articles for aliens in AD&D from Dragon Magazine, the Fraal are a race of psionic aliens similar to the Greys and there are two other races of reptilian appearance but one is primitive while the other is technologically advance. This could be a good source as well for aliens in blackmoor.

I've used psionics as a 'alien' thing, but 'alien' could range from the outer beings who dwell in a nightmarish realm to real aliens from beyond Mystra. I've let a player play a Dromite Wilder whose ancestors crashed to Mystra along with the Beagle but they crashed into a different region where they went into hibernation, eventually they woke up in a summer region and used psionics to reach out trying to see if their chasers had followed them and they had done so, the Sheens had made landfall now hiding in the City of the Gods and among the relics the Egg of Coot had gathered. Though from their long torpor the Sheens adapted to need to defend against the arcane magic of the natives they had 'bred' out the need for psionic defense. The Dromites had built the Sheen base stock of simple techno organic constructs used to help mine precious metals, over time the base stock mutated taking in much of the precious metals creating different constructs eventually becoming fully metal and they revolted become a hivemind of sentience. Now they have begun making a Hive in the Valley of the Ancients and a few other secluded areas attempting to hide their small colonies from the natives only trading with the Xeph, Inheritors of the Beagle and sometimes with the Sandfolk.

I used this to explain my players encountering techno-organic coot sleeper agents and the presence of Sheen at the City of the Gods which is why St.Stephen attempted quick ransacks of the wreckage. I introduced half-giants as wilder psionicist who don't have formal training thinking they got the 'gift' from their giant blooded kin. I had psionic Duergar be the result of them digging to deep releasing a Burrower that warped their minds and through practicing psionics as a gift and curse they attempt to build up a resistance against the horrors of the outer beings and there greater servitors. I had phrenic scourges and puppeteers be psionic servants of Coot, though Coot is interesting in multiple things now. Blues are a pure bred strand of ash goblins in my game, they were affected by attempting to eat a power crystal and it sparked their brain into a new mutation that leads to killing them as infants or exile. I had Xephs be a group of aliens possibly of the Beagle in orgins hide in the Valley of the Ancients where they constructed a temple and attempted to create a cure for the disease hitting the few remaining crew members, the mutated remains are the Xeph who have become monks or soulknives remembering their ancestors folly. Few other races remain on Blackmoor that can manifest psionics, Aliens from off world may be able to manifest psionic powers if they crash on world either from chase or simple gravity's pulling their ships down.

In my blackmoor The Egg of Coot has connections to the Outer Beings, possibly a physical manifestation or fragment of such and due to its fragmented mind now seeks sources of power. While it can obtain magic naturally it has seen technology and psionics and it made Coot curious, it is like magic but is nt magic and they each have aspect of science to them. When one void crossing vessel crashed in its domain he sent his servants to gather the precious metal knowing star metal was a valuable resource even in magic but his servants reported beings in the ship made of metal and flesh, some moving others not, some even made of full metal attacking his servants who used magic against the constructs disabling them, these constructs were the Sheens and Coot called forth his chosen disciple to take on the task of studying the constructs and the hybrid creatures. The Sheens were deconstructed and over time the disciple became something more then human, he bonded with a strange smaller Sheen that was symbiotic infusing him with knowledge of the stars and of the Sheens themselves, the disciple was now the first of a new breed of mages. He was a Machine Mage, a Necrotech more often, but over all he was a new force in the Coots service. He adapted the knowledge gathered and told Coot of his blessing and Coot was pleased, he now had something the rest of the world had not seen even the grand mages of Blackmoor, a new source of power. The Machine Mage had began to build devices through arcane science and taught his students new magic of his own design to control the Sheen and the new breed of hybrid soldiers he would create. Though one thing was odd among the wreakage, the pressence of crystals that glowed brightly but they were not filled with arcane energies, the Sheen wer not of a world where arcane energies were common but it was similar to the energies the outer cults manipulated through madness and of tales of things 'between the stars.' Coot sent sleeper agents far and wide through out the land to find someone to use the crystals that powered a strange generator and when the old cults appeared the experiments began, the generator in question was a holding vessel for a hybrid of god like power, a vessel of psionic energy in flesh and metal. It was not dead but sleeping, the old cults tore the vessel apart and began to consume the flesh of the creature awakening it making the priest true psionicist and each a weak vessel for the psionic entity from the void between th stars. They left the carcass of metal for the Coot and disappeared into the mist that surrounds the Dominion of Coot. The machine mages studied the carcass and discovered the energy once again, it was psionic energy and the Sheen the Machine Mages controlled began to go haywire until the energy was absorbed by the Egg of Coot who to this day does not completely understand the psionic energy and it uses.

I could possibly write a entire article if I wanted to with the amount of stuff I've written up for my own games, hope this gives people good ideas though!

[Havard]

Sorry about the late response, but I am loving this! It is great seeing new ideas being brought into our small community.

More later!

-Havard

[Freedom92]

My Blackmoor games has begun to take a Post-Apocalyptic turn to the world and while several groups remain, the Wizards Cabal and the Eldritch Underground have become mega factions out to gather resources and either attempting to gain what they claim as the last hope for blackmoor and the Egg of Coot has become slowly active and coot cults have been seen wandering the ruins of Blackmoor to get a hold of technological artifacts. Due to several of my players either having their character die or new people coming in I've introduced 'mutants' from the valley of the ancients whose powers are neither arcane or psionic in nature unless they take levels in either a arcane or psionic class.

I've made beastmen become 'stable' in some groups resulting in variants of gnolls and a race of ratfolk who were 'enlightened' in the ruins of something similar to the City of the Gods. Still not sure what to do with the beastmen yet though, most likely still savage nomads worshiping foul gods. My players hear of a 'High Evolutionary' and the bestial races refer to him of divinity while others think its just some powerful arcanist. I plan to do more with this once I can think of something.

The game uses more wild magic so arcane magic is dangerous to the most lowly of mage while some become primalist, tapping into wild magic to empower their spells. Psionics are seen as a 'new' magic but don't follow the same discipline and psions follow a scientific principle to learning powers while wilders fill the niche of druids manifesting through raw power. The Dreads act as avatars of raw fear and serve gods of fear and the outer beings and their ilk.

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In my game magic of the arcane type is dangerous since the entire planet is a wild zone for magic, psionics are slowly being introduced as a strange new magic drawing from a internal well of power and their powers are memorized and through meditation gain their power back.

The High Evolutionary is possibly a artificial immortal and the bestial races revere him as divinity.

The Egg of Coot is awakening and its corruption is spreading outwards and is seeking technology, magic, and psionics. It is starving and searching for new food, it is rumored it is in possession of a godling and feeding off of its cast off power but it isnt enough for it to remain awake and live through hibernation. The Coots experiments are often seen wielding old magic and psionics in a strange fusion.

The gods are slowly withdrawing from the prime, divine magic is becoming rare but few new gods are seen leading cults and these new gods are mere Godlings attempting to become true gods.

Blackmoor is in ruins, new races are appearing, and those who remain are left to fight for resources and to discover why the world has fallen into chaos.Will you take upon the mantle to discover what happened or to defend your people? Will you be a hero?