The Vikaas Aquerna species have powerful empathic abilities, a mental reflection of their diffuse physiology. With training, the Aquerna can harness this psionic “porousness” to gain greater understanding of their environment and the people around them, and if the situation requires it, externalize their own feelings into powerful waves of emotional energy.
Cost: 1 Psi Point
Effect: IMBUE Calm (1 minute duration)
By spending 1 Psi Point, the psion can call ‘IMBUE Calm’ (1 minute) to a single target. If the target is the Psion, the effect lasts for 10 minutes. The first discipline any Aquerna Psion learns is to quiet their own emotions, to break the circuit of escalation that can occur in Aquerna communities. By providing a bulwark of calmness, spreading escalating storms of destructive emotion can be quietened, and allow the community to return to normal if things start to get out of hand.
Cost: 1 Psi Point
Effect: Provides an impression of the state of all biology in the local area. Requires a Ref.
By spending 1 Psi Point, the psion can gently attune themselves to the local area over the course of about 30 seconds. This will inform them of the overall impression of living biological things in the area, including their overall health and wellbeing. This will usually require an encounter Ref. Alternatively, by spending 1 Psi Point, the Psion can quickly attune themselves on a superficial level to gauge the health of nearby beings. By using the power in this way, the Psion can call MASS DETECT DYING immediately followed by MASS DETECT DEADLY CONDITION.
Cost: 2 Psi Points
Effect: MASS IMBUE (The emotion that the Psion is currently feeling) (5 minutes)
By spending 2 Psi Points, the Psion can unleash the emotion that they are currently most strongly feeling in an empathic wave that washes over nearby minds, using a MASS IMBUE call and specifying the emotion that they are currently gripped by. The MASS component of this power cannot be directed - it must be unleashed in all directions.
This power amplifies the “mental porosity” of Aquerna Psions, by projecting their inward emotions outwards onto others nearby. Aquerna Psions with this power can occasionally unleash it unintentionally, especially during moments of intense emotion.
Cost: 1 Psi Point
Effect: Up to 5 targets recover 1 lost hit on each location every 5 minutes of use. Psionic Ritual.
With this power, an Aquerna Psion can use empathic transmission and small amounts of their own psionically charged hemolymph to speed the recovery of injured targets that are within close proximity of each other. The Psion spends 1 Psi Point and roleplays administering medical aid to up to 5 targets in a small area such as a medical tent or small clearing. The targets must be living organic beings, so this power does not function on Mineral or Energy Being species. This roleplay commonly involves cleaning or anointing wounds with water, occasionally with a small quantity of the psion’s hemolymph added to the water. During this time, neither the Psion or the targets may move faster than a slow walk, or use any active skill or ability - doing so either breaks the effect (the Psion) or removes the target from the power’s benefits (targets).
After 5 minutes of roleplayed action, the Targets each regain 1 body hit on each of their locations. Beings with Global hits regain 3 Global Body Hits instead. Multiple Psions with this power can cooperate to extend the number of targets by 5 for each Psion, and share the cost of the power between them.
Cost: None
Effect: Regain Psi Points while in a Psionic Aura.
The Aquerna Psion opens themselves up to the psionic energy inherent in their environment, allowing them to rejuvenate their mental reserves while in an area with a lot of Psionic energy.
While in a Psionic Aura, the Psion may open themselves to the flow of psionic energy to regain 1 spent Psi Point every 10 minutes. This has the side effect of amplifying the Aquerna’s natural tendency to absorb the emotions of those nearby - Psions making use of this power should increase their roleplayed mirroring of nearby character’s emotional states.
Obtaining rank 6 in Hydrolysis grants 1 additional Psi Point
Requires Hydrolysis 3
The Diffusion path is focused on the diffuse empathic nature of the Vikaas Aquerna, and how their emotions bleed out into their environment. As in their physical bodies, their mental “membranes” are naturally porous, absorbing emotions from those nearby. With training and focus, an Aquerna Psion can learn to create emotions within themselves and then send them outwards into nearby minds. A Master of this path can summon forth emotions at will, and send them washing over those nearby.
Cost: 1 Psi Point
Effect: IMBUE (Emotion the Psion is currently feeling) (10 minutes) to a target within 10m
By honing the powers of the Hydrolysis path, the Psion can control the direction of the emitted emotions somewhat, allowing them to focus on a single target. By spending 1 Psi Point, the Psion can call IMBUE (10min) at a target within 10m, and specifying the emotion that they are currently gripped by.
Cost: 1 Psi Point
Effect: IMBUE (Any Emotion) (10min) to the Psion.
Having developed a form of psionic homeostasis, the Psion can unleash an array of stored or remembered emotions within their own psyche. In a mental mimicry of their own homeostasis clusters, the Psion stores patterns of different emotions within pockets of neural tissue suspended in their hemolymph, which can be released at will to suffuse the Psion’s own mind. By spending 1 Psi Point, the Psion takes an IMBUE call of 10 minute duration, with any emotion that they choose. This emotion then becomes the primary emotion that will be emitted by powers such as Focusing the Storm and Heart of the Storm.
Cost: 2 Psi Points
Effect: Suppresses roleplay effects on the Psion for 2 hours while still allowing them to be used for powers. Psionic Ritual.
The Psion learns how to erect temporary mental barriers, placing emotional blocks around the core decision-making components of their psyche. These barriers allow empathic emotions to be absorbed by the psion while allowing them to act from a position of relative calm.
The Psion activates this power by spending 2 Psi Points and roleplaying meditation for 1 minute to create the emotional blocks. For the next 2 hours, the Psion does not have to adjust their roleplay in response to the IMBUE call or other roleplaying effects. However, any roleplaying effects or calls that target them do still take effect, and are treated as being the Psion’s dominant emotion for the purposes of powers such as Heart of the Storm and Focusing the Storm.
Cost: 3 Psi Points + 1 damage on each body location.
Effect: Reduces the effect of TOXIC and RADIATION Conditions, as if they had been treated. Psionic Ritual.
The Psion has gained a certain amount of psychosomatic control over their own internal systems, allowing them to increase the rate of diffusion into the surrounding environment. As within, so without.
By spending 2 Psi Points and roleplaying a meditative practice involving movement for 5 minutes (something similar to yoga, tai chi or ritual dance), the Psion can purge some of the effects of a RADIATION or TOXIC Condition from their body. The exact effects of this will vary depending on the Condition treated, but generally will act as the equivalent of a successful treatment of that Condition (usually this will either cure the condition or reduce its severity by 1 level). Use of this power does not count towards any limits on conventional treatment. In order to expel the contaminants, the Psion must also expel a considerable amount of their hemolymph and other fluids, so each use of this power causes the Psion to lose 1 body hit on each of their locations.
In addition, the Psion’s ability to diffuse their emotions into the environment is made easier, and the Heart of the Storm power now costs them 1 Psi point
Cost: 2 Psi Points Effect: MASS IMBUE (Chosen emotion) (5 minutes).
A Master of the Diffusion Path can, in a moment, call upon any emotion they desire and pour it forth into their surroundings in an unstoppable emotive wave, all without it affecting themselves. For 2 Psi Points, the Psion can call MASS EFFECT (5 minutes) with an emotion of their choosing. The MASS Call created by this power can be directed.
Obtaining rank 6 in Diffusion grants 1 additional Psi Point
Requires Hydrolysis 2
The Osmosis Path focuses on analysing and understanding the feelings and emotions absorbed by Aquerna Psions. It often relies on opening even the limited empathic barriers of the Psion and allowing the emotional resonance of the area to seep into their mind. Aquerna Psions using these powers tend to reflect the emotions of those around them even more strongly than usual.
Cost: 1 Psi Point
Effect: Examine Conditions in living organic beings as if you were Scanner with the Diagnostic Focus Mod.
By building up a repertoire of the feelings of others, the Psion can use their knowledge to aid in diagnosis. By spending 1 Psi Point, and concentrating on the subtle feelings emitted by an organic living target (not an Energy Being or Mineral), the Psion can diagnose a Condition that affects them - using this power counts as either Rank 2 of the Physician Skill, or an Examine action gaining 2 automatic successes for the purposes of diagnosing a Condition.
Cost: 1 Psi Point
Effect: Examine and detect Life Science phenomena as if you were a Scanner. Psionic Ritual.
By paying close attention to the flow of emotions and feelings in a particular area or living thing, an Aquerna Psion can discern information about the life within it. By spending 1 Psi Point, and meditating on the empathic resonance in the area the Psion can perform one of the following actions as if they had a Scanner:
Cost: 2 Psi Points
Effect: Grant a bonus card draw to another character doing a card draw action. Psionic Ritual.
By opening themselves up to the deepest emotions and feelings of a target character while they perform a complex and intricate task, an Aquerna Psion can identify subconscious cues before the target notices them. Acting on this knowledge at the right time, by providing advice or a subtle empathic nudge can prevent the target making mistakes or allowing their deep emotions to cloud their judgement, resulting in better outcomes.
By spending 2 Psi Points and roleplaying assisting or advising the target character while they perform a card draw action (Surgery, Engineering tasks or Scientific Scanning) allows the target character to draw 2 cards instead of 1 and choose which of the two cards are applied to the result. The Psion must use this power and be roleplaying before the cards are drawn, and it applies only for the next card draw (although the power can be used again for subsequent draws for the same activity).
Cost: 2 Psi Points
Effect: Gives vague empathic impressions about past happenings in your surroundings. Psionic Ritual. Requires a Referee.
Using this power, a psion can absorb and analyse the empathic residues of their surroundings and gain an understanding of the emotions of past events that occurred there. Using this power requires 1 minute of meditative roleplay, and spending 2 psi points. The referee will then give a short (and vague) brief about the emotional imprint of past events that happened in the immediate vicinity. This could provide useful information or hidden clues, or could be entirely useless. Using this power in the common area at main events is unlikely to produce any useful information, as the emotional residue is too scattered and overwhelming due to the large number of people. This power is mostly useful at smaller events or on missions.
Cost: 3 Psi Points
Effect: Analyses Psionic Conditions affecting a target, and can cause some to expire. Show-me lammie power. Psionic Ritual.
This power allows the Aquerna Psion to use their empathic abilities to join with the target’s mind on a fundamental level, granting them an understanding of their deepest mental recesses. By spending 3 Psi Points and roleplaying in a joint meditation with the target for 5 minutes, the target must show you any Psionic Conditions they have, which you may consult for as long as the ritual continues. Some psionic effects and conditions may be Concealed - in which case you cannot discern the details, but can at least determine that they are present.
After the initial 5 minute period, the Psion may, if the target continues to participate, spend 2 Psi Points and perform 5 additional minutes of roleplay to cause a Psionic Condition with an Expiry condition (such as a time limit) to expire immediately. The Psion absorbs the effects of the Condition into their own mind and allows it to diffuse out harmlessly into the surrounding area. Psionic Conditions without an expiry condition cannot be removed by this power.
Obtaining rank 6 in Osmosis grants 1 additional Psi Point