Introduction

Chapter One: Masters of the Way

Although thousands of Athasians command a unique talent, true masters of the Way—or “mindbenders”—are still rare. It takes exceptional ability and dedication to take up the study of the Way, and many do not progress far. Less than one person in one hundred can be considered a true psionicist.

Because trained psionicists are scarce, they are highly valued by many elements of Athasian society. Unlike defilers and preservers, psionicists are free from the taint of magic and need not disguise their calling. They owe no loyalty to the sorcerer-kings, unlike the templars. Even clerics and druids have elemental powers and guarded lands that they must place before all other considerations. Psionicists are free from these patrons and responsibilities and may employ their powers as they see fit.

Any psionicist willing to sell his services will find there is great demand for someone skilled in the mental arts. Merchant houses, psionic schools, nobles, and templars routinely employ psionicists to help them against their enemies. In fact, it is unusual to encounter a psionicist who has no patron or employer. They are often seen as troublemakers.

Psionics and Race

Athasian psionicists are born of almost every sentient species, including character races and humanoid monsters. In a world where many powerful monsters also share a command of the Way, it is only natural that the intelligent races learned to defend themselves against psionic attack.

Dwarves

Dwarves are among the most numerous of the character races. They are capable of living among humans, but also flourish when left to their own devices. Dwarven craftsmen can be found in every city, and dwarven villages dot the Tablelands.

Most dwarves don’t bother with the Way, but those that do become excellent psionicists. Their great physical strength and stamina are well-suited to the study of Psychokinesis and Psychometabolism, and the dwarven ability to focus on their studies is unrivaled on Athas.

Dwarves can pursue a second profession. This is rare, but some choose the path of fighter/psionicist or cleric/psionicist. Dwarf psionicists live among their own kind in dwarven villages, using their skills to protect the villagers from all threats.

Elves

Elf merchants and riders can be found throughout the deserts of Athas. The swift-moving tribes rarely lay down to sleep in the same place twice. Like dwarves, elves can coexist with humans, and large elven communities (the Elven Markets) can be found in every Athasian city.

Elves rarely have the patience to take up the Way, and elf psionicists are rare. The elven make-up does not include a great deal of persistence, and elven Will is often weaker than that of other races. Despite this, a few elves study the Way to give their tribes one more advantage in battle and trade.

When an elf takes up psionics, he often combines it with a second calling. Fighter/psionicists, thief/psionicists, and some mage/psionicists can be found among the elf tribes. Elves prefer Clairsentience and Psychokinesis, but their frail Constitutions make Psychometabolism difficult for them to master.

Half-elves

Found wherever the paths of elvenkind and humanity cross, half-elves are loners who truly belong to neither race. Most are born and stay in the cities, children of tribes who have temporarily settled in the Elven Warrens. Other follow their elf parents when the tribe begins to roam again.

Half-elves share some of their elf parents’ weaknesses, but often take up psionics, as it is a solitary calling. Mastery of the Way provides independence and self-knowledge, traits that half-elves seek to develop. It is more common to find multi-classed psionicists than single-classed psionicists among half-elf students of the Way. The ranger/psionicist is probably the most common half-elf character combination.

Half-elves often study Telepathy, because it augments the remarkable rapport they have with animals. They also make good psychokineticists.

Half-giants

The most powerful warriors on Athas, half-giants are content to dwell in humanity’s shadow. Nearly all half-giants are mercenaries, gladiators or slave soldiers serving in the armies of the sorcerer-kings.

Half-giants are greatly hampered in psionic studies by their limited intellect and weak Will. Many people might assume that a half-giant psionicist is some kind of joke, but this can be a deadly mistake. Exceptional half-giants often study the Way.

While a single-classed half-giant psionicist is almost unheard of, some half-giants study psionics in conjunction with the martial arts. The half-giant’s enormous strength and stamina lend themselves to the study of Psychometabolism and Psychoportation. A half-giant fighter using the devotions of adrenalin control or body weaponry becomes a killing machine that can take apart a mekillot bare-handed.

Halflings

Children of the Forest Ridge, halflings are alien to the people of the Tyr region. They are separated from the other people by physical, linguistic, and cultural barriers that are difficult to breach. A halfling outside the Forest Ridge is an outcast or wanderer who has turned his back on his people.

Psionics play a vital part in halfling culture. The study of the Way is considered to be honorable and is highly encouraged by halfling society. A complete halfling warrior doesn’t rest until his mental skills match his physical talents.

Halflings have a natural aptitude for psionic study. Their traditions of psionic learning are not traced to Tarandas, but are unique to their race and have been handed down from time immemorial. Some people claim that halfling invented the use of the Way.

Halflings are often possessed by a Will far stronger that appearances would indicate. They favor the Telepathic abilities and can be extraordinarily dangerous in psionic combat. A great percentage of halflings share their profession with a study of the Way: ranger/psionicists, druid/psionicists, and thief/psionicists are the most common.

Humans

The most numerous of the peoples of Athas, humans dominate the Tablelands, organized into cities, villages, and wandering tribes. Given the sheer numbers of humans, it isn’t surprising that the majority of psionicists are human. Lacking the physical advantages of some of the other races, humans are quick to turn to supernatural powers to compensate.

The role of psionics in human society varies greatly from culture to culture. In some places it is regarded as a practice nearly as vile as sorcery, but in most areas psionics are a recognized and accepted part of life. The most powerful creatures on Athas—dragons, avangions, and elemental clerics—are humans who combine the study of the Way with their advancement in another art. Human psionicists are very diverse and can specialize in any discipline.

Muls

Bred as slaves, muls are found in the slave pits, arenas, and fields of the great human cities. From early childhood, they are condemned to an existence of heavy labor or bloody arena games. Death is the only escape for many muls. Only a handful of these crossbreeds are born into the ranks of free citizens or slave tribes.

The tough mul constitution lends itself to the study of Psychometabolism, but most muls have difficulty mastering the other disciplines. Since most slave owners take steps to ensure that their property does not get schooled in the Way, it is very rare for a mul to receive any formal training.

When a mul does take up the study of psionics, he usually becomes multiclassed. As with dwarves, fighter/psionicists and cleric/psionicists are most common among muls.

Thri-kreen

Hunters of the scrub plains and stony barrens, thri-kreen packs roam the Tablelands and the Hinterlands. Like halflings, they are aliens to the culture of the Tablelands. Wandering thri-kreen often visit the “civilized” cities, motivated by the desire to learn more of human society.

Thri-kreen often study the Way, paying almost as much attention to it as halflings do. They favor Telepathy and Clairsentience, but have a significant disadvantage when using Telepathic powers against nonthri-kreen subjects; their insect minds don’t easily contact the minds of other races.

Thri-kreen possess a powerful, alien Will. It isn’t unusual to meet mantis warriors who make the study of the Way their only profession. The natural fighting ability of the thri-kreen can be augmented to frightening levels with the Psychokinetic or Psychometabolic disciplines. Thri-kreen packs almost always include psionic members. The thri-kreen often coordinate psychic and physical attacks as they seek to bring down their prey.

Other Races

Besides the character races, there are many other intelligent beings who make extensive use of psionics. The most prominent are gith, jozhal, nikaal, beastheaded giants, belgoi, and braxat. Racial tendencies are noted in the appropriate Monstrous Compendium® entries, but it is worth noting that not all individuals of these races will conform to the racial averages. Exceptional gith or belgoi are frequently encountered among the raiding tribes of these vile creatures.

Psionics and Society

As noted before, nearly every level of Athasian society is permeated with psionics. Even the humblest slave may possess an unusual talent or ability, while the most powerful enchantments of the sorcerer-monarchs include psionic elements.

Mental powers are used on an everyday basis in Athasian culture. Telepaths allow instantaneous communication across hundreds of miles. Draft animals and slaves are kept under control by psionic overseers. Clairsentients use their visionary powers to forecast the fortunes of kings and peasants, find missing objects, and solve crimes. Psychokineticists and psychometabolists use their potent abilities in all manner of enterprises, both legitimate and otherwise. Many wild talents find a way to harness their special abilities in day-to-day life.

The Sorcerer-Monarchs

The rulers of the cities of Athas are among the most powerful psionicists on the planet. Only the most powerful of masters may hope to rival a sorcerer-monarch’s strength in the Way.

The rulers of Athas are devious in all their endeavors, and psionics are no exception. Most sorcerer-kings have psionic and magical arsenals designed to bolster their own strengths or to guard against intrusion. At a minimum, the typical sorcerer-monarch has an enormous bank of PSPs stored by means of the receptacle devotion. Most will routinely make use of items such as a ring of mind shielding or helm of telepathy.

In addition to their own potent abilities, the sorcerer-monarchs often have a retinue of several powerful masters who are sworn to serve them. Some of these retainers were personally schooled by their monarch from an early age and are loyal beyond question. Generally, the sorcerer-kings will not permit a follower to become as skilled in the Way as they are, for fear of one day being bested by a treacherous attack.

The sorcerer-kings are capable of remarkable feats of mental prowess. It is nearly impossible to hide from the personal attention of a sorcerer-monarch, or to resist his terrible Will.

Templars

Most servants of the sorcerer-monarchs rely on the magical power provided by their master, but the most dangerous templars are also students of the Way. In the competitive ranks of the king’s bureaucracy, competence in the psionic arts can often mean the difference between survival and failure. A few individuals in the ranks of the templars are not clergymen at all, but instead psionicists who were rewarded with a position.

Templars who wield psionics often use their powers to ferret out the truth about events or crimes. They also turn their powers against their fellows, guarding against plots or pursuing some intrigue against their superiors. It can be assumed that anyone captured by the templars will eventually be subjected to a psionic interrogation. Once a criminal is known to the templars, it is extremely difficult to stay ahead of them when his own thoughts may betray him.

Nobles

Nobles enjoy access to excellent psionic instructors at a very early age. Most are taught the basics of the Way. A greater proportion of nobles are psionicists than any other social class. With the innate advantages of wealth and education, it is surprising that the noble class does not dominate Athasian society completely. The only explanation lies in the decadence of the nobility—many young lords turn a deaf ear to their masters’ teachings and view their studies as a waste of time.

Despite the sloth that pervades Athasian nobility, a number of nobles do succeed in their studies and become formidable psionicists. Agis of Asticles, a noble of Tyr, is an excellent example. Unfortunately, most nobles with psionic ability choose to waste their time and energy in an endless circle of intrigue and backstabbing. The Way is viewed only as one more edge over one’s rivals.

The wealthy noble families also employ a number of psionicists. Some are valued advisers and mental bodyguards, rarely found without their masters nearby. Others are nothing more than brutal overseers who watch over the field slaves on the noble plantations.

Merchants

The powerful merchant dynasties of the Tyr region rely on mercenary psionicists to keep watch over family members and assets. With emporiums in every cities and caravans scattered across the desert, psionics are a vital means of communication. On a smaller scale, psionicists are used to help guard caravans, control dangerous draftbeasts such as mekillots, and to keep slaves docile until they are sold.

Most merchant dynasties can afford to send their children and most valuable agents to the finest psionic academies, much like the nobility does. However, more merchants take the training seriously. The dynasties are not self-perpetuating and must remain competitive to survive. They aggressively seek out any possible advantage and exploit it.

At a minimum, any outpost or caravan will have at least one practicing psionicist nearby to guard the house assets against psionic attack. Merchant dynasties are very aware of the possibilities of others psionically influencing bargaining, and they take steps to make sure that their agents are defended from mental attack. Adventurer who dream of using domination or awe to convince a merchant to part with a steel sword for a few bits should be warned: a loyal psionicist is probably nearby, watching for cheats and scoundrels.

Free Citizens

The free craftsmen and farmers of the cities may be the class least touched by psionics in Athasian society. Potters, smiths, and shopkeepers have little need for mental powers in their day-to-day life. A few may possess wild talents that they put to use in their trade, but most get along without psionics.

Sometimes a wandering masters may settle in a city neighborhood, training local children and watching over the area. The psionicist keeps an eye on the shopkeepers and their customers, ensuring that no one uses the Way to cheat the proprietors. Thugs and bullies should be careful in guarded neighborhoods; they can suddenly find themselves hailing the nearest templar patrol and confessing their crimes. More than one adventurer has met this fate.

Since the free citizens comprise one of the larger classes of Athasian society, a great number of practicing psionicists have their origins in this group. Many psionicists are the sons of villagers or the daughters of craftsmen.

Slaves

In most cities of the Tyr region, it is against the law to school any slave in the Way. Teaching a slave to use his psionic potential gives him a weapon far more powerful and subtle than any gladiator’s blade. The study of the Way is fruitless for conditioned or brainwashed subjects, so the only slaves able to learn psionics are those beyond their masters’ mental control.

Most prosperous slave owners find it necessary to retain the services of several mindbenders to keep their slaves in line. Even a berserk mul can be put back to work by a skilled psionicist. These mental overseers are the lowest and most ignoble of psionicists, but they are a crucial part of the slave trade and are well-paid for their efforts.

While most slaves are denied even the least schooling in the Way, a number develop wild talents and a very few blossom into extraordinary psionicists. Slaves are very careful to keep their abilities hidden from their masters; those who demonstrate any real power are often put to death on the spot.

Tribesmen

Living beyond the reach of the sorcerer-kings, tribesmen include nomadic herders, hunters-gatherers, slave tribes, and raiders. It is a hard life, and a few accidents or misfortunes can push a tribe to the edge of extinction. Any advantage a tribe can gain, such as elemental magic, sorcery or the use of psionics, can often spell the difference between life and death in the deserts of Athas.

In any good-sized clan, there will be several adults with significant psionic skills. Children are closely watched for signs of psionic potential, and if any show promise they are given the opportunity to study the Way under the tribe’s psionic leader. A large and wealthy tribe can have one or more clerics, a preserver or defiler, and several skilled psionicists to help overcome adversity and defend against the predators of the deserts.

Psionics and Law

Athasian society has had to deal with the issues of psionics for hundreds of years. Each city-state has its own specific codes of what is permissible and what is not, but generally the following laws will hold true no matter where a psionicist goes.

1. Crimes committed by psionic means are punished normally.
Killing someone by means of a psychic crush or by using control body to march a victim off a rooftop is still murder, and will be treated as such by most authorities. Using psionics to obstruct investigation, resist arrest, or avoid the agents of the sorcerer-king is a crime, as well.

2. A psionicist bears the guilt for any crime committed by someone under his mental control.
This is difficult to prove, but there have been cases where a psionicist has been judged for the crimes of someone he dominated. There have been many more cases where criminals claimed that a mindbender made them break the law. Templars generally scoff at this plea unless some astounding evidence appears to the contrary.

3. No one may read another’s thoughts.
In most cities it is illegal for a psionicist to pry into someone’s mind without consent. This law is almost impossible to enforce, but it is often used as a general charge against a psionicist who has angered the templars. Slaves aren’t counted as people under Athasian law, however; slave owners may use any means to keep control of their property.

4. No one may use the Way to influence another person’s thoughts or actions.
This law is almost universal. Using the Way to dominate people or to implant post-hypnotic suggestions is considered the vilest of crimes against a free citizen. Most telepathic devotions fall under this category, including awe, daydream, aversion, repugnance, and so forth.

5. No one may use the Way to spy on another.
Using clairaudience or clairvoyance to pry into the privacy of a free citizen is considered a crime. Other means of psionic espionage might include using sight link or sound link through a third party. Again, this is difficult to enforce and even more difficult to prove before the templars.

6. The summoning or contact of extraplanar powers is considered high treason.
Most city dwellers take a very dim view of the reckless summoning of fiends or similar planar horrors.

7. Officers of court may use psionic interrogations in due process of the law.
If necessary, the templars may summon a master of the Way to get to the bottom of almost any matter. This is usually a last resort by the templars, since even the most oppressive rulers respect their citizens’ privacy of thoughts.