Introduction

Chapter Three: Psionicist Character Kits

Students of the Way are diverse characters, each charting his own advancement as he grows in power. Despite this, there are several common backgrounds for Athasian psionicists. These are reflected by character kits, which provide special benefits, hindrances, and role-playing notes on each archetype.

The Dungeon Master is advised to review these character kits before allowing them in play. The DM is the final arbiter of which kits are permitted in a campaign.

All kit descriptions are organized as follows.

Description

: This introduces the character and provides a general overview of the kit’s background. Special notes on racial or alignment requirements are included here.

Role

: The role of a character in the campaign and in the adventuring party is discussed here, plus role-playing advice.

Preferred Disciplines

: Some types of psionicists are associated with specific disciplines. In some cases, the preferred discipline mandates the player’s selection of a character’s primary discipline.

Weapon Proficiencies

: Special requirements or options for starting weapons are described here. Required weapons must be selected when the character is first generated, but recommended weapons are optional.

Nonweapon Proficiencies

: Bonus proficiencies are assigned to the character without expending any initial nonweapon proficiency slots. Recommended proficiencies are optional, but may reflect the character’s background better than other skills.

Equipment

: If the character kit has any special considerations for equipment selection, the requirements appear in this section.

Special Benefits

: Most of the character kits provide some kind of special benefit for the psionicist. These benefits are described here.

Special Hindrances

: Along with their special benefits, most kits are also hampered by an appropriate hindrance. Special restrictions or penalties for the character are described here.

Wealth Options

: This describes the character’s starting money, assets, and any special requirements for spending starting funds.

Auditor

The cities of Athas are filled with intrigue, treachery, and double-dealing. In this setting, information is a weapon that may be wielded against one’s enemies. The auditor specializes in extracting information through psionic observation or interrogation. Few can keep a secret from her.

The auditor’s job description ranges from information broker to psionic assassin. In most cities, the templars have auditors working for them. Other auditors are members of the Veiled Alliance, criminal gangs, or are employed by the merchant dynasties.

Humans are best suited for this kit, since they draw the least attention in urban settings. Elves, half-elves, and dwarves are also appropriate. Auditors may be of any alignment, but most prefer to remain neutral.

Role

: An evil auditor can be an excellent nemesis for any adventuring party. She knows where to find the PCs, and even if she is not working directly for the templars she will sell them out for the right price. Armed with formidable psionic abilities, she may be able to coerce surrenders out of the most fanatical characters.

As a member of the a venturing party, the auditor is a vital information contact. Her awareness of the characters and the subtleties of any situation prevents her party from being surprised or distracted in an urban adventure. A few hours of observation can ferret out the most deeply buried secrets.

Auditors are known by different names in each city. The auditors of Tyr’s Elven Warrens are usually referred to as sellminds, while those of Urik are called investigators or mindeyes.

Preferred Disciplines

: Auditors must select either Clairsentience or Telepathy as their primary discipline. Psychometabolism and Psychoportation are favored as secondary disciplines for their espionage uses.

Weapon Proficiencies

: The auditor is required to be proficient in the dagger, knife, dart, or wrist razor.

Nonweapon Proficiencies

: Bonus—Disguise, information gathering. Recommended—Etiquette, heraldry, local history, forgery, reading lips.

Equipment

: The auditor does her best to blend in with the crowd. Weapons are small and concealable, armor is covered by loose robes or cloaks, and dress and accessories match local custom. If the auditor fails to abide by these considerations, the DM may assess a –1 to –3 reaction check penalty.

Special Benefits

: The auditor begins play with 1d3+1 contacts and gains an additional contact whenever she gains a level. Contacts may be merchants, corruptible templars, tavern keepers, agents of the Veiled Alliance, or even beggars or slaves. The DM should carefully develop each one. The contacts are resources the auditor may use to dig up information or get things done.

The PC should be careful of her contacts; once killed or alienated, they are gone forever. The quality of information provided by a contact depends on how the PC treats the character. As a general rule, contacts must be paid 1d6x10 ceramic pieces per level of the contact to produce a specific piece of information or to perform a small favor.

If treated well, contacts may be also be able to loan the PC money or equipment, hide her if she’s on the run, or track down illegal supplies for her. Once again, the quality of these services depends on how well the PC treats her associates.

Special Hindrances

: Trouble follows the auditor. Just as she collects allies and informants, she also collects enemies. Enemies are like contacts in reverse; they sell out the psionicist to anyone who asks, provide assistance for rivals, and may even come hunting for her themselves. Just like a contact, an enemy should be carefully developed by the DM.

An auditor begins play with 1d2 enemies of low level. As time goes by, she will probably make new ones all by herself. Old enemies may grow stronger as the psionicist gains levels. Good choices might include: templars, nobles, merchants, criminals, elves, and other auditors.

The DM should judge when and where enemies show up. Their actions may range from simply spreading nasty rumors about the PC to deadly attempts on her life.

Wealth Options

: the auditor begins play with 3d4x30 ceramic pieces.

Beastmaster Psionicist

Domesticated and wild animals are important to Athasian society. Creatures such as mekillots, inixes, and crodlus are vital to warfare, trade, and labor. Exotic creatures like tembo and kirre can be found as guard animals and arena combatants in decadent cities. Nomads revere the creatures of their lands and seek to understand them through the Way.

The beastmaster is a psionicist with an affinity for animals of all kinds. He can calm a raging mekillot with a few soothing words, or turn the most loyal guard creatures to his side. He is an outsider who is more comfortable with his animal charges than with any humanoid companionship.

Humans, dwarves, elves, half-elves, halflings, and thri-kreen may select the beastmaster kit. Thri-kreen have an affinity for insects and insect-like monsters instead of mammalian or reptilian creatures. Beastmasters may be of any alignment; evil beastmasters tend to work through fear and intimidation.

Role

: Psionicists who work with animal subjects are valued. Most beastmasters are not natives of the cities, but instead come from small viIlages or nomadic tribes—a background in which the young psionicist has extensive experience and contact with the animals he understands so well.

Good-aligned beastmasters are defenders of animal rights and carefully weigh the use of their powers. If an animal’s life must be disturbed to accomplish the character’s goal, the psionicist tries to return the creature to its original situation when finished. Evil beastmasters perceive animals as nothing more than tools to be used and then discarded.

Beastmasters are withdrawn and have difficulty dealing with human society. They often make people around them uncomfortable.

Preferred Disciplines

: Beastmasters must select Telepathy as their primary discipline. Psychometabolism is favored as a secondary discipline.

Weapon Proficiencies

: Since they are often called upon to capture their subjects, beastmasters must take proficiency in the lasso, net, bola, or whip. Other allowed weapons include the dagger, knife, club, spear, short sword, sling, or bow.

Nonweapon proficiencies

: Bonus—Animal handling, animal lore, animal training. Recommended—Tracking, survival, hunting, running, endurance, set snares, riding, rope use, water find.

Equipment

: No special requirements.

Special Benefits

: Beastmasters enjoy several talents that make their task easier. First of all, they may use the animal empathy ability of the ranger class. If the animal is wild or trained to attack, it receives a saving throw versus rods modified by –1 for every three experience levels the psionicist possesses, just like the ranger ability. Evil beastmasters generally cow animals rather than befriend them, but the effects are identical.

Secondly, the beastmaster receives a +1 bonus to his power score anytime he uses a Telepathic science or devotion against an animal subject. If he is trying to initiate Contact (power score: Wisdom), his power score becomes Wisdom +1.

Beastmasters may learn the warrior proficiencies recommended under “Nonweapon Proficiencies” without paying the one-slot penalty for selecting a proficiency out of group.

Special Hindrances

: Beastmasters have difficulty using their Telepathic powers on sentient subjects and suffer a –1 penalty to the power score of any science or devotion used against an intelligent opponent. Secondly, the beastmaster’s awkwardness imposes a –2 reaction check penalty when dealing with urban characters. Encounters in a city-state count, but meetings with desert nomads or villagers would not.

Wealth Options

: The beastmaster begins play with 3d4x30 ceramic pieces.

Mercenary Psionicist

No place on Athas is safe from psionics. Armies and fortresses mean nothing to a master of the Way. To answer the threat of psionic attack, nobles and merchants retain the services of mercenary psionicists to guard against other users of the Way.

The mercenary psionicist serves the highest bidder. Most are reliable and return good service for their wages, but others may betray their employers. Mercenary psionicists are most frequently employed by noble families an merchant dynasties.

Humans, elves, and half-elves are the most common mercenaries. Dwarves and halflings find the exchange of service for ceramic pieces to be unsatisfying.

Role

: The mercenary psionicist tends to be a hardened veteran who trusts no one. Idealists don’t belong in this 1ine of work. The mercenary is often an outstanding tactician and battle leader, since he is intelligent enough to see what must be done to win and pragmatic enough to do it.

Preferred Disciplines

: Fighting mercenaries often specialize in Psychometabolism or Psychokinesis. Guard mercenaries or professional spies often select Clairsentience or Telepathy.

Weapon Proficiencies

: Bonus—Light crossbow or short sword. Recommended—Dagger, knife, hand axe, scimitar, quabone, wrist razor.

Nonweapon Proficiencies

: Bonus—Land-based riding and either direction sense or heraldry. Recommended—Hypnosis, etiquette, navigation, rejuvenation, weather sense.

Equipment

: No special requirements.

Special Benefits

: The mercenary psionicist has a skill in high demand. He can approach most caravans, merchants, or nobles and offer them his services. There is a 50% chance they will accept , hiring him at a wage of 5 cp per day per level . This may be modified by the situation and the sales pitch.

A second benefit lies in the mercenary’s weapons training. When the character is created, he may select a weapon of choice. (This can be an unarmed combat style.) When he attacks with that weapon, he gains a +1 bonus to all attack and damage rolls. Like weapon specialization, this applies to all weapons of that type, not a single, unique weapon.

Special Hindrances

: While he s in someone’s employ, the mercenary psionicist’s life is supposed to be devoted to his employer. He will be called upon to spend at least half of his time watching over his employer’s enterprises or accompanying his employer’s caravans and troops. If the psionicist ignores this restriction, he’ll quickly lose his job.

Mercenary psionicists are weaker in Will than others. The cynicism required of a mercenary is no compatible with the power of belief necessary to master the Way. They gain 1 less PSP per level than normal, so a mercenary with a Wisdom of 16 gains only 10 PSPs per level rather than 11.

Wealth Options

: Mercenaries begin play with 3d4x30 ceramic pieces, plus their choice of a mount, a nonmetal weapon, or a suit of leather armor.

Noble Psionicist

All humans and demihumans have some potential with the Way, but few are can afford a tutor. On Athas, learning and study of the mind is often a luxury reserved for the wealthy. The noble psionicist was enrolled in a rigorous training regimen by his family when he was young. Many young nobles find the study of their own minds to be unpleasant work, but others study with their tutors and develop into formidable psionicists.

Noble psionicists may be humans, elves, half-elves, or dwarves, and may be of any alignment open to psionicists.

Role

: The noble psionicist is an aberration. His clarity of mind and self-discipline are seldom found among the elite of the Seven Cities. To his family, he is a sword to be wielded against their rivals. As head of the family, the noble psionicist possesses the wisdom an strength of mind to bring great success to the house’s ventures. As an adventurer, the noble psionicist often has an agenda mapped out for him by his family. Whether he chooses to follow that agenda a is his own business. Until he actually assumes the mantle of leadership, the noble psionicist is free to pursue his own studies.

Preferred Disciplines

: Telepathy and Clairsentience are favored for their information -gathering abilities.

Weapon proficiencies

: Rigorous physical training is part of the psionicist’s curriculum. The noble gains an extra weapon proficiency slot that may be used to learn martial arts or specialize in punching or wrestling (see “New Nonweapon Proficiencies” in Chapter Four).

Nonweapon Proficiencies

: Bonus—Etiquette, heraldry. Recommended—Meditative focus, rejuvenation, harness subconscious, dancing, land-based riding, reading/writing.

Equipment

: The noble psionicist understands that appearances must be maintained and buys the finest equipment. He must pay 150% to 200% (1d6+1x10%) the normal cost for any clothing or equipment to make it clear he is a person of wealth. If the character refuses to look the part, he will have a hard time convincing others that he is really a noble.

Special Benefits

: The noble psionicist begins play a lot of personal wealth. He also has a family, clan, or estate to support him. If he wishes, he can live with his relations, enjoying a life of ease. However, a character who lives off his family will find that his family expects his loyalty in return.

The noble psionicist receives a +3 on reaction checks with any member of his culture who recognizes him as a noble. Many Athasians have no love for the nobility, but they have learned to respect an fear it.

Special Hindrances

: As noted above, the noble psionicist must buy the finest gear at 150 to 200% of its listed cost.

If the character is living off his family and using his estate as a home base, his relations are glad to have him around and ask him for favors or support. At least once a week, the character will have to fulfill a family obligation. Obligations may include using his powers to spy on a rival house, touring the house holdings to make sure they are sound, or even a tending the king’s court as the house representative. The DM is encouraged to use this as a tool to reinforce good role-playing; a PC who uses house assets to equip his friends with steel weapons had better be prepared to pay for it with his time an effort!

Wealth Options

: The noble psionicist begins play with 3d4x90 cp. He also receives a stipend from his family equal to 10 cp per month per character level.

Psiologist

The psiologist is a student of the Way who has trained extensively in the academies. He benefits from the wisdom of hundreds of great masters. Free to concentrate on his powers, the psiologist has a great understanding of his Will and its uses.

Psiologists may be of any race except halfling or thri-kreen, who possess their own traditions of learning the Way. They must be lawful in alignment and are required to have an Intelligence of 15 or better in addition to normal requirements.

Role

: The psiologist believes in the superiority of psionics over any other physical or magical discipline. Anything is possible through the Way, if one possesses sufficient Will. He is a traditionalist who uses techniques proven by time in the acquisition of his powers. Psiologists believe themselves to be superior to other psionicists.

On the other hand, a great portion of the psiologists air of superiority is warranted. They are the most skillful and powerful of psionicists, achieving levels of mastery that lesser mortals can only dream of attaining.

Preferred Disciplines

: Psiologists can use any discipline.

Weapon Proficiencies

: Psiologists are allowed to select their weapon proficiencies from the following: dagger, knife, staff, short sword, or sling.

Nonweapon Proficiencies

: Bonus—Harness subconscious, rejuvenation. Recommended—Meditative focus, artistic ability, direction sense, ancient history, healing, religion.

Equipment

: Psiologists disdain the use of armor or heavy weapons, believing their art to be sufficient protection. They are limited to the weapons listed above and may not wear armor.

Special Benefits

: The psiologist enjoys access to the finest libraries and tutors. His total concentration to his discipline enables him to grow strong in the Will faster than other characters do; he gains 2 additional PSPs every time he gains a level, so a character with a Wisdom of 16 would gain 13 PSPs per level instead of 11.

The psiologist also improves his abilities faster over time. At even-numbered levels (2nd , 4th, 6th, and so on) he may increase his power score in a devotion or science of his choice by +1, as if he had spent another slot on the power.

Last but not least, the psiologist belongs to a school or academy. He may stay there as long as he wishes, and even provide for guests for a short time. (One guest per level/one day per level is appropriate.) The school aids him in general research, developing new abilities, and advancing in level.

Special Hindrances

: Since the psiologist disdains the use of physical or magical power, he may not wear armor and may only choose weapons from a limited list. He suffers a –1 attack penalty to reflect his lack of practice with weapons.

Secondly, the psiologist avoids using magicaI items or magical spells. He may keep one magical weapon, one magical protective device (a ring or cloak of protection, for example), and no more than two miscellaneous magical items such as potions, scrolls, or other items. lf the character exceeds this limit, he earns only half the experience for the adventure that he normally would.

This limitation also applies to receiving magical aid in the form of spells. Receiving a beneficial spell (bless, haste, cure light wounds, etc.) during the course of an adventure penalizes the character 10% of his experience earned during that adventure. Multiple infractions can reduce his earned experience by as much as 50%, but no more.

Wealth Options

: The psiologist begins play with 3d4x30 ceramic pieces.

Sensei

The most powerful characters on Athas combine the study of psionics with the study of another discipline. Dragons study sorcery in conjunction with the Way, while elemental clerics harness the power of their minds to the power of their worship. The sensei combines an intensive physical training program with the Way, seeking to become the perfect weapon.

The sensei are very rare in the Tyr region, since their art is extraordinarily demanding. Few people are even aware that they exist. Each sensei charts his own course in life; there is no organization or school that binds them together. Some may be assassins, others gladiators, and others wandering champions who fight against injustice.

In addition to the normal psionicist requirements, a sensei must have a Dexterity of 15 or better and a Strength of 13 or better. Only humans, muls, an half-elves may become sensei.

Role

: Sensei may be the most dangerous character kit in the campaign. They are students of the art of combat, seeking to defeat their foes physically, mentally, and spiritually. They are supremely confident in their abilities and understand their capabilities and limitations exactly. Mere treasure is not enough to win a sensei’s service; they only exercise their skills or worthy causes.

In the adventuring party, the sensei is an infiltrator and scout who can strike swiftly to devastating effect. His dedication to self-improvement makes him an unapproachable character who inspires fear in friend and foe alike. There is little room in the sensei’s existence for anything but the quest for perfection.

Preferred Disciplines

: The sense must choose Psychometabolism or Psychokinesis as his primary discipline. Psychoportation and Telepathy are preferred choices for secondary disciplines.

Weapon Proficiencies

: The sensei gains an extra weapon proficiency, which must he spent to learn martial arts. He may choose his other weapons from the following list: dagger, dart, knife, quarterstaff, spear, gythka, or chatkcha. At least half of all weapons proficiencies must be spent on learning unarmed fighting styles. Refer to “Proficiencies” in Chapter Four.

Nonweapon Proficiencies

: Bonus—Rejuvenation, tumbling. Recommended—Blind-fighting, dancing, direction sense, swimming , healing, juggling, jumping, tightrope walking, endurance, running.

Equipment

: The sensei wears no armor, as it hampers his ability to move. He may use any of the weapons listed above.

Special Benefits

: The sensei is allowed to study martial arts or unarmed combat. He may continue to specialize in these fields, spending additional proficiency slots to improve his attack and damage rolls. In addition to his unarmed combat ability, the sensei also gains a +1 attack bonus with any weapon he is proficient in to reflect his superb training. Sensei can also learn the rogue or warrior skills Iisted under “New Nonweapon Proficiencies “ at the normal cost, without paying the one-slot penalty for choosing a proficiency out of the character group. The sensei learns many physical skills in addition to his combat training and psychic advancement.

Special Hindrances

: The sensei may not wear armor or use magical devices to improve his Armor Class. He will not use magical weapons, either. The sensei believes in his own ability and disdains the use of such crutches in the practice of his art.

Since he seeks to master both physical and psionic skills, the sensei is not as devoted to pure psionic study as other psionicists are. He suffers a penalty of 1 PSP per level. A sensei with a Wisdom of 16 would gain 10 PSPs per level, rather than the 11 he normally would.

Wealth Options

: Sensei care nothing for material wealth. He begins play with 3d4x10 ceramic pieces and may never carry more personal treasure than can fit in a small belt pouch.

Tribal Psionicist

The deserts are home to countless nomadic tribes. Some of these wanderers are herders with a flourishing culture and strong values, but others are savage raiders or crude hunter-gatherers. Life in the wastes is hard, and people who live outside the city-states must seize any advantage to survive. The tribal psionicist was raised to defend against the raiders and predators of Athas.

Forced to learn the Way as a matter of survival, the tribal psionicist takes many shortcuts in her quest for the power to protect her people. Some of these untutored ones have risen to shake nearby cities, only to disappear a short time later.

Role

: The tribal master is a wild card who learns the Way with no formal study. She is a blessing to her people and a terror to their enemies, using her strength to defeat all rivals. Considered a savage by the people of the cities, the tribal psionicist is a complex character with grave responsibilities to live up to. Her entire clan may perish if she fails to defend them.

As an adventurer, the tribal psionicist may he the second psionicist of a tribe, and free to wander. If there is a powerful wizard or cleric who acts as the tribe’s shaman, her skills are not desperately needed. However, if she is the only source of paranormal powers for her people, the tribal psionicist will be hard-pressed to find even a few days to go off on an adventure.

Preferred Disciplines

: The tribal psionicist can master any discipline, although the most useful powers ore Psychokinetic or Psychoportive.

Weapon Proficiencies

: Required—Choice of blowgun, short bow, club, dagger, dart, hand axe, javelin, knife, sling, or spear. These are the common tribal weapons of Athas, and the tribal psionicist must make her initial weapon choices from this list.

Nonweapon Proficiencies

: Bonus—Weather sense, fire-building, and survival. Recommended—Heat protection, water find, animal handling, direction sense, leatherworking, animal lore, bowyer/fletcher, hunting, tracking.

Equipment

: The tribal psionicist must spend her starting funds on normal tribal equipment—leather or hide armor, weapons made from bone or stone, and tribal dress and gear.

Special Benefits

: The tribal psionicist is free to develop her psionic powers without regard to the established methods of learning the Way. After she chooses her disciplines, sciences, and devotions, she then rolls for an additional wild talent, just like a nonpsionicist character. The wild talent does not count against the allowed number of sciences or devotions she may know, and it doesn’t matter if it is in a discipline she does not yet have access to. The normal rules for wild talent PSPs are used, and the extra PSPs are added directly to her psionic strength total.

If a character rolls a talent that has a prerequisite, she automatically gains the prerequisite power, too. For example, if she rolls domination, she also gains contact and mindlink. The character may gain no more than three extra powers in total, even if she rolls high enough to gain extra wild talents. If the new wild talents or prerequisites duplicate any powers she had already selected, the tribal psionicist gains a special enhancement of that science or devotion.

Enhanced powers gain an automatic +4 to the power score, making them easier to initiate. Plus, they’re more likely to have a power score result when initiated; any roll between the original power score and the new power score inclusive will have the power score results. A psionicist with an enhanced power never suffers the ill effects of rolling a 1 on power checks.

Example

: Saranda is a tribal psionicist who selects psychokinesis as her primary discipline. One of the powers she selects is ballistic attack. When she checks for her additional wild talent, she happens to roll ballistic attack, which also gives her the prerequisite of telekinesis. Ballistic attack (and telekinesis, too) now become enhanced powers. If Saranda had a Constitution of 14, her normal power score for ballistic attack would be a 12 (Con–2), but it now becomes a -6. Any power score check between 12 and 16 now results in the listed “Power Score” result. Saranda is a serious telekineticist!

Special Hindrances

: The tribal psionicist is unfamiliar with many of the common teachings of psionics, including psionic defenses. At 1st level, she begins with the defense mind blank, but after that she must select defenses as she advances in level, using devotion or science slots to acquire them. The defenses are all Telepathic powers, and the usual restrictions for choosing devotions and sciences apply.

Wealth Options

: The tribal psionicist rarely begins with more than the clothes on her back. She begins play with only 3d4x15 ceramic pieces.