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Alternate Psionics Rules for Traveller20 

This is a lightly-edited version of an article originally posted to the pre-magazine Freelance Traveller website in 2003, and reprinted in this form in the April/May 2015 issue.

Open Game Content Note:
Material appearing in a colored box (like this) is to be considered Open Game Content governed by the Open Game License

The official Traveller20 (T20) Psionics rules are modelled after the skill-level-based approach to psionics that Classic Traveller (CT) and Marc Miller’s Traveller (T4) took regarding psionics: the level of a character’s psionic skill determined the abilities that the psionicist could activate and use, and thus psionic skill checks were never made as actual skill checks to accomplish these tasks. In T20, once skill levels reach an appropriate level, the psionicist can take feats to reflect their mastery of new psionic talents.

While this recreates the feel of CT very well, there are those that feel that such an implementation doesn’t accent the d20 System approach to skills very well. They feel that a skill check-based approach, such as those found in MegaTraveller (MT), Traveller: The New Era (TNE) and GURPS Traveller (GT), might better take advantage of the d20 System’s approach to skills, and thus better fit their concept of psionics in a T20 campaign. It is for these people that the following Alternate Psionics Rules are proposed.

A Note On Skill Check DCs: The skill check DCs for this alternate method were derived from adding the number of ranks required in the Travellers’ Handbook (THB) to a base DC of 13. This ties the skill check requirements directly to the requirements of the standard T20 psionics system, and hopefully maintains some essence of the balance created for the original T20 psionic system’s design. Referees should feel encouraged to alter these DCs as they see fit for their campaign settings. One possible suggestion might be to multiply the original ranks required by 1.5, though this may lead to much more difficult DCs at the higher end.

Psionics Based On Skill Checks

Psionic Sphere Skills And Ability Modifiers:
It’s important to note that, as PSI is not an ability score (according to THB, pg 188), psionic sphere skill checks are modified instead by the psionicist’s Intelligence modifier. This is based on MT’s choice of Intelligence as the stat referred to in their task descriptions. Referees may wish to consider using Wisdom, or even PSI (despite the fact that the rules specify that it is not a stat), to modify Psionic skill checks, if such would fit the premise of their campaign setting.
Effects Of Training:
Once a character has completed Psionic Training as described in the book, they receive a zero (0) rank skill in the sphere(s) for which they have affinity. These psionic skills are considered to be cross-class, unless the character takes the Hobby feat or gains a level in a class or prestige class in which a particular psionic skill would be consider as class skills.
Sphere Development:
Once a character possess psionic sphere skills, these skills may be developed through the normal expenditure of skill points as the character increases in level. Like normal, the number of ranks that a character possesses in a psionic sphere skill may never exceed their Psi score.
Developing And Using Psionic Talents:
The psionicist no longer needs to purchase feats to represent their mastery of psionic talents. Instead, the use of psionic talents is achieved through the use of psionic sphere skill checks against specific DCs set forth in this document.
Talent Descriptions:
Specific Talent descriptions are found in THB Chapter 10: Psionics. Note that, for purposes of this system, the Prerequisites and Rank sections of each Talent are ignored, since the skill check replaces this particular aspect of the official psionics system. The Sphere, Cost, Duration, and Benefit sections all remain the same, however, and function as normal.
Other Aspects Of Psionics:
All other aspects of psionics (PSI Score, testing, training, recovery, psi drugs, etc.) function as per the standard T20 rules.

Telepathy Sphere

A psionicist skilled in the Telepathy Sphere may attempt the following psionic talents through the use of their Telepathy sphere skill. The costs noted in the THB are spent, regardless of success.

 

Psionic Talent Skill Check DC
Shield *
Life Detection 15
Telempathy 15
Read Surface Thoughts 17
Send Thoughts 18
Probe 22
Assault 23

NOTE: (*) indicates that the psionicist must have Telepathy sphere skill, but no skill check is required to use this Talent.

Clairvoyance Sphere

A psionicist skilled in the Clairvoyance Sphere may attempt the following psionic talents through the use of their Clairvoyance sphere skill. The costs noted in the THB are spent, regardless of success.

 

Psionic Talent Skill Check DC
Sense 15
Clairvoyance 18
Clairaudience 18
Combined Clairvoyance & Clairaudience 22

Awareness Sphere

A psionicist skilled in the Awareness Sphere may attempt the following psionic talents through the use of their Awareness sphere skill. The costs noted in the THB are spent, regardless of success.

 

Psionic Talent Skill Check DC
Suspended Animation 15
Psionically Enhanced Strength 17
Psionically Enhanced Constitution 18
Regeneration 22

Telekinesis Sphere

A psionicist skilled in the Telekinesis Sphere may attempt the following psionic talents through the use of their Telekinesis sphere skill. The costs noted in the THB are spent, regardless of success.

 

Psionic Talent Skill Check DC
Telekinetically Lift 1 gram 14
Telekinetically Lift 10 grams 15
Telekinetically Lift 100 grams 16
Telekinetically Lift 1 kg 18
Telekinetically Lift 10 kg 21
Telekinetically Lift 100 kg 23
Telekinetically Lift 1000 kg 27
Telekinetically Lift 10,000 kg 31

Teleportation Sphere

A psionicist skilled in the Teleportation Sphere may attempt the following psionic talents through the use of their Teleportation sphere skill. The costs noted in the THB are spent, regardless of success.

 

Psionic Talent Skill Check DC
Teleport self, unclothed 18
Teleport self, clothed 20
Teleport self, light equipment 22
Teleport self, moderate equipment 25
Teleport self, heavy equipment 28