Topic: Psionics in Rolemaster

[dutch206]

This month's issue of the Guild Companion brings up an interesting topic: Psionics in Rolemaster.  Because of the realm of Mentalism, I have never felt a need for yet another realm of magic.  (YMMV)

I can see adding psionics to Spacemaster, though.

Thoughts or opinions?

[Cory Magel]

In RM I effectively consider Mentalism to be Psionics.  I've never quite understood why someone would want to, imo, duplicate it with 'Psionics'.

I also, put very simply, consider it a one man form of Channeling (you're just drawing the power from yourself).  In this way I can explain how a mere mortal could eventually gather enough power to challenge a deity (i.e. the Mentalism user essentially learns how to channel the power from other sources).

[Old Man]

On the other hand, I had both Mentalism and Psionics in my game world. The latter only available to a specific group of Humans (Trans-) who had the genes for such abilities. (So you could have a person with both Mentalism spells, via class, and Psionics, via background option.) I found them to be sufficiently different that they could stand separately. YMMV.

Happy New Year!

[markc]

 I have both Ment and Psionics in my world and think it needs both. I love the way that SM:P dealt with Psionics and look forward to a flushing out of the system.
MDC

[arakish]

Mentalism is still tapping the same power as Essence, Channeling, and Arcane, just that it is shaped in the mind of the power user.

Psionics is the actual power one's own mind contains.

Mentalism's source is external.  Psionics is internal.

(Presence) Mentalism is the power of the local Essence field drawn by will and channeled through the mind of the spell caster, who

Psionics is the opposite of this.  It is one's own mental power focused inside his mind then externalized.

But I digressed.  I am actually using Psionics in my campaign world of Onaviu.  Basically, it is just one aspect of The Power.  There is only two different types: Physical (external) and Mental (internal).  But I digress again.

If you are to use RAW, then Psionics would be a fourth realm, if you could call it a realm.  In actuality, I look at it as two realms like above.  There is the Æssence and then there is Psionics.  With the Æssence, there is just three different ways to use it.  Channelers as their deity to channel it through them, Essencers simple tap into it and shape it externally, Mentalismers shape it with their minds.

rmfr

[Guillaume]

I've always considered Psionics to be an extension of Mentalism with their own psion points though, it's not the same school.

Psionics for me is what Mentalism evolves into when put into a high tech environment.
While Essence might disappear completely in a high tech environment, Channelling is linked to faith and can still be present, as long as people keep faith in their gods.

[RandalThor]

I also, put very simply, consider it a one man form of Channeling (you're just drawing the power from yourself).

Well, by this reasoning, all spellcasting can be classified as a type of channeling; clerics channel power from their god(s), magicians from the environment around them, and mentalists from themselves. Not a bad way to look at it.

[RandalThor]

I've always considered Psionics to be an extension of Mentalism with their own psion points though, it's not the same school.

Psionics for me is what Mentalism evolves into when put into a high tech environment.

I can't see this happening, so long as there is essence to be used and are those capable of doing so. Maybe, if all the current essence-users are killed, and everyone who even knows about it at all follow them in death, sure. But, that would be everyone in a fantasy setting, wouldn't it? No, the only way it gets "forgotten" about is if it is seriously unreliable and doesn't do much anyway; to the point of more times it doesn't work, and when it does you're lucky to blow out a candle.

I think the way to handle this, is either you have a magic setting and mentalism is that settings "psionics" (because, who would even think to develop psionics when all this other, very obvious and accessible power is floating around?), or you don't have magic - or it is so limited in power and scope as to be near useless - and psionics are that settings "magic."

I guess you could have a setting where psionics developed first and is so prevalent that just about everyone has some psionic ability(like Dark Sun), which would make it possible to have both, but that is definitely the exception.

[Cory Magel]

I also, put very simply, consider it a one man form of Channeling (you're just drawing the power from yourself).

Well, by this reasoning, all spellcasting can be classified as a type of channeling; clerics channel power from their god(s), magicians from the environment around them, and mentalists from themselves. Not a bad way to look at it.

Pretty much how I define it right there. Essence you pull from elemental energy, Channeling you pull from your faith (deity or sphere) and Mentalism you pull from yourself.

In the end a deity can originate from any of the sources of magic.  Channeling is the easiest path, but Mentalism and Essence have the capacity to get you to godhood if you put enough effort into it before someone stops you.  This explains how a mortal could potentially obtain the power to cause a deity real problems or even become one.

Normally extremely powerful Essence users do not move on to godhood (they'd need a very good very large source of power - say the God of Fire using the Elemental Plate of Fire as it's power source), but extremely powerful Mentalism users can eventually figure out how to draw the power out of other sources much in the way they do from themselves.  This is where I can explain a "God of Fear".  People don't worship the god in any real way, but the god can feed off of peoples fear (absorb their mental energy).  So, the more fear in the world and the closer the 'fearing' individuals are, the more powerful the deity becomes.  So, maybe an evil mentalism based humanoid learned to draw from the projection of fear from other individuals, driving him to become more and more evil in order to gain more and more power... and eventually *poof* you have what the world sees as the God of Fear.  Then if he starts gaining followers, and has enough power and knowledge to do so, he can start "Channeling" his power to his more important/loyal followers to do his bidding.  His followers?  Channeling users.

My deity heirarchy is setup so there are a very limited few 'original' gods (which I do not explain where they came from) that will only interact with the physical world via projection or avatars.  The rest of the deities were either 'created' by other deities or were mortals that gained enough power to join their ranks.  True full on deities would not be able to be completely destroyed (you'd just be destroying a projection or avatar), but most of them could be if you were powerful enough or found the proper method.