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The Veterans of 1000 Psychic Wars
The Setting in a Nutshell
"Veterans of 1000 Psychic Wars" takes place in a dark, distant future where terrible war has devastated the entire solar system. The Psychic Wars between the four ruling Houses lasted for 200 years with no clear winner. The resources of the human race have dwindled and civilization is on the verge of total collapse. Now, a powerful alien menace threatens the human race, and the warring Houses must set aside their differences and save humanity.
Influences
Michael Moorcock, Blue Oyster Cult, Mick Farren, Dune, Heavy Metal
Theme and Mood
Veterans of 1000 Psychic Wars is a dark, grim setting. Must of humanity's culture and technology lies in ruins. The few scraps of stability and affluence are hoarded by the Four Houses. There is an air of desperation as the Kalliste make their move against a weakened humanity. Somewhere in this mix, understanding and cooperation must spark a light of hope to overcome the threat of annihilation.
Tech Level
Semi-Hard sci-fi. Energy weapons exit, but are mostly reserved for the military. Psychic-tech has created theta-screens, personal energy fields that function as armor against psychic attacks. Spaceships are expensive and important pieces of equipment, almost all controlled by the Houses. Most ships are in poor repair, massive hulks of rusting, pitted iron slowly plowing through space. Faster-than-light technology does not exist. The setting is firmly rooted within the solar system. There are no aliens other than the Kalliste.
The Four Psychic Houses
Each house functions as a monarchy ruled by an extended family. Each house specializes in a different form of psionics. Each house centralizes its power on a single planet or dwarf planet. This planet, moon, or dwarf planet gives the house it's name.
House Mars: "The Flaming Telepaths." Telepathy. The richest and most powerful of the Psychic Houses. Cult-like practices with ceremonial fire and burnt offerings.
House Ceres: "The Invisible Hand." Psychokinesis. Hidden within the asteroid belt. Use powerful telekinetic abilities to deflect asteroids away from their manse. Militaristic.
House Titan: "The Espers." Clairsentience. Spies without equal. Most distant house (on moon of Saturn). Use psionics to spy on other houses. First to discover Kalliste threat. Introspective and secretive. Ninjas?
House Venus: "The Proteans." Biomorphism. Bizarre appearance. Use biomorphism to help survive Venus's harsh climate. Brutal warrior caste system.
Earth
Devastated by centuries of war and nigh-uninhabitable, Earth is a lawless wasteland and the last refuge for people to escape the rule of the Four Houses.
The Kalliste
Powerful, inscrutable aliens who had been hibernating on dwarf-planet Eris for untold eons. Accidentally awakened by Titan explorers. Appear as giant, beautiful golden humans. (Their true form or merely a facade?) Incredible array of psychic powers, more powerful than any human. Slowly conquering far-orbit settlements and moving inwards. Probably already secretly infiltrating Houses and Earth.
Psychic Powers
Unfortunately, QAGS: Rocket Jocks does not have the space required for comprehensive rules for psychic powers. We are certain that smart QAGS GMs (are there any other kind?) will be able to adjudicate psionic effects in their games with little or no problem. However, the following suggestions might help as guidelines for psychic powers in science fiction games. GMs may also consider adapting the magic rules from Sindbad or the Death Cookie website.
Psychic powers (sometimes called “psionics”) consist of four broad categories. Each type of psychic power requires a separate Gimmick, and usually a character will only be proficient in a single category. Telepathy includes any powers that directly affect the mind of another creature. These powers include, but are not limited to, mind-reading, thought-bombs, and hypnosis. Clairsentience powers allow a character to extend their senses far beyond the range of normal people. Amongst other things, clairsentience includes far-seeing, precognition, and psychometry. Psychokinesis allows a psychic character to manipulate the fundamental forces of the universe such as gravity, energy, and inertia. Psychokinetic powers include telekinesis, fire-starting, and levitation. Biomorphism powers allow a psychic to manipulate and change the material of their own flesh, blood, and bone. Biomorphers can grow claws, create protective carapaces, or shapechange their entire body.
The effectiveness of a psionic power depends on the psychic's Gimmick Number. Generally speaking, a psychic effect's Damage Bonus or Armor Rating is limited to the Gimmick Number divided by three. A power effect's ability to modify another check is limited by the same number. For instance, a character with Biomorphism (12) could grow claws with a Damage Modifier of +4. A Psychokinetic with a Gimmick Number of 16 could create an inertial shield with an Armor Rating of +5. A psychic with a Clairsentience Number of 10 could peek into the future and give himself a +3 against his next attack. A spy with Telepathy (13) could set up a field of mental static, giving any eavesdroppers a -4 to any checks to listen in on his conversation.
If a psychic character wants to attempt an effect that's exceptionally bizarre or powerful, she should feel free to assign a difficulty number to the requisite roll and/or require the player to spend Yum Yums.
Separate psychics with the same psionic Gimmick can combine their efforts for greater effects. The maximum number of psychics who can participate in such group effort is equal to the lowest Gimmick Number in the group. First, the group must decide who the coordinating psychic is. This is usually the character with the highest Gimmick Number. Next, all the participating psychics must make a successful Gimmick roll and spend a Yum Yum to harmonize their minds. This action takes one round, and the required Yum Yums cannot be used to modify the psychics' rolls (although a psychic can spend further Yum Yums to modify their rolls as normal). On the next round, the coordinating psychic makes a normal Gimmick roll to activate the desired effect, resisted by the target as normal. Any psychics participating in the group effort can spend Yum Yums to modify this roll. If the roll succeeds, the psionic characters can combine their effect numbers. This technique is often used by the psychokinetics of House Ceres to create devastating telekinetic attacks against enemy ships.
EXAMPLE: A group of savants aboard a Cerean warship wish to create an intimidating psychic attack against a Martian scout vessel. Commander Jacobi has the highest Psychokinesis Number (15) and will act as coordinator. Cadet Reah has the lowest Number (10), so up to 10 psychokinesis can participate in the group effort. The savants all make their Gimmick rolls and spend their Yum Yums to harmonize their minds. On the next round, Commander Jacbobi makes another Gimmick roll to attack the Martian ship with a massive telekinetic fist. Jacobi has a Gimmick Number of 15 (maximum effect number of +5), eight other savants have Gimmick Numbers of 12 (effect number of +4), and young Cadet Reah has a Number of 10 (effect number of +3). If Jacobi succeeds in his telekinetic attack against the ship, his attack will have an effect bonus of 40 (5+4+4+4+4+4+4+4+4+3=40), more than a photon cannon!
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