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Table of Contents
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All Lithian Psychotronics work like normal psychotronics. Unless stated otherwise, they require Electronics Operation (Psychotronics) to operate, and Electronics Repair (Psychotronics) to repair. The technology will be unfamiliar to anyone from outside of the Umbral Rim, applying a -2 to any rolls for outsiders to use these technologies. The effects they generate are psionic and vulnerable to the same anti-psi effects that all psychic phenomenon are vulnerable to. They come in two tiers: Common and Rare. Common still see widespread use in the Umbral Rim, while Rare psychotronics will at least merit mention.
Common Psychotronics
The Umbral Rim has many psychotronics that they use day to day. These can be freely purchased after character creation and easily found in most markets. They may count as Special Orders outside of the Umbral Rim, however.
Day Crystal
A simple psychotronic crystal. If the carrier spends 1 fatigue on the crystal, it eliminates all darkness penalties within 2 yards for a day. They’re available in a variety of colors. $5, 0.1 lb
Fire Crystal
These simple psychotronic crystals warm up when given one fatigue point. A common fire crystal, the sort used in most houses, will heat up hot enough to boil water ,and inflict 1 point of damage per turn if touched, for 1 day when given 1 fatigue point. An industrial fire crystal will heat up to blistering temperatures hot enough to melt metal and set things on fire, inflicting 3d burning damage per turn while touched when fully heated, and they stay hot for 1d minutes per fatigue spent. Common fire crystals cost $250; Industrial-grade cost $2500. Both weigh 0.25 lbs.
Ghost Lamp
A floating, glowing orb. It follows the vocal or gestured commands of its owner, and defaults to following them with an Air Move of 2. The brightness can also be adjusted by gesture or vocal command; at its brightest, it provides +0 brightness out to 5 yards, but it can dim to romantic candlelight. $150, 0.3 lb, 1 month/B
Lifebane Crystal
These simple psychotronic crystals create a vampiric Lifebane field out to to 10 yards around it for a full day if touched and given a point of fatigue. Inside that field, any living thing the size of a rat or smaller will die slowly, as though afflicted with a thanatos field (see GURPS Psi-Tech page 25). It has a more limited effect against plants and microbial life: while the area around a lifebane crystal isn’t perfectly sterilized, it offers a +1 to avoid catching a disease (but does not help with an infection already underway) and food stays unspoiled for longer. $250, 0.25 lbs.
Memory Crystal
These work as described on page 26 of GURPS Psi-Tech. They are, however, cheaper, more common and easier to use than described in PT: any character with any Telepathy Abilities can project a memory into a memory crystal using their best telepathy skill; this explicitly includes Keleni telepathy! They are most common in the Hydrus Constellation; the GM may rule them to be Rare outside of it. $400; neg.
Thought Globe
This works as describe on page 30 of GURPS Psi-Tech. this is generally treated as a toy or an aid for artists or performers and it’s easily manufactured, and thus much cheaper than listed in PT; $200, 0.5 lbs.
Rare or Lost Psychotronics
The Ranthim Tyranny perfected the art of psychotronics. Many of the finest psychotronic date to that era, and were lost with the fall of the final Tyranny. Some remain, either as carefully guarded relics of the past, or the creations of the rare few masters of the art who still retain some knowledge of the secrets of the storied past. Others simply have fallen out of common use and declined as a technology, so they remain in common usage, but are rarer every day.
All of the technologies below are special orders; by default, they can be acquired at character creation or as Signature Gear, but after character creation, the GM should require real effort from the players to find someone who sells or repairs any of these technologies.
Some, while rare, are still relatively obtainable when compared to true relics of the past. These are merely very difficult to find, typically imposing a -1 to -4 to any rolls to find a merchant or repairman in a city or village, but impose no special penalty to build or repair them other than the -2 for a lack of familiarity with them. The GM ultimately decides which of these are merely “rare,” but suggestions include Blood Crystals, Dream Crystals, Navigational Orreries and Sacrificial Altars.
The rest are lost technologies. They can be unearthed with Archaeology, or purchased from antiquities markets (roll Connoisseur (Relic) to tell the fakes from the real thing). Any attempts to repair or craft any of these impose a -5 to the appropriate roll unless the character as the Secret Technology (Tyrannic Tech) perk. This generally includes the Entanglement Charm, Scrying Orrery, Vampiric Sigil Power Systems, niltanium technologies and any technology associated with Tyrannic starships. The GM might require these to be taken as Signature Gear rather than purchased normally at character creation.
Blood Crystals
These blood-red jewels are a specialized variant of a Psychotronic Battery, found on page 14 of GURPS Psi-Tech. To use one, a psychic vampire must be touching it, or wearing it in special jewelry designed to channel its power (sufficiently ornate jewelry can have this effect at no additional cost, but any item channeling their power must be Ornate with a reaction modifier of at least +1). When the psychic vampire drains a target of FP or HP, rather than gain the FP or HP, they may instead fill one blood crystal with one FP. Once charged, the blood crystal gains a faint, inner gleam, as though it was “catching the light” (though it’s not terribly bright: in total darkness, it can improve the lighting conditions to allow sight at -9). Psychic Vampires may spend any energy in their blood crystals as though they were Psionic Energy reserves; Ranathim may specifically use energy reserves from a Blood Crystal to power their physical extra effort. The energy within can be used to power any psionic ability, but only psychic vampires may access the energy contained within them. Psychic Vampires may also target blood crystals with an energy or life draining ability; this is not necessary to access the energy within, but it will trigger any abilities that require the vampire to drain a victim to activate.
These are often worn in sets on bracelets, necklaces or crowns, or decorate certain traditional weapons, such as blood daggers and blood glaives. Characters unfamiliar with Blood Crystals may need to roll Expert Skill (Psionics) or Electronics Operation (Psychotronics) to recognize the significance of the “rubies” in a Ranathim’s earrings. $1000, 0.03 lbs.
Dream Crystal
These deeply blue, iridescent crystals, when given the proper shape and charge, will naturally collect the dreams anyone who sleeps with one in their bed or within a yard of their sleeping position (typically a dream crystal is kept under a pillow, under the bed, or buried in the pile of furs and silks and cushions that makes up Lithian bedding). Characters may choose to resist with a Will roll (Mind shields help this roll!), but unaware characters apply a -4 to resist. A “filled” dream crystal glows with a faint inner light (enough to provide -7 illumination out to 2 yards) and the color may change slightly reflect the general feel of the dream (a particularly pleasant dream may have warm tones to it, while a nightmare might be horrific shade of red). A character may use any telepathic ability to read minds or dreams on the dream crystal to read the dream within, or use Steal Dreams to have the dream themselves. Characters who sleep with a “filled” dream crystal may experience the dream themselves on a successful Will roll (characters who suffer Nightmares on a given night will experience their nightmares rather than the dream crystal’s dream). The dreams in a dream crystal will eventually fade; they typically only last for about a week, though particularly vivid or intense dreams may last up to a month. More expensive dream crystals might keep the dream longer (a “Good Quality” dream crystal will keep a dream for up to a year, and a “Fine-Quality” dream crystal will keep a dream indefinitely). The Dreamthieves of Dhim have means by which they can plant the dreams they steal directly into a dream crystal without needing to sleep with them, and they can maintain the dream within to help it last indefinitely, and they engage in a brisk trade of dreams, and collect those they consider prophetic. $1000, 0.25 lbs.
Empty Mask
Called a Nifem Vilik (literally “Empty Mask” or “Blank Mask”), this psychotronic mask resembles either a blank mask of white or black stone with strong geometric edges, or a metal mask with visible clockwork built into it. Once it is placed against the face, it takes a full minute to activate; the mask then adheres lightly to the face, though a firm, intentional pull will remove it. For as long as it remains in place, it creates a telepathic “glamour” effect around the character: those who see him may roll Will-4 to resist this effect (Mind Shields help!). The effect, first, drains away anything interesting or unique about the character, so that gazes pass over them as they would over background details. This is not stealth: others will notice the character’s presence, but they will tend to assume that presence is unimportant unless they have a compelling reason not to: the character will fade into a crowd, but will definitely still be arrested if in a secure area. Second, if someone does pay attention to the character enough to pick out details, the mask still disguises their identity. The character will seem to be a generic member of their own race: a ranathim will seem to have red skin, golden eyes and black hair; a human will seem to have dark hair and dark eyes and an uninteresting complexion, etc; it cannot alter apparent race, height or build, though, so a shockingly tall character still looks shockingly tall. Those affected by the glamour of the mask are highly suggestible as to the true identity of the character, granting the wearer a +2 to Acting or Fast-Talk to convince others that he’s someone suitably generic (such as a servant or fellow security guard, etc), but -2 to convince people they are famous or important. Finally, the mask makes it difficult for others to even recall the character’s presence, applying a -4 to any rolls to remember any details of the character, or that their presence was even meaningful. $20,000, 1 lb, B/5 days.
Entanglement Charm
Certain Lithian starships have Entanglement Passages, which can “entangle” the corridors or passageways of other ships or structures, allowing infiltrators to move between one and the other. The Entanglement Charm is an expansion of this concept. It consists of a small charm, the size of a broach or a charm-bracelet, studded with black, starry gemstones. The charm must be bound to a particular Entanglement Passage. They can also be bound to Entanglement Chambers, which resemble coffins or closets. The character may, at any time he is within 100 miles of the bonded entanglement passage or chamber, in a structure that has doors or hallways, and currently isn’t being observed by any sapient being, he may activate the charm with an Electronics Operation (Psychotronics) roll. On a success, the character may pass through a local door or passageway, and exit through a door or passageway associated with the bonded entanglement passage or chamber. On a failure it will not work, and the character cannot try again for an hour. On a critical failure, the character exits somewhere else, precisely where is up to the GM, but usually within 100 miles of the bonded passage or chamber. In all cases, the charm needs at least an hour to recharge. The travel time takes one minute, though the character may not observe this time as passing (to them it will seem instant). An Entanglement Charm costs $10,000 and weighs 0.1 lb. A standalone entanglement entanglement chamber costs $100,000 and weighs 1000 lbs.
Ghost Door Charm
This complex psychotronic device resembled a decorative plate or an ornate door knocker, except with complex, energy-channeling patterns, clockwork and small crystals. If placed against a wall or door and powered on, it will audibly hum for 1d+2 seconds, and then the operator needs to make an Electronics Operation (Psychotronics) roll at a penalty equal to the 1/100 of the DR of the door or wall. If this roll succeeds, then either the door, or an area of the wall the size of a door will become ghostly and misty in appearance for 1d+2 seconds. This “door” is insubstantial and characters may pass through it, though they may not bring the door charm with them; it remains sold and adhered to the wall for the duration of the effect. If a character fails to fully pass through the “door” in the alotted time, they may attempt a Dodge to dive the remainder of the distance; if this fails, they are “destroyed” (more generous GMs may eject them aggressively with strange and terrible injuries or have them appear “someplace else.”) After the duration has completed, the charm can be removed from the wall, and requires an hour to recharge. If the roll fails, the charm needs 1 minute to recover, after which it can try again. If it critically fails, it will burn out and need to be repaired. $150,000, 3 lbs, C/1 hour.
Orrery, Navigational
Called a Menkara Luminasis (a “Cosmic Mechanism”) in lithian, this orrery consists of a series of rings constructed of a black metal, with starry black orbs of nyxian crystal. These operate similar to a Scrying Orrery (below) except they are sensitive to the flow of the hyperdynamic medium as it exists in the cataclysm-disrupted space of the Umbral Rim. The motions of its inner orbs are subject the vagaries of the hyperdimensional medium, and will cloud or crackle with energy when a hyperdimensional storm is underway. The outer rings will slowly, overtime, align to the broader cycles and “shape” of the hyperdimensional medium of nearby systems; this takes time, which varies from system to system, but typically a few days, and rarely longer than a month. A navigational orrery allows a navigator to roll Electronics Operation (Psychotronic) or Fortune Telling (Astrology) as a complementary bonus to Navigation (Hyperspace) but only for the purposes of removing penalties associated with navigating the Umbral Rim; it grants a minimum of a +1 to the Navigation roll, but improve to +2 or +4 if allowed to fully align with the local system. These are generally isolated to ships, but some space ports will have their own Orrery, allowing local pilots to consult them and gain navigational advice from a specialist for navigating the local system. $20,000, 20 lbs, external power.
Orrery, Scrying
Called a Menkara Chivasis (a “Witching Mechanism”) in Lithian, this collection of crystal orbs arrayed on a series of orreries rotates the crystals and causes the crystals to glow in certain colors and in varying degrees of brightness to indicate the circumstances of the area around the ship. It mimics the effects of various ESP and Telepathy disciplines. A scrying orrery works much like a Psi-Wars Ultra Scanner (UT 66); it can detect things at “scan” range, but then focus on them and even bring up an image of them (in one of the crystal balls) at “imaging” range. Unlike an Ultra-Scanner, it cannot be jammed by things that jam an ultra-scanner (it ignores Deception Jammer technologies and all ECM modifiers and cannot be opposed most Electronic Warfare devices), it cannot provide a detailed scientific analysis and cannot assist Physics, Chemistry, or Biology rolls. It cannot provide the standard “lock” bonus of a targeting ultra-scanner, at least not in the normal sense.
It can detect the same sort of items that an ultra-scanner does, but it typically does so by detecting their “auras” and characters. It will pick up a ship or an asteroid, but it rather than analyze them for mineral compositions, it might suggest something about their previous activities, their character, or more obvious aspects of their fate (“This ship is the cause of much suffering”). It can detect specific minds, and give a rough sense of their emotional state (“They fear us on that ship”). It can assist the Diagnosis rolls, including the diagnosis of psychic diseases. They can sense psychic activity and give some rough indications as to what sort of psychic activity it is (assisting Expert Skill (Psionics) skill rolls).They can “zoom in” anywhere in their range, even through walls and provide a detailed image of a room of a person, similar to Clairvoyance. Finally, while it cannot provide a physical lock, it can provide a psychic lock, feeding information to associated systems or psiberface thrones, granting a +3 to attack the “locked” target. It can also detect such psychic locks, alerting the user that such an attack is coming, its source, and granting a +1 to dodge it. While it cannot be fooled by normal stealth systems or distortion jammers, it can be fooled by psi-shielding or anti-psi characters! Apply any Psi-Shielding penalty to attempts to perform detailed scans or “look inside” the other ship, but not to attempts to detect it (it will detect as “a shadow” or a “shaded craft”)
Scrying Orreries come in many sizes and enormous ones were kept on the ancient starships of the Tyranny. Treat them as equivalent to Ultra-Scanners but double the weight of a given “size.” A Medium Scrying Orrery has 30-mile “search” range, 3 mile “imaging” range. $20,000, 20 lbs, C/1 day.
Psitector Chimes
Called a Chimum Falin (Literally "Dream Chime"), This collection of psychically sensitive crystals, when properly constructed, will chime in the presence of psionic activity. The chimes intensity varies based on the distance and the intensity of the psionic ability; a very subtle power or a power used very far away might make a faint chiming sound, while a strong power or power used very close by might make a loud chiming sound. Psions can use the Hide Signature technique (Psionic Powers page 41) to better hide their psionic powers from the chime: while the charm always reacts to psychic power, Hide Signature can reduce the sound until its virtually inaudible (apply the Hide Signature penalty to any Perception roll to notice the sound of the chime). The chime will also pick up active use of Communion Miracles or spells, but the tone of the chime is slightly different. It also picks up “ambient” psionic effects as a light, faint chiming not do dissimilar from the faint ringing of wind chimes, with further limits their effectiveness as one cannot be sure what is merely “ambient psychic phenomenon” and a very subtle use of a psychic ability. Psitector Chimes require no batteries: they rely on ambient psionic energy to power the sound of the chime. While they can be carried around, they need to be properly configured and free hanging, like wind chimes, which makes them rather inconvenient to move around. $750, 1 lb;
Psychic Lock
These were once far more common, and many ancient tombs, temples and treasures from the Ranathim Tyranny still sport psychic locks, generally made of durable crystal, stone or thick, rune-etched metal. Today, these are far less common. They work exactly as described on page 29 of GURPS Psi-Tech; $500, 0.5 lb.
Sacrificial Altar, Lithian
A Lithian sacrificial altar is designed with geometries sacred to Dark and Broken Communion, and with blood grooves meant to channel the blood of sacrifices to blood gems or blood vessels designed to hold the occult power inherit in blood and sacrifice. A sacrificial altar counts as a basic tool for the purposes of making a Sacrifice. Furthermore, the energy acquired by a sacrifice can be stored within the altar. The energy of the altar can be accessed by performing a correct ritual above it (roll Religious Ritual or Ritual Magic), after which the priest, psychic or sorcerer may use any amount of energy banked within the altar to power their miracle, power or spell. The energy within the sacrificial altar may be used on a Dark or Broken Communion miracle by spending 5 energy per +1 to the Petition roll, to a maximum of +4 for 20 points. Psychic powers and sorcery spells may spend the energy as normal fatigue or Energy Reserves.
A small Sacrificial Altar costs $50,000 and weighs 250 lbs, and can store up to 25 energy. A large altar costs $200,000, weighs 1,000 lbs and can store up to 100 points. Larger altars are possible. The altar can be Good or Fine quality for a tool bonus to any sacrifices, the ritual roll to access the energy within, or to any psychic ability or spell (but not Communion Miracle) using the power of the altar, for +$200,000 or +$950,000 respectively.
Telepathic Privacy Field
Similar to a Privacy Field (UT 106), except once activated, it projects Mind Shield 3 to everyone withing the 4-yard bubble. This Mind Shield is cumulative with any they already have, and it only applies to psychic effects that originate from outside of the field. It also applies to attempts to psychically manipulate anyone outside of the field too, but telepaths within the field can read one another at no penalty. If the Mind Shield successfully protects someone within the field, it will chime faintly to alert those within that someone is attempting to read them telepathically. $75,000, 4 lbs, C/2 days.
Thought Projector
Called a Jaherim Chakla or the Jaherim Vinalet (literally “Telepathic Communicator” or “Traditional Communicator”), this is a psychotronic communication device. It appears to be a crystal orb integrated into a small electronic base that provides it with power; the whole device fits comfortably in one hand, if a bit on the heavy side. The user can activate it to communicate with any other thought projector with unlimited range. If the target device is not visible, the character will need to roll Electronics Operation (Psychotronics) with the same modifiers as those listed under Telesend on B91. Thought Projectors kept in close proximity to one another for a time can reduce the Telesend penalties as though they were “establishing relationships” with one another. Pairs of Thought Projectors hewn from the same stone have the equivalent to a Mind Link and can communicate with one another without a roll. Note that a thought projector can only communicate with other thought projectors! So the target must also have a thought projector on hand to receive the transmission. The transmission will manifest as an image of the sender appearing in the crystal ball, and speaking audibly. The user can also send any images, as per a thought globe (see GURPS Psi-Tech p. 30). The user needn’t actually speak, but many users do, and even if they do not, the conversation takes just as long as if they had to verbalize all commands. The communication is telepathic, and not vulnerable to normal electronic warfare, but is vulnerable to to anti-psi. Heavier variations exist that work off of external power, and provide a +5 to Electronics Operation (Psychotronics) rolls. $15,000, 0.5 lbs, A/3 days.
Vampiric Sigil Power System.
Ancient Lithian technology could draw power directly from ambient life energy, or the energy of psychics. Such systems powered their starcraft and their great civic structure. Sometimes, it also powered their technology. Any psychotronic device may have a Vampiric Sigil Power System integrated into it, which replaces the power cell. The vampiric sigil system weighs as much as the power-cell it replaces, and costs 100 times as much. To power the system, a psychic character (a character with Weak Latency (Psi) or any racial psionic ability is sufficient for these purposes) may spend 1 fatigue to power the system. This one fatigue powers the device for as long as an equivalent power cell, after which the system must be fed again. For example, if a device normally took 2 C cells to be powered for a day, then such a system would cost $2,000, and would require 1 fatigue per day to keep powered.
Mind-Crawler
A Mind-Crawler is a small, insectile psychotronic robot crafted either of stone or of synthetic flesh for the purposes of spying on others. These bugs are just smart enough to follow verbal instructions well, though they lack initiative. For example, they may understand orders like “Follow the princess back to her room, and keep watch on her from the shadows” but if faced with any sort of obstacle it cannot easily solve, it will likely return to its owner. A Mind-Crawler can transmit what it sees or thinks back to its master, or project thoughts into a Thought Globe; their skill is terrible, so they usually wait until they return gain the full benefit of additional contact and time to transmit what they saw in a variety of rough images or faithful recollections of the sounds it hear.
Mind-Crawlers will only obey the commands of whomever they are attuned to. Only a psychic character may attune to a Mind-Crawler (Weak Latency (Psi) is sufficient, as is any racial psionic ability). This requires an hour of uninterrupted meditation spent with the Mind-Crawler, after which the character may make a Meditation or Will-Based Electronics Operation (Psychotronics) roll. If someone living is already attuned to the Mind-Crawler, they may resist with their Will. Attempts to use their Telesend on their attuned master are at +4!
Mind-Crawlers come in a variety of forms, construction and powers, which may alter their final cost. $5000, 0.1 lb
| ST: 1 | HP: 1 | Speed: 5 |
| DX: 10 | Will: 8 | Move: 3 |
| IQ: 6 | Per: 8 | |
| HT: 10 | FP: NA | SM: -8 |
| Dodge: 8 | DR: 1 |
Bite (10): 1d-6 cut
Combat Notes (Size): The Mind-Crawler is very small; those who attempt to shoot or hit one should apply a -8 to their roll; SM 0 targets who “swat” the area can claim a +4 instead of the -8. The Psi-Bug gets a +8 to hit an SM 0 target, and may freely move through the space one occupies; they may only generally attack the feed, but they can climb the target at a rate of 1 yard (or 3 feet)/second; characters who are being climbed can “buck” as an “attack.” by rolling a DX contest with the bug; the bug gains +4 to resist being dislodged (thanks to its Clinging). See “Combat Writ Large” in Pyramid #3/77 for more.
Traits: Automata; Bad Sight (Nearsighted); Clinging; Doesn’t Breathe; DR 1 (Can’t Wear Armor); Infravision; Mute; Peripheral Vision; Protected Vision; Sealed; Sharp Teeth; Telesend (Psionic); Weakness (Anti-Psi, Rare, Unconsciousness)
Skills: Climbing-14; Observation-8; Stealth-10; Telesend-6
Composition Lens
Flesh
No change in cost.
The Dead Art often creates small bugs, which they call Flesh Swarms. Individual bugs of a swarm can be more carefully crafted to have the abilities of a mind crawler. These tend to be less resistant to damage than their stone counterparts, and they require maintenance in the form of daily meals of synthetic flesh or the rotten, sapient corpses on which they may feast, but the dead art is still practiced in enough places that most Mind Crawlers are likely of this sort.
A Flesh Mind-Crawler has all of the drawbacks of other flesh creations: they have a potent scent, they’re vulnerable to psychic attack (-4 to resist), but they’re hard to kill and they regenerate, which means even if one seems to be dead, it’s often worth it to smash it a few more times, just to be sure.
Added Traits: Bad Smell; Dread (Gaunt Sigils, 1 yard); Hard to Kill +1; Protected Smell/Taste; Reduced Consumption 3 (Cast Iron Stomach); Psi-Susceptible -4; Regeneration (Regular); Resistant to Metabolic Hazards +8; Restricted Diet (Dead Flesh or Synthetic Flesh); Injury Tolerance (Unliving)
Stone
No change in cost.
An ancient art largely lost today, Mind-Crawlers could be constructed by inserting delicate psychotronics into a stone form or casting very specific spells onto stone carved into a specific shape. Stone mind-crawlers must be powered in some fashion: they remain active for 1 day per fatigue spent on them by their owner when activating them. When this power ends, they will typically return to a pre-designated resting place (typically a stone “bedding” or “docking station”) or, if unable to reach it in time, they will simply return to immobile stone where they are.
Stone Mind Crawlers are slightly more resistant to damage, but more likely to break if badly damage. They are immune to all metabolic hazards and have no sense of taste or smell, and they will not heal on their own: they must be repaired with the lower of Electronics Repair (Psychotronics) and Mechanic (Robotics).
Added Traits: HP +1; Doesn’t Eat; Fragile (Brittle); Immune to Metabolic Hazards; Injury Tolerance (Homogeneous); No Sense of Smell/Taste; Unhealing (Total)
Form Lens
When choosing a Mind-Crawler, choose the form it will take.
Maggot
No change in cost.
These are worm-like mind-crawlers, who may resemble literal worms, or multi-legged maggots, or many-legged centipedes. In all cases, treat them as having the equivalent of No Legs (Slithers). They have the ability to generate a copious amount of acidic bile, which they can use to inflict one point of corrosive damage in addition to their bite damage.
Added Traits: Corrosive Attack 1 pt (Melee, reach C, cannot parry; Link, bite); No Legs (Slithers);
Scarab
+$1000
The shape most commonly associated with Mind Crawlers, especially those in the employ of Saruthim. These have multiple legs and little wings that they can use to improve their jump height. They also move a startling 4 hexes per second.
Added Traits: Basic Move +1 [5]; Extra Legs (4 legs) [5]; Super Jump 1 [10];
Spider
+$1000
This shape is most often used by chiva, who may with their mind crawlers to be more subtle. They have multiple legs and can climb at their full move rate.
Added Traits: Extra Legs (5 legs) [10]; Super Climbing 2 [6]; +$400
Powers Lenses
The Mind-Crawler describe above is a minimal sort of creature. Some designers integrated more delicate psychotronics to allow it to perform more feats. There is no upper limit to how many powers a specific Mind-Crawler may have, other than cost.
Amplified: Any psionic rolls made by the Mind-Crawler (Telesend, and if they have them, Curse, Dreamthief or Mind Venom) gain a +4. $1000.
Curse: When ordered to do so, the mind-crawler can curse a subject. Roll a quick contest of the mind-crawler’s Will+2 vs the target’s Will (Mind shields will help protect the target). If the mind-crawler succeeds, for a number of minutes equal to their margin of victory, the target will begin to suffer minor misfortunes. Once per minute, the GM can turn any unimportant roll into from a success into a failure, or from a failure into a (lightly humorous critical failure) or inflict a minor, annoying coincidence on the target. $1000.
Dreamthief: While in the presence of a sleeping target, the mind-crawler may roll against its Perception+2 in a quick contest with the target’s Will (Mind shields will help protect the target) to attempt to peek into their dreams. The mind-crawler will remember the dream and can accurately relay it back to their attuned master. They will typically forget a “dream” after a day, and can only “store” one dream at a time. $2500.
Mindlink: The mind-crawler has a special connection, either with its master, or with a specific thought projector. This means all Telesend rolls to their master or the thought project automatically succeed, which means the mind-crawler can generally relay whatever information it has automatically and in real time. The communication channel is two way, and the attuned character can transmit orders back to the mind-crawler in real time. If the attuned character is Concentrating on the mind-crawler and the mind-crawler also has a Sensorium, then the attuned character can issue warnings to the mind-crawler if it’s attacked, granting it a +1 to its Dodge rolls. $500.
Mind Venom: The mind-crawler’s bite contains a venom. It takes about a minute to fully work through the bitten target’s system, after which the Mind-Crawler can attempt to inflict Mind Venom on the target; roll a Quick Contest of the mind-crawler’s Will+2 vs the target’s HT (Mind shields will help protect the target). If the Mind-Crawler wins, the character suffers a -4 to all rolls to resist any psychic power from the mind-crawlers attuned owner. The target can attempt to resist again once per hour; if they succeed, the effect ends. Even if they fail, the venom will run its course after a day. The GM may also inflict a “dramatic penalty” of a minor irritant once per session (such an attack typically lasts at least a minute, but no longer than an hour): this can be one of Drunk, Moderate Pain, or Nauseated; which effect should be chosen when the Mind Venom is purchased. $2500.
Psychic Security: Ounce bound to a master, the mind-crawler remains bound! The owner gains a +4 to any Will rolls to resist a hostile takeover of the attuned mind-crawler by another psychic. $500.
Sensorium: Normally, mind-crawlers can only transmit rough images that summarize what they’ve seen, but with a sensorium upgrade they can transmit the totality of what they experienced and heard. $1000.
Appendix: Psychotronic Parts
GMs who want a more explicit list of parts to use as inspiration for describing the “guts” of tyrannic technology can use the following ideas.
Crystals: Psychically active crystals usually have a pyramidal, rhombic or lozenged shape. These tend to be set between two psychically active pieces of metal (gold, copper, or iridium). Examples include amethyst, tourmaline, beryl, garnet and iolite. They act as a power source, channeling ambient psychic energies, or storing donated psychic energy. These tend to be expensive, as they have value in jewelry as well, and start at $500 per gem; a psychotronic device typically has at least 1/10th of its value in gems. Note that some psychotronic devices are little more than precisely shaped crystals!
Ichor Channels: These slender tubes of glass spread around a fluid carrying a vital energy that will bath particular components. These usually transmit energy, similar to blood streams in a body, but sometimes they can ground out components, acting as safeties. They typically carry alchemical fluids such as red mercury or green ichor, but the blood of living beings works in a pinch. This is generally used only in more archaic technologies, and why some older psychotronics will “bleed” when damaged. The glass tubes tend to be quite fragile, and the “ichor” difficult to replace.
Induction Panel: These resemble an inverted sigil board, constructed mostly from psychically conductive metals while etched in psychically grounding materials. They tend to show up at “contact points” with a psychic, acting as a control structure for direct telepathic interface with the psychotronics. For example, the interior “headband” of a psi-amplifier will often be an induction panel.
Nyxian Crystals: relatively rare crystals, these dampen out psychic power and naturally create feedback resonances, which makes them very useful in mind shields, where they’re most often used. They also have resonance with space and cosmic elements, and gets used often in space-focused psychotronic technologies. Treat them as Crystals, but often far more expensive, starting at $1000 a crystal.
Prismatic Transmitters: A crystal variant, these are constructed either of highly reflective minerals or transluscent minerals. When powered, they gain a prismatic quality, as though shining with an inner, rainbow light. They project psychic power at a small distance, typically trasmitting power to another component, but they can also be an actuator, transmitting messages or force directly on a target. Prismatic transmitters are a special case of a generic crystal, but tend to be constructed of more commonly found minerals, and tend to be worth much less (half to a fifth).
Sigil Board: Similar in function to a motherboard on a computer, this is usually constructed of a “grounding” material such as a thin slab of stone (granite, white marble, black jade), glass or grounding metals (silver or lead), etched with specific sigils and occult symbols in a psychically conductive material (gold, copper, iridium or a specially treated mercury alloy called black amalgalm)). This usually acts as a safety on the psychotronic device, ensuring that psychic energy flows only where precisely desired direction and never performs acts the creator didn’t want. When they “burn out” they usually destroy the symbols on them, or crack completely, in which case the psychotronic is no longer safe to use.
