Psychic Healing Power-Ups

For more on the rules and abilities available to Psychic Healers, see Secrets of the Mind -- Psychic Healing.

Psychic healers tend to be highly sought after in the Psi-Wars galaxy. Technological medicine is very expensive, and has its sharp limitations, and psychic diseases are very real, a taint spread by the energies of Broken Communion. Psychic healers who can heal with a touch and a kind thought can spread health and well-being to an otherwise impoverished community. Once discovered and properly trained, some join prestigious medical staff to offer their unique talents to the rich and powerful, or they become itinerant wanderers and adventurers, offering their assistance to those who need it most and helping fellow adventurers deal with the trouble they invariably get themselves into.

The Keleni are, without a doubt, the most common psychic healers in the galaxy. The Keleni are natural psychic healers, and any Keleni has the capacity to master the power. Those with great capacity for it will often unconsciously manifest as Bonded Healers, Empathic Healers, or with a Warming Touch, as they “give of themselves” to others. The Keleni tend to be quick to spot this, however, and train the talented pupil to use their powers properly. Most advance along the Curative/Mending Touch route to Psychic Healer and then, if they’re truly dedicated, the Legendary Healer. The more adventure-minded might instead develop Cellular Control as they turn their energies inward and master the powerful art of Psychometabolism. The Keleni are so good at psychic healing that they have an entire tradition of healing built around it, and the psychic healers of other races generally train with a Keleni healer.

The Asrathi sometimes have psychic healers in their midst. This usually occurs among Witchcats, who will manifest the abilities in addition to their natural Probability Manipulation. While not common, it has been known to happen! Such characters generally gain Healing Slumber or Witch Doctor and rarely have the opportunity to learn or train more.

Outside of the Keleni, humanity likely supplies the greatest number of Psychic Healers. They can manifest any sort of latent ability, but the Keleni note that natural human selfishness makes Psychic Vitality or Unconscious Disease Resistance more common among latent human healers than Keleni healers. These healers, when properly trained, tend towards the path of Cellular Control and master the art of Psychometabolism, though it should be noted that they’re hardly incapable of learning how to heal others.

Tribal groups, such as the Nehud or the Tribal Westerly often develop their own unique traditions of psychic healing that allows them to recognize fellow healers. Such traditions tend to teach Witch Doctor rather than more classic Psychic Healing power-ups.

Minor Psychic Healing Abilities

Minor psychic healers tend to either unconsciously turn their energies inwards, or heal others mostly out of a deep sense of connection with the other. They’re often very popular with others, as people find them invigorating or otherwise pleasant to be around. People often describe them as “wholesome” or that they “give others energy.”

Minor Psychic Healing Abilities cost between 5 and 15 points.

Psychic Vitality

10 points
Upgrade Path: Empathic Healer, Greater Psychic Vitality, Latent Cellular Control,

Some unconscious, untrained psychic healers turn their energies inwards to keep themselves alive. For some, this manifests as a weird variation of psychometabolism that gives them healthier-than-healthy bodies that can endure far greater injury. These characters gain Vitality Reserves: these bonus hit points can be spent whenever the character would lose HP, such as when they are injured. They heal at the same rate as normal HP, but in parallel (that is, a character who would heal 1 HP a day would heal both his normal HP and their vitality reserves), and heals irrespective of rest. It is, however, a manifestation of psychic power, rather than superior physique. Any effect that prevents their powers from working prevents the character from accessing, or healing, their vitality reserve. Furthermore, any effect that damages a character’s psychic energy reserves also damages their psychic vitality reserves.

This psychic vitality also supports them in death. Should they die, they gain 1d6+1 seconds to act before actually dying.

As a character with this upgrade further trains their psychic power, they often shed this power-up in favor of its purer expression in Latent Cellular Control. Some expand their vitality outwards by learning Empathic Healer in addition to their Psychic Vitality, as the two abilities synergize well. And a few, especially the more intuitive, untrained psychic healers, simply expand their mastery of this with Greater Psychic Vitality.

Advantages: Vitality Reserves 5 (Psychic Healing -10%) [9]
Perks: Dramatic Death [1]

Soothing

15 points
Upgrade Path: Sleeper’s Gaze, Healing Slumber

You have learned a minimal trick to put people to sleep. This requires the bare touch of your skin and a Will-based skill contest against their Will. On a success, they are Dazed for a number of minutes equal to your margin of victory, unless that margin if 5 or more, in which case, they sleep.

Even when not actively trying to make others sleep, your touch soothes others, giving them a +1 to resist pain or to their self-control rolls.

Advantages: Sleep 1 [13]
Perks: Soothing Touch [1]
Skills: Sleep (H) Will-2 [1]

Unconscious Disease Resistance

5 points
Upgrade Path: Latent Cellular Control

Psychic healing tends to be a rare discipline in the galaxy, as few outside of Keleni circles teach it. Thus, many Psychic Healers have no idea what they really are or how their power unconsciously expresses itself in their health. Characters with his power-up have unconsciously turned their psychic power within, and used it to improve their natural vitality and resistance to disease. This means they very rarely get sick, or suffer from effects like radiation or the worst effects of elemental exposure.

As this is an unconscious manifestation, there are no Extra-Effort options.

Characters with this minor power-up might lose it as they learn to hone and focus their psychic abilities. However, they tend to keep that inward focus, and advance to similar abilities, such as Latent Cellular Control.

Advantages: Either Resist Disease +8 (Psychic Healing -10%) [5] or Resist Sickness +3 (Psychic Healing -10%) [5]

Warming Touch

5 points
Upgrade Path: Curing Touch, Invigorating Touch, Mending Touch

Many unconscious psionic healers delight others with their presence. Their very touch brings warmth and a sense of happiness and fulfillment others cannot explain. This, of course, comes from the psychic healer giving of themselves, and trained psychics who see this phenomenon often rush to train the psychic before they destroy themselves by giving too much to others without meaning to.

When the character touches another with skin to skin contact (hand to hand, a kiss, etc.), the GM can choose to have them “donate” up to 2 of their fatigue. This should only happen if the target has missing FP, which the psychic healer can restore. The recipient typically feels a rush. The psychic also has a single “extra” point of energy reserves that can get used for these purposes, and this regenerates in parallel with their own fatigue reserves. Finally, the touch of the psychic healer can sooth or eliminate pain.
Characters with this ability who get “properly trained” generally lose it in favor of a “proper” healing ability, but some naturally develop their own skill and learn to control it, upgrading to Invigorating Touch instead.

This ability uses a new perk, Unconscious Invigoration, which is an example of Healing reduced by so many limitations to be worth only a perk!

Advantages: Unconscious Invigoration [1]; Energy Reserve (Psionic) [3]
Perks: Soothing Touch [1]

Major Psychic Healing Abilities

Major Psychic Healing abilities tend to be common among known psychic healers. They represent skilled and competent healers who have been trained to diminish the wounds of others, or to diagnose with a glance.

Major Psychic Healing Abilities cost 25 points.

Aura Sight

25 points
Upgrade Path: None

The psychic is very skilled at reading the vitality and emotions of others, which appear as a flowing aura of colors. After one second of concentration, they roll Aura Reading at a penalty of -1 per yard (+3 if they can have close physical contact, such as holding the target’s face in their hands). A success means they know the physical and rough emotional state of their target, as well as a one-word detail of the character (“Creative” “Dangerous” etc.). They may make a second roll, which takes another second of study, to gain additional information, including a detailed diagnosis of the character (at least as good as a Diagnosis after a battery of lab tests and medical imaging) and a detailed perspective on their emotional state (the equivalent of Emotion Sense).
Extra Effort provides no benefits to Aura Sight.

Characters with Aura Sight do not usually “upgrade” their ability, as it’s as powerful as it can get. Instead, they generally branch out, typically into the ability to heal, as their detailed diagnostics greatly assist in this regard.

Advantages: Aura Reading 5 [22];
Perks: Auric Squint [1];
Skills: Aura Reading (H) IQ-1 [2]

Curative Touch

25 points
Advances From: Bonded Healer, Empathic Healer, Warming Touch
Upgrade Path: Psychic Healer

The character can remove negative psychic energies afflicting the target. They can see those energies with Aura Reading, though this can be time consuming or exhausting. Once they have determined the source of the taint, they can dispense with it, using the Cure Disease rules for Healing; they do so at a cost reduction of 1 fatigue (thus they can heal a trivial disease for free!) They can even remove non-physical illnesses, such as the distortions placed upon another by a psychic affliction. They tend to have particularly clean auras themselves, and tend to be pleasant to be near. They often work in hospitals or esoteric medicine sanctuaries, bringing comfort with them.

Curative Touch requires 8 hours to diagnose a disease with Aura Reading. Extra-Effort can benefit this: a -4 Will-Based Aura Reading roll and 2 fatigue will reduce the time to a single hour; -8 and 2 fatigue, or -4 and 4 fatigue will reduce this to 10 minutes. Extra Effort does not benefit Cure. For 2 fatigue, the character may roll Cure+0 to also remove any affliction that might be bothering the character.

Bonded Healers, Empathic Healers and characters with a Warming Touch sometimes advance to Curative healers. Characters with a Curative Touch usually broaden, rather than deepen, their knowledge and become full-fledged Psychic Healers.

Advantages: Aura Reading 1 [4], Cure Disease 2 [12],
Perks: Sanitized Metabolism [1]
Skills: Aura Reading (H) IQ-1 [2]; Cure (H) IQ-1 [2]
Techniques: Cure Affliction (H) Cure+0 [4]

Mending Touch

25 points
Advances From: Bonded Healer, Empathic Healer, Warming Touch
Upgrade Path: Psychic Healer

The psychic can use their power to close wounds and undo damage done to the body of another. This requires one second of concentration, direct skin-to-skin contact, and a Cure skill roll. The character can heal 2 HP for free, and every additional 2 HP cost 1 fatigue. The character cannot heal a mortally wounded target, but so long as the psychic concentrates and maintains contact with the wounded character, they count as “stabilized.” Such healers tend to be popular among rogues and adventurers, as they can help one get to their feet quickly after taking a nasty blaster shot!

The character can also restore crippled limbs; this requires 2 additional fatigue when healing the target, and if they heal all the damage that caused the crippling of the limb, it is no longer crippled; this has no effect on severed or permanently crippled limbs!
Mending Touch does not benefit from Extra Effort.

Bonded Healers, Empathic Healers and characters with a Warming Touch sometimes advance to Mending Touch. Characters with a Mending Touch usually broaden, rather than deepen, their knowledge and become full-fledged Psychic Healers.

Advantages: Cure Injury 2 [18]
Perks: Life Support [1]
Skills: Cure (H) IQ-1 [2]
Techniques: Heal Limb (H) Cure+0 [4]

Latent Cellular Control

25 points
Advances From: Psychic Vitality, Unconscious Disease Resistance
Suggested Upgrade: Cellular Control (GURPS Psis page 27)

Cellular Control (GURPS Psis page 27) is a powerful ability, one highly sought after by more self-focused Psychic Healers who wish to explore Psychometabolism. Latent Cellular Control represents the first steps on the path to becoming a Regenerator or a Psychometabolist.

Characters with Latent Cellular Control heal once every 12 hours, rather than once per day, and gains +5 to all rolls to recover from Crippling injuries. They also benefit from Psychometabolism: they may add up to +3 to their HT for the purposes of stopping bleeding, recovering from sicknesses, faking their death, putting themselves in suspended animation, etc. They may also use their Psychometabolism skill as “first aid” on themselves.

Extra Effort can improve the HT bonus. A -4 Will-Based Psychometabolism roll and 2 fatigue will allow them to increase their HT bonus to +4; -8 and 2 fatigue or -4 and 4 fatigue will increase it +5. This lasts for one minute. Extra effort does not benefit their healing rate, however.
Latent healers with Psychic Vitality or Unconscious Diseases Resistance often upgrade to Latent Cellular Control; they might replace their original Power-Ups with this one, or add it to their already existing ability. Characters with Latent Cellular Control, naturally, tend to advance to full Cellular Control (GURPS Psis page 27).

Advantages: Inner Healing 1 [9]; Psychometabolism 3 [14]
Skills: Psychometabolism (H) HT-1 [2]

Sleeper’s Gaze

25 points
Advances From: Soothing
Upgrades To: Sandman

The character has perfected their ability to put others to sleep. They can now put someone to sleep at a range, with a -1 penalty per yard; success at a Quick Contest between the psychic’s Sleep skill and the target’s Will . They have superior skill, and have also learned to remove the target’s pain by spending 2 fatigue and rolling at -4.

Advantages: Sleep 3 [16]
Skills: Sleep (H) Will+1 [8]
Techniques: Anesthetic (H) Sleep-4 [1]

Greater Psychic Healing Abilities

Greater Psychic Healing abilities tend to only be found among well-trained psychic healers, who tend to be rare across the galaxy. One might expect to find only one for an entire planet!

Greater Psychic Healing Abilities cost 50 points.

Cellular Control

50 points
Advances From: Latent Cellular Control
Suggested Upgrade: Regenerator

See GURPS Psis page 27.

Advantages: Inner Healing 2 [23]; Psychometabolism 5 [23]
Skills: Psychometabolism (H) HT [4]

Psychic Healer

50 points
Advances From: Curative Touch, Mending Touch
Suggested Upgrade: Legendary Healer, Saintly Healer

A Psychic Healer represents the culmination of the paths of the Healer with either the Mending Touch or the Curing Touch. They meld both abilities into a single one, and master both skills. In addition, they gain the ability to sooth others with a touch, and to diagnose in 1 hour, rather than 8. A Psychic Healer is, in the eyes of most of the galaxy, what a “real” psychic healer looks like.

Extra Effort only improves Aura Reading. A -4 Will-Based Aura-Reading roll and 2 fatigue will reduce the time to read an aura to 10 minutes; a -8 roll and 2 fatigue or -4 and 4 fatigue will reduce it to a minute; -12 and 2 fatigue or -4 and 6 fatigue will reduce the time needed to a single second!

Psychic healers usually stop their journey; the Keleni tend to favor mastery of Communion at this point over additional training, and other healers lack the resources to advance further. However, those that do typically become Legendary Healers.

Advantages: Aura Reading 2 [7], Cure 2 [24],
Perks: Life Support [1], Sanitized Metabolism [1], Soothing Touch [1
Skills: Aura Reading (H) IQ [4]; Cure (H) IQ [4]
Techniques: Cure Affliction (H) Cure+0 [4], Heal Limb (H) Cure+0 [4]

Sandman

50 points
Advances From: Sleeper’s Gaze

The character has mastered the art of the Sleep power. They apply normal range penalties to their sleep attacks, and their target resists at -5 (in other words, a basic failure to resist causes them to sleep, and success by less than 5 Dazes them). They can also roll Sleep at -2 and spend 2 fatigue to apply an anesthetic effect, or to make their sleep a full unconsciousness from which they cannot awake until the requisite time has passed.

Advantages: Sleep 9 [38]
Skills: Sleep (H) Will+1 [8]
Techniques: Anesthetic (H) Sleep-2 [2]; Deep Sleep (H) Sleep-2 [2]

Epic Psychic Healing Abilities

Epic Psychic Healing abilities are very rare in the galaxy. They are more likely the result of a prodigy psychic healer self-educating themselves rapidly than they are of a lengthy training process, as few psychic healing traditions invest this much time and energy into training. Even so, the results are spectacular. The calling card of the Epic Psychic Healer is the ability to halt aging itsefl!

Epic Psychic Healing Abilities cost 100 points.

Legendary Healer

100 points
Advances From: Psychic Healer

The psychic healer has achieved the pinnacle of Psychic Healing. They can read a person’s aura, and diagnose any psychic distortions brought on by illness or affliction with but 10 minutes of inspection. They can rid a target of an injury or an illness with ease, applying a -7 discount to any fatigue spent! Finally, they have defeated aging itself: they age slowly, able to halt their own aging. They can also halt the aging of others, making them a precious commodity in a galaxy filled with wealthy people who want to live forever!

Extra Effort only improves Aura Reading. A -4 Will-Based Aura-Reading roll and 2 fatigue will reduce the time to read an aura to 1 minute; a -7 roll and 2 fatigue or -4 and 4 fatigue will reduce the time needed to a single second!

Advantages: Aura Reading 3 [13], Cure 8 [60], Life Extension [1]
Perks: Life Support [1], Sanitized Metabolism [1], Soothing Touch [1]
Skills: Aura Reading (H) IQ [4]; Cure (H) IQ [4]; Life Extension (H) IQ-1 [2]
Techniques: Cure Affliction (H) Cure+0 [4], Heal Limb (H) Cure+0 [4], Halt Aging (H) Life Extension+0 [5]

Regenerator

100 points
Advances From: Cellular Control

The psychic has achieved total self-mastery. They heal 1 HP per minute, and may accelerate it to up to 10 per second by paying one fatigue per HP gained; they may add up to 8 to their HT rolls to recover from disease or poison and, for 2 fatigue and -1 to their Psychometabolism roll, add +8 to their HT for any reason. Finally, they are effectively immortal: they can halt their aging with a yearly Psychometabolism roll; in practice, they will not die from aging.
Extra Effort can improve the HT bonus. A -2 Will-Based Psychometabolism roll and 2 fatigue will allow them to increase their HT bonus to +9; -3 and 2 fatigue or -2 and 4 fatigue will increase it to +10. This lasts for one minute. Extra effort does not benefit their healing rate, however.

Advantages: Inner Healing 4 [53]; Psychometabolism 8 [36]
Perks: Life Extension 1 [1]
Skills: Psychometabolism (H) HT+1 [8]
Techniques: Body Mastery (H) Psychometabolism-1 [2]

Rare Psychic Healing

Rare Psychic Healing abilities represent unconventional approaches to Psychic Healing. They tend to be either extraordinary in the sense that they're not typical of Psychic Healing throughout the galaxy, or they're a completely new built. Some of the abilities below, like Bonded Healer or Healing Slumber, might be completely unique to a character, while others, like Witch Doctor, might be relatively common, but only on worlds with little contact with the rest of the galaxy. These abilities tend to spontaneously develop in Psychic Healers with a strong empathic bond for others, or who are superstitious, or who further develop their minor abilities into full fledged powers, typically without any formal training.

Bonded Healer

10 points
Suggested Upgrade: Curing Touch, Empathic Healer, Mending Touch

A rare and, considered by most trained psychic healers, dangerous Psychic Healing phenomenon, sometimes a latent psychic healer will form a deep and powerful bond with another, typically because she feels she owes that character a great deal or otherwise deeply loves the other; they may be a parent, a child, or someone who rescued them. Their natural psychic healing energies pour into the target; they become deeply attuned to what the other feels, and when the other is injured, those injuries transfer to the Bonded Healer instead!
Characters with Bonded Healer must choose someone as the target of their bond. All penalties for healing the target of this bond are halved. Furthermore, they may roll IQ when in the presence of their bonded patient to gain insights into their emotional state, as per Empathy. Finally, if the target is in their presence and takes an injury or becomes sickened, the GM rolls the Bonded Healer’s IQ, halving the normal penalties for Healing (repeated attempts, difficult diseases etc.), and apply the Speed/Range penalties for distance. If successful, the injury or illness transfers to the Bonded Healer. The patient no longer has the injury, but the Bonded Healer will manifest it.

Most Psychic Healers with this Ability will eventually learn to broaden it. They’ll shed the ability entirely and advance to a more normal Major ability, typically Mending Touch or Curative Touch. Some will instead learn Empathic Healer, retaining their ability to take on the wounds of others, but learning to apply this to anyone. All these psychic healers typically retain their Healing Bond, however!

A few psychic healers will delve more deeply into the insights of this power. Special Rapport for their target is common. Some shed the Empathic element and simply unconsciously heal their target with their fatigue instead of taking the injury on; this costs 9 points (raising the total cost to 19 points, or a Major ability).

Advantages: Empathy (Accessibility, target of Healing Bond only -80%; Psychic Healing -10%;) [3]; Healing (Accessibility, target of Healing Bond only -80%; Empathic Healing -50%; Psychic Healing -10%; Ranged +40%; Long Ranged +50%; Unconscious only -20%; Uncontrollable -30%) [6]
Perks: Healing Bond [1]

Healing Slumber

25 points
Suggested Upgrade: Cellular Control (GURPS Psis page 27), Anesthesiologist (GURPS Psis page 27)

A rather powerful “minor” psychic ability, this is nonetheless an unconscious power. Whenever the character sleeps or is unconscious, they recover 1 HP per hour. If they take “catastrophic damage,” at least enough to knock them unconscious, but often enough to kill them, they will instead fall into a hibernation state that makes them seem dead. In this state, they will heal 1 HP per hour until they are no longer in danger. If they are not in danger, they recover from unconsciousness very quickly: if they’re at 1+ HP, they recover in 15 seconds; at -0 they can roll to awaken once per minute, and if they’re worse than that, they can recover after 12 minutes.

Healing Slumber is entirely passive; it does not benefit from Extra Effort.

Characters with Healing Slumber sometimes learn to better control their powers, often moving on to Cellular Control: they can now heal while awake, and can more carefully control their hibernation, but they lose their knack for rapidly awakening. Some invert their mastery of sleep, and learn Anesthesiologist instead.

Advantages: Regeneration (Regular; Accessibility, only when sleeping or unconscious -30%; Psychic Healing -10%;) [15]; Recovery (Psychic Healing -10%) [9] Metabolism Control 1 (Hibernation, catastrophic damage -60%; Psychic Healing -10%, Uncontrollable -10%; Unconscious only -20%;) [1]

Greater Psychic Vitality

25 points
Advances From: Psychic Vitality
Upgrade Path: Cellular Control

The character, typically one with Psychic Vitality, has mastered the art of reinforcing the vital energies that power and maintain their body. They can shrug off wounds and seem to have boundless energy they can tap into. This improves the Vitality Reserves of Psychic Vitality from 5 to 13, but otherwise follows the same rules as Psychic Vitality.

Advantages: Vitality Reserves 13 (Psychic Healing -10%) [24]
Perks: Dramatic Death [1]

Empathic Healer (Lesser)

5 points
Upgrade Path: Aura Sight, Empathic Healing (Greater), Mending Touch, Curing Touch, Psychic Vitality

The character has a deep bond with the emotional state of others and can draw their suffering onto themselves. At this level, the ability is uncontrollable and may trigger by accident. When touching a target, the GM may freely activate it to flood the healer with the emotions of the other; if these are strong emotions, this may Mentally Stun the psychic. If the target is hurt, the GM may rule that the psychic takes the wounds onto themselves. The character may attempt to control their power; this requires a Will roll, and 14+ always fails. If they try to actively use it, they use IQ-6 rather than any skill, as they are untrained.

Extra-Effort only really benefits their natural Empathy. By taking a Will-Based Emotion Sense roll at -4 and spending 2 fatigue, they can use their Emotion Sense at a range, using normal range penalties. For -12 and 2 fatigue, -8 and 4 fatigue, or -4 and 6 fatigue, she may ignore range modifiers entirely and use it on people she’s not physically in the presence of.

This ability tends to manifest in psychics who have a deep sense of compassion for others, or a deep curiosity about the pain of others. Those who acquire it must be taught to control their power; they often advance to Curative Touch or Mending Touch, though this may involve unlearning their emotional bond, but some, especially those who explore this as an intuitive path sometimes add Psychic Vitality to bolster their own reserves and prevent the injuries they take onto themselves from afflicting them too much, while rarer traditions teach the psychic to control their empathic bond and teach them Empathic Healer (Greater). A rare few learn Aura Sight, losing their healing ability to focus more intently on their empathic side instead.

Advantages: Empathy (Backlash, Mental Stun, only if target is feeling strong emotions -5%; Contact Agent -30%; Melee Attack, C -30%; Psychic Healing -10%; Uncontrollable -10%) [3]; Healing (Contact Agent -30%; Empathic -50%; Psychic Healing -10%, Uncontrollable -30%) [1];
Perks: Soothing Touch [1]

Empathic Healer (Greater)

25 points
Advances From: Bonded Healer, Empathic Healing (Lesser)
Upgrade Path: Psychic Vitality

This represents an Empathic Healer who has invested more deeply in their knowledge of Empathic Healing. They can sense the emotional state of others from a distance (at -1 per yard), and no longer risk being stunned. They gain control over their power, and no longer risk it going off without their intent. Finally, they expand their ability to heal and understand the emotions of others to animals and aliens. They can sense the emotions of beasts with a cost of 2 fatigue, and they can heal completely alien creatures (such as animals or creatures with wildly different physiology, such as the Menhiri or the Gaunt) for an additional 2 fatigue cost.

Advantages: Emotion Sense 2 [9]; Healing (Contact Agent -30%; Empathic -50%; Psychic Healing -10%) [6];
Skills: Cure (H) IQ-1 [2]; Emotion Sense (H) IQ-1 [2]
Techniques: Xeno-Healing (H) Cure+0 [3]; Animalism (H) Emotion Sense+0 [3]

Invigorating Touch

25 points
Advances From: Warming Touch

This represents an advanced version of Warming Touch. The character gains control over their Warming Touch, and now can freely donate their fatigue (1 for 1) to others with a simple Cure roll (with the usual penalties for multiple attempts applied). They also gain an Energy Reserve of 2, allowing them to donate up to two points of fatigue without exhausting themselves in the slightest. Such characters tend to be popular with other psychics! This is, however, a dead-end path, with no real advancement options for the psychic. Those that continue their studies tend to advance to anything else, forcing a psychic healer who wants more power to relearn what they knew.

(Characters who wish to combine this power-up with other forms of healing must change the Heals Fatigue modifier to +100% for a total of +30 points)

Advantages: Energy Reserves 2 (Psionic) [6]; Healing (Contact Agent -30%; Heals Fatigue Only +0%; Psychic Healing -10%) [18];
Skills: Cure (H) IQ-2 [1]

Witch Doctor (Lesser)

25 points
Advances From: Empathic Healing (Lesser), Warming Touch
Upgrade Path: Witch Doctor (Greater), Psychic Healer

The character has learned a ritualized version of Aura Sight and Cure. They can see Auras exactly as a normal psychic healer could, and similarly can heal as a normal psychic healer would, but they have the mistaken belief that they perform some sort of magic, or use the magic of something else: they must design a “focus ritual” and this ritual takes at least a minute to complete. This ability is common among tribal psychic healers, who lack the body of psychic research to know that the ritual is unnecessary. However, it should be noted that they tend to be more potent healers than similarly trained psychic healers who adhere to more common methods!

Advantages: Detect (Humans; Analysis Only -50%; Analyzing +100%; Focus Ritual -20%; Immediate Preparation Required, 1 minute -30%, Psychic Healing -10%; Short-Range 1 -10%; Vision Based, Reversed -20%) [12]; Healing (Contact Agent -30%; Focus Ritual -20%; Immediate Preparation Required, 1 minute, -30%; Psychic Healing -10%;) [6]
Perks: Natural Doctor [1];
Skills: Aura Reading (H) IQ-1 [2], Cure (H) IQ-1 [2]
Technique: Cure Affliction (H) Cure-3 [2]

Witch Doctor (Greater)

50 points
Advances From: Witch Doctor (Lesser)
Upgrade Path: Legendary Healer

This is an upgraded version of Witch Doctor (Lesser), roughly on par with the Psychic Healer. As with Witch Doctor (Lesser), they require a focus ritual to use their power and, as with Witch Doctor (Lesser), they can achieve some surprising results when they do. They have superior knowledge when compared to a Lesser Witch Doctor and receive a 4 fatigue discount when healing others. This is not a common trait in the galaxy, and is mostly found among leaders among healers on tribal worlds.

Advantages: Detect (Humans; Analysis Only -50%; Analyzing +100%; Immediate Preparation Required, 1 minute -30%, Psychic Healing -10%; Short-Range 1 -10%; Requires Gestures -10%; Requires Magic Words -10%; Requires Material Component -10%, Vision Based, Reversed -20%) [10]; Healing (Contact Agent -30%; Immediate Preparation Required, 1 minute, -30%; Psychic Healing -10%; Reduced Fatigue 4 +80%; Requires Gestures -10%; Requires Magic Words -10%; Trigger, herbs -10%) [24]
Perks: Natural Doctor [1]; Psychic Surgery [1]
Skills: Aura Reading (H) IQ [4], Cure (H) IQ [4]
Technique: Cure Affliction (H) Cure-1 [3]; Heal Limb (H) Cure+0 [3]

Psychic Healing in GURPS Psis

  • Antibodies (GURPS Psis page 26): None of the power-ups below touches on Disease Shield.
  • Restore Damage (GURPS Psis page 26): Similar to Mending Touch, but with regeneration added on, so you can heal yourself.
  • Anesthesiologist (GURPS Psis page 27): Reduce the cost of this power-up to 32 points.
  • Lay on Hands (GURPS Psis page 27): A broad version of Cure similar to Psychic Healer below.
  • Saintly Healer (GURPS Psis page 27): A reasonable 100-point package, similar to an upgraded version of Psychic Healer.

Psychic Healing and ESP


A common approach to psychic medicine is to seek out a cure in one's dreams and visions. Characters with ESP might use Directed Prognostication to determine what, exactly the best cure might be. Alternatively, the character can buy Visions (Aspected, Healing) for [8] points, or Visions (Aspected, Healing; Stunning Backlash) for [5] points. In all cases, if the psychic gains a vision of a character receiving a treatment and then recovering, and the psychic then proscribes that treatment, the character gains a +4 to their HT to recover, or to Physician or Esoteric Medicine rolls to help them recover. Psychic Hunches and Oracle can provide similar levels of treatment, but only grant a +2. This is not the same as diagnosis; the Esper doesn't actually know what's wrong with you. Instead, this is about seeing a vision of a particularly effective treatment, and applying the effect.
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