The Psion

Weathering the onslaught of a powerfully built bandit, a lean elf carefully blocks blow after frenzied blow, then picks a moment to counter with an unnaturally powerful attack of his own. The last thing the bandit feels as the elf's blade cuts across it's chest is a sharp, blinding pain lancing through it's mind. As it lays twitching in the dirt, the elf grimly turns to face another bandit.

A human woman and her rakish male companion walk down a dark alley and approach a door, guarded by a Goliath. As they move to walk past the guard he stops them with a hand on the man’s chest, and asks for the password. After a long pause the guard’s hand on the man’s chest tightens, grasping the man’s shirt in his fist. The man worriedly looks over to the woman, who, staring intently at the guard, utters one word, firmly and confidently. The guard releases his grip, and with some disappointment steps aside.

An orc sees a dwarf conjure a flame into its hands and throw it forward through the air, landing in a line across the ground and erupting into a long wall of fire, consuming a number of his shrieking compatriots and splitting his fighting group in half. He rushes forward and swings his axe hard and true, knocking the dwarf back and cutting a large gash into its chest. The dwarf, unphased, steadies himself and faces the orc, the conflagration still ablaze. With a gesture of the dwarf's hand, the orc is hurled through the air and into the flames.

These psions are the quintessential manipulators of psionic power. Psions unleash the potential locked within every conscious mind: applying force with just a thought, controlling, concentrating, and magnifying the elemental energies around them, and invading the minds of other creatures, affecting their thoughts, feelings, and actions.

An Other Kind of Power Only the most wisened of psions, be it through self discovery or formal education, know that psionic power is born through the exposure of their resident plane to the Far Realms. They are divided, however, in their beliefs on the nature of that birth. Some believe that the ultimate source of psionic power lies within the Far Realms, while others believe that it’s a native power emergent in response to the Far Realms’ threats. All users of the power, however, recognize the otherness of their abilities. Whereas arcane and divine magicians learn to sculpt and control power drawn from a source greater than themselves, psions strive through a combination of innate talent, practiced skill, and pure dedication of will to draw forth and wield a power that seems to spring from within themselves. While many of the manifestations of this source of power do not differ discernibly from those of arcane or divine origin, many do. Psions tend to be capable of subverting a creature’s conventional defenses entirely, making vulnerable or assaulting directly the creature’s very core: their mind, their thoughts, their will, their senses, their emotions. Some psions are even able, with great focus, to wield their abilities with little or no outward indication of doing so. The natural response to these abilities, especially in places where their occurrences are rare, is often times a reactionary fear, revulsion, and hatred.

The Weirding Way Psionic power is rare and emerges unpredictably, first manifesting at any age and at every scale of strength. The wellspring of psionic power lies within the self, it's flow directed by mere thought, and individuals who find themselves suddenly bestowed with psionic abilities often initially lack the discipline of thought to keep their powers contained and under control. The consequences can be disastrous, as unintended as they may be. The hostile responses from individuals and communities exposed to psionic power can be a harrowing experience for those who wield it, and they oftentimes spark a determined survivalist streak in those who live through them. How that streak comes out in their behavior differs from psion to psion. Some devote themselves to hiding their abilities from others and practice them only covertly, while some do their best to disguise their powers as arcane or divine in origin. Some refuse to use them altogether. These psions are able to live relatively normal lives in all walks, though they carry with them the constant fear of discovery. Other psions, however, choose another path: one of self actualization, of seeking the realization of their full potential. They don’t want to live fearfully within a society that rejects them, and they don’t need to. Practicing with their powers constantly, gaining refined control, deepening their understanding and strength, pushing their endurance to new lengths, testing themselves against ever greater challenges: these psions are adventurers.

Creating a Psion The most important aspect to consider when making a psion is how the otherness of their powers has affected their lives. How do they regard their own powers? How have their powers affected their relationships with the people closest to them? What was their life like before their powers emerged, and how was their life changed by their emergence? Another thing to keep in mind is which abilities first manifested themselves for the psion, and whether or not their associated disciplines will encourage them to choose a thematic psionic aptitude. Quick build First, Intelligence should be your highest ability score, followed by Strength or Dexterity, and Constitution. Then choose the Cloistered Scholar background.