Psion
AP 50 EP 60 FF 14 Gen. 3
Described in: Add-on 2038
The Psion meta-armour was first thought up during Avalon‘s infancy as a form of ‘mind control’ to target creatures of the Anathema. The project was abandoned and forgotten for a year until Dagonet and Gawain decided to revisit it. Based on field observations it became apparent early on that the horrors of darkness were capable of coordinating and carrying out complex strategies without their leaders uttering a sound. At the close of 2036, Merlin had drawn up a prototype helmet capable of giving simple orders to the weaker minions of the Anathema. Unfortunately, the equipment wasn‘t quite ready for use in combat situations. The orders it gave were unreliable and it required better power sources than were readily available at the time.
Dagonet came across the project in the Avalon archives and suggested improving it to Gawain. Rather than make another helmet, the two Round Table Knights opted for a full suit of meta-armour designed to disrupt and manipulate the creatures of the Anathema on the battlefield. After many dissections and observations of caged, captured creatures, they made a breakthrough. The Knights identified a kind of language they called ‘flux’ that took the form of flowing, quasi-invisible waves of darkness permeating the air around them. It took them a few short weeks to understand the most basic commands carried on these waves and reproduce them via an array of receivers and transmitters incorporated into their newest meta-armour: the Psion.
The Psion meta-armour is, at the start of 2038, a freshly wielded but potent tool. Its aim is to assume control of lesser brutes‘ minds and disorganise enemy troops by modifying the flux orders flowing between them. In all of its trial sorties, the new meta-armour has been lauded by fellow Knights as a resounding success. Its ability to sow discord among otherwise coordinated foes and turn lesser beings against greater threats has proven astonishingly effective.
This suit is lightly armoured and svelte, barely indistinguishable from a Wizardmeta-armour. In order to not interfere with the flux manipulation capabilities of the suit‘s helmet and gauntlets, its plating had to be made as thin and light as could reasonably be allowed. On the upside, its Infinity model alpha energy reactor provides it with a good deal of energy and a powerful force field. An array of transceivers draw in flux from the surrounding area, modify it, and send it out again from the helm, from the palms of its gauntlets, and from vents along its back and shoulders. It must do this continually when needed, as a safe way to preserve flux for future use has yet to be discovered. Instead, it harvests flux from creatures‘ communications (and even more when a creature dies), then either sends it back as a chaotic mess to disorient its enemies, or concentrates it on individuals to give them basic orders.
Psion wearers change the flow of the battlefield by picking their targets carefully and ordering them to attack, defend, grab something, or flee. Comprehending flux is easier than reshaping it, and Psion meta-armour users can interpret orders given by monsters of the dark as if they were reading their thoughts and intentions. This gives them unparalleled tactical options on the battlefield.
It should be noted that after the meta-armour‘s first excellent results in its initial deployments, Arthur authorised credits for further research and development. The results will hopefully allow for new devices able to give more complex orders to the Anathema‘s servants, including its more intelligent denizens. For now, however, no other prototypes have proven more effective than Dagonet and Gawain‘s joint creation.
Notes
Harvesting Flux
While in battle against creatures of the Anathema or hopeless, and only against these kinds of enemies, a Knight in Psion meta-armour can harvest flux. At the start of a conflict phase the Knight automatically gains 2 points of flux. They gain another 1 at the start of every turn. To represent these flux points, use counters like coins, tokens, etc. If a creature is killed within medium range by the Knight‘s banner or by an ally (not by another creature of the Anathema or by a hopeless), the Psion meta-armour immediately gains the following flux points per killed enemy:
| Type | Flux |
|---|---|
| Brute | 2 |
| Badass | 3 |
| Boss | 4 |
In addition to the above, flux can be harvested outside of battle when in the presence of one or more creature of the Anathema in medium range. The armour gains one point per creature within range, up to a maximum of ten points in any given scene. These points can only be obtained once per scene.
Flux that the Knight harvests in battle can be used to power the following abilities, spending a number of flux points depending on the ability used. Reminder: The following modes can only be used against creatures of the Anathema or against hopeless.
Reminder: At the end of a conflict phase, any unused flux points are lost.
Puppet Master Mode
By manipulating the surrounding flux, a Knight can give simple orders to creatures of the Anathema, or to hopeless.
Effect: Upon activation, Puppet Master mode allows the PC to give a simple order of one to three words to a creature of the Anathema or a hopeless in medium range. The target must be an NPC. The PC can order it to flee, to attack a character (including other creatures of the Anathema), or to protect the PC with their life.
The target must be a brute type enemy and it performs the given order at its initiative turn to the best of its abilities, using all its available actions. Outside of a conflict phase the target must attempt to obey an order in ten seconds or less. It acts as quickly as possible and does things in as simple a way as possible, even if this puts its life at risk. Once the order has been obeyed, the creature regains its senses and ends its turn.
To obey the order, the GM performs any necessary dice rolls using the creature‘s best or most logical aspect scores and, if required, its best abilities.
The PC can choose to prolong their control of the target, issuing the same order again, by spending the same amount of flux and energy as before.
They can instead choose to give one (and only one) order to up to 3 creatures at the same time for a proportionately increased expenditure of flux and energy.
| Flux cost | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Issue an order |
| 1 | Include an additional creature |
| 1 | Prolong the order on a creature already controlled |
| Energy | 2 to issue an order / 3 per additional creature / 1 to prolong an order for each creature |
|---|---|
| Activation | Move action |
| Duration | 1 turn during a conflict phase / 10 seconds out of combat |
Discord Mode
Discord mode disrupts communications between enemies, rendering them less confident and less effective.
Effect: Upon activation, Discord mode inflicts a penalty of minus 2 dice and minus 2 points to the reaction and defence of brute type creatures of the Anathema. Only one Discord mode penalty can affect a creature at a time.
Variants
Flux cost : 1
| Energy | 2 per turn |
|---|---|
| Activation | Move action |
| Duration | 1 turn during a conflict phase |
Flux cost : 3
| Energy | 6 |
|---|---|
| Activation | Move action |
| Duration | one whole scene or conflict phase |
Windtalker Mode
Windtalker mode allows the Knight using it to read the flux emitted by creatures of the Anathema, predicting their tactics and upcoming actions.
Effect: Upon activation, the GM must tell the user the tactics of one type of creature of the Anathema in the scene or conflict phase (of any type: band, brute, badass, or boss). Furthermore, upon activation the GM must inform the player of the next action (and only the next action) planned by every creature of the Anathema in the conflict phase or scene within medium range.
Flux cost : 2
| Energy | 4 |
|---|---|
| Activation | Move action |
| Duration | Instantaneous |
| GP | Description |
|---|---|
| 150 | Puppet Master mode now also affects creatures of the Anathema (or hopeless) up to badass type. Tocontrol a badass type creature, the character must succeed at an Aura based check against half the target‘s Machine or Beast aspect (DM‘s choice, rounded down) and spend 2 flux points. An order targeting several badasses at once only requires one skill check for the group (against the highest individual‘s aspect divided by two), with each badass beyond the first costing an additional 2 flux points. Prolonging an order on badasses still only costs 1 flux point. If the check fails, the flux points are not spent. Only one type of enemy can be targeted by Puppet Master mode each time it is activated. |
| 200 | Discord mode now also affects creatures of the Anathema (or hopeless) up to badass type. Thecharacter must succeed at an Aura based check against half the Machine or Beast aspect (DM‘s choice, rounded down) of the badass with the highest of the chosen aspect in the scene or conflict phase. If the check fails, the flux points are not spent. Discord mode now also inflicts a 3D penalty to all enemy actions, as well as a penalty of minus 3 to their defence and reaction scores. |
| 250 | Puppet Master mode now also affects creatures of the Anathema (or hopeless) of band type. To control a band typecreature, the character must succeed at an Aura based check against half the band‘s Machine or Beast aspect (DM‘schoice, rounded down). If the check fails, the flux points are not spent. When a and is ordered to attack, their current overrun score (the amount of damage the PCs were supposed to take this round) is dealt to all other enemies present in the scene. Overrun continues to increase as normal. Only one type of enemy can be targeted by Puppet Master mode each time it is activated. |