Psionics

Psionics are different from magic. Whereas magic is the ability to manipulate external, ubiquitous strands of mana, psionics draws upon power from within the individual's mind and body to affect the outside world.

Psionic Disciplines

There are four broad categories of psionic powers, each of which is called a discipline. Most psionicists specialize in only one such discipline.

• Telepathy- By far the most common psionic discipline. Telepathy is the art of mind-reading. Typically, a telepath has the power to make contact with other sentient minds, glean information from them (and force said information from minds able to resist a basic telepathic intrusion). Telepaths can also communicate over short distances with nothing more than thought, and the best of telepaths can implant suggestions or exert control over the weak minded. Psychic vampirism is the use of telepathy to drain emotional energy and memories from others.
• Psychokinesis- Psychokinetics can manipulate natural forces (such as heat, electricity, light, and gravity) with their mind. The most common form, telekinesis, is control of gravity. Telekineticists are able to move objects with the power of their minds. Telekinetics can range in strength from the simple floatation of small objects to the hurling of projectiles at super-ballistic speeds. The strongest Telekineticists can lift up extremely large and heavy objects with nothing more than the power of thought.
• Clairsentience- Also known as ESP. Those with clairsentient powers are capable of supernatural sensory abilities, able to see and hear over far distances and through most obstructions. Some Clairsentients receive visions, both awake and while dreaming. Precognition is a form of clairsentience that reaches forwards in time. Psychometry is a form of postcognition that reads the history of an object by touching it.
• Psychometabolism- Psychometabolicists (also known as biokinetics) are able to exert greater control over their own physical bodies than most people can. They are able to control their autonomic organ functions, their endocrine systems, and can even change the compositions of parts of their bodies. They can also speed the natural healing process of their body (psychic healing).

• Although not officially recognized as a discipline, there is also Metapsionics. Metapsionics are able to affect the psionic abilities of others. The only observed form of this is psi static; certain people project a form of psionic static that interferes with other psionic abilities; this is typically an unconscious ability. It has been theorized that a conscious application of metapsionic ability could lead to the cancellation, theft, or amplification of other psionicists' powers.

Psionic Practicioners

• Moogles- Of all the sapient races of the Web of Worlds, Moogles have the most abundant psionic potential. Nearly every member of the race is Telepathic to some degree, and Moogles excel at use of Telepathy over all other disciplines. The former King of Kuvalla, Kusader, is supposed to have been one of the most gifted telepaths ever to have lived. (or maybe that was just Kusader boasting so that Kevin the Great and Shane Lile would think he was cool)
• The Celpo- The Celpo has cultivated its own brood of psionic operatives, called Minders. The exact number of Minders, as well as which disciplines are most prevalent and how adept the average Minder is, is not widely known, but the cat of the Minder program was let out of the bag several years ago by a network of conspiracy theorists on the OmniNet.
• Hivans- It is known that Hivans developed latent psionic powers at some point over the course of their evolution. Hivans channeled telepathic communication with each other through psionic receptors in their antennae, and used psychometabolic stimulation of gastric glands to generate enormous quantities of the acid weapons they used to fight the Grand Army during the Hivan War.
• Reptites- The Reptites who now dwell among the Chorrans have exhibited an aptitude for Telekinetic powers, though some of the Reptites' seers are also receptive to Telepathic and Clairsentient development.
• Monks- The Monks of Fabul have developed psionic abilities through meditation and the strict discipline that their martial arts demand -- though they attribute these abilities to the development of their "Ki," or spirit, rather than psionics. Monks evidence superior psychometabolic powers, as well as limited telekinetic capability. While in deep meditation, Monks can unconsciously become sensitive to clairsentient visions -- though there is no way for the Monk to control this or predict when it will happen.