Psychic Duels

There are many instances (particularly in the Ravenor books) where powerful psykers do
battle with their minds in corporal form. The psykers mind leaves the confines of the body
and soars into the air, able to see all psychic activity around them. While these battles are
long and varied and potentially even more complex than normal combat I think I have come
up with some rules that reflect this while expanding on the interesting rules for psychic duels
we came up with in the pub.

Initiating Combat

Only Psykers with a Wp of 70 or may have the mental discipline to undertake a

psychic duel.
While engaged in a psychic duel the psyker may not perform any physical actions or
cast psychic powers. However, he may be attacked or take damage as normal.
To enable a psychic duel a psyker must pass a Wp test. There is no penalty if the test
is failed and it uses up no actions. When passed the psyker automatically knows
where all other psykers capable of taking part in a duel are on the battlefield. It takes
one action to issue a challenge to another psyker. If the challenge is accepted then
the challenging psykers remaining action dice are saved until the challenged psykers
turn.
When it is the challenged psykers turn they roll to see how many actions they get.
The combat alternates between each psyker using up one action dice at a time. The
challenging psyker goes first. The alternate attacks continue until one or both psykers
run out of action dice, a psyker retreats to their body, are knocked unconscious or
slain.
To retreat back to their body a psyker must pass a Wp test.

Fighting Duels

A Psychic duel is fought in the same way as normal close combat except that you use
the psykers Wp instead of WS. However, in this spiritual form there is no rear, side or
higher ground and bonuses cannot be gained from this.
Attacks can be parried and counter-attacked in the normal manner; however the parry
penalty is static at -10%. Attacks can be dodged but characters do not receive the
+20% dodge bonus.
If a psyker is hit they take damage, depending on the Wp (listed below) of the
attacker. This is not physical damage but mental. To represent this if a character is hit
they loss the amount rolled from all their metal stats. If this reduces a stat to 0 the
character falls unconscious, if all the mental stats are reduced to 0 the psyker is
killed.
A psyker can also choose to fight using one of three special attacks, described below.
A successful counter attack can never take the form of a special attack.

Psyker Damage Table

Wp Damage
70-80 D3+1
80-90 D6+1
90-100 D10+1
100+ 2D6+2
Special Attacks

Sledgehammer- The psyker melds his mind into a potent form of smiting like a hammer or axe
and brings his mental powers down on the defender with monumental force. The psyker
inflicts double damage and the attack cannot be parried, only dodged at +10%. However, if
the attackers roll to hit fails then the defender can attack back and hit automatically (this may
not be a special attack).

The Wall- The psyker projects a near impenetrable mental wall around him to defend. When
the challenging psyker attacks he must pass a Sg test at -20% to penetrate the wall. This is to
represent the attacker finding a weak spot. If the attacker fails the test then the attack is
bounced off the wall causing D3 damage to himself. The defender (who has the wall) can't
dodge easily and has -10% to his dodge ability and reduces the parry penalty to -30%.
Counter attacks from a successful parry the character suffers a -60% penalty.

Barrage- The psyker unleashes a quick barrage of attacks against the defender taking him by
surprise with the rapidity of the strikes. The psyker gets 3 attacks per action, all of which inflict
half damage and are at -15% to hit. These attacks cannot be parried and can only be dodged
with a -10% modifier.