Burning Sands

Campaign
Psionic & Wild
Talents

bleybourne@gmail.com
Psionic Talents
Unlike other classes who generally only have a few class talents, there are many different Psionic
Talents available to a Psion character. Each Talent is its own self-contained power worth between 1-4
XP. At character creation, a Psion character may start with 4XP worth of Psionic Talents (on top of
his free randomly generated wild talent), and may use his General Talent allocation to buy more or
upgrade those he has (4XP worth for each talent point). Once the campaign has started, talents and
upgrades are bought with XP as usual. Only one Psionic power or upgrade can be purchased during a
Rest or Sleep.

Psionic Talents are invoked in the same way as magic spells, however there are no grimoires for
Psionics, and no special ingredients that can improve the power level. Psionic mishaps can happen, and
there is a special Psionic mishap table for when they do.

Each Talent has a basic power, and one or more upgrades that are only available to Psion characters
(each upgrade costs extra XP to unlock).

Unless noted otherwise in the description, all Psionic Talents are slow actions, and those that target
someone else require the target to be no further away than Short range and at least some part of them
must be visible.
Adrenaline Control Psion Upgrade: 3xp

Cost: 2xp, Duration: One Round/Power Level When upgraded, this power lasts for a single
(entire) conversation. The psion can read the
This power allows the character to control the
target’s ongoing and changing emotional stage
adrenaline in his body, usilising it to help him
and knows which things the target says that are
react faster during combat. When activated the
truths and which are lies. The psion gains bonus
character gains a D8 artefact die on all Parry
dice equal to the Power Level to any
and Dodge checks for as many combat turns as
Manipulation rolls made.
the Power Level.

Psion Upgrade: 1xp

When upgraded, on top of the bonus above, the

character suffers none of the usual penalties to
Parry and Dodge attempts while this power is
active. Thus, the character may dodge without
going Prone and Parry Stabs without a Parrying
Weapon, all without suffering the usual -2 die
penalties. Normal Parry and Dodge bonuses
still apply.

Psion Upgrade: 3xp

With this upgrade, the character moves so

quickly in combat, he also gains the artefact die
bonus on all melee attack rolls for the Duration.

Psion Upgrade: 3xp

With this upgrade, the artefact die gained when

this power is used is a D10 rather than a D8.

Aura Sight

Cost: 1xp, Duration: Instant

When activated as a fast action, this talent

allows a character to gain a brief glimpse into
the pervasive aura that surrounds all living
creatures. You can learn certain information at
the precise moment the power is initiated based
on the Power Level: Body Control
Power Level 1: The emotion in the target is currently Cost: 1xp, Duration: Quarter Day
experiencing
While this Talent is active, the character can
Power Level 2: Whether the target is currently being truthful
or lying
regulate his own body heat. This means the
character will never be too cold (not that that is
Power Level 3+: The target’s most recent surface thoughts
usually a problem in Athas) or too hot. The
character does not need to consume extra water
for desert travel, and cannot suffer heatstroke.
This power lasts for one Quarter day per use.
Psion Upgrade: 1xp
If upgraded, the power lasts for one Quarter
Day per point of the Power Level (maximum
one whole day).
Cellular Adjustment
Cost: 3xp, Duration: Takes one Turn (15 minutes)
This talent allows a character to manipulate the
cells in his own body, healing wounds. You may
restore Strength damage equal to the Power
Level.
Psion Upgrade: 3xp
This power can now be used on other
characters, healing them or rupturing skin and
causing wounds, healing or dealing Strength
Damage equal to the Power Level to somebody
within Short distance that you can see.
Clairaudience
Cost: 1xp, Duration: 5 minutes, concentration
This power allows the character to “cast” his
hearing to any point he can see (within range)
and listen in as if he were standing near, able to
hear the barest whisper. The Range depends on
the Power Level as follows:
Power Level 1: Anywhere within Short Range
Power Level 2: Anywhere within Long Range
Power Level 3+: Anywhere within Extreme Range
Psion Upgrade: 1xp
When upgraded, the Psion no longer needs to
see the source, but can instead cast his
clairvoyance to any point within range, homing
in on sounds and even following a moving sound
source (such as people walking while they
converse).
Psion Upgrade: 2xp
This upgrade allows a Psion with both
Clairaudience and Clairvoyance to use both at
the same time, seeing and hearing from a single
point for the same power use. This upgrade only
needs to be bought for Clairaudience or
clairvoyance, not both.
Clairvoyance
Cost: 1xp, Duration: 5 minutes, concentration
This power allows the character to “zoom” his
vision out of his body and move it around, to any
point within range while concentrating (while
doing this, the character is unable to see at his
own location). The point he sees from may be
moved at a rate of approximately 1 metre per
second and can pass through walls or other
barriers. The Range depends on the Power
Level as follows:
Power Level 1: Anywhere within Short Range
Power Level 2: Anywhere within Long Range
Power Level 3+: Anywhere within Extreme Range
Psion Upgrade: 1xp
When upgraded, the Psion is still able to see at
his own location as well as the remote location
Psion Upgrade: 2xp
This upgrade allows a Psion with both
Clairaudience and Clairvoyance to use both at
the same time, seeing and hearing from a single
point for the same power use. This upgrade only
needs to be bought for Clairaudience or
clairvoyance, not both.
Confusion
Cost: 1xp, Duration: One Round
This power overwhelms an opponent’s brain,
causing them to become confused, potentially
losing part of their next action. The effect
depends on the Power Level:
When upgraded, the character may use his
danger sense to aid him during combat. If
combat begins while the Danger Sense is already
active, he may draw extra initiative cards equal
to the Power Level, and keep whichever one he
wishes. The other cards are shuffled back into
the deck before other characters draw theirs.

Power Level 1: Target loses their next Fast Action

Power Level 2: Target loses their next Slow Action

Power Level 3+: Target loses their entire next action

Psion Upgrade: 3xp

When upgraded, the confusion the opponent

experiences is so extreme it can cause the
opponent to behave erratically. Roll on the
following table to determine how the target is
affected. You may roll as many times as the
Power level and choose which result to use.

1: Opponent loses next Fast action

2: Opponent loses next Slow action

3: Opponent loses entire next action

4: Opponent drops whatever he’s holding and leaps

prone

5: Opponent attacks nearest creature on his next

action Ego Whip

6: Opponent runs as far away from the initiator of Cost: 1xp, Duration: Immediate

this power as he can for his next action

This psychic attack floods the victim’s brain
with feelings of worthlessness and self-loathing.
The victim suffers damage to their Empathy
Danger Sense equal to the power level.

Cost: 1xp, Duration: Quarter Day Psion Upgrade: 1xp

When activated, this ability lasts for an entire
Quarter Day, and adds the Power Level in
bonus dice to all Scouting rolls when keeping
watch, making the character more likely to spot
potential dangers or encounters before they
happen.
When upgraded, the empathic attack saps the
victim’s vitality. For each point of the final
Power Level, you may choose to leave the
victim Hungry, Thirsty, and/or Sleepy (Power
Level 3 or greater means all three)

Psion Upgrade: 1xp

Illusionary Images
Cost: 2xp, Duration: Immediate
This power gets into the brain of a target,
putting an illusion there to fool their senses.
You can create a single illusion no larger than a
5 metre cube that will fulfil all relevant senses
except touch. While concentrating, you can
cause the illusion to move and react to the
(single) target, but you can take no other actions
other than moving while concentrating in this
fashion. This power does not affect Monsters.
Psion Upgrade: 2xp
When upgraded, you can elect to affect all
creatures within the same zone as you with your
illusion. Creatures without a Wits score will be
unaffected, as will Monsters.
Inertial Barrier
Cost: 1xp, Duration: Immediate
This power creates a momentary shield of force
between the character and an opponent or
source of danger. It is a fast action and may be
used as a Reaction. Reduce the Number of
Successes of an attack by the Power Level of the
Inertial Barrier, and if the number is reduced to
0 then the attack has been stopped.
Psion Upgrade: 2xp
When upgraded, the Inertial Barrier stays in
place, protecting the Psion from all attacks at
the same Power Level, until the start of his next
turn.
Levitate
Cost: 1xp, Duration: 1 Minute, concentration
This Talent allows the character to levitate
upwards through the power of his mind. The
character may rise up to 10 Metres for every
point of the Power Level, and can hover or
descend at any stage. When the duration ends,
the character floats back to the ground safely.
Psion Upgrade: 2xp
When upgraded, lateral movement becomes
possible, meaning that the character can
levitate in any direction rather than simply up
and down (essentially flying). The Duration
increases to 10 minutes, and at the end of the
duration the character can choose to spend a
single WP to extend it for another 10 minutes
(and so on).
Psion Upgrade: 3xp
This upgrade allows the Psion to use this ability
on another character (although it does not work
on Monsters). The Psion controls the
movement, not the target. The psion can choose
if the target floats or falls to the ground when
the duration expires. An unwilling target can
make a Wits check with a penalty equal to the
Power level to resist the effect. If successful, the
power fails.
Mind thrust
Cost: 1xp, Duration: Immediate
This psychic attack sends a stab of psionic
energy into the victim’s brain in an attempt to
short out synapses. The victim suffers damage to
their Wits equal to the power level.
Psion Upgrade: 2xp
When upgraded, the synaptic attack causes the
victim’s body to jerk uncontrollably, tearing
muscles. The victim suffers damage to Wits and
Strength equal to the Power Level.
Phantasmal Killer
Cost: 4xp, Duration: Instant, but lingers
This Talent confronts the target with images of
the thing they fear the most, terrifying them.
The target immediately takes damage equal to
the Power Level to his Wits, and takes another
point of Wits damage every round, as long as
you continue to concentrate on using the power
(which takes a Slow action on each of your
turns). The effect ends when the target is
Broken. If you stop concentrating, take damage,
or use any other ability requiring WP, the
images stop.
Psion Upgrade: 4xp
When upgraded, you no longer need to
concentrate on this power to continue to affect
the target. The target will continue to take 1
Wits damage at the start of each of its turns until
it moves at least 3 zones away from you, you take
any damage, or you use WP on anything else,
any of which will end the effect. The effect also
ends when the target is Broken.
Precognition
Cost: 2xp, Duration: Immediate
This talent allows a character to see a murky
view of the immediate future. You may propose
an immediate course of action to the GM and
then ask as many yes/no questions regarding the
specific outcome as the Power Level, to try to
find out if that course of action would be
dangerous or beneficial. The future can often be
unclear, and the answers given may not be 100%
accurate, but they should be as reasonably
accurate as the GM can manage under the
circumstances.
You may not use this power more than once per
day.
Psion Upgrade: 2xp
When upgraded, a psion can use this power as
often as they like (and have WP for).
Psychic Crush
Cost: 3xp, Duration: Immediate
This psychic attack attempts to overwhelm the
victim’s brain by causing all neurons to start
firing at the same time. The victim must succeed
at an Endurance check with a penalty equal to
the Power Level or fall unconscious. This
power only works on sapient humanoids.
Psion Upgrade: 2xp
When upgraded, the psychic attack overwhelms
the victim so much that there is a danger of
immediate death. If the targets gets no successes
on their Endurance check and the power level is
greater than their Endurance skill level
(minimum 1), then the target is instantly killed.
Pyrokinesis
Cost: 2xp, Duration: Immediate
You are able to excite the atoms in a victim’s
body, causing them to vibrate faster and faster,
heating up and potentially causing the victim to
combust. You deal damage equal to the Power
Level. This Talent can also be used to ignite
any flammable object (Power Level one
required)
Psion Upgrade: 4xp
When upgraded, the victim actually bursts into
flames, continuing to take one point of damage
at the start of each of its turns until it makes a
successful Move skill check as a Slow Action to
roll on the ground and put out the flames (also
leaving them Prone).
Psychoportation
Cost: 2xp, Duration: Immediate
This talent allows a character to teleport a
short distance to a location he can see, based on
the Power Level of the effect. This can move a
character directly out of Arms Reach of an
opponent without requiring a roll. This is a
Slow Action.
Power Level 1: Anywhere within Near range
Power Level 2: Anywhere within Short range
Power Level 3+: Anywhere within Long range
Psion Upgrade: 2xp
If upgraded and used by a Psion, this power may
be activated as a Fast action rather than a Slow
action.
Psion Upgrade: 4xp
This upgrade allows a character to teleport
much greater distances, as per the power level
chart below. The character does not need to be
able to see the target location as long as it is
familiar to the Psion.
Power Level 1: Anywhere within Short range
Power Level 2: Anywhere within Long range
Power Level 3+: Anywhere within Extreme range
Telekinesis
Cost: 2xp, Duration: One Round
Using this talent, a character can move an
inanimate object with the power of his mind.
The object can be moved anywhere within Short
range and up to 20m above the ground. Objects
do not move fast enough to we used as weapons,
but a person who was lifted and dropped still
suffers falling damage. The weight of the object
that can be moved is determined by the Power
Level:
Power Level 1: Up to 50 kilos (~100 pounds)
Power Level 2: Up to 120 kilos (~250 pounds)
Power Level 3+: Up to 250 kilos (~500 pounds)
Psion Upgrade: 2xp
When upgraded, the weight limits in the Power
Level list above are doubled. The GM should
arbitrate the effects of having a large weight
used to crush or drop on an opponent.
Telepathy
Cost: 1xp, Duration: One Round
Using this power allows the character to send
thoughts to another sentient creature he can see
within range. The limit per use is one sentence
of no more than 25 words. As long as the
creature understands any language, it will
understand the communication and where it
comes from. The range is determined by the
Power Level:
Power Level 1: Anywhere within Short Range
Power Level 2: Anywhere within Long Range
Power Level 3+: Anywhere within Extreme Range
Psion Upgrade: 2xp
A Psion who upgrades this ability can use it
within range even to a creature he cannot see as
long as he knows that creature.
Psion Upgrade: 1xp

This upgrade allows the recipient of this power

to respond with up to 25 words.

Tower of Iron Will

Cost: 1xp, Duration: Immediate

This psychic defence works against any Talent

(psionic or spell based) that attempts to attack
or trick the mind. Raising this defence is a Fast
action and is used as a reaction. Reduce the
Power Level of any spell or Psionic effect being
used on you by the Power Level of your Tower
of Iron Will. If this reduces the opponent’s
Power Level to 0, their effect fails entirely.
Both characters roll for Mishaps.

Psion Upgrade: 1xp

When upgraded, your Tower of Iron Will

persists until the start of your next turn and will
affect any other spells or Psionic attacks on you
at the same Power Level.

Vanish from the Mind’s Eye

Cost: 2xp, Duration: One Hour

With this power, the character fools the minds

of those around him, making him blend into the
surroundings. While active, all Sneak rolls are
made with a bonus number of dice equal to the
Power Level of this talent. This power will not
fool Monsters or mindless opponents (such as
undead), and ends instantly if the character
performs an action that would bring attention
to himself (such as attacking someone).

Psion Upgrade: 2xp

Upgraded, the Psion vanishes entirely from

sight of those around him. The character gains
successes equal to the Power level on all Sneak
rolls (the power will still end if the character
does something that would draw attention).
Wild Talents
Canonically, all characters in Dark Sun have a measure of psionics. As such, all characters should roll
D66 on the following table. A character gains the rolled power as a bonus one-off Talent. This Talent
may not be upgraded and the character may not buy additional powers. Psion characters gain this free
Talent on top of their starting talents, and may upgrade it with XP as usual.

Die Result Wild Talent

11-12 Adrenaline Control
12-14 Aura Sight
15-16 Body Control
21 Cellular Adjustment
22-23 Clairaudience
24-25 Clairvoyance
26 Confusion
31-32 Danger Sense
33 Ego Whip
34-35 Illusionary Images
36 Inertial Barrier
41-42 Levitate
43 Mind thrust
44 Phantasmal Killer
45-46 Precognition
51 Psychic Crush
52 Pyrokinesis
53 Psychoportation
54-55 Telekinesis
56-60 Telepathy
61-62 Tower of Iron Will
63 Vanish from the Mind’s Eye
64 You have no Wild Talent; your brain is naturally psionic resistant. Any Psionic
Powers that affect you suffer -1 Power Level. If this reduces them to 0, they have no
effect. This Wild Talent cannot be selected by Psions - treat this result as a 66.
65 You have no Wild Talent. Gain an extra General Talent instead. Psionic attacks
against you gain +1 Power Level. This Wild Talent cannot be selected by Psions -
treat this result as a 66.
66 Pick any result from this table