Trajiks! (From The Kirby Sanction)

[Jkeown]

So I'm working on this thing I abandoned about 10 years ago called The Kirby Sanction. Takes place on an alternate Earth called Tellus and there's a lot of psionic powers, cyberwear, conspiracies and power-mad corporations and ambitious religious leaders. One of the character types is a Trajik. I'm using a combination of Enraged and No Conscious Control to trigger powerful "Curses." Do you think this is correct, or should I be looking at Triggers for all of it? 

 

Part of the problem is that I wrote most of it 10 years ago, so my notes contain powers, rules, vehicles that might be someone else's work. (Almost certainly the vehicles. I do not recall creating that many.) I'd share it, but I'd probably get arrested for plagiarism. This was never intended to leave my own table, you see. 

 

Trajiks

Trajiks in Tellus embody the stark realities and risks inherent in wielding psionic powers. These once-mighty psions, having overexerted their abilities, find themselves in a drastically diminished state, both mentally and physically. Their journey into becoming Trajiks often begins with a critical event where the demand of psionic exertion surpasses their capacity, leading to a catastrophic burnout. This event not only depletes their psionic energies but also leaves deep scars on their psyche, manifesting as subdued and depressed personalities. The path to such a fate is varied, involving battles that pushed them beyond their limits, overuse of their powers in high-stress situations, or experiments gone awry. The aftermath of their burnout leaves them as shells of their former selves, struggling to find purpose and identity without the abilities that once defined them.

The societal perception of Trajiks is complex and multifaceted. In a world where psionic abilities are both revered and feared, Trajiks serve as a somber reminder of the limits of human endurance and the potential consequences of psionic overreach. Their presence elicits sympathy, fear, and sometimes disdain from both the psionic and non-psionic communities. For some, Trajiks are pitied figures, evoking empathy and a desire to help; for others, they are cautionary tales, embodying the dangers of unchecked power. This dichotomy in societal response mirrors the internal conflict within Trajiks themselves, torn between a yearning for their lost abilities and the acceptance of their new reality.

Despite their diminished state, Trajiks occasionally muster the strength to make significant impacts, hinting at the remnants of their once formidable powers. These moments, though rare, suggest that recovery, or at least a form of adaptation, may be possible. Efforts to rehabilitate Trajiks focus on healing both the psychic and emotional wounds inflicted by their burnout. Success stories, though few, offer hope and a glimpse into the resilience of the human spirit. 

They frequently possess flawed Psionic Multipowers (on Charges, Requires a Roll, and so on...) as well as Curses. These Curses activate when the Trajik goes berserk. They take the No Conscious Control rather than a Trigger. That might be wrong, mechanically.

Trajik Template

Cost            Ability

6                     +2 DMCV

60                 Curse: Up to 60 Points of Weird Powers

3                     +1 with Discipline

2                     KS: The Psionic World 11-

3                     Paramedics 11-

7                     Psionics 13-

3                     Stealth 11-

3                     Streetwise 11-

4                     Survival (Underground, Urban) 11-

3                     Lightning Reflexes (+3 DEX to act first with All Actions)

Total Cost of Template Abilities: 94

Value        Complications

35                 Enraged: Berserk When Exposed to Psionics or Stress (Common), go 11-, recover 8-

20                 Psychological Complication: Emotional Wreck (Common; Total)

Total Value of Template Complications: 55

Trajik Curses

Emergency Recall

Under duress, a Trajik might involuntarily teleport to a place of significant emotional importance, whether safe or not. This desperate escape mechanism could be unpredictable, with the Trajik having little control over the exact destination.

Emergency Recall: Teleportation 3m, MegaScale (1m = 1,000 km; +1 ¾) (8 AP); No Conscious Control (-2) Real Cost: 3

Ephemeral Phasing

As a defense mechanism, a Trajik could become intangible for brief moments, allowing attacks and objects to pass through them. However, this power might be uncontrollable, phasing in and out unpredictably.

Ephemeral Phasing: Desolidification (affected by Mental Attacks) (40 AP); No Conscious Control (-2) Real Cost: 13

Manifest Nightmare

Stress could cause a Trajik to inadvertently bring their fears to life, creating psychic constructs that embody their deepest anxieties. These manifestations might attack indiscriminately, spurred by the Trajik's subconscious mind.

Manifest Nightmare: Summon 300-point Nightmare Ecto-Construct (60 AP); No Conscious Control (-2) Real Cost: 20

Psionic Backlash

In moments of extreme stress, a Trajik could unintentionally unleash a wave of raw psionic energy, causing indiscriminate damage to both allies and enemies alike. This power could manifest as a blast or an aura of destructive force emanating from the Trajik.

Psionic Backlash: Blast 6d6, Area Of Effect Nonselective (5m Radius; +¼), Personal Immunity (+¼) (45 AP); No Conscious Control (-2), No Range (-½) Real Cost: 13

Psychic Scream

A Trajik could emit a powerful mental scream that disorients and potentially incapacitates nearby sentient beings. The scream might not distinguish between friend or foe, reflecting the Trajik's loss of control over their powers.

Psychic Scream: Mental Blast 3d6 (Human and Animal Class of Minds classes of minds), Area Of Effect Nonselective (5m Radius; +¼), Personal Immunity (+¼) (52 AP); No Conscious Control (-2), No Range (-½) Real Cost: 15

Reality Warp

A Trajik pushed to the brink might temporarily alter the fabric of reality around them, causing bizarre and unpredictable effects, such as gravity anomalies, spatial distortions, or sudden environmental changes.

Reality Warp: Change Environment (-4 to Normal Sight PER Rolls, +4 Wind Levels, -3 to DEX Rolls, -4m of Running, Varying Combat Effects), Area Of Effect Nonselective (5m Radius; +¼) (64 AP); No Conscious Control (-2), No Range (-½) Real Cost: 18

Retrocognitive Burst

Overwhelmed by stress, a Trajik could spontaneously receive intense visions of the past, potentially revealing hidden information or secrets but leaving them vulnerable during the vision.

Retrocognitive Burst: Retrocognitive Clairsentience (Hearing Group And Normal Sight), Analyze, Discriminatory (55 AP); No Conscious Control (-2) Real Cost: 18

Self-Duplication

In a moment of extreme need, a Trajik could split into multiple versions of themselves, each capable of acting independently but at the cost of further fracturing their psyche.

Self-Duplication: Duplication (creates 200-point form) (40 AP); No Conscious Control (-2), Must Be Used At Full Power (-0) Real Cost: 13

Temporal Flicker

In critical situations, a Trajik might briefly slip through time, either moving a few seconds into the past or future. This power could manifest as a survival instinct, allowing the Trajik to avoid immediate danger but at the risk of further destabilizing their psionic abilities.

Temporal Flicker: Extra-Dimensional Movement (Same Dimension, 1d6+1 Segments into the Future) (20 AP); No Conscious Control (-2) Real Cost: 7

Psionic Feedback

If threatened, a Trajik might reflexively generate a field that disrupts psionic abilities, rendering other psionics in the vicinity powerless or backfiring their powers.

Psionic Feedback: Dispel Psionic Powers 20d6, Area Of Effect (5m Radius; +½), Expanded Effect (All Psionic Powers simultaneously) (+1 ½) (180 AP); No Conscious Control (-2) Real Cost: 60

 

[Duke Bushido]

I get it, but unless the players are to create characters who are this afflicted, it seems like a lot of unnecessary detail for a background thing- all the build specificity, I mean.

 

If the players are meant to play such characters,it seems to take a lot of "play" away from them.

 

Perhaps a bit more detail on how these folks fit into the world and the game within it....  ?