Psionics, An Overview

"Psionics as a science is such a messy, obnoxious field. The various disciplines and viewpoints come across as mystic arts, with repeated testing only revealing that it's as unstable as a baseline human is. One person with psionic power (colloquially called 'Psionic') could make a fist and collapse a man's spinal column, while another uses the same gesture to ignite a foe. Ultimately, it just proves that, with the right equipment, even reality can bend to a Human's will."

— Doctor Erik Piotrsson, author of Interviews with Retired Psi-Corpsmen, of which this is the foreword.

Origins, the Pre-Promethean Era and Onward

Before the Promethean Era, Psionics were initially an experiment in creating a more efficient soldier. There was a clinical insertion of an engineered additional organ, its purpose was to catalyze brain function through the use of additional nerve clusters. Effectively, the node would create an extra 'processor' for information. Initial tests with this node proved fruitful enough to create soldiers that learned faster, thought quicker, and reacted with greater efficiency. After roughly a decade, the additional organ became something of a random chance. Some subjects were given an organ and a battery of gene therapy treatments, but ultimately rejected the organ.
Subjects were released into the general population, where the organ proliferated among the populace for reasons unknown, the gene therapies effectively creating the blueprint for natural occurrence of the organ. After roughly three decades, the organ had become an anomaly that was no longer classified as a disease. During a speech, a North American political leader misplaced a page and without so much as a thought, levitated his missing paper to his hand. Thinking nothing of it, he continued his speech.
Through this incident, it was discovered that these organs projected the will and consciousness of the bearer into the world around them. What followed was quite the opposite of what popular media had supposed would have happened: the general public fell in love with these people, those known as Psionics. They were seen as more attractive, more well-to-do, and generally favored in the eyes of most policies. This led to a small surge of abilities, mutations, and developments. Psionics rewrote human philosophy, was treated as mysticism in some circles and applied scientific theory in others, and redefined what "being human" entailed.
During the tumultuous Promethean Era, the various environmental factors accelerated the growth and chaotic nature of Psionics to such an extent that surges of nervous impulses from one's hands and telepathy became something far closer to magic. Psionics became able to conjure flames from seemingly nothing, some were able to manipulate kinetic forces on a whim, and some sects even developed targeted telepathic techniques to influence the minds of enemies and friends in wildly different ways.

Commonality and Availability of Psionics

The genetic markers required for psionic compatibility are not always passed to the offspring of psionic humans, even in unions where both parents are psionics. This causes roughly 40% of all humans to be psionic, and this distribution of these abilities makes them fairly prevalent in society. However, a psionic is not made so much as they are born. While a process does exist to artificially create a psionic (Known as "Boot-Strapping"), psionics created in this manner are often seen as abominable, aberrant, and ultimately unsavory to the point that "boot-strap" is a generally derogatory term.

Disciplines of Psionic Study

Psionics is a field of study almost as varied as humans are, to such an extent that no two humans are likely to manifest or grow their powers in exactly the same ways. This field is broken down into Disciplines, and then from there divided further into Subschools. Each Discipline is treated differently from the others, and each Subschool may breed its own unique culture. Most of these are treated like martial arts, and training begins at the age of six to mold a child into one Discipline or another.

Elementalism, the Forces of Nature

"So, you would say that as an Elementalist you... Conjure the forces of nature? To a layman, this appears to be wizardry. Magic, in its purest form."

"Perhaps, yes. And I'm sure a more delusional Psionic would be happy to enforce that viewpoint among those they see as lessers. Perhaps a Pyromancer. Cryomancers are so focused on their art they don't really care how other people see them. But myself, an Electromancer? I'd like to remind the layman that the nervous system is mostly electrical signals. I just stretch mine out a lot further than they can."

— Doctor Erik Piotrsson and an anonymous Zeus Trooper Electromancer, Interviews with Retired Psi-Corpsmen

• Passionately mystical, Elementalist Psionics are by far the most common form of Psionics. The subschools are Pyromancy, Cryomancy, and Electromancy. Each of these subschools are seen in a particular light: Pyromancers are passionate and zealous, Cryomancers are collected and meticulous creatures, and Electromancers are understood as the most mystical of the three. Wildly varied, the Elementalist Discipline is by far the most volatile and has an extensive variety of widely available tutors and teachers among the general population. Most Elementalists are trained very minimally, and intuit the rest of their abilities as they grow, mixing psionic power and other combat methods as a form of personalization.

Kineticism, Will Over Matter

"So, how would you explain your powers to a layman?"

"I think angry thoughts, and swing my hammer."

"Is that it?"

"Sometimes my hammer explodes."

— Dr. Erik Piotrsson and an anonymous Psi-Assault, Interviews with Retired Psi-Corpsmen

• Much more practical than they are theoretical or mystical, the Kineticist Discipline is filled with people who deal in tangible reality and the laws of physics. Where Elementalists may occasionally view their powers as martial arts, they do not find themselves practicing the rote and memorization of techniques to quite the extent Kineticists do. While some Elementalists may insist that their Discipline is something that requires, it pales in comparison to the natural understanding of physics that even the most brutish Kineticists come to understand. Force Adepts study the line between their willpower and the world around them, and toe it regularly to manipulate telekinetic blasts, launch objects, and even lock enemies in place. Psi-Assaults practice a martial art centered entirely on becoming an unstoppable juggernaut, augmenting the swings of their chosen melee weapons (Often the infamous "Devastator Assault Hammer, but occasionally other forms of melee weaponry). Psi-Defenders however, are the opposite of the previous subschool: they focus on defensive combat. Often augmenting barriers and energy shield technology of allies while creating hard light constructs that are bullet-proof and more than capable of turning the tide of a battle.

Eldritch, Mind Overwhelming

"When you reach into an opponents mind, is there an explicit emotion you have?"

"The feeling one has when they are going to commit a great, joyfully awful thing. Something like punishing a stranger's kid for acting out in the store, intimidating a suspect into talking... Those two things are your best examples."

— Dr. Erik Piotrsson and an anonymous Entropist, Interviews with Retired Psi-Corpsmen

• Highly misunderstood, the Eldritch Discipline ties the mind of a given psionic into the workings of another mind. As it deals with one of the most varied aspects of a human being, the mind, the Eldritch are by far the most arcane of all the Disciplines. The closest to its practices and teachings is the Elementalist subschool of Electromancy, however the arts required to master Eldritch psionic talents are perfected through rote memorization, a greater understanding of psionic theory, and in some instances a greater understanding of psychology. Entropism is the art of employing fear, and to a lesser extent the voids in an opponent's mind, to force the victim to become consumed with visions ranging from mild existential dread to forcing nearly-fatal flashes of otherworldly horrors. Abjurers specialize in applying more advanced scientific principles to psionics as a whole, espousing the principles of Sun Tzu's ancient works to lure in opposing Psionics and undo their powers with dismissive waves of their hands. Somaticists are focused on using their mastery of the mind to enhance their allies by removing inhibitions, giving them a clarity of mind, or even providing outright removal of pain for as long as they are connected with the ally.

Access & Availability

Roughly 40% of humans are Psionic

Complexity

Psi-Amplifiers are used as a focus for psionic talent, and without Psi-Amplifiers most Psionics cannot properly manifest their powers.

Discovery

Pre-Promethean Era, Genetic Experiment Gone Wild