Discipline: Telepathy

The ability to communicate telepathically is considered one of the standard hallmarks of characters with ESP. Indeed, some clans such as the Parafrosyni and Zmaj treat the moment of mastering Telepathy as a coming of age milestone. With this power, a character may communicate through the mental link established through the Contact discipline. This link offers several benefits, but it comes with some risks as well. The primary benefits of Telepathy are information gathering, combat preparation, and unobstructed communication. Once Telepathy has been engaged, all attempts at lying to the telepath automatically fail. This communication is virtually non-traceable (Roll Perception + Awareness; Difficulty 6), and only a counter-Contact followed by Telepathy in return will grant full and transparent communication on both sides of the conversation.

If the telepath wishes to dig in their target’s mind for a specific bit of information, they may employ one of two methods to bring the target’s knowledge to their surface thoughts:

• The first is for the telepath to roll Manipulation + Subterfuge (difficulty = the target’s Difficulty to Dominate rating)—asking questions to make the subject ponder the exact information the telepath is looking for. While one or more successes brings the knowledge to the surface, a failure causes the target to become suspicious of the telepath’s intentions, while a botch allows them to make a Perception + Awareness roll to ascertain that the telepath is using a supernatural power against them.


• The second method is for the telepath to steathfully rifle through their target’s subconscious without asking questions. This is a contested roll where the delving telepath rolls Wits + Investigation (difficulty = the target’s Difficulty to Dominate rating) while the target rolls Perception + Alertness (difficulty = 6). If the telepath scores more successes, they find the information they are looking for (if it exists) within five minutes. If the target succeeds, they keep their secrets locked in their mind and become paranoid that someone or something is trying to mess with them. The target may then roll Perception + Awareness roll to ascertain that a telepath is using a supernatural power against them.

In short, the telepath has the ability to see their opponent's cards (mentally speaking), while still reserving the luxury to play their own cards close to the chest. Additionally, a telepath who has Contact with an attacking foe may roll Wits + the appropriate skill (Brawl, De'Carta, etc.) to predict the next attack. Each success lowers the difficulty of a Dodge roll by -1 to a minimum difficulty of 3. In game terms, telepathic communication should be carried out with note passing or with the linked characters having a conversation in a separate room. In a pinch, the telepathic characters should place 2 fingers to their temples (Professor X style) to communicate to other players that the conversation cannot be over heard and requires an Awareness roll to even perceive the communication. The danger of telepathy is that not all minds are safe to enter. The more deranged or mentally ill the target of this power is, the more likely the telepath will fall through the cracks in the target’s mind and fall headlong into the Astral Plane. For every mentally ill target Contacted, the initiating telepath will need to roll (Wits + Awareness; Difficulty 6). Failure indicates that the mind is too fractured to be successfully reached. A botch indicates that the telepath has become lost in their subject's mind, and has fallen into the Astral Plane.

System

Cost: N/A. Establish Contact. No further roll is required unless the target possesses one or more Derangements.

Range: Line of Sight.

Special 1: If used to aid combat preparation (Roll Wits + Appropriate Ability (Brawl, De'Carta, Energy Guns, etc. Difficulty 6).

Special 2: Roll Wits + Awareness; Difficulty 6 if the target is mentally deranged to avoid getting trapped in the Astral Plane.

Roll: N/A.

Base Difficulty: N/A

Damage: This power does not cause damage.

Prerequisites: 4 Perception Traits, Contact.

Threat Level: Medium

Use of this power is considered a medium threat to Article 5 of the United Earth Federation charter that bans the use of magic and other super-human skills deemed deviant to reality. Medium-threat-level powers exhibit subtle signs of their use and can be detected by:

• The hyper aware (Roll Perception + Awareness; Difficulty = 6).


• Characters who have studied Lore or Occult subjects (Roll Intelligence + Lore / Occult; Difficulty = 6).


• Researchers deploying hyper technology that can detect numinous anomalies (Roll Wits + Hypertech; Difficulty = 6).

Characters that the UEF suspect of using medium-threat-level powers and abilities are frequently put on active surveillance and watched for further proof of deviance. Use of medium-threat-level powers in the commission of a crime in UEF territory can carry a sentence of death.