Project Nemesis is a fan driven website for games that use the One-Roll Engine (like Nemesis, Wild Talents, Reign and Monsters) or Chaosium's Basic Roleplay System (BRP) (like Call of Cthulhu) and the Delta Green setting.
Has anyone else developed any completely different magic systems for
Reign using the guidelines in the main book. Actually, in the campaign
I'm currently preparing, I am using the "standard" magic system, but as
a thought experiment I developed...Reign psionics. Feedback welcome,
and enjoy.
Psionics is divided into powers. Each power consists of an advantage and a few related skills. Each advantage comes in levels,from 1 to 6.
The psionic advantages are:
Biokinesis
Extrasensory Perception
Psychokinesis
Telepathy
When creating a character, the cost of a psionic advantage is twice its level, and the maximum level allowed is 5. Improving anadvantage by one level later on costs twice the new level in XP. Some level of an advantage is needed to learn any skills for that power.
Using a psionic power successfully does not cost or fatigue the character beyond normal activity. However, any failed use of thepower causes one point of shock to the torso.
Biokinetic powers, unless otherwise noted, can only affect the character himself or someone he touches.
The skills are all based on the Body Stat. They are as follows.
Biokinetic Weapon
Does Width+Level killing damage to a victim. The victim must be touched and the power channeled; this needs an ordinary skill check,which can be dodged, parried, or disrupted by being attacked as
usual for actions in combat. However, armour is no protection from the damage.Alternatively, this power can be used to boost the damage of a weapon touched; add the biokinesis level to the weapon damage forHeight minutes.
Gift of Grace
Adds half of a character's biokinesis level to the target's Coordination score for Height combat rounds.
Gift of Strength
Adds half of a character's biokinesis level to the target's Body score for Height combat rounds.
Healing
When used to heal wounds, the Healing skill heals up to Width+Level Killing damage. This power can also reduce the effect of a poisonor disease. Major effects become minor, and minor effects are
neutralised. However, the maximum intensity of effect is equal to twice a character's Healing level.
The Healing skill can only be attempted once per day on a particular subject.
Extrosensory Perception or ESP powers are based on Sense. The Farsense, Lifesense, and Psychic Sense powers have a range dependingon the ESP level as follows.
0 : Touch
1 : 10' or eye contact
2 : 100'
3 : 1 mile
4 : 10 miles
5 : 100 miles
6 : 1000 miles
Danger Sense
The character has a very limited view of the future. A successful check provides a split second of warning, preventing him from being surprised byan ambush. If the skill check has width three or higher, he has just enough time to shout a warning, preventing his companions frombeing surprised.
The power also provides a very limited ability to predict the moves made by other characters in combat; he gains a bonus to dodge and parry equalto half of the ESP level. Further, he has no multiple action penalty formultiple actions when combining an attack with a dodge or a parry. Finally, the GM can use this power to plague the character with visionsrelating to dangers in the near future. These dangers may or may notdirectly concern the character.
Farsense
The character can extend his sight and hearing to a particular location within the range. This skill can be used to spy on aparticular location, look through a brick wall, and so on. Thepower lasts as long as the character concentrates. He is not aware of his usual surroundings while concentrating.
Lifesense
The character is aware of the presence of living beings close to him and within ESP range; this use of the power is automatic. He canalso use this skill to find a particular plant or animal species oreven individual known to him.
This power does not by itself grant the ability to psionically spy on a known individual within range; such a power needs asimultaneous combination of Lifesense and Farsense (the Farsensepower is described above).
Psychic Sense
The character can sense the presence of psychic powers or those capable of using psychic powers within range. A skill check isalways made to detect psychic powers used on the character or in hisimmediate presence. Detecting psychic powers within range is a more active use of thepower; the player decides when to use it, and what he is looking foror where he is looking. At high levels some focus is needed; sensing all psionic activity within 1000 miles is unlikely to be useful.
Psychometry
The character can use this power to learn significant events in the history of a place or object. The number of pieces of informationlearnt is equal to a character's ESP level. Once a check fails, theskill cannot be used again on the particular item or location. Further, the GM can grant visions to a character with this power ifhe enters a place or handles an item of great historical oremotional significance.
The information provided is the GM's discretion; possibilities foritems include the following. How to use or activite the item (especially if magic)
Location of item's creation.
Magical powers of an item.
Name of item's creator.
Name of item's last owner.
One significant event where the item was used.
Purpose of item.
Time of item's creation.
Possibilities for locations include the following. Animals, plants, or water present or commonly present.
Hidden objects or secret doors.
Name of the last or current inhabitant of a location.
Name of the location's creator (if artificial).
The last creature to walk through the location.
One significant event that occured at the location.
Purpose of location (if artificial).
Time of location's creation (if artificial).
The GM should at pay attention to a player who wants a particular item of information, and either provide it as one of the items, orexclude it if he has a good reason.
Psychokinesis powers are based on Coordination, and can be used on objects seen by the psychic.
The maximum mass of an object affected by psychokinetic powers depends on level as follows.
1 : 2LB
2 : 10LB
3 : 50LB
4 : 250LB
5 : 1/2 ton
6 : 2 tons
Hurl
Hurls an inanimate object at a target. The object cannot be tied down in any way. The precise mass is unimportant; any suitable
object does Width+Level damage. The damage is normally Shock damage.
However, if the object is sharp or weighs 50LB or more, the damage
is killing damage. Doing killing damage with this power depends on the availability of such objects.
Levitation
The character can fly or lift up other living targets. The maximum duration is Height minutes. Movement speed is quite slow; a mere
10' per combat round.
To use this power on himself or another human, the character needs
at least level 4 is the psychokinesis advantage. Lifting more than one creature (if within the allowed mass) requires
a multiple action as usual.
Pyrokinesis
This power can be used to ignite a flammable object or objects; the maximum mass affected depends on the character's psychokinesis skill
as usual. Affecting more than one object simultaneously is a
multiple action. If used as an attack, pyrokinesis is an area attack doing killing damage equal to the telekinesis level.
Pyrokinesis can also heat or cool objects within the mass limit. This use of the power does not cause damage, but can for instance
extinguish fires, or cause water to freeze sufficiently to support
weight.
Psychokinetic Shield
round. If the character is also attacking or doing something else,
A psychokinetic shield acts as armour equal to the psychokinesis level. A skill check is made to shield either the character or a
comrade against all attacks that he is aware of for a single combat using a psychokinetic shield counts as a multiple action as usual.
Telekinesis
This power moves objects within the mass limit. Only inanimate objects can be affected.
Complex actions generally require multiple actions; if the character uses Telekinesis to perform an action where both hands are needed, a
multiple action with two uses of the Telekinesis skill is needed. More complex actions still are possible with telekinesis, and generally involve a multiple action with another skill. For
example, wielding a melee weapon at a distance with telekinesis is a
multiple action involving the weapon skill (or the Fight skill) and
telekinesis.
Telepathic powers are based on Command. All powers have a range depending on the telepathy level as follows.0 : Touch 1 : 10' or eye contact
2 : 100'
3 : 1 mile
4 : 10 miles
5 : 100 miles
6 : 1000 miles
Contact
The character can send thoughts to another character within range. People he knows well can be accurately contacted, but if he only hasa name and a vague description, mistakes can occur unless the checkbeats a difficulty number (usually 3 if there is some chance forerror, or 6 if there is a significant chance).
Someone contacted cannot reply unless they also have the power or the psychic has the empathy power (see below). Each `message' sentis a new use of the contact power.
Intuitive Reading
The character gains an intuitive impression another individual's surface thoughts and emotions. He gains no concrete informationfrom this, but the intuitive impressions grant a bonus equal to halfthe telepathy level to all social skills for Height minutes.
As a bonus, the character can understand any language spoken by the target of this power; however, he gains no ability to speak other languages.
Mental Blow
Does Width+Power damage in shock. The victim must be both in range, and seen by the character (either by their presence or as a resultof ESP powers). Using mental blow against a character only sensed by ESP powerscounts as a multiple action, using both the Mental Blow skill andthe relevant ESP skill or skills. Further, if any of the powers involved in using a mental blow fail, the psychic takes onepoint of shock for each failure.
Psychic Shield
Dice from a psychic shield check can be used as gobble dice to block or nullify psychic activities known by the character that are withinrange.
Well-
that's it. I should probably also mention that the Countermagic and
Eerie skills no longer exist. Psychic Shield (Telepathy) does more or
less the same thing as Countermagic, and Psychic Sense (ESP) basically
the same thing as Eerie.
ORE Fantasy 
