Psychic failure and phenomena

[SpanielBear]

Having been inspired by the Nullification thread, I thought it might be good to open a discussion on an expansion to the rules for failing to use psychic powers. While loss of willpower is a good representation of the effects of psychic feedback, it does seem a little limited. The warp is dangerous, quasi-sentient and totally alien, and improper use by a mere human mind should have more grievous consequences than a mild headache.

So, with this in mind, here is a proposed Psychic Failure table. If the psyker fails their WP test when attempting a psychic action, and the d100 roll is a factor of five, rather than take WP damage the psyker should roll a d10:

1. Localised warp instability prevents its effective manipulation. Any power attempted fizzles and fails.

2. The psyker has attracted the attention of one of the alien intelligences that inhabit that hellish dimension. Fortunately, they manage to sever this psychic link before there are any truly ill effects. The experience deals 1d10 recoverable damage to the psyker's willpower, and the character is stunned for a turn.

3. The warp does not appreciate being treated as a mere tool! It reject's the psyker's clumsy attempts to manipulate it with an affronted slap of psychic energy. The psyker takes 1d6 damage to either the head (1-3 on a d6) or the chest (4-6). This damage bypasses armour and force fields, but equipment such as psychic wards will reduce it to 1d3.

4. Distracted at a crucial moment, the psyker unleashes their power upon the wrong target. Using the scatter dice, determine a new location for the epicentre of the powers. If there are no valid targets at the new location, then the power is wasted.

5. With a look of almost comical surprise, the psyker is sucked through a rift in the warp feet-first, vanishing from the table. They return d3 turns later, again using the scatter dice to determine the location of their reappearance. For each turn the psyker spends in the Warp, they must take a WP test or lose 10 points of willpower.

6. The Psyker momentarily becomes seduced by the whisperings of a lesser daemon of Slaanesh. Basking in self-adoration, the psyker is stunned for d6 turns.

7. An emissary of Papa Nurgle has noticed the psyker's warp presence, and moves to spread his master's blessing. For the remainder of the battle, the psyker has become infected with a mild form of Nurgle's rot, dealing d6 damage to 3 locations with no armour save. Furthermore, if the psyker touches any other character on an uncovered location, roll a d100. If the result is higher than the other characters toughness, the contagion has been passed on...

8. Khorne thoroughly disapproves of this psychic rubbish, and demands a more brutal approach. Blood for the Blood God! The psyker gains 30 strength and becomes subject to frenzy, attacking the nearest character with either a close combat weapon or their bare hands. Each time a wound is inflicted, either upon the psyker or another character, the psyker can test against WP to return to their senses. When they do, the strength bonus is lost.

9. Tzeentch's minions are forever lurking in the warp, waiting to trap an unguarded mind. The psyker must fight to dispel the illusions and lies that are being whispered to them, and will have difficulty establishing the difference between lies and reality. For 1d6 turns, the psyker must test against sagacity or roll on the hallucinations table.

10. The psyker's exposure to the warp is so cataclysmic that reality itself is affected. Eldritch lightning flickers across the battlefield, screaming faces gibber on the walls of buildings, and the psyker becomes a living conduit of unrefined warp energy. Every character on the table must take a nerve test or be stunned for a turn. The psyker becomes rooted to the spot as the power of the warp burns through them, taking d10 damage to the head with no armour save as well as being stunned for the next 5 turns. Any character within five yards of the psyker is hit by the power psychic scream.  Finally, when they recover, the psyker loses 30 points of willpower.

These are just really rough ideas, but as a starting point, what are people's thoughts?

[MarcoSkoll]

the d100 roll is a factor of five

I assume you mean either multiples or "ends in 5", because 5 is a prime number and therefore only has two factors, itself and one.

Well, I think the big problem is that if a fail is by only by a couple of points, it still has the same chances of causing a major reality rupture as a fail by several dozen. As I said in the other thread, you really need modifiers for degree of failure when you start including random tables.

Otherwise, there are some interesting ideas in there, but I'd suggest replacing some of those fixed values (like "loses 30 points of Willpower") with appropriate dice rolls.

[SpanielBear]

See, this is why I shouldn't post when it is late enough to be considered morning...

I did indeed mean 'multiples of five'. As for the problem of major vs minor failures, how about this:

if the WP test is failed by 1-9 points- roll d3 on the table

if the WP test is failed by 10-19 points- roll d6 on the table

if the WP test is failed by 20 points or over- roll the full d10

That way the major daemonic interferences are saved for cataclysmic failures. If we assume that the average psyker will have a WP of around 75, then they will only be risking a massive failure if the d100 roll is 95 or more, which is a critical fail anyway.

[Cortez]

I Think this table would be Ok for failing the risky action. However I think that some of these are a bit harsh.

Number 3: I think D6 damage to the head is quite steep, perhaps add D6 to the injury total?

Number 5: I really like this one, but I think they should loose nerve or sagacity to represent the horror they've just experienced or their loss of sanity.

Number 6: D6 turns is a bit high and could put the character out of action for the rest of the game. Make it D3 turns.

I like the others but you could make a sub-table for the extreme effects of number 10.

[MarcoSkoll]

If we assume that the average psyker will have a WP of around 75, then they will only be risking a massive failure if the d100 roll is 95 or more

... or if they're attempting anything with a notable difficulty. With modifiers, I frequently roll to "cast" psychic powers on significantly less than 75, and that's on a psyker with a base Wp of 85.

[Molotov]

I think I would've liked this to be closer to the Dark Heresy rules. Separating it into "Psychic Phenomena" and "Perils of the Warp" is perhaps better.

The "Psychic Overloads" rules from Inquisitor work fine (especially if you consider the "Psychic Recovery" rules suggested by Goldeneye.)

Inquisitor also suggests that using Psychic powers is a risky action - and where better to use these negative consequences than if they trigger the risky action?


Possible Psychic Phenomena:

Veil of Darkness - for the rest of the round, an area of X yards around the Psyker is plunged into total darkness.
Daemonic Mask - For a moment, the psyker appears to have the face of a daemon, and gains the fearsome ability.
The Earth Protests - Everyone within X yards of the psyker (including the psyker himself) must take a toughness test or be knocked off their feet.
Warp Ghosts - Ghostly apparitions fill the air. All characters within X yards must take a Nv test or suffer as though affected by a Hallucinogen grenade for a single turn.
Banshee Howl - All characters within X yards must pass an initiative test. If they pass, they drop their equipment and put their hands to their ears. If they fail, they are completely deafened for X turns.
Spectral Gale - The Psyker is immediately knocked to the ground. All those within X yards must test or be knocked to the floor.
Tech Scorn - As the machine spirits reject the warp, all firearms within X yards malfunction - an action must be spent "clearing the jam" before they can be fired.
Warp Madness - All characters must pass a WP test or gain frenzy for a round.
Perils of the Warp - Roll on the "Perils of the Warp" table.

Possible Perils of the Warp
The Gibbering: The Psyker must pass a NV test or lose D6 additional WP.
Warp Burn: The Psyker is stunned for D3 turns.
Psychic Concussion: The Psyker is knocked unconscious. Everyone within X yards must make a WP test or additionally be knocked unconscious. Characters knocked unconscious in this way are treated as having the True Grit ability.
Soul Sear: The psyker is unable to use any psychic powers for X turns.
Chronological Incontinence: The Psyker disappears from the board for D6 rounds. At the end of that time, he will return. In the intervening time, do not make any actions for the character, and do not roll recovery for him.
Psychic Mirror: Resolve the psyker's intended power against the psyker himself. (If the power is a beneficial one, for example Regenerate, it instead deals D6 damage to the injury total.)
Vice Versa: The psyker and another character on the table swap minds for D6 turns.
Dark Summoning: A lesser daemon is summoned within X yards of the psyker. It will survive for D10 turns or until slain, and will focus its attacks on the psyker, who it hates for pulling it into the material plane.
Ethereal Storm: All characters on the table take X damage.
Blood Rain: A psychic storm erupts, covering an area of X yards. Any psychic power used within this area will automatically invoke Perils of the Warp for X turns.
Cataclysm: Any character within X yards of the psyker (and the psyker himself) must take 2D10 damage to their Injury total.
Ravaged: Daemons ravage the minds of all living characters on the board. All characters take an immediate WP test - those that fail must forfeit all of their next actions as they fight the daemons assailing them.
Possession: The psyker must immediately take a WP test or become possessed by a daemonic creature. The character will gained the Possessed special ability, and a number of daemonic abilities.


Whilst this doesn't deal with many of Marco's arguments, I think what I'd like to convey is that the warp is alien, non-sense. The laws of reality don't apply, and when characters use psychic powers, they are toying with the very fabric of reality. Psychic phenomena should be bizarre and unusual - the perils themselves should be very dangerous. But, of course, they should still be playable in the Inquisitor game.

[MarcoSkoll]

While there's a lot of good stuff that can be carried over from Dark Heresy, I wouldn't borrow the ones that involve daemons suddenly manifesting. It's just asking for games to be horribly derailed.

[biggreengribbly]

While there's a lot of good stuff that can be carried over from Dark Heresy, I wouldn't borrow the ones that involve daemons suddenly manifesting. It's just asking for games to be horribly derailed.

Or at the very least, work the daemonic attention into a separate scenario/plot thread. E.g the psyker has thinned the veil generally in the local area, and the consequences must be faced, rather than have the gribblies spontaneously exploding from the psykers face, as Marco implied, derailing the scenario in a manner not necessarily conducive to improved enjoyment.

[Molotov]

Fair enough - I can see what you mean, because the daemon certainly seems to've derailed this thread!

[SpanielBear]

Another problem with the daemon summoning idea is the need to actually have a model to represent it on the table if it appears. Not a huge issue, but for those of us on a budget...

I like a lot of those ideas, especially vice-versa. The idea of a psyker finding himself laden with power armour and holding a power axe he has no idea how to use is a fun one.

I do agree, however, that the idea of 'something coming through' when an attempt to breach the barriers between the worlds goes wrong is very 40k. How about, rather than a single daemon, a horde of little horrors and fiends vomit forth from the psykers mouth? The swarm could be represented by a template, rather than a single model.