Psychomantics

 

 

 

 

Amongst the Principles of Gramarie is a very stand alone Discipline that is far more subtle than the other Disciplines that bends the will of the mind before you. Psychomantics is a disciple of thought, of the mind, which deals with the manipulation of the thoughts, opinions and beliefs of sentient creatures. Many believe that this fine art to be a bunch of non-sense and others believe they are invulnerable to such methods, however that is where they get you. Psychomantics is often used when a more subtle hand is required.

Psychomantics often involves surgical procedures, provocative imagery, quickly altering stimuli to temper a mind into the perfect condition. Surgical tools, Cranial Maps, Scalpels, Rorschachs, and even other Gramarist specialized in Psychomantics are all common tools for Psychomantics. Any such equipment counts as a masterwork item and provides a +2 bonus to the Use Psionic Device made to prepare a Psychomantic principle. The Phrenological Map is a legendary map detailing the mechanics of every section of the brain, advanced knowledge on the neural network that inhabits all sentient life and even how to access the missing 90% of your brain.

Key Skill: Use Psionic Device

PSYM 101: Intro into Psychomantics
Grade: Baccalaureate
Prerequisites: None
Target: One creature with an Intelligence score.
Preparation Time: 1 hour

This principles alters a creatures frontal lobes to be more susceptible to subliminal messaging, by replacing minor sections of it with a Psychomantic Receiver. Upon being implanted with a Receiver, the creature can now obtain Propositions to incite an alternative reaction to external stimuli. When you create a Receiver, you are considered the Admin for all intents and purposes.

While applying a Proposition, you must select both a Cause and Effect. An Effect is often a bonus or penalty applied to a creature, however these bonuses or penalties are only applied while the creatures Cause is currently triggered via a method described with each principle. While it is possible to change the Cause and Effect, it can only be performed by the Admin.

While a creature with a Receiver is inside a Heuristic Bubble, it may share its listed bonuses from their Effect, by establishing a Network. For each additional creature, you multiple the bonuses (ex. 3 creatures equals to 3 times the bonus). Unfortunately, the stability of these Bubbles is severely weakened causing the Bubbles to collapse after a number of hours equal to the average Use Psionic Device check for every Receiver within the Network. A Network may only have a number of Receivers within it equal to the Autohypnosis used to establish the Heuristic Bubble. Creatures connected to each other through a Network are may telepathically communicate to any creature currently inhabiting the Network. A Network's bonus may only provide a bonus with a maximum value equal to the Use Psionic Device check used to establish each individual Receiver. You may increase the duration of a Network by 1 hour by supplying the Heuristic Bubble with 10 ebbs per member on the Network.

This principle allows you to make a Proposition with the following Causes:

• Entity: An entity can be any living creature of a particular creature type, subtype, alignment, or race. It can also be limited down to unique members of any of those. This effect is active until the Entity is out of the creatures line of sight and 10 minutes * (Use Psionic Device/5) after. However while under their Effect, the creature takes a penalty towards all other entities that did not trigger their Effect.

• Object: This functions exactly as Entity, however it applies to objects, symbols and imagery and must be specific (the Holy Symbol of a Church, A particular sword, Gramarie, etc.)

• Networked: This Cause allows the Effect to trigger only while connected to a Network and ends when they exit the Network or it collapses.

This principle allows you to make a Proposition with the following Effects:

• Affection: The creature's mood towards their Cause improves, along with their reactions, while it is within their line of sight. The creature gains a +2 morale bonus to all Diplomacy, Sense Motive, Spot, Listen, Search and Gather Information check. If their Cause is an Entity, whenever they would be subject to a Diplomacy check to improve their attitude, they act as if they are one grade higher.

• Hostile: The creature's mood towards their Cause worsens, along with their reactions, while it is within their line of sight. This also causes the creature's body to produce Adrenaline. The creature gains a +2 morale bonus to all Intimidate, Spot, Listen and Sense Motive checks. If the creature's Cause is an Entity whenever they would be subject to a Diplomacy check to improve their attitude, they act as if they are one grade lower and gain a +1 bonus to all attack rolls and damage rolls. If the creature's Cause is a specific object or symbol, they gain a +1 bonus to all sunder checks.

• Algorithm: This Effect can only be applied to a Networked Cause. The creatures brain power is supplemented to allow creatures upon the Network to come to logical conclusions that would otherwise be impossible. The creature gains a +2 morale bonus to all Knowledge checks. Bonuses provided by this Effect can only be used to make conventional Knowledge checks.

Any further principles you learn which augment these two lists can be mixed together when making Proposition. If you try to prepare this principle on an unwilling creature, they are allowed a Will Save (DC 5 +5 for every PSYM principle known).

By preparing this principle on a preexisting Receiver, you can become the Admin of the Receiver, by beating the Use Psionic Device check to establish it + 10.

PSYM 142: Innocent Horror [Specialist]
Grade: Baccalaureate
Prerequisites: PSYM 101, Use Psionic Device 4 ranks
Target: Psychomantic Receiver
Preparation Time: 1 hour

This principle works like PSYM 101, except it adds new causes and effects:

Cause

• Dark and Light: Who is more foolish, the child afraid of the dark or the man afraid of the light? Whenever the creature is in a light setting that you set (Darkness, Low-Light, Starlight, Daylight, etc.). Such an effect last until 5 minutes * (Use Psionic Device/5) after the creature gets into a location without that level of lighting. Creatures with this Cause are treated as if shaken, while their Effect is triggered. This fear level increases for every minute that they remain in the same level of light.

• Size: Big adults are scary and tiny spiders are even worse, every child knows this to be true. Whenever the creature would encounter something of a different size category the effect triggers and last for 1 minute * (Use Psionic Device/5) after the creature is either dead or out of sight. The Size category must be specified as being larger or smaller than the creature. Creatures with this Cause are treated as if shaken, while their Effect is triggered. This fear level increases for every minute that they maintain a line of sight with their Cause.

Effect

• Hiding: The creature's ability to decrease it's detective presence improves to allow them to replicate their more primal abilities held by their ancestors. The creature may perform a hide check as a swift action and may Hide in Plain Sight. The creature also gains a +2 bonus to any Hide checks.

• Vision: The creature's ability to process sensory information improves. The creature gains a Darkvision out 5ft and a +2 bonus to all Spot and Search checks. While connected to a Network, you may multiply your Darkvision in the same way your bonuses would apply. If the creature already has Darkvision, they add this bonus to their preexisting Darkvision.

• Hope: The creature gains a more bright outlook towards life, allowing it to react much better to more stressful situations. The creature gains a +1 bonus to all Will saves. If the Phobia system (Heroes of Horror) is in place, the creature may apply these same bonuses to any checks to overcome their fears.

Additionally, you may also use this technique to cure a creature of the effects of any Mind-Affecting effect they might be suffering under. If your game is using the Phobia rules (Heroes of Horror), you may treat penalties caused by those effects as being viable targets for this use.

PSYM 246: Social Agent
Grade: Magisterial
Prerequisites: PSYM 101, Use Psionic Device 8 ranks
Target: Psychomantic Receiver
Preparation Time: 1 hour

This principle works like PSYM 101, except it adds the following new causes and effects:

Cause

• Social Connection: People often associate people with plenty of friends as being popular and popularity is often as a good trait (pending on your stance in relation to that person). Meeting another creature (type is irrelevant) and having the new creature have a Friendly or better attitude towards you causes your effect to trigger. You need not be able to physical meet this creature, just be able to speak to them (telepathically or otherwise). This cause triggers their effect for 10 minutes * (Use Psionic Device/5). While an Effect is triggered by this Cause, the creature becomes single minded in using whatever bonuses it would apply towards improving the creatures attitude to a higher tier.

• Social Pariah: Not everyone is a connection is a good one. Sometimes you are just hated. Be it for your beliefs, stances, demeanor, or perhaps just for your simple existence. Meeting another creature (type is irrelevant) and having the new creature have an Indifferent or worst attitude towards you cause your effect to trigger. You need not physical meet this creature, simply the knowledge that these creature exist is enough to cause your effect to trigger. This cause triggers the effect for 1 hour * (Use Psionic Device/5). While an Effect is triggered by this Cause, the creature becomes single minded in using whatever bonuses it would apply towards improving the creatures attitude to a higher tier.

Effect

• Love: An improvement from the previous Effect of Affection, the creature's reaction boarders on obsessive, however this feeling of "love" is infectious. The creature gains a +4 morale bonus to all Diplomacy, Sense Motive, Spot, Listen, Search and Gather Information check. The creature is treated as under a Sanctuary spell, casted at 1st level with a DC of 10 + Spell level. While within a Network, this spell level is multiplied as per normal, to a maximum of 9. If their Cause is an Entity, whenever they would be subject to a Diplomacy check to improve their attitude, they act as if they are two grades higher.

• Hate: An improvement from the previous Effect of Hostile, the creature's reaction boarders on obsessive, however this feeling of "hate" is frightening to onlookers. The creature gains a +4 morale bonus to all Intimidate, Spot, Listen and Sense Motive checks. If the creature's Cause is an Entity whenever they would be subject to a Diplomacy check to improve their attitude, they act as if they are one grade lower and gain a +2 bonus to all attack rolls and damage rolls. If the creature's Cause is a specific object or symbol, they gain a +2 bonus to all sunder checks. When the creature is attacked, there is a 50% chance it will enter a Barbarian's Rage.

• Virtual Self: This Effect can only be applied to a Networked Cause. In the age of massive social networking, it is easy to lie about yourself, but would you really do that? Just go on the Internet and tell lies? Creatures within the Network become able to access knowledge that others would be able to access, albeit at a weakened level. The creatures inside the Network are now able to replicate class features from other creatures within the Network. You may only access class features from a class equal to 1/2 of that classes levels (ex. Attempting to access the Eldritch Blast of a 10th level Gramarist, allows you to use the class feature as a 5th level Gramarist).

You also gain an additional option when creating a Network. Instead you may establish the Network as a Web, which functions exactly as a Network with the following changes:

A Web is effectively a Network that is connected to other Network. To maintain the connection between Networks, you must connect them through a Heuristic Circuit. Bonuses established across a Web are not shared in the same sense as with a Network, however you may now switch out creatures in and out of the connected Networks as a standard action. However Webs collapse much more rapidly. To determine how many hours a Web can last, you add up the average Use Psionic Device check to establish all of the Receivers and then divide that result by 10.

 

PSYM 269: Eccentric Reactions [Specialist]
Grade: Magisterial
Prerequisites: Any two PSYM principles, Use Psionic Device 8 ranks
Target: Psychomantic Receiver
Preparation Time: 1 hour

After learning this Principle, any Cause that you apply can also have an additional Effect that triggers in addition towards any other possible Effect that would be triggered, however penalties gained from these secondary Effects are doubled, while bonuses are halved (to a minimum of +1). These Effects must be selected from Effects that you have access to. You must select 5 effects and roll 1d% to determine this and roll on the listed table

Effect

Probability

Option 1

20%

Option 2

20%

Option 3

20%

Option 4

20%

Option 5

20%

This additional Effect is also applied to when connected to a Network. Otherwise this principle works like PSYM 101, except it adds the following cause and effect:

Cause

• Environment: We are all products of our environment, whether experiencing the two minute hate or by witnessing the powerful might of nature itself. You can set a special condition, be it weather based (Lightning, Wildfires, Typhoons, etc.) or social based (Riots, a speech, a religious service, etc), that would trigger the Effect. An Effect triggered by this only last 10 minutes before suppressing itself.

• Foreigners: There are many different types of reactions associated with foreigners. Some people love them and find them beautiful while others hate them and wish to see them exterminated. These are just two very noteworthy reactions. Each reaction is different between each creature type.
  Effects triggered by this Cause last for as long as that creature is within your Line of Sight and for 10 minutes after.

• Location: A place of worship, a place of torture. These places give people emotional and mental reactions to these things. People are irrational in associating feelings with locations and this irrationality can be exploited to. While the creature is within 100ft * (the Use Psionic Device used to establish this divided by 5) they experience certain changes to their psyche.

• Time: Hidden deep within certain peoples mind is a phobia for certain times, however it isn't the fear of the time, just the numbers associated with these numbers. For example, some people have an irrational fear for the time 2:15 or soldiers have a fear of 11. It is possible to find and exploit more irrational associations with these things through this Cause. With this cause you specify a specific time of the day (ex. Noon, 3:35pm, Midnight, etc.) and cause their effect to trigger, the effect is active until 1 hour after the ordained time or until they check the nearest exact time piece.

Effect

• Dread: Fear is one of the most basic responses, however it should be worth noting that fear is largely inappropriate. It served our ancestors will, however now it serves very little. The creature gains a -2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks. By spending 1 minute within the line of sight of their Cause, these penalties increase to -4 and they immediately attempt to flee from their Cause to the best of their abilities. By spending an additional minute, this penalty increases to -6 and they may only take actions towards fleeing their Cause. If, at any point and for any reason, the creature is cornered and cannot escape, they immediately take all of the above penalties and are incapable of taking any actions.

• Awe: This Effect cannot have a Networked Cause. Awe towards something beyond you is much more beautiful. Inspiration is one of the greatest things that can lead a species into beyond the scope. Most inventors, genius and enlightened masters have witnessed this awe and lead their peoples to greatness. The creature gains a +2 bonus on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks. By maintaining a line of sight with their Cause for 1 minute or longer, these bonuses increase to +4 and they may now take an additional move action per round. By maintaining the line of sight for an additional minute, these bonuses increase to +6 and they may now take an additional standard action in addition to an additional move action. And by maintaining a line of sight towards their Cause for yet another minute, they begin to feel woozy and are now dazed thereafter until they are away their cause. While dazed from this Effect, the creature can only take move actions towards getting away from their Cause.
  
  Regardless, thereafter turning away from your Cause, you immediately lose any bonuses that may have been obtained from this Effect.

PSYM 361: Dreams within Dreams
Grade: Doctorate
Prerequisites: Any three PSYM principles, Use Psionic Device 15 ranks
Target: Psychomantic Receiver
Preparation Time: 1 hour

This principle works like PSYM 101, except it adds the following new causes and effects:

Cause

• Sleep: Sleeping and dreams can cause unusual mental experiences. Whenever the creature sleeps it can enter a state where it is both sleeping and awake at the same. This is commonly referred to as "Sleepwalking". A sleepwalker's effect last until the creature is awoken or wakes up naturally. While under this cause, the creature is treated as being under the effects of a Sleep spell and is helpless. The creature may still however apply their benefits towards a Network.

• Nightmare: The world of Nightmares is almost as vile as the Nine Hells themselves. No creature would willingly wish to experience a Nightmare because of the sheer psychomantic damage to a persons mind. Whenever the creature would be attacked while in their sleep, for the next 24 hours, the Effect is triggered, however they are then fatigued for the entire duration.

Effect

• Dreams: The dream world is one of the most beautiful locations across the planes and most would agree that remembering such a location would be the most remarkable sensations ever. The creature is treated as receiving a natural 20 on a Lucid Dreaming check to forcefully induce sleep and gains a +2 bonus to all Lucid Dreaming checks. This sleep last for a number of hours equal to their Use Psionic Device check or someone adjacent to your waking body can take a standard to forcefully wake you up.

• Insomnia: Even sleep deprivation can have some beneficial effects for a creature. Eventually a creature being deprived of sleep will enter a state called "mania", that allows them to perform much more proficiently towards their end goal. It should be worth noting that training Gramarist will often form "study groups" for exam prep using this Effect. The creature is treated as being under a Haste spell for the duration of this Effect. They are also able to cut Item creation, and Principle preparation by half. This deduction is multiplied while connected to a Network (ex. Divided by 3 and 4 and so on and so forth). During this time, also receives a -1 penalty to all skill checks for every hour they remain under this effect, however after 3 days, in addition to this continual penalty, the creature takes an accumulative 1 ability damage to every mental ability score until one of their ability scores reaches 1 where they are rendered unconscious for a number of hours equal to the amount of time they have been awake. Regardless, after resting for a number of hours that they've been under this Effect, you lose any penalties associated with it.

You also gain an additional option when creating an Internet. Instead you may establish a Web as an Internet, which functions exactly as a Web with the following changes:

An Internet is effectively a Web that is connected to other Webs through Heuristic Circuits. Bonuses are amplified while connected to an Internet. These bonuses are multiplied, in addition to the previous bonuses. The total number of individuals that can exist on an individual section of an Internet (A Web) is now only a 10th of the check used to establish it, however you may change what section of the Internet you're on as a Full-Round action. Unlike Webs and Networks, Internets can only collapse if the Heuristic Bubbles and Circuits connecting them together are all destroyed.

PSYM 384: Sociological Revolution [Specialist]
Grade: Doctorate
Prerequisites: Any four PSYM principles, Use Psionic Device 15 ranks
Target: Psychomantic Receiver
Preparation Time: 1 hour

This principle works like PSYM 101, except it adds two new cause and effect:

Cause

• Hysteria: Ideas are infinite and infectious. As long as their is sentient thought through out the multiverse there will always be ideas. When you apply this cause to a Proposition, you must also select an additional Cause. Any creature within a line of sight to witness the creatures secondary Cause, runs the risk of being infected with these ideas. The observing creature is subject to a PSYM 101 with the same Cause and Effect that the original creature had, without this added Cause to it.

• Verbal: Words are powerful and no way is it more powerful for a creature if the right words are used. When you prepare this principle, you make a single verbal command (no longer than 25 words) that triggers a creatures Effect. Regardless, the Effect is only triggered for a number of hours equal to the Use Psionic Device check to establish this.

Effect

• Worship: An improvement from the previous Effect of Love. The creatures reaction towards their cause is akin towards that of the worship of a God. The creature gains a +6 morale bonus to all Diplomacy, Sense Motive, Spot, Listen, Search and Gather Information check. The creature is treated as if the target of a Sympathy spell casted as a 1st level spell with a DC of 10 + Spell level and dedicated towards attracting creatures of similar alignment. While within a Network, this spell level is multiplied as per normal, to a maximum of 18. If their Cause is an Entity, whenever they would be subject to a Diplomacy check to improve their attitude, they act as if they are three grades higher.

• Peace: The creature is forced into the Theta Brain State and made highly receptive towards all sensory input. The creature gains a +4 bonus to all skill checks, attack rolls, damage rolls and saving throws. In addition to this, the creature gains an additional d6 HD times their Use Psionic Device check divided by 10.

• Suicidal Tendencies: This is the most destructive Effect that can ever be inflicted upon a creature: "Kill yourself". The creature tries to the best of it's abilities to kill itself in the most flashy way possible (and in public if possible). Due to the destructive and cruel method by which the creature dies, it is reborn as a Ghost and haunts the location in which it died.

You may now surpass the standard bonus limits imposed when creating a Network. By supplying a number of ebbs equal to the number of members on the Network factorial, you may surpass these limits by +1 additional bonus per payment.

 

 

 

Subliminal Advice [Gramarie]
I can't be hypnoti- *drool*
Prerequisite: PSYM 101, Use Psionic Device 4 ranks
Benefits: You gain a +2 on Use Psionic Device checks. In addition to this you can now prepare your Psychomantic principles into imagery making them force their effects on any creature that has it withing their line of sight. If the creature already has a Psychomantic Transmitter, they are only under this effect for an hour, where as creatures without are only effected for 30 minutes. This Imagery can be either an Imachination or a standard picture that you draw and there can only be a single Proposition associated to the image.
Special: Taking this feat means you cannot take Skill Focus (Use Psionic Device), and you cannot take this feat if you already possess said Skill Focus.

 

 

Spoiler: Psychomantic Anima

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• PSYM 101: Intro into Psychomantics: This anima deals non-lethal damage and alters the targets reactions towards you as per a Charm Person spell (Will negates) and last for 5 rounds.

• PSYM 142: Innocent Horror: This anima makes the target shaken for 5 rounds. Additional uses of this increase this stage of fear, however it does not reset the duration.

• PSYM 246: Social Agent: This anima converts your Eldritch Blast into a 30ft cone and subjects every creature inside of it to a Charm Person for 5 rounds. In addition to this, you also gain a +2 enchantment bonus to your Charisma score.

• PSYM 269: Eccentric Reactions: This anima deals no damage, however instead it applies a penalty equal to the total damage this blast would do to all attack rolls, skill checks, and saving throws for the next 5 rounds.

• PSYM 361: Dreams within Dreams: This anima deals no damage, however instead it places the creature to sleep (Will negates) for 5 rounds, however they will wake up after taking damage from any source.

• PSYM 384: Sociological Revolution: This anima deals non-lethal damage and alters the target subject to a Dominate Person (Will negates) for 5 rounds.

 

Discoveries

Spoiler

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• Unstable Environment: The receivers you've set are modified to trigger the Effect of any Suggestion you've implemented into a creature whenever it enters (and remains in) a Biome.

• Imposed Obedience: You must know PSYM 361 to select this discovery. You gain access to a new effect:

   

  • Obedience: This effect only applies to a creature with a Verbal Cause. The creature obeys the commands of the person and only the person who established this effect as if they were under the effects of a Dominate Monster spell. This effect is indefinite and supersedes the duration of the Verbal Cause.

• System Administrator: You must know PSYM 361 to learn this Discovery. By working on a piece of a Network, you can elevate it into the status of an Ultranet. An Ultranet is a massive collection of Internets interconnected to each other. Making an Ultranet requires an hour of work on a single Internet and only works on Internets that have three or more Webs connected to them. When you complete an Ultranet, if you have a receiver, you are made the Admin of your Ultranet allowing you to perform the following actions to any creature on the Ultranet otherwise, you select a single creature on the Ultranet to serve as the Admin:

   

  • Moderate: Sometimes certain members on your Internet are more trustworthy than others and they deserve greater control than others. You grant a creature the Status of Moderator allowing them to perform the Ban, Mute and Limited Access option against non-Admins and non-Moderators. Alternatively, you may choose to leave the Network and grant another creature the title of Admin.

  • Accept/Invite: This adds a new member to the Network. This member must already possess a receiver, and must be connected to the Circuit used for the Internet. If the new member is part of another Network, they must make a Will save (DC 10 + 5 for each PSYM principle the creator of their old network knows) in order to disconnect from that System and connect to yours.

  • Ban: While the System can last forever, not everyone should stay forever. This attempts to forcibly disconnect a Network member, forcing them to make a Will save (DC 10 + 5 for each PSYM principle you know) or lose access.

  • Mute: Silence is golden. This change modifies the receivers in the creature's receiver preventing them from sending telepathic communications. They can still receive messages and bonuses, and can still provide their bonuses to the Internet.

  • Limited Access: Some people just can't be fully trusted. This locks them out of either the telepathic communications of the Network, or the ability to send/receive bonuses from other certain recipients.

• Indoctrination: Whenever you place a receiver into a creatures brain, you can supply the creature with additional Knowledge of Gramarie. You can have the creature be able to prepare a Principle for which they qualify, that you know. You can take this discovery multiple times, each time allowing them to know and prepare an additional principle.

• Into the Mist: You must have at least 16 HD to select this discovery. Your Psychomantic receivers receive a signal from an unknown plane causing your creatures react in fits of horror and dread forcing their effects to constantly trigger. You can adjust your receivers to not receive this signal if you so desire.

• Reprogramming Rorschach: When you establish the cause of an effect to be an Object that happens to be a symbol, you can alter the effect so that the size of the image is factored in:

  Size   Duration increase

  Fine                  x1/9th

  Tiny                  x1/6th

  Small                x1/3

  Medium           x1

  Large                x3

  Huge                 x6

  Gargantuan+   x9

​

• New Age Platform: You must have at least 16 HD to select this discovery. You've expanded upon the design of your receiver to encompass the entire brain... The only minus side is that you've rendered the subject to the state of... "mental lacking". A creature that you've transmitted now has an intelligence of 3, however when it is on the same Network as a creature with the same kind of receiver, it gains a +2 Circumstance bonus to their Intelligence score and gain an additional +2 bonus for every additional creature it is connected to.

• Incoherent Reaction: You must know PSYM 269 to select this discovery. You've discovered that a mind can have an even greater number of reactions towards their Cause. You may now select up to 10 additional Effects. Thereafter you divide 100 by the total number of possible Effects and roll 1d% to determine which Effects are employed. Bonuses gained from such effects are no longer halved and penalties are no longer doubled when making use of this discovery.