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Psychic Powers

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The Nature Of The Unnatural

Due to the unpredictability of the warp, there are no scientific laws regarding the possession of psychic abilities, despite humanity’s best efforts to find some. Few researchers agree on every detail of psychic abilities, but certain generalisations can be safely made:

- Psychic abilities are not magic, despite being supernatural in origin. They are the natural progression of human evolution, where the brain is capable of tapping warp energy and using it to shape effects in the real universe. This means that anything that limits the organic brain prevents psychic abilities from functioning. Massive electromagnetic fields can dampen psychic abilities by interfering with the bioelectrical conduction within the psyker’s brain.

- Many psykers display additional mutations beyond psychic abilities. Whether the psychic abilities are the product of natural mutation, or the mutations result from the psyker’s warp-spawned talents, depends on the beholder’s ideological perspective.

- Sorcery utilises warp energy in a much more raw, unrefined, manner to normal psychic powers. Sorcery is far more powerful than normal psychic abilities, but takes a far greater physical and psychological toll on the user. It is believed that sorcerers are psykers who have been found by some warp-spawned Daemon, but rather than being seen as prey, the Daemon instead decides to aid the psyker, increasing their powers manifold. The psyker may be unaware of the Daemon’s assistance, and merely believe that he or she has simply developed into a more powerful psyker. Some daemonologists deliberately make pacts with Daemons to gain a channel for sorcery. Sorcerous powers come directly from the warp, rather than from the human mind, and are therefore corrupting to both body and soul. Most sorcerers will eventually develop spontaneous Chaos mutations.

- The actual effects and side-effects of psychic powers vary from psyker to psyker. For example, a telekinetic may manifest ghostly figures to throw objects around, or they may simply fly through the air. Psychic bolts may shoot from the eyes, or be thrown as balls of energy, or even be completely invisible. The air around a psyker often feels unusual when he or she is summoning energy, but the nature of this wrongness varies. Sometimes bystanders will spontaneously haemorrhage from the nose, and more rarely the eyes, mouth or ears. Electricity (or even stray warp energy, which behaves in a similar manner) may crackle over conductive surfaces, perhaps arcing across to the psyker. Animals may lie down, howl, or go into spasms. The same symptoms occasionally affect children and the mentally retarded or ill.

- The ways that psykers manifest their powers has been observed to fall into a small number of categories, often based on the individual psyker’s psychological profile. For example, pyromancy tends to be the preserve of antisocial, rebellious or emotionally unstable psykers, while more intellectual psykers develop telepathic powers. Telekinetics tend to be mischievous. Shamans often manifest biomancies that allegedly put them ‘in touch’ with nature. Of course, these are not hard and fast rules – there are as many types of human mind as there are humans, and the most obedient, good-natured individual can be capable of hurling fireballs. It is uncertain which comes first, the personality or the discipline.

- Astrotelepathy is an artificial discipline, literally a form of advanced telepathy developed and taught by the Adeptus Astra Telepathica. It is unique to the Imperium, although many alien cultures have similar powers at their disposal.

- Daemonology is partially artificial, in that many psykers possess daemonological abilities, but there are several powers that have been deliberately designed by psychic scholars. Daemonology is controversial within the Imperium, since many of the less well-known powers are partially tamed, toned down variations on recognised Chaos cult sorceries. Many daemonologists end their lives burnt at the stake, even if they never once considered turning to Chaos.

- It is possible to raise the dead, although there are many ways of doing this. Daemonologists may trap and return a recently departed soul into a body (although the soul is almost invariably rendered insane by the shock of death), or insert a fragment of warp energy to replace the soul. Telekinetics may manipulate the dead body as a meat puppet. Telepaths may project a portion of their mind into the brain of a corpse and reactivate it. Biomancers are capable of achieving a similar feat, although the animated corpse has no intelligence, only instinct.

- Few psykers are physically well built or powerful. This is due to the restricted lifestyles (either on the run or as sanctioned commodities) that most lead, rather than any ‘leeching effect’. Inquisitors and Space Marine Librarians are obvious exceptions.

- Children and animals are particularly psychically sensitive and will occasionally be able to spot even a trained and shielded psyker. Animals may howl, hiss, flee or, in extreme cases, attack. Children generally just become distressed. Because of this, undiscovered child psykers are often unpopular amongst other children, who can’t work out what is weird about the pale boy in the corner, but don’t like him all the same.

- Despite popular belief, there is no link between intelligence and psychic ability. Affinity with the warp has nothing to do with cognitive ability, but everything to do with the way the mind (whether that of a genius or a moron) is used.

- Many untrained psykers are deranged, or eventually suffer nervous breakdowns. This is possibly because of the strain that their minds are put under throughout their lives, or a result of an unhappy childhood. This is particularly the case with untrained telepaths, who find themselves unconsciously picking up the thoughts or moods of those around them. On densely crowded hive worlds, few untrained telepaths survive until adulthood, generally committing suicide some time in adolescence.

- The most powerful psykers are those left untrained. However, these rogues tend to die young, usually lynched by citizen mobs, hunted down by the law, or falling prey to something from the warp. Trained psykers are limited in the scope and strength of their powers, but tend to be more skilled in their use.

- Wyrds are psykers whose powers are almost innate, rather than being something that the psyker has to concentrate on to cast. On the upside, wyrds are marginally less likely to draw the attention of both Daemons and the Inquisition. On the downside, wyrd powers are difficult to control, and may ‘go off’ at any time, particularly when the wyrd is under stress.

Imperial Classification Of Psykers

The Imperium has a nine-step scale for determining the abilities of any individual citizen or alien, as set out by the Imperial Inquisition. When referred to in official documentation, preferred disciplines and the possession of sorcerous powers are generally appended to the classification, as in ‘Beta Class (Telekinetic, Sorcerer)’.

Ranking	Label	Description
1	Alpha-Plus	Utterly unheard of amongst trained psykers, alpha-plus psykers are almost godlike in their powers. Biomancers can turn forests into writhing nests of worm-like trees. Telepaths are able to transform whole populations into zombie puppets. Telekinetics flatten fortresses with a thought. Pyromaniacs make hive cities into funeral pyres. Daemonologists… it’s best not to think about it. Alpha-plus psykers are almost always shot on sight, although this is easier said than done. Occasionally, orbital bombardment is brought into play, the massive collateral loss of life being deemed acceptable if it facilitates the destruction of such a creature. Almost all alpha-plus psykers are insane, and many have dabbled in sorcery (or even achieved their alpha-plus status through it).
2	Alpha Class	Amongst the most powerful psykers in existence, alpha class psykers have mastered many disciplines. Because of the restrictive nature of psyker training, only rogue psykers (or those who were once rogues) can normally reach the status of alpha class, although it is not unheard of for Inquisitors or Space Marine Librarians to reach this level. Eldar farseers are categorised as alpha class, although they frequently outmatch human alphas.
3	Beta Class	Many of the best human psykers are beta class, having achieved almost everything that Imperial training can offer. With as many as three disciplines under their belt, they demonstrate extraordinarily broad mental abilities. However, the flexibility of thought required to master multiple disciplines often leads to increased purity tests and loyalty checks for Beta Class psykers – they are deemed too freethinking for their own good.
4	Gamma Class	The bulk of Imperial psykers are of this level and never manage to proceed any further. The gamma class psyker is able to master as many as two separate disciplines, no easy feat, since each discipline relies on the ability to see the warp from a distinct viewpoint.
5	Delta Class	The lowest grade of user of controlled psychic abilities. Delta class psykers rarely have more than a few distinguishable powers, confined to a single discipline, and are relatively poor at using them. With training, they can advance to becoming a more varied psyker.
6	Epsilon Class	Epsilon class psykers are more commonly referred to as ‘wyrds’. The individual is psychic, but powers manifests in an innate, barely recognised fashion, or require long rituals in order to cast. Most poltergeist activity can be put down to a wyrd telekinetic. Wyrds can be trained (or can train themselves) to become psykers of delta class or higher. Shamans tend to continue in their path of ritualised casting, but can be deemed roughly equivalent in threat to rogue psykers of a category one lower than their range of disciplines would apparently suggest.
7	Pure	The typical rating, meaning that the individual is no more psychic than the average human citizen. This is not a zero rating (that is untouchable), but means that the human has no abilities ‘out of the ordinary’. Almost all humans fit into this category.
8	Untouchable	A psychic null, untouchables have a neutral warp signature. In other words, they are invisible to the warp. The lack of any kind of extra-sensory ability, even natural empathy, means that those near an untouchable will feel something inherently ‘wrong’ about them. Few live past adolescence, dying of loneliness or through suicide.
9	Pariah	The anti-psychic extreme, pariahs have a negative warp signature. Not only do they have absolutely no psychic abilities, they actually absorb psychic energy from their surroundings. Plants wither and die after prolonged periods in contact with a pariah. The subconscious mind of a pure or psychic human reacts to the presence of a pariah with utter horror, or even pain. Pariahs are, even more than an alpha-plus psyker, abominations against nature.

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