A human soul touched by the Warp and chained to Imperial service. Telepathy, biomancy, pyromancy, divination, psychic force, and the constant risk that reality answers back.
The veil whispers. You answer carefully.
The Psyker is a sanctioned weapon with a soul for a fuse.
A Psyker does not simply cast powers. They force impossible things through a fragile human mind and hope the things beyond the veil do not notice the opening.
They can crush bodies without touching them, hear thoughts that were never spoken, burn enemies with unnatural flame, glimpse futures that should not be seen, and ward allies against horrors that claw at reality.
The class fantasy is simple:
A Psyker survives through Willpower, psychic discipline, dangerous power, restraint, and the terrible decision of when to Push too far.
The Psyker should not play like a normal caster with spell slots. Psychic powers do not have spell levels. A Psyker does not choose “a level of spell.” Instead, psychic powers have base effects, and the Psyker may Push those powers to make them stronger, broader, faster, more precise, or more dangerous. The question is not “What spell slot do I spend?” The question is “How badly do I need this to work, and what am I willing to risk?” The Psyker should create moments like:
Every Psykerbegins with these. In Forge VTT they appear on the Talents & Features tab.
A Psyker may manifest a power normally or choose to Push it, selecting one Push Benefit before the power is resolved (extra damage die, more range, an additional target, larger area, Disadvantage on one save, ignore cover, longer duration, greater force, channeling under duress, or forcing a ward at GM discretion). The GM may reject a benefit that does not fit the power. Pushing risks Perils of the Warp. Push is never a spell slot or a separate power tier.
Spend your Bonus Action to gain +1 on the next Psychic Test you make this turn; the bonus is consumed on the roll and expires at end of turn. Does not stack with itself; stacks with the Psyker Staff's Psychic Focus trait, and both sources appear in the roll breakdown. Use it from the Actions tab.
Spend your Bonus Action to open your awareness to active powers, Warp disturbances, daemonic entities, psychic corruption, emotional or ritual residue, and Warp-tainted objects or places. The GM decides what is revealed — never exact identities, statistics, or precise locations automatically. Use it from the Actions tab.
You are an officially sanctioned Imperial Psyker: eligible to use sanctioned psychic wargear (Psyker Staff, psychic foci), valid for Psyker-restricted equipment and features, and subject to Imperial restrictions, oversight, and consequences. This designation is what psychic items check for.
You may learn powers from the six Psychic Disciplines (Biomancy, Daemonology, Divination, Pyromancy, Telekinesis, Telepathy), and you gain and spend Discipline Points on Psychic Discipline Tree ranks — 2 at level 1, +1 at every even level. Specialize deeply or spread across several trees; each rank costs 1 point and requires the previous rank in that tree. Purchased ranks appear below under Talents & Features.
Perils may trigger when you Push too far, fail badly, roll a natural 1 on a Psychic Attack, lose focus under pressure, use forbidden power, channel in a corrupted location, or draw the attention of something beyond the veil. Consequences range from psychic damage and corruption to daemonic intrusion. Full rules: bolt-and-blade.com/rules/psychic-powers-and-perils.
Granted automatically by class selection. One Bonus Action per turn — full rules under Combat > Bonus Actions.
Gain +1 to your next Psychic Test this turn. Consumed when you make a Psychic Test; expires at the end of the turn if unused. Does not stack with itself, but stacks with the Psyker Staff's Psychic Focus trait (both sources appear in the roll breakdown).
Forge VTT: Fully automated: the next Psychic Attack roll consumes it and shows it in the breakdown.
Open your awareness to nearby psychic disturbance: active powers, Warp disturbances, daemonic entities, psychic corruption, strong emotional or ritual residue, and Warp-tainted objects or places. The GM decides what is revealed — never exact identities, statistics, hidden lore, or precise locations automatically.
Forge VTT: Guided: places a visible Warp Sense effect and posts a card reminding the GM it is active.
Push the Veil is the Psyker's signature class mechanic.
A Psyker knows a limited number of Psychic Powers. Each power has a base effect. When the Psyker needs more, they may Push the power.
Pushing does not use spell slots. Pushing is not a higher-level spell. Pushing is the Psyker forcing more power through the same fragile mortal mind.
Psychic Save DC = 8 + Proficiency Bonus + Willpower modifier
Psychic Attack = Proficiency Bonus + Willpower modifier
If a power is purely analytical, investigative, or ritualized, the GM may allow Intellect instead of Willpower.
Psykers are powerful because they are dangerous, not because they have a giant list of disposable tricks.
When a Psyker Pushes a power, choose one appropriate benefit:
The GM may reject a Push Benefit that does not fit the power being used.
Perils are what happens when psychic power tears the wrong seam.
A Psyker may trigger Perils when they Push too far, fail badly, roll a natural 1 on a psychic attack, lose focus under pressure, use forbidden power, channel in a corrupted location, or draw the attention of something beyond the veil.
Perils may cause psychic damage, corruption, possession risk, daemonic intrusion, battlefield anomalies, temporary madness, unnatural signs, or worse.
| Psyker Level | Psychic Powers Known |
|---|---|
| 1 | 5 |
| 5 | 6 |
| 9 | 7 |
| 13 | 8 |
| 17 | 9 |
This progression is a working draft. Psychic Powers should remain meaningful. Psykers should not gain a new power every level.
The full Psychic Powers catalog belongs on the Powers page. These examples show the kind of abilities a Psyker may learn.
Discipline: Biomancy
Flood a living body with psychic command. Choose yourself or one visible ally. The target gains temporary Vitality equal to your Proficiency Bonus, lasting until the start of your next turn.
Push: Increase the temporary Vitality, affect one additional target, or let the target immediately stand from Prone or move 5 feet without triggering Reactive Fire.
The body obeys. It was only waiting to be told.
Discipline: Daemonology
Choose yourself or one ally within range. Until the start of your next turn, the target gains a bonus against fear, possession, psychic intrusion, or daemonic influence.
Push: Affect additional allies, extend duration, or impose Disadvantage on the next hostile psychic effect against the warded target.
The sign is small. The refusal is not.
Discipline: Divination
For a short time, sense psychic residue, daemonic influence, active rituals, possession signs, corrupted relics, or unnatural pressure nearby.
Push: Ask the GM one focused question about the source, direction, strength, or danger of the psychic trace.
The world has fingerprints. Some are still bleeding.
Discipline: Pyromancy
Choose one visible enemy or small area within range. Targets make an Agility Save against your Psychic Save DC. On failure, they take fire or psychic damage. On success, they take half damage.
Push: Increase area, add one damage die, ignite flammable objects, or cause failed targets to become Exposed until the start of your next turn.
It burns where the soul remembers fear.
Discipline: Telekinesis
Make a Psychic Attack against one visible creature within range. On hit, deal psychic or force damage and move the target 5 feet in a direction you choose.
Push: Move the target farther, knock it Prone, pull it from cover, or add one extra damage die.
The air strikes like an invisible chain.
Discipline: Telekinesis
Lift one loose object, weapon, body, or unstable piece of terrain and throw it at a target. The GM determines damage based on size, mass, distance, and danger.
Push: Lift something heavier, throw farther, affect a larger object, or slam one creature into another.
Gravity is a law. You file an objection.
Discipline: Telepathy
Force one visible creature to make a Willpower Save against your Psychic Save DC. On failure, the target takes psychic damage and has Disadvantage on its next attack or check before the end of its next turn.
Push: Increase damage, affect a second target, or briefly expose the target's fear, intent, or surface thought.
Pain is only a language if something answers.
Psychic Discipline Trees represent the ways a Psyker has learned to survive contact with the impossible.
A Psyker may specialize deeply in one discipline or spread Discipline Points across several. Disciplines do not use spell levels. A power has a base effect, and a Psyker may Push that power to make it stronger, broader, faster, more precise, or more dangerous.
Each rank costs 1 Discipline Point and requires the previous rank in that discipline unless future rules say otherwise.
Psykers gain 1 Discipline Point at every even level.
| Psyker Level | Discipline Points Gained |
|---|---|
| 2 | +1 |
| 4 | +1 |
| 6 | +1 |
| 8 | +1 |
| 10 | +1 |
| 12 | +1 |
| 14 | +1 |
| 16 | +1 |
| 18 | +1 |
| 20 | +1 |
This progression is a working draft. Final class balance may change after the other classes are designed.
Biomancers treat the body as a battlefield. Their own body, their allies' bodies, and their enemies' bodies are all vulnerable to psychic command.
When you use a Biomancy power on yourself, gain temporary Vitality equal to your Proficiency Bonus. This temporary Vitality lasts until the start of your next turn unless the power says otherwise.
When you Push a Biomancy power affecting yourself or an ally, the target may move 5 feet without triggering Reactive Fire. Alternatively, the target may immediately stand from Prone.
When a creature fails a save against one of your harmful Biomancy powers, it has Disadvantage on its next Strength or Toughness Save before the end of your next turn.
Once per safe rest, when you or an ally within 30 feet would suffer an Active Wound, you may use your Reaction to reduce the severity. The target still suffers the damage, but the GM should downgrade the wound, delay the wound effect until the end of the target's next turn, or allow an immediate Toughness Save to resist the wound. This may trigger Perils risk.
Once per safe rest, when you Push a Biomancy power, choose one additional Push Benefit. After the power resolves, immediately check for Perils risk.
The flesh is weak because it has not yet been ordered properly.
Design note: Biomancy should feel powerful and intimate. It should help the Psyker survive, but it should never feel clean.