Psychic Powers & Perils

A character can only use psychic powers if a class, race/path, feature, relic, corruption effect, or GM-granted rule gives them access.

Current 1.0 psychic users include:

• Psyker
• Librarian

Future rules may add:

• Daemonhost
• Warp-Touched
• Traitor Astartes psykers
• Xenos psykers
• Weirdboy-style powers
• Other corrupted or faction-specific psychic systems

Faith is not psychic power. Machine rites are not psychic power. Acts of Faith, sacred litanies, and Mechanicus rites may be supernatural, miraculous, or inexplicable, but they do not use these rules unless a feature specifically says they do.

A psychic discipline describes the broad shape of a character's power.

The final power lists will come later. For now, use these discipline categories as references.

Malefic powers are not part of safe Imperial psychic practice. They should usually be restricted, corrupted, forbidden, or tied to future Chaos and Warp-Touched rules.

Psychic characters track the following:

The character creator and sheet should show Psychic Powers & Perils prominently only for characters who use them, such as Psykers and Librarians. Other characters may keep the section collapsed unless a feature unlocks it.

When a psychic power forces a target to resist, use the character's Psychic Save DC. Default formula:

Psychic Save DC = 8 + Proficiency Bonus + Willpower modifier

Some classes, features, relics, corruption effects, or future faction rules may use a different attribute.

When a psychic power requires an attack roll, use the character's Psychic Attack. Default formula:

Psychic Attack = Proficiency Bonus + Willpower modifier

Roll:

d20 + Psychic Attack vs. target Defense

Some powers may target the mind, soul, or Warp presence instead of physical Defense. Those powers will specify their own rules later.

Using a psychic power usually requires the Use Power action.

To use a psychic power:

• Choose a power you know.
• Choose targets within range.
• Resolve the power's attack roll, save, or effect.
• Apply any damage, condition, movement, protection, or narrative effect.
• If the power was Pushed or triggered Perils, resolve Perils of the Warp.

A power's profile should eventually include:

• Name
• Discipline
• Action cost
• Range
• Target
• Test or save
• Effect
• Duration
• Tags
• Push effect
• Perils notes

The full power list is not defined on this page. This page defines the procedure.

Unless a power says otherwise, a psychic character must be aware of the target and have a valid path for the power to reach them.

Use these default assumptions:

• Direct psychic attacks usually require line of sight.
• Total Cover blocks most psychic powers unless the power specifically ignores cover.
• Light and Heavy Cover apply to psychic attack rolls if the attack is physical, visible, or force-like.
• Purely mental powers may ignore physical cover if the user can perceive or identify the target through another valid means.
• Warding, divination, and area powers follow their own descriptions.

Psychic powers should feel strange, but not become an excuse to ignore every battlefield rule. If a power ignores cover, the power should say so.

Some psychic powers require Focus.

Focus represents sustained concentration, mental control, ritual breathing, soul-binding discipline, or the psychic effort required to keep a power active.

A character can maintain Focus on only one power at a time unless a feature says otherwise.

If the character takes damage while maintaining Focus, they must make:

Willpower Save · DC 10 or half the damage taken, whichever is higher

On a success, Focus continues. On a failure, the power ends.

On a failure by 5 or more, the GM may trigger a minor psychic backlash, such as:

• The character becomes Pinned until the start of their next turn.
• The character takes psychic damage equal to their level.
• Nearby lights, vox, candles, or machine spirits malfunction.
• The character must roll Perils if the power was already Pushed.

A psychic character may Push a power when they use it.

Push means reaching beyond safe limits.

When you Push a power, choose one Push effect approved by the GM or listed in the power's description. Common Push effects:

• Add one extra damage die.
• Increase the range.
• Affect one additional target.
• Impose Disadvantage on one target's save.
• Gain Advantage on the psychic attack roll.
• Ignore Light or Heavy Cover.
• Extend the duration.
• Move a target farther.
• Use a power when it would normally be exhausted or unavailable.
• Make the effect larger, louder, stronger, or more violent than it should be.

After the power resolves, roll on the Perils of the Warp table.

Push is optional. The player chooses when the character reaches too far.

Roll on the Perils of the Warp table when:

• A character Pushes a psychic power.
• A character rolls a natural 1 on a psychic attack.
• A character fails a Psychic Focus save by 5 or more while maintaining a Pushed power.
• A character uses psychic power in a heavily corrupted location and the GM calls for it.
• A character uses a forbidden, Malefic, or corrupted psychic effect.
• A feature, enemy, relic, daemon, or scenario says to roll Perils.

A character does not roll Perils for every normal psychic power use by default.

Psychic powers should feel dangerous, but not so punishing that players are afraid to use their class at all. The danger spikes when they Push, fail badly, or use power in the wrong place.

When Perils triggers, roll 1d20 on the table below.

Perils often causes Corruption.

Corruption from Perils represents spiritual contamination, daemonic attention, psychic burns, soul damage, forbidden contact, or the character becoming easier for the Warp to find later.

If a Perils result grants Corruption, apply it after the power resolves.

If a character reaches a new Corruption Stage because of Perils, apply that stage immediately.

If a character is already in Damnation Crisis, severe Perils may trigger a Fall Test at the GM's discretion.

Perils should be frightening because it changes the scene, not just because it adds damage.

Psychic characters are especially vulnerable to Temptation.

The GM may offer a psychic character a Corruption-based Temptation when:

• A power fails.
• A target succeeds on a save.
• A psychic attack misses.
• The character needs more range, damage, duration, or targets.
• The party is desperate and the Warp has an obvious opening.

Examples:

• Gain 1 Corruption to add +1d6 to a failed psychic attack or power check.
• Gain 1 Corruption to force one target to reroll a successful save.
• Gain 1 Corruption to add one additional Push effect.
• Gain 1 Corruption to use a power without spending its normal limited use, if that power later has limited uses.
• Gain 1 Corruption to ask one forbidden question through the Warp.

The player may always refuse.

The GM may call for bystanders to make Willpower Saves when a major Perils result tears through the scene.

Possible effects for nearby non-psychic characters:

• Become Frightened until the end of their next turn.
• Become Pinned by psychic pressure.
• Take minor psychic damage.
• Hear a sentence meant only for the Psyker.
• Gain 1 Corruption if the event is daemonic, direct, and unshielded.

Do not overuse this.

Perils should make the party nervous, not make them hate having a Psyker at the table.

Psychic powers follow normal combat timing unless a power says otherwise. Common uses:

• Use Power as an Action.
• Some powers may use a Bonus Action.
• Some defensive powers may use a Reaction.
• Maintaining Focus may restrict other powers.
• Psychic attacks can trigger Return Fire only if the power is visibly ranged and attack-like, at the GM's discretion.
• Psychic powers do not use Ammo Dice.
• Psychic powers may ignore some mundane defenses only if their description says so.

A Psyker is not a gun with better lighting. Psychic powers should break rules only when the power explicitly says they do.

Outside combat, psychic powers can be used for investigation, intimidation, movement, communication, sensing danger, reading the Warp, or solving impossible problems.

The GM should ask:

• “Is this power safe?”
• “Is the character Pushing?”
• “Is the location corrupted?”
• “Is there time and focus?”
• “Would failure create a scene?”
• “Would success reveal something humans were not meant to know?”

If the use is minor and safe, resolve it normally.

If the use is powerful, desperate, forbidden, or performed in a corrupted place, consider calling for Perils or offering Temptation.

Full anti-psychic rules will come later. For now:

• Sanctified wards may impose Disadvantage on psychic attacks or grant Advantage on saves against psychic powers.
• Null fields may prevent psychic powers entirely in an area.
• Daemonic entities may resist or punish psychic powers.
• Certain relics, oaths, armor systems, or machine rites may disrupt powers.
• The GM may apply Advantage, Disadvantage, bonus Defense, or increased Perils risk as needed.

Psychic Powers & Perils are built around five principles:

• Psykers are powerful on purpose.
• Push is a choice.
• Perils should change the scene, not just punish the Psyker.
• Corruption makes psychic power tempting and dangerous.
• The party should fear the Warp, not resent the player.

Psychic power is not balanced by being weak.

It is balanced by being dangerous.

The Warp always listens.

The systems psychic power leans on: