Kaz'shardra Aske's Research Journal

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!THIS A WORK IN PROGRESS!!!!!!!!!!!

Going to be fixing it, adding the personal entries, etc... just don't have time to finish it all at once

This is the annual edition for the Gnomish year 2010 for a personal research journal originally published in the Verloghokbol Tower Library of the Violet Order of the Skull. From here it is reprinted in its entirety in strange corners of Negaria: the Elysian Temple of Angadar, the cellar stacks of the Mikona Library, the Tower of the Mind, and even a lonely bookshelf at Sedera Yerak'Le'Yeritath in Le'Or T'Nanshi.

In places one would go to seek power, this will appear. And even in a few places where one would not.

Entry 1 - On Psychic Vampirism

by Kaz'shardra Aske Jan. 17, 2010

I dislike my shadow very much. It is weak and mostly useless. But I may have found a gloriously excellent use for it after all.

During my readings on the ways of Metapsionics and my observations of experienced psions harvesting latent psychic power using the Psionic Residue manifest, I recalled my mentor Sephira in a moment of frustration. Without going into too much detail about the situation, An'kin Sephira had run low on psychic power and bade me use a transfer crystal to deliver some of my own to her. It was a curious manifest, and one that I decided to look into in more detail.

Masters in the field of Metapsionics, called Savants, are keenly attuned to the ebb and flow of psychic energy. Not only can they harvest small amounts of power from their surroundings, but they can draw it in more focused manners as well. Aside from Psionic Residue, the most common Metapsionic manifest is called Receptacle, wherein psychic energy is stored inside a gem for later use. Receptacle has its ups and downs, certainly - it works well when one is swimming in gold and can afford pure (and expensive) crystals. But when the gems run out, so too does the psion.

I searched for other potential foci for psychic energy, and read accounts of living creatures being a viable source of energy. Naturally, beginning psions will look to the self first, manifesting the power called Cannibalize to literally sap one's own life force for psychic energy in the most pure and honest "mind over matter" feat that exists in the entire discipline. But one can also look without. Of friends, allies and minions, the Psychic Drain feat taps energy at the cost of dampening body and soul. Naturally, the people that I travel with - mighty warriors and senior mages - would be quite reluctant to grant this to me, even in a pinch. (To say nothing of Brongar and Torok, who would likely send me to the gallows for imposing upon their most precious souls.)

Ah, but there is my shadow. A self-perpetuating creation that knows no pain, no misery, and can't really say "no" at all. This is better than a zero-sum equation, really: if my theory is correct, my shadow can provide quite for me a fountain of latent psychic energy from its own manifest. Brilliant!

Of course, I cannot possibly stop there. Once I've learned to harvest psychic power from a willing shadow, then there's no reason why I can't take it from a foe as well, wrenching body and soul from all who would draw against me. And with a bit of preparation, the net cost to my own soul will be zero!

Now to find a good way to dispose of all the psychic power I am about to reap. Perhaps I could manifest clones who can fling arcane fireballs all day by proxy. Maybe I can keep my Acceleration active for hours instead of seconds. Or perhaps I can find a way to Disintegrate things on a whim. Ah, but there's this Life Draining manifest that I read about - maybe there's something to that as well.

The possibilities are as endless as the streams of psyche that surround us all. In time, I will master its ebb and flow, harvesting what I will in order to master this art.

Entry 2 - Psionic Manifestations and Arcane Magics: A Comparative Study

by Kaz'shardra Aske January 17, 2010

In my experience, there is a great deal of misunderstanding about the differences between psionics and magics. For example, one of the senior Le'Megen operations Sergeants that I serve under is remarkably wary of magical enchantments and extends this to my use of psionics as well. It matters not whether I cast a Magic Weapon spell or manifest Intellect Fortress: he dislikes it all, and by extension me.

Thus, it is important to understand the differences and similarities that beget these powers, for not only do they demonstrate the apparent similarities but also demonstrate their differences. This level of understanding is useful not only to the practitioner of Psi-Magic, but also to her companions.

These are five powers that I have encountered in my travels that are similar - in fact or merely in seeming - to arcane spells, listed in no particular order.

Manifestation: Summon Shadow
Arcane Spell: Animate Dead
I have had people threaten me for borrowing a latent shadow and manifesting it for my use. I remind them that it is not an undead creature and ask them kindly not to overthink the matter. Still, I am occasionally called a necromancer because I manifest shadows for smooshing beetles and spiders. These two powers are really not similar at all, except by way of perception by non-practitioners. The Animate Dead spell literally creates an undead minion, whereas the Summon Shadow manifestation is literally a shadow. It is not a creature of negative energy, nor is it undead in any manner whatsoever.
Neither of these powers is particularly useful outside of combat, except as parlor tricks. And as parlor tricks, they are more trouble than they are worth (unless your parlor of choice happens to be the Inn Fernal in Verloghokbol). In combat, they are expendable minions, useful for absorbing blows and delivering some of their own. The manifested shadow is remarkably weak, and really only useful to those beginning practice in Psychokinesis, as it is not prone to dismissal.

Manifestation: Id Insinuation
Arcane Spell: Color Spray
In appearance and practice, these two spells are quite different except for their effects upon the psyche. By unleashing a telepathic gaze at your enemy, Id Insinuation unleashes the unconscious beast of the Id against the Superego. In a healthy normal mind, the Superego functions to keep the Id in check, imposing ethics and morals upon otherwise unfiltered mental processes. Furthermore, the Id attempts to influence the Ego, the center of consciousness. Under the influence of Id Insinuation, the mind is embattled in an unnatural way, paralyzing the mind and leaving the subject dazed. By way of comparison, the illusion magic of Color Spray similarly disorganizes and disorients the mind, albeit in a far more chaotic manner. Color Spray assaults the sensory nerves of the peripheral nervous system in an area of effect, whereas Id Insinuation assaults the lower functions of the central nervous system against one opponent only.

Like the above example, these spells have limited usefulness outside of combat. However, I have recently used Id Insinuation to perform a rudimentary Psychic Surgery during the recent wave of nightmare ordeal. A willing subject, influenced by Psionic Contact and bolstered by Intellect Fortress, received tiny measures of Id Insinuation. The working theory was that by pinpricking the Superego during sleep-state, more of the dream material would filter its way to conscious memory, and thus the Ego could recall greater details of the nightmare in an awakened state. To some extent, it worked - the subject had more vivid nightmares during sleep state. Clearly this is an improvisation of true Psychic Surgery, but it accomplished what was intended.

Manifestation: Dimension Door
Arcane Spell: Dimension Door
At face value, these powers are quite similar. They move people over long distances and seemingly inaccessible obstacles. When used to move the user, they are indeed quite similar. But when used to move companions, they manifest differently. As an arcane spell, Dimension Door can extend its power to companions standing near the spellcaster per se. As a psionic manifestation, the user can create a dimensional portal for companions, affecting a two-way mode of transportation for as long as the psionic cares to maintain the portal.

In combat, Dimension Door can provide a useful escape route in case the user gets in trouble. I've also seen a Steelcaster use Dimension Door to lunge forward into an opponent, effectively bushwhacking his foe. Out of combat, it can be used to aid in traveling, finding treasure in hidden places or crossing chasms and rivers with ease.

Manifestation: See Invisibility
Arcane Spell: See Invisibility
These powers are, for intents and purposes, functionally identical with one important difference: a Seer cannot extend this power to companions, whereas a Diviner can. Whether for a Seer or a Diviner, the See Invisibility power builds the foundation for more powerful manifestations of fatalism, namely True Seeing. The powers are straight-forward: See Invisibility enables the user to pierce through the illusions of invisibility with ease.

One may wonder why a Wizard such as myself aught to go to the trouble of learning powers like See Invisibility when I could just as easily have it in a spellbook to cast as needed. The answer is that psionic powers are more flexible than arcane mastery via rote memorization. Once it is mastered, it does not need to be periodically memorized. Thus, the manifest of a psionic power enables a Wizard to have other powers at that level: perhaps another casting of Bull's Strength for the obstinate magic hating barbarian in your patrol.

Manifestation: Accelerate
Arcane Spell: Haste
Like the See Invisibility powers, the differences between Accelerate and Haste are minimal, except that Haste can be applied to companions in addition to the self. Like a magic Haste spell, it will see frequent use in many situations, especially in combat. The difference between the two lies in how often it can be used. Neither of these two methods is necessarily better than the other - they are simply different.

A powerful mage may opt to use the metamagic spell extension discipline to apply Haste on a longer duration than normal. Of course, this occupies 4th Circle spells, which could otherwise be used to cast (for example) Ice Storm. This is in addition to the 3rd Circle spell allotments given to a mage. If both are used in such a manner, then it makes for a powerful operating platform. However, a psion with sufficient mastery of Metapsionics can provide a recursive power loop for keeping Acceleration afloat for a sufficiently long period of time. Careful use of disciplines like Cannibalize and Psychic Drain - the latter I believe could be used on a summoned beast, familiar, shadow or clone - can allow Acceleration to be maintained as long as necessary. A prudent Psi-Mage, then, can opt for a combination of the two: use of Haste spells as necessary for the sake of companions and/or the self, preserving psychic power for other abilities, and balancing that with the need to maintain magic spells.

Entry 13 - Quasi-Active Energy Substitution via the Psi-Vortex

==Entry 14 - Personal entry...

Entry 19 - On Ninth Circle Arcana

==Entry 20 - Personal entry...