What do Nega-Psychics retain if they truly come to believe?

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thorr-kan
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What do Nega-Psychics retain if they truly come to believe?

Unread post by thorr-kan »

What do Nega-Psychics retain if they truly come to believe?

I've quoted the various blocks from the BTS2 book for reference. First, here's the Nega-Psychic's specical P.C.C. Abilities, Bonuses, and Penalties.

Special P.C.C. Anti-Psychic Abilities:
Spoiler:
None of these Anti-Psychic Abilities require the expenditure of I.S.P. Also see Limitations and Penalties for aspects of disbelief that work both for and against the Nega-Psychic and help to make him what he is.
1. Mind Block Auto-Defense.
2. Psychic and Paranormal Disruptor.
3. The Skeptic's Viewpoint.


P.C.C. Bonuses (in addition to possible attribute bonuses):
Spoiler:
Needs to roll a 10 or higher to save vs psychic attacks, but automatically saves against See Aura, Telepathy, Empathy, Empathic Transmission, Object Read, and all forms of Psychic Healing. +1 bonus to save vs all types of psychic attacks, +2 to save vs magic, +4 to save vs curses, and is impervious to possession and illusions. +1 to save vs Horror Factor at levels 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15.


P.C.C. Limitations and Penalties:
Spoiler:
Blind to the Supernatural.
The Nega-Psychic's refusal to believe in any of it - the paranormal, magic and the supernatural - means he saves against all of it, and is resistant to psychic powers both helpful and detrimental. Furthermore, the character can never understand or imagine the supernatural world, the paranormal or magic.
The palpable negative energy emanating from the NegaPsychic chases away most Prankster supernatural beings, so the character will NEVER be bothered by, or see, a Stealer, Scurrier, Poltergeist, Haunting Entity, or any Entity for that matter, because they are repelled by the negative vibes. Likewise, intelligent supernatural beings, including some Predators, sense this character is not a threat to them because he doesn't believe in them and they know that he doesn't want
to find them. Consequently, if they just stay out of his way and wait, the Nega-Psychic will rationalize why they "do not" exist and weave a convenient cover story for their activities.
The Nega-Psychic can NOT see the invisible.
The Nega-Psychic is impervious to mental and magical illusions, chalking up other people's strange behavior and reports of seeing things he knows for a fact were not there or never happened (because he didn't see them) to hysteria, psychotic episodes, drugs, drink, delusion, trickery and lies. In the Nega-Psychic's eyes, such claims from otherwise respected individuals and investigators damage the credibility of all their claims, reports and theories.


P.P.E. (Potential Psychic Energy) Points:
Spoiler:
Roll 1D6+6 to start, and +2 per level of experience starting with level two. Double the negative P.P.E. when facing Demonic Servants, quadruple the number and double the range of the disruptive force when dealing with Ancient Evil (Demon Lords and Dark Gods) or an Alien Intelligence.


Here's the relevant quote on accepting the supernatural.
Recovering P.P.E.:
Spoiler:
The Nega-Psychic never loses his P.P.E., it defies normal convention and supplies the character with unique defenses rooted in denial. If the Nega-Psychic should ever come to accept the supernatural, reduce his P.P.E. Base and bonuses by half, and delete all special P.C.C. Abilities of Disruption.


Acceptance has two consquences.

The first, reduce his P.P.E. Base and bonuses by half, is pretty straight forward. The initial 1d6+6 P.P.E. is divided in half. Any bonus based on leveling up is divided in half. Future P.P.E. acquisition is halved (to +1 per level). Any accrued P.C.C. Bonuses are halved. Further P.C.C. bonuses acquisitions are accrued at every other indicated level rather than every indicated level (i.e., save vs Horror Factor at levels 3, 7, 11, and 15 rather than at levels 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15. But do they lose the automatic saves vs the listed psychic powers and the immunity to possessions and illusions?

The second, delete all special P.C.C. Abilities of Disruption, is trickier. Obviously, number 2, Psychic and Paranormal Disruptor, is lost. But number 3, The Skeptic's Viewpoint, is just fluff; there's no mechanics to lose. But do the Nega-Psyhics lose number 1, Mind Block Auto-Defense?

I'm torn between just losing all Special P.C.C. Anti-Psychic Abilities, automatic saves, and immunities or just losing Special P.C.C. Anti-Psychic Ability 2. So I'm looking for opinions.
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thorr-kan
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Re: What do Nega-Psychics retain if they truly come to belie

Unread post by thorr-kan »

Nobody has an opinion?
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mrloucifer
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Re: What do Nega-Psychics retain if they truly come to belie

Unread post by mrloucifer »

I just spoke to Kevin on the phone (working on a secret project) and I recalled this question, so I asked him about it.

The Nega-Psychic will retain his Mind Block Auto Defense with no changes or penalties to it. This is an integral part of him and even if he now believes, this is still a part of his psyche. And he remains Closed to the Supernatural, which means all the automatic saves are still in effect.

Side note: Losing the skeptic's viewpoint is far more debilitating than you're making it sound. Fluff or not, it was all his mantra, his way of life. his organized thinking and scientific mind was his shield against the chaos and superstitions of magic and the supernatural. Without all that, the Nega-Psychic is a broken man mentally. Everything he thought was the truth, is a lie. Everything he thought he knew, is wrong. What does he do with himself now? How terrified would he be to live in a world that's suddenly so wrong and alien to him? That's heavy, heady stuff that cannot be taken lightly for this kind of character.

This is one of the reasons why I tell my players that it requires a certain maturity and understanding to play the Nega.
"Searchers after horror haunt strange, far places."
–H.P. Lovecraft

By night I'm known as Steven Dawes, that "BTS" guy, and the Host of the House of BTS!
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thorr-kan
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Re: What do Nega-Psychics retain if they truly come to belie

Unread post by thorr-kan »

mrloucifer wrote:I just spoke to Kevin on the phone (working on a secret project) and I recalled this question, so I asked him about it.

The Nega-Psychic will retain his Mind Block Auto Defense with no changes or penalties to it. This is an integral part of him and even if he now believes, this is still a part of his psyche. And he remains Closed to the Supernatural, which means all the automatic saves are still in effect.

Side note: Losing the skeptic's viewpoint is far more debilitating than you're making it sound. Fluff or not, it was all his mantra, his way of life. his organized thinking and scientific mind was his shield against the chaos and superstitions of magic and the supernatural. Without all that, the Nega-Psychic is a broken man mentally. Everything he thought was the truth, is a lie. Everything he thought he knew, is wrong. What does he do with himself now? How terrified would he be to live in a world that's suddenly so wrong and alien to him? That's heavy, heady stuff that cannot be taken lightly for this kind of character.

This is one of the reasons why I tell my players that it requires a certain maturity and understanding to play the Nega.

That is above and beyond. Thanks!

But I think you're underestimating just how resilient humans are. Trauma like this occurs every day, and yet people keep functioning. And eventually, over coming. There's an out-of-context quote, from my favorite author that addresses this:

"No nine-year-old should have to deal with something this vile, this close to his heart. What will it make him?"

"Eventually . . . ten," the Count said. "You do what you have to do. You grow or go under. You have to believe he will grow."

But yeah, not to be taken lightly.
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