Jump to content
XCOMUFO & Xenocide

Post Your New Psi Powers Here


Recommended Posts

If you try to shoot then the illusion should be broken - keeps it fair

 

I don’t mean to rain on anyone’s day but I’ve just read the entire thread and it sounds to me like a lot of the ideas for psi powers are borrowed for games like StarCraft and System Shock 2! I’m not saying that this is a bat thing but, couldn’t we think of something original? Having said that, It will be hard as just about everything seems to have been done. What if a X-com psi commando, with a motion scanner (or a more advanced version based on alien technology) can ‘see’ aliens further away, or ‘know’ that they are there even if he/she can see them. Like second sight or something.

Psi voices (I think I stole this one but I’m not sure) => like in the movies when the actors ‘hear’ the aliens chatting in their heads, what if X-com ppls could do this to aliens?

Psi absorption => sucking energy right out of the air, (making it really cold and replenishing you psi energy) freezing or paralysing anything in the way (sectoid popsicle, mmm)

Psi illumination => works like a ‘flash and bang’ grenade, short sharp and blinding light.

Psi shield => (possibly should be a separate object that needs researching) dampens incoming or outgoing psi attacks, stops ppl from getting mind controlled etc.

 

All of these powers should require ADVANCED research possibly even an advanced psi lab.

 

but what do i know... i'm only, ah... 6!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you try to shoot then the illusion should be broken - keeps it fair

 

I don’t mean to rain on anyone’s day but I’ve just read the entire thread and it sounds to me like a lot of the ideas for psi powers are borrowed for games like StarCraft and System Shock 2!

Heh. Its ok I'm not offended (I did think of many of these strange abilities:)) However, it is very difficult to think of a new, believable psi power. At one point, I'm sure some weird game came up with a psi power that makes flowers shoot out of the ground! What i'm saying here is that very few ideas are original. Heck, even Half-Life wasn't original (gameplay was, story wasn't)

 

Anyway, I like your ideas.

 

And WH, you are right. I can't argue with that. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

An obervation - Psi Powers were pretty massively overpowered in the original game because they were under, rather than overdeveloped. I think expanding the system to include a wider variety of effects would actually lead to Psionics being a much more integrated, interesting, and believable ingredient in the strategy.

 

I mean, it was nice to be able to take out a battleship without leaving your armchair using a combination of Mind Control expertise and Blaster missiles, but I seem to remember it doing bad things to my suspension of disbelief, and to the suspense generally.

 

So, here's a suggestion to make game breaking psyker ubertroops even less likely - have different Psi strengths for the different powers, all randomly generated just as they were for the original Panic/Mind Control ability. That way, there's no profit to recruiting and firing troops looking for high percentile mekons, because no-one will be ideal for every role. This could lead to much more personalised, X-Men kind of fire groups being formed, and might also allow some weak physical effects to be included without turning the whole X-Com team into munchkin Dungeons and Dragons combat mages.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Personally, I'd like to see all the psi powers reman mind related. I think someone already said this as well.

 

If the psi powers are able to do things to the physical enviroment, that can get really sticky for balanceing issues. I think that a telekenitic ablity to open doors from a distance, or to attempt to knock back and stun and alien should be about as far as minipulating the enviroment with your mind should be.

 

Also, who said that all psi powers had to be offensive? I think the ability to protect troops around the friendly psiker from enemy psi attacks would be great, espically if it was a passive feild effect- so that there was a aura of friendly psi energy around one of your psionic troopers, and that inside this bubble, enemy psi attacks were harder for the aliens to do, and this effect was more pronounced the closer you got to the friendly unit.

 

That could be the standard aura, that's always on, and there could be other auras that the psiker could do that would cost psi energy and some TUs every turn, but that would be more benifical, depending on how powerful the psiker was. For balance, having an aura active should probably make it impossible for the psiker to have any other psi powers active during that time.

 

Psi Bravery- increses the effective bravery of friendly units within range, and recovers morale faster. Basicly a psionic verson of command benifits to morale from officers.

 

Psi Protection- like the regular Psi aura, but stronger.

 

Psi Clarity Aura- freindly units recover 'stunned' HP at a faster rate then normal, and makes friendlys harder to stun in the first place. This could ba an aura verson of a power that recovers 'stunned' HP for an individual trooper, the tradeoff being that it isn't as strong for any single unit, but multiple guys within your squad can recive it's benifits.

 

Other non aura powers-

 

Psi detection- the psiker sends out a pulse of psi energy that 'reflects' off of living minds like radar, but doesn't tell who or what the mind belongs to. This would be represented on screen by a 'holographic' type marker that could be seen through walls and roofs, but would not impede the LOS rules. The marker would appear where the mind was when the detection pulse was used, and would last for one turn. Best used at the beginning of the turn.

 

Brezerk- they can do it to us, we should do it to them! This would be between fear and mind control in terms of difficulty.

 

Break mind hold- this would pit the power of a freindly psiker against the power of the enemy psiker who is trying to affect the mind of a freindly unit. This would be used to un-panic, un-brezerk, and un-mind controll friendly units under psionic attack.

 

Invisiblity- not true invisiblity, but instead this makes the targeted alien incapible of spotting any friendlys or civilians.

 

Stun- attacks the enemy's mind in such a way that they take stunned damage.

 

Illusion- makes the enemy see something that isn't there. This could work by targeting a spicific enemy to work the illusion on, or by creating an illusion that affects all enemys who see it. Or both systems could be used, with a powerful verson that creates an illusion that affects multiplue enemys, and a weak illusion that only affects the targeted enemy. Player could choose what this illusion is, either a live grenade, an earth soldier(an image of the psiker perhaps?), a HWP, or a civilian. Obviously this is ment to draw fire, except for the grenade which causes aliens who fall for the deception to flee.

 

Anger- this causes the alien to become so angry that rational thoguht is lost, and they drop all their weapons to charge the enemy and distroy him with mele attacks. This does not work on 'stupid' aliens, and is pointless on aliens who don't use guns anyway. But it'd be a blast to use on greys! :naughty:

 

Confusion- causes the target to see all charichters as human soldiers. So they will still shoot at you and civilians, but they will shoot at each other as well.

 

Conplacency- causes the target to decide not to fire or run. The alien will woner aimlesly around, looking for something interesting to do. The alien won't mind being shot at, and may or may not drop his weapons.

 

I know some of these may have been said before, but I don't know which ones, so I said all the ones I could think of.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...
Guest Azrael
Hey, we should have loading while in tactical missions, i've always had to flee the tactical mission, and then load the game, it's a waste of time, players who do it (me included) do it anyway, why complicate things?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I kinda like the idea of a reloading enemy.

 

You'r at the second level of Cynodia and near the big bad boy.

*Game flashes*

You'r back in the first month of the game.

Computer: Wohooo!!!

 

I think the only logical psi skill would be the ones that didn't turn the psi combat into a totally different warfare entirely (and thus eliminating all kinds of tactical fun).

 

Telekinesis looks fine, you should be able to throw items around or push/pull some aliens (or even make your own soldiers fly). This wouldn't horribly unbalance the game (heck, the first time you meet psi you go "HORRIBLY UNBALANCED" because of control thingy). Stunning while pushing looks a bit abusive though.

Psi defensive skills would be nice, especially taking back the effects of psi attacks (like raising morale or taking control back). I am not sure about "protection" though, that sounds kinda abusive (a few soldiers with high psi skill protect the ones wandering out, the opposing psi alien army has no chance).

 

Disintegrate: Destroys target, along with all carried equipment (leaves no corpse behind). Needs lots of things to balance (only highly skilled aliens/soldiers can use it, limited use per combat, etc...) but it would be cool. It is also a "towards the end of the game" factor, even when you have all the technology and kick donkey, there is still something to feat out there.

 

Sorry if this has been suggested before.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Disintegrate: Destroys target, along with all carried equipment (leaves no corpse behind). Needs lots of things to balance (only highly skilled aliens/soldiers can use it, limited use per combat, etc...) but it would be cool. It is also a "towards the end of the game" factor, even when you have all the technology and kick donkey, there is still something to feat out there.

 

Hmm.... instead of completely disintegrating, how about killing? An etherial leader would probably have enough PSI power/telekenesis to kill an agent. (the brain and nerves are pretty soft) It'd probably be something severely limited by range, or need line-of-sight. The overall sucess of the attack will determine the damage that it does. People with high PSI skill wouldn't get hurt as much, but a low PSI guy might be gooified on the inside.

 

The enemy reloaded all the time in UFO. It was called crashing. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i think that each race should have PSI soldiers (or at least have etherials with them) of some sort so they arn't defenceless in battle¨.

 

I like the idea of PSI voices, like Niliath in Half-life, sorta that. It doesn't acturly do anything (maybe a little morale lowing), but it does funny things to the bagground music (adding some random tones, unstable soundlevel, etc.) and that stupid voice. Would drive you mad after a while.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

New here, love the project.

What about adding a new add on or even a new type of psi amp to the tech tree for only VERY high level psi users. Don't get out of control with the psi though, just a few useful but pricey abilities. Limited telekenesis, like opening doors from afar, or picking up guns and ammo from a few squares away, that kind of stuff. None of this psi storm stuff, too good. ( Love starcraft though. Avenger01[PW]) :rock:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My idea has more to do with x-com specialists(other thread) than with psi powers. I read this thread from the beginning and analyzed all the suggestions and came to a conclusion that if you added all these abilities, powers, skills or whathever you call them, Xenocide would become a phantasy game - just substitute aliens with dragons and skeletons and you have rpg world.

I think that there should be some special units. I don't know let's call them psi-samurais that would be able to perform some more advanced tricks(objects moving, invisibility and all the stuff) while all the other standard soldiers would use only two standard options - mind control and the other one (I don't remember what it was called).

These psi-samurais would be recruited as standard soldier and then you would examine their psi abilities and wow it would turn out that you have found sb really special. e.g one every 20 or 30 soldiers you recruit would possess such features.

They would make player's life much easier, but living without them would also be possible. Afterall, you still have plasma rifles to kill aliens.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My idea has more to do with x-com specialists(other thread) than with psi powers. I read this thread from the beginning and analyzed all the suggestions and came to a conclusion that if you added all these abilities, powers, skills or whathever you call them, Xenocide would become a phantasy game - just substitute aliens with dragons and skeletons and you have rpg world.

     I think that there should be some special units. I don't know let's call them psi-samurais that would be able to perform some more advanced tricks(objects moving, invisibility and all the stuff) while all the other standard soldiers would use only two standard options - mind control and the other one (I don't remember what it was called).

     These psi-samurais would be recruited as standard soldier and then you would examine their psi abilities and wow it would turn out that you have found sb really special. e.g one every 20 or 30 soldiers you recruit would possess such features.

      They would make player's life much easier, but living without them would also be possible. Afterall, you still have plasma rifles to kill aliens.

we have put down that Xenocide will NOT be a role playing game. I don't really like the idea of "the ones", with a chance of those having special powers. Some soldiers with 90+ Psi-offensive would easily take that role.

 

Also, i belive PSI should be WEAKENED, not enhenced.

 

What about using PSI decreased the morale? Like -50 moral for mindcontrol, and -20 for panicking. Unsucsessfull attacks, -10. and it could also be affected by bravery, maybe?

Edited by mikker
Link to comment
Share on other sites

How about this (sorry if anyone already said this :unsure: ):

 

Mind Blow: User focuses all his mental energy in the mind of the target, causing it to explode with a psionic blast damaging all (yes all! since u lose all Psi points) enemies and friends alike in the area.

 

Psi-focus: User uses Psi points to focus in the battle, improving sight and shot acuracy.

 

Gravia: User uses Psi points to augmentate the air pressure in a determined area. (ARRGGGHHH!! *BOOM* *Sharrrllfff* :D )

 

Earthbreak: User concentrates psi energy on the groun creating a land movement (like creating a Hill or put land flat - like an alien is hiding in a hill...you flat the land so someone can shoot it and vice-versa). Of course it does damage to units nearby.

 

Stun Cristal (more StarCraft stolen ideas): Creates a cristal enslaving barrier that stuns enemies for a short period of time.

 

Psi-Crimson: Kills targets mind (literaly), turning them into zombies.

 

Psionic Wound: Creates a fatal wound on the target, but no damage done. Think of it as something like poison since fatal wounds take health turn by turn.

 

And...some more that i will think about :D

Edited by Black Dash
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Psi invisablity:one where the soldier has to make mental combat check to each individual alein . (limiting the power while still having a kool tatic to play with and if you think about it if a milatary was to use psi they would more than likely direct the research efforts in combat invisabilty)

Psi wounding : indusing the negative effects of wounds as well as giving the feild medical kit more use

Psi static: reducing effect of psi in a area around the psi specialist

 

A good Psi system could really change the game for the better

Example: aleins who only have psi attacks would deversify the battle feild :explode:

 

And i like the idea of Psi Specialist, allowing bisic psi for defense on non-specialists while having trained psi Characters.

Edited by Birdman
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think new PSI skills are OK, as far as humans are weak at PSI. I mean here PSI Strength and PSI Skill. Humans need special implant in their skulls (that's how it worked with PSI Lab, right?) and Psi Amp to utilize their PSI powers, while every single Ethereal can float, move items (floating weapon in front of him) and control minds since time he was born. (Or rahter cloned.) Max PSI Strength for humans should be like 70-75, Skill like 65. It could be achieved only by extra ordinary human individuals and lots of training.

 

Otherwise nothing stops us from converting humans to Ethereals. Simply, when your soldier has 80 Psi Strength he can do whatever Ethereal can. So floating, telekinesis, MC-ing, reading thoughts, would require no TUs.

 

As for new PSI Skills:

Reading Minds - cheaper form of Mind Probing. Mind probe required 50% of yout TUs, while this thing would require like 20-25 TUs.

PSI Insanity - special form of attack useful only for aliens. It has to 'pierce' thru PSI Strength and Bravery, but when succesfull it permamently reduces bravery, and maybe starting morale for every mission. (It's something like instant death, because you don't really need berserker with you, and he'll be probably sent to mental assylum -sacked-, but sounds more reasonable than exploding heads.)

Edited by Extralucas
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Even agents with an excellent psi talent need a psi-amp. Without it, they're just ordinary people, except maybe with better instincts. That's why weaker agents are allowed into X-Corps ranks, because of their great instincts. :)

 

Remember, agents have that much psi strength with an amp. Without it, they might have a strength of 4 or 5. (the defense is unchanged.) If a cloak got a hold of an amp, he'd probably be blowing up buildings. Uh oh, I think a cloak commander would like one of those... :rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

For what it's worth, as much as I like the idea of Psionic combative powers, I think they should be very limited; they don't really fit the scope of X-Com's setting. It doesn't MAKE SENSE to me to have a Psi-Amp user generate energy flames or some such thing, within X-Com. Other settings, yes. Not X-Com.

 

I do think a bit of TeleKinesis is okay though. Being able to toss ammo magazines around, open doors remotely, etc...that all strikes me as "okay." That's about as far as I'd go with physical world interaction, though.

 

As for new Psi powers? How about...

 

Encourage/Calm: Raises the Morale (and maybe a little bit of Energy) of a target. Useful for getting characters under control when they constantly Panic or go Berserk. Envision a friend's voice in your head trying to get you to settle the heck down. I don't remember seeing anything quite like this one being posted above.

 

Disrupt: Lowers Accuracy of a unit. Imagine an antagonistic voice taunting you all the while, "Miss, miss, miss, miss, miss, miss, miss!" And sure enough, that [sucktoid] (yes, 'Sucktoid', because [sectoids] do suck) chokes under pressure, missing by a mile! Maybe someone already proposed this particular idea though, and if so, sorry for re-posting it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice ones, Cybuster.

 

How about having a way to reduce reactions/TU:s to avoid reaction fire. A sort of feeling someone stares my back, have to turn and look.

Or make that pesky snakeman think someone stepped on its tail, distract it. Anything to help capture that engineer alive.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Opening doors from afar? If Xenocide will be anything like X-com 1 then this will be a seriously balance-affecting psi-power. I'm for it though, I never "got" the idea that you have to stand in front of a door to open it anyway. Go try it on a real door - you can open it even if you stand beside it.

 

With psi-power it's even easier! ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think giving more possibilitys but lowering dramatically the psi-control possibility would balance the game more than un-balance it. X-com 1 was too easy after you got few psi-masters.

 

BTW Cybuster, I like your ideas. Not opening doors remotely but those last too, encourage and disrupt. Those are just so damn great ideas.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Love some of the stuff here, but keep in mind that Each ability we create for us, needs to be available to aliens, especially high power etherials. If we do make stealth craft and some sort of camoflauge or invisibility technique, we need to have the ability to send our own high power dudes to infiltrate their base. Sneak around, kill a single commander before getting murdered, or espionage. But for that we would need to have a handicap to make it more balanced. There would have to be a way to retrieve the agent to retrieve the knowledge he gained. Also, we need to have high level etherials trying to crack out defences from the inside as well. Only psi commandos with higher levels should be able to find them, meaning a high level psi in each base would be necessary.

Sorry if I go on forever.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The point of this thread is to brainstorm new psi powers. We'll balance them once V1+ is out the door.

Brainstorm- A powerful PSI wave disrupts an area. Any agents in the area will have clouded thoughts and judgement, and reduced stats as a result. Agents stuck in the stormed area will have vastly reduced psi powers, and may be protected from psi powers, as well.

Edited by Robo Dojo 58
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
Guest alex the greater

the only psy powers you nead are

 

Mind read (get an aliens LOS and maby outher info)

Countrol (just what it says mind countrol anouther being

Mind link (give anouther unit your LOS so he can shoot something he cant sea normaly)

Panic (lowers morale/bravrary and causes enamys to panic/go bezerk

Calm (the opasite of panic you must touch the target for this to work)

Heal (heals a unit works like a med kit but whithout the painkillers you must touch the person being healed)

Wound (the opasite of heal does damige to eanmys)

Telicanesis (this would come in varying leavels of strength and skill

if you have high pk strangth you canlift mor weaht and evan levatate throw enamys and cars ect if you have high pk skill you can reload a gun whithout using TUs throw small objects at high speeds twords enamys and maby hover a sevral guns and shoot them whithout using your hands)

Pirokenesis (you can set, shape, and extinguish fires whith your mind)

 

 

if you are worying about making thes unbalinced than give them to alilens to (greys should have mindlink and low levels of tealkenesis and maby make a race whit pirokenesis abilatys)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

Actually if you wanted to go a little nuts with it, you could consider implementing some of the witch powers from Witch Hunter Robin.

 

Microwave Generation - in urban areas where there was lots of electrical equipment, powerful microwaves could be generated, boiling the water inside organics fairly quickly.

Pirokenesis - This is a no-brainer.

Metal Manipulation - You could bend, expand, crush, and move at high speeds all sorts of metal. Useful for those HWPs and UFOs.

Dolls of Death - one witch had split personalities which all resided in these tiny dolls. Maybe some sectoids would have tons of little 'mini-sectoid' drones with mini-plasma rifles.

Manipulate Earth - You could create and move walls of surrounding ground.

 

That's all i can think of now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Here is a sketch on Psionic abilities( reposted from the recuitment forum )

 

PSI Potentials 0-100

0 = tottaly immune to psionics and is psionicaly inert themselves

 

Humans 0-50

Normal Greys 25-50

Grey Highups 50-75

Normal Ethereals 80-90

Ethereal Highups 100-?Maybe 125?

 

Humans have access to 1 domain 99% of the time and 2 domains; 1%of the time

Greys have access to 2 domains 75% of the time and all 3; 25% of the time

Ethereals have access to all domains always

 

-Humans have 0 level skills in their chosen domain(s) from the get go.

-Depending on the skill, the raw Psi potential is the base for success

of activating one of the cascade abilities within a certain domain.

-Once they have successfully activated a particular skill that becomes

their primary skill.

-Humans may only have One primary skill within a domain

and one secondary skill.

-Level 1 in a given skill gives a +10% chance to the

activation per/use upto a maximum +5 or level 5

-Greys may have upto level 7, Ethereals 10

-Psionicaly talented humans that survive a psionic encounter

vs aliens recieve access to psychic defences at level 0 and

cap at level 7.5(or 75%) for mitigation purposes during

any type of tellempathic manipulation uppon them be it human

or alien. Ie Ethereal Leader uses "Brain Melt" or "insert your aliens offensive psychic talent being used against a human psycher here" against SSG Psirona and her level 7.5 "insert name of mental defence here".

 

X= Attacker Potential

vs.

Y= Defender Potential

if X is greater than Y then go to Z(or result)

if Y is greater than X then Z=0

 

Human Psionicist Skill chart example

 

Psi -38

Pool-38 points

 

Domains 1(tellemetabolic)

 

Tellemetabolic -38

Heightened senses-0

Heal self-0

Heal other-0

Various Physical stat boosts-0

 

Some talents would need to have an activation cost

and a maintenance cost that would allow a couple

rounds of use for something realy badass like

double MPs or an accuracy increase like, joschmo

psycher the sniperboy at 2 clicks goes into a trance

and accieves perfect aim on his intended targets head

with heavy sniper laser.

75 mp's cost for the shot and burns his pool to half

for one use.

Or, Psirona activates sense psionics and she

can scan the battlefield for those pesky collective

babblers muttering to themselves and gives her

team a slight bonus to initiative by feeling and

interpreting the enemies position and intent but

cant do much else herself having done so, and

burns up 10 points to activate, and costs 10

5 to maintain per combat round.

 

 

 

PSI-

Tellekinetics-

pyro

cryo

kintetic

Mollecular alteration/manipulation

 

Tellempathy

Attack

Defence

Probe

Intuition

Sense Psionic activity

Psycho-tactile recollection

 

Tellemetabolic

Heightened senses

Heal self

Heal other

Various Physical stat boosts Heightened senses

 

 

Lets face it. All creatures are to some degree, including plants, tellepathic

therefore we can call this the rudiments of Psionics.

 

In Terran creatures excluding humans, we know that dogs, cats, even

pet parrots exibit to one degree an invisible sensetivity to their masters

be they benevolent or not.The list goes on , whales, dolphins, octopus, etc etc.

 

Simply put, the Greys and Etherials tend to exibit a

much more thorough understanding and have

social infrastructure built uppon these talents.

 

Humans exibiting these talents are not as rare as one mite

immagine, and typicaly, are viewed with alot of fear

by close family and are punished for having a very stong

intuition at early ages out of fear by the parents.

 

Psionics is something different all together from what humans

have. Its a formalised , measured, tested domain by the

Greys and the Ethereals through many centuries of living

steeped in its application in their hive societies with the ability

to comment on it much more clearly thus opening the way to

greater understanding and application.

 

So, depending on what year you intend to have the setting

of this project take place and how deeply diversified and organised

the social fabric, the taboo may have been lifted somewhat enough

to allow humans to penetrate into this arena a bit more deeply

without thought of being punished for having done so.

 

Humans tend towards tellepathic and psychometabolic

talents. Ever hear the term psych yourself out? or that guy made

my skin crawl? Its not just over excitement by the athalete or

over warry of the pretty girl. These are real "vibes" generated in the

former instance and recieved in the latter.

 

Back to Greys and Ethereals, and how it all applies in making

it a stable aspect to gameplay.....

 

Full body controll would be extreemly taxing I suspect

even for a creature so tallented as a Grey or Ethereal.

It would require no action other than doing just that

and they would need to go through a series of checks

wich would result in an overall "chance" past the filter of

check of maybe say 20%and risk a chance at a backlash

by the target and in turn be themselves dominated

. You could then add varrying degrees to the success by

ading another cascade result at the end of

say 1-5. 1 being only able to halt the targeted human

4 being tottal controll and 5 being tottal and undetectable

manipulation over the course of several rounds untill

the time is right.

 

If you looked at the old school DND rules for psionic

engagements you would see the intelligence Gary Gygax

gave to his equations.Range, cost, duration, skill level

and aspecialy the offense and defense modes VS one another.

 

My feelings are this.....

If a human tellepath were to specialize in nothing

but Psychic Talents starting with a very high Psionic

Potential and a concrete teacher Id put them on

par with the average Grey Soldier but they will

have had to dedicate their lives to it where as a

Grey having lived with it, raised with it and taught

from birth basicaly, would be a capable combatant

outside of the psionic realm with guns and grenades

etc.

 

But what if a Grey were to do nothing but Psionic

training. This is what an Ethereal is. Its a grey gone

through some sort of metamorphosis and add

a little bit of secret society rituals and voilla. You have

the Ethereal Caste. Or Neromancer if you will.

These would be the types that make heads explode,

pannic within a radius and all that.

Ethereals shouldnt have been very combat able

because of this.

 

If humans are to be PSI talented then they shouldnt

be able to mount anything but a pistol and light armour

and maybe a medpack or scanner and a grenade or two.

Secondly they would need to be in line of sight, and lastly

they can do nothing that round other than the psionic activity

they are doing, in that round of combat.

 

This would make them vulnerable, and a high target priority

by the AI because Greys and Ethereals can sense psionic

humans activities because to them the noise of their

thoughts isnt a racuous cacophany in mid combat like

the grunts minds are, itd be closer the sound of an operah

singer belting out a high C twice above the staff at 105db

in the middle of a meditation hall(or collective conciousness of

the Greys/Ehtereals).

 

They would know where and who was makin that rackett and would

either want to capture that human and disect them after throroughly

probing their psyche to the depths , or blast them on sight.

ie Human Psionics pull huge agro....so.. with that in mind, your

psycher is gonna be dusted if they dont have a

man portable shield gen on them from the getgo.

 

 

I know I didnt present this info to yall in the most organised of ways

but I did want to point out that it IS a very workable aspect

and ANY improvement to the old Xcom system is a HUGE one

in terms of game play and ballance.

 

Just remember, psionics dont have to be all out making the enemy

bleed from their orrafices and screem clutching at their temples.

They can do suble things, like make one squaddie calm the F down or break a

dominated soldier out of his trance and back to earth, or

throw up psychic stattic so the enemy cant pinpoint your exact

position by their thoughts alone.

 

And lastly I apologise for posting this here but

Im not a member to the area I read this and

wanted to add my two plasma clips.

 

Hope to see you all successfull in this endeavor.

 

Shoe$

 

[email protected]

 

 

Peace

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Psionic Kill: Attempts to completely shut down the target's brainstem or equivalent, killing it instantly. Obviously, this would not work on artificial lifeforms or creatures you haven't researched yet.

 

Psionic Wound: The target feels and reacts as if it has been wounded if this happens. This may cause them to do things like fall unconscious (shock), stop moving (crippled legs), limp away, or just get more pissed off if it's a minor one.

 

ESP: All people with higher psi-skills and a psi-amp or equivalent employed would be able to use ESP to a limited extent, based on their psi powers. This would be a 'scan' that reveals enemies. A low psi power person would maybe be able to see a short distance, while your uber psi-dude would be seeing aliens through walls, floors, and ceilings. From half the map away. Slight exaggeration, maybe, but something like that.

 

Psionic Trauma: Uses psionics to influence the target's mind, hopefully causing shock, trauma, or death.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

How about a blind ability? Vision is a very important part of the tactical game. An afflicted target might only have 1/3 of the vision range, making them easy prey. They'd also have drastically reduced accuracy, also making them leadbait.

 

Another powerful ability would be psi detection. A psi user can use it to detect psi users nearby. Powerful users would be bright spots, while dim users would be hard to find. Distant users would be tough to find as well.

Edited by Robo Dojo 58
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You know what, the Psi abilities already in the game are ample - you could make them panic or you can control them, any more and it gets too complicated

 

But please, make it so that you can get to the aliens inventory by clicking the button and not by having to cycle through you men + make it so that in the inventory screen he looks like an alien and not like one of your guys

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, panic pretty much covers all the aspects of incapacitation. Mind control does cover all of the killing power as well, along with vision, shooting, and suicide. B)

 

As for the psi-radar thing, maybe that could be an additional ability of the mind probe? In X-Com, it was only good for reading an alien's attributes. Maybe it could give vision, or allow an agent to detect psi-capable aliens nearby?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's an interesting thought Blood - having more than one psi amp type that do different things. MC and Panic can remain the attributes of the stock one with future amp models offering only the specialized new attacks. I like the idea of telekinesis very much just from the angle of wanting to maniuplate battlescape objects not nailed down or which become uprooted/broken off.

 

Combined with HWPs with special tools onboard (or if need be utilizing engineer types with a repair kit item that mimick medkit functionality), it helps the idea of creating makeshift fortifications during combat. Especially late game with an amp like this, your probably using the HWP tools less, but its still a nice thought.

 

I'd imagine the attack points (or movement points) would be similar to the blaster bomb waypoint thing here where you first select the telekinetic amp, select the object you want to move, then set up waypoints if its a matter of moving the object up/down different altitudes or around corners, then clicking the execute command for the final destination point.

 

Unlike the blaster launcher though where its always been a sure fire weapon (the fact it doesn't need accuracy to work) the amp relies entirely on psi skill making the outcomes different for everything below about 70% with the odd mishaps happening even with 80% or 90% skill.

 

The pyromaniac's amp to make things combust sounds neat too! Or the popsicle amp. I'd probably have something like these two be its own amp model, the telekinetic one its own, MC and Panic its own, with a fourth model containing any other ability left out.

 

I think there should be an ability to manipulate sounds or eyesight trickery as well. It just seems like there should be at least one or two attacks that act in a distraction role.

 

Robo, gotta agree with you about the Mind Probe, seems it could use another type of diagnostic function of some sort besides identifying what a unit is. Perhaps another ability for the probe if not an entirely new object is to let it also have a secondary ability to reveal alien intent - This could simply manifest its self in letting you know where the unit will try to move during its next turn.

 

It could reveal a dotted line capped with an arrow on your overhead map for the alien that you'd clicked on with this option with the probe. The dotted line could represent the "intent" of the unit, but only if the line is solid with no breaks means that it "will" move that way. You have to factor in the fact that during combat, and taking such things as line of sight and reactions into account that it could very well not go down that way with the alien changing up its pathfinding intent as things get in its way and react to it.

 

Maybe it also plans to fire on a unit that it knows where it is too, in which case the relevant unit will be highlighted in the same color scheme as watever is used in the overhead map to reveal alien intent information.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Instead of having more than one type of psi amp, there could be different ammo like cartridges.

 

Some possibilities could be:

Morale: Panic, Berserk, Mind Control.

Kinetics: Move Objects, Explode Brain.

Sense: Blind, Invisibility?

Thermal: Pyro, Cryo.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That might be too easy, because you could send a trooper into battle with a psi-amp and all the "psi-ammo."

 

Perhaps different stats? Previously you had Psi Strength and Psi Skill, now perhaps we could have Psionic restistance, Thermokinetic skill, Extra-Sensory Perceptive skill, Telekinetic Skill, and Telepathic Skill.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That might be too easy, because you could send a trooper into battle with a psi-amp and all the "psi-ammo."

 

Perhaps different stats? Previously you had Psi Strength and Psi Skill, now perhaps we could have Psionic restistance, Thermokinetic skill, Extra-Sensory Perceptive skill, Telekinetic Skill, and Telepathic Skill.

 

 

 

That sounds great idea! Some soldier with strong affinity to fire (well, there is a little pyromaniac in everyone of us of course. ;) ) would probaply excell in pyro psitechs, where more violent soldiers could get huge bonus for kinetics, for the satisfaction of seeing enemy smashed against wall/floor/roof. (MWAHAHAHAA!!!) But then again, neither would be good at other skills like mind control and morale hitting and such. Brain exploding/damaging and such should be left for persons with telepathics (which main functions are panicking and mindcontrol) so they would have some form of attack psitech aswell. Thermokinetic and Telekinetic already have their own as i mentioned above.

 

This would bring some new RPG:ish flavor to simple tactical squad game without sacrificing main idea behind the game.

 

Before someone sais "unbalancing", same skills should be available to ethreals aswell, but attack psitech would be limited to line of sight only for BOTH sides.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I figure if all these attributes/actions are done with the mind via any amp device, we might as well keep it psi defense and psi skill for the stat sheet. Any successful attack no matter the type will increase the generic psi skill.

 

I'm not sure I like the 'amp clip' idea although I suppose it might make a cool mod later on. I think the purpose for having 3 or 4 amps total is to divide up who attacks with what rather than everybody hogging the Panic/MC amp type since I suspect that one would be the most desired model. But this is a player tactics issue more than anything. Its fun to make an enemy unit do your bidding after all.

 

Also btw, Bezerk doesn't sound like an attack so much as the result of one, specifically Panic but could exetend to some of the others in this new lineup as well.

 

I wonder if Mind Control should come much later after the others in the research line with maybe exception being telekinesis or the instadeath-to-a-unit's-brain one. The way I was thinking in terms of the order of being revealed in the tree could be...

 

1. <Psi alien commander research> - gives you Psi Lab and the lab gives you research into your first amp type.

 

2. First Psi Skill revealed upon manufacturing your first amp is Panic - your most basic attack.

 

3. <insert special alien research> - 2nd amp model manufacturing - skill is sound, 2nd skill is some type of sight manipulation.

 

4. <insert special alien or object research> - 3rd amp type which gives you pyrotechnic and cryo abilities against targets. You could make this amp more attractive by adding in an additional attack making it the only one capable of 3 separate variants i.e. that instadeath attempt on a unit's brain is a good example (possibly could be moved after telekinesis in the tree).

 

5. <insert special alien leader or object research> - Adds Mind Control to your first amp's functionality alongside Panic.

 

6. <insert special alien or object research> - 4th amp type dedicated to telekinetic abilities. The first type of attack could be to manipulate any loose object, then have it be moved akin to the waypoint method used with blaster launchers. A second form of attack could be to destroy or break apart inanimate objects with your mind - something useful in tandem with the first type.

 

7. Brain attack (for lack of a better term) could go last in line. Any instadeath type of attack should be held til the end I feel...Anyway, once revealed it stacks onto the 3rd amp's attack alongside pyro and cryo.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
Who issssss that?? I do not recognisssssse him. Isssss he a late transssssfer from Cydonia??
Reply: Yup, billy bob brain sent me to re-enforcer y'all. I a goina kik sum human assses

 

LOL

 

====================

Fake Sm: "DIE!" *Bzzt* *Bzzt*

Sm1: Why isssss he ssssssssshooting at ussssss?!?

Sm2: He mussssssst be mind controled!

====================

 

Well, if to put psionic to only telephatic level or brain2brain only level, how bout this:

 

Panic - Drop weapon and flunk moral

 

Confuse - Shoot random unit

 

Berserk - Shoot random till blank then moral flunk

 

Block - block pain from injured unit so unit can function flawless, but HP decrease faster

 

Blast - give target unit major headache (-accuracies)

 

Boost - add concentration to target unit (+accuracies)

 

Mind Control - control target unit

 

Psionic Defense - if used before any psionic activity on unit, unit is immune to attacks lower than unit's psionic skill (recommend to use every end of turn when fighting high Psionic aliens)

 

Sooth - soothing target unit brain activity making target unit to fall asleep (stun)

 

Sight - see what target unit see (just the front)

 

Ignore - target unit will ignore caster as another object.

 

Psionic Locater - using psionic to detect brainwave within limited range (all units appear on map even when unseen/unexplored) (casting unit majorly decrease Psi Strength, psionic defense by other unit is possible)

 

Breakdown - scramble target unit's brainwave violently resulting death. (casting unit fall unconscious whether psionic defense bounce the attack or not, and the attack works or not)

 

Major Breakdown - scramble multiple target units' brainwave violently resulting death. (casting unit fall unconscious and have high percentage of dying depending on how many units were casted upon and/or if psionic defense bounce the attack)

 

 

I wonder if Terror Disk should be effected too since it's cybernetic.

Edited by gu35s
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...
Well, if to put psionic to only telephatic level or brain2brain only level, how bout this:

*snip*

 

That's one of the better posts I've read.

I'm one of those people that think that MC was overpowered in the original game and that the PSI powers should have only mental effects. These are the PSI powers I would like to see in Xenocide(And also the ones I think are likely to get included):

 

Panic: The classic, makes the target panic and/or berzerk. I would also like the berzerk effect to be significantly less frequent than the panic effect.

 

Confusion: Makes the target shoot at any and all targets.

 

Mind-Control: You know it. (Unlocked by a later research perhaps?)

 

PSI-Purge: Releases a friendly target from enemy PSI-abilities. (Unlocked by the same research as MC?)

 

PSI-Shield: All friendly units within a certain distance from the user gain a boost to their PSI-resistance.

 

I would also like to see a change in game mechanics where the further away your target is, the less effect your PSI-powers will have. This together with PSI-Shield would make the psi users a more integrated(sp?) part of your team, and not just the four soldiers that stay in the back of the craft the entire mission.

 

Some sort of ESP ability could also work. It could work much the same way as the motion sensors, only that it showed units that had recently used PSI abilities instead of units that has moved.

 

/Rhoks

 

Edit: I see that the "range" feature is allready going to be added, so NM that part.

Edited by Rhox
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

"My eyes" - depending in skil of user - allow to see SOME of the things that man/alien sees. The larger PSI-skill - the more you see.

 

PSI call - makes a target get closer to one who calls(You know - like in the movies!)

 

Panic - Lowers alien morale

 

Illusion - creates a visible illusion on the list(Civvie - OMG kill the earthlink! Gah bullets go through!)

 

Madness-targets starts to kill all around it... But so does the man who sended the madness

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...
Personally, I'd like to see all the psi powers reman mind related. I think someone already said this as well.
...at least, considering how (from whom) it's learned. :) I would add that use of full mind control should be made much harder and/or limited.

 

IMHO, psionics should be ruled mostly on the principle "inner powers for inner use", with few exceptions like telepaty, but at least there's affinity involved. This leaves enough space for powers other than direct attacks: amplification of user's abilities (strength, agility/aim, reaction, or stamina rush); Danger sense; minor healing (just enough to stop or reduce bleeding with good ability check). Maybe, even scrying (knowledge that there's guy with heavy plasmagun behind the corner is very useful, yet not exactly "floor-wiping" thing in itself).

Perhaps, cooperative psionics ? I.e. someone uses ability, and others just stand nearby and transfer their power points to partially compensate loss ?

"My eyes" - depending in skil of user - allow to see SOME of the things that man/alien sees. The larger PSI-skill - the more you see.

 

PSI call - makes a target get closer to one who calls(You know - like in the movies!)

After all, sensory link (perhaps extending to hearing, etc) and inducing of simple tropism are parts of "Mind Control" mode, so why not to use those separately as easier tasks... Mind/Life sense, bolstering friendly creature's morale and active protection, too...
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...