Psionics! Well, I knew they were going to show up eventually, given that there have been several mentions of it in this book. Psionics, for those who are allergic to science fiction (what are you doing here, anyway?), is the 'powers of the mind' that are so common in the genre. Traveller's stance on psionics starts out with the optimistic view that someday, everyone will have psionic powers as part of their everyday life. But that is not this day. Psionics are known to exist, but it's still rare, and those who have these powers fall under the jurisdiction of the Psionics Institute. But there is still a lot of prejudice in the Traveller setting toward psionicists, so the Institute is quiet. Sort of like Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, to borrow from another genre.
After that mood-setting intro, we get straight to the Psionics Institute (PI for the purposes of this blog). The PI is underground, so to speak, so it's not easy to find them even if you're looking. They're only going to be found on high-population worlds (9 or greater), and even then it's an 11+ on the roll to find it, with a +1 DM per population point over 9 (so a B-pop world will have one on an 8+).
Of course, just because the PI has a presence on the planet, it doesn't mean that you're going to find them. It's a 9+ to find it; Streetwise and Admin skills are positive DMs to finding them. It's going to take a week to find them, though, no matter how good your roll is. There's a note that if the PI isn't found within a week, the character gives up and is convinced that there's no branch on the planet. I can see that for NPCs, but players are notoriously stubborn; they might look for six months because they just KNOW that there's a PI branch on this world. It's like the old 'dead-end corridor in the dungeon' scenario, where the players are convinced that there's treasure on the other side of that caved-in corridor, or that there absolutely is a secret door in that dead-end wall, and they'll bring down an entire excavating expedition to dig it out.
If you do find them, congratulations! You even get to tell your friends about it. Of course, it might still be far away (7+ that it isn't) and you'll still have to travel halfway around the planet to get to them. Because why make things easy? The PI trains budding psis, and even does a test to see how much psi potential you have. I'm really getting X-Men vibes from this. It costs 5,000 Cr to be tested for psi strength, although in extreme circumstances they might waive it (10+ roll to avoid having to pay).
So, let's see how these psionics work. First of all, the older you are, the less likely you are to have them. Roll 2D, modified by -1 for every 4 years that you're older than 18. That's your Psionic Strength Rating.
Okay, wait a second. Everyone can have these powers, then? It's not a question of 'if', but 'how much'? Interesting. Of course, if your modifiers bring you below 1, then you're not going to have it after all. But any one-term character is guaranteed to have them, even at a minimum of 1. You only get to roll once in your character's lifetime, though, so you take what you get.
Ratings can go from zero to 11. The only way to get higher than an 11 is through psi-drugs. The maximum possible Psionic Strength Rating is 15. This number indicates both how much activity you can perform, as well as how much strength you have available to do specific things. That seems to be a redundant statement; let's see if it's clarified on the next page.
So, here's the question. If psionics are so common, why are they underground? Or, if they're underground, how is it that virtually anyone who gets tested is going to show up as psi-positive? Is it only people who have a psionic sense that go looking for them in the first place? Is it like a Harry Potter situation where only the people who are part of the club even know of its existence? It's a tricky question, one that will require some further thought.
If science fiction is your thing (and if it's not, why are you reading this in the first place?), take a look at my first science fiction publication, Bard Conley's Adventures Across the Solar System, which is a collection of ten linked short stories. It's available in paperback and e-book formats on Amazon right now!
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