These are optional guidelines you may follow while roleplaying your psion character. Much of it could be obvious to you from the name of the discipline. As always, you are welcome to take another path invisioned by your imagination.

Each psion trains his mind in a specific discipline, which is both a way of thinking and a focus of powers. While all disciplines share certain powers, others are exclusive to one particular discipline. The six possible disciplines are as follows. Please note that the personality traits serve as a guide and are not meant to be restrictive or all inclusive. You could quite easily have characters that vary widely from these.

Egoist: The psion known as the egoist focuses on changing physical properties of a creature, thing, or condition. Most often the object in question is the psion himself, as it is over this creature that he naturally has the most power. An egoist can will his body into different conditions, from helping himself meld into backgrounds to giving himself a temporary boost to attributes. These abilities make the egoist a particularly powerful psion on his own.

Personality Traits: An egoist is often brash and self-assured, preferring his own company above all others. Many egoists find themselves superior to others, a reason in part for their name. If an egoist has a flaw, it is often the inability to see mistakes he may make, though this is not true of particularly clever egoists who have learned to recognize their faults.

Roleplay Considerations: Because of the type of psionics an egoist focuses on, his latent powers often manifest themselves in an ability to make minor alterations to his appearance. For example, an egoist might focus on his hand, making it grow claws for a moment. This type of alteration will take concentration and cannot be used as a disguise.

Seer: A seer focuses on divination and seeing the unseen. Seers can do many things, from sensing hidden auras around people to glancing mere seconds ahead in battle, making them harder to hit. A seer can use all manner of divinations to see into the future as well as detect things going on around them. Seers are often sought after for their abilities to help predict what may happen, as well as read the intentions of a potential ally or foe. For this reason, seers often find themselves in demand.

Personality Traits: A seer is often aloof, focusing more on what she sees with her third eye than what is going on in the world around her. Some seers become so involved in the hidden world that they do not make friends or keep alliances, preferring to remain alone to avoid enduring the pain of death that they foresee must some day separate them from friends and loved ones. Seers may also be voyeurs, intent upon learning as much as they can about people around them.

Roleplay Considerations: Seers, while naturally gifted, often use some sort of focus to manifest their abilities. Some seers prefer tarot cards, while others use a crystal ball exclusively. Tea leaves may be read to predict the future for the drinker, while dreams are often interpreted to divine both the future and present. Many other types can be used, but every seer often has a favorite method even if they use several.

Shaper: A shaper draws ectoplasm from the Astral Plane to create new objects or creatures here on the Prime Material plane. This type of creation results in very real beings, either animate or inanimate. When a shaper creates creatures in this way, the creatures will do her bidding. These creatures are unusual in that they are not 'summoned' creatures, but rather created ones. They cannot live forever, of course, and will vanish when their time is up. The ability to create such things makes a shaper a valuable ally in a party as well as a viable option for solitary travel.

Personality Traits: Shapers may have many different types of personalities. At times, a shaper may develop a 'god complex', thinking she is equal to a creator. Oftentimes, though, a shaper is somewhat altruistic in nature, creating her creatures to aid fellow people or protect a group.

Roleplay Considerations: It would not be unusual for a shaper to conjure what might look like minor 'illusions'. In reality, these are in fact creations from the Astral Plane with a very short duration. A shaper might conjure up a puff of smoke or a small toy for a child. Some shapers earn a living this way, though most with skill move on to bigger things. Some shapers keep small carvings of their favorite types of summonings to help them focus.

Kineticist: The psions known as kineticists deal in raw power, producing awe-inspiring affects. The kineticist is the 'blasting' psion, harnessing energy to do his will. Naturally, these abilities make him quite capable on his own, but parties often desire a kineticist among the group on the philosophy that the best defense is a strong offense.

Personality Traits: Kineticists run the gamut of personality types, but the somewhat stereotypical kineticist is the chaotic blaster who merely likes to blow things up. Other, more refined kineticists might be interested in energy from an intellictual standpoint, calmly manipulating it to see what it can do.

Roleplay Considerations: A kineticist would be the psion most likely to be able to produce fireworks for villages and the like. Other psions could of course use minor bursts of light to distract a foe as well. Telekinesis would also be a strong point for these psions, calling minor items through the air to the psion's hand.

Nomad: A nomad, rather like his non-psionic counterpart, is a wanderer. He is a psion who has developed talents for moving both himself and others from one place to another. A nomad can call help from another realm, effectively summoning creatures. He may also open up a portal, allowing several people to pass through from one area to another. A nomad is essential for any group that needs to travel together, and he has the added benefit of being able to call in a little help to swell party numbers.

Personality Traits: The nomad is often a wanderer, traveling from one area to another in pursuit of his own interests. While many non-psionic nomads are actually part of a cohesive group, psionic nomad tribes are very rare. A few do exist, and they often wander in search of a particular relic or the answer to a certain question. Nomads often seem aloof or distracted, though they may not truly be.

Roleplay Considerations: Many nomads do not settle in one place, just like their non-psionic counterparts. A nomad might be more chaotic than some other psions, picking up whenever he feels the urge. As the nomad's powers develop, minor feats of teleportation (such as moving from one corner of the room to another) would not be out of line.

Telepath: Rather strong in nature, telepaths can enter the minds of other individuals, either spying on thoughts or altering them in some way. A telepath can detect what another is thinking, even going so far as to detect mental disturbances by invisible creatures. Telepaths are invaluable for contacting others, from sending a very short message to holding a full mental converation no matter the distance between the telepath and the target. Telepaths have long be visible in the realms, most of them working as psychics who allow adventurers to contact one another.

Personality Traits: Telepaths on the whole share very few personality traits. Their abilities draw the interest of all dispositions. Evil telepaths might use their abilities to plant suggestions and compulsions in a minion's mind, while good telepaths might use their powers to help families and friends stay in contact or rescue someone from danger. Because of the wide range of possibilities, telepaths are rarely alike.

Roleplay Considerations: Telepaths have several options available to them. They could sell their services, of course, charging for the ability to contact others. They could also use their powers to disturb the minds of enemies. Most telepaths use their powers fairly freely, finding that the more they use them, the easier it is to delve into a subject's mind. Another option for a telepath would be something of a medieval psychologist, helping an adventurer find the cause of his aversion to spiders or her fear of sailing.

See also: psion, disciplines