Psychometry? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Psychometry? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
the Slayer of Heroes
04-26-07, 05:47 PM don't know if this has been done yet, but I was rereading my Battle Angel Alita volumes and was caught by Kaos' unique ability of psychometry.

Kaos is an expert of psychometry, a unique talent to read the memories of inanimate objects. For example, can channel the memories of a katana to learn sword skills and the memories of a computer to hack it.

I thought this was an interesting concept. I don't ~think~ there are rules for this sort of thing in current psionics, but I may have missed something. Anyone know of any feats/powers/etc that do this, and if not, anyone know how this mechanic would work?
CrimsonDeath
04-26-07, 06:54 PM There's a Psychometry power in Complete Psionic that can discern what's recently happened in an area. The Object Reading power in the Expanded Psionics Handbook can discern facts about an object's previous owners.
saidin0111
04-26-07, 09:12 PM Those two powers are the only ones I know of as well. I have never seen one that allows you to learn, temporarily or otherwise, skills associated with the object, though you could make a psionic variant of the spell Master's Touch (?) that would grant you proficiencly with a held weapon or shield. Oh, there's also the power that allows you to reroll a knowledge check with a bonus. It could be viewed as absorbing knowledge about the subject of your query.
Deekin
04-26-07, 09:21 PM Two powers that do it really well.

Object Reading
Clairsentience
Level: Seer 2
Display: Auditory and material
Manifesting Time: 1 minute
Range: Touch
Target: Object touched
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 min./level (D)
Saving Throw: None
Power Resistance: Yes
Power Points: 3

You can learn details of an inanimate object’s previous owner. Objects accumulate psychic impressions left by their previous owners, which can be read by use of this power. The amount of information revealed depends on how long you study a particular object.
1st Minute

Last owner’s race.
2nd Minute

Last owner’s gender.
3rd Minute

Last owner’s age.
4th Minute

Last owner’s alignment.
5th Minute

How last owner gained and lost the object.
6th+ Minute

Next-to-last owner’s race, and so on.

The power always correctly identifies the last owner of the item, and the original owner (if you keep the power active long enough).

There is a 90% chance that this power will successfully identify all other former owners in sequence, but there is a 10% chance that one former owner will be skipped and thus not identified.

This power will not identify casual users as owners. (Anyone who uses an object to attack someone or something is not thereafter considered a casual user.)

An object without any previous owners reveals no information. You can continue to run through a list of previous owners and learn details about them as long as the power’s duration lasts. If you use this power additional times on the same object, the information yielded is the same as if you were using the power on the object for the first time.
Augment

For every additional power point you spend, this power’s maximum duration increases by 10 minutes.

and

Sensitivity to Psychic Impressions
Clairsentience
Level: Seer 2
Display: Auditory and material
Manifesting Time: 1 hour
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Area: Spread with a radius of 25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels, centered on you
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 min./level
Saving Throw: None
Power Resistance: No
Power Points: 3

You gain historical vision in a given location. Rooms, streets, tunnels, and other discrete locations accumulate psychic impressions left by powerful emotions experienced in a given area. These impressions offer you a picture of the location’s past.

The types of events most likely to leave psychic impressions are those that elicited strong emotions: battles and betrayals, marriages and murders, births and great pain, or any other event where one emotion dominates. Everyday occurrences leave no residue for a manifester to detect.

The vision of the event is dreamlike and shadowy. You do not gain special knowledge of those involved in the vision, though you might be able to read large banners or other writing if they are in your language.

Beginning with the most recent significant event at a location and working backward in time, you can sense one distinct event for every 10 minutes you maintain concentration, if any such events exist to be sensed. Your sensitivity extends into the past a maximum number of years equal to 100 × your manifester level.
Bacris
04-26-07, 09:43 PM Sounds akin to the Sword of Truth in the Goodkind novels, which imparts the swordsman skills of all the previous wielders upon the current wielder.

I definitely like the concept!
JulesCARV
04-27-07, 06:25 AM I came up with a psionic disease that has similar effects -- I suppose that it gives you a permanent "sensitivity to psychic impressions" effect (athough the time limit for reading such impressions with the disease is only about eight hours, not centuries) and "empathy" effect, so long as you have it, along with less favorable effects.

I originally called is "unmediated empathy (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=809896)," although I've also considered calling it "permeable spirit." The idea is that emanations from other people's sensations and emotions are abundant, but most people automatically block them out or are oblivious. A skilled psionicist can pick them up with powers like "Empathy" and "Sensitivity to Psychic Impressions." Someone with the disease is always picking them up, uncontrollably, whether he wants to or not.
Hida Reju
04-27-07, 08:07 AM Modify the psionic power for Feat leech in the XPS and allow augments to increase BAB/Gain temporary skill ranks/gain temporary virtual feats. That is how I handled it.

Just remember it does not make you faster or stronger really just more skilled and at high lvls of power very dangerous for short periods of time.

I turned it into a lvl 4 Psion/Wilder or lvl 3 Psychic Warrior power power called Psychometric Channeling

I used 10 min per manifester lvl as the base duration.

I gave the DM full control over what the item could provide you based on its age and history. Your average sword had skills and feats equal to a lvl 1 fighter. Older or legendary items had more. Books could do typically 4 ranks of any Int based skill. This includes skills like Spellcraft.

Tools for a craft type skill depended on the quality of the tools normal quality could usually do 2 ranks while masterwork could do up to 4-6 ranks depending on the skill of the creator and previous owners

It was 1 point augment per Temporary skill rank to a max of your primary Manifester stat modifier.
It was 2 points per BAB to a max of your manifester lvl
It was 2 points per Feat absorbed to a max of your Primary Manifester stat modifier.

I did required a Will save against items of legend to not be possessed by the item's spirit for the duration of the power.

Oh one last thing it did have a material componet requirement and if the item was out of your possession then the abilities granted are suppresed until you get it back into your hands.
Hida Reju
04-30-07, 12:28 AM Did anyone else have any ideas on how to handle this ability I have some interest in it as well and I would be interested in other takes on it?
GhostStepper
04-30-07, 01:00 AM With the ability to gain random skills from objects, a type of "psionic factotum" springs to mind. Instead of inspiration points to activate others' class features, he somehow does so by contacting the appropriate items.
InkBlot
05-01-07, 02:41 AM Did anyone else have any ideas on how to handle this ability I have some interest in it as well and I would be interested in other takes on it?

I do. All this needs is a level (I'm thinking somewhere around 3rd or 5th), and a poetic description of what a momento is.

Psychometric Touch
Clairsentience
Level: Seer x
Display: Visual
Manifesting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 minute/level
Power Points: 2x - 1

When a sentient creature uses an inanimate object, if the creature's intent is strong enough it leaves psychic imprints -- small pieces of it's knowledge and experiance -- on that object. You can read these imprints to increase your own capability with an inanimate object.

When you manifest this power, choose one object in your possession. You gain bonuses with that object according to it's nature. If the object falls into more than one of the following categories, you only gain the benifits of the one you choose to read.

Arms or Armor - Weapon's of war are often imprinted with ferocity and fear, as well as the lethal skills it's wielder lived or died by.

If you manifest this power with a weapon, you gain a +2 insight bonus on attack and damage rolls with that weapon. If you manifest this power with a shield or armor, you gain a +2 insight bonus to your Armor Class and Saving Throws. You also temporarily gain proficiency with the weapon, armor, or shield (but not other items of the same type) for the duration of this power.

Tool - After being repeatedly put through certain specific motions, a tool becomes imprinted with a certain amount of skill as well. Reading the psychic imprints on a tool can be like watching a master at work.

If you manifest this power with a tool, you gain a +2 insight bonus to skill checks made with that tool. If you are untrained in any of the skills associated with the tool, you can make checks as if you were trained. For example, if you manifest this power with a hammer you would gain a +2 insight bonus on any Craft (Carpentry) and Disable Device checks made using that hammer.

Momento - If you manifest this power on a momento, you gain a +2 insight bonus to Intimidate, Sense Motive, and Diplomacy checks made to influence the last person to have a large emotional investment in the momento.

For example, you if manifest this power with the queen's wedding ring you would gain a +2 insight bonus on Intimidate, Sense Motive, and Diplomacy checks made to influence the queen.

If more than one person shared an emotional investment in a momento (such as the king and queen both having an emotional investment in the queen's wedding ring), you must choose the person you gain bonuses against when you manifest this power.
Millenia
05-01-07, 04:25 AM Not exactly what you're looking for, but if you care to convert the spells to powers, you have Mirror Move (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20000901a) and Master's Touch (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20010216a).

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
the Slayer of Heroes 04-26-07, 05:47 PM	don't know if this has been done yet, but I was rereading my Battle Angel Alita volumes and was caught by Kaos' unique ability of psychometry. Kaos is an expert of psychometry, a unique talent to read the memories of inanimate objects. For example, can channel the memories of a katana to learn sword skills and the memories of a computer to hack it. I thought this was an interesting concept. I don't ~think~ there are rules for this sort of thing in current psionics, but I may have missed something. Anyone know of any feats/powers/etc that do this, and if not, anyone know how this mechanic would work?
CrimsonDeath 04-26-07, 06:54 PM	There's a Psychometry power in Complete Psionic that can discern what's recently happened in an area. The Object Reading power in the Expanded Psionics Handbook can discern facts about an object's previous owners.
saidin0111 04-26-07, 09:12 PM	Those two powers are the only ones I know of as well. I have never seen one that allows you to learn, temporarily or otherwise, skills associated with the object, though you could make a psionic variant of the spell Master's Touch (?) that would grant you proficiencly with a held weapon or shield. Oh, there's also the power that allows you to reroll a knowledge check with a bonus. It could be viewed as absorbing knowledge about the subject of your query.
Deekin 04-26-07, 09:21 PM	Two powers that do it really well. Object Reading Clairsentience Level: Seer 2 Display: Auditory and material Manifesting Time: 1 minute Range: Touch Target: Object touched Duration: Concentration, up to 10 min./level (D) Saving Throw: None Power Resistance: Yes Power Points: 3 You can learn details of an inanimate object’s previous owner. Objects accumulate psychic impressions left by their previous owners, which can be read by use of this power. The amount of information revealed depends on how long you study a particular object. 1st Minute Last owner’s race. 2nd Minute Last owner’s gender. 3rd Minute Last owner’s age. 4th Minute Last owner’s alignment. 5th Minute How last owner gained and lost the object. 6th+ Minute Next-to-last owner’s race, and so on. The power always correctly identifies the last owner of the item, and the original owner (if you keep the power active long enough). There is a 90% chance that this power will successfully identify all other former owners in sequence, but there is a 10% chance that one former owner will be skipped and thus not identified. This power will not identify casual users as owners. (Anyone who uses an object to attack someone or something is not thereafter considered a casual user.) An object without any previous owners reveals no information. You can continue to run through a list of previous owners and learn details about them as long as the power’s duration lasts. If you use this power additional times on the same object, the information yielded is the same as if you were using the power on the object for the first time. Augment For every additional power point you spend, this power’s maximum duration increases by 10 minutes. and Sensitivity to Psychic Impressions Clairsentience Level: Seer 2 Display: Auditory and material Manifesting Time: 1 hour Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) Area: Spread with a radius of 25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels, centered on you Duration: Concentration, up to 10 min./level Saving Throw: None Power Resistance: No Power Points: 3 You gain historical vision in a given location. Rooms, streets, tunnels, and other discrete locations accumulate psychic impressions left by powerful emotions experienced in a given area. These impressions offer you a picture of the location’s past. The types of events most likely to leave psychic impressions are those that elicited strong emotions: battles and betrayals, marriages and murders, births and great pain, or any other event where one emotion dominates. Everyday occurrences leave no residue for a manifester to detect. The vision of the event is dreamlike and shadowy. You do not gain special knowledge of those involved in the vision, though you might be able to read large banners or other writing if they are in your language. Beginning with the most recent significant event at a location and working backward in time, you can sense one distinct event for every 10 minutes you maintain concentration, if any such events exist to be sensed. Your sensitivity extends into the past a maximum number of years equal to 100 × your manifester level.
Bacris 04-26-07, 09:43 PM	Sounds akin to the Sword of Truth in the Goodkind novels, which imparts the swordsman skills of all the previous wielders upon the current wielder. I definitely like the concept!
JulesCARV 04-27-07, 06:25 AM	I came up with a psionic disease that has similar effects -- I suppose that it gives you a permanent "sensitivity to psychic impressions" effect (athough the time limit for reading such impressions with the disease is only about eight hours, not centuries) and "empathy" effect, so long as you have it, along with less favorable effects. I originally called is "unmediated empathy (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=809896)," although I've also considered calling it "permeable spirit." The idea is that emanations from other people's sensations and emotions are abundant, but most people automatically block them out or are oblivious. A skilled psionicist can pick them up with powers like "Empathy" and "Sensitivity to Psychic Impressions." Someone with the disease is always picking them up, uncontrollably, whether he wants to or not.
Hida Reju 04-27-07, 08:07 AM	Modify the psionic power for Feat leech in the XPS and allow augments to increase BAB/Gain temporary skill ranks/gain temporary virtual feats. That is how I handled it. Just remember it does not make you faster or stronger really just more skilled and at high lvls of power very dangerous for short periods of time. I turned it into a lvl 4 Psion/Wilder or lvl 3 Psychic Warrior power power called Psychometric Channeling I used 10 min per manifester lvl as the base duration. I gave the DM full control over what the item could provide you based on its age and history. Your average sword had skills and feats equal to a lvl 1 fighter. Older or legendary items had more. Books could do typically 4 ranks of any Int based skill. This includes skills like Spellcraft. Tools for a craft type skill depended on the quality of the tools normal quality could usually do 2 ranks while masterwork could do up to 4-6 ranks depending on the skill of the creator and previous owners It was 1 point augment per Temporary skill rank to a max of your primary Manifester stat modifier. It was 2 points per BAB to a max of your manifester lvl It was 2 points per Feat absorbed to a max of your Primary Manifester stat modifier. I did required a Will save against items of legend to not be possessed by the item's spirit for the duration of the power. Oh one last thing it did have a material componet requirement and if the item was out of your possession then the abilities granted are suppresed until you get it back into your hands.
Hida Reju 04-30-07, 12:28 AM	Did anyone else have any ideas on how to handle this ability I have some interest in it as well and I would be interested in other takes on it?
GhostStepper 04-30-07, 01:00 AM	With the ability to gain random skills from objects, a type of "psionic factotum" springs to mind. Instead of inspiration points to activate others' class features, he somehow does so by contacting the appropriate items.
InkBlot 05-01-07, 02:41 AM	Did anyone else have any ideas on how to handle this ability I have some interest in it as well and I would be interested in other takes on it? I do. All this needs is a level (I'm thinking somewhere around 3rd or 5th), and a poetic description of what a momento is. Psychometric Touch Clairsentience Level: Seer x Display: Visual Manifesting Time: 1 standard action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: 1 minute/level Power Points: 2x - 1 When a sentient creature uses an inanimate object, if the creature's intent is strong enough it leaves psychic imprints -- small pieces of it's knowledge and experiance -- on that object. You can read these imprints to increase your own capability with an inanimate object. When you manifest this power, choose one object in your possession. You gain bonuses with that object according to it's nature. If the object falls into more than one of the following categories, you only gain the benifits of the one you choose to read. Arms or Armor - Weapon's of war are often imprinted with ferocity and fear, as well as the lethal skills it's wielder lived or died by. If you manifest this power with a weapon, you gain a +2 insight bonus on attack and damage rolls with that weapon. If you manifest this power with a shield or armor, you gain a +2 insight bonus to your Armor Class and Saving Throws. You also temporarily gain proficiency with the weapon, armor, or shield (but not other items of the same type) for the duration of this power. Tool - After being repeatedly put through certain specific motions, a tool becomes imprinted with a certain amount of skill as well. Reading the psychic imprints on a tool can be like watching a master at work. If you manifest this power with a tool, you gain a +2 insight bonus to skill checks made with that tool. If you are untrained in any of the skills associated with the tool, you can make checks as if you were trained. For example, if you manifest this power with a hammer you would gain a +2 insight bonus on any Craft (Carpentry) and Disable Device checks made using that hammer. Momento - If you manifest this power on a momento, you gain a +2 insight bonus to Intimidate, Sense Motive, and Diplomacy checks made to influence the last person to have a large emotional investment in the momento. For example, you if manifest this power with the queen's wedding ring you would gain a +2 insight bonus on Intimidate, Sense Motive, and Diplomacy checks made to influence the queen. If more than one person shared an emotional investment in a momento (such as the king and queen both having an emotional investment in the queen's wedding ring), you must choose the person you gain bonuses against when you manifest this power.
Millenia 05-01-07, 04:25 AM	Not exactly what you're looking for, but if you care to convert the spells to powers, you have Mirror Move (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20000901a) and Master's Touch (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20010216a).