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Tagline pretty much says it all.....

Trying to remember the names/details but I know there's a dramatic/climactic one in the Ravenor books that was quite good.

I want to say that such a battle would be boring to watch or read about. Two people staring at nothing in particular making funny concentration faces until someone's head explodes but Scanners seemed to have made it entertaining.

On a more serious note. Magnus and Lorgar had a brief psykic exchange sometime after Lorgar unlocked/embraced his powers. A brief exchange and nothing serious enough to do more then bruise egos but significant nonetheless as a means to display how much stronger Lorgar became. Both are up there amongst the most powerful psykers in remembered history.

Psykers is such a catch all term, however, and the most powerful psyker may not have anything to do with psyker vs psyker combat due to powers completely unrelated to such activities. I imagine flashy battles would be more likely found in lower level psykers who are content with tossing around fireballs and lightning bolts with a sense of power that's provincial at best. Meanwhile a psychic juggernaut is busy plotting the course of a race with the foresight of millenia.

 ProwlerPC wrote:
I want to say that such a battle would be boring to watch or read about. Two people staring at nothing in particular making funny concentration faces until someone's head explodes but Scanners seemed to have made it entertaining.

On a more serious note. Magnus and Lorgar had a brief psykic exchange sometime after Lorgar unlocked/embraced his powers. A brief exchange and nothing serious enough to do more then bruise egos but significant nonetheless as a means to display how much stronger Lorgar became. Both are up there amongst the most powerful psykers in remembered history.

Psykers is such a catch all term, however, and the most powerful psyker may not have anything to do with psyker vs psyker combat due to powers completely unrelated to such activities. I imagine flashy battles would be more likely found in lower level psykers who are content with tossing around fireballs and lightning bolts with a sense of power that's provincial at best. Meanwhile a psychic juggernaut is busy plotting the course of a race with the foresight of millenia.

Then the Deathwatch come to piss everyone off. Yay, Space Marines!



But yeah, I agree that a battle between higher levels would be more mental and a lot less interesting to watch.

I quite liked the Daemon manifesting in the Primaris Psyker in Cadian Blood, can't remember their names but I remember really enjoying reading that.

Read the Ahriman series by John French. Not only is there an incredible variety of abilities on display, but I feel like it really goes into every facet of how psykers combat each other.

The Ravenor books have great psychic combat, particularly the first one. The Emperor's Gift had some good psychic stuff, too.

Well thanks for the help all of you..

But i will admit, i'm just rather.....surprised.. that there doesn't seem to be much on this subject at all.

I guess its just more satisfying/profitable to write up a physical duel...?

I think one of the best represented on the board as to their power in fluff is Zaharial, because i dont care what you say, cypher is zaharial.

In addition to the ones in the Ravenor series, it occurs to me that the Soul Drinkers series is likely to have some psyker on psyker combat as well. I believe the main character is the chapter's chief librarian, so it stands to reason he'd fight at least ONE other psyker somewhere in the series.

 Jimsolo wrote:
In addition to the ones in the Ravenor series, it occurs to me that the Soul Drinkers series is likely to have some psyker on psyker combat as well. I believe the main character is the chapter's chief librarian, so it stands to reason he'd fight at least ONE other psyker somewhere in the series.

... truth be told, I'm not remembering a dramatic showdown between psykers in the Omnibus. Maybe there's been one since then, but

I'm actually starting to believe that few (if any) writers are willing to do a psyker-on-psyker duel...

It may just be that no one's ever found a way to make it exciting without it being overpowered...

GrapeApe wrote:
I'm actually starting to believe that few (if any) writers are willing to do a psyker-on-psyker duel...

It may just be that no one's ever found a way to make it exciting without it being overpowered...

If you want excellent psyker vs. psyker conflicts you should travel outside of 40K to the Golden Torc or Milieu saga. There you can see Psykers absorb others, thousands of psykers battle each other in concert, and do things like one blasting a hole to create the Mediterranean.

 EmpNortonII wrote:

 Jimsolo wrote:
In addition to the ones in the Ravenor series, it occurs to me that the Soul Drinkers series is likely to have some psyker on psyker combat as well. I believe the main character is the chapter's chief librarian, so it stands to reason he'd fight at least ONE other psyker somewhere in the series.

... truth be told, I'm not remembering a dramatic showdown between psykers in the Omnibus. Maybe there's been one since then, but

Spoiler:

The first book was physical fights, from the Chapter Master to the Nurgle demon to the Tzeentch demon. The second was focused around escaping that planet with the stuff they needed to cleanse their geneseed. The third was against the Khornate assault troops.

Iirc he did face down a nurgle lots who was using the power of the planet and entralled.
However... This battle wad also physical. Near end of book. When they are figthibf to capture some facility to save there geneseed. It happens to be a nurgle mess at centre of a mini empire.

There was a mental element though, and he used thralls incontrol to carry him about.