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OK, so I understand that in 40K nearly all humans have some degree of psychic presence. But the drug Spook can grant temporary psychic powers, so I wonder if it is possible, through surgery, bionics or coming into contact with Chaos, is it possible for an everyday human to be permanently transformed into a full-blown psyker?

It's come up in a few BL novels. For example, Faith and Fire had a machine that could make a non-psyker into a psyker.

Though I should point out that the sacrifice of an actual psyker was needed to do this, so one could look at it as simply transferring psychic ability from one person to another. Still, same end result.

It may be, but the person will not be as powerful as an actual psyker.

Those implants and drugs really just amplify what was already there. Many people are latent psykers and will never naturally manifest their abilities because they are too weak.

If you were to use those techniques on a blank or pariah nothing would happen.


The drug cannot effect someone who has no psychic abilities, it can only amplify what is there. And most humans have at least some psychic ability.

One of the Cain books also revolves around an artefact that can release the latent psyker in normal humans. As with most things in the 40k background, if you can think of it, you can crowbar it in somewhere in the galaxy

However, most people just were killed by the machine in the Cain books, rather than being made in to Psykers that way.

Tzeentch thralls could learn/be blessed to become Sorcerors and call on the power of the warp even if they weren't born psykers (fitting for a god of change, dreams, and hope) but their powers and methods of using the warp are a bit different from your average psyker

Sorcery and psychic power aren't the same thing. Any non-Blank can potentially become a sorcerer.

Yup, Sorcery is more like finding non-psychic ways of manipulating warp energy. Psychic ability certainly helps with it, but its not necessary.

A sorcerer uses rituals and sigils of power to complete his goals. A psyker can skip all that non-sense and directly tap the warp. Of course, sorcery is a useful aid to a psyker as it can increase his power and make the actions easier to perform.

No, being a psyker is something you are born with.

It is possible to channel psychic power through sorcery, or other esoteric means, but you won't be a "psyker".

Note these are just thoughts and opinions based on my observations and how things 'seem'.

My view, though maybe controversial is that every sentient being is in some way a psyker, and cognisant thought must and always relates to the warp, though the level of manipulation to the warp varies from individual to individual and between species.

'blanks' are anything but. They are a 'negative' warp presence, which is disturbing to normal people who have a small to large positive warp presence. Creatures that use this ability, like Culexus may be a normal blank 'trained up' with his (inverse) psyker level, or one with a higher 'blank' potential to begin with (the others don't survive).

humans are more psychicly present in the warp compared to a lot of species. But the active psyker population is still small. There are those with very weak latent psychic potential though that through a traumatic event or encounter with something to do with the warp or sorcery or other influence can become activated. But it's still nothing like the power even the weakest full psykers can wield.

As others have said. There is sorcery and other means to manifest powers similar to psyker abilities. But that doesn't make them a psyker. Just a tainted individual and plaything of chaos in the long run.

 Daba wrote:
Note these are just thoughts and opinions based on my observations and how things 'seem'.

My view, though maybe controversial is that every sentient being is in some way a psyker, and cognisant thought must and always relates to the warp, though the level of manipulation to the warp varies from individual to individual and between species.

'blanks' are anything but. They are a 'negative' warp presence, which is disturbing to normal people who have a small to large positive warp presence. Creatures that use this ability, like Culexus may be a normal blank 'trained up' with his (inverse) psyker level, or one with a higher 'blank' potential to begin with (the others don't survive).

Not quite correct.

A blank is someone with no Warp Presence. A Pariah is someone with a negative warp presence. Both are caused by the same genes but to different degrees.

To be fair, there is so much conflicting information regarding Blanks and Pariahs that any attempt to differentiate the two is virtually meaningless.

The closest thing to what you're talking about is the Shadowlight from the second Ciaphas Cain trilogy making otherwise inactive psychic abilities well...active. And it's an artefact made by the old ones, you know, those whom even the Eldar held as godlike?

Tzeentch can also grant some amount of psychic power.

Sorcery is of course an option.

I'd forgotten about the Shadowlight.

So sorcery is a way of channeling the energies of the Warp, but the sorceror doesn't have to be a psyker?

Interesting! I'd been fuzzy on the difference between psychic power and sorcery. I'd kind of been seeing it as the difference between the Light and Dark sides of the Force in Star Wars, as the same basic source of power (i.e that of psykers) being used for different ends.

 Fezman wrote:
I'd forgotten about the Shadowlight.

So sorcery is a way of channeling the energies of the Warp, but the sorceror doesn't have to be a psyker?

Interesting! I'd been fuzzy on the difference between psychic power and sorcery. I'd kind of been seeing it as the difference between the Light and Dark sides of the Force in Star Wars, as the same basic source of power (i.e that of psykers) being used for different ends.

Yeah, sorcery is available to non-psykers, but a sorcerer who is also a psyker is almost invariably more powerful than one who is just a sorcerer.

See: The Thousand Sons.

I wonder if there are any other old one goodies left behind besides the blackstone fortresses, webway, and the shadowlight, sure the Necrons were very thorough in their genocide, but given that the Old Ones had a vast civilization, there should be a few more knick knacks left over.

Although I suspect that as they like to style themselves as the Heirs to all the Old Ones left behind the Eldar hogged any they could find.

 Melissia wrote:
However, most people just were killed by the machine in the Cain books, rather than being made in to Psykers that way.

Pretty much. I recall that all it did was awaken/enhance latent psychic abilities as opposed to actually giving one.

Becoming a space marine can also release unknown latent psychic powers. It can even happen years after. Dakir in the salamander books made it to sergeant before he discovered his gifts.

Didn't SW 13th company have a lot of dudes develop psyker abilities after spending a while in the warp?

If you're in the Warp, you are breathing the raw stuff of magic. Mutations and other strange abilities are bound to manifest.