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I've read it 3 or 4 times through and it's not clicking right with me.

How does using psychic powers work in Rogue Trader?

Can anyone provide me with a flow chart or some simple explained step by step on it? Please explain this to me.

Hm. My PDF seems to have some weirdness as page 154 is followed by page 80 then back to 155, but to proceed...

Page 157 looks like the important bit. Psy Rating 2 is the default starting value for psykers.

All psyker abilities can be used at various 'strengths' ranging from 'Fettered' to 'Push' with chances of Bad Stuff happening more likely the more power is used.

If abilities are used as Fettered (the weakest setting, 1/2 Psy Rating) there's no need for a check to see if Bad Stuff happens, butt he power is at it's weakest. A Psy Rating of 2 would be reduced to 1, 4 to 2, etc.. For Telepathy, 2 limits communication to verbal comms.

Using an ability is a Focus Action, and will usually (but not always) require rolling the skill/attribute listed under Focus. The skill gets a boost of +5 per Psy Rating.

Bad Stuff ("Psychic Phenomena") happens as indicated on the table 6-1 on p157.

Using a power at the Fettered power level? You're fine (but you aren't going to do much.) Unfettered (average strength)? Don't roll doubles. Push (the most powerful level)? Psychic Phenomena WILL happen, with the bonus listed.

Roll a d100 with the indicated bonus on 6-2 to see what happens when Bad Stuff occurs. A lot of these entries (especially at the top of the chart) are just atmospheric stuff, but 09-11 Mind Warp chips away at the Psyker's Sanity, and a lot of effects as you go downy he chart can slowly data way at the Psyker's sanity, Corruption, etc. Also the Psyker's friends, innocent plants, food, etc.

If this roll is a 75+, then we get full-on Perils of the Warp, which is really, really bad.

So a Psyker needs to raise their rating so they can use powers at Fettered for weak stuff and save the Unfettered or Push rolls for important stuff. At Fettered, powers are weak but safe. At Unfettered or Push they're much stronger, but less safe.

Powers are divided into Disciplines, and adding a Discipline is on the Advancement tables. A Discipline has some basic utility and opens up a selection of Techniques (which are another Advancement option).

For example, your Psyker pays for the Telekinesis Discipline (p171) and can use the basic Mind over Matter technique. More specialized uses must be bought separately, so a Psyker might buy a Technique x2 advancement and pick Telekinetic Weapon and Telekinetic Shield as specific additional ways to sue the ability.

One thing I note is each Technique has an XP value listed. Does this mean the Psyker needs to pay for the advancement to unlock the 'slots' then pay separately for the actual technique?

Something to consider is that different Techniques will require different skills, Willpower is very common, but Awareness and Psyniscence are used for the Divination abilities.

Does this sound right?

Have you got a protractor? And a set square? A spirit-level? Yes? Ok good. Here goes:

Firstly you have you Psy-Rating. This determines just about everything everything. For our example, our Psyker will have Psy-Rating 6. Next he chooses what power he wants to use. Let's say he's a Telekine and he's going to use Force Bolt.

Now he must choose how much power he's going to pump into this power, choosing from Fettered, Unfettered or Push. Fettered means it won't be as powerful, but the risk of psychic backlash is minimal. Unfettered is regular power use, with an even chance of getting eaten by the Warp. Push means it's really powerful, but there will be side effects. Fettered would mean he casts the power at Psy-Rating 3, whereas Push would cast the power at between 7 and 9 (the Psyker's choice).

We'll stick to a regular cast, so with his Psy-Rating 6 he chooses to use it Unfettered, meaning he uses his regular Psy-Rating and doesn't add to or subtract from it. You manifest powers via a Focus Power Test, and power you're using determines the characteristic you use for that Test. Force Bolt requires a Willpower Test for its Focus Power Test. Say our Psyker has Willpower 50.

Next you work out if there are any bonuses or penalties to his Willpower, just like you would any other Test, to a maximum of +60 and a minimum of -60 again, just like any other Test. You always get your Psy-Rating x 5 as a default bonus, so because he's using Psy-Rating 6, he gets a +30 bonus to the Test off the bat (Psy-Rating 6 x 5 = 30). The GM imposes no other penalties or bonuses, so it stays at a flat +30. So with Willpower 50+30 the Psyker needs a 80 or less on a d100 to pass the Focus Power Test. The Psy-Rating of 6 also determines the range in the case of Force Bolt (Psy-Rating x 10m), so the power has a range of 60m.

Let's say that the Psyker rolls a 55. Success!

Next, as per the power, you make a Ballistic Skill Test. Assume the Psyker hits. Now the Force Bolt does 1d10 Damage +2 for every point of Psy-Rating put into the power. The Psyker used Psy-Rating 6, so that's 1d10+12 Impact Damage.

But the Psyker also rolled a double on his Focus Power Test, and as it wasn't Fettered that means Psychic Phenomena. He rolls on the Psychic Phenomena table and gets a 75. Oh no! That means something's gone really wrong. He now has to roll on the Perils of the Warp chart. He rolls on that and scores a 100!!! The psyker is instantly killed. The Force Bolt still hits though.

Note that the RT FAQ presents slightly different way of using Psychic powers than the Rulebook. It also has many useful clarifications so that you won't be hit by silliness such as Psychic Scream being absorbed by armour etc.

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
Have you got a protractor? And a set square? A spirit-level? Yes? Ok good. Here goes:

Firstly you have you Psy-Rating. This determines just about everything everything. For our example, our Psyker will have Psy-Rating 6. Next he chooses what power he wants to use. Let's say he's a Telekine and he's going to use Force Bolt.

Now he must choose how much power he's going to pump into this power, choosing from Fettered, Unfettered or Push. Fettered means it won't be as powerful, but the risk of psychic backlash is minimal. Unfettered is regular power use, with an even chance of getting eaten by the Warp. Push means it's really powerful, but there will be side effects. Fettered would mean he casts the power at Psy-Rating 3, whereas Push would cast the power at between 7 and 9 (the Psyker's choice).

We'll stick to a regular cast, so with his Psy-Rating 6 he chooses to use it Unfettered, meaning he uses his regular Psy-Rating and doesn't add to or subtract from it. You manifest powers via a Focus Power Test, and power you're using determines the characteristic you use for that Test. Force Bolt requires a Willpower Test for its Focus Power Test. Say our Psyker has Willpower 50.

Next you work out if there are any bonuses or penalties to his Willpower, just like you would any other Test, to a maximum of +60 and a minimum of -60 again, just like any other Test. You always get your Psy-Rating x 5 as a default bonus, so because he's using Psy-Rating 6, he gets a +30 bonus to the Test off the bat (Psy-Rating 6 x 5 = 30). The GM imposes no other penalties or bonuses, so it stays at a flat +30. So with Willpower 50+30 the Psyker needs a 80 or less on a d100 to pass the Focus Power Test. The Psy-Rating of 6 also determines the range in the case of Force Bolt (Psy-Rating x 10m), so the power has a range of 60m.

Let's say that the Psyker rolls a 55. Success!

Next, as per the power, you make a Ballistic Skill Test. Assume the Psyker hits. Now the Force Bolt does 1d10 Damage +2 for every point of Psy-Rating put into the power. The Psyker used Psy-Rating 6, so that's 1d10+12 Impact Damage.

But the Psyker also rolled a double on his Focus Power Test, and as it wasn't Fettered that means Psychic Phenomena. He rolls on the Psychic Phenomena table and gets a 75. Oh no! That means something's gone really wrong. He now has to roll on the Perils of the Warp chart. He rolls on that and scores a 100!!! The psyker is instantly killed. The Force Bolt still hits though.

So:

1. Choose spell for casting

2. Determine power rating: Half, regular, boost.

3. WP test to focus, including rank x5 as bonus to give total % to roll under to succeed. (rank also = potential range).
3.a. (doubles are dangerous on anything above Half power, must roll Psychic phenomena chart, potential for Perils of the Warp chart...)

4. Power-specific rolls, BS for example, to hit the target.


Right, thanks.

It's all written over 5 pages and no clear step by step flow chart for something that's frankly a convoluted mechanic.

 MeanGreenStompa wrote:
So:

1. Choose spell for casting

2. Determine power rating: Half, regular, boost.

3. WP test to focus, including rank x5 as bonus to give total % to roll under to succeed. (rank also = potential range).
3.a. (doubles are dangerous on anything above Half power, must roll Psychic phenomena chart, potential for Perils of the Warp chart...)

4. Power-specific rolls, BS for example, to hit the target.

Mostly yes, with two amendments:

1. The Focus Test can use things other than WP. You'll see what type of Focus test you need in the power (some might be Willpower, others Intelligence, and so on). It'll also show if its Opposed or not (a lot of Telepathy powers are opposed against the person you're attempting to telepathy-ise...ness), and if it has a default difficulty rating (a power might be a Difficult (-10) Willpower Test, meaning it starts with -10 already).

2. Half Power = No psychic phenomena. Regular = psychic phenomena on a double. Push = auto-roll on psychic phenomena regardless, and you get +5 (up to a max of +15) on that table when pushing (so if you're Psy-Rating 6, and you Push to 8, you automatically roll on the psychic phenomena table with a +10 to the result (8-6 = 2, 2x5 = 10)).

You can also sustain powers, but that's a separate thing.