Psychic

A psychic is a specially-trained person that can harness his or her own natural power to affect a change in the greater world. These changes can be minor or major, depending on the intended effect and the strength of the psychic.

While the origins of psychic ability are unknown, identifying them is much easier. A non-invasive test can be administered to the suspected psychic, often without the recipient being aware that he or she is being tested. This process takes only a matter of minutes and does no harm whatsoever to the target.

Psychic ability is dormant during childhood. As such, no test can be performed on a child under the age of twelve and be considered accurate. Once the child has entered puberty, however, all tests become valid and any and all tests, whether confirming the presence or the absence of psychic ability, are to be entered into the IPOC database.

Some psychics work within the legal arena, as professional witnesses or as assistants to various law enforcement agencies. Some work in the entertainment arena as trend forecasters, but the majority of psychics are self-employed. These psychics tend to move from area to area, following where their powers lead them.

Dreamwalkers
Dreamwalkers can see into either the past or the present, but never both. They view events in a dream state, usually at night, but they can go into a meditative trance to have the same effect. In some cases, they can enter the dreams of other sleeping people, and have been used extensively in the medical field for coma and severe trauma patients where standard communication is not possible.

Touch Psychics
Touch psychics receive impressions from physical contact with items or persons. These impressions rarely reveal an entire story, just flashes and vague clues that have to be pieced together. However, when used in conjunction with standard investigative techniques, touch psychics are invaluable for collecting clues and additional information.

Clairvoyants
Clairvoyants are one of the most feared of all psychics because of their ability to read other peoples’ minds. They can only read one mind at a time, and the longer they stay in contact with that mind, the more draining it is on the psychic. However, during an interrogation with an unwilling (or incapacitated) witness, a clairvoyant is able to gather answers where standard investigation techniques cannot.

Telekinetic
Telekinesis is the ability to move things using only mental powers. At high levels, telekinetics are easily confused with conjurers, but at lower levels the distinction is fairly obvious. People who exhibit telekinetic powers are only able to move objects around, not make them disappear and reappear in other locations, and they do not have the ability to create an item from nothing. However, at greater power levels, telekinetics are able to move things across much greater distances. Because of this, high power level telekinetics are sometimes referred to as summoners.

Hydrokinetic / Pyrokinetic
Hydrokinetics and Pyrokinetics are able to manipulate the natural forces of water (hydro) or fire (pyro). At low levels, they are able to manipulate existing elements, using available water or fire to produce results, but at higher power levels they are able to create their element where none previously existed. For example: a hydrokinetic can draw the water elements out of the moisture in the air itself, thus creating water. Similarly, a pyrokinetic can speed up the motion of molecules, generating heat. At high enough speeds, this can produce fire.

Class 1
This psychic may or may not have actual abilities. Many people capitalize on the general faith that the population has in psychics and will fake abilities in order to swindle the public. However, some in this class-level may have latent or mild powers. Because of this, standard precautions should be taken when dealing with all psychics, even when the subject in question is believed to be (or has admitted to being) a fraud.

Class 2
These are con artists who do have actual abilities and use them to manipulate and swindle people. They will generally have some form of training, and may even be registered as a psychic. Because of this, they can be difficult to locate and even more difficult to capture.

Class 3
These psychics have discovered that they can take what they need or want by force. They are generally willing use their powers to intimidate or otherwise coerce people to do their bidding. Caution should be used when dealing with their known associates because of this, but some of them may be able to help in the locating or capturing of the psychic.

Class 4
Power drunk, these psychics have expanded their powers to the limits of human capacity and mental stability. They are extremely dangerous and may be confused with mages, as some of the higher leveled powers overlap.

Class 5
The break-over point between class 4 and class 5 is the point where sanity is lost. This class of psychic has lost their senses and all control over their abilities. This damage is irreversible and the psychic can no longer be reasoned with.

How to Neutralize a Psychic
Psychics can be extremely unpredictable. Because psychic training takes a large amount of mental focus and agility, many psychics can formulate intricate plans with allowances for multiple contingencies. They use subterfuge, professional aliases and alternate identities, and other human and non-human allies, willing or otherwise.

Because of their focus on mental powers, mind-altering substances and tranquilizers have a strong effect on most psychics. However, there have been reports of psychics that have deliberately built up a tolerance to substances such as these, so complete reliance on them is not recommended.

For lower class-level psychics (1-2), tranquilizers and stunning rounds are recommended. For higher class-levels, more force may be needed. While mental exhaustion through forcing the use of the psychic’s powers may be an option, this generally results in more damage and injuries, so is not recommended.

Any sort of electrical stimulus, such as a taser, is highly effective against all class-levels of psychic. The electricity, even at low levels, disrupts the neural activities required for psychic abilities to function at their optimum level.

There are no agencies that specialize in psychics. However, Mojo and Viceroy have equipment that can be used to combat a high-powered psychic.