Babylon 5 RPG (1st Ed.)-The Psi Corps

7/21/2019 Babylon 5 RPG (1st Ed.)-The Psi Corps

1/130


2/130

I will look upon him who shall have taught me thisArt as one of my parents. I will share my substancewith him, and I will supply his necessities if he be

in need. I will regard his offspring even as my ownbrethren and I will teach them this Art by precept,by lecture, and by every mode of teaching; and Iwill teach his Art to all others. The regimen I adoptshall be for the benefit of all mankind according tomy ability and judgment, and not for hurt or wrong.I will give no deadly thought to any, though it beasked of me.

Whatsoever mind I enter, there will I go for thebenefit of man, refraining from all wrong-doing and

corruption. Whatsoever thoughts I see or hear inthe mind of man which ought not to be known, I willkeep silence thereon, counting such things to be assacred secrets.

The Esper Pledge from The Demolished Man, by

Alfred Bester (19131987)


3/130

Copyright 2004 Warner Bros.

Entertainment Inc.

BABYLON 5 and all related characters

and elements are trademarks of and

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

WB SHIELD: TM and Warner Bros.

Entertainment Inc.

(s04)

2

Designation of Product Identity: The following itemsare hereby designated as Product Identity in accordancewith section 1(e) of the Open Game License. Version1.0a: Any and all Babylon 5 logos and identifyingmarks and trade dress, including all Babylon 5 productand product line names; any elements of the Babylon5 setting including but not limited to capitalisednames, planet names, alien species names, ship names,organisation names, characters, equipment, settingand historic events, episode descriptions, any and allstories, storylines, locations, plots, thematic elements,

documents within the Babylon 5 world, quotes fromcharacter or episodes, all artwork, symbols, designs,depictions, illustrations, maps and cartography,likenesses, poses, logos, sumbols or graphic designs;any other unspecified incarnations of Babylon 5 creative

property, including elements either derived or inferredfrom the Babylon 5 setting; and website supportmaterials and all future incarnations, online communitydonations and all free game support items, except suchitems that already appear in the d20 System ReferenceDocument and are already OGC by virtue of appearing

there. The above Product Identity is not Open GameContent.Designation of Open Game Content: Subject tothe Product Identity designation above, the following

portions of The Psi Corpsare designated as Open GameContent: all character statistics and creation rules,all new character classes and abilities, all new feats,

powers and skills, all rules systems and mechanics, allstatistic blocks and paragraphs specifically explainingrules mechanics or special qualities. The use of ProductIdentity in these circumstances is limited solely tomechanical effects and systems, not to the items

previously stipulated as falling under the PI.Printed in China

Contents

Introduction 3

Welcome to Psi Corps 4

The Corps is Mother 21

The Corps is Father 51

Trust the Psi Corps 95

Precognition 119

License 128

Line Developer

Ian Belcher

Graphic Design Consultant

Brandon Bray

Internal Special Effects

Alan Hart, Mark Kane, Danilo Moretti

Producer

Alexander Fennell

Studio Manager

Ian Barstow

Key Grips

Mark Quennell & Ron Bedison

Extras

Mark Billanie, Jamie Godfrey, Daniel Haslam,Mark Howe, Alan Moore, Daniel Scothorne, Mark Sizer,

Michael J Young

Special Thanks

J Michael Straczynski, Fiona Avery, Isabelle Richard,

Skye Herzog, Jason Gallagher

The

Psi CorpsGareth Hanrahan


4/130

3

From:ABester@metapol/mars/psicom

To: CadrePrime#45@command/earth/psicom

Date: July 4th, 2262

Encode: Yes (Q-cipher V seed/protocol RASHOMON)

Subject: Developments on the Babylon 5 situation

Friends by now you will have read my official report on the Babylon 5 debacle. Young Byron Gordon is dead, as is the

core of his little cult. However, the situation has not been contained most of his followers have fled B5 and the stations

resident teep, Lyta Alexander (see my earlier communications, as well as Sigma file 32215/a) has become influenced byByrons beliefs. In short, we have a problem. The recent bombings at TeepTown show that the rogue movement is now

more organised and active than it has been at any time since Stephen Walters cell was destroyed.

Still, I come to praise Byron, not to bury him. I found a bundle of documents (copies attached) in his little Jonestown in

Downbelow. He stole various Corps publications and files before he left and was annotating and correcting them from

his perspective as part of writing a kiss-and-tell expose of our nefarious and evil activities. It is possible that some of the

escaped rogues have their own copies of this document, so we should put containment and damage control measures

into place as soon as possible.

However, that is not why Im sending these to you. We face a war on two fronts a public battle with those who

Remember Byron and an internal struggle with OBrien and the other vestiges of Clarks regime. We need to reclaim full

control of the Corps for the telepaths before we can properly deal with the rogues. Byron has, in his death as a martyr,

far more credibility than he did in life. Instead of trying to win minds in the training cadres directly, I propose we leak an

edited version of Byrons document to the younger telepaths. They are still too awed by Mother and Father to believe inthe existence of Shadow Science if we tell them but having the information come from an objective third party should

swing the balance.

This much disclosure is a risk but I am convinced that it will do more to further our efforts than any conventional move

against OBrien. We need to co-opt Byrons legacy, not fight it. He can do more for the Psi Corps as a rogue than he ever

did as a Psi Cop. Mother and Father can still love their prodigal son.

Be seeing you Al


5/130

This document is provided by the Psi Corps Outreach Section; please address any queries there. Press packs and furtherinformation are also available on request. This document was last updated on October 31st, 2260. Any unauthorised use ofprevious, inaccurate versions of this document in any article, report, transmission or other work relating to the Psi Corps willresult in legal action.

4

Welcome to

Psi CorpsTelepathy is fundamentally communication a bridgingof thoughts, a direct link between minds. Civilisation isbuilt on communication; telepathy is the most recent linkin a chain that began with cave paintings, primitive gruntsand gestures. Each new medium of communication bringsupheaval in society. The printing press, the telephone,tachyon transmission and the rest all wrought change,engendered fear and confusion before they were understoodand seen by society as necessary steps in evolution.

The Psi Corps is a bridge to the future. As the past centuryhas shown, the changes needed to assimilate telepathy intohuman society are difficult and painful. The Psi Corpsholds telepathy in trust, protecting it from abuse andfinding the best possible path for it. It is a necessary step as

we take our place in the galaxy.

The History of the

Corps

Holocaust 2115

A sample population of 1,000

volunteers was screened for

metasensory abilities using a

standard set of Zener cards,

Black Box Randomiser and blind

curtain tests. Two individuals

demonstrated consistently

accurate results for each test andten demonstrated statistically

improbable accuracy. HCI and Dao

cortex imaging demonstrated

collateral brain cortex activity

between senders and receivers

in accurate tests. The sample

population was increased to

5,000 individuals. Two members

of the larger sample conclusively

demonstrated metasensory

abilities, with thirteen sets

of statistically improbable

results. Cortex imaging was

consistent with the findings of

the preliminary study.

Investigations into Biochemical Sensory Transmission,Duffy & Philsen, New England Journal of Medicine,September 2115 issue

Telepathy is a recent development in humanity. It is

believed to be a natural mutation, one that has recurredtime and again in sufficiently developed alien species.Current theories suggest that it is triggered by leaving thecradle of the homeworld and that once a race goes to thestars, it copes with the opportunities and threats of otherraces by activating the cluster of ancient genetic traits thatgive rise to telepathy. Within a generation of humanitybecoming a partially telepathic species, we had madecontact with the Centauri, and through them, the galaxy

Therehavebeentoo

manylies.

ThehistoryofthePsiCorp

spresented

hereistheirfictionofthepast.They

alter

documentsaseasilya

stheyaltermemories

andthentheyargue

thatsincethepastis

whatweremember,t

hentheycontrolreal

ity.

Itisstillalie,though

,aslongasoneofus

remembers. Aslong

aswecarrythetrut

hin

ourheartsandminds

,theycannotwin.

Icarriedthesedocume

ntsoutofPsiCorps

whenIleftandinsna

tchedmomentsin

transitandhereon

Babylon5,Ihaveno

ted

themostegregiousliesanddeceits.Th

isis

mylegacytothetele

pathswhowillcome

aftermeaglimpse

ofourtrueheritage,

unobfuscatedbythel

iesourparentstold

us.

Thetruthshallsety

oufree.


6/130

5

but that is jumping ahead. The historyof telepathy is a series of small, cautioussteps, with each misstep bringing tragedy.

The publication of the Duffy-Philsenstudy was followed by a series of follow-up articles from every respected scientific

journal and university, confirming theincredible findings of the first study.Telepathy was suddenly an indisputablescientific fact. A small percentage ofpeople could speak mind to mind! Thephenomenon was soon found to havea genetic basis, like any other physicaltrait. A simple test was developed toidentify telepaths, by looking for a specificcombination of genes in human DNA.

The other, more common reaction to telepathy was

fear. The media took the initial report and presented anexaggerated, distorted version of it. Ludicrous speculationand outright lies took the place of balanced, professional

journalism and the mob reacted as they always do.Telepaths became the latest in a long line of minoritiesto be singled out and persecuted. Anyone suspected ofhaving the telepathic gift was attacked by the fearful andthe misinformed. Telepathy was born in fire and blood,darkness and pain, in lynchings, burnings and torture. It

was a pogrom, a witch hunt, a holocaust and it mustnever happen again.

All this was before a strong, centralised EarthGov. Local

governments and authorities reacted as they could to thegrowing tragedy but without a single will to guide them,the various police and security forces could not bring order.

Without full-scale genetic testing, the telepaths could notbe protected from the mobs at their door, nor could they be

taught the proper use of their abilities. This early explosionof violence spawned the terrorist rogue movement and

also drove telepaths into the service of illegal criminalsyndicates.

Then, in 2116, Senators Lee Crawford and VladimirTokash proposed the formation of a global organisationto deal with the problem, under the auspices of the Earth

Alliance Committee on Metasensory Regulation. Thisorganisation was the Metasensory Regulatory Authority and would one day become the Psi Corps.

The Learning Curve 2117In a hundred years, people will

look back at this as the beginningof something wonderful.

Senator Lee Crawford, hero of Grissom LunarColony and chair of the Committee on MetasensoryRegulation

Under Senator Crawfords leadership, the newly-formed

Authority reacted quickly. Genetic testing became a partof medical checkups, so that the vast majority of telepaths

were soon identified and contacted by the MRA. However,the test was only 70% accurate it never gave a false positive

(identifying a non-telepath as a telepath), but almost 30%of the time, it would fail to identify a telepath as such(modern technology and research has made the genetic testmuch more accurate; when coupled with surface probesand psychological evaluations, Psi Corps testing teams canidentify latent telepaths with 90%+ accuracy). To find theone in three telepaths who would slip through the genetictest and to find those who were outside the normal channelsof society, the Metasensory Regulatory Authority was given

TheCorpshasrecord

softelepathsgoingba

ck

toaround2080a

fullgenerationbefore

the

Duffy-Philsenstudy

.Manyoftheearly

telepaths

formedprotectivecul

tsaroundthemselve

s,

becomingbargain-basem

entmessiahstothefo

olish

andweak-minded.TheKatunProphecy

,the

StarchildrenandtheT

hirdTestamentBrotherhood

wereallmanipulated

bytelepaths.Theul

timate

originoftelepathyre

mainedamysterytot

he

Corps,despitetheirbe

stefforts.

IsuspectVacitblocke

dsomeoftheirinvest

igations

butImgettingahead

ofmyself.Morelat

er.


7/130

6

permission to train telepaths as hunters and investigators.The best way to find a telepath, after all, is with anothertelepath.

These investigators, dubbed bloodhound units, crisscrossedEarth and the Lunar, Martian and Belt colonies, searchingfor lost telepaths. Working in concert with Earth Alliance

security forces, they located and rescued telepaths whohad gone underground. They also dealt with telepaths

who, in response to mistrust and hate, had begun to abusetheir powers and gone rogue. In response to these rogues,the Metasensory Regulatory Authority created a set ofguidelines on the ethical and legal uses of telepathy.

These guidelines outlawed the use of telepathy without thepermission of the MRA. Unauthorised scans and telepathicmanipulation of the minds of others became a criminaloffence. The flipside of these laws was that telepathybecame authorised in certain situations scans where the

target allowed the probe or medical scans to bring patientsout of comas or fugue states.

Initially, these authorised scans were rare but the businessworld soon realised the benefits of telepathy. Publicconfidence had been shaken by a series of high-profilecases of fraud and deception, where major companies hadmisreported their profitability and business practises, leadingto a world-wide recession. With telepaths to ensure truthand honesty in business, such fraudulent practises becameimpossible. An authorised telepathic scan became part ofdue diligence in any major business deal. A double-dealingexecutive might be able to hide his illegal affairs and stolen

funds from auditors and accountants but he could not hidefrom a telepathic scan. Public and investor confidence wasre-established and the Earth economy boomed thanks to

the development of the solar system, thanks to trade withthe Centauri and thanks to telepathy.

Sleepers 2120

Why not make every telepath

take these drugs and end the

problem that way?

Thats not ending the problem,

son, thats postponing it.

Sleepers just let telepaths live

an ordinary life, but were living

in extraordinary times.

Interview with Senator Crawford on The SenateTodayprogramme

Research based on the first tests soon led to the developmentof a psionic inhibitor drug, dubbed a sleeper. Telepathiccommunication happens at the fringes of nerve cells, indelicate electrical impulses that are only fractionally abovethe threshold of detection. The sleeper drugs marginallyinhibit the electrical activity of the brain, dampeningthe impulses by a tiny fraction just enough to blockpsionic activity, without affecting any of the other brainfunctions.

Sleeper drugs were quickly passed through the medicaltrials and put under the authority of the MRA. Anyone

with telepathic abilities could sign up for a regular regimen

of sleepers, dispensed by the MRAs medical staff. Only asmall fraction of telepaths took the offer of the sleeper drugsbut the development of sleepers gave them the freedom ofchoice between joining the MRA and ordinary life.

The MRA Planned

Community 2123

Goddamn it, boy, I

feel like Professor

whatshisname, the

one in the wheelchair!

Does the swimming

pool have a jet plane

underneath it?

Attributed to Senator LeeCrawford on his first visit to the Compound


8/130

7

Those telepaths who chose not to suppress their abilitiesusing the sleeper drugs were invited to the MetasensoryCompound, a planned and remote community locatednear Geneva. This community was designed to caterspecifically for the needs of telepaths, providing housing,training and education. Perhaps inevitably, the place wassoon nicknamed TeepTown.

To help pay for the construction and running of thecompound (not to mention its security), the MetasensoryRegulatory Authority began selling the services oftelepaths. Commercial telepaths to oversee business deals,medical telepaths to aid in psychological counselling andtherapy, translators to provide instantaneous, contextualtranslations, court and military telepaths to aid ininterrogation and information retrieval every year broughtnew opportunities and new uses for telepathy. Within tenyears, the MRA was self-funding; within twelve, it was ableto sponsor the construction of a network of stations in

major cities, so that no telepath was ever far from help.

Rogues and Terrorists

2133Those who killed Desa, I must

admit, make me very angry but

I try to control my anger. Desa

Alexander would have wanted

me to. What she wanted for her

fellow telepaths was a life free

of fear and violence, a productive

and fulfilled life like her own. It

is truly sad when people fight

with such animal violence the

very things that are best for

them.

Senator Lee Crawford, speaking in the aftermath ofthe attempted assassination of Senator Philip Lai

The rogue movement grew out of telepath-engineeredreligious cults and illegal military projects two groups

who prevented the MRA from contacting and helping theirgifted members. Some of the rogues were simply misguided,believing that the MRA was some bizarre Orwellianthought-control conspiracy; others wilfully rejected thelaws on legal telepathic scans, preferring to abuse their

abilities out of greed, lust or a desire for power. The MRAsbloodhound units fought a constant shadow war againstthese terrorists but they suffered their own bloody losses in 2133, a terrorist attack on an Earth Alliance senatorcost the life of senior MRA officer Desa Alexander.

The rogue terrorism would continue for nearly a centuryuntil its leaders were defeated by the Psi Cops. Still, thereexist secret cells and conspiracies seeded by those leaders,requiring constant vigilance.

Theroguemovemen

thasopposedPsiCorp

ssincethebeginning

.Muchofitssuccesscanbeputdown

toitsearly

organisersandleader

s.MostCorpstelepa

thsneverevenhear

oftheserogueleaders

theroguesareinvariably

presentedasconfused

andhelplessblips,ord

iabolicalmind-shredd

inglonerterrorists.

Theideathattheremightbe

awidespreadblipnet

workorunderground

railroadissuppressed

.

ThePsiCops,howeve

r,knowtheroguelea

dersintimately.Me

tapolisawarethatth

ereisawell-establish

ed

networkofcellsprov

idingshelterandsup

porttorunaways.D

irectattacksagainst

theCorpsfacilitiesh

ave

droppedoffs

inceStephenWalters

waskilledbutthero

guesstillopposetheC

orpsandworktound

ermineit.

Thebasicstructureoftheroguenetwork

wasputinplacebya

nearlytelepathcalle

dJackOHannlon,be

tter

knowninteepcircles

byhisnom-de-guerreofMonkey.He

wasanorganisation

algeniusandabrash

trickster,

steepedinconspiracy

buildingtechniques

andmethodsoflavishdestruction.Fro

mwhatIvegathered

,hewasalso

partoftheKatunPr

ophecysect,whichw

asalsohometotelepa

thslikeDesaBloodAlexanderan

dAdamTeal.

BloodandTealboth

becamepartofthebl

oodhoundunits,soiti

satleastpossibletha

tMonkeyhadhelpfromthe

inside.Regardlessofh

owhemanagedit,Mo

nkeyorganisedthetel

epathunderground.H

emadecontactswith

corporationsandoth

er,lessreputablegro

ups,gavethemaccess

totelepathswhowere

ntboundbytheCorp

srules

andusedthefundingh

egotfromthosegrou

pstopayforhiswar

againstorder.


9/130

8

The Telepath and the

President 2158

It was a gift, you see

Last words of William Karges

By 2158, genetic testing for telepathy was widespread but it still only detected 70% of those with psionicability. Almost a third of telepaths slipped through theMRAs programmes. Some of these had a low P-rating andnever realised they were telepaths. Many others reportedthemselves voluntarily to the MRA and were given trainingor treatment to deal with their psionic powers. Some

went rogue. A small fraction, however, tried to disciplinethemselves and cope with telepathy on their own. It takesa person of extraordinary will to do such a thing, to live

with the power of telepathy without the support of othertelepaths and a training regimen such as that provided byPsi Corps.

William Karges was a man of extraordinary will. Hediscovered his telepathic abilities at age 13 but was neverfound by the MRA. He joined the Earth Alliance militaryand was quickly promoted into the security division, wherehe was placed in charge of the personal security of PresidentRobinson.

The late 2150s were a chaotic period on Earth. Firstcontact with the Centauri threw everything we knew aboutthe universe into abeyance. Suddenly, we were no longeralone. Rumours spread that Earth was an alien colony, that

telepaths were alien agents and that a Centauri invasionfleet was about to attack spread everywhere. Panic grippedthe whole world and fearful people struck out against

whatever they could hit.

William Karges foiled three terrorist plots in 215758,using a combination of his telepathic gifts and his naturalintelligence and intuition. He was specially commendedby the President twice, winning the EA Medal of Honour.

All this time, he kept his telepathic powers secret, using itas his hidden edge against the terrorists. In 2158, a mannamed Lou Holland Orwood planned to assassinate thePresident. His opportunity came one bright July afternoon

in 2158.

The President was scheduled to give a speech in theMemorial Gardens outside San Diego. Orwood washiding in the crowd of some 20,000, a bomb strappedto his chest. The explosive was of a new type based onCentauri technology, undetectable by the scanners used byKarges security teams. Orwoods twisted and hate-filledmind, however, was readily detectable by Karges telepathy.

There was a brief struggle, during which Karges was fatallyshot but Orwood was stopped and the Presidents life

was saved.

On his deathbed, Karges told President Robinson that hewas a telepath and that all that he had accomplished inhis life was made possible by his psionic gift. In gratitude

for Karges heroic sacrifice, President Robinson redoubledher support of the growing Metasensory Regulatory

Authority. In his name, she signed the Presidential Orderthat transformed the MRA from an ungainly bureaucratictangle of agencies and departments attached to a Senatecommittee into an independent and self-containedinternational organisation the Psi Corps.

Kargesisthearchety

peoftheLoyalTelep

ath,

selflesslythrowinghimself

intothelineoffire

tosaveamundane.Itisquiteas

tonishing

howmuchmileageth

eCorpshasgottenoutof

onemartyranyac

cusationthattheCor

ps

isplottingagainstmu

ndanesorinvolvedi

n

anythingtheleastbit

shadyismetwithcri

esof

rememberWilliamK

arges!

DidWilliamKarges

exist?Yes,despitew

hat

someroguesclaim.N

oteventhePsiCorp

s

couldfakesomanyh

istoricaldocuments.

DidKargessavethePresidentatth

ecostofhis

ownlife?Again,yes.

Wasthewholeincide

ntstaged?Possibly.I

do

notbelievethatKarg

eswasaCorpsagent

to

becomeaPresidential

bodyguard,hisbackgr

ound

wouldhavebeencare

fullyexaminedand

investigated.Howev

er,theconvenientsu

icide

bomberismuchmore

suspiciousandwasl

ikely

aconditionedagent.T

hewholeKargesincid

ent

ismuchtoosimilart

otheattackonSenat

orLai

in2133.SomeoneinPsiC

orpstookrevengeon

Monkeysroguemovementbyus

ingtheirown

techniquesagainstth

emtheytelepathically

promptedthebomber

toattackandprobabl

y

shapedhismindsoit

wouldstandouteven

toa

P5likeKarges.

PsiCorpswasbuilton

alie.


10/130


11/130


12/130

1

Corps have always been at the leading edge ofhuman development and exploration.

The Centauri were found not to be the only alienrace with telepaths most of the other majorraces encountered, with the notable exceptionof the Narn, had their own telepaths. Out in

the galaxy, telepathy was another weapon andEarth had to be ready to fight her alien foes onthat battlefield as well as any other.

The Dilgar War in the 2220s proved how vitaltelepaths are to modern warfare. WithoutPsi Corps, captured Dilgar could not havebeen interrogated, nor could the heroic EarthExpeditionary Force have made its quickalliances with the League of Non-Aligned

Worlds and formed the Liberation Navy. Military telepathsstood with Admiral Hamato when his fleet attacked the

Dilgar fortress world of Omelos and died with him whenhis flagship was rammed by a crippled enemy vessel.

The Golden Age 2200

Of course theres a

telepath problem. Fear,

misunderstanding and

prejudice are the oldest

problems we have. Its up to

the Psi Corps and myself to

solve it.

Director Alistair Johnston

Director Vacit died in his sleep in 2199 and was succeededby the great Director Alistair Johnston. Under Director

Johnston, the Psi Corps grew to its present form andestablished new links with other government departmentssuch as the Ministry of Peace. With loyal human telepaths,alien threats and alien infiltrators on Earth could bedetected and stopped before they threatened the peopleof Earth. Psi Corps works hand in glove with the othersecurity agencies to safeguard all humanity, both telepathsand mundanes.

In 2220, the third phase of construction of the MetasensoryCompound in Geneva was completed and the city ofTeepTown now had a population of almost three-quartersof a million half the total active telepath population ofEarth, all living and working in a single town. This wouldobviously be a tempting target to anti-telepath terroristsand rogues, so the Compound was equipped with the finestsecurity systems available. The rogue threat was largely

ended in 2223, when a Psi Cop named Bester caught thelast significant ringleader of the rogues.

2236 saw the construction of the Crawford building insideEarthDome itself, a base of operations for the Corps in thevery heart of government. Just as William Karges saved

ThePsiCopskilledM

onkeyin2176buthe

passedhis

knowledgeontohisa

doptivegranddaught

er,Fiona

Temple.Shewascap

turedbytheCorpsfo

rabrief

periodbutescapedin

thecompanyoftwo

othertelepaths,

MatthewDexterand

StephenWalters.

Dexterwasast

rongP12,oneofthem

ostpowerful

telepathsonrecord.StephenWalte

rsisnotoriousin

Metapolhistoryast

heonlyroguePsiCop(hewas

somethingofaninspi

rationtome,Imustadmit).

TheTemple/Dexter

/Walterstriumvirat

eranthe

undergroundandexp

andeditoffworldunt

il2189,when

Fionaandherhusban

dMatthewwerekille

dinaPsi

Corpsraid.Stephen

Waltersescapedand

continuedon

theirlegacyuntilBes

terkilledhimin222

3.

Itsodd(ifImayslip

intopersonalremini

scencefora

moment)thatBester

neverdiscussedthis

incident.He

showednosuchreluctance

todiscusshisothertr

iumphs

andkillsbuthisgreatestaccompli

shmentwasalways

shroudedinmelancholyforhim.

FollowingWaltersd

eath,theundergroun

dwas

essentiallyleaderless

butthecellstructur

eputinplace

byMonkeyallowedin

dividualgroupsofrog

uesto

continuetheireffort

sagainstPsiCorps.D

irectaction

suchasraidsorbomb

ingsceasedbutthesp

iritofsecret

resistanceagainstthe

Corpshascontinued

untilthe

presentday.


13/130

12

President Robinson at the birth of the Corps, so too do thePsi Corps watch over our leaders, guarding them againstalien telepathic influence.

The Minbari Invasion

2248

We tried talking to them, wetried signalling and in the end we

tried telepathic communication,

but they didnt listen. they

never listen.

Director Johnston, speaking in the wake of theMinbari Invasion

In 2245, the Minbari launched an almost unprovokedattack on humanity. Beginning with our outer outposts andquickly progressing onto our colonies and the Sol systemitself, the massive alien warships of the Minbari prosecuteda brutal assault. EarthForces warships were unable totarget the Minbari vessels; our fighters were outclassed andoutgunned by their flyers. While human ground forces

were able to match their Minbari counterparts, the spacesuperiority enjoyed by the aliens meant that we rarely metthem on a level playing field.

Telepathy was often our only defence against the Minbari.Captured Minbari were quickly scanned, giving humanity

advance warning of where the aliens would strike next.Human telepaths were also hidden in military units although our sensors could not lock weapons onto the alienvessels, the alien minds within could be sensed and used asa way to target weapons. There were telepaths on the Line

when the night came to Earth.

Today 2260After Earth was given that glorious, mysterious respite fromdestruction, the rallying cry was Never Again. WhileEarthForce rebuilt the fleet and the EarthGov brought ourcivilisation back from the edge of extinction, the Psi Corpsbegan a radical programme of expansion and development.

While our technological superiority may still be challengedby the Minbari and other, older races, humanity is secondto none in the field of telepathy.

Director Johnston died in 2258 during a tour of thePsi Corps stations near Jupiter. He was replaced by the

Corps current director, Director Michael OBrien. In hisinvestiture speech, Director OBrien said: In these troubledtimes, knowing that we can trust and rely on the telepathically

gifted members of humanity is more important than ever. Iwish to make a personal guarantee to President Clark andto every member of EarthGov and every human being, fromEarth to Vega Colony and beyond I promise you all, the PsiCorps is here to help and protect you.

DirectorJohnstonwasterrifiedoftel

epaths.Duringhistim

einoffice,PsiCorpsw

asdividedinahidden

civilwar,

betweenJohnstonsat

temptstocontroltheCorpsand

yokeittoEarthGovp

olicyandtheattempt

sbypowerful

telepathstogainfull

controloftheirown

destinies.Thiswarspilledoverin

totherestofEarthG

ovandthevarious

intelligenceagencies,

untilthesidesweres

oblurredthatevent

hetelepathscouldnottrustthemse

lves.

Johnstonsreplacemen

tOBrienwasaweak,

ClarkappointeeC

larkwantedhisthoug

htpoliceandtherad

ical

elementsinPsiCorps

wereonlytoohappy

tocomply,asputtin

gtelepathsintoapos

itionofauthorityov

ermundanes

fittedperfectlywitht

heirtwistedplans.

Iwillpostponeafull

eranalysisofthecur

rentstateofPsiCorp

s.Beforewecanunde

rstandthenatureof

theproblem,

wemustfirstseeh

owitcametobe.The

Corpswasdedicated

fromthebeginningt

otheprincipleofCO

NTROL.It

beganasControlofPanic,offeringhum

anityastop-gapmea

suretodealwiththe

telepathproblem.Un

derVacit,it

becameControlofTe

lepathy,developingthetelepathicab

ilitiesofitsmembers

andbuildingthestren

gthoftheCorps.

Johnstonmadeitinto

ControlofTelepaths

,tryingtomakesurethattelepath

ywassorestricteda

ndcontainedthatit

couldneverthreaten

changewithinhuma

nculture.Finally,underOBrien,it

becameControlofTh

ought.

Always,always,Con

trol.

WithintheCorps,Co

ntrolbyscan,bybree

dingprogramme,by

evaluationandconst

antpsychoprogramm

ing.Outside

theCorps,Controlby

fearandpropaganda

.

Notelepathhasever

beentrulyfree.


14/130

Director OBrienBorn January 3rd, 2201 in the United Kingdom, Michael OBrien was educated at the University of London,Cambridge and Sandhurst. He distinguished himself by serving in the Dilgar War. He was wounded during theinitial assault on Omelos but recovered quickly enough to be put in charge of peacekeeping forces in the Dilgar cityof Ujia. He left EarthForce in 2235 to enter politics and was appointed Earth ambassador to the Brakiri for threeyears. He had won the respect of the aliens due to his heroism during the war.

Following this period offworld, OBrien returned to Earth where he sought and won election to the Senate. Heserved two terms before the tragic death of Alistair Johnston in an accident on Ganymede. OBrien was one of fivecandidates put forward to replace Johnston by the committee and he was selected by newly inaugurated PresidentClark during the presidents first year in office.

1

The Structure of Psi

CorpsEven though the old Metasensory Regulatory Authority

was reformed a century ago, the basic structure of PsiCorps is still based on the MRA. The head of the Corps

is the Director, who is appointed by the President of theEarth Alliance. The Director is selected from a short-list of candidates selected by the Senate Committee onMetasensory Regulation. The current Director is MichaelOBrien, who took office on May 15th, 2259. The Directorattends the infrequent meetings of the Committee but theday-to-day running of Psi Corps is in his hands.

Internally, Psi Corps is divided into four Corps and sevendepartments:

G Education: The Department of Education is responsible

for the training and education of telepaths, both inthe use of their abilities and in normal skills. Thereare several schools and universities in the MetasensoryCompound, and everytelepath is given the benefitof a first-class education. TheDepartment of Educationalso helps inform normalhumans about telepaths.

G Commerce:The Departmentof Commerce is the mostcommonly seen part of

the Psi Corps and is thesingle largest Department.Commercial telepaths canbe found throughout theEarth Alliance, helping theiremployers negotiate businessdeals and ensuring honestyand openness in financialaffairs.

G

Legal: The telepaths of the Legal Department helplaw enforcement agencies across the Earth Alliance.Contrary to popular belief, these telepaths are rarelyemployed to retrieve information from the minds ofsuspects (and this is only done with a court order).Instead, the Legal telepaths are used to help witnesses

recall important clues and to build psychologicalprofiles of wanted deviants. The Legal department alsodeals with the rare cases of telepathic abuse by roguetelepaths, and also provides field assistance and supportto Metapol.

G Medical: The Medical Department runs a state-of-the-art hospital in the Metasensory Compound andanother on Mars. The telepaths here are the worlds besthealers of psychological trauma, combining telepathicsupport with traditional psychotherapy. The MedicalDepartment also specialises in neurosurgery and neuralcybernetics.


15/130

Psi Corps OrganisationNote that not all the departmental sections are shown in this diagram please contact the individual departments for full detailall their activities. Contact the Department of Administration for EarthCom or StellarCom contact details, or find your locCorps office through your local directory.

14

G Science: Literally located next door to Medical, thetelepath scientists of the Science Department study themselves! The Science Department is dedicated toinvestigating telepathy in all its forms.

G Military: Much of the work performed by the MilitaryDepartment is, of course, classified but EarthForceuses telepaths for intelligence gathering and counter-telepathy when dealing with aliens.

G

Administration: The Administration Department isthe bureaucracy of the Corps.

Each department is overseen by a department head, whosits on the Psi Corps Operational Committee and reportsto the Director. The Operational Committee meets onaverage once per month, or more often when necessary.

There are two Psi Corps sections outside the departmentalstructure, reporting directly to the Director instead of tothe Operational Committee. Metapol, better known asthe Psi Cops, is made up of telepaths from the Legal and

Administrative departments and is responsible for dealingwith rogue and criminal telepaths. The Office of the PsiOmbudsman handles complaints made against the Corpsand can conduct independent investigations.

The Psi Corps is further divided into four sections, referredto as the four branches of the Corps. After graduating fromthe Major Academy, a new member of the Corps interns

with one of the four branches for a year before officiallyjoining it. This year provides special training and skills;while the telepaths Department determines what skillsand talents he develops during training, a telepaths branchgives him or her practical experience in the field.


16/130

Corps Assignments

Training Commercial Alliance Command

Dept. of Education

Dept. of Medicine

Dept. of Commerce

Dept. of Legal Affairs

Dept. of Medicine


Dept. of Science

Dept. of Military Affairs


Dept. of Medicine

Dept. of Administration

Metapol

1

The four branches are:

G Training Corps,for telepaths who will educate the nextgeneration of the Psi Corps.

G Commercial Corps, for telepaths who will deal withnon-telepaths outside the Corps.

G Alliance Corps, for telepaths who will serve the EarthAlliance government. The section also covers themilitary telepaths.

G Finally, Command Corps contains the administrativesection of the Corps itself, including the Psi Cops.

Two telepaths from the same Department can be indifferent Corps and vice versa. For example, a Department


17/130

New Feats

Training Corps Telepath (Telepath)You have completed advanced training within the Training Corps of the Psi Corps.

Prerequisite: Mind Shield ability.Benefit: You have a +2 competence bonus to any one Knowledge skill and a +1 competence bonus toTelepathy checks made to use the Mind Shield ability.

Commercial Corps Telepath (Telepath)You have completed advanced training within the Commercial Corps of the Psi Corps.Prerequisite: Surface Scan ability.Benefit:You have a +2 competence bonus to Diplomacy checks and a +1 competence bonus to Telepathychecks made to use the Surface Scan ability.

Alliance Corps Telepath (Telepath)You have completed advanced training within the Alliance Corps of the Psi Corps.

Prerequisite: Deep Scan ability.Benefit: You have a +2 competence bonus to Gather Information checks and a +1 competence bonus toTelepathy checks made to use the Deep Scan ability.

Command Corps Telepath (Telepath)You have completed advanced training within the Command Corps of the Psi Corps.Prerequisite:Jamming ability.Benefit:You have a +2 competence bonus to Concentration checks and a +1 competence bonus to Telepathychecks made to use the Jamming ability.

16

of Education telepath will normally be assigned to theTraining Corps but the Outreach section is under the

jurisdiction of the Alliance Corps. A translator from theDepartment of Commerce might be in the CommercialCorps while working freelance, but transferred into the

Alliance Corps when assigned to an Earth Alliance station.

The normal Department assignments are shown in theCorps Assignments table.

Thereareatleastth

reeotherDepartment

sand

innumerableSectionswithin

PsiCorpsthatare

unknowntooutsider

s.TheoldestoftheseisDepartm

ent

Sigma,foundedbyKe

vinVacitsometimeinthe2180s.

Sigmaisresponsiblef

oradvancedtelepath

icresearch.

ItwastheSigmawitc

h-doctorswhoproduce

dJason

Ironheart,whocreate

dDust,whodissected

Talia

Winters.AnyScien

ceDepartmentefforts

thatshow

promisearebroughtu

nderSigmascontrol.

Sigmaalso

overseesanyotherb

lackprojectstoosens

itiveforthe

otherdepartmentsto

handle.

TheDepartmentofT

ransportoverseesth

ePsi

Corpsoffworldassets

,fromtheMothershi

pstothe

BlackOmegaunitsto

theFoundationColo

ny.The

CorpsusestheTrans

portdepartmenttos

ecretly

movetelepathsandot

herresourcesaround

theEarth

Allianceandbeyond

withouttheauthoriti

esknowing.

TheDepartmentofResourc

esisresponsiblefor

adjustments.Thesearethebutchersw

horunthere-

educationcampsand

themindshredderswhotwistthe

memoriesandperson

alitiesofEarthGovs

enemies.


18/130

1

The Metasensory

CompoundThe Metasensory Compound, also known as TeepTown, islocated some 30 miles outside Geneva, Switzerland. Theprimary language of TeepTown is English, although theresidents are also fluent in French and German. Visitors to

the Compound are welcome, although non-Corps visitorsmust register with the security office.

1 StationTeepTown is linked directly to Geneva and to EarthDomeby a high-speed maglev line and trains depart every fiveminutes to Geneva. Travel time is a leisurely ten minutes, togive travellers a chance to view the magnificent mountainssurrounding the town. A faster direct line is reserved forthe use of EarthGov and Psi Corps personnel. The stationalso has landing pads for personal flyers but the airspace inthe Compound valley is restricted and all personal flight

plans must be registered ahead of time.

2 Psi Corps HeadquartersThe design of this magnificent building was chosen bySenator Lee Crawford himself and is deliberately reminiscentof the old colonial architecture of the American south.Part of the Headquarters building contains a museum andvisitors centre but most of it is given over to the Directorsoffice and administration. The Operating Committeemeets here in the Headquarters when face-to-face meetingsare required.

Exhibitions currently on display include Alien Telepaths,which has holos and descriptions of alien telepaths from

Abbai to Zendamor, and the famous gold badge that allthe Psi Corps insignia are copied from. Admission to theHeadquarters is free.

3 Crawford Gallery &

Auditorium

The Crawford Gallery is dedicated to telepathic art. Mostof the exhibits are artworks created by telepaths, whichattempt to express how it feels to touch anothers mind.Every possible artistic medium has been used in thisendeavour, from music (Hasikos INter*face Symphony) tovisual art (Muirs series of holos,Mindtouch I to X). Someof the most notable non-telepath artists of humanity havealso contributed to the gallery.

Other exhibits in the gallery cannot be appreciated bythe non-telepath, as they are the worlds first examplesof telepathic art. The found art gallery in the east wing,for example, gathers objects from all over the planet thathave telepathic memory echoes embedded on them. Itemsinclude a wedding ring that telepathically radiates joy and asection of barbed-wire fence taken from Belsen. To normalhumans these objects seem unremarkable but telepaths cansense the emotions imprinted onto them.

Most telepathic art, however, relies on the telepathic artistprojecting his work into the minds of the audience. It issomewhere between performance art and traditional gallerydisplays; the artist sits in the gallery for hours at a time,projecting his art at the visitors. Please contact the galleryfor the current display list.

The Crawford gallery has four small and one largeauditorium. The smaller auditoriums can project holos but

lectures and especially dramasare more popular. Telepathyhas revitalised the stage playever since the famous 2180performance ofHamletwhere theDanes soliloquies were projectedinto the minds of the audience.In modern telepath drama, theactors must construct mentaltheatre masks artificial minds

within their own, which are thenread by the audience. The actordoes not merely recite the lines,he must embody, both mentallyand physically, the role.

The larger auditorium is usedfor the more popular dramas andpublic debates. The Operating


19/130

18

Committee holds at least one public meeting each yearin the Crawford. A season ticket to the Crawford, givingaccess to all sections of the gallery and entry to any events inthe auditoriums in a three-month period, can be purchasedfor 25 credits from the Gallery Shop.

the study of the brain and nervous system on Earth andhas one of the four active CCED machines in humanspace. Of course, the Vacit is also the general hospital forall of TeepTown, so much of the building is dedicated tomaternity units, childrens wards, operating theatres and soon the MedLab facilities take up only the top five floorsof the building.

All Psi Corps members receive full medical coverage andcare not just at the Vacit Hospital, but at any recognisedmedical facility within the Earth Alliance.

5 MetapolThe elite forces of Metapol (colloquially known as the PsiCops) use this impressive fortress as their main base andtraining centre. The Metapol building has state-of-the-artforensics and computer analysis laboratories. Metapol isnot open to visitors.

IplayedHamletduri

ngmysecondyearat

theMajor

Academy.

Imustconfess

toacertainfascinat

ionwiththecharacter

.

Webothwaitedtoolongbeforea

ctingandwebothhav

e

troublewithourmotherandfather.

4 Vacit HospitalThe towering Vacit Hospital was constructed in 2210and remains one of the most advanced medical facilitiesin the entire Earth Alliance. It is the premier centre for


20/130

1

6 GardensThe Compound uses green areas extensively, to provideareas of solitude and quietness for the resident telepaths.The stress of having so many minds in close proximity canoverwhelm telepaths, so the designers of the MetasensoryCompound ensured that there would be quiet areas oftranquil greenery within easy reach. Garden areas divide theadministration section from the Village and the Academiesand dormitories from the rest of the Compound. Anotherring of greenery surrounds the whole Compound.

7 Karges MemorialThis simple, modest statue marks the grave of WilliamKarges, who saved President Robinson from an assassinand is remembered in the foundation of the Corps.

8 Psi Testing CentreObviously, few people come all the way to TeepTown to betested, as there are handy Psi Corps Centres in every majormetropolis. The centre here in the Compound is referredto as the Model Centre and is the template on which allthe others are based. Visitors can see the latest version ofthe genetic testing kit (which can now test a DNA samplefor the presence of psionic genes within 30 seconds witha 73% detection rate) or the Revised Philsen P-Level test.The staff of the centre are more than happy to answer anyquestions or offer advice on telepathy. Please pick up acomplimentary copy of our brochure, The Psi Corps andYou.

9 PsiComPsiCom is the local computer network. It has a direct tapinto the EarthCom network and from there to StellarCom,so the Corps can be contacted from anywhere in the galaxy.PsiCom also has its own studios, producing documentariesand educational programs on telepathy as part of theOutreach Programme. PsiCom also broadcasts localprogrammes for telepaths, giving updates on Corps currentaffairs and social news.

10 Ombudsmans OfficeThe Ombudsmans Office is located next to the toweringCommercial Centre and is also accessible via PsiCom. Allcomplaints against members of the Corps will be treated

with the strictest confidentiality but complainants may berequired to report in person to the Office for a telepathicscan.

11 Commercial CentreThe single largest building in the Compound is theCommercial Centre. The lower floors of this complex area large shopping mall, while the upper 30 floors containthe administration offices for the Psi Corps commercialtelepaths. Ten percent of every telepaths fee goes back tothe Corps to pay for the telepaths education and medicalbills, so much of this building is taken up with accountancy.The Corps also owns numerous semi-private corporations,

which offer both telepathic services such as personalitytweaking, designer mindscapes and enhanced recall, as well

as spin-off technologies from the Corps research division.

Those wishing to hire a telepath may inquire at the NewClients desk on the ground floor of the Centre. Corporateclients should contact the centre via PsiCom.

12 The VillageThe Village is the tangle of streets, shops and olderbuildings that makes up the heart of TeepTown. When thetown was first constructed, the Village was all there was.Now it nestles in the shadow of the Commercial Centre.Many visitors to the Village are struck by its charm and

simplicity; although it is only slightly over a century old, itfeels like a little Swiss mountain hamlet that has existed forcenturies. There are apartments located over most of theshops and restaurants in the Village, which are sought afterby telepaths wishing to live in the very heart of the Corps.

13 Cadre DormitoriesYoung telepaths (13 or younger) live in these dormitorychalets overseen by their loving House Parents. Pleasenote that visitors must report to Campus Security beforeentering any of the Education Departments areas.

14 Minor AcademyCampusThe Minor Academy provides secondary level educationand training to telepaths. The school structure is basedon that of boarding schools and all students live on thecampus. Contact the Department of Education forcurriculum details.

ThePsiCopshavela

rgelyabandonedthis

building

apartfromtrainingf

irstandsecond-year

cadetsfrom

theMajorAcademya

ndabitofadministr

ation,the

MetapolHeadquarter

sislargelyunused. I

tismuch

toopublic.MostPs

iCopoperationsare

plannedeither

atSyriaPlanumorontheMo

therships.


21/130

20

15 Major Academy

CampusThe Major Academy trains telepaths for their future rolesin the Psi Corps. Students enter the Major Academy at theage of 18 and graduate four to eight years later. The Major

Academy has schools dedicated to Science, Commerce,

Medicine, Psychology, Tactics and Military Theory, LawEnforcement and the Arts. Students intern with theappropriate Psi Corps department during their time at the

Academy. Again, please see the Department of Educationfor more details.

16 Campus

AccommodationThese dormitories are familiar to generations of Psi Corpsmembers everyone attending the Minor or Major

Academies stays in these large buildings. The MinorDormitories offer accommodation to a cadre-sized number

of students (ten to 30), while the Major Dormitories are amix of single, double, triple and quadruple accommodation(although some of the Major Academy students rent homesin the Village or suburbs).

17 Sports GroundsThis facility is for the use of the Academy students andfaculty, although many residents of TeepTown alsopurchase membership (500cr/year). The facility includes

Whatthislittletouri

stguidedoesntmentionisthatTeep

Townisafortress.I

twasoriginallybuilt

tokeepthe

telepathsinbutnow

itexiststokeepthe

mundanesandtheroguesout

.Theairspaceover

thevalleyis

controlledbytheCor

psandthereareconce

aledanti-aircraftgun

sdottedaroundthepeaks.The

Corpsalsoshares

EarthDomesairdefe

ncenetwork.TheC

ompoundislocatedin

ahighmountainvalley,whichhasonly

oneeasy

approach.Themagle

vtrainandtheroads

uptotheCompound

haveconcealedexpl

osivecharges,laserfieldsand

magneticburstcharg

esthatcandisablean

yunshieldedvehicle.

Anoverlandapproa

chisequallydifficult

.Whiletherazor-w

irefencesandwatcht

owersaregone,thela

ndaround

theCompoundhasa

networkofscreamers

andscannersthatpi

ckuponanymovem

entorheatsources.T

hereare

concealedm

icrofilamenthelicesan

dsecuritydronestha

tactivateafterdark

telepathsarewarn

ednottowander

offthepathatnight.

Therearemanyund

ergroundpassagesbeneaththeCom

pound.Therearebun

kersbigenoughtoho

ldtheentire

populationofthetow

nthataredeepenoug

htowithstandamassdriverhi

t.Secretpassagescon

nectmostofthe

majorstructures.M

ostofthevisitorscen

tres,hotelsandtheco

nferenceroomsintheCommercialCen

trehave

hiddencompartments

whereatelepathcan

observeandscanth

emundaneswithout

beingseen.Thecompartments

cantbefoundbycom

mercialsecurityscan

s.

Still,TeepTownshoul

dneverbearogueta

rget.Thevastmajo

rityofthetelepathst

hereknownothingab

outthe

darksideoftheCorp

s.ItisatSyriaPlanu

mandintheMother

shipsthatthedarkne

ssdwells.Burning

thenestwillavailu

snothing;itisthebla

ckbirdthatmustbek

illed.

two Olympic-sized swimming pools, football, baseballand hockey grounds, running tracks, a shooting range andan environment simulator. Mountaineering is also verypopular in the Corps, given the Compounds easy accessto the Swiss Alps.

18 Singles

AccommodationOriginally, all telepaths were guaranteed accommodation

within TeepTown. As the telepath population expands,more and more telepaths are living offworld or in othercities but many still maintain residences in TeepTown.These small apartments are for unmarried telepaths.

19 Married

AccommodationThese larger and more comfortable apartments are reservedfor the use of married telepaths. As the children of telepaths

are cared for by the cadres, these apartments can beconsiderably more spacious than those of non-telepaths.

20 New TownThe third phase of expansion of the Compound is referredto as New Town and contains accommodation and supportstructures to supply the growing needs of the Compound,such as a fusion plant.


22/130

2

The Corps is

MotherThe motto of the Psi Corps is Maternis, Paternis theCorps is Mother, the Corps is Father. Telepaths live their

whole lives within the Corps. Their every need is taken

care of by the Corps, from education to housing to medicalcare to socialisation. Biologically, telepaths have parents ofcourse, but from an early age, the Corps sees to their well-being with the infinite devotion and care of a natural parent.No telepath need ever be alone.

explain the opportunity offered by the Psi Corps. The Corpswill give the child a first-class education, full medical cover,housing, training in his telepathic abilities and everythinghe could possibly wish for or need. In some cases (wherethe child has special medical needs, where the parents aredeemed unfit or unable to support the child, where thechilds telepathic abilities have already manifested or where

the child is the product of a Corps-arranged marriage), theCorps takes custody of the infant immediately.

In the majority of cases, however, the Corps waits until thechilds telepathic abilities begin to manifest and the parentsbring the child to one of the many Psi Corps centres locatedin every major metropolitan area. There, the child is testedto confirm that his telepathic abilities have manifested, and(if the child is telepathically active) he is offered a place inthe Corps. Should the childs parents refuse, the child musttake the sleeper drugs. Once the child reaches the age ofmaturity, of course, he can make his own decisions aboutcontinuing with the drugs or joining the Corps.

One of the most important occasions in any telepathslife is the first time their psionic ability is measured. Thistest, commonly referred to as the P-Scale or P-Level test,is officially known as the Revised Philsen Psionic Scale.The original version of the test could be administered by

Andoh,howthispar

entalbondranklesw

ithsomein

theCorps.Theyhave

in-vitrofertilisation

andclone-

growthtanksintheba

sementandthereare

afewyoung

telepathsintheCorp

swhoweredecanted

,notborn,

theirgeneticmateria

lanartificialamalga

mofdozens

offathersandmothers.The

parentalbondisone

ofthe

strongesthumanemotions,sotheCor

psseekstocontrol

andusurpthatbond.

EducationTelepathic ability generally manifests between the ages ofthree and 13, although there have been recorded cases oftelepaths active from birth and late bloomers whose psionicactivity activates at the age of 30 or even older. Most telepathsare discovered long before their abilities come into bloom,as genetic testing is commonplace and identifies 73% ofpotential telepaths automatically. Newborn children withinmost Earth Alliance countries have their DNA recorded and

scanned as a matter of course, and the Psi Corps have accessto this DNA database.

When a child with the genetic potential for telepathy is found,his record is automatically tagged by the Corps computers.The genetic test is inexact some 40% of potential telepathsidentified by the test will always manifesttelepathic abilities. The remainder (60% oftelepaths) might manifest abilities, or mayhave such a low level of telepathic ability thatno further action is necessary. These low-levellatent telepaths may have only one or twoflashes of psionic ability in their entire lifetimes,

and do not even need sleeper drugs to keeptheir powers under control. Most go throughtheir entire lives not even knowing that, witha miniscule shift in the genetic lottery, they

would have been telepaths.

In cases where the child is a certain telepath, thechilds parents are immediately contacted, toldof their childs gift and visited by a counsellor to

Incasesofaparticul

arlypromisingtelepa

th,suchasaP10

orhigher,thePsiCor

psisnotabovearran

gingforthechilds

parentstobefoundu

nfittotakecareofth

eirchild.Itisrarely

necessarythecombina

tionofCorpspropaga

ndaandthe

veryrealdifficultiesofmundane

parentsraisingatele

pathic

childisadevastating

combination,somostparentsdo

givetheir

psionicchildrenover

totheCorps.Wem

usttakecareofour

own,butnotlikethis

.


23/130

How Many Telepaths Are

There? How Big Is The Corps?As can be seen from the above diagram, the power of telepathsfollows a curve as you go up the power scale from P1 to P12, thefewer telepaths you find at each level. There are an estimated six anda half million human telepaths (roughly one in 1,000 humans showssome level of telepathic ability, although only one in 2,000 score onthe P-Scale. The majority of the P-rated are P1s or P2s, possessedof only modest abilities. Many of these P1s and P2s choose sleepersinstead of membership in the Corps.

Currently, the Psi Corps is made up of approximately three millionmembers.

P-Scale

P-Level % of Telepaths Abilities Roles

0 0% None None

1 31.5% Touch-telepathy, blocks Administration, technical

2 23.5% Mental communication Educational, counselling

3 19.5% Basic scanning Medical, counselling

4 11% Advanced blocks Legal, education, commerce

5 6% Advanced scanning Commerce, science, legal

6 4% Detection Legal, commerce, medical

7 1.5% Neuro-kinesis Medical, legal, science

8 1% Advanced communication Medical, legal, science

9 0.7% Advanced neuro-kinesis Science, education

10 0.2% Expert blocks Education, commerce, military

11 0.1% Psychoengineering Medical, education, military

12 0.05% All Psi Cops, military

22

a mundane and involved asking a set of 120 questionsconnected to a set of Zener cards. The newer version ofthe test requires a telepath to perform it the tester createsa series of mental blocks and images and asks the subject toprobe these mental constructs.

The P-Scale starts at 0 and is theoretically open-ended,although no human telepath has ever gone past P12. Thesimplest definition is that using a brute-force probe, a P2 canbreak through a P1s blocks, while a P3 can break through aP2s blocks, and so on up until P12. In practise, each P-levelis associated with a distinct level of psionic ability and so hasa different set of abilities associated with it.

Basic EducationOnce a young telepath joins the Corps and is brought to

the Metasensory Compound, his education begins. Youngchildren (under 14), who still need the support of a familystructure are placed in the training cadres, which consist ofbetween ten and 30 children of roughly the same age andtelepathic experience. Each cadre is cared for by a pair ofadult telepaths, referred to as the House Father and Mother.

A cadre has its own dormitory and the Father and Motherlive with the children. Generally, House parents changeevery two years, while new members are added to the cadreseach year on Birthday (April 12th).

The cadres are encouraged to compete with each otherand to develop their own family rituals and bonds. The

friends a child makes in a cadre will serve him in good steadthroughout his lifetime and often ones cadre-mates canbe as close to you as siblings. The cadres are referred to

Telepathdemographi

cshavebeenintentio

nallyhidden

bytheCorps,toconfusethero

guesabouthowsucce

ssful

theyareandtoconvincemundanest

hattelepathsare

toofewtoberealthr

eattothem.Thefigureofone-in-

a-thousandisroughl

yaccurate,buttheP-

curveismuch

moreeventherear

eplentyofP5sand

strongerintheCorps

.

Mybestestimatessu

ggestthatthere

areabouteighttoten

millionhuman

telepaths(th

atsbetweentwoand

four

millionmorethantheCorpsclai

mexist),

ofwhichslightlylessthanfourmillion

areeitherworkingdi

rectlyfortheCorps,

orunderitscontrol.

Anotherfour

millionorsoareons

leepers.Thatputs

thefreeroguepopula

tiontheblipsat

somewherebetweenh

alfamillionand

twomillion.


24/130

2

by number, although they are also named for the HouseMother (Melissas Cadre, Anns Cadre and so on).

Discipline in the cadres is enforced by the Grins adulttelepaths wearing facemasks. The Grins behave likenightmarish automatons to instil fear into the children anduse telepathy to ferret out the childrens wrongdoing and

broadcast the shame to the rest of the cadre. While thismay appear bizarre and cruel, it does serve a useful purpose.When the telepath children leave basic education andgraduate to the Minor Academy at age 14, the Grins removetheir masks to reveal themselves as beloved House Fathersand Mothers. The lesson is a clear one while Corpsdiscipline may seem harsh, it conceals care and love for itstelepaths. The children learn to Trust The Corps.

During their time in the cadres, the children are given anexcellent education in literacy, mathematics, computingand other basic fields. Telepaths are very quick students

when taught by another telepath the teacher can visualise

a problem and transmit this image to his students and wholediscussions can be held at the speed of thought. Psi Corpsstudents regularly obtain average results that are 22% betterthan their counterparts of the same age from other schools.

The students need this enhanced learning ability, of course,as they have to study telepathy in addition to their normalcurriculum. The first techniques learned by the youngtelepaths include controlling their own senses so they do notaccidentally read the minds of those around them, blockingtheir own thoughts from leaking to others, receiving andtransmitting information to other telepaths and the basics of

blocking and scanning. The students practise their psionicskills in games like hide and block (where one student

hides both his body and his mind, while the rest of the cadresearch for him) or cops and blips.

The Minor AcademyThe Minor Academy is little different to any other second-level (high) school in the Earth Alliance. The students takeclasses in a variety of subjects, although languages (English,

French and German), math and computing, civics andtelepathy are required subjects. Most of the teachers and allof the students are telepaths, although some junior teachingpositions are held by non-telepaths. Classes start at 9am andfinish between 3pm and 6pm, depending on the studentsage and selected courses.

All the students live on campus in the dormitories andhave access to all the recreational facilities on campus andin TeepTown. They may also leave the Compound in thecompany of a teacher or with a special pass. Students whoare having difficulties, either scholastically or emotionally,are assigned a mentor from elsewhere in the Corps. Thismentor helps the student cope with his problems andovercome whatever difficulties he faces.

During the summer months, the younger students stay oncampus, while the other students usually tour other cities onEarth or volunteer to help with Psi Corps social programmesor other departments.

At the end of the students time in the Minor Academy, hemust swear allegiance to the Earth Alliance and take thePsi Corps oath. This graduation ceremony is the proudestmoment in a young telepaths life. During this ceremony,

which is attended by the Director himself, the studentsreceive their Psi Corps badges and gloves. Before graduating,

telepaths must wear gloves anda Psi Corps logo when in publicbut the familiar black glovesand metal badges are awardedonly when the student takes theoath.

More details on the Psi Corpsoath can be found in the sectionon the Legal Department.

The Major

AcademyThe Major Academy is madeup of several faculties, each of

which is sponsored by one ofthe other departments in PsiCorps. By the time a student


25/130

Telepath TerminologyBaseline:A term for a non-telepath human.Block:A mental shield to block probes.Bloop: To accidentally broadcast a telepathic message orleak inner thoughts.Blip:A telepath who was never found by the Corps and so

never trained.Brainwaste: A telepath who is failing the Corps trainingprogrammes.Clickblock: A very rudimentary block, derived from thename of a childs toy.Emote: Telepathic transmission of a feeling; unlikeempathy, the recipient of an emote experiences the emotionon an intellectual level he knows the emote sender feelshappy or sad instead of feeling happy or sad himself.Esper:A telepath, especially a skilled one.Ghost:A blooped thought that no-one admits to or claimsownership of.

Glyph:A telepathic image transmitted mind to mind.Mindblind: Someone incapable of communicatingtelepathically either a non-telepath, or someone whosetelepathic powers are inactive or dulled through sleepersor alcohol.

Mundane:A non-telepath.Peep: To scan another person without permission.Poke: A sharp probe that would lead to a spark if thetarget had no blocks.Probe: An attempt to scan another, or establish mind-

to-mind contact.Psense: Telepathic activities are usually perceived interms of the other senses the telepath sees anotherpersons block, or smells a thought pattern. Appendinga p in front of a sense denotes the telepathic version ofthat sense, giving psee, phear, pfeel and so on.Spark: A probe that momentary disrupts the targetsthought processes the telepathic equivalent of apunch.Teek:A telekinetic.Teep:A telepath.Unthought:What you do to apologise for a bloop. A

thought you take back.Zeitgeist:A term for the telepathic feel of a place; thetexture of the background mental noise. The zeitgeist ofa world at war might feel angry or fearful to a telepath.

Courses Not OfferedTelepaths are not legally permitted to become lawyers,

journalists or stockbrokers, so no courses are offeredthat lead to these professions. However, the courses oncriminal law, creative writing and business studies dogive enough training for a telepath to pass as a lawyer,

journalist or stockbroker if necessary.

24

leaves the Major Academy, he is ready to join the appropriatedepartment in the Corps.

The faculties in the Major Academy and the major coursegroups offered are:

G

Science: Computing, Biology, Neuroscience, TelepathicStudies, Engineering, Physics.

G Commerce: Accounting, Business Studies, CorporateLaw, Business Telepathy, Business Information Systems.

G Medicine: General Medicine, Genetics, Neurosurgery,Cybernetics, Exobiology.

G

Psychology: Counselling, Social Studies, Psychotherapy,Interventions, Telepathy and Psychology.

G

Tactics and Military Theory: Military History, MilitaryTelepathy, Strategy and Advanced Tactics, SpacecraftOperation.

G Law Enforcement: Criminal Law, Civil Law,Investigating and Interrogation, Combat Telepathy.

G Arts: Creative Writing, Visual Art, History, Civics,Cultural Studies, Music.

Each year, a student chooses three courses from his primaryfaculty and one course from another faculty. One of thethree subjects from the primary faculty is the studentsspeciality and is taken every year. For example, a studentstudying Neuroscience in the Science Faculty would takethe Neuroscience course module every year, as well as two

other science modules and one non-science module thatcould all change each year.

The study of telepathy is not mandatory in the MajorAcademy the students time in the Minor Academy hastaught the basics of blocks, controls, probes, glyphs and othertelepathic techniques. However, each student must pass atelepathy test every six months, to ensure their control oftheir powers is within acceptable levels for the Corps. Those

who fail the test are required to take refresher courses ontelepathy. Many students voluntarily attend these courses,to keep honing and developing their talents.


26/130

A Students Day

Time Cadre (Age 8) Minor Academy (Age 15) Major Academy (Age 21)

0700 Morning cartoons Callisthenics Sleep

0800 Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast

0900 Classes begin Classes begin Neuroscience 301 (telepathy and the brain)

1000 Basic telepathy (blocks) History Neuroscience 302 (structure of the nervous system)

1100 Reading and writing Chemistry Biology 201 (fundamentals of exobiology)

1200 Maths Telepathy (probes) Biology lab work

1300 Picnic lunch in gardens Lunch in school cafeteria Lunch in the Village

1400 History of Psi Corps Physics Telepathy training

1500 Science Language studies Neuroscience 304 (EEGs and other scanning

techniques)

1600 End of school. Sports Civics and the ethics of telepathy Computing 101 (Basics of computing)

1700 Homework Geography Computer lab

1800 Dinner End of school. Dinner Debate club

1900 Kids holo in Crawford

Auditorium

Homework Telepathy training

2000 Kids holo in Crawford

Auditorium

Homework Train to Geneva

2100 Bedtime Sports Dinner in restaurant with classmates

2200 Lights out Checking messages/games on

computer

Pub

2300 Sleep Checking messages/games on

computer

Nightclub

2400 Sleep Bedtime Nightclub

0100 Sleep Sleep Nightclub

0200 Sleep Sleep Train back to TeepTown

0300 Sleep Sleep Sleep

2

After completing his training in the Major Academy, the

new Corps member interns with one of the four branchesof the Corps. Assuming the student finds that branchacceptable, he joins that branch at the end of the year.The four branches (Training Corps, Commercial Corps,

Alliance Corps and Command Corps) are the majoradministrative divisions for telepaths in the field a telepath

would introduce himself as being Department of Medicine,Alliance Corps or Medical teep, Training Corps and so on,although those in Education and Commerce tend up touse their Corps branch instead of department, as 95% ofthe Department of Education telepaths are in Training and95% of the Commerce teeps are in the Commercial Corps.

Outreach ProjectThe Department of Education is also responsible forproducing educational awareness programmes andcorrecting the myths and misconceptions about telepathy.These efforts are collectively known as the OutreachProjects. The various projects are designed in concert withthe other departments, so the Science Department helpsexplain telepathic phenomenon to normal humans, while

the Medical Department is consulted on programmes that

advertise the benefits of psych-adjustment and psionicsurgery.

Several popular entertainment programmes are producedin association with the Corps, beginning with the classic

John Trakker, Psi Cop back in the 2200s. These programmesshow the Corps in a positive light and are responsible for aslow shift in public opinion towards support of telepaths.

Outreachisasynony

mforpropaganda,ps

ych-engineering,

subliminalmessa

gingtheCorpsrea

lpublicface.There

isno-onebetterattwistingmind

s,evenwithoutusing

telepathy.ThePsiCorpshasbeeninserti

ngitsmessages

intoprogrammesfor

years;illegallyatfirstusingPsiCom,

thenwiththeblessin

gofEarthGovinrecen

ttimes.

TheultimateaimofO

utreachisnotsimply

tocreatea

swellofpopularsupp

ortfortheCorps.Th

emundanes

willneverlovetelep

athsandalltheCorp

spropaganda

candoismakethema

cceptthetelepathsas

usefultools.


27/130

Department of Education CharactersA character working in the Department of Education should have a Charisma of 10 or higher. He maybe of any P-rating (characters with low P-ratings will be lecturers, teachers and lab technicians; high-rating

characters might be trainers or invigilators).

Recommended Telepathic Abilities: None.Recommended Feats: Defensive Block.Recommended Skills: Computer Use, Concentration, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge (any), Perform,Technical (any), Telepathy.

Educator telepaths are rarely found outside TeepTown or the Corps other education facilities.

ScenariosA campaign set at the Minor or Major Academies could follow the fortunes of a group of young telepaths.This could be the prequel to a campaign run three or four short adventures that take place in TeepTown

when the telepaths are being trained, then move onto their adult careers. Another alternative is to runa game set entirely at the schools perhaps the characters are a misfit bunch of quirky telepaths atelekinetic, a powerful but uncontrolled mindshredder, an unwitting psi experiment and so on, who are keptin their own little cadre and trained separately from the other telepaths. Alternatively, just have a normalgroup of telepaths living at the boarding school Harry Bester and the Telepath Academy. TeepTown is atarget for blip or anti-telepath terrorists, so the characters may be faced with bigger problems than missedlectures and exams.

26

Telepathic TrainingA telepaths training never really ends there are alwaysrefinements and new tricks to be learned. Some telepathsnever bother to go past the basics of blocks, controls and

probes, while others obsessively hone their skills daily.

The basics of training are taught in the cadres and the MinorAcademy. As telepathy is a recent development in humans,the information received through telepathic channels isprocessed in whatever sections of the brain can most easily

adapt to handle it. A telepath might see another personsshields, hear thoughts, smell or taste an emotion andso on. The initial parts of telepathic training concentrateon teaching the telepath to interpret the sense-data and toactivate his own abilities by sending the right signals. Atelepath trying to push past anothers blocks might findhimself squinting in trying to focus his telepathic probe,

he ends up focussing his eyes. The bodys senses must bemastered and divided from the telepathic.

The second stage of training is control. A telepath does notneed to scan at all to pick up random thoughts and imagesfrom others. However, as telepaths are only supposed toknow the thoughts of others as part of a legal and authorisedscan, therefore they must learn to control their abilitiesand block off these random thoughts. The simplest formof control is distraction; the telepath keeps his own mindso busy he cannot pay attention to the thoughts of others.Most telepaths run little rhymes and songs through theirminds to keep themselves occupied one popular telepath

vid-channel consists of nothing but the catchiest pop songsgathered from all over the galaxy. Others build elaboratefantasy worlds in their minds, filled with imaginary charactersthat chatter constantly. More experienced telepaths canestablish blocks, using their own telepathic abilities to blocktheir telepathic abilities. This sort of double-think is quite

No,Outreachisasha

pinghand,

implantingmeme-see

dsandfamiliarhandl

esinthe

humanmindsofthe

populace.Oneday,i

fitisallowed

tocontinue,theseeds

TRUSTTHECOR

PS,THE

CORPSISYOURFR

IEND,TRUSTTHE

CORPS

willbloom

,givingtelepathsaco

mmonandeasyseto

f

accesspointsandhandlesthatca

nbeusedonanyhum

an

intheEarthAlliance.Thepsych-engine

ersestimatethe

processwilltakeano

thertwogenerationsmorenow

thatClarksgovernm

entisgoneandtheC

orpsnolonger

hassuchinfluence

buttheyarepatient.

Theysowseedsfora

bitterharvestofmu

ndanes.


28/130


29/130

Commercial Services

Service Minimums Base Cost

Simple veracity test (contract

scan)

P3 60 credits

Advanced veracity test (special

contract scan)

P3 110 credits

Multi-target veracity test P3 +30 credits/

personDeep scan P5 250 credits

Memory retrieval P5 150 credits

Interpretation P5 200 credits

Telepathic investigation P6 250 credits

Counter-telepathy P10 300 credits

Long-term hire Varies 100 credits/

day

Special requests Varies Varies

28

The fourth stage of basic training isthe construction of blocks. Theseare mental walls that divide thetelepaths mind from the outside

world. Blocks both preventthe telepath from detecting thethoughts of others and also keep

other telepaths out. Maintainingblocks is somewhat draining for thetelepath at first but soon becomesecond nature, and telepaths ratingP5 or more can maintain theirblocks indefinitely.

The fifth and final stage of telepathicbasic training is the use of probes.

A probe is a tendril of telepathythat creates a connection betweenminds. The probe is the mediumused for a telepathic scan. When

scanning other telepaths, the probe is used to penetrate theirblocks through finesse. When targeting non-telepaths, theprobe technique is used to avoid overwhelming their minds the shock of deep scanning can be physically damaging,so telepaths are trained to wield their minds with surgicalprecision and reduce the trauma as much as possible.

CommerceThe Commerce Department is the financial backbone ofthe Psi Corps. 10% of each telepaths fee goes to the Corps.There are thousands of telepath-mediated transactions everybusiness day and the revenue stream from these transactionsruns into billions of credits. The Corps invests much of thismoney and is a key player in the financial markets of theEarth Alliance.

All these services are covered by the standard Earth Alliance

and Psi Corps legislation and rules; see the Legal Departmentsection for more details. It is generally assumed that thetelepath is hired for a single task, which lasts no more thanthree hours; if the client wants to hire the telepath for alonger period then the cost is increased see OptionalCosts, below.

Simple Veracity Test

(Contract Scan)This is the simplest form of commercial service offered; thetelepath does a surface scan of one person as they are beingquestioned. Any attempt at deception by an untrained liar

causes a very obvious thought pattern to appear; the truthis overlaid by the thoughts of the lie and any telepath canspot this pattern.

Normally, the telepath is hired by one party in a negotiationto scan the other party; each person involved in a deal bringstheir own trusted telepath to the table. A telepath can behired to scan everyone present, but this is more expensive(see the Multi-target Test, below).

To perform a simple veracity test, the telepath uses theSurface Scan ability. This means that when the target lies,

the telepath usually detects both the truth and the lie allthe subjects surface thoughts and emotions are read by thetelepath, not just the intent to lie. However, under theCorps rules, the telepath is not obligated to reveal anythingmore than whether or not the subject is lying.

The simple veracity test has become ingrained into modernbusiness practises (with a little help from Psi Corpsadvertising). After all, if a prospective business partnerrefuses to be scanned, then he must something to hide.


30/130

2

Telepathic scans have become part of due diligence for anymajor business deal.

Performing a Simple Veracity Test: The telepath characteruses the Surface Scan ability and looks for lies. Normally, thetarget cannot hide the truth from the telepath; the GamesMaster may give especially deceitful characters the chance

to make a Bluff check, against a DC of 20 + the telepathsSense Motive (basically, assume the Surface Scan allows thetelepath to constantly take 20 on Sense Motive checks).

Advanced Veracity Test

(Special Contract Scan)The advanced veracity test is more expensive than the simpletest but gives the client more information. The telepathis now legally permitted to reveal what he detected in thetargets thoughts when the target was lying. Most peoplethink of the truth when they lie and it takes someone trainedin telepath evasion techniques to bury the truth when lying.

This ability is not a deep scan and will not ferret out thetruth if the subject can hide it but it does allow the telepathto give the client whatever extra information was obtainedduring the surface scan as long as this information relatesto the business deal.

For example, a client intends to purchase a consignment ofspare engine parts from a Narn and wants to know if theparts are compatible with a human-built cargo vessel. Hetherefore hires a telepath to perform a simple veracity test.The telepath does a Surface Scan of the Narn while the clientquestions him. The telepath discovers that while the engineparts are perfectly compatible, they are also out of date and

prone to break down. However, by the rules of the simpleveracity test, the telepath can only say if the target is lyingand cannot volunteer information. If the client had paidthe extra 50 credits for an advanced test, then the telepathcould have revealed what he discovered.

The extra cost of the advanced test goes mostly towards theCorps insurance premiums, to safeguard against telepaths

who reveal information that is not directly related to thepurpose for which the client hired the telepath. Note thatfor the Advanced Test to be employed, the telepath must betold some details about the clients goals and interests, sothat the telepath can reveal any detected information is that

is relevant to his clients affairs. Some businesses prefer notto inform their hired telepaths about their secret dealingsand so just use the cheaper simple test.

Performing an Advanced Veracity Test: The advanced testuses the same rules as the simple test.


31/130

30

Multi-target Veracity TestWhile most telepaths can only scan

Documents

Babylon 5 RPG (1st Ed.)-The Psi Corps