We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.
The psychic is a character who has paranormal abilities of some sort. Some psychics gain their abilities through mystical training or encounters with supernatural entities. Most, however, are simply born with their unusual abilities.
Likely Stories
Psychics are most commonly found in horror stories. In some cases, the plot revolves around the character’s powers. In others, the character uses his or her abilities to investigate paranormal activities or eliminate supernatural threats. Characters with psychic powers are also common in fantasy and science-fiction stories, either in the form of aliens or monstrous races or humans who have learned to harness the powers of the mind. Super-hero stories also feature psychics, as well as aliens, mutants, and others with psychokinetic abilities. People claiming to have psychic powers can be found in just about any kind of story, though the veracity of their purported powers varies wildly according to the ficton of the story.
The Name Game
Psychics usually have names typical for the world they inhabit. Some authors choose to give them names that coincidentally relate to their powers (for example, a pyrokinetic character may have the surname Burns), but such names are often incredibly cheesy (which might actually work for some games). Characters who decide to make a living using their powers (as fortune tellers, exorcists, super-heroes, etc.) may take on “trade names” that allude to their powers or just sound cool and mysterious.
The Numbers
Psychics, particularly those with potentially destructive powers like telekinesis, need a high Nerve Number to keep their powers in check and in some cases to resist psychic feedback that can occur when powers are overused or stretched to the limit. For characters whose powers allow them to gain access to hidden information, a high Brain Number can be useful for interpreting data. Body is the least important Word for most psychics, but it can sometimes be used in relation to their powers (for example, a medium who uses automatic writing may make a Body roll to determine the legibility of what the spirits have written).
Suggested Jobs: Antique Dealer, Apothecary, Carnie, Cop, FBI Profiler, First Earth Battalion Soldier, Fortune Teller, Jedi Knight, Judge, Junkie, Monk, Mystic, Philosopher, Prison Guard, Private Detective, Self-Help Guru, School Administrator, Stage Magician, Star Fleet Officer, Student, Super-Hero, Television Personality
Gimmicks: Animal Empathy, Astral Projection, Body Control, Chi Powers, Clairvoyance, Control Weather, Dream Powers, Empath, ESP, Faith Healing, Force Field Generation, Force Sensitive, Glamour, Light Control, Medium, Mind Control, Past Life Recall, Possession, Precognition, Probability Manipulation, Psychokinesis, Psychometry, Pyrokinetic, Sixth Sense, Technopathy, Telepathy
Weaknesses: Blind, Cassandra Paradox, Crippled, Enemy (The Amazing Randi, Penn & Teller, etc.), Information Overload, Insomnia, Kid, Mystical Taboo, Psychic Feedback, Punching Bag, Uncontrollable Powers, Weird Luck
Skills: Aura Reading, Automatic Writing, Biofeedback, Body Language, Cause Fear, Cold Reading, Dowsing, Drug Lore, Fire Walking, Hypnotism, Kirlian Photography, Levitation, Lucid Dreaming, Manifest Ectoplasm, Meditation, Memory Manipulation, Muscle Reading, Power Blast, Prophecy, Psychic Strangulation, Psychic Surgery, Remote Viewing, Resist Pain, Spoon Bending, Sword Swallowing, Telekinetic Manipulation, Vulcan Mind Meld, Yoga
WWPHITM? Will Arnett, Patricia Arquette, Drew Barrymore, Cate Blanchett, Clancy Brown, George Clooney, Johnny Depp, Zooey Deschanel, Portia de Rossi, Clea DuVall, Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Noah Gray-Cabey, Greg Grunberg, Sir Alec Guinness, Lance Henriksen, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Samuel L. Jackson, Famke Janssen, Jeffrey Jones, Heather Langenkamp, Ewan McGreggor, Haley Joel Osment, Christina Ricci, Marina Sirtis, Sissy Spacek, Nick Stahl, Patrick Stewart, Christopher Walken, Chow Yun Fat
Tag Line: “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for.”—Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars: A New Hope
Tools of the Trade: As long as the psychic still has his brain, he’s good. Some psychics use props like Tarot cards, crystal balls, or Magic Eightballs ™ when plying their trades, but such items are usually just for show. Science fiction and super-hero psychics may have access to bizarre psi-based technology, but most can use their powers to some extent without such enhancements.
Where You’ll Find Him: The psychic’s usual hangouts depend largely on the ficton and how they feel about their powers. Some will use their abilities in very obvious ways to achieve their goals and make a living. Others may use their abilities in subtle ways, but will not openly admit that they have supernatural powers.
Social Circle: The psychic’s social circle will also depend on the genre and the psychic’s acceptance of his or her powers. In some fictons, psychics will spend most of their time around others with similar powers. In others, they will do their best to blend in with society at large and will have social contacts appropriate to their lot in life.
Sample Character
Professor Charles Xavier
Body: 11
Brain: 14
Nerve: 15
Job: Scientist (13)
Gimmick: Telepath (17)
Weakness: Paraplegic (17)
Skills: Headmaster +3; Memory Manipulation +2; Astral Projection +1
WWPHITM? Patrick Stewart
Dumb Fact: One of the top ten most intelligent fictional characters in American comics, according to BusinessWeek.
Tag Line: “When an individual acquires great power, the use or misuse of that power is everything, will it be used for the greater good or will it be used for personal or destructive ends? Now this is a question we must all ask ourselves. Why? Because we are mutants.” (from the first X-Men movie)
HP: 15
YY: 5
Inspirational Material
Books & Comics
The Men Who Stare at Goats, Jon Ronson
Judge Dredd
X-Men
Movies & TV
Carnivale
Carrie
Firestarter
Friday the 13th VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
The Gift
The Green Mile
Heroes
Minority Report
Push
Scanners
The Sixth Sense
Start Trek: The Next Generation
Star Wars series
The X-Files
Music
Alice Cooper
Dr. John
Ghoultown
Pink Floyd
“Spooky,” Santana
“Superstition,” Stevie Wonder or Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble
“Twilight Zone,” Golden Earring
Voltaire
People
The Amazing Kreskin
Edgar Cayce
Natasha Demkina
Nostradamus
Uri Geller
Swami Rama
