ISP and PPE: Always Interchangeable?

[Cafe Truck]

A psychic can use his or her ISP to operate a Techno-Wizard device at the cost of 2 ISP for 1 PPE. This got me thinking: are there other scenarios where ISP and PPE are interchangeable? Could a psi-stalker snack on a victim's ISP at a 2:1 "exchange rate" to meet his weekly PPE dietary needs? Could a magic user tap ISP to help cast a spell, or a psychic tap PPE to use a psionic ability? Or is this just something that works for TW devices so they can be used by characters beyond pure spell-casters? I can't find anything in the rules on this, which probably means they aren't interchangeable, but I wanted to see what you all do in your games.

[Tor]

In RMB, only some TW items could be powered by ISP, those that could specifically noted the option. All armor/vehicle features and anything telekinetic from the weapons/generator basically.

In RMB although page 105 mentioned psychics losing half their ISP, it didn't mention anything about this being added to their PPE in some respect to feeding the Stalker's needs. This continued when it was reprinted in Lone Star and Xiticix Invasion.

I thought I remembered something about Ultimate Edition introducing rules for ISP counting as PPE on a 2:1 ratio like you're talking about (for stalker snacks) but I can't find it on RUEp153-154 so I am now very confused. Does anyone else remember something like that? Am I looking in the wrong spot? Am I imagining there was a change?

Magic users can't tap ISP to power a spell, but there is a neat psionic power called "restore PPE" which does convert a 2:1 ratio, it is a minor healing psionic power introduced on page 36 of Psyscape and reprinted on page 166 of RUE.

Technically this is to 'another person' so I don't know if you could help yourself cast spells this way, but a pair of mages with Restore PPE via minor psionics could use their ISP to recover each other's PPE.

I guess if you wanted to, you could give this power to everyone, but I think it's more interesting as something only people with healer psionics can manage.

This power notes that PPE cannot be converted into ISP, however, I do know one way to do that. If you use a Gizmoteer from World Book 9 (South America 2) their psi-devices can be powered by PPE, so they could actually design a device that does 'restore ISP' (a healer power present in Nightbane's Between the Shadows page 116, right after restore PPE) and power it with PPE. Course that'd require allowing a Rifts character to select a power only printed in Nightbane, which some might not think is technically legal, depending on one's Megaversal-interchangeability standards.

If you wanted to allow it, but wanted it to be rarer, you could make it into a super psionic power. There are grounds for doing that, since Nightbane has some powers which are super in other settings (Bio-Manipulation, Empathic Transmission, (electro/hydro/pyro)Kinesis, (hypnotic)Suggestion) as lesser non-super powers in the healing/physical/sensitive. This would not prevent a Gizmoteer from getting the power but would make it take a bigger slot to select.

[drewkitty ~..~]

A psychic can use his or her ISP to operate a Techno-Wizard device at the cost of 2 ISP for 1 PPE. This got me thinking: are there other scenarios where ISP and PPE are interchangeable?

In Canon 'as is' the answer is, No.

Could a psi-stalker snack on a victim's ISP at a 2:1 "exchange rate" to meet his weekly PPE dietary needs?

No, this is already precluded in the PS text because they are "PPE vampires" not 'mystical energy vampire'.

Could a magic user tap ISP to help cast a spell, or a psychic tap PPE to use a psionic ability?

Again, in canon No.

Or is this just something that works for TW devices so they can be used by characters beyond pure spell-casters?

In canon, it only works with TW magic items.

However they are some Psi-Tech devices in one of the rifters that can use PPE 2 for every 1 ISP that is required to activate the device.

[Bill]

I wanted to see what you all do in your games.

In mine, they are not interchangeable beyond the specific TW items that permit the substitution of ISP for PPE.

[Nekira Sudacne]

A psychic can use his or her ISP to operate a Techno-Wizard device at the cost of 2 ISP for 1 PPE. This got me thinking: are there other scenarios where ISP and PPE are interchangeable? Could a psi-stalker snack on a victim's ISP at a 2:1 "exchange rate" to meet his weekly PPE dietary needs? Could a magic user tap ISP to help cast a spell, or a psychic tap PPE to use a psionic ability? Or is this just something that works for TW devices so they can be used by characters beyond pure spell-casters? I can't find anything in the rules on this, which probably means they aren't interchangeable, but I wanted to see what you all do in your games.

They are not interchangeable, it's only TW devices that can substitute.

[Riftmaker]

their are powers and spells that laet you trade the two but thats it i think

[Nightmask]

They aren't actually interchangeable, anymore than any other energy is. A TW device can effectively convert ISP into PPE to power the device where appropriate as they're built that way, just as a Gizmoteer device does the opposite, it can convert PPE over even though they're meant to run on ISP. So the only ways to convert them are the ways listed under various devices or creatures, they aren't universally interchangeable.

[Cafe Truck]

Thanks, all.

I was a bit thrown off by the Psi-Slayer description in the Psyscape book that states "[b]est of all, they specialize in killing other psychics, even Mind Melters and Psionic demons." I thought maybe the Psi-Slayer's need for PPE is what would make them specialists in hunting other psychics (if PPE and ISP were interchangeable), because nothing else about the class jumps out at me as a "psychic killer" (at least not any more than any other Master Psychic class).

[Tor]

You have to be psychic to flavor your PPE properly (even if you have less PPE than normal people) if you lack magical abilities or a magical/supernatural nature.

[Library Ogre]

My view is that they generally cannot; some devices are set up to allow ISP, but that's a conscious choice... sort of like being able to use different kinds of fuel in a flex-fuel vehicle, or choosing to run your hybrid as a pure electric car, or switching to full hybrid.

Generally, IMO, PPE is more "pure"; it is potential psychic energy, that hasn't been forced into a single mold, yet. ISP is mentally-aspected; Chi is physically aspected (and can thus be controlled by the placement of physical objects i.e. feng shui). One PPE is roughly equal to 1 ISP and 1 Chi, but not exactly... but when converting either to PPE, you have to pay double.

[flatline]

There is a psyichic healing power that lets you convert ISP to PPE (can't think of the name).

My Mind Bleeder made frequent use of this power.

[drewkitty ~..~]

There is a psyichic healing power that lets you convert ISP to PPE (can't think of the name).

My Mind Bleeder made frequent use of this power.

Restore PPE: after activating the power for 4 ISP the power converts 2 ISP into 1 PPE.

[Tor]

One PPE is roughly equal to 1 ISP and 1 Chi, but not exactly...

Seeing as how Mystic China has some spells that convert 1 PPE into 6 chi or vice versa

there is a neat psionic power called "restore PPE" which does convert a 2:1 ratio, it is a minor healing psionic power introduced on page 36 of Psyscape and reprinted on page 166 of RUE.

There is a psyichic healing power that lets you convert ISP to PPE (can't think of the name).

Restore PPE: after activating the power for 4 ISP the power converts 2 ISP into 1 PPE.

Yup.