Psi-Stalkers and psionics

[darthauthor]

I am building a Psi-stalker character and I noticed how their natural abilities seem to make certain psionic choices redundant.

Is there a point to a Psi-Stalker taking:

Sense Evil
Sense Magic
Presense Sense
Sense Dimensional Anomaly

2nd.

Is it illogical or at least unnatural for a psi-stalker to take Machine Ghost. Considering the power involve "reading" computer files and stuff on a computer would it not be useless without literacy?
Besides that don't Psi-stalkers abhore if not find unnatural to have or exercise psionic powers that take them "out of their own body"

That most natural psionic powers, in my opinion would be intuitive combat, sixth sense, and empathy.

Please share you opinions

[ShadowLogan]

Sense Dimensional Anomaly might be useful. Presence Sense might also be. Sense Evil and Magic though are redundant with natural powers (granted a case might exist for Sense Evil sense you could prioritize SN/CoM if a specific type is unfamiliar to you), though at extremely low levels they could offer superior range depending on how the GM interprets the powers range given as "area" instead of radius or diameter.

Machine Ghost would not be useless without Literacy. 1st if you want to get technical, computer data is stored in binary at a fundamental level, so unless you have Literacy: Binary the data won't make sense to you (you could also say that the power grants Literacy: Binary which would circumvent the entire thing). That said though the description of the power is that the psychic will interact with the computer's data in a sort of VR environment heavy (as they see and hear the data, among other examples). From a computer perspective the psychic is accessing the files/data with very limited user rights which only allows them to "read" a file, they can't alter or remove the file, essentially it would be like having a single-write DVD/CD/Blue-Ray disk sure you can access the data but you can't delete it from the disk (well short of breaking/scratching the disk physically) or otherwise edit the file.

[green.nova343]

Pros of the Psi-Stalker's innate abilities:

• Automatic (no need to concentrate)
• No ISP cost
• Greater range

Cons of the Psi-Stalker's innate abilities:

• Success is not automatic. They require a skill roll to identify and/or track, so there is a chance you will fail.
• Proximity to multiple supernatural sources will obscure the scent (penalties to the skill roll), unlike some of the Sensitive powers (which are specifically able to track larger groups), & close proximity to a ley line or nexus partially or even completely prevents their use.
• The Psi-Stalker's abilities only detects psychic/magic/supernatural. It won't let the Psi-Stalker know in general how powerful the person/entity is (i.e. a mage with 50 PPE can be "smelled" just as easily as a mage with 500 PPE), no clue about their character level, etc. It also does not provide any benefit to distinguishing "good" entities from "evil" entities.
• Psi-Stalker's abilities only work on entities. Aside from having their senses disrupted by a Rift or Dimensional Anomaly, a Psi-Stalker is no better at "detecting" them than a "norm".

So there are times when those sensitive powers either complement/supplement the Psi-Stalker's innate powers (helping to overcome any skill penalties, for example, or for if they fail a skill roll & lose the scent), or provide an additional test ("Yes, that giant tentacle creature over there has a lot of magical power...but luckily I had Sense Evil to discover that it's not a bad tentacle creature...".

As for Machine Ghost...the issue isn't their lack of Literacy as an OCC skill. They can always take Literacy as a Related or Secondary skill. The problem is that they can't take any Computer Skills, IMHO. Without even the basic computer knowledge, I'm not sure how well Machine Ghost would work for them.

[darthauthor]

Opinions about a Psi-stalker taking Astral Projection and commune with spirits?

There is nothing in the rules against it.

It just seems for a psi-stalker to be well passive. Do they care about spirits? Would they talk to the own dead? How would they, according to their nature, use it?

Psi-stalkers remind me a lot of vampires but with fewer restrictions and powers. 8 ounces of water and a pound of meat is small eats for a week. Guessing they have to sleep like everyone else. Virtually impossible to mind to control (don't roll a 1).
Need a minimum of 50 PPE or ISP to feed; preferrably 80 to 100.

Their way of life is different because of their predatory nature and diet restrictions but beside that they are essentially tougher humans with sensitive psionics too restless to sit and read when they are built instinctually to hunt a challenge.

The rest of the time I figure them for communal tribal people like native americans. They build villages, sleep, start families, raise kids, make their own clothes, armor, weapons, etc. Shepard psychic animals to feed from between hunts. Make trade agreement with PPE/ISP donors for goods and services. Share and trade with each other and those they respect. Have medical problems like the rest of us (broken leg, cold and flu, tell stories - art).

Their nature keeps them from tooling with tech to build factories that mass produce homogeneous things. Even though I believe they would craft things by hand. Kind of masculine working with bone, stone, wood, metal and the remains of their supernatural prey.

Make me wonder how much would they use TW devices?

If they could, would they get Atlantean Tattoos?

By the way, what hunts them?