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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder RPG (1st Edition) Pathfinder RPG (2nd Edition) Starfinder RPG

Rules Index | GM Screen | Player's Guide
Dark Archive / Psychic Duels

Initiative and Dueling Actions

Source Dark Archive pg. 201
Each duelist rolls initiative normally and proceeds in that initiative order, like a spellcasting duel rather than a combat duel. Each duelist can roll a Deception, Diplomacy, Intimidation, or Occultism check instead of Perception. If the participant is trained at the skill they rolled for initiative, they gain the psychic center of that skill—a mental state corresponding to the skill. The GM might allow Lore skills for initiative in a psychic duel; these give the Occultism psychic center unless the GM determines otherwise. All participants gain the Psychic Defense reaction, which they can use while psychically centered. Its specific effect depends on the user's psychic center and using it expends the state. Each participant also has the Recenter action, which lets them change or assume a psychic center.

Psychic Defense [reaction]

Concentrate Magical 
Source Dark Archive pg. 201
Trigger Your opponent uses a psychic manifestation against you.
Requirements You're in a psychic duel and are psychically centered.
You gain the benefit matching your psychic center against the triggering manifestation. Then your psychic center is expended.
  • Armor of Insight (Perception) Sensing the incoming attack, you make your mind resist psychic harm. You gain resistance equal to half your level (minimum 1) to mental damage against the triggering effect. This resistance is doubled if you're a master in Perception and tripled if you're legendary.
  • Empathic Orbit (Diplomacy) Displaying empathy, you sow doubt in your attacker to diminish their resolve for psychic combat. The opponent is stupefied 1 until the end of their next turn or stupefied 2 if you're legendary in Diplomacy.
  • Ire's Spear (Intimidation) Blazing anger surges in your mind, causing backlash to anyone who harms you. If the manifestation damages you, the opponent takes damage equal to the counteract level of the manifestation it used against you. This damage is doubled if you're a master of Intimidation or tripled if you're legendary.
  • Rational Labyrinth (Occultism) Analytically breaking down the attack, you realign your mind's defenses into a puzzle designed to confound it. You gain a +2 status bonus to your Will save or Will DC, or a +4 status bonus if the effect has the emotion trait.
  • Sensory Phantasm (Deception) Using your guile, you send psychic illusions through your mental link to your foe, making yourself harder to pinpoint. You're concealed against the opponent until the end of its next turn.

Recenter [one-action]

Concentrate 
Source Dark Archive pg. 201
Requirements You're in a psychic duel and are trained in the skill matching the psychic center you are changing to.
You adopt the psychic center matching the emotion of your choice. If you were already psychically centered, you lose your old psychic center when you adopt the new one.