Shade's telepaths are born, not made, though skill level can be increased very slightly with practice.
Shaded telepaths can read minds, communicate mind-to-mind and shield themselves from mind-reading. Their effectiveness at these varies depending on the telepath.
Telepathy of this kind is not guaranteed to work on species not native to Shade.
The following is the most important basic information:
- Telepathy is only found in individuals with highly-developed social skills.
- A telepath cannot passively listen for thoughts. It must actively target someone to read.
- Non-telepaths cannot detect telepathic intrusion and most non-telepaths have no defence against it.
- Telepathy is not empathy. (For a start, telepathy demonstrably exists.)
- Telepathy is a different phenomenon from magic.
- Common attitude #1: Mind-reading's just some kind of magic.
- Common attitude #2: The sapient mind is special. Nobody can read another person's thoughts.
- Common attitude #3: So-called mind-reading is all trickery. I could do it meself if I tried.
This page has a
'roleplaying' section, containing minimal information for interacting with the character or concept.
Contents
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- 1. General
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- 2. Specific abilities
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- 2.1. Communication
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- 2.2. Reading
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- 2.3. Shielding
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- 2.4. Secure communication
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3. Compatibility with non-native species-
- 4. Mechanics
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- 4.1. Differential
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- 4.2. Distance limitations
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- 4.3. Blind shielding
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- 4.4. Classification
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5. Prevalence of telepathic ability-
- 6. Roleplaying
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- 7. See also
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1. General
Shade's telepathy is much more common in females than males. Most of the documented cases have been in faleighs. It is extremely rare in all species, and though congenital, has not been shown to be genetically linked. Normal parents have had telepathic children, and the other way around.
It is also known as 'the Sight' in parts of Terrimoire.
Telepathy only appears in individuals with very good social skills.
2. Specific abilities
There are two main aspects to the telepathic gift.
The third aspect is shielding: really just the inverse of, or defence against, the other two.
2.1. Communication
Communication is achieved by projection of a message - verbal, pictorial, auditory or other, depending on the minds involved - to a receptive person, usually (but not always) another telepath.
2.2. Reading
Reading involves plucking thoughts, and sometimes basic neurophysiological data which corresponds to emotions, from somebody's head. Non-telepaths do not know when this is occurring and cannot defend against it (with some exceptions). Just like projection, this is an active ability: the telepath has to intend to use it, and it is not always 'switched on'.
2.3. Shielding
Shielding must be set up deliberately but remains in place with little or no conscious maintenance. When a telepath is trying to read another telepath's thoughts who wishes them shielded, the one with the greater skill will win. A vast skill differential would be required to read another telepath's thoughts without being detected.
Shields cannot be bolstered (more than a tiny amount) by will or concentration. Their strength depends on skill level.
2.4. Secure communication
Two telepaths may combine their talent to make a secure communication channel between them. In this case, the skill needed to break the security is equivalent to the
product - multiplication - of the two individual skill levels. (To do so without being detected requires higher skill still.) Evidently, when three or more skilled telepaths form a secure link, it becomes very unlikely that any one individual will be able to break it.
3. Compatibility with non-native species
Shade's form of telepathy is only guaranteed to be compatible with a humanoid (usually any one of the
Five Races) from Shade. Most offworld species can be assumed to have sufficiently different neurobiology to render psi interactions impossible. Some compatible or (more commonly) semi-compatible offworld species have been found.
Species genetically similar to Shade's Five Races are likely to be semi-compatible; more different species are likely completely incompatible. (It's up to the two writers to decide this.)
4. Mechanics
4.1. Differential
The differential - the
difference in skill levels, and not either individual's prowess - is the important factor when telepaths use their talent on each other.
4.2. Distance limitations
Shade's telepathy is very distance-dependent. The range is reasonably constant regardless of proficiency: [???? - currently being rethought!] metres. Communication over slightly greater distances (add [????] metres) is possible for two telepaths concentrating on each other. 'Signal boosters' are theoretically possible, but nothing of the like has been unveiled.
4.3. Blind shielding
Occasionally there occurs a person with natural shielding but no other telepathic capabilities. This shielding is unconscious, and the subject does not know it is there (unless told), or know when somebody is attempting to break it (or succeeding). This natural shielding is roughly equivalent to that of a normal telepath with low-to-medium skill.
There is some indication that passive shielding may in fact be the normal presentation of telepathy in people who lack the highly-developed social skills required to develop the active telepathic capabilities.
4.4. Classification
The fact that nobody proper would talk openly about telepathy doesn't stop
Shaded scholars from theorising madly under the safety of their pseudonyms.
A system of skill 'classes' or 'ranks' has been proposed. A skill-level scale (from 0, meaning non-psi, to 200) has also been suggested. Neither of these is universally accepted or recognised, and hence they are of limited usefulness.
The skill classes are rough categories. To make sense of them, one must prefix the phrase "You could expect to find one psi of this skill in any..."
- Village
- City
- Country
- Continent
- World
Since there are far fewer telepaths than there are villages, there have been requests to rename the first category. So far, alternative suggestions have been deemed too insulting.
The proposed 200-point scale is designed to be a more accurate system than these classes. Where the category names fit on this scale is, naturally, a topic of contention. The 200 mark represents the absolute maximum skill level possible, and not the greatest recorded. In practice, skill levels above 160 are not seen.
One "Dendrite" has proposed a 'negative' or 'fractional' category to accommodate those who can be broadcast to but not project or detect. Dendrite notes that a theoretical secure link formed with such an individual by a normal telepath would be easier to break than the telepath on his own.
5. Prevalence of telepathic ability
Among the
five races, the average distribution of telepathic ability (from most to least common) is:
6. Roleplaying
Shaded telepaths
do not pick up stray thoughts from other characters by accident. If a Shaded telepath tries to read someone, it'll be on purpose.
For other writers' species, the creator of the species will need to decide with Herm whether they want it to be compatible (or semi-compatible) with the Shaded system of telepathy. It's boring if everyone is compatible and boring if everyone is immune. (Instarrians are semi-compatible, only accessible through enormous, time-consuming effort.)
Anyone writing a character of a species for which compatibility has already been decided will have to go with the official rule, excepting certain possible exceptions. If your character is from Shade, whatever the species, it is open to Shaded telepathy.
Mind-reading requires the consent of both writers, following the same etiquette as all telepathy at Pro.
7. See also
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