Psychic rituals

This article is about the group activities added by the Anomaly DLC. For the individual abilities added by the Royalty DLC, see Psycasts.

Psychic rituals are rituals like those in Ideology DLC but with the « psychic » side of Royalty DLC. They are performed at an Psychic ritual spot and can be improved with stuff like Void sculptures and Shard beacons and apparel like ritual masks and ceremonial hoods.^[Verify] They allow to psychically induce an insane Archotech machine-god who can distort reality.

Mechanics

Each ritual requires one pawn to be the Invoker, with up to four or six additional colonists able to participate as Chanters, depending on the ritual. All rituals except for Void Provocation also require either Bioferrite or a Shard which is consumed at the completion of the ritual, and rituals targeting a specific pawn require the pawn to able to walk or be carried to the ritual site, though they do not need to be conscious. Pawns with 0% Psychic sensitivity such as Ghouls, psychically deaf pawns and psychically dead pawns, cannot be a participant nor the target of a ritual.

Children may participate in rituals in any position as long as they are not babies. The only exception is the Chronophagy ritual, where they cannot be the Invoker.

Slaves and temporary pawns such as refugees and guests may also participate in rituals so long as they meet the requirements for psychic sensitivity and age.

The quality of any ritual is based on the following factors.

-The Psychic sensitivity of the Invoker. An Invoker with 100% Sensitivity will grant a +12% bonus, this increases proportionally up to a maximum of +25% at 281%^[282%?] sensitivity.^[Penalty?] The Psychic Sensitivity of any Chanters do not affect the outcome.

-The number of Chanters. filling all spots (whether there are four or six) grants a +20% bonus, with each pawn contributing an equal portion of the bonus.

-The number and Quality of any nearby Void Sculptures, up to six sculptures. Normal and Good give +2% each, Excellent and Masterwork gives +3% each and legendary gives +5%.

-The number of nearby Shard Beacons. Each beacon provides an +8% bonus, to a max of +32% at four Beacons.

-Psychic ritual quality offset from the Psychic Ritual Precept. Invokers and Chanters with Exalted Psychic Rituals will increase the quality by +10% * (Number of pawns with precept/Number of pawns participating), while pawns with the Disapproved precept will reduce it by −10% * (Number of pawns with precept/Number of pawns participating)

List of rituals

Ritual	Ritual Effect	Ritual Duration	Ritual Cooldown	Ritual Cost	Required Research
Void provocation	Psychically commune with the void, attracting an entity which can be captured and studied. There’s a chance that the invoker will fall into a coma for several hours. Causes an entity event to occur between 2 to 4 hours, or 5,000 ticks (2 in-game hours) and 10,000 ticks (4 in-game hours), after completion of the ritual. If possible, Void Provocation will cause an undiscovered entity to appear. If there are no possible undiscovered entities to be sent, a random already discovered but possible entity will be sent. See Events/Anomaly. Some entities require a minimum Monolith Level and some have other requirements. Ritual quality dependent chance to fall into Dark psychic shock, being rendered unconscious for between 5,000 ticks (2 in-game hours) and 10,000 ticks (4 in-game hours)[Verify] Dark psychic shock chance by Quality	5,000 ticks (2 in-game hours)	300,000 ticks (5 in-game days)	None
Draw animals	Create a psychic pulse which draws a distant herd of animals to the local area. You can then hunt or make use of them as you choose. If not done correctly, this may attract scaria-infected manhunters Causes a herd[Detail] of animals[Detail] to enter the map.[Detail] Ritual quality dependent chance for drawn animals to be manhunters infected with scaria. The chance is per herd, not per individual member of the herd i.e. either all animals will be manhunters or none will be. Deliberately conducting a poor quality ritual to summon manhunters can be helpful if the player needs to deal with another threat such as sieges and mech clusters. Manhunter chance by Quality	10,000 ticks (4 in-game hours)	600,000 ticks (10 in-game days)	10 Bioferrite
Draw shamblers	Create a psychic pulse which will draw a distant horde of animated corpses to your area. While they attack any human they see, they will not directly attack your colony. You can capture them for study. Causes a ritual quality dependent total combat power of shamblers to enter the map. Note that the total combat power depends on both the number and types of shamblers that spawn, with higher total combat powers tending to more and more dangerous shamblers.[Verify][Details] Combat power by Quality	5,000 ticks (2 in-game hours)	300,000 ticks (5 in-game days)	20 Bioferrite
Chronophagy	Induce a distant archotech to transfer entropy from one to another. This will cause the invoker's age to decrease by several years, and for the target to age an equal amount. Target will also suffer Psychic Shock. The biological age of the invoker is reduced by some number of years, while the target is biologically aged by the same number. The number of years transferred is dependent on the quality of the ritual, as described in the table below. The ritual cannot reduce the Invoker's age below 13. Has a chance[What chance?] to removing one[Verify] of the Invoker's scars. Additionally, if the invoker has an ailment that can be acquired through aging, and is rejuvenated to an age that is below the minimum age of the ailment, then the ailment will be cured. This occurs regardless of how the ailment was acquired. Note that the minimum age is not the first birthday that an ailment can occur. For example, Alzheimer's has a minimum age of 33.6 years. If a pawn receives the ailment on their 34th birthday, they must be rejuvenated to the biological age of 33, the ailment will be removed. Curable ailments and the ages required to remove them are as follows: Alzheimer's at 33 years, Bad back at 39 years, Cataract at 47 years, Carcinoma at 22 years, Dementia at 67 years, Frail at 49 years, Artery blockage at 19 years, Hearing loss at 47 years. Asthma has no minimum reception age, and therefore cannot be cured by chronophagy. Target gain age-related ailments as if they had had each natural birthday, with the associated chances. See the pages of the relevant ailments for the chance to receive them each year. Brain damage is inflicted in the form of a psychic burn, which is affected by the Incoming Damage Multiplier of the pawn.[How much?] Applies a −3 / −6 / −10 guilt thought for participants.[Thought Template] This thought is nullified by the Psychopath traits, being Inhumanized, as well as Psychic rituals: Exalted precept. Years transfered by Quality	10,000 ticks (4 in-game hours)	300,000 ticks (5 in-game days)	20 Bioferrite
Psychophagy	Consume the psychic sensitivity of a target. This will cause the invoker's psychic sensitivity to be increased for several days, and for the target gains the Psychically Dead trait and suffers from Psychic Shock. 1 day gained per 1% ritual quality Grants 50% psychic sensitivity to the invoker for the duration of the effect. Has a chance of: liquefying targets brain, killing them in the process, applying a psychic scarring to the brain. [Verify] Target becomes psychically dead, permanently [Verify] setting their psychic sensitivity to 0%. This effectively prevents consequent usages of Psychophagy (or any phage rituals) on same pawn. Applies a −3 / −6 / −10 guilt thought for participants.[Thought Template] This thought is nullified by the Psychopath traits, being Inhumanized, as well as Psychic rituals: Exalted precept.	10,000 ticks (4 in-game hours)	300,000 ticks (5 in-game days)	20 Bioferrite
Skip abduction	Abduct a random hostile person from anywhere in the world, prioritizing those nearby. The process causes the target to fall into a "short" coma. Base coma duration of 30 days decreased by 1 day per 2.5% ritual quality	5,000 ticks (2 in-game hours)	600,000 ticks (10 in-game days)	60 Bioferrite
Draw fleshbeasts	Create a psychic pulse which will draw fleshbeasts to dig upwards and emerge near your enemies. They will attack anyone they find, including enemies and allies. The fleshbeasts can be captured and studied, or butchered for twisted meat. Combat power by Quality Increases number of fleshbeasts summoned	5,000 ticks (2 in-game hours)	300,000 ticks (5 in-game days)	50 Bioferrite
Provoke pit gate	Perform a psychic ritual which causes underground fleshbeasts to open up a massive hole in the ground. The hole leads down to a fleshbeast-infested cavern which can be explored for resources. A higher-quality ritual will attract more fleshbeasts.	15,000 ticks (6 in-game hours)	2,700,000 ticks (3 quadrums)	75 Bioferrite
Imbue death refusal	Perform a psychic ritual which grants death refusal to an individual, allowing them to self-resurrect once after dying. Quality reduces the skill loss that the target suffers from the ritual.	15,000 ticks (6 in-game hours)	900,000 ticks (15 in-game days)	1 Shard
Philophagy	Psychically draw experiences from the victim's mind, and transfer them to the invoker, targeting the victim's highest Skill. This will increase the invoker's experience in the same skill, and for the target to lose an equal amount. Target will also suffer Psychic Shock. Quality increases experience transferred. Base level of skill is taken into account, before modifiers from aptitude genes. Applies a −3 / −6 / −10 guilt thought for participants.[Thought Template] This thought is nullified by the Psychopath traits, being Inhumanized, as well as Psychic rituals: Exalted precept.	10,000 ticks (4 in-game hours)	300,000 ticks (5 in-game days)	1 Shard
Pleasure pulse	Perform a psychic ritual that makes everyone in the region happier but reduces their desire to work. Effect duration ranges from 1 day at 0% ritual quality to 25 days at 100% quality. +12 Pleasure pulse mood, scaled by Psychic sensitivity of each pawn, up to +21. Global Work Speed x 80% Increases chance of lovin	10,000 ticks (4 in-game hours)	300,000 ticks (5 in-game days)	30 Bioferrite
Neurosis pulse	Perform a psychic ritual that makes everyone in the region work faster but become more irritable. Effect duration ranges from 1 day at 0% ritual quality to 25 days at 100% quality. Mental break threshold +8% Global work speed x 150% Recreation fall rate x50% -4 Neurosis pulse mood, scaled by Psychic sensitivity of each pawn, up to −7.	10,000 ticks (4 in-game hours)	300,000 ticks (5 in-game days)	30 Bioferrite
Blood rain	Perform a psychic ritual which causes blood-like psychofluid to fall from the sky. Anyone caught outside will soon be driven into a berserk rage. Effect duration ranges from 3 hours at 0% ritual quality to 16 hours at 100% quality.	5,000 ticks (2 in-game hours)	1,500,000 ticks (25 in-game days)	70 Bioferrite
Brainwipe	Erase a person's memories. Traumatic memories will be forgotten. Prisoners will forget their allegiances and become easier to recruit, even if they were unwavering. Inhumanized individuals will forget their connection to the void. Unfortunately, the disruptive effect of the ritual will induce a coma that could last a long time, especially if the ritual is of low quality. Removes:[Detail] Timed thoughts[+ve & -ve?] Timed opinions[+ve & -ve?] Resistance Will Unwavering loyalty Certainty Inhumanization Ritual quality shortens the induced coma, from 60 days at 0% quality to 1 day at 100%.	15,000 ticks (6 in-game hours)	1,200,000 ticks (20 in-game days)	1 Shard

NPC rituals

NPCs have their own similar, but mechanically unique psychic rituals

Analysis

Intentionally bad rituals

Some psychic rituals have effects from low qualities that can be valuable. For example, a low quality Draw animals has a very high likelihood of drawing manhunters. Like normal manhunters, these animals will then proceed to attack any raiders on the map, essentially acting as a substitute psychic animal pulser for the cost of  10 bioferrite. Similarly, low numbers of shamblers or fleshbeasts might be preferable when attempting to safely capture them. Shamblers hordes will frequently have a single member carrying a Shard, which is likewise easier to get hold of from a smaller group. As many stats (noticeably Global Work Speed) are lowered for human pawns under the age of 18, not having the best possible Chronophagy ritual to prevent the Invoker from becoming too young might be preferable as well. Finally, ritual quality only increases the number of defenders^{[Detail needed]} for a pit gate but does not affect the loot inside the pit itself - as such, of the gate is generated for looting and not for using the fleshbeasts it spawns, then a lower quality is best.

As such it can be beneficial to have two psychic ritual sites - one with as many of the buffs as possible, and another with no buffs at all, and selecting which site to use depending on the desired outcome. This can be taken further by an invoker with low, but non-zero psychic sensitivity. A psychically deaf pawn equipped with a single item of prestige armor has one the smallest non-zero psychic sensitivities with absolutely minimal equipment.

Chronophagy analysis

Age Where Chronic Ailments Can First Appear

Age	Ailment
20	Artery Blockage
23	Carcinoma
34	Alzheimer's
41	Bad Back
49	Cataracts, Hearing Loss
51	Frail
69	Dementia

There are numerous benefits to not allowing colonists to grow old. The older a pawn is, the higher their chance to develop chronic ailments, and the lower their Immunity Gain Speed and Fertility. Pawns closer in age have an easier time forming romances, and pawns between 18 and 25 and with partners similar in age to themselves are most likely to engage in lovin'. The transhumanist ideology includes a need for age reversal after pawns reach age 25.

In general, keeping pawns under the age of 41 protects them from the majority of chronic ailments, although keeping them under 34 also protects from Alzheimer's. Carcinomas can be treated without needing to resort to Healer mech serum or bionic replacements.

Conversely, there are downsides to allowing pawns to become younger than 18 through the use of Chronophagy. Age 13 pawns have numerous statistics lower than a fully grown pawn, notably a Global Work Speed of .83, a move speed of 0.95x, and a higher risk of Overdose and Addiction from reduced body size. Pawns under 16 cannot have children of their own.

For most colonies, Chronophagy will transfer at minimum 4 years of age if the invoker has no psychic sensitivity adjustments and a psychic ritual spot with no void sculptures or shard beacons. At 100% ritual quality, Chronophagy will transfer 25 years of age.

Chronophagy has a 5 day cooldown, allowing for 12 uses per in-game year, assuming that the colony can also provide a sufficient number of prisoners and produce the required  20 bioferrite per ritual. If bioferrite is in surplus, then Skip Abductions can to provide easy access to prisoners. Not all prisoners will survive numerous Chronophagy rituals especially if they are still suffering from Dark Psychic Shock from skip abduction or already at an old age, but younger prisoners can easily be the target of 2 or more Chronophagy rituals before expiring. Most colonies should find it trivial to keep their members between the ages of 18 and 40, or between 18 and 25 if Transhumanist. A 30 member transhumanist colony can reasonably hit the 7 year range for their pawns by carefully timing rituals so that only 4-5 colonists will require a Chronophagy in any given year.