Psycasts
 | This article relates to content added by Royalty (DLC). Please note that it will not be present without the DLC enabled. |
Psycasts are psychic powers available to pawns with psylink levels, added by the Royalty DLC.
Acquisition
To use psycasts, a pawn must first have a Psylink level equal or greater than the level of the chosen psycast. A pawn may have up to 6 levels of psylink, and these levels can be gained through several dofferent methods:
- Acquire a Psylink neuroformer through trading, questing or surgery.
- Gain Royalty Titles by accepting Honor as a quest reward.
- Pawns can meditate at an Anima tree to grow anima grass. Once 20 grass has a grown, a ritual can be performed, consuming the grass and granting one Psylink level to a pawn with the "Natural" Meditation focus type
A random psycast of the new level will be learned when gaining a new level of Psylink - i.e. a random level 1 psycast is gained when a pawn hains their first level, a level 2 psycast is learned when gaining their second, etc.
Further psycasts can be gained by using a Psytrainer which grants the specific psycast mentioned in their name. Additional psycasts are available for purchase from traders, with Empire bases and traders having the most, and tribals having the least. A psycaster can learn any number of psycasts through psytrainers, limited only by finding psytrainers and the maximum number of possible psycasts. N.b. if using a psytrainer for a level higher than the current psylink level of the user, the learned psycast will replaced the one usually gained for that level when that level is acheived. Given using the psytrainer after gaining that level either grants an additional power or does not work and thus does not consume the psytrainer, it is always best to only use psytrainers after the required psylink level has been achieved.
Also note, if a Psylink neuroformer or Anima ritual has been used to gain a psylink level above what is given for the current title, additional titles will not grant psylinks beyond what they normally do for that title. So if a neuroformer has been used to gain psylink level 1, and then the title of Yeoman is gained and bestowed, the pawn will still only have psylink level 1. This means using neuroformers or rituals on pawns that will gain titles is ultimately a waste, or vice versa.
Mechanics
A psycaster's effectiveness is controlled by three primary factors: their Neural Heat Limit, their available Psyfocus and the Psychic Sensitivity of their target.
Neural Heat
Neural Heat Limit
A psycaster's neural heat limit is the primary limitation to how many psycasts they can perform in a given period of time. Each psycast gives the caster a certain amount of neural heat. As long as a pawn stays within their neural heat limit, they'll suffer no ill effects. By default, a pawn will not use a psycast if the neural heat gain would cause them to exceed their limit. This will be represented by the psycast's icon being greyed out on the UI. A pawn can be instructed to ignore their normal heat limit by clicking on the "Neural Heat Limiter", but exceeding the limit can cause psychic breakdown.
The neural heat limit is affected by both the psycaster's the psychic sensitivity and psylink level. A pawn with a level 1 Psylink and 100% psychic sensitivity will have a neural heat limit of 30.
The equation for a pawn's neural heat limit is:
| Neural Heat Limit = 30 * Psychic Sensitivity * (0.66... + (0.33... * Psylink level) |
The in-game meter for neural heat is rounded to the nearest integer, but in-game behavior suggests that the actual decimal value of heat is tracked by the game, as psycasts may sometimes say they have insufficient heat limit to cast when the spare heat limit on the pawn exact equals the casting cost.
Neural Heat Recover Rate
Heat naturally decreases over time, with faster rates provided by additional levels of psylink. The default rate of 0.54 per second [Fact-check needed] with no psylink (though this will only be seen when using Neural Heat Dump as otherwise they cannot generate heat). The first level of psylink improves the rate to 1.0, with every additional level increasing the rate by 0.125. In addition, each percent of pain increases the rate of recovery from neural heat by 1.5%. The resulting value follows the equation, assuming at least 1 level of psylink.
| Neural Heat Recovery Rate = 1 + (0.125* Psylink level ) + (1.5*Pain percentage) [Fact-check needed] |
Psychic Breakdown
A pawn can be instructed to exceed their neural heat limit clicking the icon next to the neural heat gauge to disable the limit. Exceeding the pawn's neural heat limit can cause an effect called Psychic Breakdown. The severity of the Psychic breakdown has elements of randomness to it, but will generally be more severe the farther past the neural heat limit a pawn goes, and the longer they are past their heat limit. Psychic breakdowns come in 3 levels of severity:
- Minor = -25% consciousness, -6 mood penalty, 5 days mtb of minor mental break
- Major = -50% consciousness, -12 mood penalty, 5 days mtb of minor or major mental break
- Total = 10% consciousness, -18 mood penalty, max (pawn incapacitated)
Psychic breakdowns last a variable number of days, depending on the severity. Minor breaks last from 1-5 days, major breaks last from 6-10 days, and total breaks last from 11-15 days. In addition, if a pawn reaches twice their normal neural heat limit, they'll immediately be incapacitated for 3 hours, in addition to the effects of any psychic break that may develop.
Because the severity and duration of the psychic break, as well as the chances of it in the first place, depend on how long and by how much your pawn has exceeded their heat limit. This means that using weapons and armor (such as an Eltex Staff or armor, or a persona weapon with the Neural cooling trait) can help minimize or even avoid psychic breakdowns even if you have to turn off the neural heat limit during combat.
Psyfocus
Psyfocus is a special type of mental structuring which is necessary to use psychic powers. Psyfocus dissipates over time, and must be built by regular meditation. Losing all psyfocus makes someone unable to use psychics, but has no other consequences. Higher levels of psyfocus permit higher-level powers, but also increase the rate of psyfocus dissipation - In-game Description.
In addition to the neural heat increase, each psycast also removes an amount of psyfocus. Every psycaster has a maximum psyfocus amount of 100% and all psyfocus costs are the same for every caster. Unlike neural heat, if the psycaster has insufficient psyfocus for the psycast it cannot be cast. There is no way to exceed this limit.
With two exceptions, psyfocus can only be gained by through meditation and degrades a small amount per day relative to the amount of psyfocus the psycaster currently has. Below 25% psyfocus, the psyfocus falls at 3.5% per day, between 25 and 50%, psyfocus falls 5.5% per day, and above 50% it falls at 7.5% per day.
By default, a pawn gains 50% psyfocus per day of meditation. Meditation foci further improve these rates by their listed strength. So an Artistic-focused psycaster meditating to 9 legendary sculptures (+44%) would gain 94% psyfocus per day of meditation. Using Go-juice instantly gives 15% psyfocus when taken by psycasters while Wake-up increases the psyfocus gain from meditation by 20% per day. Similarly, the Kill-focused and Psy-meditative persona traits grant an instant +20% psyfocus on killing an enemy and an additional +10% psyfocus gain per day of meditation respectively
A pawn's target psyfocus level can be set using with widget on the toolbar while they are selected. The pawn will attempt to maintain that psyfocus level by meditating any time it drops below that value and the pawn is scheduled for "Anything". Meditation performed as recreation, scheduled or not, or by the pawn being scheduled for "Meditation" will also increase psyfocus, but will not necessarily stop when the target psyfocus level is exceeded. This can be used to ensure a psycaster maintains psyfocus without strictly scheduling their day with "Work" and without them taking constant breaks to maintain thier psyfocus as it deceases during the day. The psyfocus target can be set to a minimum threshold below 100%, as low as 0%, and then some time can be set for meditation specifically. This meditation time will put them over the target, giving them a buffer before they will stop working and go meditate. If this buffer is greater than 7.5% and the meditation time allocated is sufficient to gain this amount, the pawn will never stop working during its "Anything" times to meditate.
| Meditation Focus | Focus Type | Base Strength | Max Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anima tree | Natural | 28% | 36% |
| Animus stone | Natural | 34% | 42% |
| Small nature shrine | Natural | 22% | 30% |
| Large nature shrine | Natural | 30% | 38% |
| Grave | Morbid | 5% | 34% |
| Sarcophagus | Morbid | 10% | 38% |
| Small sculpture | Artistic | 12 - 28% | 44% |
| Large sculpture | Artistic | 12 - 28% | 44% |
| Grand sculpture | Artistic | 12 - 28% | 44% |
| Large stele | Artistic | 15% | 15% |
| Grand stele | Artistic | 18% | 18% |
| Walls | Minimal | 22% | 22% |
| Brazier | Flame | 15% | 31% |
| Campfire | Flame | 12% | 28% |
| Torch lamp | Flame | 10% | 18% |
| Meditation throne | Dignified | 15% | 33% [Fact-check needed] |
| Grand meditation throne | Dignified | 15% | 33% [Fact-check needed] |
Each pawn has one or more meditiation types. Each type allows the pawn to use different objects as a focus. A pawn with multiple types can use any type available to them.
Natural
Required:Tribal Childhood Backstories
Natural meditation is available to tribal pawns. Natural meditation objects and shrines are most effective when nothing is built nearby- buildings or furniture within 35 tiles will reduce their effectiveness.
Anima trees have a base meditation focus strength of 28%. Each animus stone within 10 tiles increases the meditation effectiveness by 2%, while each small or large natural shrine within 10 tiles increases it by 1%. Up to 4 buildings can affect the tree, for a maximum bonus of +8% for 4 animus stones. Its effectiveness is limited by artificial buildings within a 35 tile radius. Note that this does not include flooring and torch lamps.
The maximum meditation focus strength is thus 36% for an anima tree with no artificial buildings within 35 tiles and surrounded by 4 animus stones. Also note that unlike other natural buildings, meditating at the anima tree also produces anima grass for additional psylink levels for pawns with the natural focus.
N.B. It is currently unclear if the following values are cut offs, or points in a processed curve fit to those values.
| Artificial items in range | 0 | 5 | 10 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength Offset | -0% | -8% | -15% | -30% |
Animus stones have a base meditation focus strength of 34%. Each animus stone up to a total of additional 4 stones within 10 tiles of an animus stone increases the meditation effectiveness by 2%, for a maximum of +8%. Like the Anima tree its effectiveness is limited by artificial buildings within a 35 tile radius. Note that this does not include flooring and torch lamps.
The maximum meditation focus strength is thus 42% for a Animus stone with no artificial buildings within 35 tiles and surrounded by 4 additional animus stones.
N.B. It is currently unclear if the following values are cut offs, or points in a processed curve fit to those values.
| Artificial items in range | 0 | 5 | 10 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength Offset | -0% | -8% | -16% | -34% |
Small nature shrines have a base meditation focus strength of 22%. Each animus stone within 10 tiles increases the meditation effectiveness by 2%, up to a total of 4 stones for a maximum of +8%. Like the Anima tree its effectiveness is limited by artificial buildings within a 35 tile radius. Note that this does not include flooring and torch lamps.
The maximum meditation focus strength is thus 30% for a small nature shrine with no artificial buildings within 35 tiles and surrounded by 4 animus stones.
N.B. It is currently unclear if the following values are cut offs, or points in a processed curve fit to those values.
| Artificial items in range | 0 | 5 | 10 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength Offset | -0% | -6% | -12% | -22% |
Large nature shrines have a base meditation focus strength of 30%. Each animus stone within 10 tiles increases the meditation effectiveness by 2%, up to a total of 4 stones for a maximum of +8%. Like the Anima tree its effectiveness is limited by artificial buildings within a 35 tile radius. Note that this does not include flooring and torch lamps.
The maximum meditation focus strength is thus 38% for a small nature shrine with no artificial buildings within 35 tiles and surrounded by 4 animus stones.
N.B. It is currently unclear if the following values are cut offs, or points in a processed curve fit to those values.
| Artificial items in range | 0 | 5 | 10 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength Offset | -0% | -8% | -16% | -34% |
Morbid
Required: Psychopath, Bloodlust, Cannibal, Masochist, Jealous, Undergrounder, Tortured Artist Morbid meditation is used by pawns with the appropriate traits and requires graves or sarcophagi. Filled graves or sarcophagi are more effective and bodies with a relationship to the meditator are more effective than strangers.
Graves have a base Meditation Focus Strength of 6%. This increases by 10% if the grave is full, and a further 10% if the grave is occupied by a pawn with a relationship to the meditator. It is further increased by being within 10 tiles of up to 4 additional graves or sarcophagi. Each of these 4 grants an additional 1%, or 2% if full, for a maximum bonus of 8%. Note that only the primary grave has to contain a pawn with a relationship to the meditator.
The maximum meditation focus strength is thus 34% for a grave occupied by a loved one and surrounded by 4 additional full graves or sarcophagi.
Sarcophagus:
Sarcophagi have a base Meditation Focus Strength of 10%. This increases by 10% if the sarcophagus is full, and a further 10% if the sarcophagus is occupied by a pawn with a relationship to the meditator. It is further increased by being within 10 tiles of up to 4 additional Graves or Sarcophagi. Each of these 4 grants an additional 1%, or 2% if full, for a maximum bonus of 8%. Note that only the primary sarcophagus has to contain a pawn with a relationship to the meditator.
The maximum meditation focus strength is thus 38% for a sarcophagus occupied by a loved one and surrounded by 4 additional full graves or sarcophagi.
Artistic
Incompatible: Ascetic, Tribal Childhood Backstory
Small sculpture/Large sculpture/Grand sculpture:
All sculpture sizes have identical meditation statistics and mechanics. Sculptures have a base Meditation Focus Strength that dependent on their quality. Higher quality sculptures have higher strengths, up to a maximum of 28% at legendary quality. Up to 8 additional sculpture of normal quality or better within 10 tiles will each increase this strength by a value dependent on its quality. 8 additional sculptures of masterwork or better can the maximum bonus of 16%. Note, as the focus sculpture's quality has a significantly larger effect than that of the supporting sculpture, it is always better to have the best quality sculpture as the focus.
The maximum meditation focus strength is thus 44% for a legendary sculpture surrounded by 8 additional sculptures of masterwork or legendary quality.
| Quality | Awful | Poor | Normal | Good | Excellent | Masterwork | Legendary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base Strength | +12% | +16% | +20% | +22% | +24% | +26% | +28% |
| Quality | Awful | Poor | Normal | Good | Excellent | Masterwork | Legendary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength Offset | +0% | +0% | +1% | +1% | +1% | +2% | +2% |
Large steles have a base Meditation Focus Strength of 15%. It appears that no other modifiers exist for steles as they do for other foci. [Fact-check needed]
Grand steles have a base Meditation Focus Strength of 18%. It appears that no other modifiers exist for steles as they do for other foci. [Fact-check needed]
Minimal
Required: Ascetic
Wall:
Walls have a base Meditation Focus Strength of 22%. It appears that no other modifiers exist for wall as they do for other foci. [Fact-check needed]
Flame
Required: Pyromaniac
Braziers have a base Meditation Focus Strength of 0% in their unlit state. This increases by 15% when lit. It is further increased by being within 10 tiles of up to 8 additional braziers, torch lamps or campfires. Note that they must be lit to grant the bonus. Each of these 8 grants an additional 2%, for a maximum bonus of 16%.
The maximum meditation focus strength is thus 31% for a lit brazier surrounded by 8 lit braziers, torch lamps or campfires.
Campfires have a base Meditation Focus Strength of 0% in their unlit state. This increases by 12% when lit. It is further increased by being within 10 tiles of up to 8 additional braziers, torch lamps or campfires. Note that they must be lit to grant the bonus. Each of these 8 grants an additional 2%, for a maximum bonus of 16%.
The maximum meditation focus strength is thus 28% for a lit campfire surrounded by 8 lit braziers, torch lamps or campfires.
Torch lamps have a base Meditation Focus Strength of 0% in their unlit state. This increases by 10% when lit. It is further increased by being within 10 tiles of up to 8 additional braziers, torch lamps or campfires. Note that they must be lit to grant the bonus. Each of these 8 grants an additional 1%, for a maximum bonus of 8%.
The maximum meditation focus strength is thus 18% for a lit torch lamp surrounded by 8 lit braziers, torch lamps or campfires.
Dignified
Required: Title
Meditation throne/Grand meditation throne:
Both thrones have identical meditation statistics and mechanics. They start with a meditation focus strength of 15%. If it is in a throne room that meets the pawns requirements, its focus strength is improved by 8%. Additionally its effectiveness is affected by room impressiveness.
N.B. It is currently unclear if the following values are cut offs, or points in a processed curve fit to those values. Also note, the room impressiveness descriptors only relate to descriptors the room will have at that specific value. The descriptors themselves do not control the value. A room with 50 room impressiveness will be listed "Slightly Impressive" but will not make the cut off for the 4% increase.
| Impressiveness Value | 0 | 30 | 60 | 100 | 170 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Description at Value | Awful | Mediocre | Slightly Impressive | Very Impressive | Unbelievably Impressive |
| Strength Offset | -5% | +0% | +4% | +8% | +10% |
Psychic Sensitivity
In addition to its effects in calculating neural heat, psychic sensitivity is also important in how it effects targets. The targets psychic sensitivity is important as it often acts as a modifier to the duration, and sometimes the magnitude, of the psychic effect. For example, a Psychically Hypersensitive (Sensitivity of 1.8) pawn will be affected by the Beserk psycast for 54 seconds instead of the normal 30, while a Psychically Dull (Sensitivity of 0.5) pawn would only be affected for 15 seconds, and a Psychically Deaf (Sensitivity of 0) pawn would be immune.
Psycaster Equipment
Psychic equipment can improve a psycaster's abilities by providing additional psychic sensitivity and/or by directly increasing the Heat recovery rate. The following modifiers exist:
| Name | Type | Sensitivity Bonus | Neural Heat Limit [C] | Recovery Rate Bonus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Psychically Hypersensitive | Trait | +80% | +64 | - |
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Psychically Sensitive | Trait | +40% | +32 | - |
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Psychically Dull | Trait | -50% | -40 | - |
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Psychically Deaf | Trait | -100% | -80 | - |
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Psychic foil helmet | Apparel | -90% | -72 | - |
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Prestige recon armor | Apparel | +5% | +4 | 0.033 |
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Prestige recon helmet | Apparel | +5% | +4 | 0.033 |
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Prestige marine armor | Apparel | +5% | +4 | 0.033 |
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Prestige marine helmet | Apparel | +5% | +4 | 0.033 |
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Prestige cataphract armor | Apparel | +5% | +4 | 0.033 |
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Prestige cataphract helmet | Apparel | +5% | +4 | 0.033 |
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Eltex shirt | Apparel | +10% [Q] | +8 [Q] | 0.033 |
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Eltex vest | Apparel | +15% [Q] | +12 [Q] | 0.05 |
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Eltex robe | Apparel | +20% [Q] | +16 [Q] | 0.083 |
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Eltex helmet | Apparel | +15% [Q] | +12 [Q] | 0.066 |
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Eltex skullcap | Apparel | +40% [Q] | +32 [Q] | 0.091 |
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Eltex staff | Weapon | +50% [Q] | +40 [Q] | 0.083 |
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Psychic Hypersensitizer persona weapon [A] | Weapon | +40% | +32 | - |
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Psychic Sensitivity persona weapon [A] | Weapon | +20% | +16 | - |
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Psychic Quiet persona weapon [A] | Weapon | -15% | -12 | - |
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Psychic Fog persona weapon [A] | Weapon | -30% | -24 | - |
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Neural Cooling persona weapon [A] | Weapon | - | - | 0.15 |
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Psychic sensitizer | Implant | +25% | +20 | - |
- ^A Psychic sensitivity traits are mutually exclusive with each other, but not with Neural Cooling. Persona traits appear on the following weapons: Persona monosword, Persona plasmasword, and Persona zeushammer
- ^Q Value scales with Quality. 0.5x -> 0.66x -> 0.83x -> 1.00x -> 1.16x -> 1.32x -> 1.5x. Note that Normal quality is not 1.00x
- ^C Neural heat limit increase from the increased psychic sensitivity, assuming psylink level 6.
Thus the maximum psychic sensitivity possible would be a psychically hypersensitive pawn with a legendary Eltex staff, vest, shirt, robe and skullcap and an implanted psychic sensitizer for a total value of 408%psychic sensitivity and a neural heat limit, assuming psylink level 6, of 326.
Psycasts
A psycast is the ability performed by the psycaster. A Psycaster can only perform psycasts of a level equal to or below their psylink level. For example, to manifest Beckon, the psycaster would require psylink level 3.
Regular psycasts
| Image | Name | Level | Description | Effects | Heat Gain | Casting Time | Duration | Range | Area of Effect | Psyfocus Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Burden | 1 | Slow the target for a short time by suppressing motor activity in the brain | Psychically-induced difficulty in locomotion
|
8 | 0.25s | 20s | 30 tiles | Target | 1% |
 |
Painblock | 1 | Block pain pathways in the target's brain for a short time. This can allow a person to move and act even with grievous injuries which would normally incapacitate them. | Psychically-induced pain insensitivity.
|
10 | 0.25s | 120s | 25 tiles | Target | 2% |
 |
Stun | 1 | Momentarily disrupt motor function in target's [sic] brain, preventing any movement. |
Psychically-induced.
|
12 | 0.25s | 3s | 20 tiles | Target | 1%
|
 |
Chunk skip | 1 | Skip the 5 chunks of rock or slag to scatter them near the target point. This is useful for producing cover during offensive operations. | Skips the closest 5 chunks to scatter them near the target point. This is useful for producing cover during offensive operations. | 14 | 1s | Instantaneous | 25 tiles | Target | 4% |
 |
Solar pinhole | 1 | Generate a microscopic skipgate linked to the core of a nearby star. Solar material leaks through the pinprick in spacetime, illuminating and warming the surrounding area until it closes. The light is enough to work by, but not enough to grow plants. |
Psychically-induced.
|
0 | 0.25s | 5000s (5 days) | 25 tiles | 15 tiles | 8%
|
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Blinding Pulse | 2 | Induce noise in the visual centers of the brain, obscuring vision of everyone near the target point. | Psychically-induced partial blindness.
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20 | 1s | 30s | 25 tiles | 7 tiles | 1% |
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Waterskip | 2 | Douse a target in water, extinguishing fires. The water is archotechnologically skipped from distant bodies of water or underground aquifers | Psychically-induced.
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25 | 1s | Instantaneous | 25 tiles | 3x3 tiles | 1.5% |
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Neural Heat Dump | 2 | Instantly dump all your neural heat into someone else. As a side effect, the target will fall into a debilitating but non-damaging coma for about a day. The target must actively accept the psychic invasion, so only conscious allies can be targeted. | Psychically induced neural heat cleansing.
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0 | 1s | 1000s (1 day) | 25 tiles | Target | 0% |
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Beckon | 3 | Psychically command the target to approach the caster. | Psychically-induced.
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20 | 0.25s | 8s | 20 tiles | Target | 1% |
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Chaos Skip | 3 | Teleport the target to a random position near where he started. | Psychically-induced.
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18 | 0.25s | Instantaneous | 25 tiles | Target | 2% |
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Vertigo Pulse | 3 | Interfere with the spatial orientation sense of everyone near the target point, causing intermittent loss of balance. Flesh creatures will become extremely nauseous as well. | Psychically-induced loss of spatial orientation. This will cause flesh creatures to vomit.
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30 | 1s | 20s | 25 tiles | 7 tiles | 2% |
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Smokepop | 4 | Skip dust particles up from under the ground surface to form a thick cloud. This reduces the accuracy of any shot fired through it, and preventing [sic] turrets from locking on entirely. | Psychically-induced.
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30 | 1s | Instantaneous, Smoke dissipates in ~30 seconds | 25 tiles | Tile | 2% |
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Skip | 4 | Teleport the target to a desired position not too far from his starting point. | Psychically-induced.
-15 Goodwill impact |
25 | 0.25s | Instantaneous | 28 tiles | Target/Tile | 2% |
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Focus | 4 | Psychically focus the target's mind, boosting their sight, hearing and moving capacities. | Psychically-induced mental focus, increasing sight, hearing and movement capactities. [sic]
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15 | 0.25s | 60s | 28 tiles | Target | 3% |
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Wallraise | 4 | Form a temporary wall by skipping rubble and soil up from deep under the ground. | A fragile wall made of rubble. It will collapse in time.'
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35 | 1s | Instantaneous, Wall disappears after 4 hours | 25 tiles | Tile | 2% |
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Berserk | 5 | Induce an angry psychosis in the target's mind, causing them to attack anyone nearby. | Psychically-induced.
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40 | 0.25s | 15s | 20 tiles | Target | 4% |
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Flashstorm | 5 | Use differential-pressure skipgates in the atmosphere to generate a localized flashstorm. The storm will strike the area with lightning for some time before dissapating. | Psychically-induced.
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65 | 1s | 164s | 20 tiles | 14 tiles | 4% |
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Invisibility | 5 | Psychically manipulate the visual centers of everyone nearby, rendering them unable to perceive a particular individual for a short time. | Psychically-induced invisibility. This actually affects others nearby, making their brains unable to perceive the sight of this individual, even if the eyes are unaffected.
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45 | 1s | 15s | 20 tiles | Target | 3% |
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Berserk Pulse | 6 | Generate an overwhelming rush of undirected rage in everyone near the target point. | Psychically-induced.
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65 | 1s | 10s | 15 tiles | 5x5 tiles | 6% |
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Mass Chaos Skip | 6 | Skip everyone near a target point to a random location nearby. | Psychically-induced.
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40 | 1s | Instantaneous | 25 tiles | 17 tiles | 3% |
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Skipshield | 6 | Generate a spherical skipgate that sends all incoming and outgoing ground-level projectiles to some distant place. People and items are not affected. | Psychically-induced.
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65 | 1s | 15s | 25 tiles | 9 tiles | 4% |
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Manhunter pulse | 6 | Drive nearby animals into a manhunting rage using a psychic pulse | Psychically-induced.
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50 | 1s | 60s | 35 tiles | 57 tiles | 4% |
Special psycasts
Officially added in 1.2, these psycasts cost a great amount of psyfocus in return for some useful utility, often outside combat.
| Image | Name | Level (Title) | Description | Effects | Heat Gain | Casting Time | Duration | Range | Area of Effect | Psyfocus Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Word of Trust | 1 | Speak to the prisoner while using psychic suggestion to reduce his resistance to recruitment. This psycast can only reduce a prisoner's resistance, but cannot recruit him. | Psychically induced.
|
0 | 2s | Instantaneous | 30 tiles | Target | 60% |
 |
Word of Joy | 2 | Speak happy, calming words to someone while using psychic suggestion to implant a joyfuzz loop in his mind. The joyfuzz will suppress uncomfortable thoughts and sensations in the target to improve mood. This has the side-effect of dulling sensation and decision-making, which reduces consciousness. | The affected pawn gains the Joybuzz status, providing 30 joy at the cost of -20% consciousness for 7 days.
|
0 | 2s | 5000s (5 days) | 1 tile | Target | 40% |
 |
Word of Love | 3 | Speak about someone's romantic virtues while using psychic suggestion to implant romantic desire in the listener. For days afterward, the listener will feel psychically-induced romantic attraction towards the other person. This great increases opinion and makes them much more likely to attempt romantic advances and marriage proposals if they get the chance. This psycast can be used to connect two other people, induce love for the caster, or force oneself to love another. | Psychically-induced romantic desire. This increases an individual's opinion of someone else, and increases the likelihood of romantic advances and marriage proposals, while reducing the chance of a breakup.
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0 | 2s | 8000s (8 days) | 1 tile | Target | 50% |
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Word of Serenity | 4 | Use calming words and psychic suggestion to end a mental break on a person or animal. The target will fall into a short psychic sleep. The psyfocus cost depends on the intensity of the target's mental break. | Instantly ends any mental break by forcing the target into a 6 hour coma. The psyfocus cost depends on the level of the mental break; minor breaks cost 30% psyfocus, major breaks cost 50%, and extreme breaks cost 70%.
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0 | 2s | 250s (6 hours) | 1 tile | Target | 30-70% |
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Word of Inspiration | 5 | Speak words encouraging creativity while psychically hypercharging the target's mind with new ideas. The target will experience a random inspiration appropriate to them. | Targeted pawn will receive a random inspiration based upon their passions and skills. | 0 | 2s | Instantaneous Inspiration lasts its normal duration |
1 tile | Target | 80% |
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Farskip | 5 | Skip the caster, along with anyone standing near him, to an ally at a distant location. This can send people far across the planet, but only works if there is a willing ally on the other side to use as a navigation beacon. The skipped people will always appear near a random ally on the target map. | Stuns for between 3 and 10 seconds; teleports allies within 5 tiles to distant colonist on map; if used while in caravan, whole caravan will be teleported (unusable if overburdened) | 0 | 5s | Instantaneous | User | 5 tile radius | 70% |
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Neuroquake | 6 | Find a discontinuity in the psychic field and unfold it, releasing a massive amount of psychic energy. Every creature on the map outside of a safe circle near the caster will be driven violently insane. Casting this takes three hours of meditation, and afterwards, the caster will go into a three-day psychic coma. The disturbing neuroquake echoes will inflict pain on everyone for many kilometers around, causing diplomatic consequences with all factions. | Causes map-wide berserk mental state outside of 5 tile safe radius. Causes -10 joy in all colonists. Reduces faction opinion by 10 for all factions, no matter the distance you are from their bases.
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0 | 125s (3 hours) | Instantaneous | User | Global Effect | 50% |
Tactics
Psycasts can be used to great tactical advantage- provided that you can get in range of the enemy to use them.
- Solar pinhole can be used to warm rooms during a cold snap if you don't have enough heaters.
- Burden slows the target down.
- Very useful for getting one or two more shots on melee attackers before they close the distance. Effective for this reason with a killbox setup as well.
- Useful for hunters in case of revenge.
- Painblock blocks pain, with an effect similar to go-juice.
- Stun stuns the target for a few seconds.
- Best used to support a melee attacker against another.
- Help melee attackers close the distance to shooters.
- Peel melee attackers off ranged.
- Chunk skip skips 5 nearby rock or steel slag chunks to a 5x5 target area in a random pattern.
- Can be used to create some cover if fighting on open terrain where natural cover is sparse or is in inconvenient locations.
- Sometimes can be used to steal cover from enemies, provided that your psycaster can target the desired chunks. This ability tends to skip chunks closest to the psycaster, so this might only be possible if they are a melee fighter and can get close to enemy positions.
- Can be used outside of combat to quickly relocate chunks around your base right to the stonecutter's table or electric smelter. This can speed up production if a worker has to walk a sizable distance each time to get a new chunk.
- A situational use would be to place chunks behind walls or in open doorways, therefore possibly preventing enemies from using superior 75% cover and forcing them to use chunks as inferior cover or to move to a different spot. This is unreliable due to the random pattern in which chunks are skipped to the target area, as well as the fact that pawns are not immediately forced to move if a chunk is placed on them - they are only prevented from standing on that tile again if they move.
- Blinding Pulse reduces the Sight of enemies and thus their accuracy, giving you the upper hand in combat.
- Neural heat dump is good for burst casting psycasts, if you're willing to pay the price of putting a pawn out of action. Pacifists are a good choice if you don't need them to pull fallen allies out of battle. The side effect, putting a pawn into a coma for a day, can also be useful to save a pawn from getting mauled my animal revenge, to prevent a sick pawn from having a mental break while they are in bed and in various other situations.
- Beckon
- Best used to force enemies into melee range for engagement.
- Great for peeling enemy melee off a vulnerable friendly.
- Chaos Skip
- Use on enemies that already entered melee range to force them to break distance in a random direction. Be careful of skipping them into your base.
- Vertigo Pulse will force a group of enemies out of cover for a few seconds while preventing them from firing at your own pawns.
- Smokepop is essentially a better version of the smoke launcher.
- Skip is a versatile tool that can be used to manipulate allies, enemies, inanimate objects and the self alike.
- Teleport allied fighters into position quickly, especially melee fighters.
- Skip long-ranged enemies into range.
- Keep enemy melee fighters away from allies.
- Using skip on an ally harms your faction relations, even when used for benevolent purposes. To get around this when rescuing allies, have a colonist rescue the ally and then skip the colonist. This will mot give a penalty
- Teleport a raider near a mechanoid cluster to make them fight each other.
- Can be used on self to quickly escape danger or to urgently move to a location.
- Move downed pawns, allies or enemies, out of danger to safely rescue or capture them.
- Teleport chemfuel away just before it blows up.
- Steal supplies from Sieges.
- Sieges will continuously receive supplies of Packaged survival meals and Mortar shells as they are removed from the siege, but they won't receive additional components. Stealing components before Mortars are built will halt the siege and it potentially allows the unlimited theft of additional supplies.
- Focus is good for buffing allies prior to a battle,improving a doctor before an important surgery or to improve tend quality, or gaining an extra discount before trading [Fact-check needed]
- Wallraise creates a wall of rocks in a cross shape.
- Creates impromptu cover for your shooters to shelter behind.
- Use to create LOS blocker against rocket launchers that are about to fire. If you are quick you can even block the rockets mid-flight.
- Blocking access to doors
- Protecting Unstable power cells
- Casting Wallraise on fire will extinguish it and prevent it from spreading again, although it's strictly worst than waterskip in that regard.
- Berserk forces an enemy to attack nearby targets indiscriminately, including their allies.
- Have enemies aggro on each other while your ranged fighters pick them off.
- Cause friendly fire as enemies fire at the berserker.
- Offers an alternative way to hunt dangerous animals like Thrumbos.
- Invisibility makes enemies unable to target your allies.
- It is not broken on attacking making it a good choice for close-ranged attackers.
- Can be used to protect a single melee blocker against medium and large enemies, but won't block small enemies.
- Self-cast to allow your psycaster to safely get within range.
- It is not broken on attacking making it a good choice for close-ranged attackers.
- Berserk Pulse is similar to Berserk but affects an area.
- It causes a dangerous increase in psychic entropy on all but the most well-equipped of psycasters, but is capable of defeating entire raids using only this psycast.
- Mass Chaos Skip skips all units in the area randomly, friend or foe.
- Skip multiple enemies out of cover at once, exposing them to gunfire. Only skips things to a location where it has line of sight from.
- Manhunter Pulse causes all animals in a large area to become manhunter.
- Neuroquake is a hail mary-style psycast that is good against a humanlike raid, provided you can protect your psycaster long enough. As the coma duration scales with the caster's psychic sensitivity and the coma disables further casting making neural heat a non-issue, it is recommended to remove any sensititivy increasing gear and to put on a Psychic foil helmet to minimize the time your caster is taken out of action. This coma duration reduction can be taken even further with the right combination of equipment and traits, reducing the coma time to as little as an hour and a half. Possibly less.
Version History
- Royalty Initial Release: Introduced
- 1.1.2559: Burden range 25->30. Stun entropy cost 10->12. Stun range 25->20.
- 1.1.2571: Major Rebalance to several psycasts.
- 1.1.2647: Overhaul to some mechanics. Empire no longer gets angry at psycast use, removed psychic hangover, added meditation mechanics, added new psychic abilities.
- 1.2.2719: Solar Pinhole, Chunk Skip, Farskip, Neuroquake and Word of Trust/Joy/Inspiration/Love/Serenity added. Meditation focus objects now enhanced by objects placed nearby.
- 1.2.2753: Bullet Shield renamed to Skipshield, prevent Farskip when caravan is overweight. Neural heat overload no longer causes psylink degradation or any other permanent damage.