Voice Prestige Class

IMC I use the voice kit from Dragon Magazine (forgot the issue number), so
heres a prestige class I wrote up based on the same idea, but (heavily)
modified for SJ use.

Voice
Lv              Atk                  Fort                 Ref
Wil                  Special             PP                  0
1                  2                  3                  4

1                +0                  +0                  +0
+2                  Lesser Voice    +5
2                  -                  -                  -
-

2                +1                  +0                  +0
+3                    +5
3                  -                  -                  -
-

3                +1                  +1                  +1
+3                    +7                  3
1                  -                  -                  -

4                +2                  +1                  +1
+4                  SJ Psicrystal    +7                  3
2                  -                  -                  -

5                +2                  +1                  +1
+4                  Greater Voice  +7                  3                  3
1                  -                  -

6                +3                  +2                  +2
+5                  Psicrystal Range                  +9                  3
3                  2                  -                  -

                                                                  Boost

7                +3                  +2                  +2
+5                  Interstellar Message     +9                  3
3                  2                  1                  -

8                +4                  +2                  +2
+6                  Psicrystal Body                  +11                3
3                  3                  1                  -

9                +4                  +3                  +3
+6                    +11                3                  3
3                  2                  -

10              +5                  +3                  +3
+7                  Interstellar Package                  +11
3                  3                  3                  2
1



Requirements:

Psionic Powers:            Lesser Mindlink, Mindlink

Primary Discipline:            Telepathy

Skills:    Languages (any 2 spoken), Diplomacy (4), Remote View (2),
Profession - Spacehand (1)

Feats:    Enlarge Power

Alignment:            Any non-chaotic

Special:    Induction or training by the Voice Guild



Masters of long range telepathic contact, the Voice often serves aboard a
ship as a communications officer.  Low level powers allow them to contact
other Voices across the long distances of wildspace, while at higher levels
they can send their Psicrystal to deliver messages, or even act as a medium
through which they can see, hear, and talk.  In space the Voice Guild trains
and hires out the abilities of telepaths, who are trained in various
diplomatic abilities and other interpersonal skills.  They may serve as
merely a way for a ship on deep patrol to be contacted, or as a means for
their captains to speak with groundlings before landing their ship.



Abilities:



Psionic Powers:            Only one other psionic prestige class offers the
amount of powers learned as the Voice, and that is the Metamind.  Unlike the
metamind, however, the Voice must take powers granted by this class in their
primary discipline - required to be telepathy.  As such many Voice's fall
back on raising their normal Psion level once in a while, or occasionally
take another class or two (such as cleric, for a little shipboard medic duty
and pay).

Lesser Voice:            The basic ability of the Voice is that of
mindlinking to another psion of the same persuasion (another Voice), as much
as 12,000 yards away.  These lower level characters are used to hail
incoming ships, or receive docking permission/co-ordinates at ports.  When
onboard a ship a character with the Lesser Voice ability can also act as a
medium when ships encounter each other at tactical speed - making it a much
quicker and simpler question of "friend or foe?".  Lesser Voice enables the
character to broaden their mind to attract other Voice's within range, only
a minimum of 10 power points needed to enact this non-cost power.  While
communicating a Voice can speak verbally to any surrounding characters, and
can move at a rate of 5 feet per round - in other words, the Lesser Voice is
a full-action.  Typically portside Voices will be on alert for a designated
shift, while those on ship need only report to deck when called.

SJ Psicrystal:            The characters psicrystal can move at an
astonishing rate through wildspace - that of 15 million miles per day, per
manifester level (ie if a Psion manifests power at 12th level of ability,
his crystal can travel at a speed of 180 million miles per day).  Limits for
the Voice to psicrystal communication are as per the standard rules, but at
higher levels (see below) they can continue contact at greater distances.
Often a psicrystal is sent to deliver a specific message (if it can
communicate), or occasionally with a parchment wrapped around it (if it can
not communicate, and usually only as a distress signal).  The psicrystal
must be given a direct course, and cannot leave a crystal sphere without its
psion, nor can it travel such in the phlogiston.  Another setback is that
the psicrystal does not instinctively "home" to its Psion, and so must be
given specific co-ordinates to be met at.  More often than not the crystal
is sent ahead of a ship with important news or cargo requests, to be met up
with at a port.

Interstellar Message:            By sacrificing some of his own power
(reducing him to half normal maximum power points for a week) a Voice with
this power can create a temporary psychic clone of his psicrystal, which can
be sent at speeds of immense proportion.  The temporary crystal travels at a
rate of 30 million miles per day, per manifester level (as above).  While it
can enter the phlogiston (even by opening its own portals), and does
navigate around objects to a certain extent (effectively keeping it out of
trouble), it can only travel a maximum distance of 1000 million miles per
manifester level.  Messages can be delivered to specific people in specific
places, such as "Gamalon Idogyr of the Rock of Bral" (with co-ordinates
given), or given generally "Head to location xxxx, and find the first
official or guard, and deliver this message".  If for some reason the
specific person or co-ordinates cannot be found (for instance, a planet has
moved along its cycle and incorrect co-ordinates were given; nothing but
wildspace can be found at location xxxx; or gamalon idogyr is not upon the
rock of bral at the time of the message's arrival) the crystal will wait
around for a number of days equal to its remaining maximum distance, divided
by 100 million (ie, the crystal has travelled far enough so that it can only
travel 5000 million miles more, yet it has reached its destination, so it
awaits there for 50 days).  If the conditions of its target have not been
met by that time, it dissipates.

When the crystal does give its message, which can be up to 20 words per
intelligence points of the psicrystal "cloned", it evaporates into
nothingness.  Communication of the clone is also exactly the same as the
crystal it was based upon, yet if the crystal has no means of communication
with others it may unroll into an ectoplasmic message floating in the air
(although note that anyone can read it, and it is in a specific language
decided by the psion, from those he knows and can write).

Regardless of the message's end result (delivered or not delivered) - the
psion looses all contact with it as soon as it leaves 100ft of himself.  He
does not know if the message was successfully delivered, but it should be
noted the maximum travelled distance of the message counts from the exact
point it leaves the psion - his movement after the initial creation and
sending is irrelevant.

Note that all appropriate co-ordinates (wildspace and phlogiston navigation
related) must be given to the message for it to reach its target.

Greater Voice:            The more enhanced version of the Lesser Voice,
this allows a Voice character to contact another Voice (who's level is
irrelevant beyond being a level 1 Voice) over greater distances.  This
distance is equal to 100 million miles away, per manifester level, and
drains 10% (round up) of the characters power points for every minute of
contact.  Unlike the Lesser Voice the target need not be "active", the
character instead getting an psionic feel for every other Voice within 500
yards radius of a specific set of co-ordinates.  Obviously, an active duty
voice is preffered, but some societies and groups have specific voices to
take incoming messages, and each Voice's name is given for the manifester to
choose from, along with their active/non active status.  Messages that are
of vital importance are often communicated this way, although they cannot
reach the same distances as a spelljamming crystal clone.

Psicrystal Range Boost:            The Voice is so adept at sending his
thoughts over incredible distances that his communication range with his
psicrystal is now considered unlimited, although it is blocked by the
standard materials and null fields.  This allows any empathic/telepathic
links between the Voice and his crystal to have greatly long range, and is
often used to give co-ordinates to a crystal sent jamming off elsewhere, to
then rendezvous with its master.

Psicrystal Body:   The most useful of interstellar communications abilities
is that of the Voice to form a quasi-realm/ecto-plasmic duplicate of himself
around his psicrystal, for the purposes of sight, speech, and hearing.  The
character can only concentrate on one form at a time, and activating this
power drains him of a one time hit of 20 power points (which can be restored
in the usual manner).  Further, while the psionicists mind is spread across
such a great distance there is a "lag" in the transfer, equal in rounds to
20 minus the manifestation level of the psion - making it possible for but
the highest level Voice's to communicate instantly in this manner.  This
form of contact is often used for the purpose of first contact situations
with groundlings, and when the Voice actually wishes to partake in a more
personal conversation.  The maximum duration of this power is ten minutes
per manifestation level, and can only occur if both the psicrystal and its
psion still share their telepathic link - ie they are on the same plane and
are not shielded by materials or null fields.  To engage this ability,
unlike most of the others, a remote view check must be succeeded.

Interstellar Package:            This power works exactly the same as the
Interstellar Message, except an item (or items in a container but not loose)
can be sent.  No more than 1 lb per charisma modifier of the Voice can be
sent, and it still obeys the rules of the Interstellar Message above - thus
arrival is not guaranteed.  The cost of this power, however, is not only in
lowering the Voice's total power points by half, but lowers them by an
additional 3 power points per pound of material sent for the week.



Class Skills:            Animal Empathy (cha); Autohypnosis (con); Bluff
(cha); Concentration (con); Diplomacy (cha); Knowledge (psionics and SJ
knowledge skills); Psicraft (int); Remote View (int); Profession (wis);
Languages.



Skill Points = 4 + int modifier/level



Hit Dice:            d4's



Weapons and Armour:            None additional.



Shipboard Roles:            Communications Officer, Diplomat, First Contact
Officer, Medic (if appropriate powers/classes taken in addition).



Equipment:            Often Voice's have psionic items they create in their
greatly boring spare time aboard ship.  Dojres, Crystal Capacitators, Power
Stones, and the occasional miscellaneous/weapon/armour items are common.  A
Voice normally has an improved psicrystal also, but this is not required.



Tilaurin
tilaurin@?????????????????.com
http://www.planetbaldursgate.com/atreus/index.html
"Dying Swans/Twisted Wings,
Bring This Savage Back Home"
- Brave New World, Iron Maiden