Using Psychic Powers?

[RaShondala]

Hey y'all, RaShondala here.

I've been thinking, what with psychic powers being much better in 6th, how does one use a power?

When a psyker goes to use a power, I personally picture one of three things:

1. The psyker having to stop, focus, and then channel the energy of the warp, kind of like when people do that ball thing in Tai Chi. I've always pictured Chaos Sorcerers doing that for the Bolt of Tzeentch.
2. The psyker merely having to think of it for it to happen, it's like how I imagine 1K Sons Aspiring Sorcerers just raising their hands, staring at them, and flicking them for balls of fire to shoot out of them.
3. The psyker doesn't even have to pass a thought. I've always imagined some horrible radical inquisitor being begged to for mercy, and him laughing manically, stopping suddenly and looking up at the beggar, making them explode into fire.

Are any of these close?

If not, could you shed some insight on what actually happens?

Cheers my babbers.

[insectum7]

Interesting question.

I suppose I picture both the long incantation and the quick word for most psykers (I think mostly because both can be theatrical in their own way). Which is difficult to reconcile, but maybe it works like the following:

If the psyker is "charged", he can release a spell quickly. With a thought, a word, a gesture the "essence" of the spell can be invoked brutally fast.

If a psyker is "uncharged", he's gotta take a little time to "focus his chi". So an Imperial psyker might go through some Latin-esque ritual incantations and gestures in order to summon the energy, form it to a cohesive spell-form and then release it.

I think "Force Weapons" augment the psyker in question, and aid in his drawing power from the warp and storing/focusing it. In my mind a Space Marine Librarian feels the tides of warp energy and draws useful power into himself and his Force Weapon, all the while the battle going on around him. When he needs the power, he triggers the flow of energy from his weapon, through himself or the weapon, and then releasing it. I have a somewhat corny image in my mind of a Librarian with Force Rod in one hand, while a crackle of lightning passes from his weapon hand, across his shoulders and head to his other, open palm, then firing outwards as the casting of "Smite".


I also imagine more experienced psykers needing less of a gesture. Like a Thousand Sons Sorceror, or an Eldar Farseer, wouldn't need nearly as much much of a gesture or incantation as a newbie Librarian, for example. A thousand-year-old Chaos Sorceror not even breaking stride as he fires a Bolt of Change from his staff. His experience making it casual.

[Corbeau]

All of those I would imagine are suitable in the relevant instances. With the pre-Heresy Thousand Sons I always imagined them being a little like the protagonist in the video game Psi-Ops...

[inq.serge]

You use a power like you move a limb. It's simply a thought.

But just like you can't lift 1000Kg with one limb, a psyker can't do anything he wish.

Also, Psykers are born psykers, so the powers come quite naturally for them.

Making a gesture or using an item helps them to focus and concentrate, just like concentrating and focusing might help you lift an heavy weight.

Not all psykers have good control over their powers, and therefore need to be placed on black ships for their own, and their surroundings, safety.

And finally, Psyker powers are not based in the brain, but in every cell of the body. Cutting of parts, or replacing parts with bionics causes loss of control and imbalances.

[Askil the Undecided]

Personally my thoughts are that psyker abilities (not sorcery screw you Matt Ward's GK they are different) are shaped the mutant's control of their reflection in the warp, what you do to help create that effect is just a matter of your knowledge and conditioning.

e.g.
Two Pyromancers learn to lob fireballs about. Lets call them pyro and mancer.

Pyro believes the fire he produces obeys physical laws. He makes the fireball appear static in his hand and then throws it at his target with a hand gesture. He is limited by line of sight, the speed at which he is able to produce fireballs, the speed of his throwing motions and the accuracy of his throw.

Mancer beleives the fire he produces is unnatural and only limited by his ability to create and control it. He makes the ball appear in mid-air already in motion to strike his target. He is limited by the speed at which he can produce fireballs.

Both pyromancers have learned exactly the same ability but Pyro has handicapped himself by accepting limits to his ability that do not in reality exist.