The attack came just after sundown. The dunes still radiated heat, and the wind carried a dry hiss. Sand exploded with in a surge of shrieking yellow gith, swarming our guards and crodlu with thrusting obsidian spears.

That’s when I saw Rami.

He tore off his cloak, revealing the copper‑inked tigone tattoo along his spine. I’d seen it before, but only dormant, just a work of art, nothing more. This time, it stirred.

The stripes rippled with a faint light, flowing into his limbs. His pupils narrowed; his body sharpened, predatory. Rami didn’t roar, but the air around him seemed to. Then he moved.

Rami tore into the gith with impossible speed, each strike echoing the tigone’s fluid arcs. Sand spiraled where he landed. The gith broke, scrambling over each other to flee the blur of bronze and steel.

Minutes later, the survivors vanished over the dunes. Rami dropped to one knee as the glow faded and the tattoo settled back into ink. His breathing steadied, though his eyes, still a little too sharp, met mine with a tired grin.

“Handy thing, tattoos,” he said.

Only then did I notice my hands shaking, not from fear, but from watching man become beast.

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Psychometabolic Power

Empower Tattoo
Discipline: Psychometabolism (Science)
Power Score: Wis
Range: Touch
Area of Effect: Individual
PSP Cost: Varies (see Table 2)
Prerequisite: Skin Artist Nonweapon Proficiency
Duration: Permanent (until removed or replaced)
Preparation Time: Days (see Table 2)

This science enables a psionicist to weave psionic energy into a subject’s flesh, creating a psionic tattoo. These tattoos consist of fibrils of the Way interlaced with specially prepared inks and dyes, and appear as ordinary tattoos unless inspected with Psionic Sense or similar powers and spells. When activated, a tattoo emits a soft, visible glow. Each use of this power creates a single tattoo, though multiple tattoos can be applied over time. The number of PSPs spent and days invested in a tattoo’s creation depend on the desired effect (see Table 2). Tattoos grant permanent latent abilities that can be activated when needed.

A creature must have at least 1 PSP to benefit from an empowered tattoo. PSPs used to charge tattoos do not satisfy this requirement, other than PSP storing tattoos (see below). Tattoos must be activated through physical contact unless otherwise specified. Removing a tattoo requires use of Dispel Psionics, Psychometabolic Healing, or similar means. Once a tattoo’s effect is used, it cannot be used again until recharged by channeling PSPs into it as shown in Table 2. This recharge can be performed using the recipient’s own power points or those of another creature and takes 1 round per PSP. Tattoos can only hold PSPs once per day and remain charged until activated.

The material cost for creating an empowered tattoo is 50 sp worth of special inks and dyes per day required. The time required varies depending on the desired effect, as indicated in Table 2. Each time a tattoo is applied, the subject must make a System Shock roll and the psionicist must make a power check to successfully create the tattoo on the last day of its creation. Should either roll fail, the tattoo fails to synaptically bond, and the subject suffers 1d4 damage for each day spent in its creation. Additionally, the process must then be repeated if the tattoo is still desired. The days of work necessary to create a tattoo do not need to be consecutive.

Empowered tattoos have several restrictions. A creature must have at least a 13 in both Constitution and Wisdom to bear one, and they can bear a maximum number of tattoos equal to 1 + their Constitution modifier, as shown in Table 1. No two tattoos borne by a creature can produce identical effects, except for those created to store PSPs. Tattoos indicating different disciplines or powers do not count as identical. Additionally, the maximum number of charged tattoos that can be borne at any given time is equal to 1 + the creature’s Wisdom modifier, as specified in Table 1.

Table 1: Additional Tattoos and Max Tattoos Charged

Table 2 : Tattoo Effects

*Does not require touch to activate

Power Score: The tattoo bonds perfectly, requiring no System Shock roll.

20: The subject suffers 2d4 damage per creation day and must make an immediate System Shock roll or fall unconscious for 1d4+1 hours.

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Psionicist Kit

Inscribed Adept

“The Way is etched in the flesh, each line a conduit and each mark a reservoir; ink becomes the map of the mind. Etch a thought into the body, and it awakens as power.”

Description: Inscribed Adepts are psionicists who transform their own bodies into living matrices of mental power. Through the science known as Empower Tattoo, they weave psionic filaments into their own flesh—and that of others—using specially prepared inks. Each design becomes a reservoir of strength, a defensive sigil, or a dormant ability waiting to be awakened.

To the uninitiated, an Inscribed Adept may simply appear adorned with intricate artwork. In truth, every image is a functional construct of the Way. As the adept grows in mastery, their skin becomes a living chronicle of triumphs, trials, and sacrifices, each mark deepening both their identity and power.

Any race with a flesh suitable for tattooing may walk this path. Inscribed Adepts are often mystics, ascetics, or itinerant artisans, many of whom belong to secret societies, psionic cults, or monastic orders devoted to preserving the sacred symbology that binds mind and body.

Requirements: To become an Inscribed Adept, a psionicist must know the science Empower Tattoo and possess a minimum Constitution score of 16.
Role: Inscribed Adepts are psionic artisans who inscribe the Way directly into the skin. Though not front‑line warriors, their tattoo‑borne defenses and enhancements make them far tougher and more self‑reliant than most psionicists. They seek out rare inks, ancient designs, and pigments said to hold deep psychic resonance, following secret traditions that teach enlightenment through the union of flesh and thought.
Their disconcerting vestige often unsettles new companions, but respect grows as those tattoos ignite in battle, shielding allies, sharpening senses, or releasing stored power. Over time, the adept becomes a steady, quietly resilient presence whose strange rituals earn admiration from warriors and spellcasters alike. Yet a veil of mystery always remains; few truly understand the meanings behind their markings or the discipline required to bind psionic power to flesh.
To most, an Inscribed Adept is an unusual but unwavering ally, carrying not only their own story but the shared victories of their comrades.
Preferred Disciplines: Inscribed Adepts tend to lean towards Psychometabolism, but may be of any discipline with the latter being their secondary.
Weapon Proficiencies: Recommended: Dart, blow gun, stiletto, tortoise blade.
Nonweapon Proficiencies: Required: Skin Artist. Bonus: Healing. Recommended: Heraldry, herbalism, artistic ability, rejuvenation.
Armor/Equipment: May not wear armor but can use small shields, bucklers, or tortoise blades (see Special Hindrances).

Special Benefits:

Starting Tattoo: An Inscribed Adept starts play with one psionic tattoo they are capable of creating with the Empower Tattoo power. This tattoo is fully functional and inscribed during their formative training.
Greater Tattoo Limit: Inscribed Adepts can bear far more tattoos than ordinary individuals. They may inscribe an additional number of empowered tattoos determined by their psionicist level, as shown in Table 3.
Expanded Tattoo Charge: Likewise, they can maintain a greater number of charged tattoos than usual, as indicated in Table 3.

Table 3: Inscribed Adept Tattoo Progression

Special Hindrances:

No Armor: Inscribed Adepts may not wear any armor, as their tattoos must remain exposed and unobstructed to properly activate and discharge the stored psionic energies. They take pride in openly displaying their body art as a symbol of their discipline and identity.
Limited Defense Modes: Upon reaching 9th level, the Inscribed Adept does not gain a psionic defense mode as standard psionicists do and can never learn more than four defense modes in total. Their training focuses on tattoo-channeling techniques rather than strengthening mental bulwarks.
Reaction Penalty: Because their bodies are covered in striking tattoos, Inscribed Adepts take a –2 reaction adjustment penalty when dealing with NPCs except for other psionicists or individuals who are themselves tattooed.
Wealth Options: The Inscribed Adept begins play with 3d4+20 ceramic pieces.

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Nonweapon Proficiency (General)

Skin Artist

Skin artistry is the craft of injecting dyes beneath the surface of the skin to create lasting artwork on the body. The process is painful for the recipient and demanding for the artist, as skin is a challenging medium to work with.

A character with this proficiency must spend 1d4+1 hours applying the tattoo using the required dyes and needles. The quality of the work depends on the artist’s steady hand, and a proficiency check determines whether the tattoo is properly crafted.

If a 1 is rolled on the proficiency check, the artist produces an exceptionally beautiful tattoo. When such a tattoo is visible, the bearer receives a +1 reaction adjustment bonus when meeting an NPC for the first time.

If the check fails, the recipient takes 1 point of damage, and the resulting tattoo is either unattractive or of noticeably low quality.

If a 20 is rolled, the tattoo is disastrously executed, dealing 1d2+1 points of damage to the recipient. When the tattoo is visible, the bearer suffers a –1 reaction adjustment penalty when meeting an NPC for the first time.

Characters with the Artistic Ability proficiency receive a +1 bonus on all Skin Artist proficiency checks.

Note: This proficiency is required to use the Empower Tattoo psionic power. However, the character does not need to make a proficiency check when using it for that purpose. The power itself guides a psionicists hand, directing the precise patterns and designs needed to apply the dye correctly.