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Well.
There is that 'phenomenon' called psionics in sci-fi that most of you have heard of by now, I'd guess.
(If you haven't, you have neither read a single RP post of mine nor know any of the many sci-fi franchises that use that term)
On top of my head, I can think of the following franchises directly using the term 'psionics' or 'psionic [...]':
SoaSE
WH40k
XCOM:EU
Starcraft

Also, there are many other psionic mentions under other names:
The Force (Star Wars)
PSI (Earthbound)
Chaos Energy (StH)
Ki (Dragonball)
Noetics (The Lost Symbol)

A few days/a week ago I posted a picture about a tech tree suggestion on skype. One of the specialised branches was [Psychic]. I had it in mind like the advent in SoaSE do it. With implants, and technology variants which are used by accessing them psychically. One thing I thought earlier this week was some kind of "providence", which would actually be freecam, being able to be moved up to a certain distance away from the player. Or psychic "chat", basically a lore-friendly way to include whisper chat. There's enough stuff to justify its own branch in the technology tree.

EDIT: Wait, I actually had the mod in mind with this, not psychics in general sci-fi (I like it, most of the time btw). Someone probably make a thread sometime later in the Phase 3 or 2 section.

Are we supposed to discuss psionics here ? Like if or how ?

I always liked to think of it as using one's mental power to effect other thingz. Like, driving bad guys insane with your mind.

Also, WH40k has psionics, but they're called "psykers" in universe.

Commander Error wrote:I always liked to think of it as using one's mental power to effect other thingz. Like, driving bad guys insane with your mind.

Also, WH40k has psionics, but they're called "psykers" in universe.

I do have WH40k filed under those that directly use the term 'psionics' because they do use the adjective, 'psionic' to describe stuff.

Also added Biotics (ME)

Edit: Dan Brown's book 'The Lost Symbol' does a pretty good job at explaining the psionic theory.

It should be noted that, although the effects may be similar, they are quite different from each other more often than not. Not to mention that they're based on completely different things, like in WH40k and ME. Psykers use their minds to influence the warp and therefore the material realm, which also lets them control the minds of others. With a blank too close, though, they can't do anything as their psionic vacuum cuts them off from the warp (Which sometimes can hurt the victim physically, depending on his/her psionic affinity, but the psychological damage is far worse (which is actually true for using psionics on their own as well (#warp))). In Mass Effect, biotics have amounts of Element Zero in their body, which is controlled by their nervous system (triggered by movement of certain body parts), the bio energy to do that is taken from the person's metabolism. That lets them affect the dark energy concentration around them, and with that the mass of objects around them, granting them abilities like telekinesis. Their exhaustion and damage is purely physical. An immobile bionic is helpless, while the psyker is not at all.

Though psykers tend to have things like Your Head A Splode happen when they stand too close to a blank. Less so in the others.

I practice Luminokinesis on real life.

To light stuff with your mind ? Judging by the name ...

BTW Im not sure "magic" and "psionic" are the same, they share similarities and although "psionics" can be named "magic" it cant be the other way around, that means you can name psionics "magic" but you can't name psionics "magic" like you have in the OP .

I deleted the ME mention, but kept the WH40k in, as the primary idea of psionics (energy field being channeled through ones mind used to manipulate physical objects) is still present.

Anyway, I think we got a pretty good idea of what psionics are.
Basically, Psionics = Magic + Science, therefore explaining why it is so common in sci-fi setups:
It is the most reasonable way of introducing stuff like religion, magic, and several other stuff into sci-fi without making it seem out of place from an author's perspective.


Also, @Iv I do agree that not all magic is psionics. I would propably point a gun at anyone who said Harry Potter was psionics.
However, what I meant in the OP is that in some instances there is something called magic (usually in fantasy setups) that follows the basic principles of Psionics. That is what I meant in the OP and I'm pretty sure I clearified that two lines below.

Well if Im going to give you a two hour lection about the physics behind void magic does that make it psionics ? The point is that psionics is reserved for Sci-Fi settings.

Psionics are mind powers. Magic isn't solely mind based. Ergo, magic =/= psionics in most cases.

Iv121 wrote:Well if Im going to give you a two hour lection about the physics behind void magic does that make it psionics ? The point is that psionics is reserved for Sci-Fi settings.

That actually is a valid argument.
Deleting magic.

Do biotics from Mass Effect count? Also, there was so much stuff flying around Revelation Space that I feel like psionics were probably in there somewhere.

Mistake Not... wrote:Do biotics from Mass Effect count? Also, there was so much stuff flying around Revelation Space that I feel like psionics were probably in there somewhere.

Mass effect: Power drawn from Element Zero -> no psionic energy field stuff there
Revelation space: There was a telepathic communication, but it was based on nanoscale computing instead of psi-stuff, so no.