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The psionic activity of the subconscious mind lies just below the level of awareness. In this level, a darker, more insidious side of the psyche resides. While most psionic characters never venture into the subconscious mind, some have embraced it. The subconscious mind provides a psionic character with an alternate conduit for manifesting powers.
Skilled manifesters that utilize the subconscious mind can manifest powers that are extraordinarily difficult for normal psionic creatures to perceive, counter, or nullify.
Those who utilize their subconscious mind suffer some disadvantages. First, the thoughts and secrets of the subconscious mind are disquieting and injurious to the mortal mind. Second, while the conscious mind serves equally well for any kind of power, the subconscious mind is best for the disciplines of Metacreativity, Clairsentience, and Telepathy, and it is unsuited to the Psychometabolism, Psychoportation, and Psychokinesis disciplines. Third, powers with a visible display (Vi) that involve the creation of light no longer create any visible light; creatures with darkvision can, however, see these powers.
Finally, the more familiar a mortal becomes with the secrets of the subconscious mind, the more divorced they become from the conscious mind. An accomplished subpsionic character can manifest powers that normal psionic creatures find difficult to detect, counter, or nullify, but the subpsionic character becomes similarly unable to affect powers manifested by the conscious mind.
Subpsionic Items
Psionic items created by those who use the subconscious mind are rare and dangerous. These items are nearly identical to items created by the conscious mind, but the differences that exist are profound.
Powerlike effects manifested from subpsionic items have the same benefits and limitations that a subpsionic manifester has: Effects from the Metacreativity, Clairsentience, and Telepathy disciplines gain a +1 bonus to their save DCs and +1 bonus on manifester level checks to overcome power resistance. Effects from the Psychometabolism, Psychoportation, and Psychokinesis disciplines have their manifester levels reduced by -1 (though their costs are based on the original manifester level). The reduced manifester level affects the power's range, duration, damage, and any other level-dependant variables the effect might have. The effect's save DC is lessened by -1 and manifester level checks to overcome power resistance suffer a -1 penalty. The DC to nullify psychometabolic, psychoportation, or psychokinetic effects from a subpsionic item is 11 + the reduced manifester level.
Subpsionic items can pose a serious danger to users that are not familiar with the subconscious mind. Activating a subpsionic item through power trigger, command thought, or use-activation deals 1d4 points of temporary ability damage to the user unless the user has the Conjunctive Mind feat. The temporary ability damage is applied to the primary discipline of the psion user; psychic warriors and non-psionic creatures take the loss from their Intelligence. If the item functions continuously, the temporary ability damage occurs at dusk each day or when the user takes off or puts aside the item, whichever comes first.
Psionic Combat
When a subpsionic creature engages in psionic combat against a normal psionic creature, the Will save DC is modified based on the attack modes chosen. When attackingwith mind thrust, psychic crush, or mind blast, you gain a +2 bonus to the Will save DC. However, when attacking with id insinuation or ego whip, you suffer a penalty of -2 to the Will save DC. Similarly, when defending against mind thrust, psychic crush, or mind blast, the Will save DC is lowered by -2 and you have an additional point of mental hardness. However when defending against id insinuation or ego whip your Will save DC is increased by +2 and mental hardness is decreased by -1 point. Combat against another subpsionic creature is handled as normal.
Feats
Conjunctive Mind [Psionic]
You have discovered the dark and dangerous side of the mind that is buried deep within the subconscious.
Prerequisite: Ability score from your primary discipline is 15+ (Psychic Warriors, Strength 15+).
Benefit: From now on, your powers and psionic combat modes have become integrated with your subconscious mind. You can also activate subpsionic items without taking damage.
Add a +1 to all saving throws of powers you manifest from Metacreativity, Clairsentience, and Telepathy disciplines. You get a +1 bonus on manifester level checks to overcome power resistance for powers from these disciplines.
The subconscious mind proves less than optimal for powers from the Psychometabolism, Psychoportation, and Psychokinesis disciplines. Your effective manifester level for powers you manifest from these disciplines is lessened by -1. (Subpsionic characters cannot manifest powers from these disciplines if they are 1st-level characters.) The reduced manifester level affects the power's range, duration, damage, and any other level-dependant variables the power might have, including nullify checks against you.
From now on any psionic item you create is a subpsionic item.
Special: Knowledge of the subconscious mind has a price. When you acquire this feat, you must reduce one of your stats by 2 points. Restorative powers (such as true rejuvenation) do not reverse the stat loss.
Insidious Mind [Metapsionic]
You can use your subconscious mind to make your powers harder for normal psionic creatures to detect. Any psionic creature that does not possess the Conjunctive Mind feat is considered to be a normal psionic creature.
Prerequisite: Conjunctive Mind.
Benefit: When a normal psionic creature employs a powerlike ability, or psionic item, or power (such as detect psionics) that can detect the psionic aura of one of your powers, the normal psionic creature must make a level check (DC 11 + your manifester level) to successful detect your powers. Similarly, a normal psionic creature attempting to use a power to reveal the effects of one of your powers, such as sense psychoportation, must make a level check to reveal your power's effects. The normal psionic creature can check only once for each power used, no matter how many of your powers effects are operating in an area.
This benefit does not extend to powers you manifest from the Psychometabolism, Psychoportation, or Psychokinesis disciplines.
From now on, your ability to detect normal psionic powers is impaired. Any power you use to detect a normal psionic power is successful only if you make a level check against a DC of 9 + the manifester level. This penalty does not extend to powers from the Metacreativity, Clairsentience, and Telepathy disciplines. (You detect them normally.)
Tenacious Mind [Metapsionic]
You can use your subconscious mind to make your powers harder for normal psionic creatures to nullify. Any psionic creature that does not possess the Conjunctive Mind feat is considered to be a normal psionic creature.
Prerequisite: Conjunctive Mind.
Benefit: Your powers resist negation attempts by normal psionic creatures. When a normal psionic creature makes a negate check to negate one of your powers, the DC is 15 + your manifester level. This benefit does not extend to powers from the Psychometabolism, Psychoportation, or Psychokinesis disciplines.
From now on your ability to negate powers manifested by normal psionic creatures is impaired. When you make a negation check to negate a power manifested by a normal psionic creature, the DC is 13 + the opponent's manifester level. This penalty does not extend to powers from the Metacreativity, Clairsentience, and Telepathy disciplines, which you can negate normally.
 Tainted Construction [Psionic]
As a subpsionic character, you can tap into the subconscious mind when shaping astral constructs.
Prerequisite: Conjunctive Mind.
Benefit: You can select astral construct abilities from an extended menu. Each special ability can come from your normal menu or Table 1-1: Subpsionic Extended Construct Abilities. Astral constructs you create are formed from a darker tainted ectoplasm and now have the [Evil] descriptor. Their surface is a shimmering black bathed in a deep purple glow.
Table 1-1: Subpsionic Extended Construct Abilities
Menu A
Lesser Aura of Fear: Creatures within 10 feet of the construct must make a Will save (DC 5 + 1/2 the construct's HD) or become shaken and suffer a -2 morale penalty on attack rolls, saves, and checks. (See Chapter 3 in the Dungeon Master's Guide for fear effects.) Anyone whose HD exceed those of the construct are not affected. This ability cannot be chosen more than once.
Lesser Withering: Each time a target is struck by the construct, it must make a Fortitude save (DC 5 + 1/2 the construct's HD) or take 1 point of temporary ability damage to the ability score chosen by the manifester at the time the construct is created. This ability cannot be chosen more than once. This ability does not stack with withering or greater withering.
Menu B
Aura of Fear: Creatures within 10 feet of the construct must make a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the construct's HD) or become shaken and suffer a -2 morale penalty on attack rolls, saves, and checks and flee from the construct as quickly as they can. (See page 76 of the Dungeon Master's Guide for fear effects.) Anyone whose HD exceed those of the construct are not affected. This ability cannot be chosen more than once.
Withering: Each time a target is struck by the construct, it must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 the construct's HD) or take 1d3 points of temporary ability damage to the ability score chosen by the manifester at the time the construct is created. This ability cannot be chosen more than once. This ability does not stack with lesser withering or greater withering.
Menu C
Greater Aura of Fear: Creatures within 30 feet of the construct must make a Will save (DC 15 + 1/2 the construct's HD) or become shaken and suffer a -2 morale penalty on attack rolls, saves, and checks and have a 50% chance to drop what they're holding and flee from the construct as quickly as they can. (See Chapter 3 in the Dungeon Master's Guide for fear effects.) Anyone whose HD exceed those of the construct are not affected. This ability cannot be chosen more than once.
Greater Withering: Each time a target is struck by the construct, it must make a Fortitude save (DC 15 + 1/2 the construct's HD) or take 1d3 points of temporary ability damage and 1 point of permanent ability drain to the ability score chosen by the manifester at the time the construct is created. This ability cannot be chosen more than once. This ability does not stack with withering or lesser withering.
Putrescence (Su): Any creature struck by the construct must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 construct's HD) or contract astral rot (supernatural disease; incubation period 1d6 days; damage 1d3 temporary Constitution). Unlike normal diseases, astral rot continues until the victim reaches Constitution 0 (and dies) or receives a remove disease spell or similar magic (see Disease in the Dungeon Master's Guide).
Psionics-Magic Transparency
For the purposes of power-to-spell interaction with these feats, Enchantment, Illusion and Necromancy are treated the same as the Metacreativity, Clairsentience, and Telepathy disciplines. Evocation and Transmutation are treated the same as the Psychometabolism, Psychoportation, or Psychokinesis disciplines.
Creatures with the Conjunctive Mind feat interact with creatures that have the Shadow Magic feat as though they were the same, gaining no benefits or penalties. Items created by a creature with the Conjunctive Mind feat are considered the same as items created by creatures with the Shadow Magic feat, and they can use shadow magic items as though they had the Shadow Magic feat.
Forgotten Realms: When using these psionic feats in the Forgotten Realmssetting, the subconscious mind is directly linked to the shadow weave. Psions that use these feats understand that they are using the shadow weave and are subject to all limitations and penalties that may be imposed as a result.
Special thanks to Elockloran and Dartanel from the Wizards online community
message boards for their astral construct ability suggestions.
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