Psicraft Skill (4e Variant Rule)

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Psicraft (INT)[edit]

Can be selected as a trained skill by:

  • Ardent (PH3)
  • Avenger (PH2)
  • Bard (PH2)
  • Battlemind (PH3)
  • Cabalist (LAI)
  • Druid (PH2)
  • Invoker (PH2)
  • Monk (PH3)
  • Psion (PH3)
  • Shaman (PH2)
  • Sorcerer (PH2)
  • Warlock (PH1)
  • Wizard (PH1)

Ability Score: Intelligence

Replacement Skill: Arcana


You have picked up knowledge about psionics-related lore and psychic effects. This knowledge extends to information about psionic crystals, psionic constructs, other psionic entities and the living gate and far realm. If you have selected this skill as a trained skill it represents your extended study or knowledge of psionic elements through experience or scholarous ambition. Additionally, those who are trained in this skill have a chance of knowing about the Living gate and Far Realm. (However, not it's creatures, which fall under dungeoneering.)

Psionic Knowledge[edit]

Make an Psicraft check to recall a useful bit of magicrelated knowledge or to recognize a psionics-related clue. When making a Psionic knowledge check use the table for different difficulties of knowledge:

Level of Knowledge DC
Common 15
Expert 20
Master 25
Paragon Tier +10
Epic Tier +15

You must be trained in Psicraft to remember information about the Far Realm, which requires master knowledge (DC 25) at least.

Monster Knowledge[edit]

Keywords: Aberration, Psychic/Psionic, Etheral

Monster Knowledge DC
Name, type, and keywords 15
Powers 20
Resistances and vulnerabilities 25
Paragon Tier Creature +10
Epic Tier Creature +15


Detect Psionics[edit]

Your knowledge of psionics allows you to identify psychic effects and sense the presence of the mind.

Identify Conjuration or Zone: Minor action.

  • DC: DC 15 + one-half the power’s level. You must be able to see the effect of the conjuration or zone.
  • Success: You identify the power used to create the effect and keywords and its augmentation through power points.
  • Failure: You can’t try to identify the effect again during this encounter.

Identify Ritual: Standard action.

  • DC: DC 20 + one-half the ritual’s level. You must be able to see or otherwise detect the ritual’s effects.
  • Success: You identify the ritual and its category.
  • Failure: You can’t try to identify the ritual again until after an extended rest.

Identify Psionic Effect: Standard action.

  • DC: DC 20 + one-half the effect’s level, if any. You must be able to see or otherwise detect the effect.
  • Not a Power or a Ritual: The psionic effect must be neither from a psionics item nor the product of a power or a ritual.
  • Success: You learn the effect’s name, power source, power point augmentaion and keywords, if any of those apply.
  • Failure: You can’t try to identify the effect again until after an extended rest.

Sense the Presence of Psionics: 1 minute.

  • DC: DC 20 + one-half the level of a psionics item, power (conjuration or zone), ritual, or psionic phenomenon within range.
  • Area of Detection: You can detect psionics within a number of squares equal to 5 + your level in every direction, and you can ignore any sources of psionic energy you’re already aware of. Ignore all barriers; you can detect psionics through walls, doors, and such.
  • Success: You detect each source of psionic energy whose DC you meet. You learn the psionics’s power source, if any. If the source of psionic energy is within line of sight, you pinpoint its location. If it’s not within line of sight, you know the direction from which the psionic energy emanates, but you don’t know the distance to it.
  • Failure: Either you detected nothing or there was nothing in range to detect. You can’t try again in this area until after an extended rest.

Mask Psionic Effect

  • DC: DC 20 + Twice the effect's required level to use, + 5 incrementally for each power point used to augment a power if applicable. (5 for 1 PP, 10 for 2 PP, ect.)
  • Success: You mask the presence of an ongoing or latent psionic effect in a crystal, item or area. This masking keeps the affected area from being detected by Psicraft. The roll used to mask the effect becomes the new DC when Psicraft is used to detect the effect.
  • Failure: You cannot try to mask the effect again until after an extended rest.

Footnotes[edit]

  • Psicraft replaces any usage of Arcana by a class with a psionic power-base. Psicraft
  • Psicraft uses the Intelligence modifier
  • Can be replaced by the Arcana Skill
  • Has NO armor check penalty
  • Can be used in place of Arcana when performing a ritual, but not an arcana skill check.

Implementing the skill in your campaign setting[edit]

It may prove prudent to award players an additional trained skill selection if they are of a class where psionics and the usage of the skill Arcana are commonplace, to allow them to make up for the split focus of the skills. It may also be a good idea to not allow these additional trained skills and instead let the player choose between the two, increasing the diversity of magical knowledge in your campaign setting.

It can also be suggested that involving knowledge checks involving the far realm, whilst some information garnered from Arcana would be the same as through Psicraft, it would be better to allow two different focuses of knowledge checks from the different skills, allowing two different characters to provide more collective knowledge.


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