The first time it happened, Kareth thought he was dying.

Which, in the wastes, meant very little.

The sun had already taken his water, his strength, and most of his thoughts. It burned overhead like a merciless eye, waiting for him to stop crawling. Sand filled his mouth. His tongue had swollen so badly it felt like a second throat choking him from within.

He remembered falling. He did not remember getting back up.

But something inside him refused to stay still.

It wasn’t courage. It wasn’t hope. Those things had dried up days ago. This was something uglier, something desperate. A clawing, blind instinct that pushed against the inside of his skull.

Then the world moved.

Not the wind. Not the dunes. Something else.

The sand before him shifted, not by breeze, but by intent. It trembled, then parted, as if something beneath it recoiled from him. For a moment, just a moment, the dunes revealed a darker line beneath the surface.

Moisture.

Kareth’s mind seized on it, and the pressure inside his skull surged.

He screamed, but the sound never left his lips. It exploded outward instead.

The sand burst aside in a violent spray, exposing a shallow seam of damp earth. Not water. Not salvation. But enough.

He dug like an animal. Like something worse than an animal.

When he finally collapsed beside the muddy trench, clutching the dampness to his cracked lips, he realized he was laughing.

Or crying.

Or both.

—————————————–

On Athas, psionic talent is almost as common as thirst, but mastery is rare, dangerous, and sometimes fatal. Most of those who manifest a wild talent do so without guidance, their minds cracking open under stress like sun-baked clay. What follows are rules and lore for bringing structure—and consequences—to the training of the untrained.

This alternative system to standard wild talents keeps psionics unpredictable, dangerous, and deeply tied to Athas itself - where even the first spark of power is born in desperation and every step toward control risks breaking the mind that wields it.

I. Awakening the Way

Wild talents rarely emerge in comfort; instead; they are born in extremity — moments when the body is failing, the mind is breaking, and something deeper forces its way to the surface.

Instead of determining wild talents randomly at character creation, they may instead be awakened through moments of trauma or extreme stress. A DM may also choose to use this approach to supplement a character’s starting wild talent, allowing for the rare emergence of additional psionic abilities.

In either case, such awakenings should be used sparingly. When a character faces profound trauma or tragedy, there is a chance that a latent psionic power manifests, granting a wild talent.

The DM should select or tailor each awakening to suit both the character and the circumstances. These moments should feel deeply personal, be born of extreme desperation, and carry a sense of permanence — something that cannot be undone.

Example Awakening Scenarios:

• Left for dead in the wastes: As the sun beats down and death closes in, the character’s mind lashes out—perhaps sensing distant water, pushing sand aside, or reaching out to another mind in desperation.
• Dehydration delirium: Bereft of water, hallucinations begin to blur into reality. In this fractured mental state, the character unknowingly manifests their first psionic effect.
• Witnessing violent death: A surge of fear, rage, or grief triggers a sudden mental backlash—objects shatter, thoughts bleed outward, or time seems to slow down.
• Slave pit survival: Faced with certain death, the mind reacts faster than the body—granting a fleeting but powerful edge that refuses to fade afterward.
• Prolonged isolation: Whether in caves, ruins, or drifting across the silt, the character begins to hear their own thoughts echo… then answer.
• Contact with psionic residue or an artifact: A relic of the Green Age or a lingering psychic imprint forces the mind open, perhaps even violently.
• Exposure to psychic turbulence: Psychic energies rage like a storm, overwhelming the senses—leaving those who survive to sometimes emerge changed.
• Dream-vision from the Gray: The character experiences a vivid, unnatural dream—voices, shadows, or memories that are not their own—and awakens with a new-found power they cannot explain.
• Near-fatal poisoning or disease: As the body shuts down, the mind fights to survive, manifesting in unpredictable ways.
• Encounter with a powerful psionic creature: Contact with beings such as psurlons or other powerful psionic predators sometimes leaves a lasting imprint—with something in the character awakening in response.

Effect: The character gains a Wild Talent and rolls on the standard Wild Talent Table, but must also immediately roll on the Instability Table for each power gained (see Section II).

II. Instability Table

Roll on this table whenever a character:

• First awakens a wild talent
• Suffers a failed training attempt (see below)

The effects below represent the creeping toll of psionic strain. Unless otherwise noted, effects are permanent. An instability roll must be made for each power gained, and the result of each roll is tied to that specific power.

d12 Result:

1. Clouded Sight: The character’s eyes permanently haze over, inflicting a –1 penalty to missile attack rolls and surprise checks.
2. Whispering Thoughts: Faint voices linger at the edge of the character’s mind, causing a –1 penalty on Wisdom checks.
3. Emotional Numbness: The character struggles to feel extremes of emotion, suffering a –1 penalty to reaction rolls.
4. Violent Surges: The character experiences sudden outbursts of aggression when under stress. When surprised, they must make a Wisdom check or act recklessly (no defensive actions) for 1 round.
5. Telepathic Bleed: The character’s surface thoughts unintentionally leak out, inflicting a –1 penalty to surprise rolls in situations requiring subtlety.
6. Dreams of the Gray. Nightmares plague the character’s rest. They recover 75% of normal PSPs after rest instead of 100%.
7. Uncontrolled Manifestation. The wild talent triggers when under stress. When reduced half their hit points or less, the character must succeed on a Wisdom check or involuntarily activate the power (cost still paid).
8. Nervous Tremor. A persistent twitch affects fine control. The character suffers a –1 penalty to Dexterity checks involving precision or a -5 to Pick Pockets and Open Locks rolls.
9. Fixation. Obsession with the power. The character is occasionally compelled to use the wild talent in tense moments (roleplay cue; no mechanical penalty unless ignored repeatedly).
10. Psychic Feedback. Psionic use causes strain. Each time the wild talent is used, there is a 1-in-6 chance the character suffers 1 point of damage.
11. Psionic Scar. Visible marks trace the flow of power through the body. The character takes a –1 penalty to reaction rolls with those who recognize the signs.
12. Mind Fracture. Perception slips slightly out of sync; take a –1 penalty to initiative rolls.

III. Informal Training

While there are a number of psionic academies and schools that train students in the use of the Way, these largely focus on training dedicated psionicists, meaning Athasians lack widespread access to the formal training of wild talents. Due to this, instruction falls into dangerous, imperfect forms.

Sources of Training:

• Escaped slave psionicists
• Hermits in the wastes
• Tribal elders with fragmentary knowledge
• Hidden clandestine sects of the Order
• Highly intelligent psionic monsters
• Cruel templar interrogators (teaching through pain)

Each source shapes the student, and more than often than not, damages them.

Training is never a guarantee of success—it is a deliberate risk. Each attempt pushes the mind toward greater control, but also closer to fracture. Progress demands exposure to strain, and strain invites consequences. Some who pursue mastery emerge sharpened, their abilities refined and dependable; others find only instability, their efforts unraveling into setbacks, lingering side effects, or something far worse.

To train is to gamble with one’s very self: time, strength, and even identity placed at stake for the chance at growth. The outcome is uncertain, and the cost is always real.

Attempting the Training Process

To attempt training, a character must: * Have a Wild Talent
* Spend 1d4+2 weeks training

IV. Training Outcomes

After undergoing psionic training, the character must make an Ability Check using the most relevant score (typically Wisdom, Constitution, or Intelligence, at the DM’s discretion).

Special Results:

• Natural 20 Catastrophic Burn - The mind fractures under strain. Lose access to the wild talent for 1d6 weeks and roll for another instability on the Instability Table.
• Natural 1 Exceptional Breakthrough - The character exceeds all limits, gaining full control of the power. Remove any instabilities tied to it, and awaken an additional power within the same discipline that thematically fits with the initial wild talent (roll on Instability Table for this new power).

These results occur regardless of modifiers or margins of success/failure.

Standard Outcomes (All Other Rolls):

VI. Self-Training: The Lonely Path

Many wild talents have no teacher or are unable to find one. When doing self training, the below rules apply when rolling Training Outcomes:

• Always at –4 penalty (already included above)
• On any failure result, gain an additional instability (roll on Instability Table)
• On a Catastrophic Failure, gain a deranged interpretation of the power rather than a new instability. Example:Telepathy becomes intrusive mind-screaming, Telekinesis manifests as uncontrolled bursts, etc…