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Psionic 662 of the Overdriven Ego

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by

Dale
in
  • Lore
    • The Overdriven Ego was developed by the “Foremen of the Sunken Shafts” to maximize worker output in the most grueling steam-tunnels.
    • By applying principles of psychokinesis to the wearer’s own nervous system, the device “abuses” the natural limitations of the physical body, forcing it to perform at peak capacity by burning through psychic reserves.
    • It is a tool of desperate efficiency; the copper needles etched into the interior of the cuff do not just monitor the pulse—they inject psionic “commands” directly into the wearer’s motor cortex.
    • In Saṃsāra, this item is a symbol of the “Buyer Beware” market; it offers power at the cost of the wearer’s long-term mental and physical stability, treating the avatar’s psyche as a disposable battery.
  • Detail Stats
    • Tier: 1
    • Rarity: Common
    • Slot: Forearm (Bracer/Sleeve)
    • Material: Jagged iron casing lined with micro-etched copper needles and a reservoir of dark, bubbling psionic-conductive ichor.
    • Weight: 1.2 lbs.
    • Durability: High (The iron is reinforced to withstand the violent tremors of overtaxed muscles).
  • Skills Gained While Openly Worn
    • Intimidation (Callousness): The visible, jagged needles and the wearer’s twitchy, over-energized demeanor grant a bonus to coercing others.
    • Athletics (Forced Output): The device provides unnatural leverage, aiding in feats of raw strength and climbing.
  • Passive Magic
    • Adrenaline Overclock: The item monitors the wearer’s stress levels. When the avatar is at or below 25% of their total HP, it automatically bypasses pain receptors, allowing the wearer to ignore the “Slowed” or “Dazed” conditions.
    • Thought-Siphon: The device “abuses” the ambient psychic field by constantly drawing in small amounts of mana from nearby creatures (within 5 feet) to keep its internal reservoir bubbling. This causes minor, harmless headaches in allies.
  • Activable Magic
    • The Red Line (Normal): As a bonus action, the wearer can force the copper needles deeper into their arm. For the next 3 rounds, the wearer gains an additional action per turn, but takes 1 point of unfilterable damage at the start of each of those turns as their muscles begin to tear.
    • Ego-Crush (Active): Once per long rest, the wearer can touch a Tier 1 target and transmit a concentrated “Abuse” signal. This overrides the target’s personality for 1 minute, making them subservient and unable to take hostile actions against the wearer. (Requires a physical touch).
  • Tags
    • Psionic, Tier 1, Forearm Slot, Abuse, Overtaxed, Common, Intimidation, Command, Ego, Saṃsāra, Overclock, Motor-Cortex, Iron-Casing, Pain-Bypass, Siphon, Forced-Labor, Nerve-Etched, Ichor-Fuel, Subservience, High-Stress, Volatile

Acquisition of the Psionic 662 of the Overdriven Ego

In the industrial sprawl of Saṃsāra, obtaining an item defined by “Abuse” usually involves looking into the darker corners of the labor and security sectors. Because this device is designed to extract performance at a high physical cost, it is rarely gifted and almost always acquired through transaction or forceful recovery.

  • Industrial Foreclosure: These items are often recovered from the remains of failed mining expeditions or bankrupt steam-tunnel projects. When a labor guild collapses, their “efficiency tools” are sold off in bulk to recoup losses. An avatar might find one in a crate of “reconditioned hardware” at a shipyard salvage yard.
  • Black Market Debt Collection: Because the 662 is used to enforce subservience, debt collectors and enforcers often carry them. An avatar might obtain one after defeating a high-level thug or by raiding a clandestine “Ego-Correction” facility in the lower city.
  • Experimental Discard: Psionic engineers who study the limits of the motor cortex often discard early “unstable” prototypes. These can be found in the refuse piles behind prestigious academies, though they are often still active and dangerous to handle without protection.

Venues of Commerce

Buying and selling an item of “Abuse” requires navigating shops that prioritize results over the safety of the user.

  • Enforcer Supply Depots: Found in the high-security districts near government buildings or private prisons, these shops are clean, cold, and professional. The 662 is sold here as a “Standard Compliance Bracer.” The transaction is efficient and clinical, with the shopkeeper treating the needles and ichor like any other industrial lubricant or tool.
  • Pit-Fighter Pantries: Located in the lawless arenas of the 73 islands, these shops cater to those who fight for sport or survival. The walls are lined with jagged iron gear. Here, the 662 is marketed as a “Last Resort” device. The shopkeeper might demand a demonstration of the buyer’s “mental grit” before allowing them to strap on the needles, often charging a premium for the ichor refills.
  • Shadow-Caster Exchanges: These are hidden markets found in the steam-filled crawlspaces of the subterranean cities. The shops are lit by the dull purple glow of used psionic batteries. Trading here is done in whispers, and the item is sold as a tool for “Total Ego Control.” Sellers in these markets often accept non-monetary trades, such as “favors to be named later” or the trade of high-value industrial secrets.

Economic Valuation and Costs

As item prices vary based on access and availability in Saṃsāra, the “sellers’ market” nature of the world means the cost of the 662 reflects its potential for exploitation.

  • In a High-Output Mining District: Where the demand for forced labor is high, the item is relatively common but expensive due to its utility. A seller might ask for 150 Silver or 25 Electrum. They often emphasize the “return on investment” the buyer will see in worker productivity.
  • In a Prestigious Floating City: In these areas, the item is seen as distasteful or illegal. A clandestine seller in a high-rise back alley might inflate the price to 25 Gold or 4 Platinum, citing the risk of being caught with “Abuse-Tech” by the local air-patrols.
  • At a Combat Arena Outpost: To a desperate pit-fighter, the item is worth their life. A merchant here might demand 12 Gold or a high-quality Tier 1 steam-pistol in trade. If the buyer is a known champion, the price might drop to 80 Silver as a promotional gesture.
  • In a Rural or “Safe” Island: In peaceful farming communities, the item is viewed with horror. A local smith might sell a salvaged unit for as little as 30 Silver just to get the “cursed” object out of their shop, though they will offer no instructions on how to manage the needle-etching.
  • Refill Costs: The dark psionic ichor required to fuel the reservoir is a recurring expense. A single vial of refined ichor usually costs 10 Silver in industrial hubs but can go for as high as 2 Gold in remote areas where psionic engineering is rare.

In the world of Saṃsāra, roleplaying with the Psionic 662 of the Overdriven Ego is a study in “Performance at any Cost.” The theme of Abuse manifests as a violent disregard for the body’s natural safety protocols. The avatar does not just use the item; they endure it, turning their own pain and overtaxed nerves into a weaponized presence.

Defensive Roleplay Applications

Defensive use of the 662 isn’t about blocking attacks; it is about the Abuse of the Nervous System to remain standing when the body should have collapsed. It is the “Defense of the Relentless.”

  • In Lethal Industrial Zones: When navigating high-pressure steam leaks or collapsing tunnels, the avatar roleplays the “Adrenaline Overclock.” As debris strikes them or scalding vapor burns their skin, they describe a sickening click-hiss from the forearm bracer. The needles plunge deeper, and the avatar’s movements become jerky and mechanical. They roleplay “bypassing” the pain—not because they don’t feel it, but because the device is forcing their muscles to ignore the trauma. They describe a cold, artificial detachment from their own injuries.
  • Against Mental Intrusion and Social Manipulation: Roleplaying the defense against psionic or social “Abuse” involves the “Jagged Mind.” When an NPC tries to charm or command the avatar, the wearer describes the 662 pulsing with dark ichor. The internal “noise” of the needles is so sharp and painful that the external mental intrusion cannot find a foothold. The avatar roleplays being “too busy suffering” to be charmed, responding with a snarling, over-caffeinated intensity that makes social manipulation nearly impossible.
  • Hazardous Environments (Toxic/Psionic Mist): The avatar uses the “Thought-Siphon” defensively by leaning into the item’s hunger. As they walk through a cloud of debilitating psychic gas, they describe the 662 “drinking” the ambient energy before it can settle in their lungs. The roleplay emphasizes the cuff’s bubbling reservoir as it scavenges the environment to keep the wearer’s motor cortex firing, portraying the avatar as a predator consuming the very hazards meant to stop them.

Offensive Roleplay Applications

Offense with the 662 is defined by “The Violation of Limits.” It is used to break the will of others or to force the avatar’s own body into a state of lethal, overdriven velocity.

  • The “Red Line” Assault: In combat, roleplaying the activation of “The Red Line” is visceral. The avatar describes the sensation of “burning their own oil.” They act with terrifying speed—taking extra actions—but describe the cost: blood seeping from beneath the iron casing, the smell of scorched ozone, and eyes that are blown wide with chemical-psionic stimulation. They roleplay the offense as a desperate, frantic blur of motion that leaves them shaking and “used up” once the adrenaline fades.
  • “Ego-Crush” and Personality Override: When using the “Active” ability on a foe, the roleplay shifts to the Abuse of Others. The avatar describes grabbing the target’s head or throat, the copper needles on the bracer glowing a malevolent violet. They roleplay the transmission of a “Command” signal that feels like a physical weight pressing down on the victim’s soul. The avatar speaks with a cold, absolute authority, describing how the target’s eyes go dull as their personality is temporarily “deleted” to make room for the wearer’s demands.
  • Intimidation through Self-Harm: Offense often begins before a strike is landed. In roleplay, the avatar might intentionally trigger a minor needle-adjustment, letting the “Thought-Siphon” cause headaches in everyone nearby. They use the visible “Abuse” of their own body—the twitching limbs and the dark ichor stains—to demonstrate that if they are willing to do this to themselves for a slight advantage, they will do far worse to their enemies.

Impact of Tier Levels on Roleplay

  • Against Lower Tiers: The avatar feels like a god of iron and ego. They can roleplay a casual cruelty, using the “Thought-Siphon” to drain the minor mental energies of a room full of Tier 0 workers just to keep their bracer’s reservoir topped off. The “Abuse” is effortless and one-sided.
  • Against Equal Tiers: The roleplay is a “Duel of Wills.” The avatar describes the struggle to keep the “Ego-Crush” active against a foe who is fighting back. They roleplay the physical toll of the “Red Line,” showing that victory is only possible by being more willing to suffer than their opponent.
  • Against Higher Tiers: The item is a “Suicide Switch.” The avatar roleplays a frantic, all-or-nothing gamble, pushing the needles to their absolute limit. They describe the 662 hissing and the iron casing turning hot, knowing that they are “Abusing” their life force for a single moment of parity against a superior foe, portraying the device as a terrifyingly effective but ultimately self-destructive tool.

Perception of Activation:

User’s Perspective

  • Visual Perception: The dark ichor in the central reservoir begins to boil violently, emitting sharp, jagged sparks of violet electricity that arc across the iron casing. Your own veins beneath the device turn a bruised, necrotized black as the psionic fluid is forced into your bloodstream.
  • Tactile Perception: A searing, white-hot agony flares in the forearm as the copper needles drive deep into the periosteum of the bone. This is followed by a sickening “surge” of cold, artificial energy that causes every muscle in your body to lock and then vibrate at a frequency that makes your teeth chatter.
  • Auditory Perception: A high-pitched, metallic screaming sound—like a steam whistle being pushed past its burst point—rings in your ears, accompanied by the wet, rhythmic thump-hiss of the ichor pump engaging.
  • Extra-Sensory Perception (ESP):
    • Ego-Dilation: Your sense of self expands aggressively, making everyone else in the room feel like small, insignificant shadows or mere obstacles to be moved.
    • Nerve-Sight: You perceive your own nervous system as a glowing map of fire; you can “see” the exact pathways where the device is overriding your motor cortex to force movement.
    • The Hunger: A parasitic craving radiates from the bracer, a mental “tug” that identifies the nearest sources of psychic energy (allies and enemies alike) as fuel sources.

Observer’s Perspective

  • Visual Perception: The wearer’s movements suddenly become terrifyingly fast and precise, yet they possess a jittery, “stop-motion” quality. Fine droplets of dark, smoking ichor leak from the needle entry points, and the wearer’s eyes may roll back or glow with a frantic, violet intensity.
  • Auditory Perception: Those nearby hear the grinding of the wearer’s teeth and the mechanical whir of the internal clockwork needles shifting beneath the iron plating.
  • Extra-Sensory Perception (ESP):
    • Mental Static: Psionically sensitive observers feel a sudden, sharp headache or a “buzzing” in their frontal lobe as the device siphons their ambient mental energy.
    • The Predator Aura: A wave of cold, calculated malice washes over those nearby, a feeling of being viewed not as a person, but as a resource to be spent or a tool to be broken.

Positives

  • Peak Efficiency: The device allows the avatar to perform physical feats that should be biologically impossible, such as sprinting through broken glass without flinching or moving heavy machinery with one hand.
  • Condition Immunity: By “Abusing” the nervous system, the item effectively deletes the sensation of pain, allowing the wearer to stay conscious and combat-effective even with lethal wounds.
  • Command Dominance: The “Ego-Crush” provides a reliable way to temporarily neutralize threats or extract information by simply shattering the target’s mental resistance.

Negatives

  • Biological Debt: Every use of “The Red Line” causes micro-tears in the muscles and hairline fractures in the arm bones; eventually, the limb may become a useless, scarred husk.
  • Social Alienation: The “Thought-Siphon” and the abrasive aura of the device make it impossible to maintain long-term trust or intimacy, as others naturally recoil from the psychic “Abuse.”
  • Personality Erosion: Continued use may lead to the wearer’s actual personality being replaced by the “Overdriven Ego,” turning them into a cold, efficient machine that views its own friends as disposable assets.

Blueprint for the Psionic 662: The Overdriven Ego Construction

  • Materials Needed
    • Jagged Cold-Iron Ingot: One pound of unrefined iron, quenched in ice-melt to ensure a high resistance to magical warping.
    • Nerve-Etched Copper Needles: A set of twelve hollow-point needles, each microscopic-etched with runes of “Compulsion” and “Efficiency.”
    • Refined Psionic Ichor: 100 milliliters of dark, conductive fluid harvested from the spinal runoff of high-tier psionic entities.
    • Micro-Clockwork Governor: A tiny brass gear-assembly used to timing the depth of the needle penetration.
    • Lead-Glass Reservoir: A reinforced cylinder capable of holding pressurized, bubbling ichor without leaking psychic radiation.
    • Cured Industrial Leather: Heavy-duty hide treated with oil to prevent the iron casing from chafing during violent tremors.
  • Tools Required
    • High-Pressure Steam Press: Needed to forge the jagged iron into the forearm-molding bracer shape.
    • Precision Jewelers’ Drill: For creating the twelve guide-holes through which the needles will travel.
    • Alchemical Centrifuge: Used to stabilize the psionic ichor so it does not “boil” prematurely during the assembly process.
    • Magnetic Alignment Jig: Essential for seating the copper needles into the clockwork governor without bending the etched runes.
    • Mind’s Eye Calibration Lens: Used to synchronize the “Ego-Crush” signal with the wearer’s specific neural frequency.
  • Skill Requirements
    • Engineering (Clockwork/Mechanical): To ensure the governor and needle-depth timing do not cause immediate, lethal injury.
    • Psionic Theory (Neural Mapping): Knowledge of the motor cortex is required to etch the copper needles correctly.
    • Alchemy (Hazardous Materials): Competence in handling and pressurizing the volatile psionic ichor.
    • Crafting (Blacksmithing): Ability to work cold-iron into a functional, jagged frame.
  • Crafting Steps
    • Step 1: Forging the Frame: Heat the cold-iron until it is just malleable. Use the steam press to form the jagged, aggressive outer casing. Do not polish the metal; the rough surface helps dissipate the heat generated by the overdriven circuits.
    • Step 2: Etching the Needles: Using the diamond stylus and a calibration lens, etch the twelve copper needles. Each must be “tuned” to the frequency of physical exertion. A single mistake in the rune-chain will cause the device to paralyze the wearer rather than overclock them.
    • Step 3: Seating the Governor: Install the micro-clockwork governor into the base of the iron frame. This assembly must be perfectly balanced so that the “Red Line” setting deploys the needles to the exact depth of the periosteum.
    • Step 4: Filling the Reservoir: Carefully pour the refined psionic ichor into the lead-glass cylinder. Seal the cylinder with a pressure-valve that connects directly to the copper needles. The ichor should begin to bubble as it senses the proximity of the etched runes.
    • Step 5: Integration and Lining: Rivet the industrial leather to the interior of the iron frame. Use the jewelers’ drill to puncture the leather at the exact locations where the needles will emerge, ensuring there is no obstruction to the “Thought-Siphon.”
    • Step 6: The Pain-Bind: To finalize the item, the crafter must trigger the needles into a block of raw meat or a practice dummy while chanting the “Abuse” mantras. This binds the psionic potential of the ichor to the physical mechanism of the clockwork, readying the 662 for its first host.

Unwilling Speed and Master who bit Iron

In the rotation of the Great Steam-Cycle, when the sky was yet a thick soup of copper vapors and the First Architects built towers that screamed at the moon, there was a Task-Tyrant known only as “The Overseer of the Hundred-Needle-Hand.” This man ruled a pit where the earth was opened to find the Golden Oil of the Mind. The story-slabs, cracked by the feet of the ages, speak of a labor that was “Stagnant like a Dead Boiler.”

The Overseer found that the flesh was a “Weak Valve.” The avatars of that time grew weary; they wept when the iron was hot and they slept when the gears were turning. This caused the Overseer a Great Burning in his Ego. He sought a way to make the body “A Slave to the Will’s Fire.” He went to the Foundry of the Cruel Thought, where the psionic-conductive ichor is squeezed from the ghosts of the over-worked.

There, he forged a “Sleeve of Sharp Spite.” The unknown tongue describes it as a “Mouth with Twelve Teeth of Copper.” He did not place the sleeve upon his arm to protect himself, but to “Abuse the Weakness of the Marrow.” When he first tightened the iron, the needles “Kissed the Bone” and the ichor “Vomited into the Veins.” The ancient translation says the Overseer did not scream, for the device had already “Eaten the Sound of his Pain.”

The fragmented scrolls say the Overseer worked for a thousand days without a blink. He was a “Blur of Meat and Iron.” He struck the rock so fast that the hammers melted. He ran through the steam-tunnels like a bolt of purple lightning. But the price was the “Shredding of the Self.” The device was “Over-Hungry.” To keep the needles hot, it began to “Siphon the Breath of the Living.”

The Overseer walked among his workers, and as he passed, their thoughts became “Thin and Ashy.” Their smiles fell into the dirt. He was “Eating the Air of their Minds” to fuel his own overdriven velocity. Eventually, he forgot how to be a man who speaks. He became a “Command-Signal in a Jagged Frame.” He grabbed his favorite lieutenant, and the “Ego-Crush” was so powerful that the lieutenant’s soul was “Erased like a chalk-mark on a rain-wet board.”

But the “Red Line” has a cliff at the end of the road. On the final day, the iron casing turned a white-heat, and the ichor turned into a “Poison of Pure Speed.” The Overseer’s body could no longer hold the “Abuse.” His muscles turned to “Charred String” and his bones became “Powdered Glass.” He did not die as a man dies; he “Dissolved into a Static-Hiss.” When the workers found the bracer, it was still twitching on the ground, the copper needles looking for a new arm to “Over-Drive.”

The Artificers of the Steam-Age found the iron and called it the 662. They saw the power of the “Ego-Command,” but they trembled at the “Siphon.” They knew that to wear the iron was to “Declare War upon one’s own Frame.”

Moral of the Story: He who drives his own soul with a whip of iron will surely reach the destination quickly, but he may find that there is nothing left of the traveler to step off the carriage when it arrives.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu

The Overdriver’s Spite

  • Item Type: Mechanical Artifact / Psionic Device
  • Sanity Cost: 1D4 to activate “The Red Line”; 1 per hour worn.
  • Mechanics: * The Red Line: Upon activation, the wearer gains a Bonus Die on all STR, DEX, and CON-based rolls for 1D6 rounds.
    • Thought-Siphon: While active, anyone within 2 yards of the wearer must succeed on a POW roll or suffer a -10% penalty to all Skill rolls due to a splitting headache.
    • The Cost of Abuse: Once the effect ends, the wearer takes 1D6 physical damage (ignoring armor) and must pass a CON roll or suffer a permanent -5% penalty to their DEX as nerves are charred.
    • Ego-Crush: The wearer may initiate an Opposed POW roll against a target. If the wearer wins, the target is stunned and must obey a single three-word command.

Blades in the Dark

The Foreman’s Needle-Sleeve

  • Tier: 1
  • Quality: Fine (Industrial/Psionic)
  • Load: 1 (Worn)
  • Mechanics:
    • Overclock: You may take 2 Stress to gain +1d and +1 Effect on a physical action (Skirmish, Wreck, Prowl).
    • Pain Bypass: You may ignore the penalties of Level 1 and Level 2 Harm while the needles are engaged.
    • Thought-Siphon: During a score, any ally in the same position as you takes 1 Stress as you unconsciously drain their mental focus to stay energized.
    • Vicious Side Effect: When the score ends, if you used this item, you take Level 2 Harm: “Nerve Tremors” that cannot be resisted.

Dungeons & Dragons

Bracer of the Overdriven Ego

  • Wondrous Item: Common
  • Attunement: Required
  • Mechanics:
    • Adrenaline Overclock: When you drop below half your maximum hit points, you gain a +10 foot bonus to your walking speed and advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks.
    • The Red Line: As a bonus action, you can gain the benefits of the Haste spell for 3 rounds. You do not require concentration. When the effect ends, you take 2d6 necrotic damage and gain one level of Exhaustion.
    • Thought-Siphon: Any creature that starts its turn within 5 feet of you takes 1 psychic damage.
    • Ego-Crush: As an action, you can cast Command (Save DC 13). You can use this feature once per long rest.

Knave

The Spite-Sleeve

  • Item Slot: 1 (Forearm)
  • Armor: +1 (Iron)
  • Quality: 3 (Iron/Copper)
  • Mechanics:
    • Pain-Bypass: You do not lose actions or suffer penalties when at 5 HP or less.
    • Red Line: You may take two actions in a single round. If you do, you immediately take 1d6 damage that cannot be reduced by armor.
    • Thought-Siphon: Allies standing next to you must make a WIS save or have disadvantage on their next roll.
    • Ego-Crush: Once per day, make a CHA save against a nearby NPC. If they fail, they must follow one command for 10 minutes or until they take damage.
    • Brittle Nerves: If the item’s Quality reaches 0, the wearer’s arm is permanently paralyzed until healed by high-tier magic.

Fate

Sleeve of the Overdriven Ego

  • Aspects:
    • High Concept: Parasitic Neural-Overclock Bracer
    • Flaw: Twitching, Charred Nerves
  • Stunts:
    • The Red Line: Once per scene, I can check a physical stress box to gain a +2 bonus on all physical actions (Athletics, Physique, Combat) for the remainder of the scene. If I have no stress boxes available, I must take a Mild Consequence instead.
    • Thought-Siphon: Because I am draining the room’s focus, I gain a +2 to defend against Empathy or Provoke actions, but any allies in my same zone take a -1 penalty to their mental defense.
    • Ego-Crush: Once per session, I can use my Will to physically “Command” a target as an attack. If successful, instead of dealing stress, I can force the target to take a Consequence representing “Subservience.”
  • Special Rules:
    • Abuse of the Body: At the end of any scene where The Red Line was used, the avatar must pass a Fair (+2) Physique roll or the “Twitching Nerves” aspect becomes a persistent hindrance until they receive medical attention.

Numenera & Cypher System

Psionic Overdriver 662

  • Level: 1d6 + 1 (Typically Level 4)
  • Form: A jagged iron forearm sleeve with internal copper needles and a reservoir of bubbling violet ichor.
  • Effect:
    • Passive (Adrenaline Overclock): While the wearer has points in their Might or Speed Pools, they ignore the first step of any penalty caused by being impaired on the damage track.
    • Active (Action): The wearer triggers “The Red Line.” For the next ten minutes, they gain a free level of effort on all Might and Speed tasks. However, every time they use this effort, they take 2 points of ambient damage that bypasses Armor.
    • Thought-Siphon: Any creature within immediate range of the wearer finds the difficulty of Intellect-based tasks increased by one step.
    • Ego-Crush (Action): The wearer can attempt to mentally dominate a target of a level equal to or lower than the item level. This is an Intellect task. Success means the target obeys one simple command.
  • Depletion: 1 in 1d10 (Roll each time the ten-minute duration of The Red Line ends).

Pathfinder

Overdriven Ego Bracer (Psionic Item 662)

  • Item 2
  • Price: 35 Gold
  • Usage: Worn, forearm; Bulk: L
  • Traits: Psionic, Magical, Invested
  • Description: This iron bracer uses copper needles to inject psionic ichor into the wearer’s nerves, bypassing pain but damaging the tissue.
  • Activation [One-Action]: (Concentrate, Rage-like); Effect: You enter “The Red Line” state for 1 minute. You gain a +1 status bonus to Athletics checks and your Speed increases by 5 feet. You are Immune to the Sickened and Frightened conditions. At the start of each of your turns in this state, you take 1d4 persistent bleed damage as the needles shift.
  • Activation [Two-Actions]: (Psychic, Visual); Frequency: Once per day; Effect: You attempt to Ego-Crush a creature within 30 feet. The target must attempt a DC 16 Will save. On a failure, they are Controlled by you for 1 round.
  • Thought-Siphon (Aura): You emit a 5-foot aura of psychic static. Allies in the aura take a -1 penalty to Will saves.

Savage Worlds

Psionic 662: The Ego-Driver

  • Type: Wondrous Item
  • Rank: Novice
  • Attributes:
    • Overclock (Free Action): The wearer may choose to gain the Quick and Fleet-Footed Edges for the duration of a combat. If they do, they suffer a level of Fatigue immediately after the fight ends. This Fatigue can only be removed by a natural hour of rest.
    • Pain-Bypass: The wearer ignores one level of Wound penalties.
    • Thought-Siphon: Anyone adjacent to the wearer (friend or foe) suffers a -1 penalty to their Notice and Spellcasting/Psionics rolls.
    • Ego-Crush (Action): The wearer makes an opposed Spirit roll against a target within 5″. On a success, the target is Shaken. On a raise, the target is Bound as their own mind forces their muscles to lock up.
  • Special Rules:
    • Abuse: If the wearer rolls a Critical Failure on any Trait roll while the item is active, they take an automatic Wound as the needles strike a major nerve.

Shadowrun (6th World Edition)

Psionic-Link: The 662 Ego-Flail

  • Type: Cyberware-equivalent Focus (Neural)
  • Essence/Availability: (1) / 4R
  • Cost: 12,500¥
  • Mechanics:
    • The Red Line: As a Minor Action, the wearer can activate the needle-injection. For the duration of the combat, increase your Initiative Dice by +1 and your Reaction by +1. At the end of combat, you take 3S (Stun) damage that cannot be resisted as the neural crash occurs.
    • Thought-Siphon: While active, the device creates a 2-meter “Noise” zone. Any wireless device or magically sensitive person (Awakened) in this zone suffers a -1 dice pool penalty to all mental tasks.
    • Ego-Crush: As a Major Action, the wearer may engage in an Opposed Willpower + Charisma test against a target within reach. If the wearer wins, the target is inflicted with the “Dazed” status for a number of rounds equal to the net hits.

Starfinder (2nd Edition / Playtest)

Psionic 662 Overdriven Ego (Level 2 Magic Item)

  • Usage: Worn (Forearm)
  • Bulk: L
  • Price: 600 Credits
  • Description: An iron bracer that uses pressurized ichor and needles to override pain and force physical output.
  • Adrenaline Overclock (Passive): You gain a +1 item bonus to Athletics and Acrobatics checks. If you are below half your maximum Hit Points, you gain a +5-foot status bonus to your Speed.
  • The Red Line [One-Action] (Apex, Psionic): You gain the “Quickened” condition for 3 rounds. You can use the extra action only to Stride or Strike. When the effect ends, you are “Exhausted 1” and take 2d6 damage from the internal needles.
  • Ego-Crush [Two-Actions] (Mental, Psionic): Once per day, you can target a creature within 30 feet. The target must succeed at a DC 16 Will save or be “Stunned 1.” If the target is of a lower level than you, they are “Controlled” for 1 round instead.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

662 Ego-Driver Bracer

  • TL: 13
  • Cost: Cr8,000
  • Required Psionic Talent: Awareness 1
  • Mechanics:
    • Neural Overdrive: The wearer can trigger the needles to gain +2 to all DEX or STR-based checks for 2D minutes. However, during this time, every time the wearer rolls a 2 (Snake Eyes), they suffer 1D damage to their END.
    • Thought-Siphon: Any psionically active person within 5 meters suffers a -1 DM to all Psionic Strength checks.
    • Ego-Crush: The user may spend 2 Psionic Strength points to force an NPC to perform a single physical task. The NPC may resist with an INT check (10+).
    • Medical Risk: After use, the wearer must pass a Medic check (8+) or suffer a permanent -1 to their END until they receive surgery at a TL 12+ hospital.

Warhammer (Age of Sigmar: Soulbound)

The 662 Jagged Mandate

  • Rarity: Common
  • Complexity: DN 4:2
  • Slot: Forearm
  • Traits:
    • Pain-Bypass: You ignore the first level of Wound penalties.
    • The Red Line (Action): You can push your body beyond its limits. For the next round, you gain one additional Action. However, you must immediately suffer 1 point of Damage that ignores Armor.
    • Thought-Siphon: Creatures in your Zone (excluding yourself) increase the DN of Mind-based Tests by 1.
    • Ego-Crush (Action): You attempt to break the will of a creature in your Zone. Make a DN 4:2 Opposed Soul (Intimidation) Test. If you succeed, the target is “Stunned” until the end of their next turn.
    • The Price of Spite: If you use “The Red Line” more than once per combat, you gain the “Lamed” condition until you receive a long rest.