History:
An intelligent species, the Brights on Corpco are the remnant of a once high technological civilization that existed concurrently with the Tetrarch Societies and appear to have been a client-species or a member of that ancient civilization. The Brights had colonized Corpco some 22,000 years ago, building an intricate web of cities with a total planetary population that numbered around 1 billion at its height.
When the Tetrarchs fell, the Scarlett Ghosts rampaged across the world, bringing death and destruction to the Brights. Many fell to the energy vampire-like creatures while cascading power outages and the collapse of their high-tech industries caused additional fatalities.
At some point, the more powerful of the Brights managed to corral the Scarlett Ghosts, banishing them or imprisoning them in a type of psychic cage, but at the cost of hundreds of lives per vampire. By the time this was done, their population had fallen to some 2,000 individuals, but only a quarter of which were of reproductive age.
The Brights entered a dark age, losing much of their history and technical knowledge. They eked out an existence on the planet. Although they are still omnivores – capable of draining the life force energy from animals and plants and even power sources – most Brights will only feast on energy from plants or microbes. They believe that the powers of their ancestors and the practice of absorbing energy from animals somehow unleashed the Scarlett Ghosts.
Society Notes:
Brights do have a concept of individuality, but because of the partial shared memories of their ancestors – given to them at birth – they have a strong communal concept. They live and work to support their communities.
Their “told stories” – if they were human, they would be called oral stories, but brights do not need to breathe and thus don’t have lungs, air sacs and do not usually use sound to communicate – tell of a time when their ancestors made great machines, had powers to sustain great communities and traveled the stars. They even had a written language at one time, courtesy of their “neighbors” (the Tetrarch Societies).
The brights long for a time when their race was united – at least according to stories – but now each community is run by its own its own leadership, whether it is a single leader or a council of elders.
In general, most brights do not try to fight each other, but they believe that they are a fallen race due to the arrogance of their ancestors and that has led to conflict between individuals and communities. One of the general tenants of most brights is that they will not feast off of the energy of animals and insects, but it is much easier to get concentrated energy from animals.
However, some brights have abandoned the dictates of the others and do feed off of animal and insect energy. These beings – called feasters – are ostracized by most communities, which is why they’ve started their own. Brights and feasters occasionally come into conflict, leading to battles and killings.
Relations with the Tribal Humans & Streel Colony
One thing that the normal brights and the feasters agree upon is that sentient beings are not food. When the original human colonists accidentally weakened the prison holding of the trapped Scarlett Ghosts, which nearly killed them all off, the brights banished it, but at a great loss of life.
For the most part, the brights and the feasters stay away from the tribal humans and Streel’s operations, though a few more curious types will observe them. Some feasters will even get a quick snack by draining power cells, parabatteries or tap into other Streel power sources.
The Malevolents
The brights and feasters have a criminal element too. Those that commit horrendous crimes such as feeding off of another bright or a sentient being are known as malevolents. The attacks of these criminals are why the tribal humans are confused whether the brights are good or evil creatures.
<!--[if gte mso 9]>Common Mentalist Disciplines: Brights have inborn psionic powers. The ones listed below are common for adults of the species to have. Youths have the powers with a (Y) after them but lower their chance of success by -20 percent; they have not developed the other disciplines yet. Give Elders a +20 percent modifier.
Power Drain (Y)
Success Rate: 50%. Limit: 1 use every other turn. Range: 10 meter radius.
Effect: Similar to Leach Life, the Power Drain discipline saps all non-bright life forms and energy sources of 1d10 STA (or 1d10 SEU). Half of the total damage inflicted on others becomes a temporary STA boost for the Bright – it will lose any STA above its normal level after an hour. The being can be much more selective in its power by touching a plant (or animal or power source) and slowly feed at the rate of 1 STA or SEU per turn rather than an area attack; this is how it feeds.
Channeling: Energy Barrier
Success Rate: 50%. Limit: 4 uses per day. Duration: 6 turns.
Effect: While this discipline is in use, the bright cannot use Power Drain. This power allows the bright to channel any energy attacks – such as beam weapons, electrical currents, sonic waves, etc. – away so it will not be harmed. If a character or object is directly behind the bright, roll the attack again with a -30 percent modifier to see if it is hit.
Electrascreen
Success Rate: 60%. Limit: None. Duration: 10 turns.
Effect: The bright can create and project a shape in the electro-magnetic spectrum. Anyone scanning for a force field’s tell-tale signature will believe they see one where it doesn’t exist. This discipline also helps fool robots, remote sensors, etc.
Infrascreen
Success Rate: 60%. Limit: None. Range: 20 meters. Duration: 10 turns.
Effect: The bright can create and project an image in the infrared spectrum. Anyone scanning for infrared images or heat signatures will detect the image, believing the bright is where nothing exists. This discipline also helps fool robots, remote sensors, etc.
Levitation (Y)
Success Rate: 100% (STA). Limit: Two turns of rest after each use. Range: 16 meters above ground. Duration: 12 turns.
Effect: The bright can levitate off the ground, on average up to 16 meters. It cannot fly, but would rather have to pull itself along somehow to move sideways; this could be accomplished if it floated up into a tree canopy or along a wall or cliff side. If falling, a bright could use this power to come to a feather-light stop, but the referee should use his best judgment since a lot would depend upon the speed and distance the creature is falling.
Mental Invisibility (Y)
Success Rate: 110% - target’s LOG. Range: 30 meter radius. Limit: Does not affect robots or characters observing an area using remote sensors. Duration: 10 turns.
Effect: The bright can force all creatures – except other brights – within range not to notice it. The character makes an attack roll against all creatures within range (a Logic contest between the bright and the intended victims). Any creature or character successfully attacked cannot sense the bright, but others who succeed can. If other characters enters the bright’s sphere of invisibility, a new attack roll is made for each one. Characters who previously detected the bright but were then forced not to when they entered the area of effect receive a +20% modifier to their defense rolls. Any character or creature attacked by the bright will immediately notice it, but the bright gets a free attack. Automatic success and failure rolls have no further effect.
Shield
Success Rate: Automatic (LOG); Range: Self; Limit: None, but cannot use other Mentalist powers while in use. Duration: While concentrating.
Effect: This discipline allows the bright to automatically known when someone is trying to intrude on its thoughts or perform a mental attack. It does not indicate who is doing the intruding or attacking nor does it tell what power is being used. The bright can – and usually will – throw up the shield the following turn. It will prevent the use of Telepathy (including Read and Send Thoughts), Empathy, Illusion, Suggestion and Possession. All other mentalist attacks or probing would have a -30% modifier against them. The bright can maintain the shield for as long as desired but cannot use its other psionic abilities. After prolonged use – more than a day – it will start suffering damage to its Logic score.
Static (Y)
Success Rate: 60%. Range: 80 meters. Limit: None.
Effect: With this discipline, the bright sends out a disruptive field of mental energy that interferes with broadcast transmissions including communications, scanners (radar, sonar, IR, UV, etc.) and radio communications between a robot and a robot brain or computer control facility.
Teleport: Limited
Success Rate: 60%. Range: 60 meters. Limit: Every other turn; it can walk but not run while trying to use this discipline.
Effect: The bright can teleport to an area that it can clearly see within 60 meters of itself (40 meters for youths, 80 meters for elders). If an automatic failure is rolled (98-00) then it is stunned for 1d10 turns and cannot use this power again for 8 hours. Or, if there is a creature, character or object touching the bright, it could use this power to send that thing to the destination spot – even in mid-air. This would cause falling damage while any characters directly under the falling object would need to make a Reaction Speed check to avoid getting hit.
Elder Mentalist Powers
Not all bright elders develop the following Mentalist disciplines and some can learn other ones, but these are important for fighting the Scarlett Ghosts and their ilk.
Link
Success Rate: Automatic (LOG); Range: 10 meters; Limit: 4 other brights, Duration: 10 turns.
Effect: The bright elder can link its mind with up to four other brights (and possibly Mentalist characters) within range. For every one linked to the bright, it receives an additional +10 percent modifier for whatever other discipline(s) it attempts to use the following turn. If the discipline has a range, it is boosted by 50 percent for every mind linked. If the power inflicts damage, that is improved by 25 percent for every mind in the link. The other brights/Mentalists joined in the link can do nothing else but offer support. If the character they are linked to sustains damage (mental or physical) then they too absorb one-tenth of that damage (round down any fractions).
Link: Focal Point
Success Rate: Automatic (LOG); Range: 100 meters; Limit: A total of 10 linked groups of brights/Mentalists, Duration: 10 turns.
Effect: A very powerful psionic power – and very rare -- the bright elder not only can link its mind to four other brights (it has to have the Link discipline before this one develops) but can join that group with 9 other parties of linked brights/Mentalists within range. A maximum of 50 brights/mentalists can be linked in such a manner. For every one linked to the bright, it receives an additional +10 percent modifier for whatever other discipline(s) it attempts to use the following turn. If the discipline has a range, it is boosted by 50 percent for every mind linked. If the power inflicts damage, that is improved by 25 percent for every mind in the link. The other brights/Mentalists joined in the link can do nothing else but offer support. If the character they are linked to sustains damage (mental or physical) then they too absorb one-tenth of that damage (round down any fractions).
Imprisonment
Success Rate: 20%. Range: 20 meters. Limit: Once per day; only useful against energy-related beings. Duration: Indefinite.
Effect: This power essentially bonds and imprisons another being in an inanimate object – such as a building – or even a living thing such as a tree. The imprisoned creature is unable to act or move or even communicate while “encased.” (Exception: the Scarlett Ghost appears to have the ability to influence others by generating negative feelings such as envy, lust, greed, hatred, etc.) The imprisonment ends when either the inanimate object is destroyed or the living being dies.
Banishment
Success Rate: 10%; Range: 10 meters; Limit: once per day; Duration: Indefinite.
Effect: Another very powerful psionic power – and very rare – the bright elder can use this power to banish a creature or character to alternative plain of existence. This power is not used lightly, however, as it’s chance of success is low, but it also causes harm to the elder – possibly even death – and damage and possible death to those supporting it. Often the elder uses this power while using Link and/or Link: Focal Point. The damage that the elder receives is based on the Stamina/Logic of its opponent.