Support United Paizo Workers! Click here for more details!
Starfinder Adventure Path #23: Hive of Minds (Attack of the Swarm! 5 of 6) p.40
Creations of psychic mastery that surpass the conventional, mindscapes are
mentally formed landscapes that exist on the Astral Plane for only as long as
their creator maintains them. They are brought into existence for a variety
of reasons, from the subconscious mental activity of powerful minds to the actions
of two or more beings locked in psychic combat. The ongoing creation of mindscapes
seeds the Astral Plane with an almost endless number of these temporary domains.
A mindscape can be of any imaginable shape or size—its only limits are those
of its creator’s imagination. Some mindscapes take on the form of entire worlds,
spawned by the intellects of creatures so cosmically unknowable that their waking
thoughts create planets that live and die in an instant. More common are the
mindscapes that exist as re‑creations of treasured locations in their creators’
minds. A psychic might find refuge in an imitation of an ancient city or a vision
of their family farmstead.
Mindscapes exist in two distinct types: binary
and immersive. Binary mindscapes serve as conduits between two minds engaged
in a psychic duel. They are by far the most temporary of such constructs, existing
only as long as the duel that created them lasts. Immersive mindscapes, in contrast,
are created when a powerful mind wills them into existence using specialized
psychic magic, unique spells, rituals, or even a traumatic event occurring to
someone with psychic potential.
Creatures can enter a mindscape in a few
different ways. Most enter a mindscape through the assistance of powerful rituals,
spells, or magic or hybrid items. In most such cases, a creature travels to
the mindscape as a being of pure thought, albeit one foreign to the mindscape
creatures (page 56) that already populate the area. Beings entering a mindscape
can take no actions with their physical bodies and lose their Dexterity bonus
to AC, but they can still attempt saving throws and are not considered helpless,
as the unconscious parts of their mind still provide some resistance to their
destruction. Due to the mental investment of being in an immersive mindscape,
creatures within such realms have no information about their real‑world bodies
and can’t tell if they take damage or suffer other negative effects. Conversely,
minds engaged in a binary mindscape maintain a connection with their actual
bodies and can tell if they take damage or experience other negative effects.
A creature that mentally enters a mindscape does so in the form of a mental
avatar. A creature’s mental avatar has the same physical statistics in the mindscape
that the creature does in the real world (KAC, EAC, Hit Points, ability scores,
and so on). Armor, items, and weapons all function inside the mindscape, though
they do not consume charges or uses of their real‑world counterparts. Spells
and limited‑use abilities likewise function, but their uses are expended both
in the mindscape and in the real world.
Rarely, beings can enter a mindscape
as physical entities. Such events occur when a creature is bodily transported
to the Astral Plane at the exact location of the mindscape. It’s almost impossible
for a creature to achieve such a feat without the assistance of powerful magic
or using artifacts intended specifically for such acts of transportation. A
creature who finds itself physically within a mindscape is always at risk, as
even a normally harmless mindscape can deal very real damage to creatures who
transport their real bodies into it. Otherwise, mindscapes deal damage to a
connected body based solely on the mindscape’s associated traits (page 42).
Throughout the galaxy, species and even deities interact with mindscapes in
different ways. Telepathic species like lashuntas and shirrens have a long historical
association with mindscapes. To lashuntas, mindscapes have been a form of entertainment
and escapism since the species’ earliest days on Castrovel. Shirrens view mindscapes
with a mix of apprehension and excitement; the individual choice to create or
enter a mindscape is enthralling, while the potential for being at the mercy
of another’s mind is a sobering reminder that such false existences can come
with a price.
Followers of Damoritosh gifted with psychic potential often
conjure forth binary mindscape battlefields in which to engage in psychic duels,
or create immersive mindscape battlefields to replay past battles and wars to
see if they can change the outcome. Some disciples of Eloritu maintain ongoing
mindscapes that act as vast repositories of knowledge, with the creators’ bodies
kept under exceptional security. Such mindscapes allow those who know about
them to tap into these mental reservoirs without need of maintaining physical
data repositories, though some question the ethics of using the minds of powerful
immobilized psychics as data storage. Followers of Ibra and Weydan notably venture
into mindscapes in search of either answers to cosmic mysteries (in the case
of Ibrans) or simply to see what exists in the minds of others (in the case
of Weydanites).
Binary mindscapes exist to serve as backdrops for psychic combats between two beings. Such environments appear as ghostly images that lack definition, as they manifest from residual psychic energies of both combatants. Common examples of binary mindscapes include a grassy field on a rainy day or a flat stone surface surrounded by fog. These mindscapes often lack technological trappings or modern architectural styles, as the mental energies used to craft them often pull from the mind’s most primeval stored memories. The most powerful instinctive metaphysicists (page 44) can force creatures to enter a binary mindscape to engage in a psychic duel.
Far less common than binary mindscapes, immersive mindscapes are powerful
mental constructs where a person could live an entire lifetime without ever
realizing where they truly are. When created, these mindscapes appear to be
as real as the mind that perceives them, and only faults in the creator’s imagination
create imperfections within. The greatest danger of such mindscapes is the potential
to become permanently lost within them while one’s physical body wastes away
in the real world.
Most immersive mindscapes serve a purpose for the real‑world
psychic who created them. Some act as personal retreats for psychics who can’t
bear living on the Material Plane. Other immersive mindscapes act as available
repositories of knowledge or meeting spaces for those who know how to access
them.
Much like other planes of existence, mindscapes have specific traits that
dictate their appearance and behavior, though their traits can vary based on
their creator’s whim. These traits supersede the Astral Plane’s normal traits.
As most mindscapes come from the minds of those on the Material Plane, they
most often imitate the traits of that plane, but this is by no means a rule.
For example, some mindscapes exist to support specific alignments, with creatures
whose alignment matches the mindscape’s dominant alignment axis or axes gaining
additional bonuses to saves or spellcasting. In others, the laws of physics
are mutated. These elements can fluctuate within a given mindscape, with gravity
changing in controlled or randomized ways or based on location within the mindscape.
Similarly, some visionary mindscape creators even manage to control the flow
of relative time within their domain. Accelerated time allows one to live lifetimes
in the mindscape while only hours or days pass in the real world, while delayed
time may mean spending only a few hours in a mindscape results in a mental avatar’s
real body dying of starvation in the real world.
Every mindscape is the construct
of a living mind and changes according to the will of that mind. Though a mindscape’s
creator holds the greatest degree of control over it, other creatures within
the mindscape who recognize that they’re within a mindscape can alter it to
suit their whims, effectively imposing their will onto the mindscape. Often
times, these adjustments come in the form of psychic duels or certain spells
or abilities that alter terrain. A mindscape also reacts to beings inside it
who don’t exist as part of the creator’s desire, be they friendly visitors or
hostile intruders.
The transparency of a mindscape describes whether other creatures know that
they’ve entered a mindscape.
Overt: Overt mindscapes actively
let entrants know they’re entering into a mindscape. This can occur when an
individual invites someone to enter their mindscape through use of an item,
ritual, or spell. Other times, a mindscape might be considered overt because
it’s the result of an identified psychic attack or the start of a psychic duel
accepted by both sides. Knowing that one is inside a mindscape can help a creature
escape or better understand the mindscape’s traits, and some spells and items
may even require that a creature know they’re within a mindscape in order to
function. Binary mindscapes are always overt.
Veiled: A
veiled mindscape is a sinister creation intended to obfuscate its true nature
from those who enter it. A being usually enters such a mindscape in a manner
that doesn’t make it apparent they are leaving their body. The creature may
not realize the doorway they’re stepping through is actually a magical portal
or the newly learned spell they’re casting is actually a trap. The canniest
and most powerful psychic spellcasters can disguise their spells this way, forcibly
shunting targets into their mindscapes without the targets realizing what has
happened. Veiled mindscapes can be insidiously dangerous, as a creature unknowingly
trapped within could suddenly drop dead within the mindscape without any warning
as their real‑world body perishes from physical trauma or even lack of food
or water.
Upon its creation, each mindscape has a shape and size based on the whims
of its creator.
Finite: A finite mindscape has clearly discernible
boundaries and limits within its space on the Astral Plane. Such mindscapes
may have misty borders that lead off into pure nothingness or insurmountable
barriers. These mindscapes can be as small as one can imagine, though generally
they vary from the size of a single homestead to the size of an entire world.
All binary mindscapes are finite.
Infinite: As the name
suggests, an infinite mindscape goes on forever. Though the notion of an endless
mindscape may be difficult for some to grasp, the dimensions of these mindscapes
exist thanks to a strong connection with the mindscape’s creator. Creators of
infinite mindscapes subconsciously generate more content through mental procedural
generation, similar to the software that many vidgame creators employ in level
design.
Self‑Contained Shape: The most unnerving of mindscapes,
a self‑contained mindscape essentially folds back on itself. This could be a
foggy exterior that always reorients a traveler inward, or the entrance to a
corporate office that, once exited from, unerringly causes the departing beings
to find themselves walking right back in. Such mindscapes often manifest when
the creator wishes to emphasize a specific location they have in mind, either
due to an emotional connection or as punishment to themselves or visitors.
Though purely mental in nature, a mindscape can cause physiological effects
through mental feedback. In some cases, these mindscapes are more or less harmless,
but in other cases, the mindscape can be as deadly as the real world.
Harmful: Injuries and conditions inflicted upon those visiting
a harmful mindscape are real. The psychic feedback convinces the real‑world
body that any damage incurred is real, and the body reacts accordingly. In rare
cases, a mindscape’s creator is so powerful they can relay even afflictions
and diseases to the host body. Binary mindscapes are always harmful, though
they don’t convey afflictions or diseases unless otherwise noted.
Harmless: A harmless mindscape’s occupant feels the sensations
of their environment and other mindscape occupants, and their real‑world body
may be affected in minor ways (such as a mild headache or persistent feeling
of euphoria), but any injuries and conditions they experience aren’t real. Such
damage causes no physical harm or effect to the host’s real‑world body. A creature
that dies in a harmless mindscape wakes up in their real body without taking
any damage or ill effects from the mindscape.
As a force that breaks all preconceptions, a mindscape can cause magic to
operate in wildly different ways within its confines. Mindscape creators can
attempt to place rules on the effects of magic within their mindscape, but even
those often break apart if the willpower of the creator falters.
Normal: Magic, including spells and spell‑like abilities, function
normally within such mindscapes. These mindscapes operate similarly to what
one would expect to find on the Material Plane, though their creator may still
apply minor caveats that occupants have to discover on their own. Spellcasters
who leave a normal magic mindscape find that any spells they’ve expended in
the mindscape have also been expended in the real world.
Dead:
The creators of these mindscapes deaden the use of magic within. Creatures within
a dead‑magic mindscape can attempt to use their magical abilities to cast spells
and use spell‑like abilities, but every creature counts as having spell resistance
(usually equal to 11 + the level or CR of the mindscape’s creator). Spells that
don’t allow spell resistance have a 50% chance to fail when cast, though the
spell is expended regardless of success. Magic items simply don’t work, nor
do serums or any other magical equipment; fusion seals don’t apply their bonuses.
Hybrid items have a 50% chance of working if they’re activated, while hybrid
items that do not require activation to function are too erratic to function
properly. Spellcasters who leave a dead magic mindscape don’t lose any spells
they cast while within the mindscape.
Altered Magic: Some
mindscapes include unique traits relating to magic that greatly affect magic
used within. These mindscapes may enhance, impede, limit, or even randomize
all magic or certain schools of magic cast within.
Though most mindscapes are temporary endeavors, fashioned and then disappearing
at the whims of their creators, some mindscapes exist in a more permanent state.
The following are examples of well‑known mindscapes that have survived the test
of time and can be visited by any creature that finds a suitable means of entry.
The Endless Forest: Sometimes, an entire species can subconsciously
create a mindscape without ever realizing it. The Endless Forest, an infinite
immersive mindscape with no formal title beyond its descriptor, is one such
place. Many believe it was forged by the combined subconscious, primeval yearning
of every uplifted bear (Starfinder Alien Archive 2 16) in existence. Though
few uplifted bears ever fully enter the mindscape, those who manage to enter
do so by daydreaming, which manifests a new bear who temporarily wanders the
woods in a lifestyle that forgoes all the needs and stress of modern‑day living.
While it remains something of a safe space for the wandering psyches of uplifted
bears across the galaxy, others who find themselves within quickly realize that
a forest filled with bears may not be the best place to trespass.
Hive Akarax: Created by a powerful formian queen during her
species’ ongoing conflict with the lashuntas, the mindscape of Hive Akarax is
a finite mindscape that takes the form of a continent‑sized formian hive. Due
to the hive’s inability to grow on the Material Plane, the queen instead chose
to expand her territory through a mindscape, intentionally creating offspring
with the psychic potential to join her within her mental construct. While this
unimpeded and idyllic—for a formian, at least—life means the real‑world formians
of Hive Akarax don’t occupy much territory, it also means that the hive is more
reliant on outside assistance to acquire food and resources. The hive queen’s
adjutants occasionally wake from their mental sojourns within the mindscape
to retrieve donated items or supplies.
Hospice of the Unfettered
Mind: First created by lashunta and shirren followers of Weydan, this
self‑contained immersive mindscape takes the form of a bucolic farmstead on
an open plain. Various buildings stand across the mindscape’s terrain, though
a wall of light fog keeps everything contained within a fixed area, looping
wanderers around should they try to leave the confines of the farmstead. Weydanite
psychic healers pass down knowledge of this mindscape to one another, each supporting
it with a fraction of their own mental energies. These healers then travel the
cosmos in search of creatures dying of untreatable illnesses, offering those
without any options access to this mindscape, where they can live out their
remaining days in psychic freedom instead of imprisoned within a failing physical
body. Many medical professionals protest the nature of such actions, however,
claiming it’s a prison of the mind no different than a prison of the body.
The Spire of Transcendence: This permanent immersive mindscape
can be accessed through a myriad of magical gateways throughout the galaxy.
Each such gate is marked by the holy symbol of Yaraesa, though little else provides
information regarding their creation or full function. Creatures walking through
one of these gates find their minds transported into a self‑contained mindscape
that appears as a skyscraper standing on a rocky cliffside with a view over
a churning sea. Training rooms and libraries in a multitude of architectural
styles fill each floor of the tower, and floating nuclei of energy buzz throughout
the edifice on predetermined paths.
Mindscapes provide an interesting means of changing up the pace of an ongoing
campaign or adding an utterly outlandish locale to a game. Whether the PCs use
an experimental technological procedure to enter the mind of a patient to extract
important information or step through a mystical archway that provides access
to an expansive immersive mindscape, these locations can be some of the most
memorable locations that PCs get the chance to explore in the course of a campaign.
Mindscapes shine when they combine the expected and unexpected in different
configurations. Since a mindscape is left to the imagination of its creator,
imperfections both large and small can showcase exactly how variable a mindscape
can be. A creature with a natural fear of flying animals may project a mindscape
where every flying creature is some horrific terror, while a creature with no
understanding of corporate culture who manifests an office might fill it with
workers who repeat the same four lines of dialogue in any interaction. Mindscapes
often create a sense of unease as a result of these departures from reality,
but the more time the PCs have to interact with a mindscape, the more they come
to understand what causes it to act the way it does.
Website owned by Mark von Drake. All content on this website owned by Paizo Inc. Privacy policy can be found here.
Contact: markvondrake@thehiddentruth.info