By building on the psychic’s underlying facility with Biokinesis, a psychic can now heal herself and others. The three-dot version of this Merit allows the character to accelerate her own healing, cutting all times in half. This power is cumulative with the Quick Healer Merit, so a character with both heals all injuries in 1/4 the normal time. With the five-dot version, the healer can extend this power to others. Thus, a patient heals all injuries in 1/2 the normal time or 1/4 the normal time if he has the Quick Healer Merit. Using either version of this power requires a player to roll Stamina + Resolve. If a character attempts to heal someone who resists or who rejects the existence of psychic phenomena, the subject can resist with Composure + Supernatural Advantage as a reflexive action in a contested roll.

The healer can also use her gifts to facilitate recovery from disease, poison or drugs. A psychic with the three dot version of this Merit gains the benefits of having an Improved Immune System (see Biokinesis). With the five-dot version, she confers the benefits of an Improved Immune System to another.

A point of Willpower must be spent for a psychic to activate either version of this power. The duration is [the psychic’s Biokinesis dots x 12] hours per application. Using this power on another requires the healer to touch the patient. Although healing someone fully with Psychic Healing may require multiple applications of this power, even one application is considered providing medical attention and thus prevents a dying patient from expiring while the Merit’s effects last. Repeated applications of this power might be necessary to recover from serious diseases, but one application is usually enough to cure someone subjected to drugs or poison. This power does not heal or cure supernatural diseases, drug addictions or other otherworldly effects.

Cost: 1 Willpower
Dice Pool: Stamina + Resolve (versus Composure + Supernatural Advantage if the subject resists healing)
Action: Instant (willing) or contested (unwilling)

Roll Results
Dramatic Failure:
The psychic suffers one point of lethal damage due to painful feedback. Alternately, the subject of the attempt might take additional damage or simply develop a strong antipathy toward the healer.

Failure:
The psychic fails to heal the subject.

Success:
The subject’s healing rate is doubled for [the psychic’s Biokinesis rating x 12] hours. If Psychic Healing is used to cure poison, drugs or illness, either the character or the subject gains the benefits of an Improved Immunity System for [the psychic’s Biokinesis dots x 12] hours.

Exceptional Success:
The psychic’s Biokinesis is treated as if one dot higher for purposes of determining the duration of the healing.

Option [Empathic Healing]: The psychic cannot cure the effects of poison, drugs or illness on others, although he can still cure them within himself. When healing another of physical injuries, the psychic feels the pain suffered by his patient. When the power is activated, the psychic suffers one point of “phantom” bashing damage for every point of bashing damage the patient currently has. Phantom bashing damage heals at a rate of one point per turn. Each point of lethal damage the patient has inflicts one point of bashing damage on the psychic, which heals at the normal rate. Each point of aggravated damage to be healed inflicts one point of lethal damage on the psychic, which heals at the normal rate. This damage is inflicted on the healer every time he initiates a healing attempt on anyone other than himself. On the positive side, a healer with this option gains a +2 bonus on all healing attempts, and his Biokinesis is considered to be one dot higher for purposes of determining the duration of the improved healing rate.

Option [Faith Healer]: The psychic’s healing powers are irrevocably tied to her religious faith and she considers her healing powers to be a gift from God, which unbelievers are unworthy to experience. Any attempt to cure or heal someone whom the psychic considers to be immoral or who clearly does not share the psychic’s faith suffers a –2 penalty. Also, if the psychic fails to maintain a Morality of 7 or higher, she suffers an additional penalty equal to [7 – new Morality] on her healing attempts. Thus, a faith healer whose Morality is reduced to 5 suffers a –2 penalty on all healing rolls. When the healer attempts to cures someone who does share her faith, however, the healer gains a +1 bonus, and she gets a +1 bonus on all healing rolls for each point by which her Morality exceeds 7.

Option [New Age Healing]: The psychic must channel her biokinetic energy through some type of focusing mechanism, most commonly a crystal or perhaps herbal remedies or even magnets. Psychics who adhere to New Age religions typically believe that the actual healing power comes from whatever focus is used, instead of from the psychic. Whether such paraphernalia is actually necessary or merely a crutch cannot truly be determined. Regardless, the healer cannot use her power without entering a trance state while meditating on a crystal or using some other type of New Age trapping. Healers with this option gain a +2 bonus on all healing attempts.