By DanG
The answer is simple. Psionic traits are strongly disapproved of within Romulan Society. The secretive nature of the Government and Citizenry strongly dislikes the idea that some individuals can read minds or sense emotions.
However this is a society trait alone, and the Para-Cortex remains a strong physiological part of the Romulan neural make-up.
Occasionally a child is born who develops strong Psionic abilities, & under the close scrutiny of Romulan society it’s never long before these isolated cases reach the ever watchful eyes of the Romulan Security Services.
That’s where the Tal'Shiar step in. Taking
custody of these children at a young age, these children are educated and raised
by the infamous security service. Schooled to the best education and allowed to
develop their Psionic abilities, tutored by older Romulan Telepaths. Their
education is also designed to condition their loyalty to the Romulan Empire and
Tal'Shiar, resulting in some of the most loyal servants of the Empire. Psions.
Psychic Skills
By Aedh Rua
"Ok, so here is what I have on Romulan
psionics so far. I'm sorry that there are no translations at the moment.
So, then, I have developed six different Romulan psionic paths, of which four
are identical to their Vulcan counterparts. The other two are more attuned to
emotion and the offensive/defensive uses of psionics specialized in by the
Romulans: "
The Path of Khat: same name as the Vulcan path, same nature. Two
disciplines:
Mind Shield -- exactly as the Vulcan discipline of the same name.
Mind Bar -- ditto.
The Path of Lesh: like the Vulcan path of Lis, this one aims to confuse
the senses. Four disciplines:
Projective Telepathy -- more intrusive than
Vulcan version, can send messages to an unwilling subject.
Leshtana -- just like Vulcan Lisjana.
Leshfata -- as Lispata
Leshkhaltu -- as Liskel'tu.
The Path of Plat: Much like the Vulcan path of the same name, but more
specialized for Romulan needs.
Mind Meld -- this comes in two varieties. There is the invasive "mental rape"
type of mind meld, in which the psion forces his or her way into a mind looking
for information. But there is also another type of mind meld, which is much less
invasive, but which often cannot be detected by the recipient. This type can be
used to gain information or plant very simple suggestions without detection.
Platvhokh -- Essentially, this is a sort of mental hitchhiking for Romulans. The
psion can gain access to the sensory input and thoughts of the recipient, and so
can trace his or her movements. Very good for espionage.
Platrha -- This is exchanging minds, just like the Vulcan discipline of the same
name. Extremely good for infiltrating resistance cells.
The Path of Tash: Just like the Vulcan Path of Tas. Incredibly useful
against normal crime.
The Path of Vhakh: This is a purely Romulan path, used for brainwashing
and interrogations. There are four disciplines:
Receptive Telepathy -- much like the Vulcan version, but can be used more
intrusively, and against a resistant subject. Also, note that Romulan receptive
telepathy is not necessarily detected by all recipients.
Projective Telepathy -- as in the Path of Lesh above.
Mind Control -- a cascade of Projective Telepathy, this skill allows the psion
to implant thoughts, emotions, fairly complex commands, and even simple beliefs.
In essence, this is intrusive, but a good psion with a high skill level can
remove the memory of the attack. Too many uses can destroy the personality of a
victim. In play, this should be treated much like low to moderate skill in the
Vampiric discipline Dominate in "Vampire: the Masquerade".
Brainwash -- a very powerful skill, but it takes weeks or months to use
properly. This skill allows the psion to alter the entire personality of a
victim. Memories, deeply held beliefs, and the entire structure of the self can
be altered if one has enough time, and enough skill. This skill can also be used
to implant very complex commands without altering the victim's basic
personality. Very useful for creating "Manchurian Candidate" type scenarios.
The Path of Khavh: This means the "Path of Blood", and it is a purely
Romulan path. Three disciplines:
Receptive Empathy -- Normally undetectable, and very "Deanna Troi" like, this
skill allows the psion to read basic emotions.
Projective Empathy -- Allows the psion to implant emotions, normally without
detection. Good for manipulating someone, or as a means of punishment, say,
during an interrogation.
Psionic Attack -- a cascade of projective empathy, the attacker builds up a mass
of hatred against the victim, and then unleashes it in a massive assault which
does actual physical damage. I recommend one level per success, but less may be
appropriate. Note that a critical failure does damage to the attacker instead.
"A couple of notes. Only the skills of mind meld, projective telepathy,
receptive telepathy, mind shield, receptive empathy, and projective empathy are
found among even most psions. Anything else is roughly as rare as, oh, Mr. Spock
in TOS. The Tal'Shiar has a couple of brainwashing specialists, and some Path of
Tash specialists in it's crime division. The paths of Lesh and Khavh are only
taught in their entirety in a couple of monasteries on Romulus. No one from
these monasteries has joined the Tal Shiar, but a couple of monks have joined
the Tal'Diann, which has its own very small psi-corps.
Characters should start out with the most basic skills. Advancing in a path is
harder for a Romulan than for a Vulcan, and should be a major aspect of play.
Finding the rare psi-master and convincing him or her to take on a student is
likely to be hard, and would make a very good episode or three."
Authors Note; Developed VERY strongly from the PsiCops from
Babylon . If you understand the direction of that organization then you will
understand the Motivations of the Tal'Shiar's Psions.
These articles are from the former website http://www.theventure.freeserve.co.uk/psion.htm .