Is psychic a mutation or natural?

[normalperson]

On the one hand, Sister Psych is clearly defined as a Mutant. 

 

But on the other hand, it seems like it would take quite a lot of hard training to bring out a person's psychic potential. 

 

It doesn't really matter to game play, but I'm curious if the community has any conventions?    If your character relies on psychic powers, are they better classified as natural, or mutant?

 

I guess there is really no wrong choice.   Even science could be how you got your psychic powers.  Or technology via implants.    I'm trying to find good justifications for natural origin to be competitive with the others.   Maybe mastery of your Chi?   ...or that could be magic. 

Edited Monday at 10:05 PM by normalperson

[Lazarillo]

22 minutes ago, normalperson said:

On the one hand, Sister Psych is clearly defined as a Mutant. 

In fact, back in the day, that was explicitly stated to not be the case:

 

Quote

Now, I said the first mutant didn't show up until sometime after 1938, but that doesn't mean there weren't people like me around. Confused? Well you shouldn't be. I believe that I am not, in fact, a mutant, but something else. I'm a psionic, not a mutant.

Psychic powers are their own thing and are considered "natural", in and of themselves, in-universe.  It's also why back before they were unlocked after the game's initial closure, Arachnos Widow characters, including the Fortunatas with all their psychic powers, were locked in to the Natural Origin.  Of course, like you said, that doesn't mean someone can't have awakened their "natural" psychic abilities via a mutation or any other method.  If you're looking at something like "chi", I'd say the same.  It could just as easily be "you have nanomachines that focus invisible aura energy through your body" tech or "you trained your ass off in martial arts".

[Jiro Ito]

I have a magic psychic and a natural, alien, psychic.  The only rule is that which you make for yourself!

[Luminara]

According to some very reliable sources, psychic powers are acquired by being invited to a "special school" and having your brain chopped up by government scientists who wear blue gloves.

 

[biostem]

2 hours ago, normalperson said:

If your character relies on psychic powers, are they better classified as natural, or mutant?

If you can rationalize it, that's what your character's origin is.  Heck, taken to its most fundamental level, you don't even need to go that far - just pick w/e origin you want and carry on.  On a more fundamental level, though, here's how I'd rationalize it:

 

1. Are we talking about "actual" psychic phenomenon, or just the outward effects/end results of powers that have that appearance?  If so, even a robot or such could exhibit such effects.

 

2. If the character is of a particular race/species where the psychic powers in question are not normal to "baseline" members of that race/species, then I'd chalk it up to science, mutation, technology, or magic:

  a. If the character has some genetic anomaly or aberration, and it wasn't brought about by some specific exterior effect, (maybe just a generic "stressful experience"), then I'd say they were a mutant.

  b. Were they part of an experiment or involved in an accident, typically involving some chemicals, maybe some sort of gene therapy, or perhaps exposure to some sort of energy source, (accidental or intentional), then they're probably of a science origin.

  c. Do they get their powers from some sort of special helmet or piece of gear?  Then it's probably a technological hero, (unless that gear works off of magical properties instead).

[Sovera]

Not an in lore expert, but applying common sense unless all humans have psychic powers (which would then be natural) if it takes an accident of birth to be born with psychic powers then they are mutants.

[Apogee]

Just now, Sovera said:

Not an in lore expert, but applying common sense unless all humans have psychic powers (which would then be natural) if it takes an accident of birth to be born with psychic powers then they are mutants.

 

I was an accident of birth...

[Sovera]

Just now, Apogee said:

I was an accident of birth...

 

An happy accident.

[El D]

19 minutes ago, Sovera said:

Not an in lore expert, but applying common sense unless all humans have psychic powers (which would then be natural) if it takes an accident of birth to be born with psychic powers then they are mutants.

 

It's less 'every human has psychic powers' and more 'every human has psychic potential' - that level of potential just differs and in most cases is next to nil. It's also the entire basis of the Fortunata program in Arachnos, with them selectively going after recruits with the most potential and fostering them via training and mental links. CoX liked doing lore like that for Primal Earth's humanity. They did the same thing for humans who actually manifest magical powers - they all connect back to Mu and Oranbega.

 

As for Sister Psyche's comment, I see that more as an explicit retcon of the 'no mutants existed before the Atomic Age' lore point that was never actually referenced in-game (and was basically broken by Sister Psyche's own background before the game started, until they decided to finally write around it). Also probably put in to help jive with the psychic Sybils in Cimerora, though whether or not they have innate psionic powers or are magically gifted them from Phoebus has yet to be determined.

 

None of this also explains how some folks manifest psychic powers vastly differently than others (like Malaise and the Clockwork King). Official lore around psychic stuff has been nebulous at best, only gently tailored to the character at-hand. IMO, the more direct way to make it all jive is to keep the human potential aspect and have that be enhanced by whatever origin is involved. Weird genetic mutation, sun deity magic, or intense training can all spark that potential in different ways, explaining the variances in power (and even the similarities, as all the Fortunatas are honed for foresight and divination).

Edited yesterday at 12:52 AM by El D

[Sovera]

With that lore info then, yeah, it's natural.

[Sanguinesun]

This is a creative choice by the player.  Justifications for any origin can be made and debated endlessly.

[Ironblade]

From a science definition, a mutant is someone with a new characteristic that their parents did not possess and which is genetic so it can be passed on to their children.

[Jaiclll]

4 hours ago, Sovera said:

 

An happy accident.

Tell that to William Turner

[Kaika]

In the origin of power arch, if you are a mutant, Yin specifically states that she IS NOT a mutant, and has no specific powers, she's a extremely powerful psychics by nature, just like some people are naturally talented athletes. She isn't alone either the PPD has a full division of psychic police and widows are natural origin as well, it even used to be forced on the VEAT. So a there is a ton of room for a natural origin psychic to play with the big leagues. At the end of the day, it's whatever you want, CoH has always be extremely open to any interpretation of power source and power level. There are plenty of examples of characters with really goofy lore at even the high end (Shout outs to my boy Bad Penny in the Miss Liberty TF) the game is a creative sand box and it's crafted to allow just about anything.

Edited yesterday at 06:57 AM by Kaika

[Sovera]

5 hours ago, Jaiclll said:

Tell that to William Turner

I'd rather have it said by Bob Ross.

[Octogoat]

4 hours ago, Sovera said:

I'd rather have it said by Bob Ross.

Happy little trees, happy little accidents.

[Hew]

no reason it cant be science too.. science can science anything. ask musk's weird brain doctoring electrodes in your cranium too, got tech in the mix as well.

[Ulysses Dare]

"Natural" isn't defined by training. It's defined what is normal for your species. In CoH lore, most people don't have psychic/psionic abilites. Hence they're a mutation. If you have different lore for your character, such that most humans have some level of psychic ability, then a natural origin would make sense.

[PoptartsNinja]

Your origin is what your character perceives the origin of their powers to be. If they believe they've got psychic powers because they were born gentically "just different" they're a mutant. If they believe they've got psychic powers because they spent all of junior high trying to bend spoons with their mind until they succeeded, they're natural. Etc, etc.

 

In the Web of Arachnos novel, Stefan Richter thought he got his powers from radiation, and so Lord Recluse is science origin; while Jack Emmert Marcus Cole thought he got his from Pandora's Box and Statesman has a magic origin.

They both got their powers from the same place and at the same time.

[UltraAlt]

7 hours ago, srmalloy said:

That immediately dragged up the old, old joke about the Native American explaining to his son that his children are named after events that happened around their conception, like his sister Running Deer... "Now, do you understand your name, Broken Rubber?"

 

I don't know if I should give your post a "Haha" or a "Sad". So I guess I'm "Confused".

[SoundGirl]

Arachnos soldiers the origin on live, went from Soldier (Natural) to psychic soldier with a hive mind, but also still natural, to massive high tech spider armed assault backpack grafted to spine, but still... natural?

[UltraAlt]

On 2/3/2025 at 5:03 PM, normalperson said:

It doesn't really matter to game play, but I'm curious if the community has any conventions? 

 

Well, I'm a character conception player, so my view on it would be "what origin do you feel fits your character conception?"

 

On 2/3/2025 at 5:03 PM, normalperson said:

Maybe mastery of your Chi?   ...or that could be magic.

 

Personally, I don't consider chi, ch'i, ki, qi, internal intrinsic energies, etc. to be "magic", but, again, that is up to your conception.

For a member of the Akashic Brotherhood, those internal intrinsic energies could be augmented by magick ... err, I mean a member of the Tsoo as they have mystical/magic tattoos that give them powers.

 

"... Tsoo were a fearsome lot, heavily inscribed with mystical tattoos that gave them super-powered abilities ..." - https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Tsoo

 

I'm not sure if you have read any of the origin descriptions, but they can be found here: https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Category:Origins

Each origin listing has the game's explanation for each origin.

 

For example:

"You receive your powers from a magical source. These abilities might come from a mystical artifact bestowed upon you, the mastery of numerous magical spells, or pacts made with powerful dimensional entities." - https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Magic

 

However, I would take that with a grain of salt.

It is your character and your conception is what counts ... regardless if you write a bio or not. Personally, I wish everyone would take the time to write a bio, but I fully understand that there are those people that aren't really playing a character but just playing the game (if that makes any sense...)