An Excursion into the Magic of the Mind.
By Field Researcher, Scholar Kruk of Boldragoth University

What moves, what floats, what is there and what isn't there? Questions of the mind, questions with answers most people take for granted. But these people haven't met a Psychic Mage. Psychic Magic is often described as the odd man out amongst all magic. A famous mage once said "Throwing around elements like a caveman is cute and all, but when you want real magic, come to Dzanator." It was with this quote in mind that I visited a few cities on assorted Dzanatorian islands, to discover the three schools of Psychic Magic, Telepathic, Telekinetic, and Illusionary.

Telepathic Magic relies in speaking to the mind of another individual, without necessarily letting them know that you are speaking to it. A proper telepath can send a message to somebody miles away, and can manipulate the very thoughts of somebody near them.

The Telekinetic School of Magic relies in the focus of the inherent energy in both a person, and an object. And if that energy can be noticed, focused on, it can eventually be manipulated. In lamens terms, Telekinesis revolves around the moving of objects with one's mind, a magic far superior to the normal thought practice of lifting pens and the occasional person.

Illusionary Magic is the only magic that literally is only restricted by the imagination of whoever wields it. Summoning relies on gathering energy, and Necromancy on availability of the dead. Illusionary Magic is simply focused on how much a person can keep focused on, and how far their imaginations may stretch.

Offensive Magic

Psychic Magic is so completely out there in relation to other magics. You can see a fireball, you can see a summoned monster, you can see what other elementals are doing. Psychics are unpredictable in anything they do. It is for this reason that they are often considered separate entities of normal magi, and also probably why the Psychic community is so close knit and xenophobic. Their offensive magic can be split as such.

The offensive power of Telepathy is very often underestimated, sometimes even completely dismissed. However nothing could be further from the truth, as telepathy creates the incredibly useful technique of mind control. In varying degrees of skill a person can be instructed to go so far as to shove their own sword through their intestines, or, as a prominent mage did with me, to go outside and do the yard work. The basic way this magic works is that a mind's strength is inversely proportionate to how willingly it will take to a suggestion that a telepath offers. If a person were predisposed, for instance, toward obsessively washing their hands, it would not take much effort to have them go to a fountain and wash up. However it would take a much stronger mage and impulse to get that person to dive headfirst into a deep mud hole.

Telekinesis’s offense is rather obvious, as obvious as Psychic magic ever gets, that is. An arrow lying still can be lifted up, with the mind, and shot forward to impale some passerby. Some soldier's sword might leave its sheath and attack its owner, and following that assault other people whom the telekinetic chooses. Anything from a rock thrown, to the foundation of a building ripped out underneath it. Telekinesis is the most simple of Psychic magic. Pick a target, and move it. The varying levels of skill in this branch are limited only to how large and far away an item may be to be affected.

Illusionary magic has very hidden offensive powers, but great ones. As previously noted, illusion lies in the imagination, but that imagination is sent around. Some have been known to summon false incarnations of the gods as illusions, to persuade mass suicides. Illusions can scare anything senseless given the right aspect. For instance, if you saw a giant one-eyed dragon flying around belching fire, which felt hot, would you bother thinking it was fake? On a closer scale illusions can be placed for individuals, right in front of their eyes, their worst fears. From babies dying, to loved ones burning, and has been used as a very effective interrogation tool.

On a side note, one of the most effective warriors of all time was a man who specialized lightly in Telekinesis and Illusion. He would cast an illusion of his form on a battlefield, completely inharmable, but would telekinetically control an actual sword in his hand. Just proof of how subtle and impressive this magic can be.

Defensive Magic

On the defensive level, Psychic magic tends to fall behind. The lack of a tangible element to control lends them to lack the classic walls of other elements. And without places to hide behind, they are forced to go into combat, a very quick place for a traditionally slow and subtle element, or run away.

On the telepathic level the only defense offered is that one can not only speak to minds, but also listen to them. Concentrating on an enemy mind will tell where they will strike next, whether or not you are able to prepare for that. Obviously mind control can still be utilized to gain troops, as has worked with a number of past organizations, however in quick battle situations, Telepathy is not a strong magic to have, much better for this situation is Telekinesis.

Telekinesis is the only ace in the hole a defensive Psychic has. It's very difficult to attack somebody when you are suddenly pinned against a wall twenty feet in the air. It is equally difficult once you have been let go and have fallen those 20 feet in full heavy plate armor. Powerful Psychic Telekinetic can build makeshift walls of debris in seconds, and can fling large bodied soldiers high into the air, or into others. They're capable of freezing the very air in front of them as a shield to block arrows. And when worst comes to worst, the Telekinetic abilities are what grants a Psychic mage the power to fly. And in that power, escape.

Illusions are useful in many ways. Not only in, as previously illustrated, making things that aren't there look like they are, but in making things that are there look like they aren't. As an example of this. Long ago the Psychic city of Forbis was to be assaulted in war. Forbis was surrounded by a thick forest. When the warriors arrived to sack the city, they saw no forest, and charged on horses. Hundreds of men died by charging full speed into trees that were invisible. And for hours after that the soldiers wandered blindly into tree after tree, as the warriors of Forbis, who knew the forest blindfolded, ironically, slaughtered each and every one of them. Similar stories have been told about large canyons that had a habit of moving north by thirty or so feet, and unusually fast quicksand.
For individuals, illusions can be used in ways that just make people not wish to mess with you. In the same way illusionist spies change their appearance, another illusionist can illude them self as a corpse, or a gigantic warrior, or outright invisible and unhearable. Some illusionists don't even bother wearing clothes, with the ability to create false clothing.
As a final note to the defensive abilities of illusions. What is seen is what is believed. Simply because you cannot create a wall of white-hot flames, doesn't mean your enemy knows that. An illusionist can pretend to be a Fire elemental, or an Earth elemental, if it makes that fake wall of stone any more believable.

Practical Magic

The practical applications of Psychic magic are practically endless. Curiously they also all seem to revolve around being inherently lazy.

Telepathy's bout into the lazy world of Psychic Magic is the ability to speak to friends, family, and send death threats, from miles away, with skill. Keep up on world events, ask people questions. That sort of thing. Some Mages have lived for years never leaving their home, but communicating daily with friends and family.
On a strictly practical level it can be used to carry important messages as well as idle chitchat.

Telekinesis fits into lazy practicality in the way you literally do not have to lift a finger to do anything. Have a broom sweep the floor by itself; float that book to your hand. Literally hover to the general store and mentally tug open the door. As a side note, strong telekinetic tend to be overweight, simply because they much rather exercise their mind than their body.
Telekinetic also happen to be the second highest employed magi, working for airship based industries, as of this date, second only to Air magi, obviously.

Illusionists get off even better than Telekinetic. An illusionist, properly trained, cannot only go anywhere they need and talk to anyone they want, but they do not have to get up to do it. The illusionist I spoke with talked about a day he was sick, and sent an astral projection of himself everywhere he needed to be that day, and save difficulty with writing things down, not a single person noticed he wasn't there. Incidentally, he said, no illusionist needs to write things down, illusionists have such a great mind for small details, typically, that they only write things down for other people's benefit.
Illusionists, unrelated, are also wonderful messengers. Frequently armies have token illusionists who can send illusory images of themselves for hundreds of miles, with the proper training. And that is the common way news is spread throughout the world nowadays, I am told.