This is the rarest capability of neurosuperior humans.
In ancient times, they were called 'mediums', or 'sensitive', or any number of other quaint catchphrases.[]
Internally, Psi-Corps refers to them differently based on their degree of aptitude. However, even at their most basic level of ability, psychics with the rare gift of extra-sensory perception and necroprojection are able to percieve manifestations of psychic energy. Many people call them ghosts, or spirits, or many similar terms. Officially, they are 'lingering projections', echoes of psychics past.
Psychics with this ability often have problems with mental health. If you are aware of a psychic in your facility who possesses this capacity, earmark their file for psychiatric observation.
Artwork produced by a Witness in an Old World Colony.
Magnitude 1 ESPN makes you a Witness.[]
At this point your skill rating is somewhat irrelevant beyond pushing your magnitude higher. You are able to see these echoes and you cannot turn that ability off, no matter how hard you try. When you are present, they become agitated and often search for whatever is bothering them, but cannot percieve you.
Magnitude 2 ESPN makes you a Manipulator.[]
They can always see you, if your magnitude is permanently at this level. However, you have gained the ability to partially necroproject - to extend the piece of yourself that would become a shade after your death from your body, in life. You can only push a manipulating limb - hand, or a whole arm sometimes - from yourself, so your effective range of manipulation is somewhat limited. Net effective STR and DEX for Mag2 limbs cannot be greater than your POW score. As your magnitude in ESPN increases, increase this limit by your POW score for each step beyond 2; however, no matter the limit for effective STR and DEX, the psychic chooses the distribution of those characteristics. This limb can also be used on living, human creatures to a curious effect with a sensation that cannot be described in rational terms.
Magnitude 3 ESPN makes you an Agitator.[]
While shades are always capable of using what lingers of their psychic gifts on the world, and often do, turning that on them is more difficult. Once a psychic's rating in ESPN reaches this point, they are able to turn any psychic ability they possess on shades, as well as capably speak to them if they are not immediately hostile. Witnesses present may see a necroprojected echo of the Agitator's face when speaking in this manner. Agitators may add their POW to any social skills they possess when dealing with shades.
Magnitude 4 ESPN makes you a Ghostbuster. Don't ask me why, I don't work at Psi-Corps.[]
Evidently this whole 'Ghostbuster' thing is a reference to video media from a bygone age.
A symbol relevant to all 'Ghostbusters' everywhere.
However, it seems an apt term - psychics of this ability are able to force shades from humans they are 'riding', or to cease manipulating objects telekinetically. Or, more eerily, they are able to force shades into people or prepared apparition containment cells, usually called 'ghostpaccs' by the techs at PCO.
Additionally, the Ghostbuster can entirely project their shade from their person, leaving their body unconscious wherever it was when they chose to do this. The uninhabited body is indistinguishable from being in coma, to medical examination.
The operating range of a psychic's own shade is (Mag*POW) distance from their body, in yards. One is entirely capable of moving outside this range, but begins feeling a growing disquiet and disconnection from the world of the living over time, and begins taking sanity damage. If sanity reaches 0 through this damage, the connection to their body has been irreparably damaged, and they exist as a shade from that point onward. Many early subjects at PCO exist in this state. In fact, the most able professors for corps psychics to study under are naught but shades at this point.
The psychic is able to make a 1/2 ESPN% roll to avoid any sanity damage for distant projection. For each failed roll, advance to the next denominator of difficulty; 1/3, 1/4, and so on.
Magnitude 5 ESPN makes you Uncarnate.[]
By this point the psychic is able to manage control over their own body and their shade in tandem. They are able to move and act simultaneously as both their physical self and their spirit self, though this state is incredibly taxing.
Each second beyond the fifth that the psychic is co-projected, the psychic begins taking significant sanity damage due to them percieving and interacting with two environments at once, no matter how similar. The psychic is able to make a 1/2 ESPN% roll to avoid any sanity damage for co-projection for seconds six and onward, up to a number of seconds equal to their POW characteristic. For each failed roll, advance to the next denominator of difficulty; 1/3, 1/4, and so on. If they manage to co-project up to their POW without taking sanity damage, good job on them, but after that point damage cannot be resisted.