Quick Psyker question

[Viciator]

Hello :)

I have a quick question about Psykers in the 40k Universe:

Is there an official name for Psykers who have not yet discovered their powers? (That is, a person whose ability to channel the energy of the Warp has not yet been unleashed or discovered by him or the unfortunate people who live with or close to him).

I hope I make sense :P
Thanks! :wookie:

[Farskit]

No, not really. Psyker is the generic term for all those with the ability to channel the power of the Warp, and I think the only term I've ever seen is the adjective "latent" or "dormant". That's what I recall from what I've read, but maybe others have found something I haven't.

[Viciator]

Alright, just wanted to make sure! :)

Thanks!

[Eternus]

Really, they are a form of mutant, but as for what to call a Psyker that has not yet realised what they are, but their powers have in some minor way begun to manifest (a bit like a muggle born witch or wizard in Harry Potter that hasn't found out what they are yet) how about Wyrd, or Witch?

[Silver]

You're a wizard, Harry. You just don't know it yet.

[Honsou]

No, not really. Psyker is the generic term for all those with the ability to channel the power of the Warp, and I think the only term I've ever seen is the adjective "latent" or "dormant". That's what I recall from what I've read, but maybe others have found something I haven't.

Farskit (you know, in my head I still think "Dae" :laugh:) has got the basics down here. Amongst the human population the most common term for a psyker who has not yet discovered his or her psionic/psychic potential is "latent" psyker- though he is quite right, dormant is used on occasion as well - usually as a description, rather than as part of speech, however.

If you go a level deeper, the Inquisition has a formal scale for identifying and categorizing the psychic potential of individual psykers. The lowest level, which covers psykers who have not yet discovered (or in fact made use of) their power, as well as those with severely limited potential is classified as 'Omicron' (there are several sub-categories as well). The scale continues upward from there- ranging across "Iota level" (the basic psyker), Epsilon (a superior psyker, possibly what would be termed Primaris Psyker) and so on all the way to "Alpha Plus" which are the most powerful of all psykers, virtually impossible in all races. A number of sources have suggested that pretty much every psyker with a power level above 'Delta' is likely to suffer varying degrees of mental instability, and absolute insanity is common in most cases - which is saying something, given the odds of people with psychic potential at these higher levels. "In His Name" also made use of the nerm "null psyker" (as opposed to "Known Psionic Individual") to separate those psykers of any level that have not yet come to the attention of the Inquisition.

[Viciator]

Thanks for the detailed explanation Honsou! :D

Now to a question which is a bit similar - what about the Psyker's presence in the Warp? Can it only be felt as more of an ordinary human's presence only when their powers awaken (gradually become more and more detectable or just flare up if the change occurs instantaneously)?

Also, how is it that no one felt the Emperor's presence before he revealed himself? And how do you reckon he could 'survey' the human race from 8th Millennium BC without being detected?

[Eternus]

"In His Name" also made use of the nerm "null psyker" (as opposed to "Known Psionic Individual") to separate those psykers of any level that have not yet come to the attention of the Inquisition.

I thought a 'null' was an anti-psyker, a person with no presence in the warp that prevents psykers from using their powers near them through their natural opposite nature to all other living beings that have a corresponding presence in the warp?

[Honsou]

I thought a 'null' was an anti-psyker, a person with no presence in the warp that prevents psykers from using their powers near them through their natural opposite nature to all other living beings that have a corresponding presence in the warp?

In most of the reference material that is quite right, which is why I mention that one anomaly as a curiosity. Its the only case that I am familiar with where it is used specifically to describe someone who hasn't been discovered, perhaps as the result of a misunderstanding of the fluff or such similar. Commonly 'null' is used descriptively (it is not part of the official chart) to cover those who fall within the Sigma - Omega range of the chart (Sigma being the most basic, with no presence in the warp & Omega being what is also termed a "blank" or "untouchable").

As to a Psyker's presence within the warp, the various sources aren't always entirely clear- I suspect that the interpretation varies from author to author, and has been adapted to the needs of the story. In essence however, most things (ie regular, non-blank people) have a presence within the warp- however commonly so minor as to be indistinguishable (certainly in any practical sense) from the background clutter. A psyker's presence is stronger- though as Psionic traits develop, young children with psychic potential may not be any different from 'regular' people. Certainly the fluff is clear that even for true psykers, it is active use of their skills that makes them a target for warp-entities (demons, etc)- the term "beacon" comes up a lot. I would suggest that it is reasonable to assume that the presence is always there, and is stronger or weaker depending on the exact level of the psyker, but is magnified when their abilities are actively used- I would liken it to turning on a flashlight in a dark room.

As to the Emperor: well it isn't clear how he did many things, and much of that hasn't really been expanded upon all that much. That said, it is made very clear that the Emperor was a vastly powerful psyker, far beyond anything else that has been seen. There are plenty of little bits of information that support that- it appears he was able to exercise near complete control over the warp (there is one story where he "rearranged" the warp to allow a fleet safe passage). That being so I would tend to surmise that he could probably shield himself from any psykers that might have been around. After all, even in death his will alone holds the warp at bay.

As to how he was able to survey the human race without detection: the explanation to that goes back pretty far in GW publications, but essentially he seems to have possessed the ability to become "a ghost", which one may assume is part of his psychic power. Essentially he used (and honed) his abilities while quietly watching, and occasionally messing with history until he came out to the eventual conquest of Terra during the Unification Wars.

Like I said, a lot of this is pretty old stuff- and to go into exact quotes I would need to actually dig out the old books, but essentially the policy with GW fluff seems always to have gone along the lines of "he's the emperor, he can do pretty much anything." To revere him as a god isn't that great a step for the Imperium- in essence, he is.

Hopefully I've answered your questions without rambling too much :laugh:

[Viciator]

Yea you have, thanks so much!

Yea I understand the Emperor was a reincarnation of lots of shamans all dying at the same time or something like that, hence why he was so powerful! Also, becoming a 'ghost' (hence invisible) does make sense - I know that in the Codex Imperialis (from 1993) one power said to be possessed by the Primarchs was invisibility! E.g. Corax could have walked among people without them noticing him.
I would imagine that since the Primarchs were made from the Emperor's geneseed they each possessed some of his powers.


Also, are there any known Alpha-Pluses? Were the Emperor or Magnus ones?

[Anne Marie]

The Lexicanum offers a good deal of background to the various ratings of psykers and the Pariahs/Blanks here: The Assignment (http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/The_Assignment#.T_ido1Iqgm9)

Magnus the Red can be considered an Alpha-plus since it was stated in the book A Thousand Sons he could kill someone across the galaxy with a thought, and stopped time for a few brief seconds. In the novel Battle of the Fang he was a few sectors away and effortlessly killed the Fang's group of astropaths, some of their human psykers, and was monitoring the battle all at the same time.

The Emperor... is the Emperor. I'm pretty sure he'd be able to do whatever he wanted to given enough thought but refused, simply because he knew what the risks might entail in the future.

For actual mortals who were/are confirmed Alpha-plus psykers in 40K lore, there's Malcador (http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Malcador_%28Character%29#.T_ieqFIqgm8) and there was Ravenor from the Inquisitor series Abnett wrote. However it seems Ravenor's abilities flair up and down wildly, but in the third book he was spoken of as being an Alpha-plus. Alpha-plus psykers are usually killed immediately if they can't be trained because of the threat they represent to the Imperium and to everyone around them.

Hope this information helps.

[Viciator]

It helps a lot! :) Thanks!

As for Magnus, if he can kill someone across the galaxy with a thought why doesn't he do that? Isn't he more powerful as a Daemon?

[Anne Marie]

As far as I figured it out in the books, Magnus could do such things but won't because he considers himself too "enlightened" and would rather face his enemy face-to-face to show who is killing who. As a daemon prince, he's one of the more powerful ones but not the most powerful in the Tzeentchian realm. That might just go to Kairos Fateweaver.

[Ossai]

Imagine, Magnus and Kairos on the same battlefield! It is a plan I intend to put into action one day :grin:

[Viciator]

Imagine, Magnus and Kairos on the same battlefield! It is a plan I intend to put into action one day :grin:

Yea I imagine it would be EXTREMELY hard (if not absolutely impossible) to defeat an army wielding both of them :grin:

[Ossai]

Okay, in TT I may have to represent Magnus but still... xD

[Anne Marie]

Imagine, Magnus and Kairos on the same battlefield! It is a plan I intend to put into action one day :grin:

My bet would go to Fateweaver since he has a far better chance of knowing the future than even Magnus could. Tzeentch hid the future from Magnus and sometimes created false ones for him to believe in. Fateweaver was thrown into the Well of Eternity because Tzeentch was too scared to step into it, and now knows all the futures. Sure, it drove Kairos mostly insane, but he's got a much stronger chance to last on the battlefield. Fateweaver's got an interesting past, though the book they have of him is a bit lacking, I've found after my first read through. (http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Fateweaver)

[Eternus]

I would have to say that Magnus would come out on top actually. Isn't Fateweavers major flaw that he can see all the possible futures, but doesn't see the present, or something equally confusing?