The following is a first cut at a potential article for Freelance
Traveller. Comments welcome/encouraged, especially as regards possible
inconsistencies with canonical psionics or internal inconsistencies
within the article.

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Dreamwalkers: Where Psionics Meets the Unconscious

by Jeff Zeitlin

What Are Dreamwalkers?

Psionics, and specifically telepathy and telepathy-related talents, in
Traveller have generally focussed on targetting characters that are
awake and who may be able to oppose the psion’s efforts. This, however,
effectively puts the target ‘off-limits’ for at least part of every day,
while the target is sleeping—or while the psion is sleeping. The
existence of a rare psionic talent, the dreamwalker, represents the
exception. Dreamwalkers are able to observe, and sometimes influence or
manipulate, the dreams of others.

What Is Dreamwalking?

Dreamwalking is a psionic-enabled outgrowth of what has been called
“lucid dreaming” or “controlled dreaming”. Lucid dreaming involves the
awareness of the dreamer that s/he is dreaming, and can lead to control
over the dream, with training and practice. In dreamwalking, the dreamer
need not be aware that s/he is dreaming; it is the psion’s awareness
that matters. There are four types of dreamwalkers, Observers, Visitors,
Benders, and Weavers. See the next section for information on the
various types of dreamwalker. In Classic Traveller, dreamwalking is a
level 5 activity for Observers and Visitors, or a level 6 activity for
Benders and Weavers. In Mongoose Traveller, dreamwalking uses the Read
Surface Thoughts check for Observers and Visitors, and the Send Thoughts
check for Benders and Weavers, but both checks are at a cost of 4+range,
rather than 2+range. The maximum range for dreamwalking is about
15,000km; beyond that distance, speed-of-light ‘lag’ is too high to
allow the dreamwalking link to form. The distance is measured by the
most direct route, and disregards non-psionic obstacles; the maximum
distance between a dreamer and a dreamwalker on Terra would be about
13,000km, if the two were on directly opposite points of the surface.

What Can Dreamwalkers Do?

There are several types of dreamwalkers, divided by their capability to
perceive or interact with dreams. The least capable, Observers, can only
observe the target’s natural dreams, while they’re happening. Their
viewpoint is that of their target, and they have no sensory input that
the target does not dream about—that is, if the dreamer does not “hear”
anything in the dream, the Observer will not “hear” anything, either. In
all types of dreamwalking, the dreamer’s emotional state is part of the
information available to the dreamwalker.

The next level of dreamwalker is the Visitor. It has been established
that, even though natural laws may not apply to dreams (or apply in
different, possibly unique ways), the ‘environment’ of a dream is in
fact self-consistent, and generally extends beyond what the dreamer
directly perceives. The Visitor may perceive more of the environment
than the dreamer does, possibly from a ‘third person’ viewpoint, and all
sensory input consistent with the dream environment is available. The
Visitor, however, is not perceived by the dreamer, and may not affect
the dream or the dream environment.

Still more capable is the Bender. Benders can interact with the dream
and the dreamer, affecting the events within it, though they can only do
so in ways consistent with the environment’s rules, and that the dreamer
will perceive as ‘normal’ for the dream and its environment. Attempting
to make any change from the natural progression of the dream, however,
risks jolting the dreamer into wakefulness, which ends the dreamwalk. If
the Bender does not attempt to interact directly with the dreamer, but
only makes subtle changes to the dream and its environment, it is
possible for the dreamwalker to remain unperceived by the dreamer.
Interacting with the dreamer directly, however, ‘creates’ a
representation of the dreamwalker within the dream, and the dreamer
becomes aware of the dreamwalker’s ‘presence’. Naturally, this poses a
high risk of jolting the dreamer into wakefulness.

The most capable of the dreamwalkers is the Weaver. Weavers can control
the dream environment in toto, able to change the ‘rules’ of the dream
environment as well as the events. Weavers can remain unperceived by the
dreamer when making even significant changes to the environment, and
there is a lower risk of alterations jolting the dreamer into
wakefulness. As with Bending, however, directly interacting with the
dreamer makes the dreamer aware of the dreamwalker. Weavers may, under
some circumstances, be able to induce dreaming in a sleeping person, or
manipulate ‘daydreams’ in a character that is awake but drowsy, bored,
or distracted.

Subjective Time vs. “Real” Time

Time, like physical law, appears to be malleable in dreams – while the
length of most dreams is in the range of 5-45 minutes as measured by REM
sleep duration in sleep labs (and daydreams may be shorter, down to a
few seconds), to the dreamer, they can seem to last hours or even days.
Subjective time is the time that a dream seems to last; “real” time is
the amount of time in-game, as perceived by characters not involved in
the dream, that the REM sleep phase lasts.

Creating Dreamwalker Characters

Dreamwalking is closely tied to telepathy, and only telepaths are
dreamwalkers. A telepath may be a dreamwalker by referee fiat, or, if
random generation is preferred, roll 18+ on 3D6, DM +Psionic Strength.
It is technically possible for a character to have the dreamwalker
ability, but not to be able to exercise it due to insufficient Psionic
Strength. Because of the nature of dreams, dreamwalker characters should
also have “social” skills such as Psychology, Non-Verbal Communication,
Streetwise, Liaison, Interrogation, and so on.

Dreamwalkers in Campaigns

In a campaign in the standard setting where the PCs are Zhodani,
dreamwalker characters are automatically drafted into the Tavrchedl’
(see the August 2014 issue of Freelance Traveller for a Tavrchedl’
career), and are considered ‘on call’ even after mustering out.

In campaigns where psionics are viewed negatively, such as within the
Third Imperium in the standard setting, dreamwalkers will be hated even
more viscerally than psions in general, and where a telepath might well
need to be proven to be such before being executed, dreamwalkers may
well be executed on suspicion only.

In campaigns where psionics are viewed neutrally or positively, it is
still likely that dreamwalkers will be perceived as ‘scary’ (dreams are
a product of the subconscious; dreamwalkers can therefore get access to
your innermost secrets), and will have controls imposed on them by the
authorities.

Obviously, the details are left to the referee, and can and should be
adjusted to fit the campaign.

How Dreamwalking Works

In order for a dreamwalker to see a dreamer’s dream, the dreamwalker
must have some direct familiarity with the dreamer. The greater the
familiarity, the easier the dreamer is to contact, and the greater the
range at which contact can be made. Meeting the dreamer and having a few
minutes’ conversation (e.g., at a cocktail party) is generally enough to
be able to see a person’s dreams if the dreamer and dreamwalker are in
the same city. Subjective time spent dreamwalking with a particular
person increases the level of familiarity, and thus the range at which
the dreamer can be contacted in the future.

Observers, Visitors, and Benders must be in a quiet place, with no
distractions, conducive to sleep, in order to make contact. They do not
need to be asleep themselves, but if they are, the chance of actually
making contact – which can only happen while the dreamer is actually
asleep and dreaming – goes up. Roll the task check described in “What is
Dreamwalking”, above, to connect to a current dream, DM +2 if the
dreamwalker is asleep.

Weavers must be in a quiet place with no distraction, but it need not be
conducive to sleep, and being asleep confers no benefit for a Weaver.
Roll the task check described in “What is Dreamwalking”, above, to
connect to a current dream or daydream. If the Weaver wishes to attempt
to induce a dream or daydream, the same roll applies, but with an
additional DM -3.

If an Observer makes contact with the dreamer’s dream, the referee
should narrate a scene/vignette (not merely a static scene) for the
dreamwalker, which may or may not be relevant to information being
sought. The scene may last as long as necessary in subjective time, but
will only last a few seconds in “real” time. The dreamwalker may ask
questions about the scene; the referee should answer them only to the
extent that the dreamer would have perceived – for example, if the dream
has the dreamer walking along a corridor with a vague feeling of being
followed, and the Observer asks who was following, the referee should
reply that the dreamer simply didn’t know; there was just that feeling
of being followed. It is possible that the dreamer is having a lucid
dream (that is, the dreamer was aware that it is a dream); in such a
case, the referee can also tell the dreamwalker whether this is a
repeating dream.

A Visitor should be handled like an Observer, but the referee may answer
the Visitor’s questions with detail that should logically have been
available, even if not in the direct perception of the dreamer. In the
example dream above, if the Visitor asks who was following, the referee
should reply that the Observer couldn’t actually see who was following,
just a vague shadowy figure, but it is possible that it was any of a
list of individuals that might have reason to follow the dreamer (and
provide at least a partial list).

A Bender or Weaver should be treated as a Visitor if they make no
attempt to modify the dream. To modify the dream, the dreamwalker should
describe the modification to be made, then roll the task check described
in “What is Dreamwalking”, above, but do not impose any additional Psi
cost. If the task check fails, the dreamer wakes up immediately.

Modifying Dreams

Benders and Weavers can modify the dreams that they ‘walk’ in. However,
there are limits to the modifications:

Benders can only draw on the dreamer’s experience for modifying a dream.
If the dreamer doesn’t have an applicable experience, the modification
will fail, and the dreamer will awaken. For example, if the dreamer has
never been exposed to gravity other than the natural gravity of her
homeworld, the Bender cannot modify the dream environment into one where
the gravity is other than that homeworld natural gravity. The dreamer’s
previous dreams count as ‘experience’ for this purpose, so if the
dreamer has had previous ‘flying’ dreams, the current dream can be
modified into a ‘flying’ dream. Transitions into the modified dream must
be ‘reasonable’ within the context of the dream; if, for example, the
rules of the dream don’t allow changes of scenery without going past
some sort of obvious demarcation, the modification must provide that
demarcation in a way that fits within the context of the dream. The
dreamer immediately becomes aware of the Bender’s ‘presence’ in the
dream, but may not realize that the Bender isn’t ‘part’ of the dream
(the Bender should roll the Send Thoughts task (no psi cost imposed); on
success, the dreamer does not realize that the Bender isn’t ‘part’ of
the dream).

Weavers can draw on their own experience as well as the dreamer’s, and
the imagination of both the dreamer and the Weaver can be drawn on as
well. If the Weaver’s modifications are consistent with the rules of the
dream, and are ‘in context’ for the dream, the Weaver can remain
‘hidden’ from the dreamer. ‘Out of context’ modifications or transitions
will reveal the Weaver, as with modifications by a Bender, above, and
with the same consequences.

To modify a dream, the dreamwalker should describe the intended
modification and roll the Send Thoughts task. The referee should roll
the same task, separately. If the dreamwalker’s task fails, the dreamer
wakes immediately. If the dreamwalker’s task succeeds, but the referee’s
task fails, the dream is modified, but not entirely as the dreamwalker
intended, and the dreamwalker is revealed to the dreamer. The referee
should narrate the changed scene. If both the dreamwalker and referee
succeed, the dream is modified as intended, and the referee should
narrate the changed scene. A Weaver is not revealed to the dreamer
unless he wishes to be; a Bender is always revealed.

What Can Be Learned From Dreamwalking?

It must be remembered that dreams do not necessarily reflect reality,
but are influenced by wishful thinking, fantasy, imagination, and so on.
Even if a dream is modified into a ‘real’ situation, information from
the dream may not be accurate – for example, if in the dream, the
dreamer sees the contents of a safe, those contents may not be the
actual contents of the safe, but only what the dreamer believes to be
the contents, or hopes to be the contents. For each fact that a
dreamwalker wishes to ascertain from a dream, the dreamwalker should
describe the nature of the fact to be ascertained: “I want to determine
the contents of the safe.” “I want to determine who the dreamer met.” A
statement of fact to be ascertained may actually be two or more facts –
for example, “I want to determine how much money is in the safe” is
actually two facts to be determined: first, is there any money in the
safe at all, and second, how much.

Once the statement of fact to be determined is made, both the referee
and the dreamwalker should use the Read Surface Thoughts task. The
referee should use the sum of all of the character’s relevant social
skill(s) as a +DM on his roll; the character should use only the
relevant social skill with the highest skill level; the referee should
use the number of facts over one as a -DM on the roll. If both rolls
succeed, the referee should report the fact accurately, and indicate
that the character is confident that it is correct. If the character’s
roll succeeds, but the referee’s roll fails, the fact should be reported
with partial accuracy (e.g., if the character wished to ascertain
whether the meeting would occur in Vista Park, the referee would report
that the meeting will take place ‘in a park in the city’), and indicate
that the character is confident that the information is correct. If the
character’s roll fails, but the referee’s roll succeeds, the referee
should report the fact accurately, but indicate that the character has
little or no confidence in the accuracy of the information, and if both
fail, the referee should report the fact with partial or no accuracy,
and indicate that the character has little or no confidence in the
answer.

Task Summary

To initiate a dreamwalk: Use the Read Surface Thoughts task, imposing
the full psionic strength point cost for the task and range. This is the
only task that applies to Observers and Visitors. If the dreamwalker is
asleep (lucid dreaming) at the time of contact, DM +2. If the
dreamwalker is a Weaver, and is attempting to induce the dreamer to
dream or daydream, impose an additional (cumulative) DM -3.

To modify a dream after initiating a dreamwalk: This task applies only
to Benders and Weavers. Use the Send Thoughts task, but impose no
psionic strength point cost. The referee also rolls this task. Neither
the dreamwalker nor the referee apply any DMs. If the dreamwalker’s task
fails, the dreamer wakes. If the dreamwalker succeeds, but the referee
fails, the dream is modified, but not exactly as planned, and the
dreamwalker is revealed to the dreamer. If both the dreamwalker and the
referee succeed, the dream is modified as planned, and a Weaver remains
hidden unless she wants to be revealed (a Bender is always revealed
after modifying a dream).

To remain unnoticed by the dreamer after modifying a dream: Applies to
Weavers only. Use the Send Thoughts task, but impose no psionic strength
point cost. Must be rolled after every modification of the dream.

To be taken as ‘part’ of a dream after modifying it and being revealed:
Applies to Benders and Weavers. Use the Send Thoughts task, but impose
no psionic strength point cost. Must be rolled every five subjective
minutes by Benders; must be rolled after each modification by Weavers,
but only if the Weaver has previously been revealed.

To determine a fact from a dream: Both the referee and the dreamwalker
should use the Read Surface Thoughts task. The referee should use the
sum of all of the character’s relevant social skill(s) as a +DM on his
roll; the character should use only the relevant social skill with the
highest skill level; the referee should use the number of facts over one
as a -DM on the roll. If both rolls succeed, the referee should report
the fact accurately, and indicate that the character is confident that
it is correct. If the character’s roll succeeds, but the referee’s roll
fails, the fact should be reported with partial accuracy, and indicate
that the character is confident that the information is correct. If the
character’s roll fails, but the referee’s roll succeeds, the referee
should report the fact accurately, but indicate that the character has
little or no confidence in the accuracy of the information, and if both
fail, the referee should report the fact with partial or no accuracy,
and indicate that the character has little or no confidence in the
answer.

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--
Jeff Zeitlin, Editor
Freelance Traveller
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