Rare (requires attunement)
Description: A pewter circlet with with a small quartz gem inset in the center. The circlet seems to hum with a soft energy when you are close to it.
Unattuned: When worn without attunement, the circlet grants a +1 to the wearer’s Intelligence score.
Attuned: While wearing the circlet and meditating for a short rest, in addition to the +1 to Intelligence, the circlet expands the wearer’s mind, opening up new psychic pathways and unlocking powers hidden deep within themselves. However, this power is unstable to those who are not trained in psionics, and can backfire if used too often.
You gain the psionic talent Mind Meld, and can use it a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1). In addition, you gain a portion of the psychic discipline Psychic Phantoms, including the Psychic Focus from that discipline, and the power Distracting Figment, which you can cast safely once per day, and as though you have 1 psi point. If you have at least one level in a psionics class (which currently is just the Mystic), you can use these as listed in the class description, without limitation.
If you are not trained in psionics, you can attempt to use Distracting Figment beyond once per day, or expend up to 3 psi points, but doing so can do bad things to your brain pan. Use of it in this way grants advantage on the target’s saving throw, and a roll of 19-20 will result in the power backfiring, dealing 2d8 psychic damage to the wielder, and rendering the circlet inert for one week.
VERY IMPORTANT: You must use another short rest to meditate to disengage yourself from the psychic power of the circlet. Not doing so can also do bad stuff to your brain pan.
PSIONIC STATS
(These are from the Unearthed Arcana Mystic class.)
Mind Meld
Psionic Talent
As a bonus action, you can communicate telepathically with one willing creature you can see within 120 feet of you. The target must have an Intelligence of at least 2, otherwise this talent fails and the action is wasted.
This communication can occur until the end of the current turn. You don’t need to share a language with the target for it to understand your telepathic utterances, and it understands you even if it lacks a language. You also gain access to one memory of the target’s choice, gaining perfect recall of one thing it saw or did.
Psychic Phantoms
Awakened Discipline
Your power reaches into a creature’s mind and causes it false perceptions.
Psychic Focus. While focused on this discipline, you have advantage on Charisma (Deception) checks. [Note: by being attuned to the circlet, you are focused.]
Distracting Figment. As an action, choose one creature you can see within 60 feet of you. The target must make an Intelligence saving throw. On a failed save, it takes 1d10 psychic damage per psi point spent and thinks it perceives a threatening creature just out of sight; until the end of your next turn, it can’t use reactions, and melee attack rolls against it have advantage. On a successful save, it takes half as much damage.
