Cascade

To instill powers within the gem, the psion must spend one hour per level of the power for each power placed in the gem, and spend the necessary 17 power points to manifest cascade. At this time, the psion must spend the normal cost for manifesting the powers (i.e., 13 Power Points for a 7th Level Power). The spent power points for stored powers cannot be recovered until the power is released from the gem. The 17 points spent to manifest cascade are recovered normally.

At any time in the future (up to a year later), the psion can release the powers by again spending the full cost of the power. If any powers within the gem are left unused for more than a year, they fade away with no effect.

The gem can only hold powers up to 8th level and can hold no more levels of powers than the psion’s level (e.g.: a 20th level psion can store up to 20 power levels in one gem).

Example: A 20th level Psion creates a cascade gem. The gem holds one 8th level power, 2 3rd level powers, and 3 2nd level powers (total levels of 8 + 3 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 20). This costs the Psion (15 + 5 + 5 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 34) 34 power points (which he cannot regain individually until the individual powers are used). Added to this is the cost of cascade itself (17 pp), for a total of 51 power points, and 20 hours spent manifesting.

At any time within the next year, the psion could (for example) spend 15 + 5 = 20 power points and manifest the 8th level power and one of the 3rd level powers as a free action (in addition to his normal actions in the round).

Though the Psion can own as many cascade gems as he chooses (limited, of course, by his expenditure of Power Points), he can have no more than one on his person and any given time.

Many psions set up elaborate contingencies and teleport triggers to ensure that, once one cascade gem is used up, another gem is quickly available.

Powers manifested from a Cascade gem are treated as a power manifested by the psion with the same stats as when he made the gem (thus, if the psion gained a level, for instance, the powers in the gem will not increase).