Psionics (TWBH)

Psionics as a field of study is not fully understood by modern scientists, as the only races to have fully understood the concept appear to have been destroyed during the Last Great Time War. This being said, significant progress has been made in studying the causes and effects of psionic reactions. This article exists in an attempt to summarize all relevant information on the phenomenon.

Overview
Psionics, in layman's terms, can be defined as the ability to alter reality by the power of thought alone. This ability can manifest in a number of different ways, including telepathy, telekinesis, clairvoyance, and empathic manipulation. All psychic powers are collectively referred to as "psionic reactions."

Psionic reactions rely upon--energy and image.

Energy
Energy refers to the raw power consumed during a psionic reaction. This power is essential to the successful performance of a psionic reaction.

Often simplistically called ""psychic energy", a term more widely accepted within the scientific community is "Grayling energy", after the woman who invested a significant amount of time and resources into the study of the psychic phenomenon. Grayling energy appears to be generated by the minds of sapient beings, and forms an invisible medium which blankets the surface of planets and fills the space between stars.

Image
The brains of psychic individuals are unique in that instead of producing Grayling energy, they consume it. Their minds serve as a filter for the energy, channeling it into productive forms and goals.

Most Psionic Entities accomplish this by forming a strong mental image of their desired goal. For instance, a telekinetic individual is capable of moving objects with the power of thought. To move a chair, the telekinetic would merely visualize the chair as moving to the desired location, and would then channel Grayling energy to accomplish the task.

Examples
Psionic reactions take a variety of forms. Telekinesis is the power to move objects with one's mind. Telepathy is the instantaneous transmission of thoughts and memories without external forms of communication. Clairvoyance grants individuals the ability to peer the Time Vortex, allowing them slight knowledge of the future.

Most species, such as humans, are not innately psychic. Rare individuals may be born with such powers, but the average specimen is not capable of sustaining a psionic reaction with Grayling energy. Other races, such as the Time Lords of Gallifrey, are almost always born with psychic ability.

The Nestene Consciousness possesses the unique ability to breathe life into inanimate objects using its own psychic powers. It appears to be capable of using plastic materials  as receptacles of Grayling energy, thus bending them to its own will.

The Ood are a prime example of a species reliant upon psionic reactions for everyday existence. Ood brains are considered to be "vacuums" of  Grayling energy--they neither produce nor consume the energy naturally, and will attempt to synchronize with the most powerful nearby source of the power.

Crystals from Metebelis III are capable of radically enhancing psychic power by acting as an amplifier of Grayling energy.

Classification of Psionic Entities
Psionic Entities represent a wide variety of lifeforms within the Mutter's Spiral galaxy alone. A tentative classification system has been proposed in order to categorize and identify such beings when encountered.

Class Alpha Entities are considered the weakest class of Psionic Entities. Beings falling into this category possess only low-level telepathic or empathic abilities, incapable of manipulating reality in more dramatic ways. They can be explained as causing "ripples" through the medium of Grayling energy rather than actively channeling it.

Class Beta Entities possess a slightly greater degree of power over their environment. This classification includes the bulk of telekinetic or clairvoyant individuals.

Class Gamma Entities are capable of causing large-scale changes to the fabric of reality. They are usually capable of a vast variety of psionic reactions. Some are without physical forms of their own, existing as pure consciousness, such as the Great Intelligence and House.

Class Delta Entities are among the most powerful beings in existence, capable of destroying universes with a mere thought. The last known entity to fit the criteria of a Class Delta was the Nightmare Child, presumably destroyed during the Last Great Time War.