The Strange Bestiary
When a powerful telepath dies, she leaves behind a sort of mental imprint on the world. If she died in the midst of attempting an important mission or task, her mental energies infuse the need to accomplish that task and give that need a life of its own. These psychic remnants are not unlike psionic ghosts, but they have no free will or capacity to do anything other than attempt to complete the task that drives them. Tasks or missions that drive a psychic remnant usually involve protecting someone or something, killing a specific individual, finding an object of importance, or proving an idea (for example, the identity of a murderer, or that a particular invention really works). Sometimes, a psychic remnant is created by the death of a latent psychic who did not even realize that he possessed any mental powers in life. Psychic remnants are invisible and intangible. When communicating telepathically with a remnant, however, one might gain a mental image of the telepath as he appeared in life.
Motive: Fulfillment of a task
Environment (Psionics): Anywhere
Health: 12
Damage Inflicted: Moderate wound (4 points)
Movement: Short (flying)
Modifications: Stealth as level 6; knowledge related to the living creature that formed the remnant as level 5.
Combat: Psychic remnants are incorporeal and can move through matter easily. They cannot be harmed by physical weapons or similar attacks. Only mental energies, mystical effects, or attacks attuned to the specific, insubstantial nature of a remnant can affect them. They cannot directly affect matter, but they can use their mental powers to do so.
Psychic remnants wield powerful psychokinesis and can hurl objects up to short range to make attacks, as well as push foes backward, open or close doors, activate machines, and so on. They can also make psychic attacks against a thinking being within immediate range that inflict Intellect damage and ignore Armor.
Even if destroyed by attacks, a psychic remnant will eventually return. It cannot ever truly be destroyed until it completes the task it left undone (or until that task becomes irrelevant).
Interaction: Psychic remnants speak telepathically and can communicate with any intelligent being within long range. Their communication is erratic, feverishly emotional, and repetitive. It might just be a telepathic groan or incoherent shout. A psychic remnant cannot be reasoned with, but some—depending on the goal that drives them—can be interacted with to the extent that they will reveal the task they need to complete. Since the remnant will never go away until that task is finished, sometimes helping it rather than working against it is the best solution.
Use: The prince who the PCs must abduct is protected by the psychic remnant of his dead mother. Stories are told of the great harm that comes to any who threaten the prince, but no one knows the truth of it, and most people believe the stories are just wild tales.
GM Intrusion: The psychic remnant uses psychokinesis to topple something large onto the character, who—if she cannot get out of the way—is pinned underneath it.