Psionic blast

Psionic blast was a psionic power of the telepathy discipline that stunned a foe's mind. It was sometimes called mind blast, and quite dreaded by non-psionic beings, but it was actually unrelated to an illithid's mind blast.

Effects
Psionic blast emitted a wave of "brain force", originally forming a cone 60 feet (18 meters) long, 5 feet (1.5 meters) at its origin and 2 feet (6 meters) at its limit,   later reduced to 30 feet (9 meters). It jolted the minds of those affected, like delivering "shocking news",  and later outright blasted their minds as the name said, stunning them for several seconds. After the Year of Wild Magic, 1372 DR, if an experienced manifester spent more psionic energy, they could augment the duration. After the Spellplague of 1385 DR, it emitted a flood of mental energy, in all directions to 25 feet (7.6 meters) dazing and even stunning creatures in the area, but it could not be augmented.

Psionic blast was originally one of the five attacks of psionic combat  and was a way of making forced contact. If the mind was already contacted, the target perceived they'd been seriously injured or weakened, and would fall unconscious if they were injured after that, but no real harm was done. It wore off in an hour, when the victim awoke. Later, it either drained the target's mental energy or opened their mind to contact. Against an open mind, it caused actual physical damage. A later version damaged their charisma and confidence. It was the most costly to the user's mental energy, but it was the only one able to target non-psionic creatures, and stunned them. Originally, the mind blank psionic defense worked best against psionic blast; later, the mental barrier was most effective against psionic blast, while intellect fortress was weakest.

Display
Manifesting the power produced the standard auditory display: a bass hum like many deep voices, quickly rising to as loud as a shout. The force of the mental attack caused the very air to ripple.

Significance
"Psionic Blaster" was the title of the first rank of the clergy of Deep Duerra, the duergar goddess of psionics.

The ability to manifest a psionic blast was a requirement for becoming a cognition thief in the Hall of Mental Splendor.

Users
Psionic blast could be learned by psionicists and psions,   as well as by wilders. It could be used innately by su-monsters.

Notable Users

 * Araumycos, the enormous fungal growth in the Underdark, was capable of all psionic attacks, but favored mind blast and mind thrust
 * Vhondryl, a psion in Skullport and head of the Hall of Mental Splendor
 * Lertis the Seer, priest of Bane
 * Teliene Coloara, an illithid slayer
 * Selinah Varhast, a psychic assassin