Psionics

Psionics, known in Faerûn as the Invisible Art and sometimes ki, and colloquially known also as mind magic was practiced by psionicists.

Nature of Psionics
Use of psionic power did not require spell components. Psionic power could be activated much faster than either divine or arcane magic. All psionicists possessed formidable mental discipline in order to properly use their psionic powers.

Psionics was more common in the Realms before the Time of Troubles. Psionics vanished for a brief period after the Time of Troubles, with the exception of those travelling Realmspace in spelljammer ships.

During the 1360s DR, one who studied psionics and cultivated its powers was known as a "psionicist", while one who was naturally gifted with psionic powers or the necessary mental energy was called a "wild talent". Their powers were categorized as "sciences" or "devotions", which were in turn grouped into "disciplines". Known disciplines included:
 * Clairsentience
 * Metacreativity
 * Psychokinesis
 * Psychometabolism
 * Psychoportation
 * Telepathy

Psionic Items
Psionic items were objects that had been "empowered" through psionic techniques, being imbued with the mental energies of their creators. The process of empowerment of a psionic item paralleled the enchantment of a magical item in many ways. Quality materials were required, as well as the psionic power, devotion, or science required to be installed in the object. In the 1360s DR, it was considered that all sciences and devotions to be placed in the item must come from the same discipline (in contrast to magical items of the time that could have spells of different schools). Finally, the creator, a psionicist, must concentrate to imbue the object with the psionic power and mental energies, which was an involved process.

Unlike magic items, psionic items of the 1360s DR were invariably intelligent to some degree and had a personality of some form. The shape of this personality was mostly unpredictable, but Daltim Flamefist theorized it arose from a fragment of the creator's own psyche and was influenced by what was high in their thoughts during creation, such as the aim of their work or their dreams or desires. Such intelligent empowered items could communicate with their owners, who needed to communicate with the item in order to gain the use of its powers. This was much like any relationship: one had to become familiar with the item's intelligence, earn its trust, and persuade it function when required. A good owner spent several minutes a day communicating with such psionic items in order to maintain and strengthen the bond. Fortunately, most were relatively friendly and quick to bond, being similar to semi-intelligent pets or familiars. Daltim even intended to research the possibility of using a psionically empowered as a familiar.

Psionic items of the 1360s DR behaved much like regular magical items, yet they did not register as such to traditional divinations. Hence, they were sometimes known as "not-magical items" by puzzled mages at a loss to identify them. Nevertheless, divinations designed specially to identify psionic emanations could did work on them. Many magical items could be duplicated in function by a psionic item. A psionic item could also be enchanted as a magical item, with no clash or interference. However, if the magic was activated by mental command, thanks to the innate intelligence, the item could well activate itself.

Practitioners
The most notable psionicists belonged to the powerful illithid race, who had the nickname "mind flayers", owing to their considerable psionic powers, and appetite for brain matter. Illithid communities possessed a communal intelligence.

Few members of any other race besides aboleths and duergar were psionicists, and they tended to be less powerful than illithids. Notable non-illithid psionicists included the members of the fallen drow House Oblodra, of which only Kimmuriel Oblodra survived, and the half-fiend son of Mephistopheles, Magadon.

Organizations
As psionic talent arose only rarely, in some lands the psionically gifted tended to gather around a critical individual. Others banded together to provide a needed service or to work toward tolerance and ultimately acceptance. Many psionic groups were found among the duergar. Nevertheless, psionic organizations were often mistakenly considered to be orders of mages devoted to divination, enchantment, or some other school of magic. Many were small, reclusive, close-lipped about their activities, and even outright secretive. While psionic organizations were uncommon in Faerûn, a few did exist:
 * The Kaliesh'erai: an association of elves based in Evereska
 * Stray Thoughts: an adventuring company based in Sembia and led by the human wilder Jacenelle Traen
 * The Forak-Erach-Naek: a group of duergar soulknife/assassins based in the Underdark
 * The College of the Eclipse: a society dedicated to the advancement of psionic abilities based in Riatavin in Tethyr
 * The Hall of Mental Splendor: a group of psionic mercenary spies based in Skullport and led by the human psion Vhondryl
 * The Destroyers, a mercenary company specialized in mundane, magical, and psionic artillery.
 * The Order of the Bladewright: a unit of soulknives devoted to the protection of the Boy King Imbrar II of Impiltur.
 * The Hands of the Glade: A group of itinerant psychic healers and sangehirns in Turmish.

Regions
Jhaamdath, located in the south of Faerûn, was ruled by powerful human psionicists. It existed between -5800 DR and -255 DR, when it became under the control of the tyrannical emperor Dharien who was a threat to the elves of Nikerymath. As a kind of vengeance for their crimes against the wood and its inhabitants, the high magi of the elves unleashed a gargantuan tidal wave and destroyed the whole realm.

Despite the widespread usage and training of arcane magic in Halruaa, there was also a higher than expected number of people with psionic potential. The most prominent were members of the Destroyers, including their leader, Daltim Flamefist. Even the Wizard King himself, Zalathorm Kirkson, possessed a number of psionic powers for seeing the future, which he used in concert with traditional divination magic to foresee threats to the realm.

History
Psionics were unknown in the ancient magocratic empire of Netheril (−3859 DR to −339 DR). It was even theorized that the Netherese's great focus and dependence on traditional magic atrophied the parts of the brain that enabled psionics. However, its abjuration magic was so potent it also protected against psionics. Meanwhile, outside the empire's borders and floating enclaves, psionics was known and practiced.

The noted Halruaan psionicist Daltim Flamefist gave a landmark lecture on his research into psionically empowered items at a symposium of mages in Halruaa in the mid-1360s DR. He presented a lengthy and detailed description of psionic item empowerment, as well as a spell of detect psionics, and urged his peers to become familiar with psionic powers, if only to protect themselves from them. His lecture was recorded in his spellbook, Daltim's Tome of Fire.

Attitudes
Even the greatest wizards of the 14th century DR were ignorant of the fundamental principles of psionics.

There were also a number of pejorative terms for those who practiced psionics.

Deities of Psionics

 * Auppenser, a sleeping deity
 * Deep Duerra, a duergar demigod
 * Ilsensine, the illithid god
 * Memnor, a giant deity