Dark Sun 5e, A minimalist conversion. (full) [OC]

[Steve Gorak]

no on the mystic. im just running the psion as an alternate wizard class.

https://media.wizards.com/2019/dnd/downloads/UA-PsychicSoulPsionics.pdf
there is also an alternate spell list back on page 2. - it has more bard spells than the one in the above PDF.

Fair enough.

I’m not sure I “get” this psionic wizard. Is a spell book still required? Do psionic spell still need v & material components? I get Somatic, but not the others.

As described in they PDF, it doesn’t feel like a psion... I’d be happy with a no V and M psionic wizard, access to psionic spells only, “knows” spells (let’s call them powers) as per the base spellbook allotment (but no spellbook). Perhaps with the possibility of changing one spells known once per long rest. Or perhaps use the sorcerer as a template for psionic spells known?

it’s more a question of keeping the feel of a psion, and making sure they are different to wizards.

If that doesn’t work, I’ll go Druid, but I’d prefer psion.

cheers,

sg

edit: I just re-read the PDF. Using a focus for Material components, such as a crystal, works for me (not super, but that’s life) but not the verbal components, unless we say it’s grunting from the mental exertion.

 

[Evilhalfling]

As described in they PDF, it doesn’t feel like a psion... I’d be happy with a no V and M psionic wizard, access to psionic spells only, “knows” spells (let’s call them powers) as per the base spellbook allotment (but no spellbook). Perhaps with the possibility of changing one spells known once per long rest. Or perhaps use the sorcerer as a template for psionic spells known?

it’s more a question of keeping the feel of a psion, and making sure they are different to wizards.

edit: I just re-read the PDF. Using a focus for Material components, such as a crystal, works for me (not super, but that’s life) but not the verbal components, unless we say it’s grunting from the mental exertion.

that all seems workable - sommetic & verbal are not necessary - but other psions will probably notice when you use a psionic power and can make spellcraft checks to ID it. automatically if they have the same power.

I want them to feel different, but without have a whole new subsystem. and Like you I don't want to see any psionic fireballs. I am also not a big fan of psionic illusions, I think personal enhancement and movement powers have better psionic flavor
feel free to steal any enchantment or divination spells from the bard's list instead. there is a lot af grey areas on for the spell lists, ask if you think something else should be there. You can use the list of wild talents list for other spells:

Spoiler

Level 1 psionic powers:
Bane
Catapult
Cause Fear
Charm Person
Detect Magic
Disguise Self
Dissonant Whispers
Expeditious Retreat
Feather Fall
False Life
Heroism
id insinuation* (UA PDF)
Identify
Jump
Long Strider
Magic Missle
Sleep
Shield
Speak with Animals
Tasha's Hideous Laughter
Thunderwave (force not sonic energy)
Unseen Servant

per the HR for psionic Talents, feel free to take wis or chr as your casting stat instead of int.

Dark Sun Psions are really much higher status - nobles, merchant families, tribal leaders etc....
so the fact that you join into this party suggests you have seriously fallen and are likely being hunted.
most darksun psions will use crystals as psionic focuses - and for any psionic magic items.

 

[Steve Gorak]

Very cool.
So we’ll essentially be dealing with a “virtual spellbook”: 6 1st level spells/powers at first level, and 2 spells per level thereafter. At level 3, that means 10 spells/powers, and only 2 from level 2. Can we say that once per level, a lower level spell/power can be replaced by a higher level one? This means a possible 3 2nd level spells In the virtual spellbook (and 7 1st level).

Spells/ powers prepared on a daily basis will be as normal: ability modifier + level, and can be reestablished after meditating after a full rest.

The advantage is that there is no spellbook, the drawback is the significantly reduced number of potentially known spell/powers. Only material components, if applicable, are required, and the focus must be used. No V or S.

perhaps there can be a mechanism to learn more powers, by paying cash (kinda like the cost of transcribing a spell) and spending time to learn? TBD.

i like it, feels like a psion, and feels balanced with wizard.

I’ll start working on something. Thinking of a noble´s or merchant’s son, his mother was the second wife, and the first wife arranged for him to be kidnapped and sent to another city to secure more power for her children. this may have been a while back (6-9 months) so things may have happened to allow for the storylines to merge. I’m thinking human or half elf.

does this work?
Cheers,

sg

 

[Steve Gorak]

Can we say that once per level, a lower level spell/power can be replaced by a higher level one?

I was thinking, let’s strike that. Let’s say that the psionic spells (powers) known are etched by the psion inside his psicrystal (focus) through meditation. The focus is in fact a physical manifestation of a psion’s psyche.

So the powers are added as the psion levels up just as a wizard adds new spells to a spellbook when leveling up. This way, the psion can still do psionic rituals (identify, alarm (or area attunement as I’d prefer to call it)) , albeit only with the focus.

new powers can be added if another psion’s psicrystal is found or shared. The same amount of money as a wizard transcribing spells needs to be spent for special crystals shards that are absorbed into the focus to add new powers.

So there we go: an Athasiam psion that uses the same mechanics as the wizard, but has its own unique flavour.
Cheers.

sg

 

[JustinCase]

Sounds good. Welcome aboard Steve!

 

[Steve Gorak]

Hey!

Here is my character for approval.

I took some liberties with the spell (power) selection, and assumed that anything with force damage or a force effect was fair game (Eldrich blast, mage armor, which I rebranded psychokinetic blast and armor). I hope this works. Feedback regarding the backstory (and appropriate names), and suggestions for languages that won’t be a total waste are also appreciated.

Sorry for the format, this was done on my phone...
Cheers,

SG

Spoiler: Character

Psion 3

S 8
D 15 +1
C 13+1
I 12
W 15+1
C 12

Psionic powers

Cantrips
Message
Eldritch blast (psycho kinetic blast)
Prestigitation (wild talent)
Vicious mockery
Friends (psionic devotion - targets don’t become hostile)

Powers (spells)
Level 1: 8
Dissonant whispers
Identify
Disguise self (project appearance)
Feather fall
Tasha’s hideous laughter
Detect magic
Shield
Mage armor (psychokinetic armor)

Level 2: 2
Misty step (nomad’s step)
Levitate

Powers prepared (7): dissonant whispers, disguise self, shield, mage armor, feather fall, misty step, levitate


Feat: OBSERVANT
Increase your Intelligence or Wisdom score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
If you can see a creature’s mouth while it is speaking a language you understand, you can interpret what it’s saying by reading its lips.
You have a +5 bonus to your passive Wisdom (Perception) and passive Intelligence (Investigation) scores.

Background: Courtier
Feature: Court Functionary
Your knowledge of how bureaucracies function lets you gain access to the records and inner workings of any noble court or government you encounter. You know who the movers and shakers are, whom to go to for the favors you seek, and what the current intrigues of interest in the group are.

Proficiencies:
background: insight, persuasion
Class: arcana, insight, replaced with deception
Human: perception

Languages:
Human: common, Elven
Background: 2 tbd

History:
Keltor was born to wealth and affluence. He was house XXXX’s patriarch’s firstborn son to his second wife, based in the city of YYYYY. He was trained in psionics using the best masters, and even learned to read and write.

Several months ago, after celebrating his 16th birthday, he accompanied a trading caravan to [current city] as training for his future role in the House. However, at night, as the caravan waited to enter the city, he was kidnapped. The somewhat disorganized thugs were planning to kill him away from the caravan as to not leave any evidence (psionic or mundane). Fortunately, the thugs were lacklustre and using his psionic skills, he learned that it was the patriarch’s first wife that organized the coup, and managed to escape.

He has been stuck in [current city] for several months. There is a sizeable bounty on his head, thus preventing his passage back to [original city], and there are very few that he can trust. He’s been learning about [current city]’s organizations, ebbs and flow, in the hope of one day exacting revenge and taking back his rightful place.

 

[VLAD the Destroyer]

Hey just wanted to let you all know that I should have most of my projects wrapped up after this coming weekend. Should be able to resume posting then.

 

[Evilhalfling]

I'm okay with mage armor & eldritch blast - the character looks good!

The background is fine, You are currently hiding in Raam - you can be from Draj or Urik.
unless someone has an urgent need to see one of the really distant cities, the group is likely to stay in the three north-east cities. the courtier background advantage fits, but won't see a huge amount of use, this campaign is running too gritty for it to come up for a good long while.

if your from Draj, speak Giant - otherwise gith might come up. thir-kreen could also be interesting.

Spoiler: IC situation

You have likely lost some of your nobles arrogance hiding among the poor, desperate and starving that live on the streets of Raam, you have a water-skin, and some meat on a stick you were saving, but everything else, other than your Psionic Focus was stolen or sold off. when someone tried to steal the focus they dropped it quickly as if it hurt to touch, then ran off. You are not sure why.

You were fleeing from a bounty hunter when you discovered a passage leading underground - a rarity in the earthquake-prone Raam.

Since you don't have a way of making light you have been waiting and listening, trying not to attract attention.
Now you have seen fire, and hear voices - you can move close enough to observe this round, but don't have an action until after the dead have acted again. You probably need to use levitation & pull yourself along on the ceiling, because you can't see the floor. If you want to try it anyway you will be delayed an additional round.
(if your not ready to start IC then its enter at anytime after the next round)

The small chamber on the map is lit by a burning corpse.

@VLAD the Destroyer you can enter at anytime, What did Varsk do after his companions entered the hole?
you might have gained some ground on them in the crawl space, so had somewhere between 4 rounds and a minute by yourself.

 

[Steve Gorak]

Awesome!!! I’ll post my character in the RG soon, when I have a second.

FYI regarding the focus, there’s a benefit to the psion wizard at level 2:
If your psionic focus is lost, you can magically recreate it by meditating for 1 hour during a short or long rest, at the end of which the focus appears in your hand.

So awesome if they couldn’t steel it but keep in mind that it’s a short rest away from retrieval.

Im ready to start and will wait for the dead to act. I like the idea of levitating and moving across the ceiling, seems safer. Also note that prestigitation can light any combustible material for light, and my character would have kept a few sticks for warmth at night, but let’s say that my character didn’t light anything as to not attract attention.

I’m very psyched about playing in dark sun again! Thanks for the opportunity!
Cheers,
Sg

 

[Steve Gorak]

hey Evilhalfling,

a few questions as I’m wrapping things up with the character: would you consider the mould earth cantrip as a candidate for a psionic cantrip? It kinda fits the bill, and would be great at creating hiding places for my character at night (to help explain how he manages to escape bounty hunters: he could have sealed the entrance to the tunnel).

same question for guidance: call it psionic insight. Could it be an option?

i may not take them, but I like to look at all possibilities. I do like mould earth though ;-)
thanks and cheers,

SG