From Scratch: Designing a Psionic Setting

[WayneLigon]

If you were going to design from scratch a homebrew setting with a heavy emphasis on psionics, what would you include from a world design perspective (classes, races, monsters, magic systems, religions, geography, variant rules)? What would you omit? Would it be a D&D/d20 game, or something else? What about such a setting would be exciting? What would potentially be annoying?

The only major race would be human in a sense, but varients would exist; the use of various transformational psionics on humans produces a few initially slave races. Goblins for skirmishers, orcs for an expendable stupid warrior class, ogres and even giants for shock troops. Some exotic and highly unlikely races originally made for pets or just because someone could. They're all rarer than humans, though the goblins and orcs breed very fast when they get the chance to accumulate enough resources.

The only magic is psionics, and it's a not-uncommon skill. Everyone knows someone with The Gift, at least, though really powerful users are still rare. Religion never really develops because the ability to sense and transform the environment is not something outside of human hands; likewise the secrets of the human heart are laid bare to the Gifted. They develop a deeply spiritual nature but never really go about naming gods and goddesses.

The Gifted become the natural rulers. Any psionic-capable class is at least some lower form of nobility just because they have the Gift. Because it can occur in anyone and does not run in families, the idea of family dynasties and such never materializes; instead, the basic social system is one of merit and skill.

Other classes exist of course. Fighters and Rogues are common.

Geography is much the same, though there might be a lot of untrammeled ground. The idea of ultra-powerful monastic telekinetics building a landmass, shifting a continent a few miles a year instead of a few centimeters, opening volcanoes in controlled eruptions, doing the Darkover thing of telekinetically ripping metal and mineral wealth out of the crust... too cool.

The most potentially annoying thing is much the same as in D&D: the infalible detection. Telepathy will create a real problem, but there are generally accepted to be more common ways around that than with magic: I'd have several feats for resistances or something. Or just variant rules about resisting mental invasion. (The image of the guy in Village of the Damned, picturing a brick wall in his mind, it crumbling as the kids burrow deeper and deeper.. that has to be included some how. Mental DR.. something..)

 

[Urbanmech]

The problem with a pure psionics setting is going to come down to healing. No class heals as well as the cleric and psionic forms of healing are few and far between. I can see that making encounters tough to balance. Though the availability of Vigor to nearly every psionic class could help a lot.

I think a psionic setting really gives you free reign to go nuts with your imagination, throw out all the old fantasy tropes and do some crazy stuff. No metal on the planet so people work the psiactive crystals into armor and weapons. No/very few undead due to the lack of necromancy. Kingdoms who war based on opposing philosophies rather than some divine jihad. Or include magic but make it a tool of invaders from another plane.

 

[ForceUser]

The problem with a pure psionics setting is going to come down to healing. No class heals as well as the cleric and psionic forms of healing are few and far between. I can see that making encounters tough to balance. Though the availability of Vigor to nearly every psionic class could help a lot.

There are two variants from Unearthed Arcana which would help to mitigate this issue---armor as damage reduction, and wound points/vitality points. Combined with vigor and empathic transfer, lack of healing shouldn't be a deal breaker. Fights will still be tricky, and combat will still be something to generally be avoided, but my sense is that this combination of variants would work fine. If anything, it might help to reinforce the idea of a grimmer, grittier psi-only setting while retaining that sense of high adventure.

Interesting comments so far. Some of us think very much alike (Whizbang Dustyboots and Urbanmech in particular). Others of you have given me new things to ponder as well. Keep them coming!

 

[Vymair]

I very much considered running a Roman empire influence game some time back. My plan was for Psionics to replace the Arcane among the human population as a response to the Arcane mastery of the Elves (Sidhe) and their allies in Ireland and England. Psions would be called sorcerors. In addition, I was going to have Marcus Aurelius as the developer of Psychic Warriors. Therefore, the Roman legions would be Psychic Warriors.

I was going to ditch the cleric and druid and sub in the Spirit Shaman and Shugenja as the priestly characters and base faith around the elemental powers. Creatures from the elemental planes woudl be the active outsider presence in the lands.

Alas, I doubt I'll have time to do a full-blown home brew for quite some time.

 

[Soel]

Wow, I'd actually go the opposite route with it. Perhaps a world where magic is outlawed and seen as barbaric and universe destroying. I wouldn't forbid magic, but I'd have additional rules on it to make it a bit more chaotic.

I'd include half the phb races, none of the "half" races. Elves would have been killed centuries ago as the war between magic and psionis came to a close.l I'd include the more modern looking Psionic races such as the Elan and Xeph.

I imagine the world as a very victorian type of world from the "equilliberium" movie. There would be floating cities held up with nothing but thought slaves, wood and lumb would be difficult because trees and plants have learned to replant themselves (among other defenses) to protect themselves from prediators.

Most, but not all creatures should have a psionic bent to them in some fashion. Crystal dragons instead of the usual dragons. However, if there are monsters or creatures you want to use, nothings stopping you from just tweaking the flavor of their description as psionic magic instead of typical magic.

Teleportation would be the main mode of transportation. No horses. There would probably be destination points in cities where you have to teleport into if you're teleporting. Some type of dampener to prevent teleportations at any of these locations.

Women may wear fancy hats, a way to prevent mind control. However it could be outlawed to "hide your thoughts".

That's some good stuff there, DT!