Psionics

[blargney the second]

I still maintain that the mystical powers in the Belgariad are vastly closer to psionics than magic. Psionics and fantasy taste just fine together.

Psionics must be made a part of 5e, but with an easy toggle switch to either include or exclude them. If the switch was a dial, it'd be even better. Having the option to include parts of psionics and exclude others would be the bomb.
-blarg

 

[Nivenus]

I've never used psionics but they've been there from the beginning so I see no reason to begrudge them or players who want them.

As for the sci-fi vs. fantasy argument? Personally, I always like a little fantasy in my science fiction and a little science fiction in my fantasy. When it comes down to it, the only clear-cut definition you can come up with is that extraordinary things happen in fantasy because "a wizard did it" and extraordinary things happen in sci-fi because "science did it."

But it's almost never that simple, is it? Especially when sci-fi routinely has science that acts like magic and fantasy has a recurring love affair with magic that functions like science.

 

[Elton Robb]

I've enjoyed Psionics since I picked up the 2e supplement to find out how I can enmesh it with RIFTS. However, reading the 2e Supplement and looking at the colorful art that was included with it made me fall in love.

Fast forward to the first incarnation of D20 Star Wars. I picked up the book and read what they did with the Force. I thought that 3.x psionics should have been done like Force powers from the start. I then picked up the new Complete Psionics Handbook and . . . disappointment, but still cool, and -- wonky.

The Expanded Psionics Handbook fixed everything.

However, to understand why I'm a more passionate fan of Psionics in D&D will probably blow you away. At age 29 to 30, I was feeling very inadequate and I felt I didn't measure up to anyone's standards. I was going to kill myself and ask to be reincarnated into a more Hedonistic family so I can enjoy what I enjoyed without judgement. I felt those close to me was asking me to try and measure up to their standards.

I reached out to someone and asked a simple question. That someone told me certain things that totally made sense. So how does this relate to Psionics in D&D? Simple, I have come to the conclusion that Psionic powers is absolutely possible in every stretch of the mind. This is how:

* The Universe is in vibration. Every part of the Universe is energy in vibration. Lets be fair and call it the Quantum Energy Wave.

* We, meaning sentient humans, are also vibrational beings. But unlike most things in the universe, we can alter the vibration pattern. In short, we can collapse the Quantum Energy Wave into determined patterns by us.

* We are all connected. Electrically as well as spiritually (the Electrical part comes from the Electric Universe theory, while the Spiritual part comes from Quantum Mechanics and religion and not just New Age mumbo-jumbo -- although the New Agers have it correct in this instance). This connection allows us to say one another: I am you, and you are me.

* There is no judgement in Heaven from the Christian God. Quite simply, we are the ones who will choose where we go after that. The judgement comes from ourselves, since we all have an overdeveloped sense of Justice which comes from our innate sense of right and wrong.

* In this way, we can create what we desire most in every way possible. In short, if we desire to cast Force Lightning, it's totally possible. If we desire to have a Lamborghini Aventador, we can have one. Anything we desire can be ours.

* The trick is that we should work hard in consciously creating what we desire most.

So, I reread the Expanded Psionics Handbook in a new light. And it was simple. People who consciously create all the time what they desire are in D&D -- they are called Shapers. Shapers use Metacreativity, meaning they create consciously what they desire most.

Psionics belong in D&D. It's very important that they stay in D&D because they are very probable and can actually happen if one desired it the most. Lifting rocks telekinetically, and then throwing them is not out of the range of human imagination and therefore absolutely possible.

-------------------------------------------------------

So, the nutty-gritty. For all those who hate Psionics in D&D, I think you should get your wish and they should not be included in the main Basic book. You should not feel obligated to include psionics in your games if you don't want them in your games.

Psionics should be in a separate module. It just seems natural because no one should feel obligated to include something that they don't feel should have been included.

I feel that there should be two handbooks for Psionics. One done in the style of Star Wars SAGA and the other done in the style of Powers -- however that should appear (I personally think that Wizards should take an example from M&M 3rd Edition and port the entire character creation rules from M&M 3rd Edition into D&D and present it as D&D Master Edition and not copy 4e's stuff, because there is a disparity between D&D's Level System and 4e's power system -- THEY DON'T SEEM NATURAL TOGETHER).

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

In a literary sense Science Fiction is simply a subset within the general umbrella of Fantasy. Historically speaking, while D&D has not wholeheartedly embraced elements of science fiction, neither has it EVER shied away from genre blending to a variety of degrees. As far as psionics specifically is concerned 1E is NOT the first appearance of psionics in D&D. You can also add me to the camp of those who have no problem with seeing psionics as part of D&D but I also have never particularly liked ANY official system that D&D has implimented for psionics. Really, I haven't liked any system for psionics that I've ever seen, period.

Psionics "doesn't belong" with D&D? Hogwash. It's virtually always been part of D&D at some level. It's frequently been vilified it's true, but that has never yet prevented it from being implemented.

Those who dislike psionics in their D&D for whatever reason - I wholeheartedly agree that they should not have to suffer the chore of REMOVING it from the rules in order to implement their games. However, not only do I say it can be part of D&D, I say it SHOULD be, maybe even MUST be if the rules being printed want to have "D&D" on the cover. There are simply too many people who DO use Psionics, love them, embrace them, build and buy settings fixated around them to possibly assert that they "don't belong". The preference for or against psionics is a personal one - its omission is not justifiable as a matter of genre or "D&Dness", so to speak.

If Psionics for 5E sucks, well... that too will simply be in keeping as a D&D tradition as far as I'm concerned. Denying that Psionics even has a place in D&D? Sacrilege.