D&D General So, how much did/do you use psionics?

[Cadence]

Another thread brought up how the question of how central psionics were to 1e. While this poll is just about 1e, the thread is about any version of the game so chime in below!

Maybe about things like:

• In the other older ones, including OD&D, 2e, 3/3.5e did you use them?
• Did you like having them front and center in 4e?
• Does 5e have enough, too much, or not even close?
• If you didn't use them in 1e, what did you do if a monster was listed as having them?
• Do you think there should be able to be multi-part polls that limit you to one answer in each part?

Edit: But feel free to add your own!

Edit 2: Note the percent doesn't show you what percent of people who played 1e used psionics because of the two responses for folks who never played 1e. Doh!

 

[GuardianLurker]

1. I've generally had them available as an option in most of my campaigns (1e, 2e, 3e).
2. Never played 4e.
3. Haven't used them in 5e. By the time they entered the official space (did they ever?), I was already done with my 5e campaign.
4. Ignored the stat block, as it wasn't germane/applicable.

In general, I found 2e's version to be the most flavorful, and 3e's to be the most balanced.

 

[Lanefan]

There's been psionics (which I've always spelled as psyonics) in pretty much every 1e-adjacent game I've run or played, with one major exception: they're not* PC-accessible in the campaign I'm running now, and generally don't otherwise exist other than as special abilities for some iconic monsters e.g. Mind Flayers that just wouldn't be the same without them.

* - exceptions: some previously-psyonic abilities exist in other forms, and very rare magic items might bestow psyonics or similar.

Another thread brought up how the question of how central psionics were to 1e. While this poll is just about 1e, the thread is about any version of the game so chime in below! Maybe about things like:

• In the other older ones, including OD&D, 2e, 3/3.5e did you use them?

No

• Did you like having them front and center in 4e?

Did not play or run 4e.

• Does 5e have enough, too much, or not even close?

No opinion.

• If you didn't use them in 1e, what did you do if a monster was listed as having them?

Not applicable.

• Do you think there should be able to be multi-part polls that limit you to one answer in each part?

Yes, but there needs to be a VERY clear way of delineating between 'parts', e.g. a great big line across the screen.

 

[Nikosandros]

I've not used them often as a DM, but they featured strongly in the longest-running AD&D campaign that I've ran. In an AD&D PBEM in which I've been playing since 2007, there's one character that is psionic and has some quite powerful abilities.

 

[Reynard]

Almost never.

 

[Cadence]

In 1e we might have tried it a handful of times, but I don't remember it lasting. I'm almost certain we used some creatures that had them listed and just ignored them. Having them being an entire separate non-interactive thing seemed abusable even back then iirc. I notice now that, for example, Dragons don't have any.

I have no recollection of them in 2e or 3e. Didn't play much 4e. Am fine with them in 5e as they are.

 

[overgeeked]

For players, almost never in AD&D. All the time once they landed in 4E and 5E.

For monsters, whenever they happen to have psionics.

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

For 1E, we tried it, hated it, and then ignored it. For 2E we bought Dark Sun and the Complete Psionics Handbook, and then we quit Dark Sun because it was too integrated in the setting and Psionics were broken. Never played Dark Sun again, though I bought books for lore.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

"Oh, you rolled an 18/00 strength and rolled that you had psionic abilities while we were all out of the room? Remarkable!"

 

[Micah Sweet]

Another thread brought up how the question of how central psionics were to 1e. While this poll is just about 1e, the thread is about any version of the game so chime in below!

Maybe about things like:

• In the other older ones, including OD&D, 2e, 3/3.5e did you use them?
• Did you like having them front and center in 4e?
• Does 5e have enough, too much, or not even close?
• If you didn't use them in 1e, what did you do if a monster was listed as having them?
• Do you think there should be able to be multi-part polls that limit you to one answer in each part?

Edit: But feel free to add your own!

Edit 2: Note the percent doesn't show you what percent of people who played 1e used psionics because of the two responses for folks who never played 1e. Doh!

We rolled for it every time, got it a few times, and used the monsters appropriately. In 2e and 3e I played psionicists or psions, or had them in my group at one time or another, and ditto for 4e, and now my hybrid Level Up-based game. Psionics has always been part of D&D for me.