3PP Release (3rd Party Book Release) Paranormal Power: A Psionics Option for 5e and A5e, written by Steampunkette!

[Steampunkette]

So I like the design behind psychic dice a lot, particularly as an alternative to spell slots, but there's 2 points that are standing out as kind of weird tensions to me. First, the heritage options that add extra psychic dice seem to work great when you're mixing them in for some mild psionic flavor, but do weird things to the Esper's progression when you take them alongside the class. Extra dice as a mild resource push feels okay, but gaining access to the 3rd tier effects of powers 2 levels earlier than someone without that heritage feels off.

And then the second point, I'm not totally sure I get the design intent behind the Thymokineticist's Unfettered state. If I'm reading it correctly, you still have access to all your psychic dice, but you can't lose or gain them? That feels like it violates the primary design constraint on a lot of powers and really pushes the game toward a lot of encounters/day without short rests, to burn through the Esper's dice, and at higher levels unless the Esper is regularly risking them on utility powers between fights, they just won't be constrained on dice in combat, because of the recharge after losing 2 dice.

Disadvantage on Wisdom saves is definitely not nothing, but I keep looking for some downside intrinsic to the ability, that isn't just a vulnerability for enemies to capitalize on. It feels standout better than what the other archetypes can do with that slot.

So for the Heritages and Progression:

Progression is kind of a strong term for what happens with the powers of an Esper. Warging is not significantly more powerful at level 1 than Telekinesis is, when you break it down. As it is, a Chirurgeon, Medium, or Thymokineticist could begin play with 3 disciplines in their chosen power and the power granted by their archetype. It doesn't make them particularly stronger than a Psychic Warrior, who gets more options through the Awakened Mind, or the Mindhammer, who gets two attack additional options for their bonus-action mind strike.

Just more flexible in their power choice moving forward.

And that is, really, the Esper's core identity when it comes to being a "Caster". Narrower and more defined ability, wider flexibility.

As far as the Unfettered state.

It is pretty powerful at retaining psi dice, yes. But it also locks you out of recovering psi dice. And if you use it early in the day while you have max dice, you can't use it later when you might need it. And later, you might have limited dice availability and really need that 6 you rolled to recover a Psi Dice. So it's very much going to be a balancing act of this particularly potent resource.

There is another consideration worth noting. You can use the Unfettered State when you have no Psi Dice available. Which means it can be used in a purely defensive capacity when you're otherwise wiped out, providing resistance and Temp HP to keep you standing, as well as -some- protection against long-lasting Wisdom-Save induced effects.

Though it does kinda throw me for a loop that in the Psionics section in the Esper class seems to dictate that Augments are to be selected before taking the Manifest action, but the language in some powers, such as the Astral Body power, seems to indicate that the augments can be used after Manifestations

Specific beats general. Some powers, like Astral Projection and Warging, allow you to change how you're spending your augments on their continuing effects, essentially. Such powers are providing round to round changes and options that require a secondary investment of Psi Dice.

 

[Pedantic]

So for the Heritages and Progression:

Progression is kind of a strong term for what happens with the powers of an Esper. Warging is not significantly more powerful at level 1 than Telekinesis is, when you break it down. As it is, a Chirurgeon, Medium, or Thymokineticist could begin play with 3 disciplines in their chosen power and the power granted by their archetype. It doesn't make them particularly stronger than a Psychic Warrior, who gets more options through the Awakened Mind, or the Mindhammer, who gets two attack additional options for their bonus-action mind strike.

Just more flexible in their power choice moving forward.

And that is, really, the Esper's core identity when it comes to being a "Caster". Narrower and more defined ability, wider flexibility.

That makes sense. Given most effects only last 1 round at a time, you're not talking about a huge spike regardless.

As far as the Unfettered state.

It is pretty powerful at retaining psi dice, yes. But it also locks you out of recovering psi dice. And if you use it early in the day while you have max dice, you can't use it later when you might need it. And later, you might have limited dice availability and really need that 6 you rolled to recover a Psi Dice. So it's very much going to be a balancing act of this particularly potent resource.

So, the problem here for me is that it recovers on a short rest, which requires a lot of pacing control for the DM, both on when the players rest and on pressuring the Esper's Hit Dice. Letting players recover exertion and warlock SP between most fights feels less impactful comparatively.

Unless I'm particularly limited with short rest availability, I think it's realistic to expect the Esper to be at full dice on most fights and this prevents mid-combat depletion.

There is another consideration worth noting. You can use the Unfettered State when you have no Psi Dice available. Which means it can be used in a purely defensive capacity when you're otherwise wiped out, providing resistance and Temp HP to keep you standing, as well as -some- protection against long-lasting Wisdom-Save induced effects.

This is cool, and I can see wanting the Charisma benefits in certain social situations too.

 

[Corinnguard]

Will the final PDF version be available once again thru Drive Thru RPG? curious And will we receive an email when it's officially uploaded?

 

[Steampunkette]

Will the final PDF version be available once again thru Drive Thru RPG? curious And will we receive an email when it's officially uploaded?

It is updated, uploaded, and downloadable now, in fact!

I sent a Kickstarter update about it which should be in everyone's emails.

 

[Steampunkette]

Sadly, as noted in that update, I'm gonna go with the Standard Color printing. Premium just isn't worth it.

Here's the imaginary friend as they appear in the PDF.

View attachment Paranormal Power (Large)_50.png

It's SO vibrant and colorful, right?

Here's the Standard Color Print...

It's pretty badly washed out, as you can see. The thick browns are muted, dull, almost grey. The red is still clearly red, but it loses a ton of vibrance.

Here's the 50% more expensive Premium Color Print...

It adds a little vibrance to the red of the cape, throws in some dingy green-yellow onto the robe and the little doll... but it's nowhere near as vibrant as the PDF and the difference is really hard to see when you have both copies in front of you.

So... gonna go with the Standard. It's just not worthwhile to do the premium prints.

 

[Corinnguard]

It is updated, uploaded, and downloadable now, in fact!

I sent a Kickstarter update about it which should be in everyone's emails.

I got the Kickstarter update in my email inbox, but I didn't see a link that would allow me to get the finalized PDF from Drive Thru RPG for free.

 

[Steampunkette]

So, the problem here for me is that it recovers on a short rest, which requires a lot of pacing control for the DM, both on when the players rest and on pressuring the Esper's Hit Dice. Letting players recover exertion and warlock SP between most fights feels less impactful comparatively.

Unless I'm particularly limited with short rest availability, I think it's realistic to expect the Esper to be at full dice on most fights and this prevents mid-combat depletion.

Easy answer, then: Don't let it recover on a short rest. Just do Long Rests, after 2 dice are lost, and Psionic Focus.

Could also strike the Psionic Focus option.

I got the Kickstarter update in my email inbox, but I didn't see a link that would allow me to get the finalized PDF from Drive Thru RPG for free.

It should be in your DTRPG Library under the same heading as your previous PDF downloads.

Just to make certain, I sent it again.

 

[Selganor]

Unfettered Emotions might be the closest thing to the "Triggered Healbot", guess I'll do some character building to see when/how this might work.

Next things I noticed:

p. 11: Ballistic Mind Strike as written seems to be a "normal (p/s/b) damage" psionic Magic Missile as there is no mention of a Save or Attack roll just damage to the target but the Fling Foes Attack Mode seems talks of a successful hit, implying an Attack Roll.

p. 15: Alter Aura. Appealing and Revolting should be at the start of the line to see them better but I guess this would have broken the layout.

p. 12/24: Deep Healing (which adds another Hit Die to healing) and the basic augment Restoration (which adds +1d8) both cost one Augment but the latter doesn't cost the target the HD. So for "lightweights" (characters with d6 or d8 HD and/or no Con-Bonus) it may be cheaper while similar in effect to augment with Restoration rather than Deep Healing. Is this a bug or feature?

 

[Steampunkette]

Unfettered Emotions might be the closest thing to the "Triggered Healbot", guess I'll do some character building to see when/how this might work.

Next things I noticed:

p. 11: Ballistic Mind Strike as written seems to be a "normal (p/s/b) damage" psionic Magic Missile as there is no mention of a Save or Attack roll just damage to the target but the Fling Foes Attack Mode seems talks of a successful hit, implying an Attack Roll.

p. 15: Alter Aura. Appealing and Revolting should be at the start of the line to see them better but I guess this would have broken the layout.

p. 12/24: Deep Healing (which adds another Hit Die to healing) and the basic augment Restoration (which adds +1d8) both cost one Augment but the latter doesn't cost the target the HD. So for "lightweights" (characters with d6 or d8 HD and/or no Con-Bonus) it may be cheaper while similar in effect to augment with Restoration rather than Deep Healing. Is this a bug or feature?

The Ballistic Mind Strike has been updated.

Alter Aura, yeah it broke layout. There's no room left on the page to separate them out like that.

Deep Healing/Restoration: You nailed it. It's to create a "Floor" of 1d8 healing but also allow particularly durable characters, like Berserkers and Fighters, to tap into their HD to get extra healing, if they have the extra HD available. It's also there as a specific option to allow for psionic characters, like a Psi Knight, to decide "You're empowering me for healing, but since I got lucky on the first 3d10 of the 4 you allowed me to use, I'll make the 4th into a Psi Dice!"

That said, the Chirurgeon's Field Aid benefit makes spending hit dice for d6 characters more attractive, too. Since you can force rerolls of hit dice from your use of the Chirurgery power. Might get better on 3d6 rerolling low numbers than 3d8, after all. It wouldn't apply to strict d8 Restoration dice.

And as a final note: The basic augments are also meant to apply to all future powers. And there may be other healing options in the future.

 

[WanderingMystic]

Just realized that I forgot to mention a mistake I noticed in Body Manipulation 1 dice modifiers. The Restoration runs in to the one before it so it looks like they are just one modifier.