D&D (2024) Githzerai Psion? Thri-kreen Psion? Where's My Psion?

[Micah Sweet]

Gygax explained the intelligence stat in terms of IQ. This was his understanding, and reflected the science of the 1970s. As other, younger designers have taken over they have updated descriptions and usage to reflect what they understand intelligence to be.

-2024 free rules (I don't know the names of the authors)​

What I mean is, has D&D changed its understanding of intelligence, as you say, in the rules, to reflect the modern thinking on the subject?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

What I mean is, has D&D changed its understanding of intelligence, as you say, in the rules, to reflect the modern thinking on the subject?

Yes. The description has changed, and what the stat does mechanically has changed. That is because the word "intelligence" means something different to someone who was educated in the 2000s than to someone who was educated in the 1950s.

 

[Corinnguard]

People update the rules as their understanding changes.

True, this is where a DM is likely to come up with a house rule that they believe is a better fit for the sessions they narrate to their players.

 

[Staffan]

I never really got how Int became the primary stat for psionics in 3.5e. In 2e, Wisdom was the primary stat for psionicists, with Intelligence and Constitution secondary. 3.0 had different primary stats for each discipline, making psions the MADdest class that ever MADded a MAD, and 3.5e made Intelligence the main stat for the psion class and Wisdom for the Psychic Warrior (I can't recall if the Cha-based Wilders were also in the XPH or if they were added in Complete Psionic).

 

[Corinnguard]

I never really got how Int became the primary stat for psionics in 3.5e. In 2e, Wisdom was the primary stat for psionicists, with Intelligence and Constitution secondary. 3.0 had different primary stats for each discipline, making psions the MADdest class that ever MADded a MAD, and 3.5e made Intelligence the main stat for the psion class and Wisdom for the Psychic Warrior (I can't recall if the Cha-based Wilders were also in the XPH or if they were added in Complete Psionic).

The Wilders are in the XPH.

 

[Maxperson]

Why INT, other that it’s not much used by anyone much apart from wizards? I can see how book learning helps them, but I don’t see why it would make your mental powers stronger. If anything, force of personality (CHA) is a better fit. If that’s too overused I would use CON, like a PF kineticist.

Because psionics is of the mind, not personality.

 

[Maxperson]

"Barbarian" is a rather dated idea. As in, literally thousands of years old dated (nearly directly taken from the ancient Greek barbaroi, an onomatopoeia for stammering because non-Greek people didn't speak Greek and thus sounded like "bar bar bar bar" etc.)

Book smarts are what make you good at psychic things in many pieces of media. Whether you like that or not is irrelevant to the fact that that's what people associate it with, and have done so for many decades, including media that is popular with teens right now.

This. Int being the mental muscle is pretty much what the psionic trope is. The trope doesn't get into social intelligence, so that science need not apply to an RPG.

 

[Maxperson]

Specific examples. Which comic book psychics are more powerful because of book smarts? Because I can think of some powerful comic book psychics who are not so good in the thinking department.

They are usually not very good at social as well. But even when they aren't book smart, the mind powers are still MIND(int) powers, not social powers or personality powers.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Yes. The description has changed, and what the stat does mechanically has changed. That is because the word "intelligence" means something different to someone who was educated in the 2000s than to someone who was educated in the 1950s.

How have the mechanics changed? It still seems to affect the same things.

 

[Micah Sweet]

True, this is where a DM is likely to come up with a house rule that they believe is a better fit for the sessions they narrate to their players.

Houserules, sure. People can do whatever they want in houserules.