Psionics--the Poll!

[John Dallman]

Psionics is magic. It gets treated as a separate power because Joseph Campbell held pseudo-scientific views.

You mean John W. Campbell, I think?

 

[Silvercat Moonpaw]

You mean John W. Campbell, I think?

Whoops, you're right. Names are so similar.

 

[Hex08]

Depends on the game. In D&D or D&D-like systems the answer is no (with some exceptions) but otherwise it depends on the game/setting. My biggest, but not only, problem with it in D&D, at least in the past since I don't play the current system, is that it is usually a totally different subset of rules. During the 3.x years Monte Cook released Arcana Unearthed and then Arcana Evolved and in it, if memory serves, the difference was that it was just basically magic with a different descriptor (arcane, divine, psionic) which made it super easy to implement.

 

[Aldarc]

I am perfectly fine with psionics being another form of magic. However, I would still like if a Psion/Psychic/Mentalist/Whatever were its own class and archetype (at least in the context of D&D) instead of being subsumed into the magical void of the Wizard. I would argue that the Psychic probably has a clearer archetype and identity than other classes, such as the Sorcerer or even Warlock.

 

[Scribe]

Maybe I am just too "hippie adjacent" to see the issue with Psion's in Fantasy.

 

[grimslade]

I agree, despite my love of psionics, that the name and naming of powers, is very 70's new age and pop psychology. There is a place in fantasy stories to have the psychic who affects others or the environment with merely their will and thought. And Buddha knows, there are so many better ways to express these powers than 'Vancian' spellcasting.

 

[pemerton]

i think it's incredibly boring and limiting to just throw everything vaguely supernatural into the bucket of 'magic'

But "magic" and "supernatural" are largely synonyms!

Eg Oxford Languages, via Google, gives the following for "magic":

noun the power of apparently influencing events by using mysterious or supernatural forces.

adjective having or apparently having supernatural powers.​

In a sci-fi setting, at least, what should distinguish psi-powers/psionics is that they are not supernatural, but rather have a scientific explanation. Traveller presents psionics in this way.

But in a FRPG, psionics/mentalism is just another variety of magic: see eg 4e D&D or Rolemaster.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

So, why did D&D in its' various editions decided to have psionics in its' fantasy settings to begin with? They could have called it Psychic Magic or Occult Magic like PF1 did. But they didn't.

One of my favorite things about 4e was they were all just sources of heroic power. Psionic, Arcane, Martial, Primal, Divine (I think that was all of them).

 

[Corinnguard]

One of my favorite things about 4e was they were all just sources of heroic power. Psionic, Arcane, Martial, Primal, Divine (I think that was all of them).

From Wikipedia:

Dragon No. 379 included the Assassin class, introducing the shadow power source. The Player's Handbook 3 introduced the psionic power source, which draws power from the mind. Player's Option: Heroes of the Elemental Chaos introduced builds that use the elemental power source.

 

[pemerton]

One of my favorite things about 4e was they were all just sources of heroic power. Psionic, Arcane, Martial, Primal, Divine (I think that was all of them).

Ki was folded into psionic.

Elemental and Shadow were developed as "secondary"/complementary power sources.