D&D General Psionic species and subspecies, will they make a comeback too?

Elan in FR lore are tied to Jhaamdath. But the most prohibited surface Psionic Race in FR are the Ghostwise Halflings.

Maenads have their own lore in Eberron.

Henadic Theologian said:

I think Maenads were intended to be D&D none elf answer to Star Trek Vulcans, both are references to Greco-Roman mythology, both experience intense emotions, but bury those under logical self control. Elves already had the pointy ears so Maenads got everything else, although they did have a minor reference to Dionysus if I remember correctly.

Maenads were one of my favourite Psionic races.

Click to expand...

I strongly prefer that reallife cultural names be mythologically accurate. After that is achieved, it is ok to add distinct variants.

For the Maenad (mainas μαινάς, mainades μαινάδες) they are a religious institution dedicated to the Greek god of wine, that employed techniques of intoxication, wild dancing, and sexual orgies to induce an altered state of consciousness. The originators of this institution are understood to be a certain group of nymphs, also called mainades. These are gods with temples and priests, typically associating the wine god.

D&D can represent the Maenad nymphs as a Celestial species with others worshiping them. Notable is the Medieval English interpretation of them as Fey, where the spirit of wine would likewise be an Archfey. Also, the religious institution might be a background or even a subclass that any character could take.

Once something like this is in place and doable, other kinds of D&D “Maenad” can be distinguished from them.

Tonguez said:

I agree Elan and Maenads should just be rolled in to human with a psionics feat, theres nothing notable about them. Same as Xeph and Gith. Kalashtar and Synads at least have a bit more of the alien vibe about them

So Improved Dromites, Shardmind and an Abberation race for the win

Click to expand...

so how to do the aberration then?

Mind of tempest said:

so how to do the aberration then?

Click to expand...

That's basically the gith. In the new MM the gith are even aberrations.

I think one of the few things that are associated with psionics in D&D but aren't available to players... Are tentacles. There are few to no player races that use tentacles, and because of things like Cthulhu and the mind flayers we associate weird creepy psionic powers with cephalopods.

If we were to get a dedicated psionic book, based off the popularity of mind flayers in Baldur's Gate 3, I actually think we're probably going to get some sort of ceremorph race with tentacle powers.

Misanthrope Prime said:

That's basically the gith. In the new MM the gith are even aberrations.

I think one of the few things that are associated with psionics in D&D but aren't available to players... Are tentacles. There are few to no player races that use tentacles, and because of things like Cthulhu and the mind flayers we associate weird creepy psionic powers with cephalopods.

If we were to get a dedicated psionic book, based off the popularity of mind flayers in Baldur's Gate 3, I actually think we're probably going to get some sort of ceremorph race with tentacle powers.

Click to expand...

gith do not feel abberationy you know they might as well be a mix of elf and orc

Mind of tempest said:

gith do not feel abberationy you know they might as well be a mix of elf and orc

Click to expand...

They said it was because they had been experimented on by the Illithad

WanderingMystic said:

They said it was because they had been experimented on by the Illithad

Click to expand...

I am not arguing that point, but you know they do not feel aberration-y which is the point

Mind of tempest said:

I am not arguing that point, but you know they do not feel aberration-y which is the point

Click to expand...

Yeah to me they don't feel like aberration I just remember that during one of the monster manual talks they said that creatures that had been warped by or heavily influenced by mind flayers and other aberations would be classified as aberations.

I could see something like the Dolgaunt as a PC option - humanoid but grotesque, with sleek grey skin stretched too tightly over elongated limbs. Its humanoid arms joined by a coiling pair of long, boneless tentacles. Where eyes and a nose should be, there are only sunken folds of skin, its mouth is a lipless slit exposing rows of needle sharp teeth. Dozens of twitching fleshy tendrils encircle its face, trailing down its neck and back, licking at the air as they seek the taste of sound or thought. They can hide their tendrils and tentacles by wearing hooded robes, but it dulls their blindsight.

Traits

• Abberation
• Speed 30
• Blindsight 30
• Extra Reach 10ft
• Telepathic Link

Tonguez said:

I could see something like the Dolgaunt as a PC option - humanoid but grotesque, with sleek grey skin stretched too tightly over elongated limbs. Its humanoid arms joined by a coiling pair of long, boneless tentacles. Where eyes and a nose should be, there are only sunken folds of skin, its mouth is a lipless slit exposing rows of needle sharp teeth. Dozens of twitching fleshy tendrils encircle its face, trailing down its neck and back, licking at the air as they seek the taste of sound or thought. They can hide their tendrils and tentacles by wearing hooded robes, but it dulls their blindsight.

Traits

• Abberation
• Speed 30
• Blindsight 30
• Extra Reach 10ft
• Telepathic Link

Click to expand...

It also needs to be cool, which is the hard part - weird, but in a cool way, not in a purely freaky way.