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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Zappo" data-source="post: 90248" data-attributes="member: 633">Psion summed it up well (as is to be expected <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />). The biggest problem was that the powers weren't organized in levels, and therefore you could get even the most powerful powers at very, very low levels. Even the few powers with level requirements didn't go past 10th IIRC. Disintegrate at 3rd is an example, but there are many more.Then there's the "no defense" problem. There was basically no easy way to counter psionics. A great number of powers, even extremely powerful ones, didn't allow a saving throw. You did have to make a power check, but once you pumped the key stat high enough there was no problem. Other psionicists could defend, but any other character was toast. For example, Invincible Foes would make the target convinced that he was at 1 HP, and he would immediately faint should he take another damage. And it had no save - kinda like Harm, if you want, but at a distance, usable many times, and totally undetectable.Which brings to the third point. No flashy eyes, no noise, no anything. In the first days of the 3e psionics, people complained about the x-man like effects, but the undetectability of psionic use was one of the main factors that made them broken. You could dominate the king during a party and noone would notice.Then, of course, there were a few powers that were broken all by themselves. One allowed time travel without restrictions - made a blunder? Go back and tell yourself. Another absorbed all damage from energy attacks and could be used "as a free action" in response to, say, a fireball. And another absorbed physical damage AND allowed you to send it back with a touch. So, you could take 500 damage from a dragon, and while it wonders how the hell you're still alive, you can attack it and deal it 500 damage in one blow. Etcetera, etcetera...It's noteworthy that the only three things I've ever had to ban from my 2e campaigns were all psionic powers (one was the physical damage thing above, another was the time travel one, and another was... can't remember. Prolly something that blew up cities, or let you use ten powers per round, or made you immortal, or something like that). I've always been very lenient in allowing things, but there's a limit...</blockquote>

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