D&D 3E/3.5 3.5 Psionics.

[Particle_Man]

I have tried working on new Psionics rules and I will probably introduce them into my games when I get into the beta stage. Psionics should be more like the force and less like magic.

Have you looked at Star Wars Saga Edition for how they do the force?

One thing about psionics is that instead of Verbal, Somatic, and Material components they have these weird side effects affecting the 5 senses. It is good to remember them, for flavour purposes, but also for detection by others.

Oh, and Complete Psionic (in addition to some extra base and prestige classes) has a rule limiting how many Astral Constructs one can have running around. Some people hate that rule, others like limiting the "astral construct spam" option (if only to keep combat a little simpler). I used to be in the former camp but am coming around to the latter camp way of thinking as I get older.

Some campaigns reskin psionics as gem magic, faerie magic, witch magic, cthulhuesque magic, etc. (or all of the above - never did trust those fey!) Some campaigns strip out arcane magic and put in psionics instead.

Some people say Soul Knives are weak. Others say they are very limited (the harrier trope, get in hit get out).

 

[Dandu]

Why can't they be both weak and limited?

 

[Nifft]

To above: Don't forget Complete Psionic, its 3.5 as well.

DO forget Complete Psionic, it's terrible.

While it doesn't allow the everything power of regular magic, it does allow Psionic classes to blow nearly all their power very quickly, which helps end combat quickly.

Total power point expenditure cannot exceed manifester level, and that includes expenditure for meta-psionics. There are a few exceptions to this rule (like the Wilder's class feature), but not many.

Oh, and IIRC RAW, it doesn't allow magic-psionics transparency, meaning detect magics does not detect psionics.

This is exactly backwards: the default for 3.5e psionics is total transparency, but there are side-bars suggesting what changes to make if you want non-transparency.

Cheers, -- N

 

[CuRoi]

IMO, etc., etc. from the slightly negative sid eof the fence.

I guess I'm a traditionalist when it comes to fantasy and I never really got into psionics. It was kind of a neat twist back in AD&D when psionic powers were just something a character had a slim percentage chance to have based on I think high Wis and Int scores or some such. Sort of an outlier, freak of nature thing. When they started trying to make it a whole new kind of "magic" and build classes around it, I lost interest. From what I recall in 2e when that started there were serious balance issues.

I know this is subject to debate but there still seem to be some balance issues, IMO. Honestly, the only people I have had express interest in psionics at my games are the ones I keep an eye on because they love to not just "optimize" but completely exploit rules if given a chance. However, I don't have enough experience running psionics to throw in an extremely informed opinion on how balanced it may be. I've played in some games with psionics and it just never really sat right with me, nor did I feel it balanced well with the traditional system. I'd maybe consider an all psionic campaign before I ran a campaign with both.

In many cases, it just seems like renamed spell descriptions. It's just "magic" that ooooooooh you cast with your brain! One thing I do like (and I think more spells should be this way) is many more "powers" can be scaled with level a bit better, so there are less "powers" that become useless as you gain levels.

 

[Dandu]

I know this is subject to debate but there still seem to be some balance issues, IMO.

As someone who powergames and hangs out with powergamers, I can assure you that Psionics is better balanced than the default magic system, even though it has its problems.

 

[Eman Resu]

As someone who powergames and hangs out with powergamers, I can assure you that Psionics is better balanced than the default magic system, even though it has its problems.

its the psionic manefesting mechanic that is superior = powers for points system, if they did this system for arcanist....?

 

[Dandu]

They have a spellpoint variant, which seems to screw over spontanious casters in favor of prepared casters.

Comparing the Psionic power point system to the default Vancien spellcasting, you notice that a Sorcerer gets spells that scale with level for free, while a Psion has to spend points to augment his powers. This means that while a psion has more flexibility, he has less raw power.

 

[CuRoi]

As someone who powergames and hangs out with powergamers, I can assure you that Psionics is better balanced than the default magic system, even though it has its problems.

Why must you be a powergamer to tell if they are balanced?

I'll definitely take your word on it due to lack of time with Psionics.
Though if it is the case that psionics is more balanced, it would have been nice had they applied these same "balanced" rules to the concepting for the traditional system instead of wasting time renaming some spells, adding some new ones and creating an entirely different type of "well, its not really magic but sort alike magic" system. But ah well, I suppose there's always 4th edition Psionics, heh.

 

[Dandu]

Why must you be a powergamer to tell if they are balanced?

Far as I can see, they roleplay about the same.

 

[CuRoi]

Far as I can see, they roleplay about the same.

Are you referring to the unoptimized, single class Powergamer?

I have had the pleasure of playing with a number of multi-class Powergamer / Roleplayers, Roleplayer / Powergamers. The only ones who are in trouble are the true single classed Roleplayers or the single classed Powergamers. One claims the game is broken when the group enters a dungeon; the other is beset by paralyzation when the group enters a town or other mildly social setting.

Now, the multiclassers have synergized social skills up the wazoo, or parlayed their character backgrounds into tangible bonuses from both rules and DM caveat so they're ready for anything : )

Of course then there are those who take on the Dungeon Master prestige class such as myself. They're entirely insufferable.