[Eberron] - Why the Psionic Bait-and-Switch?!

[shadowlight]

a bit ot but the kalshatar bothered me on a design level there mindlink ability should be only midlink like if you don't have eph, if you do it should be mindlink so that 1pp a level thing could boost it from 1 a day to 1 day a level if you didn't take a psionic class and if yo did your normal pp should be able to be used to use it more. As is you basically have to pick up mindlink again if your a kalshatar psion and mindlink is an ability you'd use.

Interesting. That's pretty much exactly what my DM house-ruled!

 

[shadowlight]

As for the Sharn Hardcover, I strongly disagree. A careful reading will reveal not one Psionic character, but about 6 to 8 of them. One of the most powerful individuals in the city is a Psion of 17th level! Psionics are also mentioned in relation to one of the Dragonmarked houses, and there is an entire page devoted to the district of Overlook and its Psionic population, including where one can find training and friendly faces in the district. A lot more than "one guy with a couple of levels."

Now, even with that, it's not a deluge of information, but remember that the majority of players do not use psionics, so every bit of psionic information is info they might find wasted. Proportionally to the amount of Psi-users in the gaming audience, they struck a pretty good balance I think.

Grumble...grumble...grumble... you're right, there's more fluffy stuff in Sharn than I'd initially thought (and Sharn is supposed to be all fluff so that's fine).

With that book, I was just ticked that they left the XPH classes off of their list of all the D&D classes and why they would be in Sharn.

 

[dravot]

I don't have a problem with the psi stuff, but I wish that there was more info on the shifters, changelings and Kalashtar than their is. I feel that there's too much emphasis on the warforged at the expense of the other races.

 

[Whimsical]

Yes, I feel baited and switched. And I also plea for more psionic support in future Eberron products. I am currently running a human telepath in my Eberron campaign. I was very dismayed that the published adventures had *no* psionic *anything* in them. At least there could have been alternate treasure list for certain encounters and alternate class build for certain NPCs listed in the adventure so that it would support both those DMs who use and don't use psionics.

 

[Henry]

Ooops! Isn't that what you disagreed with me on? The XPH has ZERO racial support for the Kalashtar. If you want to talk Class support, then I'll go back to the "Complete" books arguement. And the "Complete" books were released recently as well.

My point was that your initial argument was that there were x feats and PrC's for Warforged, Y feats and PrC's for shifters, roguish stuff for Changelings, but NO support for Kalashtar in those avenues. I was pointing out, as Klaus did, that the XPH could be considered a book full of stuff for the Kalashtar, and it was released only two months before the Eberron setting, so WotC could have thought they didn't need to add more than minimal support in the ECS book. By contrast, it's the first time we've ever seen the Shifters, Warforged, or Changelings, so they needed the crunchy space more than the Kalashtar. If anyone got shafted, it's the changelings - other than Roguish material, they got zilch, and STILL HAVE ZILCH. Other than the Tyrants in Sharn, of course.

 

[Urbanmech]

I'm not too worried about Kalashtar getting their due. Keith Baker has said that if WotC would let him do anything he wanted he would do a book on Sarlona after Races of Eberron (I read that over on the gianormous Ask Keith thread on the Eberron boards). He has said that Races of Eberron will have Kalashatar support. You just have to be patient. So far Eberron has 2 books and 3 adventures released for it, not exactly a mountain of material. Though I would like to sign Henry's petition for a Sarlona book. Who cares about the drow of Xen'drik, give me the Inspired and the Quori of Sarlona and all their psionic goodness.

 

[Trickstergod]

Didn't they already do that by using the Kalashtar and the Quori?

No, actually.

I hate, hate, hate psionics. Comes off too sci-fi, too modern, etc, etc.

However...while I wouldn't say I love psionics in Eberron, it's presented them in such a way that I find them acceptable. It's not overly intrusive, it's not so integrated that I absolutely have to use them, but all the same, it has enough of a place where I'd probably use it and curtails some aspects of psionics that makes me cringe.

On the other hand, there's Dark Sun, which because of the high integration of psionics has always made me less than interested in the setting.

 

[shadowlight]

Yes, I feel baited and switched. And I also plea for more psionic support in future Eberron products. I am currently running a human telepath in my Eberron campaign. I was very dismayed that the published adventures had *no* psionic *anything* in them. At least there could have been alternate treasure list for certain encounters and alternate class build for certain NPCs listed in the adventure so that it would support both those DMs who use and don't use psionics.

YES!!! I'm not alone in my neurosis!!

 

[shadowlight]

I'm not too worried about Kalashtar getting their due. Keith Baker has said that if WotC would let him do anything he wanted he would do a book on Sarlona after Races of Eberron (I read that over on the gianormous Ask Keith thread on the Eberron boards). He has said that Races of Eberron will have Kalashatar support. You just have to be patient. So far Eberron has 2 books and 3 adventures released for it, not exactly a mountain of material. Though I would like to sign Henry's petition for a Sarlona book. Who cares about the drow of Xen'drik, give me the Inspired and the Quori of Sarlona and all their psionic goodness.

Absolutely! Where do I sign up!

 

[shadowlight]

On the other hand, there's Dark Sun, which because of the high integration of psionics has always made me less than interested in the setting.

On the other other hand, it's made others like it even more... I guess it's just a matter of taste.