Enough with the halos already!

[Samir]

Just paging through PHB3, I see quite a few pictures of psionic characters without halos.

I guess it's optional.

 

[Nytmare]

Just paging through PHB3, I see quite a few pictures of psionic characters without halos.

They're obviously not using their powers, they're just thinking really hard.

 

[Mengu]

Just paging through PHB3, I see quite a few pictures of psionic characters without halos.

Their halos were broken.

 

[ourchair]

Their halos were broken.

You mean they need errata?

 

[korjik]

You mean they need errata?

That woudl work:

Replace the picture on page XX with this picture:

 

[Wepwawet]

No power source has the ability to hide its own manifestation. Why does Psionics get to be different?

Says you!
I like my magic discrete. Why should there be sparks and rays and flames everywhere around? It already takes a lot of energy to move/alter/create stuff around you, those "fireworks" are just a waste of magical energy.

And yes, it is manifested, but it's more like non-visible-spectrum radiation.
You can't see it unless you have special goggles or are trained to see or feel it.

In the end it's about preference, nothing else

EDIT: Obviously, things like Fireball are very visible. And hot.

 

[tyrlaan]

Clearly the halo is the physical totality of their power.

*Bonus XP to the first person who catches the obscure reference.

 

[Zaran]

No power source has the ability to hide its own manifestation. Why does Psionics get to be different?

Actually I don't have a problem with a psionic halo manifesting when they are using a power. But there are a couple of pictures where the psionic is just standing there. I guess they are maintaining the halo for the artist to capture.

 

[ourchair]

Clearly the halo is the physical totality of their power.

*Bonus XP to the first person who catches the obscure reference.

Don't you mean "focused totality"?

 

[radferth]

Martial power is evidenced by the almost impossible levels of physical prowess they exhibit. It's not a subtle thing for non-subtle powers. Observe Batman and tell me he looks like a regular joe when he's kicking someone's ass.

Primal has buttkiss to do with plants, and everything with spirit inhabitation. Are you saying that a Barbarian who has the Spirit of the Frostwolf inhabit him and cause his weapons to create cold damage doesn't have some sort of show of that power? Do you think that he just gets very angry?

Divine agents often cause their weapons to glow and explode with radiant power or thunder or fire. If they're not shooting pew pew laser beams. They don't need -angels- to do so.

Arcane agents make frikken fireballs appear to blast enemies to bits. They're not exactly -subtle-.

A psionic agent who uses his mind to throw a foe off a cliff before battering them with telekenetic force bolts on their way down doesn't get to stand there looking innocent with no evidence that they did it. They don't have special 'I don't appear to be using my powers like every other character in the game' rules. And so, halos.

Traditionally (i.e. in comic books and B movies) a psionic doesn't glow, but rather places a finger or fingers on his or her forehead or temple and gets a very strained look. In the case of dailies, there may me a slight nosebleed. There may be ominous background music, but as this can sometimes be hard to distinguish from the miraculous background music that accompanies divine powers, so a similar problem to the halos there.