Expanded PsiHB Excerpts

[Alzrius]

Obviously the people that were trying to breed these half giants were pretty stupid... they could have gotten the same strength and stupidity out of a half orc without them gaining "psionic" abilities.

Seriously... they seem so wrong...

Actually, by the time the sorcerer-kings decided to create a new race for labor purposes, orcs were already long since exterminated (along with quite a few other races). And everything from Athas (the half-giant homeworld) has psionic abilities.

Likewise, they didn't particularly care about how stupid half-giants are, since the sorcerer-kings themselves are far more intelligent than pretty much everyone else. Likewise, they couldn't have gotten the same amount of work out of a half-orc; half-giants have a better Con score on average, meaning that while they're as strong as half-orcs, they can work longer before tiring.

 

[Alzrius]

Will it be OGC? (Will it be posted elsewhere?)

Almost certainly not. Bruce Cordell has, for the last few months, been previewing the Expanded Psionics Handbook in the pages of Dragon, however, in a marvelous display of acumen, he hasn't just been showing us things from the book itself, but giving us all-new materials that build on the ExPsiHB. Because this is Dragon-only material though, it'll almost certainly never become OGC.

 

[Remathilis]

I hope its an error, but if not, welcome house rule #1.

 

[Creamsteak]

Actually, by the time the sorcerer-kings decided to create a new race for labor purposes, orcs were already long since exterminated (along with quite a few other races). And everything from Athas (the half-giant homeworld) has psionic abilities.

Likewise, they didn't particularly care about how stupid half-giants are, since the sorcerer-kings themselves are far more intelligent than pretty much everyone else. Likewise, they couldn't have gotten the same amount of work out of a half-orc; half-giants have a better Con score on average, meaning that while they're as strong as half-orcs, they can work longer before tiring.

I am saying that these half giants don't remind me of Dark Sun Half Giants. They just seem to weak. I remember Athas Half Giants were able to have strength of 22 or higher at least. And they were certainly not "man sized."

 

[reiella]

I am saying that these half giants don't remind me of Dark Sun Half Giants. They just seem to weak. I remember Athas Half Giants were able to have strength of 22 or higher at least. And they were certainly not "man sized."

Remember in DS you rolled 5d4 for stats instead of 3d6, which is part of it.

Half-Giants had a +4 Str modifier before however, and they had a rather annoying roleplaying balance mechanic (beyond being in Dark Sun).

Potentially having to change their alignment at least once a week. It doesn't surprise me much at all that they may have did alot of rebalancing work.

That said, I don't think anything would remind most folks of an Athasian Half-Giant except for an Athasian Half-Giant, complete with 'murky' balance/concept issues .

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

Powerful Build: The physical stature of half-giants lets them function in many ways as if they were one size category larger. Whenever a half-giant is subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for an opposed check (such as during grapple checks, bull rush attempts, and trip attempts), the half-giant is treated as one size larger if doing so is advantageous to him. A half-giant is also considered to be one size larger when determining whether a creature's special attacks based on size (such as improved grab or swallow whole) can affect him. A half-giant can use weapons designed for a creature one size larger without penalty. However, his space and reach remain those of a creature of his actual size. The benefits of this racial trait stack with the effects of powers, abilities, and spells that change the subject's size category.

Half-giants wield Large weapons and are treated as Large for everything except reach, squeezing, and AC/Attack penalties. Just for the record.

 

[Hardhead]

FWIW, I noticed that you can now hide power manifestations with a Concentration check, instead of requiring five different feats. So that's good!

 

[Spatula]

I am saying that these half giants don't remind me of Dark Sun Half Giants. They just seem to weak. I remember Athas Half Giants were able to have strength of 22 or higher at least. And they were certainly not "man sized."

Strength of 21-24, back when the Strength table topped out at 25. And they didn't have innate psionic powers.

(PC half-giants had wild talents, but that was a characteristic of being a PC and not of being a half-giant.)

 

[reiella]

Oh, plus the Web Enhancement (Character Sheets)

A Web Enhancement of Character Sheets?

... I'm hoping there will be another Web Enhancement. That's just ... insulting. And I wouldn't have minded no web enhancement (at least explicit) because of the Mind's Eye; but the concept that CHARACTER SHEETS are an added bonus annoys me.

Not to say as part of a preview they aren't cool, but as a web enhancement?

[ Ya, a cross-board rant ;P but bah! ]

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Thanks for the links, Eric.

I just started reading through the Soulknife, specifically the Psychic Strike entry. Anybody have any idea if "imbuing" the mind blade with a Move Action induces an AoO? or not? The ability doesn't seem to be clear (of course, it could be there and I'm just blind, wouldn't be the first time! )

Thanks.

DrSpunj

Supernatural abilities don't draw AoOs, so no worries there.