Expanded Psionics Handbook: Is it good?

[Videssian]

The XPH is a great book. Definitely has made psionics worthwhile.

I agree.. it's a great book.. definitely worth the purchase, even if I couldn't wait for amazon and so paid extra for it!

(Now, the trick is trying to figure out how to convince my current psionics-averse main DM and my soon to be varient D&D DM that psions really are just sorcerers the "correct" way)..

 

[Particle_Man]

I go the book the first day it was available at my FLGS, and played D&D that evening. It was a bloodbath, and I was one of the few survivors. The other players did not want to roll up high level characters, and did not want to play with some low level and some high level, so we agreed to start a new low level campaign. I had a highly developed monk that I was fond of that I thus had to abandon.

Did I mind? Heck, no! I was able to use this to guilt my normally psionics-adverse DM to let me roll up a Psion (shaper) on a trial basis! I am singing inside! I can even play a LA=0 Blue (a type of psionic goblin)!

 

[Kaji]

Wizards, scmizards

I may never play a wizard again. I love the new book, it fixes numerous issues with the old system that I thought made it almost unplayable. I am a little worried that the new system goes too far the other way (now psions are overpowered), but I'll be drawing one up for my current campaign, so we'll see how it goes.

That being said, the editing is really poor (duplicate powers showing up, and the soulknife progression has already been mentioned many times). I'll be happy when the SRD is released which I'm hoping will have the corrections...

[Edit: Spelling]

 

[Psion]

duplicate powers showing up

That sounds familiar ...

 

[EricNoah]

That sounds familiar ...

Deja ... something...

 

[Kaji]

BTW, I'm working on an auto-calculating XPH powers sheet...I'll be sure to get it posted here when I'm done.

Posted as in have Enworld put it on its downloads page? Cause that would be quite helpful.
I'm already struggling with planning my powers without an electronic resource.

 

[Psion]

I finally got my copy. These things suck now:

1) The new iconic PsyWar. Wretch.
2) Soulknife as a base class.
3) Domination.

All other things appear cool. Reservations about the psionic focus thing: unfounded. Nobody told me that they boosted the feats to make up for it!

 

[Lord_Anthrax]

Overall, I find the Expanded Psi HB to be a distinct improvement over the 3e Psi HB. To wit:

1)Augmentable powers. This alone sells the book for me. Not only do many powers scale up in damage and save DC, others get some cool new extensions to their capabilities(such as Danger Sense or Evade Burst).
2)Key psionic class ability scores. About time your ability to manifest powers was made dependent upon a single stat instead of all stats.
3)Worthwhile Prestige Classes. Both new and old seem to have some cool abilities, such as the Metamind's Font of Power, the Elocator's Dimension Spring Attack and the high favored enemy bonus and mind protection of the Illithid Slayer.

Granted, there are things I don't like too, but house rules fix that easily.

 

[johnsemlak]

That being said, the editing is really poor (duplicate powers showing up, and the soulknife progression has already been mentioned many times). I'll be happy when the SRD is released which I'm hoping will have the corrections...

Might this be a book worth waiting for the 2nd printing (for those of us who can wait, that is ). I'd be fine using the updated SRD until the next printing was released.

 

[Driddle]

What's with all the bleepin' CRYSTALS in the book?! It's crystal this, and crystal that. ... Even the write-up for psionic bugbears in the back says they poop crystals.

Is there something inherently mental about crystals? I would have prefered they use German sausage meats, but they didn't ask me. ("Liverwurst of Thought-Stealing," for example.)