Feat Based Magic and Psionic Systems

[Sirmaxim4]

I was wondering if there have been published many feat based (as opposed to memorizing spells or listing disciplines) magic or Psionic systems. I know of at least one Psionic system and I just saw that the creators of THE END are claiming some minimalist feat based magic system. What others are out there?

 

[Voneth]

Oddly enough, it seems that developers are more interested in creating something than fan response in the Internet (got to the WotC psionic board and such suggestions fell flat)

So far Fading Suns d20, WotC Star Wars and some Alternity conversion on this web site are the only things out there so far. In the future, there are couple of products on the horizon. Almost all of them psionic in nature.

Traveller d20
SpyCraft d20

Farscape d20 is supposed to be more like the PsiHB stuff.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Star Wars d20 could be used as the basis for an interesting Feat + Skills based magic system.

 

[Skywalker]

Well Fading Suns d20 isn't Feat based but it also isn't memorizing spells or listing disciplines.

It uses level and skills. As you go up in levels you get access to new paths of Theurgy and Psychics which you can use as skills. You can get feats very much like metamgic feats.

IMO its very good.

 

[Voneth]

It uses level and skills. As you go up in levels you get access to new paths of Theurgy and Psychics which you can use as skills. You can get feats very much like metamgic feats.

I tend to think of level-based abilites as feats, even if that's not the case technicaly. In some cases it seems to be almost synomous since every PC gets a feat for every three levels earned and then the PC gets bonus feats for his class. The fighter is most obvious about it since his Level Dependent abiliteis are called "Bonus Feats" and you can chose those feats from the feats chapter.

The barbarian's Rage is considered a feat, it's just exclusive to the barbarian class in DND. Unless you happen to be a wookie in Star Wars, then it's a feat that assigned to your race. In the Masters of the Wild, Rage becomes a virtual feat that allows a Barbarain to get other feats that improves his Rage.

Star Wars also shows this design concept where one has to take a Feat for getting force powers and then the schools of Force disipline are assigned by class level afterwards.

And the idea of virtual feats from the class books points to the idea that one can pretty much create level-dependent abilities by assigning feats. Is this always the case and a blanket statement, nope. While I may be liberal with allowing Force featsnskills or Rage, I'd think before allowing the Druid's Wild Shape ability.

 

[Skywalker]

I tend to think of level-based abilites as feats, even if that's not the case technicaly. In some cases it seems to be almost synomous since every PC gets a feat for every three levels earned and then the PC gets bonus feats for his class. The fighter is most obvious about it since his Level Dependent abiliteis are called "Bonus Feats" and you can chose those feats from the feats chapter.

I agree. Fading Suns level based psionics and theurgy are feat/skill based for all intents and purposes. Its just that psionic/theurgy is tied in the mechanics directly to level.

 

[Voneth]

What I like most about the d20 Fading Suns AND d20 Deadlands is that these special feats and skills is that they can be imported to another d20 game fairly easily. One just has to ignore the "Occult Markings" to have a more generic psionic system.