Grim Tales and Psionics

[Garnfellow]

I am thinking of running a "sword and planet" style mini-campaign, with a setting similar to L. Sprague de Camp's Planet Krishna. Basically, a relatively primitive world of adventure with several exotic, warlike, medieval-level cultures; the planet is a popular resort destination for citizens of a technologically advanced starfaring Terran empire.

Grim Tales is the game engine of choice, augmented by some new feats and rules from d20 Future. I would also like to have a psionic antagonistic race, something like the Zhodani from Traveller. What would be the best way to use psionics in such a campaign? I have considered using the psychic rules from Green Ronin's Psychic Handbook. Thoughts? Suggestions?

 

[Jon Potter]

Not familiar with "Planet Krishna", but if Grim Tales fits your sensibilities then I agree with you that the Psychics handbook is probably a good fit. That's the only psionics system that I've been tempted to use and it fits in quite nicely with the overall feel of a Grim Tales game.

All, IMO, of course.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

I was a little disappointed with the Psychic's Handbook. It just seemed a little clunky for what I wanted. I think if you're looking for a fast-paced pulp/swashbuckling campaign, it may slow things down.

I'd worked on a similar project that never made it out of the hypothetical stage ('cept mine was going to be Barsoom/Callisto). There are existing spells to mimc pretty much any psionic effect you want, and its easy to tweak the spell burn/caster level/etc settings to get the desired level of power.

 

[rgard]

I am thinking of running a "sword and planet" style mini-campaign, with a setting similar to L. Sprague de Camp's Planet Krishna. Basically, a relatively primitive world of adventure with several exotic, warlike, medieval-level cultures; the planet is a popular resort destination for citizens of a technologically advanced starfaring Terran empire.

Grim Tales is the game engine of choice, augmented by some new feats and rules from d20 Future. I would also like to have a psionic antagonistic race, something like the Zhodani from Traveller. What would be the best way to use psionics in such a campaign? I have considered using the psychic rules from Green Ronin's Psychic Handbook. Thoughts? Suggestions?

Hi, you may want to look at T20's psionics system. It's not overpowered (nothing like high level psionics stuff in the Expanded Psionics Handbook) and it is Traveller!

Thanks,
Rich

 

[Garnfellow]

Hi, you may want to look at T20's psionics system. It's not overpowered (nothing like high level psionics stuff in the Expanded Psionics Handbook) and it is Traveller!

Interesting -- I've always wanted to check that out. Is the T20 psionics a feat and skill based system, or does it use class levels?

 

[Turanil]

I have considered using the psychic rules from Green Ronin's Psychic Handbook. Thoughts? Suggestions?

Excellent for a low-psionics world. For a high-level one, I would use the PDF on modern psionics (X-Psi adapted to d20 Modern), which name i forgot but can be found on RPGnow.

 

[Psion]

I'll second the Psychic's Handbook. I think it's a bit front loaded for D&D, but I think if you model psychic as an advanced class you have to earn your way into (i.e., use the d20 modern rules in the book), it would work well for Grim Tales.

As much as I like T20, I disagree with the notion that it's psionics system is balanced, though MOST of that problem can be rectified if you simply excise teleportation.

 

[rgard]

Interesting -- I've always wanted to check that out. Is the T20 psionics a feat and skill based system, or does it use class levels?

It's actually both. You take feats to get access to psionic skills. There is a psionic class as well. Not certain, I don't have the book at arms length, but I think you can progress in other classes and boost your psionic skills as cross classs skills.

Thanks,
Rich