How do you hand psionic displays?
- Thread starter DWARF
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Neverwinter Knight
First Post
I believe that a display is a good way to balance psionic powers. Think about the Innertial Armor Feat. It's neat to have a +4 bonus to AC if it's invisible, but think about it, it it showed a flashing light all the time...(which is how my DM "balanced" this feat)
So in my opinion, modify the display as you wish. If the game is balanced without them, just let'em go.
So in my opinion, modify the display as you wish. If the game is balanced without them, just let'em go.
Michael Tree
First Post
I use them, but modified.
Most of them are far too flashy, and make little or no sense. Why on earth would reading someone's mind or mentally moving an object make rainbow light erupt from your crotch? Or, for that matter, cover your body with goo, create the sound of ringing bells, or make you smell like burnt toast.
There's also the problem that, to be able to make all your powers undetectable, you need to waste 5 feats.
IMC, there is a single "Hide Display" feat, which you can use to disguise any display, at the listed cost.
I've also changed the display description to be more general. There are two types of displays, and all powers have both:
1) Attentional display. When you use a power, the attention of people around you is subtly drawn to you, as if by a form of psychic gravity.
2) Perceptual display. When you use a power, it creates an effect that can be noticed by the senses. This can be a shimmering in the air (like superhot air) around an object being moved by telekinesis, or a mental buzzing that could be noticed by people around the user of the power, or one of the other displays, like glowing eyes or ecto-goo, if appropriate. Sometimes this display is an actual physical phenomenon, and sometimes it's purely in the mind of the observer.
Most of them are far too flashy, and make little or no sense. Why on earth would reading someone's mind or mentally moving an object make rainbow light erupt from your crotch? Or, for that matter, cover your body with goo, create the sound of ringing bells, or make you smell like burnt toast.
There's also the problem that, to be able to make all your powers undetectable, you need to waste 5 feats.
IMC, there is a single "Hide Display" feat, which you can use to disguise any display, at the listed cost.
I've also changed the display description to be more general. There are two types of displays, and all powers have both:
1) Attentional display. When you use a power, the attention of people around you is subtly drawn to you, as if by a form of psychic gravity.
2) Perceptual display. When you use a power, it creates an effect that can be noticed by the senses. This can be a shimmering in the air (like superhot air) around an object being moved by telekinesis, or a mental buzzing that could be noticed by people around the user of the power, or one of the other displays, like glowing eyes or ecto-goo, if appropriate. Sometimes this display is an actual physical phenomenon, and sometimes it's purely in the mind of the observer.
Dark Psion
First Post
Here is my varriant Psionic Display system: Part 1
First, displays now have a rank. Base rank is the level of the power being manifested. Rank is the area of effect for the display, zero level displays having a personal area of effect that requires others to be within 5' to Spot. In fact, displays are not automatically seen, others have to make a Spot, Listen or Search check to notice them, DC is 20 minus the rank of the display(DC 0 means automatic sucess), more than 5 ranks of Psicraft and/or Knowledge(Psionics) adds a +2 synergy bonus each. Psicraft can try to identify a power by its display, DC 10 plus it's display rank for discipline, DC 20 plus it's rank for the power. 5 ranks of Knowledge(Psionics) grants a +2 synergy bonus.
The Hide Power feat has been changed to simply include a -3 to your display rank, at no added cost of power points. A display's rank can not be less than zero. Three feats for spellcasters to remove their material/somatic/verbal restrictions and three Hide Power feats to get a -9 to your display rank. But before you celebrate, other Meta-Psionic feats add their addition power point cost to the displays rank. This is why the displays on DragonBallZ are so big, their powers are always jakked up with feats.
Your Psion is going to manifest Whitefire, a 3rd level power. The display would have a rank of 3 and would fill a 3 foot area with a Visual display, possibly something like Faerie Fire. If he has the Hide Power feat, the rank is now 0 and might be just a fire in his eyes. But if he decides to Maximise the power and does not have Hide power, the display's rank is now 9 and is much more visible to all around him. Note that modifiing a power with feats makes it more difficult to use Psicraft to ID the power.
First, displays now have a rank. Base rank is the level of the power being manifested. Rank is the area of effect for the display, zero level displays having a personal area of effect that requires others to be within 5' to Spot. In fact, displays are not automatically seen, others have to make a Spot, Listen or Search check to notice them, DC is 20 minus the rank of the display(DC 0 means automatic sucess), more than 5 ranks of Psicraft and/or Knowledge(Psionics) adds a +2 synergy bonus each. Psicraft can try to identify a power by its display, DC 10 plus it's display rank for discipline, DC 20 plus it's rank for the power. 5 ranks of Knowledge(Psionics) grants a +2 synergy bonus.
The Hide Power feat has been changed to simply include a -3 to your display rank, at no added cost of power points. A display's rank can not be less than zero. Three feats for spellcasters to remove their material/somatic/verbal restrictions and three Hide Power feats to get a -9 to your display rank. But before you celebrate, other Meta-Psionic feats add their addition power point cost to the displays rank. This is why the displays on DragonBallZ are so big, their powers are always jakked up with feats.
Your Psion is going to manifest Whitefire, a 3rd level power. The display would have a rank of 3 and would fill a 3 foot area with a Visual display, possibly something like Faerie Fire. If he has the Hide Power feat, the rank is now 0 and might be just a fire in his eyes. But if he decides to Maximise the power and does not have Hide power, the display's rank is now 9 and is much more visible to all around him. Note that modifiing a power with feats makes it more difficult to use Psicraft to ID the power.
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Dark Psion
First Post
Part 2: Discipline based displays.
The actual display should depend on the discipline of the power being manifested.
Clairsentience: This is a sensory and knowledge based discipline, so the displays should be as well. When using Remote View to scry into a forest, the others around the psion might smell the evergreens or hear the birds. You might use taste and feel as the Material display and the Mental display might be seeing someone out the corner of your eye when being watched with Clairvoyance, or remembering a memory that isn't your own when your party's psion is using divination based powers.
Metacreative: This discipline is something from nothing, to most, but the psion knows that the power draws on planer forces for it's creations. The most common displays are aspects of those planes; Astral ectoplasm, Etheral Mists, clinging Shadowstuff. Actually those viewing the display may influence it. Someone thinking of money might find a gold coin, actually a trinket created by his thoughts as a mental display. Of all disciplines, metacreative displays are the most unpredictable.
Psychokinesis: Mind over energy and matter. PK displays are the most violent; sparks of electricity, jets of flame, objects shattering, gravity lessening and things floating around. You might wish to change Mental displays to Energy displays for this discipline's powers.
Psychometabolic: Mind over body. Displays of this discipline may alter the psion; bulging veins and nosebleeds to changing skin & eye color and glowing hair. To others it may aggravate allergies, cause their skin to crawl, or various other physical sensations: dizziness, headaches, eyes watering, fever or minor alterations to their form.
Psychoportative: Travel and movement based discipline. The displays of these powers also give objects movement. Books might rearrange themselves, swinging lamps, dancing toys and papers scattered by a non-existant breeze. Teleportation powers could also have enviromental effects, bringing a little of the area he teleported from with him; snow, cold/warm air, scent of burning wood or water from the ocean.
Telepathy: Mind, pure and simple. All of the displays of this discipline are just a figment of your imagination. Even Material displays are illusions, you just think that something has moved or got hot. One aspect of the mind is memory and telepathic powers can trigger false memories or reawaken supressed ones.
The actual display should depend on the discipline of the power being manifested.
Clairsentience: This is a sensory and knowledge based discipline, so the displays should be as well. When using Remote View to scry into a forest, the others around the psion might smell the evergreens or hear the birds. You might use taste and feel as the Material display and the Mental display might be seeing someone out the corner of your eye when being watched with Clairvoyance, or remembering a memory that isn't your own when your party's psion is using divination based powers.
Metacreative: This discipline is something from nothing, to most, but the psion knows that the power draws on planer forces for it's creations. The most common displays are aspects of those planes; Astral ectoplasm, Etheral Mists, clinging Shadowstuff. Actually those viewing the display may influence it. Someone thinking of money might find a gold coin, actually a trinket created by his thoughts as a mental display. Of all disciplines, metacreative displays are the most unpredictable.
Psychokinesis: Mind over energy and matter. PK displays are the most violent; sparks of electricity, jets of flame, objects shattering, gravity lessening and things floating around. You might wish to change Mental displays to Energy displays for this discipline's powers.
Psychometabolic: Mind over body. Displays of this discipline may alter the psion; bulging veins and nosebleeds to changing skin & eye color and glowing hair. To others it may aggravate allergies, cause their skin to crawl, or various other physical sensations: dizziness, headaches, eyes watering, fever or minor alterations to their form.
Psychoportative: Travel and movement based discipline. The displays of these powers also give objects movement. Books might rearrange themselves, swinging lamps, dancing toys and papers scattered by a non-existant breeze. Teleportation powers could also have enviromental effects, bringing a little of the area he teleported from with him; snow, cold/warm air, scent of burning wood or water from the ocean.
Telepathy: Mind, pure and simple. All of the displays of this discipline are just a figment of your imagination. Even Material displays are illusions, you just think that something has moved or got hot. One aspect of the mind is memory and telepathic powers can trigger false memories or reawaken supressed ones.
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