I dislike psionics. Should I buy "Of Sound Mind" anyway?
- Thread starter Joshua Randall
- Start date
Sanackranib
First Post
OSM
I havn't read this one. but, if its good then it's worth it if you like to run modules.
I havn't read this one. but, if its good then it's worth it if you like to run modules.
James McMurray
First Post
JoeBlank
Explorer
My group has never used psionics. I bought OSM intending to run it just as Wulf describes, converting the psionics to a form of magic. After reading the entire adventure, I became more interested in the psionic angle. So then I planned to run it psionics-lite, and Kevin even told me that I should be able to do that just using the module, and the SRD if I wanted. He was right. (Note: If you do decide to buy the module, take Piratecat up on his offer to lend you advice, he will come through for you and improve on the experience. Having a responsive author to bounce ideas off of, such as scaling the adventure and fitting it into your campaign, is a valuable resource.)
But then I gave in to temptation and bought the Psionics Handbook. And then If Thoughts Could Kill. And the Psionics Toolkit. Now I am hooked. I used the adventure as an intro of psionics into our campaign world. If the characters complete the adventure, there is an event at the end that could be used as a catalyst for exposing the PCs, and the townspeople, to psionics. We are using this as a potential beginning to psionics in our campaign. Now we have a PC looking to take his next level as a psionic class.
Sorry, guess I got off topic. Converting the psionics to magic, OSM is still among the best adventure modules I have ever seen. Keeping the psionics in, it just may be the best module I have ever seen.
But then I gave in to temptation and bought the Psionics Handbook. And then If Thoughts Could Kill. And the Psionics Toolkit. Now I am hooked. I used the adventure as an intro of psionics into our campaign world. If the characters complete the adventure, there is an event at the end that could be used as a catalyst for exposing the PCs, and the townspeople, to psionics. We are using this as a potential beginning to psionics in our campaign. Now we have a PC looking to take his next level as a psionic class.
Sorry, guess I got off topic. Converting the psionics to magic, OSM is still among the best adventure modules I have ever seen. Keeping the psionics in, it just may be the best module I have ever seen.
Wolfspirit
First Post
I know for a fact that you can run it without psionics, and have it still work out well. Like PC said, start a spoiler thread if you'd like to have some ideas of what I did.
I do have to make the warning that it is quite possible that the module will turn characters insane. It wasn't pretty.
Oh, yeah, and as a side track, how's OSM2 comming, PC?
I do have to make the warning that it is quite possible that the module will turn characters insane. It wasn't pretty.
Oh, yeah, and as a side track, how's OSM2 comming, PC?
ColonelHardisson
What? Me Worry?
Yep, it's a good module. Hey, if you don't like the scifi "feel" of psionics, why not just think of it as a variant form of magic?
This really is one of my favorite modules and I can see why OSM2
could be hard to do. When you do a story this good it is really hard to follow up on to make a worthy sequal.
It is actually pretty easy to replace and or ignore the psionics if you don't want them. The book itself has suggestions on doing this and on raising it levels if you need to.
I don't have anything against psionics myself except that I haven't wanted to buy the necessary books to use them since my players couldn't care less about them most of the time. So I just changed a few things.
I agree that leaving 'the big bad' as a strong mystical force is a good idea. There is no reason for the players to know if it's power is psionic magic or arcane magic or what..just have it be "magical/mystical"-mysterious and spooky.
I like the atmosphere of the adventure and the town. There are some well done NPCs and nothing is overly done.
I actually am using it as my next adventure between the Sunless Citadel and the Forge of Fury.
Although really it is better than both of them- I made just a few changes to it to replace the psionics and swapped a few creatures and used some ofthe suggestions to buff it up for a stronger party.
However, I have made some serious changes to both of the Wotc modules to get the right feel and balance I wanted.
I also enjot fiddling with adventures most of the time anyhow, the less they need it the more fun it is
could be hard to do. When you do a story this good it is really hard to follow up on to make a worthy sequal.
It is actually pretty easy to replace and or ignore the psionics if you don't want them. The book itself has suggestions on doing this and on raising it levels if you need to.
I don't have anything against psionics myself except that I haven't wanted to buy the necessary books to use them since my players couldn't care less about them most of the time. So I just changed a few things.
I agree that leaving 'the big bad' as a strong mystical force is a good idea. There is no reason for the players to know if it's power is psionic magic or arcane magic or what..just have it be "magical/mystical"-mysterious and spooky.
I like the atmosphere of the adventure and the town. There are some well done NPCs and nothing is overly done.
I actually am using it as my next adventure between the Sunless Citadel and the Forge of Fury.
Although really it is better than both of them- I made just a few changes to it to replace the psionics and swapped a few creatures and used some ofthe suggestions to buff it up for a stronger party.
However, I have made some serious changes to both of the Wotc modules to get the right feel and balance I wanted.
I also enjot fiddling with adventures most of the time anyhow, the less they need it the more fun it is
Gez
First Post
I've a strange take on psionic myself, since I don't like much the "innate power of the brain" approach. Psionics to me is just another way to use magic. But there's a twist on it.
IMC, there are deities who were ripped out of their body during a long-forgotten mythological cataclysm. They were reduced to simple mind substance (which is the basis of protoplasm). Lacking a body, they incarnated by reflex their mind into the very land itself. The event was so traumatic that most of them also entered a comatic-state.
So, you have massive divine consciences that are unconscious, and tied to geographic locale.
Psionics are people who learn to attune their own mind to echo the strange mindstate of these vegetative deities, and can thus grab a part of their divine power and command it, furnishing their own will to the Spirit's capacities.
In other words, it's an arcane way to use divine power. Few psionics know exactly how their powers works, and what they actually did. They just know that they have to modify their thought patterns, mindset, and emotions until they feel power under their command. They also know that different places will have different "aura", different emotions.
And now, of course, some of the Spirits are still conscious, and exerce their own will. Conscious places are usually extremely dangerous for psionics, since rather than controlling a parcel of a god-like being's mind, they risk having the being control their own mind.
By the way, the vegetative dreams and nightmare of these Spirits also explains lots of supernatural events, like the fiery storms of the Fire Desert, for example. Similarly, places where similar emotions are repeatedly powerfully felt will impregnate the Spirit and warp its mind toward that feeling. This can result in haunted places where hideous crimes have been comitted, that makes you feel frightened and depressed, or to the contrary, a hospital run by kind faithful of a benevolent healing deity will make you feel happy and relaxed.
With such a little twist on psionics, they can be integrated much more cohesively with a fantasy setting.
Even psionic combat can get its place, you're using the Spirit's wasted psyke to reach your opponent's one and turn it into the liking of some chosen portion of the traumatised godmind.
IMC, there are deities who were ripped out of their body during a long-forgotten mythological cataclysm. They were reduced to simple mind substance (which is the basis of protoplasm). Lacking a body, they incarnated by reflex their mind into the very land itself. The event was so traumatic that most of them also entered a comatic-state.
So, you have massive divine consciences that are unconscious, and tied to geographic locale.
Psionics are people who learn to attune their own mind to echo the strange mindstate of these vegetative deities, and can thus grab a part of their divine power and command it, furnishing their own will to the Spirit's capacities.
In other words, it's an arcane way to use divine power. Few psionics know exactly how their powers works, and what they actually did. They just know that they have to modify their thought patterns, mindset, and emotions until they feel power under their command. They also know that different places will have different "aura", different emotions.
And now, of course, some of the Spirits are still conscious, and exerce their own will. Conscious places are usually extremely dangerous for psionics, since rather than controlling a parcel of a god-like being's mind, they risk having the being control their own mind.
By the way, the vegetative dreams and nightmare of these Spirits also explains lots of supernatural events, like the fiery storms of the Fire Desert, for example. Similarly, places where similar emotions are repeatedly powerfully felt will impregnate the Spirit and warp its mind toward that feeling. This can result in haunted places where hideous crimes have been comitted, that makes you feel frightened and depressed, or to the contrary, a hospital run by kind faithful of a benevolent healing deity will make you feel happy and relaxed.
With such a little twist on psionics, they can be integrated much more cohesively with a fantasy setting.
Even psionic combat can get its place, you're using the Spirit's wasted psyke to reach your opponent's one and turn it into the liking of some chosen portion of the traumatised godmind.
OSM is one of the best written, most interesting adventures out there. I voted for it in the ENnies, and would do so again.
Even if you don't like Pisonics (I don't, either), it's still well worth your money. You could either convert it (as people above have suggested) or just steal bits of it wholesale - some of the ideas alone are worth the cover price.
Even if you don't like Pisonics (I don't, either), it's still well worth your money. You could either convert it (as people above have suggested) or just steal bits of it wholesale - some of the ideas alone are worth the cover price.
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