Ki and Elemental - Whatever

[lutecius]

Ki = Dragonball, obviously. Which I guess people are embarrased to mention or something? Lol.

Lots of people love DB, I don't see any reason why WotC should feel ashamed for going after them.

Oh yes they should. And you should too, for mentioning DB. Do you want to start another "dnd4 is anime" debate?

It makes sense because that's what the Wuxia fans want. And it makes sense to not tie it to Psionics because that will likely anger 1) a lot of wuxia fans and 2) a lot of psionics fans. "You got your Crouching Tiger in my Mindbender!" and suchlike.

Ki = Any Street Fighter character. Physical training with supernatural martial arts powers.

Psionic = Professor X. Ultimate mental power, no physical ability to speak of.

I think the three power sources are distinct enough that they can support very different kinds of characters.

Psionics to me is more about some Star Trek thing, while Martial is just being good with weapons and physical discipline, soldier-style.

They don’t have to be the same class. The rogue and the ranger have the same power source and role, and the bard will have the same power source as the blaster wizard and yet they are all different concepts.

Anyway I don’t think psionics can retain a vanilla sci-fi flavour for long in such an over the top fantasy world. And the ki warriors and psion are not as incompatible as they seem. There are many crossovers.

19thC spiritism, new-age spirituality, dnd psionics, the jedi and ultimately startrek telepathy were actually inspired or influenced by Indian mysticism, just like the wuxia and anime mystic warriors.

If you look at comic book telepaths, ProfessorX’s fights against the Shadow King, the Phoenix effect, Psylocke’s psychic knifes and butterfly signature wouldn’t be inappropriate in a Saint Seiya episode.

 

[Rechan]

In all honesty, thinking about Ki, I'm not really seeing Crouching Tiger necessarily.

I'm thinking Ninja Scroll/Iron Monkey/Basilisk. "I hit you, and now you are poisoned."

As for elemental.... I can't imagine what kind of classes they could squeeze out of it besides a wizard guy.

In general, I'm thinking the Swordmage, but the effects look different. I.e. getting resistance (attacks) by imbuing self with Earth, possibly higher reflex and Shift abilities by becoming water-like, etc.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

I don't think ki really means soul though. It doesn't in Japanese anyway. It means more like mental energy.

The soul connection comes from the PHB, where to quote: "monks harness the power of their soul energy (or ki)".

As for elemental.... I can't imagine what kind of classes they could squeeze out of it besides a wizard guy.

I can see:
-Elemental Summoner (variety of elemental creatures come to serve him)
-Elements Controller (causes earthquakes, spontaneous combustion, water filling up in someone's lungs, etc.)
-Elemental Embraced (martial character who uses elemental energy that is within him to deal out damage. So spikes of ice shoot out of his fists when punching, his sword bursts into flames when he slashes, etc.)

 

[Rechan]

-Elemental Embraced (martial character who uses elemental energy that is within him to deal out damage. So spikes of ice shoot out of his fists when punching, his sword bursts into flames when he slashes, etc.)

There's quite a few powers in teh Warlock descriptor that do something like this. You get armor of ice that soaks up damage, etc.

Even more simply, the Elemental Defender could get Auras. Aura 1, anyone in it gets fire damage, etc. Or Aura 1 "Ground is difficult terrain". Hell, people have referred to the Fighter as a "Walking Fireball"; the Elemental Defender could be the literal walking fireball.

The elemental striker might turn into lightning, getting to attack 2-3 people who are no more than 10 spaces from one another. And get utility powers like "You catch on fire. When in a grab, your enemy (grabber or grabbe) takes ongoing fire damage."

 

[hong]

Wait, what? Was there a scoop and I missed it?

 

[cdrcjsn]

cdrcjsn, you forgot the Far Realms.

Oh.

Um...the far realms isn't part of this universe so it doesn't have to be considered? Yeah. That's the ticket.

 

[cdrcjsn]

Also, I don't really get where people are assuming Feywild=Arcane. Really, what about the Feywild is Arcane, aside from the Eladrin?

From one of the other posts talking about the nature of the planes that the feywild is a "brighter" reflection of the prime, full of life and magic and that the shadowfell is a "dark" reflection of the prime, full of entropy and shadow.

Among othe rthings, stuff like Dryads and Treants seem native to the Feywild. That right there seems a good candidate for the Feywild=Primal.

I guess it depends on what is the real definition of Primal. I still think it is just a connection with the prime material plane.

 

[Rechan]

Wait, what? Was there a scoop and I missed it?

Yeah. IN the PHB, they mention "Other power sources". It consisted of: Elemental, Ki, Psionic, Primal, Shadow.

 

[Rechan]

From one of the other posts talking about the nature of the planes that the feywild is a "brighter" reflection of the prime, full of life and magic and that the shadowfell is a "dark" reflection of the prime, full of entropy and shadow.

Right? And that has what to do with magic?

 

[lutecius]

Also, I don't really get where people are assuming Feywild=Arcane. Really, what about the Feywild is Arcane, aside from the Eladrin?

maybe:
"Corellon is often depicted as an eladrin, but he is no more an eladrin than he is a fey panther […] Corellon is the patron of arcane magic and the fey. He seeded the world with arcane magic and planted the most ancient forests"

also feywild = feypact = warlock = arcane
(well, that one would also mean infernal = arcane but ykwim...)