looking for psionic rules that don't look like spells

[Kahuna Burger]

So a society of psychics will have a small role in my upcoming campaign, and I'm thinking about how to implement them mechanicly. I must admit at this point that from a flavor standpoint, I HATE the standard psionic rules for D&D. The feel to me is just another kind of sorcerer, and it doesn't reproduce any telepaths or mentally powered folks in any literature or other venues - and its a theme I like. I'm hoping before I reinvent the entire system that some d20 publisher has done something closer to what I would like already. So, I'm gonna describe what I look for in psionics, and hope someone will say "Well, ThatGuy publishers does something very similar in their Generic Sourcebook X."

1) Psionics should be simple. Telepaths, telekinetics, seers, maybe pyrokinistis. if you want to read minds, you are a telepath. If you also want to see into the future, you multiclass into seer. If you want to polymorph something, you aren't a psionicist...

2) Psionic powers should scale naturally. if you move things with your mind, thats what you do. As you increase in levels you can learn to move heavier stuff, or get better at moving things with more percision, but it should be a smooth progression at getting better at doing what you do, not casting mage hand one level, then force bolt the next, then shield some other time, then levitate... I'm not sayingthat a telepath, for instance, can't wait several levels and use a feat to gain an astral projection ability, but they shouldn't suddenly pick up a telekinetic force shield after three levels of reading and altering minds.

3) Psionics are something you are, not something you do three times a day and stop. If you are a telepath, you read minds all the time, not for 5 minutes after you make a specific effort to be able to do it... scaling would be important to make this balanced, and possibly also a fatigue mechanic for big efforts, but using psionic abilities to me should be more like swinging a sword or making a sneak attack than casting a spell. There are demons with the telepathy suprnatural ability and detect thoughts at will that look more like a telepath should to me than the highest level psionicist.

So mechanicly what I'm looking for is a system where you define what your psionic focus will be early on and then grow in both applicable power and skill in use as you level. Almost all abilities should be at will, or have a recharge time, and certain things just aren't psionic abilities, just because the 'other magic users' can do them.

So do any of the alternate systems come close?

Kahuna Burger

 

[Camarath]

Ken Hood's d20 SKILLS-N-FEATS PSIONICS SYSTEM might fit what you are looking for.

 

[Michael Tree]

The Psychic's Handbook by Green Ronin is almost exactly what you're looking for. It's a skills and feats system, somewhat like the Star Wars Force system.

It's simple, and really focuses on the archetypal psychic powers you've mentioned. The powers scale naturally, by buying more ranks in the powers you already have, and buying ranks in new powers.

The basic rule for them is that using powers causes Strain, which inflicts a certain amount of subdual damage per power. However, there are a number of optional alternatives for strain listed, including the powers not costing anything.

 

[Kahuna Burger]

The Psychic's Handbook by Green Ronin is almost exactly what you're looking for. It's a skills and feats system, somewhat like the Star Wars Force system.

It's simple, and really focuses on the archetypal psychic powers you've mentioned. The powers scale naturally, by buying more ranks in the powers you already have, and buying ranks in new powers.

The basic rule for them is that using powers causes Strain, which inflicts a certain amount of subdual damage per power. However, there are a number of optional alternatives for strain listed, including the powers not costing anything.

this sounds interesting, is there a preveiw online anywhere? also, does the system distinguish between force and skill? say a teek who can throw you through a wall with her mind vs another that can pick you pocket with his? Not as much a requirement, but would allow a greater ranger of psionic characters, imo.

kahuna burger

 

[Michael Tree]

this sounds interesting, is there a preveiw online anywhere?

The product's page is here. It has some sneak peeks inside the book, and links to a couple of reviews.