Mixing magical and psionic classes?

[Luthien Greyspear]

Recently, one of the players in my FR campaign accomplished one of his major personal goals, which was making peace with the hierarchy of his church. He is a Gondsman, and to symbolize the reconciliation, he wanted to take levels in Techsmith to show his dedication to his god.

The only technical problem with this is, he's a psion (shaper). He has all the feat and skill requirements, as well as the equivalent manifester level to cast the psionic version of minor creation. After looking through all the class abilities of the Techsmith, I saw no reason to disallow the choice, particularly since the character had been role-playing the attempt at reconciliation long before we were even aware of the Techsmith class.

My question is this: which magical PrC's would you allow to be taken by psionic characters that meet the equivalent requirements (caster level = manifester level, ability to use powers that match specific spell requirements, item creation feat equivalents, etc.), and which would you disallow entirely?

 

[Psion]

I'd handle in a case by case basis. Tome of Magic explicitly allows you to replace spellcasting with mysteries; similarly, the WotC website offered a psychic theurge similar to a mystic theurge. In complete arcane, the Thrallherd explicitly mentions porting it to psionics. I'd say use it for whatever concept makes sense to you.

As a guide, I would allow general concepts but not ones that specifically seem like schools or specializations in magic. Incantatrix, for example, would be right out.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I have also noted they did something similar with the Spellthief.

Thus, my rule of thumb on this is that if there's no particularly compelling reason to limit a PrCl to spellcasters, then a psionic version of the class is entirely possible within my campaign...and the reverse is true as well. I have no problem (conceptually, at least) with converting a psionic PrCl to an arcane or divine one if it makes sense.

And this applies to any kind of "magic" out there. I haven't tried it, but I don't see any inherent reason why you couldn't have (more) Psionic or Arcane or Divine Incarnum PrCls modified from the ones that already exist.

I'd look for those PrCls that have requirements based upon either general competence (3rd level X) or on a particular ability that is duplicated in the other "magic" type, like a PrCl that requires "enlarge" as a spell, when it is also available as a power.

 

[Drowbane]

...In complete arcane, the Thrallherd explicitly mentions porting it to psionics...

Huh? The Thrallherd is a Psionic class...

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I think he meant "Mindbender."

 

[Milo HoBo]

I think that more than a few magical PrC's should instead be psionic ones.
Mindbender is a good example.