PR vs. SR

[Szordrin]

I was wondering how many of you out there use/don't use the "spells and psionics are different" rule and why or why not. I kind of like the idea of making them different but am unsure what exactly the impact will be on my game. My default campaign setting is Forgotten Realms and a lot of adventuring goes on in the Underdark where there are creatures with psionic abilities (mind flayers) as well as creatures with spell resistance (drow and deep gnomes). Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

[megamania]

I play a lot of Darksun. I play the game as Psionics are different.

What I have done is created Psionic dead zones and Wild Psionics areas much like magic in other worlds. I do this since psionics comes from within the users body- not outside.

In FR I do the same thing and for similar reasons.

 

[blackshirt5]

I keep the Psionics/Magic transparency, since they have a different enough flavor in my world(Psionics are being done with a combination of Ken Hood's Psionics system, the WotC system, and possibly the Star Wars Force rules) that I don't need to keep them separate. Doesn't much matter right now though, since the PCs haven't met anybody psionic(that they know of, heh heh heh).

 

[Tiberius]

When I used psionics in my last campaign, I had the drow using magic-transparent psionics and the illithid using the "psionics are different" varient. Both sides, of course, thought they were using the purest kind of psionics. I didn't like how it worked out once one of the PCs got illithid-style psionics and began rampaging on the surface world where psionics were unknown. That was more my fault than anything else, but it has tainted my appreciation of the system.

-Tiberius

 

[Vaxalon]

I didn't like how it worked out once one of the PCs got illithid-style psionics and began rampaging on the surface world where psionics were unknown.

This is the fundamental danger of "psionics is different"...

Everyone has to have TWO sets of supernatural defenses, instead of just one.

If you want to make a jail cell caster-proof, you have to make it magic-dead AND psionics-dead.

Why bother?

Just adds an unnecessary level of complexity.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I use psionics are different, but effects are still effects.

(So Control Light puts out magical darkness, and vice versa.)

 

[Fenes 2]

My experiences with 2E psionics made sure that in any campaign with a psionic PC the "psionics are different from magic" rule will enter my game only over my dead body.

 

[Nightfall]

I follow the rules for Psionics in the Scarred Lands. (Which are Psionics are different, and use fatigue rules.)

 

[Harlock]

I use transparency because it is a lot less work and harder to abuse that way.

 

[HellHound]

I use Transparency.

Primarily because I run published adventures mostly, and while many encounters in a published module are geared well to fend off spellcasters, a psion can waltz right through because of the villains' reduced PR compared to its SR.

In a game world that you run entirely from scratch, I see no problem with psionics are different. But in FR especially I recommend using magic-psionic transparency.