Psionics: Do you use 'em or did you lose 'em

[Brennin Magalus]

And yet, if you were running a campaign set in ancient Greece or Rome, the PCs would understand PERFECTLY what you meant by those prefixes...

We can't help that your PC's are a bunch of underecucated heathen!

I studied Ancient Greek for a couple of semesters and I am confident they would not. Certainly, they would not understand a prefix pronounced "sigh-co." In Greek the word is psukhe and is pronounced something like pah-sue-khay.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Aw, c'mon Brennin-

I live in a country where the President says "New-cue-lar" instead of "New-Clee-Ar" (nuclear). I cringe when I go to court here in Texas and the Judge starts the process of "Vy-er Die-er" instead of "Vorr Deer" (Voir Dire). Parisians hate when Americans ask for directions to the "Loover", but they still know the Yanks want to see the Mona Lisa at the "Luh-vreh" (Louvre).

I myself have mispronounced guacamole and Pho once or twice.

Then again, I know how to say "Puyallup, Washington."

Yes, people mispronounce stuff, and despite mispronunciations, there is understanding. Sure, it may take gesticulation, and time, but eventually the point gets made.

 

[The_Gneech]

The term "psionics" was coined by science fiction author John R. Campbell, Jnr in the 1950s. Originally, he used it to mean the ability to control/interact with electronic devices (such as they were in the 1950s) using the electrical activity of the brain. He later expanded it to mean the control of non-electronic devices using the same cerebral activity.

Well, I was away all weekend, but I looked this up and it turns out you're right, so my mistake. That'll teach me to trust what my psychology professor told me!

-The Gneech

 

[TerraDave]

I blame the influance of Psion and that Cat for the strong showing for psionics...Of Sound Mind indeed...since normally that many could not want to mix psionics and magic in the same game.

Makes me wonder how they can influance so many, its almost unatural ...

 

[Aaron L]

I love psionics. I like to have asmany different anfdvaried forms of supernatural powers mixed into my games and setting as I can. I dont like the ubiquitous Unified Magic Field of most fantasy settings where one type of energy exists that is "magic", I like a setting that has magic different from psionics different from demonology different from witchcraft different from miracles, etc. And I like to include them all.

 

[Klaus]

I think "Psionics" in D&D has outgrown the original coinage of the word. Now it's more like:

Magic ---> Related to mages
Psionic ---> Related to psions ("scions"?)

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

One of my players wanted to play an elan, so I use them.

 

[Templetroll]

Way back when, we had this one guy who always ended up with a psionic character - we rolled 3d6 in order.... he always had invis, shapechange and teleport. Because of him I learned to hate psionics.

If I were to try and run a Darkover campaign, the new psi rules would work, but in D&D, nah, no need for it.

 

[Alhazred]

I've adopted Green Ronin's Psychic's Handbook for my campaign. Even then, I use them sparingly, reserving them primarily for NPC races (such as illithids). I permit them in Ravenloft, albeit with certain Ravenloft-inappropriate abilities removed/replaced.

 

[Toras]

As DM, nothing is truly as amusing as the unexpected and making a Psions are different/Rare beyond the natural races, does make them mysterious. Just about any 3e player can tell you if something been fireballed or which ways to protect yourself from scrys. But toss in this as a wild card (pc usable or no) and you get something that will catch them off balance.

As a Player, Rutterkin's brain exploding makes for a great opportunity to intimidate a succubus, especially seeing how you can indicate that she would suffer such next.