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

[Desdichado]

Where's the "I'd most likely allow them if anyone ever wanted to use them, but nobody ever does" option?

Or how about the "I'm indifferent; I wouldn't disallow them, but I wouldn't go out of my way to use them," option?

 

[Evilhalfling]

I love psionics and have used 2ed (shudder) 3.0, and 3.5 but I am the only one in the group to own the XPH, so I voted I use it as a DM but not as a player. The alternate DM for are group is still new, and starting her first non modual game, and I don't want to push for to many options. I had one player try it in 3.0, and I use Psionic villians and allies regularly.

At the moment the players unfamiliarty with psi is hindering them, they found a villian who burns a lot of psp on fabricate (4th lvl power) where they see him as capable of casting 2-3 5th level spells per day. He spent two weeks in an outpost and with craft sculpture and Kn Engineering he reshaped most of it.

 

[radferth]

I don't mind them in principle, but I shy away from them because they change so much from edition to edition. It seems like it would be less trouble to convert one of the basic charaters classes from 1st or 2nd ed. to 3rd ed. than it would be to convert a psion from 3.0 to 3.5. That, and I don't like to add math to my game. I have enough to keep track of as DM, and I have too many players that spend 20 minutes to calculate how much they should boost any given attack power. Players can usually talk me into it if they want to play one, but on my side of the table, only mind flayers and a few other aberations make much use of them.

 

[MetalBard]

I voted that I love them and use them as both a DM and a player. Unfortunately the rest of my group could care less about psionics. I used the 3.0 psionics handbook, but ever since I took a break from DMing, there's been no psionic loving for me. Any time I'd play I'd always play a Psion, so now I'm giving it a break. I don't want to force my poor Dragonlance DM to accomodate a psionic character of mine in Ansalon again! If I ever play in an Eberron game, you can bet I'll be playing a Kalashtar psion.

It's too bad that I haven't had a chance since the new expanded psionics handbook came out. That one looks like the most fun psionics rules yet...

 

[The_Gneech]

Where's the "I'd most likely allow them if anyone ever wanted to use them, but nobody ever does" option?

That's where I am. I love the ExPsiHB, but I'm the only one in the group who has it and I'm likely to be the only one who ever has any interest in it. The other GM in the group hears the word "psionics" and thinks "ow math is hard."

If it said "magic" and not "psionics," he would think it was a great system. It's amazing the difference one little word can make. People who can intuitively calculate a maximized fireball on the fly, have their eyes glaze over when somebody says "imbue."

-The Gneech

 

[diaglo]

where is the:

"i roll for them as the referee. and if the PC qualifies they are allowed. but it is still upto the player" option

 

[BASHMAN]

IMO, Psionics are terrific... In a Sci-Fi setting.

In fantasy, however, they just don't belong at all. That's what magic is for. (In my games, I usually interpret that magic IS psionics, just that the casters have a mental dependence on using words and gestures to activate their powers, like the Witches of Danthomir from Star Wars universe.)

 

[Ravellion]

I too often have only 1 or 2 encounters in a day, which means Psions are just a bit too strong. I'd work around that in a Darksun campaign though.

Rav

 

[Desdichado]

IMO, Psionics are terrific... In a Sci-Fi setting.

In fantasy, however, they just don't belong at all. That's what magic is for. (In my games, I usually interpret that magic IS psionics, just that the casters have a mental dependence on using words and gestures to activate their powers, like the Witches of Danthomir from Star Wars universe.)

Psionics is a completely fantastic notion. It doesn't belong in Sci-Fi because there's no scientific basis for psychic powers. "Psionics" is fantasy be default.

 

[carpedavid]

Mechanically, I was opposed to them in 2E. I didn't mind them as much when 3.0 came out, though I still had trouble with the "psychic combat" element, which felt too out of place. With the release of the XPH, though, I've embraced them.

In my current campaign, psionics represents the study and manipulation of "chi." In my opinion, it's a much better fit for the supernatural abilities found in anime and wuxia-flavored settings than the traditional D&D magic system. In fact, I've gone so far as to make arcane magic unavailable to PCs (using arcane magic confers taint).

So far, it's working out quite well.