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

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

I *love* psionics. My 1920's game revolves around them... and, I think that if you have psionics in your games they have to be central to the game in some way.

I also think it is very, very hard to have a world with psionics and magic (unless done in a very specific way - ie, they are warring forces). As such, it difficult to craft a standard High Fantasy D&D world with both.

 

[Mark Hope]

I use them all the time in Dark Sun (nothing quite as satisfying as a psionic cactus BBEG) but the XPH was such a great set of rules that I am using them in my homebrew as well. In that setting, psionics were devised by dragons. I have this archipelago ruled over by draconic bloodline families, styled using all the various oriental classes, where psionics is the order of the day.

 

[kyloss]

I love them and use them often, My favorite part about them is the system-it just makes more sense to me. I never got the whole spell slot thing, " I'm to tired to cast light any more, sorry guys guess we have to walk around in the dark. Wish oh sure I can do the a couple more times.

I realize spontanous casters get around this somewhat but the whole filling higher level slots with lower spells 1for 1 doesnt work for me either. A point based system just makes more sense to me.

 

[Zander]

""Psychic" comes from "Psyche," a character in Greek mythology who symbolized the soul..

That much is true.

"Psychic electronics?" Um ... no..

Yes, actually...

"Psi" is a Greek letter, which researchers in the '50s - '70s used as a catchall reference for anything having to do with extrasensory perception. "Psionic" thus means "things related to psi."

No, "psychic" does.

Electronics don't enter into it.

You don't know what you're talking about.

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.

 

[Mystery Man]

I started to incorporate them into my campaign after the Expanded Psionics handbook.

 

[DungeonmasterCal]

I voted for the first of the choices. But I'm the only one in my group who has any interest in psionics, sadly. But I'll allow 'em, for sure! Up until recently, I played a soulknife and loved it. But he died....sigh...

 

[Zander]

So? Even if I agree with that, and accept the ultimately silly word psionics as a gaming artifice for what everybody else calls psychic powers, it still doesn't change the fact that it's not science fiction. By its very nature, it's fantasy.

I refer you to my reply to The_Gneech above.

The concept eventually merged with the psychic tradition (see Dannyalcatraz's post above) with the pseudo-scientific rationale being provided by Campbell.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

CHILDREN! Play nice!

 

[Henry]

Psionics just feel all wrong in the quasi-medieval setting of D&D.

Considering most of the terms came from ancient Greek, no wonder they feel out of place!

But Seriously, I do like the shift away from Psycho-this and cata-that and apo-meta-the-other, and toward names that capture a more earthy feel, like Animal Affinity, Call Weapon, etc.

 

[Zander]

CHILDREN! Play nice!

Sorry, Mom. It just bugs me when anyone claims that psionics are fantasy.