[Psionics] Non-Psionic "Hard-Headedness" Is Dumb,

[el-remmen]

Well, I have been thinking about re-introducing psionics to my Aquerra campaign world – I had put a moratorium on them until I was done with the majority of the Aquerra Player’s Guide and had time to look over the 3E Psionics book at my leisure. . I have had it so long – but I I have been looking it over the last few days for the first time. . .

Does anyone else think the “hard-headness” of non-psionics to be a stupid thing? If anything, I thinking being stunned for a few rounds is a much more immediate a danger than taking a few points of ability damage. . and has absolutely NO FLAVOR (and we all know I think flavor is the most important aspect of any rule). . . No matter what psionic attack mode you use on a non-psionic the effect is the same? Silly. Pointless.

I know I can describe them all differently, and still have the same effect –but I was wondering what people think if I just made them do ability score damage to non-psionics – but give them a +4 to their saving throw?

 

[angramainyu]

I don't really think it is "stupid", but I can see your point.

Ability damage can be pretty harsh, a good hit against a spellcaster and you can start wiping out their top-level spells.

Are you talking about adding +4 to their saves on top of the non-psionic buffer? That would make psionics quite horrible against non-psions, probably to the point of being useless.

Hmm. I must ponder.

 

[el-remmen]

Isn't it the psionic buffer (what I called the "hard-headedness") what makes it so they are stunned instead of taking the ability damage?

If so, I want to replace it with the bonus to the save (maybe only +2)

 

[Galfridus]

Just to avoid confusion, here's what I think you want to do:

Currently, attacks against a non-psionic have a huge penalty to their DC, and the ability damage is converted to stunning. You would remove the current penalties (and bonus for Mind Blast, I assume) and instead give a +4 save bonus. In addition, the ability damage would not be converted to stunning.

This makes most psionic attacks more likely than before to affect non-psionics.

My guess is that this will be imbalancing out of combat more than it will be in combat. Psychic Crush whoever you want to interrogate until their Will save drops through the floor, then own them with whatever Will-based spells/powers you want. In combat, I don't think it will be that bad. The psions will hate you if you take away the DC bonus for Mind Blast though.

 

[angramainyu]

Ah, so instead of all those -8s (and -6 and -7 or whatever) in the DC chart, you'd be replacing them with a -2s, essentially.

Hmmm. I think that might make psionic combat overly-lethal for non-psions, since they couldn't raise a defense. A psion can always raise a defense that will give them some mental hardness. Perhaps if you give non-psions a permanent mental hardness of 1?

 

[Moon_Goddess]

I agree with you, simply becuase it's totally backwards. Should fighters have a better chance of being hit in a fight compared to a commoner? Should Wizards have a lower will save than everyone else? The people who are best at an attack are those who know how to best defend agaisnt it, not the other way around.

But of course I subscribe to the theory that all Psions are telepaths and they have to build mental walls to defend against the flood of outside voices thus creating a barrier.

Hmmm, Maybe d20 modern will get new psionics, MMMM d20 Bab5-style psi mmmm *drools*

 

[el-remmen]

Hmmm. . . Maybe I need to read that whole section over again (I read it last night just before nodding off so maybe I missed something), because I did not realize that there were any modifiers for the psionic attack modes at all unless put up against a psionic defense. . .

However, what I am most concerned with is the RESULT of a failed save - that is - the stunning doesn't do it for me. . .

 

[Plane Sailing]

Does anyone else think the “hard-headness” of non-psionics to be a stupid thing?

FWIW I think that the whole "mental combat" aspect of psionics is a stupid thing!

Personally I love the flavour of psionics in every respect except psionic combat which seems like a lame holdover from pulp sci-fi novels and 1e D&D - especially since psionic combat is more of a liability for the psionic characters than a benefit.

Psions in my campaign are called Mages, they use a very different kind of magic to the other classes (the psionics rules) and no mind-to-mind combat. They have so far proven much more popular than wizards or sorcerers (although I can't think why!). Mind Blast is a 5th level telepathy power, and all the other modes and defences disappear.

 

[el-remmen]

Oh, and if it matters - I am definitely using the "psionics is different" variant

 

[Piratecat]

I love the idea of mental combat... but I dislike the specifics. I disliked it in playtest, too, but I got overruled. Ah, well.

I'm sliding this over to House Rules, as that's the kind of discussion it has evolved into!