Psionics/Oriental Adventures in their own books, or in PHB*, future core books?

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

So, it sounds like there will be a new Players Handbook, Monster Manual and Dungeon Masters Guide each year, based off the success of each series in 3E.

Apparently, "power sources" other than arcane, divine and martial will be introduced in future books as well. Psionics was one mentioned.

So, psionics fans, would you rather have all your psionics in one big Psionics Handbook, or would you like to see PHB2 with four (or so) psionics classes (a leader, a controller, a striker and a defender), a good chunk of psionic monsters in MM2 and additional psionic magic items and other support in DMG2?

And the same thing for fans of monks and other Oriental elements in D&D: Would you prefer all your Oriental stuff in one book, or in, say, PHB3, MM3 and DMG3?

Bear in mind that, although they wouldn't be centralized in one work, the odds are good that, in the end, you'd get more spells, feats, monsters and other goodies by scattering this stuff between all the books in a single year.

So which system would you prefer?

 

[Ruin Explorer]

As a Psionics-lover, I'd rather see them in their own books, than having to share space with other stuff, and/or piss off people who wanted neither Psionics nor OA.

I think filling the PHB2, MM2 and so on with Psionic stuff would really irk anyone who didn't like Psionics, because they'd effectively have to wait a year before they go much usable new material, which would both provoke something of a backlash against Psionics and generally make people annoyed with WotC.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

They need to be in separate volumes, so I can ignore them as I have since 1E.

 

[Dinkeldog]

The possibility of getting a PHB, DMG and MM for psionics subjects and OA material seems intriguing, as you could get a lot more information and more in depth, but it also seems like that might then pigeonhole those into a single release and never more material. So I'm kind of undecided yet.

I would like to see more cultural variations possible, although it seems that those would primarily need some kind of PHB and MM without needing to duplicate the DMG. Maybe African Adventures, Arabian Adventures, Amerind Adventures, Mayan Adventures and the like, as well as many of the established campaign worlds already in existence. I tend to create homebrew worlds that encompass large regions with very different cultures (usually cribbed from folklore, fairy tales, religions and cultural practices of real world civilizations, past and present). Being able to say that country X is primarily a sub-Saharan African culture without having to create everything myself would be nice. However, locking those into a PHBx, DMGx, MMx seems like it would mean that there would be no more additional material later.

 

[Rechan]

I'd prefer they be in the Core books. Too long has Psionics been the red-headed stepchild of D&D. Making the PHB2 dedicated to Psionics would give them a little more recognition. At that point, suppliments can have psionics and arcane and other stuff in them, not just regular and then "MAYBE You'll get a Complete Psionic later on".

 

[Charwoman Gene]

PH2: Psionic, Steampunk, and Oriental Heroes.

Steampunk and Oriental being "power sources"...

 

[Pygon]

My gut tells me they belong in their own books (Psionics, Oriental).

The PHB II and DMG II pattern seems to introduce newer optional ways of playing the core game, not simply introducing new classes, feats, and abilities that can be applied to the core.

 

[hong]

PH2: Psionic, Steampunk, and Oriental Heroes.

Steampunk and Oriental being "power sources"...

Steam-powered heroes. It'll make millions.


Hong "well, it worked for Valve" Ooi

 

[hong]

PS. As long as they dump the ectoplasm. Trust me on the ectoplasm.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I'm unfortunately quite split on the matter.

I have always hated the segregation of psionics for 2 reasons: 1) optional rules are easier for most DMs to eliminate from their games than core rules and 2) up until the XPH, they didn't seem to mesh well with the core rules...which reinforces problem 1.

However, I agree that seperate, dedicated treatment in a supplement can result in a better final product.

The problem is further exacerbated by the fact that the game designers often include critters with optional rules in the core- there were the psionic critters in the first MM, but PCs had no access to those abilities unless the DM allowed the use of rules in an appendix to the PHB.

I guess it boils down to this- I just want them done right. The rules should mesh and balance with the core, and if they don't let Core-only PCs have psionics, then there shouldn't be psionic foes in the Core MM.