Psionics/Oriental Adventures in their own books, or in PHB*, future core books?
- Thread starter Whizbang Dustyboots
- Start date
wedgeski
Adventurer
Honestly, I couldn't care about OA but I understand it's something of a fan favourite. In any case, when Psionics comes, I would like to see it given its own book, naturally with one Mr. Cordell at the helm. I intend the introduction of psionics to be a mjor shake-up of my 4ed campaign and it woouldn't seem right to do it if it was just a little-old chapter in the PHB2. 
By the by, calling PHB2 and DMG2 'core' is a misnomer I think.
Edit: Ah, 4ed 'core', which has a different if more confusing meaning at the moment.
By the by, calling PHB2 and DMG2 'core' is a misnomer I think.
Edit: Ah, 4ed 'core', which has a different if more confusing meaning at the moment.
I voted in their own volume, but really, I wouldn't mind oriental stuff in the PHB II type books. I believe in a big tent kind of D&D, where multiple genres can coexist. Oriental adventure type stuff doesn't require its own mechanical rules. So really, there's no barrier to putting it in the main books, except perhaps a desire to segregate by genre. And that's a desire I don't particularly feel.
But psionics have their own mechanics. And things with their own mechanics need to be in their own book, at least when those mechanics are as involved as 3.5 psionics were.
Really, I expect psionics to get a big rewrite. Its only real selling point under the old system was that it was a spell point version of normal magic. Normal magic got massively overhauled to eliminate a lot of the nova type tendencies it had. Psionics will have to get a similar overhaul.
I look forwards to it. My impression of 3.5 psionics is that its ordinary magic with a bad spell point system and a lot of crazy fans. This resulted in something that had little flavor or interest for anyone who wasn't interested in the mechanical advantages of spell points. There were a lot of ways psionics could have been good. I hope some of those get dusted off and used.
My personal preference would be for a system in which characters exhaust their mind by using their psionic powers, with mechanics that actually support that. Also no blatant rip offs of spells. Make the powers different, or don't bother.
But psionics have their own mechanics. And things with their own mechanics need to be in their own book, at least when those mechanics are as involved as 3.5 psionics were.
Really, I expect psionics to get a big rewrite. Its only real selling point under the old system was that it was a spell point version of normal magic. Normal magic got massively overhauled to eliminate a lot of the nova type tendencies it had. Psionics will have to get a similar overhaul.
I look forwards to it. My impression of 3.5 psionics is that its ordinary magic with a bad spell point system and a lot of crazy fans. This resulted in something that had little flavor or interest for anyone who wasn't interested in the mechanical advantages of spell points. There were a lot of ways psionics could have been good. I hope some of those get dusted off and used.
My personal preference would be for a system in which characters exhaust their mind by using their psionic powers, with mechanics that actually support that. Also no blatant rip offs of spells. Make the powers different, or don't bother.
I think that one of the designers have said that psionics wold be in the PHB2, or my brain is melting and can´t distinguish between fact and rumour.
But, besides that, i would say that i prefer that OA is put out as a diferent product, because eastern fantasy is its own genre, that must be somehow described and worked into the book, one thing that i don´t that belongs in the players handbook is that descripition of how the genre works. If they do make a DMG2 with this kind of stuf to complement i think it would work out great.
To think of it, this aprouch is one kind of thing that i would like if they do it, DMGs discussing diferent genres and thakes to fantasy, with notes of how to adapt the classes and how to work the game in that direction. For example, the DMG2 cold be the companion for the PHB2 that have oriental, psionic and steampunk classes, and discuss how to create a word and adventures around that genres, and the MM2 cold have moster tied with these new power sourcers. It would be a great way of introducing suport for diferent kinds of games and could replace the actual "Heroes of..." series.
But, besides that, i would say that i prefer that OA is put out as a diferent product, because eastern fantasy is its own genre, that must be somehow described and worked into the book, one thing that i don´t that belongs in the players handbook is that descripition of how the genre works. If they do make a DMG2 with this kind of stuf to complement i think it would work out great.
To think of it, this aprouch is one kind of thing that i would like if they do it, DMGs discussing diferent genres and thakes to fantasy, with notes of how to adapt the classes and how to work the game in that direction. For example, the DMG2 cold be the companion for the PHB2 that have oriental, psionic and steampunk classes, and discuss how to create a word and adventures around that genres, and the MM2 cold have moster tied with these new power sourcers. It would be a great way of introducing suport for diferent kinds of games and could replace the actual "Heroes of..." series.
We know psionics will be supported in PHB II to tie in with Eberron being released that year (2009), as for Oriental/Asian material, I would like to see it in its own volume – Oriental/Asian Adventures etc.
Unless of course 2010 sees the campaign setting for that year having an Asian/Oriental feel (Kara-Tur/Kamigawa/Rokugan etc), then I would love to see a PHB III, MM III and DMG III that was heavily Eastern in flavour.
Unless of course 2010 sees the campaign setting for that year having an Asian/Oriental feel (Kara-Tur/Kamigawa/Rokugan etc), then I would love to see a PHB III, MM III and DMG III that was heavily Eastern in flavour.
Psionics: PHB2 - it's just another power source (and one that, imho, really should have been included from the very beginning, i.e. in PHB1).
Oriental: that's just another cultural background. Unless its required for some official setting (e.g. for Eberron's Sarlona) it shouldn't even get its own book. And if it does, it should definitely be a campaign-world-specific one.
Oriental: that's just another cultural background. Unless its required for some official setting (e.g. for Eberron's Sarlona) it shouldn't even get its own book. And if it does, it should definitely be a campaign-world-specific one.
WayneLigon
Adventurer
I think there has already been a mention of a 'Martial Arts Book' so we'll probably see Monks in that, along with the wilder Book of Nine Swords-like fighter abilities.
WayneLigon
Adventurer
(Psi)SeveredHead said:
Most game designers I've known or read about know far more than most people about the historical basis for such things. They also know that the cool fun stuff sells a game and interests the vast majority of players rather than any degree of historical accuracy. No-one wants to sit down for a history lesson at the game table; they want to cut through three-inch steel pipe with their katanas and still have it sharp enough to cut a silk string on the breeze. Lengthwise.
Agreed. Its a fantasy game. Use fantastical versions of real world archetypes, not actual ones. Honestly, real world military people from the middle ages weren't the greatest people to be anyways, regardless of their culture.
"Ok guys, for our next campaign we're going a little more historical than usual. You're foot soldiers in the roman army. You march in a giant formation with dozens of other men, you have no room to move to either side, you can't even see the enemy since you're in row 6... basically you just hold that spear with the pointy side forwards and hope for the best. Now everybody roll on the Random Plague table. Joe? Your character has an syphilis."
Screw realism. Realism was horrible. Go fantastical, and let the genres mix as much as they please.
"Ok guys, for our next campaign we're going a little more historical than usual. You're foot soldiers in the roman army. You march in a giant formation with dozens of other men, you have no room to move to either side, you can't even see the enemy since you're in row 6... basically you just hold that spear with the pointy side forwards and hope for the best. Now everybody roll on the Random Plague table. Joe? Your character has an syphilis."
Screw realism. Realism was horrible. Go fantastical, and let the genres mix as much as they please.
