Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
State of the mystic
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Tony Vargas" data-source="post: 7610154" data-attributes="member: 996"><p>I'd never complain about a class being 'only' Tier 2. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /> The 3.x Sorcerer, for instance, Tier 2, but a better class design with more potential for engaging play and covering more potential character concepts than the Wizard, IMHO. </p><p></p><p> I can't agree. The point of psionics is that it is magic scrubbed of fantasy, religious, mystical or superstitious trappings, and draped with scientific ones, instead. Allow that "psionics is magic," and there is no difference between psionics and magic, at all, it's superfluous. You're down to psionics using different components or something to differentiate it as a different flavor of magic; or using novel mechanics to force a metagame difference where no meaningful conceptual difference exists. </p><p>That - and just plain the range of preferences among actual psionics fans - is why they really need to leave the magic-or-not decision to the individual DM.</p><p></p><p> Depictions of magic often include both what D&D would call rituals (lots of time, elaborate outlays) and what it might call 'psionic' (sheer force of will) or deride as superpowers (with no gestured/incantations/materials to speak of, and clearly an act of will and an exhausting effort) - rarely ever anything that might map accurately to a D&D spell (especially a 1e spell).</p><p></p><p></p><p> IIRC, the original D&D psionics was based on all three of your mental stats, wasn't it?</p><p></p><p>Though it'd be horribly MAD, and result in psions being dumped-all-3:STR/DEX/CON basket cases (like the other PCs might carry them around in a basket, because that slows the party down /less/) who look like grey aliens, the idea of having, say Attack Modes use CHA, Defense Modes use WIS, and Disciplines/Sciences use INT has a certain appeal. </p><p></p><p> You mean, noticeably less overpowered. ;P</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Tony Vargas, post: 7610154, member: 996"] I'd never complain about a class being 'only' Tier 2. ;) The 3.x Sorcerer, for instance, Tier 2, but a better class design with more potential for engaging play and covering more potential character concepts than the Wizard, IMHO. I can't agree. The point of psionics is that it is magic scrubbed of fantasy, religious, mystical or superstitious trappings, and draped with scientific ones, instead. Allow that "psionics is magic," and there is no difference between psionics and magic, at all, it's superfluous. You're down to psionics using different components or something to differentiate it as a different flavor of magic; or using novel mechanics to force a metagame difference where no meaningful conceptual difference exists. That - and just plain the range of preferences among actual psionics fans - is why they really need to leave the magic-or-not decision to the individual DM. Depictions of magic often include both what D&D would call rituals (lots of time, elaborate outlays) and what it might call 'psionic' (sheer force of will) or deride as superpowers (with no gestured/incantations/materials to speak of, and clearly an act of will and an exhausting effort) - rarely ever anything that might map accurately to a D&D spell (especially a 1e spell). IIRC, the original D&D psionics was based on all three of your mental stats, wasn't it? Though it'd be horribly MAD, and result in psions being dumped-all-3:STR/DEX/CON basket cases (like the other PCs might carry them around in a basket, because that slows the party down /less/) who look like grey aliens, the idea of having, say Attack Modes use CHA, Defense Modes use WIS, and Disciplines/Sciences use INT has a certain appeal. You mean, noticeably less overpowered. ;P [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
State of the mystic
Top