James Gasik
We don't talk about Pun-Pun
But then we have Pyrokinesis...
D&D General What’s The Big Deal About Psionics?
- Thread starter Smackpixi
- Start date
Yaarel
🇮🇱 🇺🇦 He-Mage
Pyrokinesis is too firebally for psionic flavor. Also it is exactly primal fire element flavor. A fire theme can easily be a primal Druid subclass, conjuring and wildshaping into fire.
Telekinetic force is mind over matter, directly, and feels psionic.
Pyromancy is more indirect. Weilding fire (and only fire) is more like affinity with fire, in tune with the mind of fire, thus more elemental, more animistic, more exactly primal.
Both psionic and primal are mind magic. The thematic distinctions seem prominent.
James Gasik
We don't talk about Pun-Pun
I guess it's because I really like Firestarter that I want pyrokinesis to be associated with psionics, but I suppose I can concede the point.
It's always felt pretty psionic to me (and Wikipedia seems to agree, "Pyrokinesis is the purported psychic ability allowing a person to create and control fire with the mind.").
Pyrokinesis - Wikipedia
Shardstone
Hero
Not a specific mechanical implementation, and I'm with some spell use for the Psion. Don't try and paint be with your brush of absolutes so you can just tuck me in with the rest and ignore my arguments.
Firestarter is one example of why I want Pyrokinesis associated with psionics- and I won't conceded the point.
Yaarel
🇮🇱 🇺🇦 He-Mage
Of course pyrokinesis is a popculture trope.It's always felt pretty psionic to me (and Wikipedia seems to agree, "Pyrokinesis is the purported psychic ability allowing a person to create and control fire with the mind.").
Pyrokinesis - Wikipedia
en.m.wikipedia.org
My point is, the primal powersource is also a kind of psionics, a kind of mind magic. This kind of mind magic has salient flavor and themes, including superhero concepts like: Firestarter, Human Torch, Iceman, Storm, Poison Ivy, and so on.
One can even build a kind of Superman using the primal power source.
- strong as steel (earth)
- laser eyes (fire)
- icy breath (water)
- wind-like flight (air - more like a kite from air control, different from telekinetic antigravity)
This kind of primal elementalism is mind magic, being mentally in relationship with and in tune with the element. It is different from arcane protoscientific tech.
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I mean, get your fifth element then...
Aether (Telekinesis)
Kineticists who focus on the element of aether - a rare substance formed when elemental energy affects the Ethereal Plane - are called telekineticists. Telekineticists use strands of aether to move objects with their minds. Class Skills: A telekineticist adds Knowledge (engineering) and Sleight...
libraryofmetzofitz.fandom.com
Yaarel
🇮🇱 🇺🇦 He-Mage
I am fully aware of ether being the fifth element.I mean, get your fifth element then...
Aether (Telekinesis)
Kineticists who focus on the element of aether - a rare substance formed when elemental energy affects the Ethereal Plane - are called telekineticists. Telekineticists use strands of aether to move objects with their minds. Class Skills: A telekineticist adds Knowledge (engineering) and Sleight...
The issue is this fifth element is force, including gravity and telekinesis, and poltergeists. It relates exactly to telekinetic, which is psionic rather than primal. Force constructs like the Shield spell are made out of ether. Likewise Eldritch Blast force damage. These effects feel more psionic than primal.
In some way every power source uses ether. Psionic wields it as telekinetics. Primal might engage its sense of spiritual forces of ethereal fey and shadow.
I view the "Weave" of arcane and divine as the ether.
In any case, in many Asian systems, plant (to move like a tree expanding outward) is an element.
And in D&D, organizing plant as a kind of element is useful, especially because the traditional primal Druid is both plant and the four elements, but is less about telekinesis and flight.
