D&D General What’s The Big Deal About Psionics?

[Yaarel]

A mountain that exists in the world of matter also exists in the feywild and the shadowfell. It is the same mountain from different perspectives. Its appearances of teaming with life or barren with death, are only a difference of perception.

The feywild and the shadowfell are actually part of the material plane.

A material object might resonate more with one frequency than the other.

A fey dryad actually is a particular tree in the material world, the mind of that tree roaming freely, choosing a humanoid shape to walk and interact, typically nearby its tree of matter.

 

[James Gasik]

A mountain that exists in the world of matter also exists in the feywild and the shadowfell. It is the same mountain from different perspectives. Its appearances of teaming with life or barren with death, are only a difference of perception.

The feywild and the shadowfell are actually part of the material plane.

A material object might resonate more with one frequency than the other.

A fey dryad actually is a particular tree in the material world, the mind of that tree roaming freely, choosing a humanoid shape to walk and interact, typically nearby its tree of matter.

Though said mountain might not be identical. There was a 4e adventure I played in once where, due to an artifact, a sage's home and it's adjoining property kept shifting in and out of the Feywild.

In the Feywild version of the area, the house wasn't there, and there was a nearby ravine. So if you shifted into the Feywild and moved into where the house would be, you'd be inside the house when you shifted back (the movement was random). Of course, the enemies were trying to push you into the ravine, knowing that when you shifted back you'd end up entombed in the earth...

 

[Yaarel]

Though said mountain might not be identical.

It is important that it is actually the same mountain, even if its material appearance and its fey appearance can differ quite.

There was a 4e adventure I played in once where, due to an artifact, a sage's home and it's adjoining property kept shifting in and out of the Feywild.

In the Feywild version of the area, the house wasn't there, and there was a nearby ravine. So if you shifted into the Feywild and moved into where the house would be, you'd be inside the house when you shifted back (the movement was random). Of course, the enemies were trying to push you into the ravine, knowing that when you shifted back you'd end up entombed in the earth...

If I understand you correctly, this situation sounds more like the "deep fey", that is outside the material plane, whose features dont necessarily correspond to what is happening in the material plane. For example the presence and absence of a ravine, can be an alternate reality - a different fate when a river flowed differently. So less like a spiritual level of the material world, and more like a twilight zone.

If the house was shifting back and forth between the material and the shallow fey, the house would literally be dematerializing into a force construct and then rematerializing into matter. A person that can see into the ethereal plane should still see the house plainly, albeit since fey, more clean, fresh, and lovely.

 

[Yaarel]

The fey and shadow are opposites, respectively more positive versus more negative, versions of the material world.

But so far they seem asymmetric, where the deep shadow is populated by humans, and the deep fey is as if devoid of humans.

The deep shadow preserves memories of humans who lived in the past. Maybe it is even possible for an adult to encounter a younger version of oneself, a memory of of having been a child, that no longer exists in the material plane?

In any case, the feywild too can be more human oriented. The deep fey can have alternate versions of oneself, different timelines, different fates, different outcomes. One can see glimpses of possible futures, pursuing fortuitous opportunities and heeding dramatic warnings. The Christmas Carol, with the ghost of Christmas future, can be a fey spirit in a deep fey adventure.

 

[James Gasik]

It is important that it is actually the same mountain, even if its material appearance and its fey appearance can differ quite.


If I understand you correctly, this situation sounds more like the "deep fey", that is outside the material plane, whose features dont necessarily correspond to what is happening in the material plane. For example the presence and absence of a ravine, can be an alternate reality - a different fate when a river flowed differently. So less like a spiritual level of the material world, and more like a twilight zone.

If the house was shifting back and forth between the material and the shallow fey, the house would literally be dematerializing into a force construct and then rematerializing into matter. A person that can see into the ethereal plane should still see the house plainly, albeit since fey, more clean, fresh, and lovely.

Well, if you assume the Feywild resembles the world if it was untouched by humans, it could be that the ravine was filled in at some point and the land tamed, with the manor built atop it.

But the Feywild might not reflect this change.

 

[Yaarel]

Well, if you assume the Feywild resembles the world if it was untouched by humans, it could be that the ravine was filled in at some point and the land tamed, with the manor built atop it.

But the Feywild might not reflect this change.

Parallel to how one is likely to encounter former humans in the deep shadow, I feel one ought to encounter potential humans in the deep fey.

There can be depths in the deep shadow that are desolate oblivion. Likewise, there can be depths in the deep fey where humans never happened.

The shallows however are part of the material plane, and the actual material humans also include fey and shadow appearances.

 

[Rerednaw]

They’re just different spells. They’re spells, but from a different source and maybe a lil weird, but not really that special. Near as I can tell. I am sure I’m missing something because every time Dark Sun comes up there’s a grip ton of hand wringing about getting Psionics right. It just seems like spells to me. Spells with a different but not much different rule system. Sorcerer, but with unique spells. I don’t get why it’s a big deal and why it’s not just a different spell list. Help me understand. Or confirm, it’s just spells With a new name.

To me the OP is 100% correct. It is just another system for manifesting extraordinary (or sometimes quite mundane) powers.
It's not just psionics in Dark Sun. Any system has folks who like and those whom do not. Why do some folks run fantasy as "two guys with sticks" (no magic)? Because they don't like it for some reason. And that's fine. Play the game you want.
To me whether it's "With the Wand of Power I banish thee to nothingness!" or "Eat hot photons, Martian slime!" or "Your mind will be a terrible thing to lay waste...with a side of bacon!" they are all window dressing/different flavors of "kaboom!"

 

[Mind of tempest]

To me the OP is 100% correct. It is just another system for manifesting extraordinary (or sometimes quite mundane) powers.
It's not just psionics in Dark Sun. Any system has folks who like and those whom do not. Why do some folks run fantasy as "two guys with sticks" (no magic)? Because they don't like it for some reason. And that's fine. Play the game you want.
To me whether it's "With the Wand of Power I banish thee to nothingness!" or "Eat hot photons, Martian slime!" or "Your mind will be a terrible thing to lay waste...with a side of bacon!" they are all window dressing/different flavors of "kaboom!"

fair it is more we want differnt options and putting everything in wizard would just make things hard.

 

[HaroldTheHobbit]

To me the OP is 100% correct. It is just another system for manifesting extraordinary (or sometimes quite mundane) powers.
It's not just psionics in Dark Sun. Any system has folks who like and those whom do not. Why do some folks run fantasy as "two guys with sticks" (no magic)? Because they don't like it for some reason. And that's fine. Play the game you want.
To me whether it's "With the Wand of Power I banish thee to nothingness!" or "Eat hot photons, Martian slime!" or "Your mind will be a terrible thing to lay waste...with a side of bacon!" they are all window dressing/different flavors of "kaboom!"

I totally agree, and that's one of the reasons Savage World / Savage Pathfinder is my goto system these days. You have magic points and you have mechanical spell effects, the trappings are all up to the players and their character concept.

 

[jgsugden]

To me the OP is 100% correct. It is just another system for manifesting extraordinary (or sometimes quite mundane) powers.
It's not just psionics in Dark Sun. Any system has folks who like and those whom do not. Why do some folks run fantasy as "two guys with sticks" (no magic)? Because they don't like it for some reason. And that's fine. Play the game you want.
To me whether it's "With the Wand of Power I banish thee to nothingness!" or "Eat hot photons, Martian slime!" or "Your mind will be a terrible thing to lay waste...with a side of bacon!" they are all window dressing/different flavors of "kaboom!"

Psionics is what we make of it, oh great thread necromancer. If you treat it like refluffed magic, then that is what it will be. However, for many players and DMs, it has, can be, and will be, so much more. You can read my summary below on how it has a distinct place in my 40 year old campaign and why not having official rules for it in 5E has been a frustration for me.

D&D General - What’s The Big Deal About Psionics?

They’re just different spells. They’re spells, but from a different source and maybe a lil weird, but not really that special. Near as I can tell. I am sure I’m missing something because every time Dark Sun comes up there’s a grip ton of hand wringing about getting Psionics right. It just...

www.enworld.org

In my campaigns, a cleric or druid feels far more like a wizard than a psion does. The psion feels more like a figure from comic books or horror stories than it does a character from Tolkien, Dragonlance or Game of Thrones. It is intended to feel alien to my setting, because it originated in the Far Realms, and it is one of the tools that makes my Far Realms/Cthulhu aspects of my games so interesting - and they are really essential to my setting.