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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Raduin711" data-source="post: 8558079" data-attributes="member: 15303">If you go back to 2nd edition, the edition that Dark Sun was originally made for, Psionics was different than magic in a number of ways:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Powers were not arranged by level. Instead, they were divided into Sciences and Devotions. Sciences were the heavy hitters... the teleporations, shapechanging, mind control, etc. Devotionswere your minor powers that were more like neat tricks or necessary utilities. Sciences were the main courses; devotions were the hors d'oeuvres.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">some powers did have level requirements, but most were available for use right out of the gate at 1st level. Progression was flatter, overall, which helped facilitate Wild Talents.</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Psionicists were forced specialists. A beginning character could choose only 1 Discipline, analogous to a school of magic. If you chose Psychoportation, you might be a 1st level character capable of teleportation, but all of your abilities would be focused on movement. After time you could learn more Disciplines. Psionicists broadened in ability rather than climbed a stairway of power.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Psionicists weren't armorless, staff-wielding wizards. They had limited access to weapons and armor, since psionics was much more about enhancing yourself, your own mind and body, the "staff n'robes" setup didn't make sense. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">PSP's. Honestly, I think much ado is made over nothing in regards to how the powers are paid for. Slots, points, who cares. The main takeaway here was that PSP's were regained hourly, depending on activity level. While I consider this level of bookkeeping to be a sin, ultimately this meant that psionicists were the beginning of refreshing their powers by short rests rather than full ones.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Powers worked like proficiencies (skills) and could fail. They were keyed to Intelligence (mind) Constitution (body) and Wisdom (spirit). Rolling a critical failure could have drastic consequences for some powers (the stronger the power, the worse the consequences... some even cause permanent stat damage) There were also critical successes.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Telepathic combat was a sort of mini-game. Every psionicist, regardless of Discipline had a Defense Mode, and the telepathic attack modes all could be used twice per round. The goal was for the attacker to get 3 hits on the defender. Once that happened, they could use one of their telepathic powers, like dominate. It was a bit of a janky paper/rock/scissors/lizard/spock setup.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The fact that the things they did were not actually magic meant that they were immune to things like dispel magic and anti-magic zones, which helped cement their flavor as different and gave their flatter power level an edge over magic.</li> </ul>So we have a class that bucks the traditional magic power structure, that focuses on self-enhancement and mind-effecting powers, that has the equipment of a cleric and pays for powers like a cross between a sorcerer and a warlock (before either class ever existed) with a special flavor all it's own, and was designed to be easily slotted into other characters via the Wild Talent system. And this is the dominant sort of power in Dark Sun.And so keeping that in mind, when you turn the page to, say 3rd edition psionics, which was exactly as you described: just spells. It was spells, you paid for it a different way, and had some new bells and whistles, but yeah. spells. Some of 2nd editions powers made cameos in this system, but ultimately 3rd edition psionics was there to sell a product to players who cursed the name of Jack Vance. And now people want to play Dark Sun again, and 3rd edition psionics feels... off. And we have been trying to get back there ever since...</blockquote>

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