What do you think about Psionics?

[wildstarsreach]

Psionics is good if you have a player who takes the time to read the books. It is different but can make you have coniptions if you are not careful. The psion can go supernova like no other character. He also does not have anywhere near as much gas as the Sorcerer. They are only self buffing unlike wizards/sorcerers/clerics but their buffs are amongst the nicest. My group constantly teases me "Psionics, just like Magic but better". I tease them back, "Magic, just like psionics, only worse". Unfortunately, there is that perception but it is not as unbalanced as you might find opinions here. You cannot get rid of powers once you take them unless you allow reformation. This power becomes so problematic though.

 

[Destil]

I'm thinking about using Psionics in my campaign now. Is it really worth getting into when we have wizards & sorcerers or is it just additional work with no real improvement to the fun of the game?

If anything if you allow psionics the Sorcerer is the redundant class. Psions let you do a spontaneous caster that fits better in may ways (scaling powers, free use of powers at any level, spontaneous quickening with an appropriate cost et cetera).

 

[helium3]

Wow.

Are all the "I Hate Psionics With A Passion Folks" from the threads of yor sleeping or have they simply given up on trying to convince anyone that it's the vilest evil the game has ever seen?

Personally, I like Psionics and think that the system is pretty good. There are certainly some broken bits and pieces, but most of them are pretty well known at this point and can be dealt with via commonly accepted house rules.

 

[James McMurray]

What is the general structure of a campaign day for your characters? I ask because the primary balancing factor of psionics is resource management. Pound for pound they have better powers than casters have spells.

• Vigor outshines healing by miles.
• Energy powers are some of the best nukes around.
• Metamorphic Transfer makes shape alteration ungodly compared to the already broken core version of Polymorph
• Inertial Armor, Force Screen, et. al. give ACs that are through the roof.
• Touchsight is better than any kind of nlindsight spells can give.
• Metapsionic feats cost fewer effective levels than metamagic feats, albeit at the expense of an action.
• Astral Constructs have more physical combat punch than equally levelled summons.
• And more

However, to balance that out psions tend to run dry very fast when operating at full capacity. If your campaign has the standard 4 fights per day the psions will be strong, but exactly how strong depends on the player's resource management skills. If you've got one or two fights per day psions will be too strong. 6+ fights a day can make psions look weak in comparison.

If you go with it, I'd suggest adopting the various changes from Complete Psionics, including the restriction of one active construct at a time and the fixing of the various energy power DCs.

 

[Nifft]

Are all the "I Hate Psionics With A Passion Folks" from the threads of yor sleeping or have they simply given up on trying to convince anyone that it's the vilest evil the game has ever seen?

Apparently they can't enter a thread unless invited...

-- N

 

[Bacris]

If you go with it, I'd suggest adopting the various changes from Complete Psionics, including the restriction of one active construct at a time and the fixing of the various energy power DCs.

Personally, I say if you do that, that you should do the same to the Summon Monster / Summon Nature's Ally, since the utility benefit of those spells far surpass the punching bags / trap finders that Astral Constructs create.

Really, it all boils down to the player and the DM's style. A player who is looking to break the game (or a player who doesn't understand the rules), will cause problems regardless of what they play. In a 1-2 encounter game, a wizard / cleric / druid can also blow their biggest spells right off the bat and not have any concern - and they have the benefit of access to spells such as rope trick. I abhor that Bruce / Christopher introduced such a power in Complete Psionic and refuse to use it in any sort of abuse fashion my games - either as a player or as a DM.

 

[Aus_Snow]

I second this.

Aaaand. . .

Thirded.

 

[Deekin]

Psychic's Handbook, by Green Ronin.

Better than SRD version, but YMMV

Better than the SRD, but not better than the XPH.

As for psionics, I happen to love them so much. As for people who say that they are to different from magic to fit in D&D, I show you two pictures, and challege you to tell me which is the wizard and which is the psion.

 

[Nifft]

tell me which is the wizard and which is the psion.

They're both Clerics. Dur!

-- N

PS: (And the one that was a Psion was actually a 3.0e Psion, using a picture that doesn't exist any more, so that doesn't count. Also, the one that's a Wizard is using a spell which visually emulates a new 3.5e power, so that doesn't count either.)

 

[Greg K]

Better than the SRD, but not better than the XPH.

I think it is.