What do you think about Psionics?

[JukeboxHead]

My dad loves psionics, but has a hard time getting his players to use them.

 

[DragonLancer]

I quie like the XPH psionics system. Its much more balanced than prior editions.

Psionics aren't as overpowered as people like to make out. The best advice is to start small. Use a psionic creature and see how it plays. Once you are comfortable with it, maybe allow a player to try out one of the psionic classes.

 

[RedFox]

I dig psionics.

Try throwing a psionic duergar squad at your party, or a soulknife assassin, or something, and see how they react.

 

[Bacris]

Regarding flavor / sci-fi naming - you realize most of the naming convention is derived from Greek and Latin, right?

And crystals have been used by seers / mediums / etc for a long dang time...

Me - I like psionics. So much in fact I started up a psionics-based d20 publishing company. People that come and say that it's horribly unbalanced compared to core seem to not realize what can be done with a Core Cleric, Druid, or Wizard. If you have a player that's trying to break your game, they can do it with core just as easily as with psionics - no system is perfect. Hell, the best Pun-Pun, the scapegoat of psionics-haters, isn't even psionic anymore!

 

[Nifft]

Psionics is the direction I'd like to see 4e magic take: point-based, scalable effects, spontaneous metamagic with a limit, and prestige classes that actually cost something.

It's an excellent system, and I always look to it when balancing stuff.

Cheers, -- N

 

[I'm A Banana]

Psionics is cool. Though IMHO, I'd like to see a psionics system that uses the Warlock as the basis for the psionic class....like what Nfft did in the HR forum...

 

[Greg K]

Psychic's Handbook, by Green Ronin.

Better than SRD version, but YMMV

I second this.

 

[blargney the second]

psi as presented has always felt to sci-fi for my preferred brand of D&D fantasy, what with all the names, crytals, etc, etc.

I keep hearing people say that, but I still don't see it. Psionics reminds me way more of the Belgariad than Neuromancer.

 

[Emirikol]

The reason psionics has not gained in popularity is the fact that it's just another redundant version of magic.

A simple problem solver is to to just the PSIONICS IS JUST MAGIC rule. In our game we go one step further. All magic, including so-called psionics, is ARCANE. That solved so many problems in our particular campaign theme and created none.

jh

 

[Tetsubo]

I really like Psionics. The idea of a functioning, scalable and balanced point based "magic" system is just to great to pass up...