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what is the difference between magic and psionics?
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<blockquote data-quote="jgsugden" data-source="post: 8883309" data-attributes="member: 2629"><p>I've had both in my homebrew for 40 years - and they fill very different holes for me. Each DM will have their own take on this, but here is how I use them and how Psionics and Magic differ.</p><p></p><p>There are 5 types of Magic in my setting: 3 Based on the Weave, and 2 Non-weave. The three weave magics are Arcane, Divine and Nature. The other two are Psionic and Supernatural. Supernatural magic is the purest form of magic and is what empowers the Gods, Archfiends, Archfey, Science, Lycanthropes, Ghosts, and a wide range of things that do not fit the other 4 buckets.</p><p></p><p>The Weave is a connection between the heart of the Positive Energy Plane and the Heart of the Negative Energy Plane that passes through all of existence. Nature Spellcasters pull magic out of this weave directly from the positive and negative energy planes - making them the masters of life and death forces. Divine Spellcasters have their magic delivered to them via this weave from powerful Supernatural beings like Gods, Archfey and Archfiends. Arcane casters are thieves/recyclers that capture the magic that escapes from the weave and crafts it into spells. All three of these spellcasters rely on the weave for magic, which makes their magic susceptible to counterspelling, dispel magic, detect magic, anti-magic, etc... as these all mechanically trigger off the weave (in my setting).</p><p></p><p>Psionics are different mechanically, thematically, and dynamically. </p><p></p><p>Psionics come from within the psionic creature. They learn how to create power within, harness it, and release it. Monks, psions and psionic warriors are the three most common humanoid psionic heroes. What they do isn't stopped by an anti-magic shell, and all of those protective spells means to halt a spellcaster are mostly useless against a powerful psion. The mechanics I use for psionics have evolved a lot over the years, but outside of a brief experiment that did not work for me or my setting, they do not replicate spells. And, that evolution has some limitations: My setting has a time travel element that results in the past repeating often, so I have a need to maintain a core aestheitc feel to my game that doesn't change too much. </p><p></p><p>For 5E, I've used them only in a very limited fashion in order to preserve flexibility for my campaign to adopt the official psionics rules if they were to be released, but historically they have been designed mechanically so that they mimic the materials I used for inspiration - an inspiration derived from my early experiences used AD&D and 2E psionics. </p><p></p><p>Thematically and in terms of inspiration: My psionics are essentially comic super powers. I strive to make sure my rules for psionics give us those same tropes that we see in comics. You have a limited, but adaptable, power set. You can do some things all day, but you can 'push yourself to the limit' in order to do something special. Essentially: If you see it in a comic book, there is a good chance I've used something similar as inspiration for my systems. Many of the core power elements are also inspired by the Jedi - but not the Jedi of episodes 4 to 6. The Jedi of the Clone Wars. Additionally, psionics were introduced into my setting, according to lore, when the Far Realm first made contact with the Known Universe. Thus there is a madness to them ... a Lovecraftian element that gives them a reason to be more terrifyingly dynamic.</p><p></p><p>Dynamically they are designed to have more highs and lows than other classes. In some versions of this, you might see it manifest as a PC blowing their Power Point load all at once to deliver a real big blast os psionic power against a foe. That is their bad $@# moment. The high. the low? That comes if the attack fails to land, if there is a counterstrike by others when their PPs are deleted, if the foe can turn that attack back on the psionic PC, if they push themselves so hard that there is a risk it kills them - and it does, etc... </p><p></p><p>This works. It works well. It fills an opening that doesn't need to be filled, but can add a lot to a setting if it is filled. I think of it as adding a great garlic butter sauce to a great steak. You don't need it, and you can have a wonderful pure experience without it - but it can be amazing with it as well. It adds a 'high risk fringe' around the stable and reasonable designs of the core classes.</p><p></p><p>Psions, psychic warriors and monks do not feel like wizards, paladins and rangers. They feel foreign and mysterious. They're capable of amazing things, but also of going too far and having everything go wrong. They bring that tension that comic characters have clouding around them into your D&D game ... that soap opera style question of whether this is the time that they fail ... that they lose control and let everything fall apart. Their mechanics and thematic elements just give them a broader range of impact on story than a typical PC.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="jgsugden, post: 8883309, member: 2629"] I've had both in my homebrew for 40 years - and they fill very different holes for me. Each DM will have their own take on this, but here is how I use them and how Psionics and Magic differ. There are 5 types of Magic in my setting: 3 Based on the Weave, and 2 Non-weave. The three weave magics are Arcane, Divine and Nature. The other two are Psionic and Supernatural. Supernatural magic is the purest form of magic and is what empowers the Gods, Archfiends, Archfey, Science, Lycanthropes, Ghosts, and a wide range of things that do not fit the other 4 buckets. The Weave is a connection between the heart of the Positive Energy Plane and the Heart of the Negative Energy Plane that passes through all of existence. Nature Spellcasters pull magic out of this weave directly from the positive and negative energy planes - making them the masters of life and death forces. Divine Spellcasters have their magic delivered to them via this weave from powerful Supernatural beings like Gods, Archfey and Archfiends. Arcane casters are thieves/recyclers that capture the magic that escapes from the weave and crafts it into spells. All three of these spellcasters rely on the weave for magic, which makes their magic susceptible to counterspelling, dispel magic, detect magic, anti-magic, etc... as these all mechanically trigger off the weave (in my setting). Psionics are different mechanically, thematically, and dynamically. Psionics come from within the psionic creature. They learn how to create power within, harness it, and release it. Monks, psions and psionic warriors are the three most common humanoid psionic heroes. What they do isn't stopped by an anti-magic shell, and all of those protective spells means to halt a spellcaster are mostly useless against a powerful psion. The mechanics I use for psionics have evolved a lot over the years, but outside of a brief experiment that did not work for me or my setting, they do not replicate spells. And, that evolution has some limitations: My setting has a time travel element that results in the past repeating often, so I have a need to maintain a core aestheitc feel to my game that doesn't change too much. For 5E, I've used them only in a very limited fashion in order to preserve flexibility for my campaign to adopt the official psionics rules if they were to be released, but historically they have been designed mechanically so that they mimic the materials I used for inspiration - an inspiration derived from my early experiences used AD&D and 2E psionics. Thematically and in terms of inspiration: My psionics are essentially comic super powers. I strive to make sure my rules for psionics give us those same tropes that we see in comics. You have a limited, but adaptable, power set. You can do some things all day, but you can 'push yourself to the limit' in order to do something special. Essentially: If you see it in a comic book, there is a good chance I've used something similar as inspiration for my systems. Many of the core power elements are also inspired by the Jedi - but not the Jedi of episodes 4 to 6. The Jedi of the Clone Wars. Additionally, psionics were introduced into my setting, according to lore, when the Far Realm first made contact with the Known Universe. Thus there is a madness to them ... a Lovecraftian element that gives them a reason to be more terrifyingly dynamic. Dynamically they are designed to have more highs and lows than other classes. In some versions of this, you might see it manifest as a PC blowing their Power Point load all at once to deliver a real big blast os psionic power against a foe. That is their bad $@# moment. The high. the low? That comes if the attack fails to land, if there is a counterstrike by others when their PPs are deleted, if the foe can turn that attack back on the psionic PC, if they push themselves so hard that there is a risk it kills them - and it does, etc... This works. It works well. It fills an opening that doesn't need to be filled, but can add a lot to a setting if it is filled. I think of it as adding a great garlic butter sauce to a great steak. You don't need it, and you can have a wonderful pure experience without it - but it can be amazing with it as well. It adds a 'high risk fringe' around the stable and reasonable designs of the core classes. Psions, psychic warriors and monks do not feel like wizards, paladins and rangers. They feel foreign and mysterious. They're capable of amazing things, but also of going too far and having everything go wrong. They bring that tension that comic characters have clouding around them into your D&D game ... that soap opera style question of whether this is the time that they fail ... that they lose control and let everything fall apart. Their mechanics and thematic elements just give them a broader range of impact on story than a typical PC. [/QUOTE]
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