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<blockquote data-quote="feartheminotaur" data-source="post: 6822015" data-attributes="member: 6801354">First - context: My personal interpretation of psionic (c'mon spellcheck, how is that not a word?) powers is that they are mentally altering the way the target perceives the world, not mentally altering the actual world.&nbsp; Less &quot;I summon an actual, physical, real demon to attack you&quot; and more &quot;I make you think that an actual, physical, real demon is attacking you&quot;.&nbsp; Psionics affects what the target does, its actions and perceptions, not the tangible consequences of the target's actions.&nbsp; Seems OK for psionics to distract the mind for a second to force a miss (&quot;your mind forces disadvantage&quot;), but not to make the sword land 'half as soft' (&quot;your mind makes the attack do half damage&quot;).&nbsp; I've also never been a fan of psionic powers being 'lots and lots of KABOOM AoE damage' or 'utility like a wizard, but with your mind'&nbsp; or even divine powers with 'your brain' substituted for 'your deity'.&nbsp; If you're going to have &quot;Mental Fireball&quot;, it's not new, or really psionics, just a reskin of the wizard casting fireball.&nbsp; If I want cleric and wizard powers, I'll play those classes.&nbsp; Psionics should be as different as a fighter is from a warlock.Second - not sure about names.&nbsp; I've discovered when I say &quot;mind thrust&quot; some think of an actual thrust w/ forced movement ala UA and others think mental debuff as in 4e.&nbsp; I'll just generally describe the kind of psionic powers I want to see.So...powers.Illusions: Ones that directly affect the target's mind - so more phantasmal killer and less silent image.&nbsp; I think any power in line with the phantasm spells will be awesome.&nbsp; Psionics should be able to alter the target mind's ability to perceive reality, not create a false reality in the physical world.&nbsp; Modifying Memories: Psionics powers should be able to create a new reality, solely in the target's head.&nbsp; So, powers as simple as &quot;Those aren't the droids you're looking for&quot; to powers as complex as making the target think they're in late '90s Chicago when really they're a living battery for Skynet.Mental Communication: Both good and bad.&nbsp; Mental sending, telepathy, as well as mind reading and the such.&nbsp; Psionics is very much an &quot;I'm in your head!&quot; discipline; what a psion does once they're inside...Buffs/Debuffs: Psionic powers that affects the mind in such a way that increases or decreases chances of dodging blows (AC), hitting the right spot (Attacks), focusing on a task (Skills), or marshaling mental energy (Saves).&nbsp; But not damage.&nbsp; Mind Control: Pretty standard. Counter-powers: Mechanically, yes you can call them charms or illusions and use the spell rules, but I'd like to see powers in line with counterspell or mind blank that specifically affect psionics only.&nbsp; If there's a PC psion, there's an NPC psion; they should be able duel psionic offense vs psionic defense - not just psionic offense vs magic/mundane defense.Some magic items for psionic support as well, but that's beyond the scope here.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="feartheminotaur, post: 6822015, member: 6801354"] First - context: My personal interpretation of psionic (c'mon spellcheck, how is that not a word?) powers is that they are mentally altering the way the target perceives the world, not mentally altering the actual world. Less "I summon an actual, physical, real demon to attack you" and more "I make you think that an actual, physical, real demon is attacking you". Psionics affects what the target does, its actions and perceptions, not the tangible consequences of the target's actions. Seems OK for psionics to distract the mind for a second to force a miss ("your mind forces disadvantage"), but not to make the sword land 'half as soft' ("your mind makes the attack do half damage"). I've also never been a fan of psionic powers being 'lots and lots of KABOOM AoE damage' or 'utility like a wizard, but with your mind' or even divine powers with 'your brain' substituted for 'your deity'. If you're going to have "Mental Fireball", it's not new, or really psionics, just a reskin of the wizard casting [I]fireball[/I]. If I want cleric and wizard powers, I'll play those classes. Psionics should be as different as a fighter is from a warlock. Second - not sure about names. I've discovered when I say "mind thrust" some think of an actual thrust w/ forced movement ala UA and others think mental debuff as in 4e. I'll just generally describe the kind of psionic powers I want to see. So...powers. Illusions: Ones that directly affect the target's mind - so more [I]phantasmal killer[/I] and less [I]silent image[/I]. I think any power in line with the phantasm spells will be awesome. Psionics should be able to alter the target mind's ability to perceive reality, not create a false reality in the physical world. Modifying Memories: Psionics powers should be able to create a new reality, solely in the target's head. So, powers as simple as "Those aren't the droids you're looking for" to powers as complex as making the target think they're in late '90s Chicago when really they're a living battery for Skynet. Mental Communication: Both good and bad. Mental sending, telepathy, as well as mind reading and the such. Psionics is very much an "I'm in your head!" discipline; what a psion does once they're inside... Buffs/Debuffs: Psionic powers that affects the mind in such a way that increases or decreases chances of dodging blows (AC), hitting the right spot (Attacks), focusing on a task (Skills), or marshaling mental energy (Saves). But not damage. Mind Control: Pretty standard. Counter-powers: Mechanically, yes you can call them charms or illusions and use the spell rules, but I'd like to see powers in line with [I]counterspell[/I] or [I]mind blank[/I] that specifically affect psionics only. If there's a PC psion, there's an NPC psion; they should be able duel psionic offense vs psionic defense - not just psionic offense vs magic/mundane defense. Some magic items for psionic support as well, but that's beyond the scope here. [/QUOTE]

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