Which element could D&D stand to lose more?

[Desdichado]

Put the elves in the airlock right next to the psionic monks.

And space 'em! Yeah! That's the spirit!

Actually, all this psionics talk lately has put me in the mood to pull out my Traveller stuff and read up on the Zhodani again.

 

[Dausuul]

...when did psionics become sci-fi?

Since it started being called "psionics."

 

[Desdichado]

...when did psionics become sci-fi?

It didn't. It's less sci-fi-ish than plenty of even more iconic D&D elements. Like the mindflayers. Alien creatures from the future, anyone?

Of course, it doesn't help my case that the mindflayers are also famous for using psionics....

 

[questing gm]

I'll make elves psionic and say 'No more psionic powers for the rest of you dimwits!'

 

[Hussar]

It didn't. It's less sci-fi-ish than plenty of even more iconic D&D elements. Like the mindflayers. Alien creatures from the future, anyone?

Of course, it doesn't help my case that the mindflayers are also famous for using psionics....

I have to disagree with this. Psionics has always been an SF trope. It's almost never been a fantasy one. You don't bother calling it psionics in a fantasy story - you call it "Borrowing" or "Soul Power" or "The Will and the Word" or some such thing.

Psionics is a lazy SF writers way of bringing in plot devices without having to actually explain them. See H. Beam Piper for a very excellent example of how psi is used in very early SF.

 

[Desdichado]

So... psionics is when lazy science fiction writers want to write fantasy, use magic, but come up with a label that sounds "science fictiony?" You're just objecting to the label?

I'm not sure why, because like I said, there are plenty of spells, monsters, and other classic, iconic D&D elements that are more sci-fi-like than psionics. And yet they don't get singled out very often. :shrug:

 

[TheAuldGrump]

I really don't like elves much, but business before pleasure. Psionics goes away.

The Auld Grump

 

[Hussar]

So... psionics is when lazy science fiction writers want to write fantasy, use magic, but come up with a label that sounds "science fictiony?" You're just objecting to the label?

I'm not sure why, because like I said, there are plenty of spells, monsters, and other classic, iconic D&D elements that are more sci-fi-like than psionics. And yet they don't get singled out very often. :shrug:

Like what?

Mind Flayers? I may not like the term psionics, and I would eject that in favor of Mind Blast, but, the phrase "mind flayer" hardly screams SF. What spells are SF flavored?

But, yes, I am objecting to the label. For the same reason I don't call golems, robots or androids or cyborgs (which a flesh golem certainly qualifies as) I don't call magic, psionics.

The effects are perfectly fine. Just don't call them psionics. Heck, I don't even mind the idea of Iron Man style battlesuits in D&D. Rebrand them as some sort of magical armor with flight and thunder strikes and you're good to go. Just don't call them "Cybernetic Battlesuit".

 

[evileeyore]

I just thank Hobo that the Brannich Blacksmoke option was included so I didn't have to think or make any hard choices.

Phew, dodged a bullet there.

 

[Dice4Hire]

One of the more ridiculous polls I have seen in a while.

But to answer, keep them both. They both have a place in fantasy, but not everyone's fantasy. I like psionics, but have never played an elf in my whole D&D career, which goes back to 1980 or so, or even earlier. But I do not ban elves.