Would you like to see Psionics as core rules?

[rounser]

nobody claimed they were swords and sorcery

Nope. But in the game's default setting, D&D is about swords & sorcery fantasy in particular. Sure, you can take it in other directions (e.g. lasers in the DMG), but the lasers are in the game by exception, not by default.

Have you noticed how many core elements of D&D are sci-fi (or rather, science-fantasy) already ? Derros (dero), beholders, mind-flayers and yuan-tis come from pulp litterature.

Underdark creatures are a bit of an exception IMO, because many of them are supposed to be weird and alien to surface dwellers. The alien feel of sci-fiesque psionics in a medieval-like swords & sorcery fantasy environment fits well with mind flayers, for instance, who are themselves supposed to be cthuluesque alien B-movie horrors, and the fish-out-of-water element of psionics in swords & sorcery fantasy just enhances that feel. (I don't think I'd call beholders psionic, by the way.)

It is also interesting to investigate Blackmoor, that ancestor of D&D settings, that features sci-fi elements as well (the ruins of Blackmoor are remnant of a high-tech civilization destroyed by some disaster).

A spaceship called the Beagle crashed there, introducing sci-fi elements such as power armor to the setting. The key thing to note is that the medieval-tech level sword & sorcery inhabitants of Blackmoor didn't consider this normal, and tried to rationalise what they were seeing away in terms of sword & sorcery logic (i.e. the hi-tech habitation built by the surviving crew around the crashed Beagle became known as a City of the Gods where no-one ever aged).

 

[Cedric]

They'll probably close my ENWorld login for saying this...but I hated 2nd edition psionics. I hate 3rd edition psionics. I hate Dark Sun cause it requires psionics.

However, I really liked 1st edition psionics, although they were somewhat broken.

Cedric

 

[BOZ]

man, this poll is incredibly even: 128 neck and neck!

 

[Apok]

I think someone should start a similiar poll at the WotC messageboards, if it hasn't been done already.

 

[Oni]

I think someone should start a similiar poll at the WotC messageboards, if it hasn't been done already.

I hope someone does. I was going to but I can't remember the pass I used for my screen name over there, and the email address to get it back is now defunct. I haven't registered a new one because I hope I'll remember it eventually so I can hang on to my fav screenname.

 

[EarthsShadow]

if WotC was smart they would do a revised psiHB if only to keep it up with the rest of their books. It doesn't have to be a Core book, but I would prefer it be labeled Core Book 4 because if they did that, then they would be more likely to put all that in the SRD and then we all as 3rd party could make more use of the materials.

Even if its just supplemental, another benefit of doing it would show their devotion to psionics, and if they don't revise it, they might lose a lot of fan support from some of us who do like psionics.

And whoever says psionics can't be the basis of a fantasy world is mistaken. Personally, the psionics system is a better form of magic than magic is, and I don't think its as broken as many people would claim.

 

[Gez]

(I don't think I'd call beholders psionic, by the way.)

Me neither. However, I hadn't labelled the bunch (dero, illithids & co) psionics, but pulp (look at that).

Derros similarly come from pulp (see the dero on sites like this one).

Yuan-ti originate probably from the snakefolk of "Pelucidar", IMO.

Spelljammer (a love or hate setting) was mostly fantasy (flying wooden ships in space, instead of simply in air -- I wonder whether the guy behind Disney's Treasure Planet is a Spelljammer fan), but illithids and beholders were depicted in a pulp sci-fi way.

Oh, and in the pulp collection, I forgot to add the various oozes, who are straight from the Blob.


PS: 130/130 now...

PPS: UBB (the wizards' board system) can't support poll like vB do. Polls on this forum consist of posting one's opinion, and then having someone count. A real pain if the thread has several pages. Even more painful is people change their mind and edit their posts.

 

[hong]

Re: Re: Re: I'd like it

Not if you want a character who's strength comes from an expanded conciousness. It's an Internal manifestation of the supernatural. That's the whole _concept_ of psionics, and I don't see why that doesn't fit with fantasy.

See ki, and the monk class.


Hong "not going to pimp the martial artist, no, really" Ooi

 

[LostSoul]

Re: Re: Re: Re: I'd like it

See ki, and the monk class.

Yep. And if Ki and Monks fit in D&D, why not psionics?

 

[hong]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I'd like it

Yep. And if Ki and Monks fit in D&D, why not psionics?

Did you not notice in the most recent "which classes do you use?" poll, that monks were significantly behind all the other PHB classes?

http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=37510


Hong "still not pimping the martial artist" Ooi