A psionic class?
iceblade
Member Posts: 19
I know there was a discussion about what classes/kits should be added next, but anyway.
What about a psionic class?
There were psi characters in Dark Sun and I there are also some (or a lot) in the Forgotten Realms
and Planescape. The class that I have seen (in the Psionic's Handbook?) was a bit suicidal, If I Recall Correctly,
having a 10% chance to die when using the Desintegrate Power, but at least it was another way to have
non-divine healing. And it's always nice to have that in D&D.
The psionic classes in 3E also weren't that bad and there also was some psi in 1E AD&D, I think.
What about a psionic class?
There were psi characters in Dark Sun and I there are also some (or a lot) in the Forgotten Realms
and Planescape. The class that I have seen (in the Psionic's Handbook?) was a bit suicidal, If I Recall Correctly,
having a 10% chance to die when using the Desintegrate Power, but at least it was another way to have
non-divine healing. And it's always nice to have that in D&D.
The psionic classes in 3E also weren't that bad and there also was some psi in 1E AD&D, I think.
2
Comments
https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/634678/#Comment_634678
http://www.dragonmag.com/5.0/#!/article/106799/101184423?loadFresh=true&title=06_10_Mystic/Psionics TRPG
Psionics never really made a good fit in D&D for me, and I tried with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd editions. I have no qualms about folks modding psionics into their game, but they were always an optional component of the game (I don't know about 4th Ed and later) and I would prefer to not see them become a non-optional part of this classic game.
If we were to handle Psionics 2nd Edition style, they would be an optional feature for every PC - psionics was an extra trait that you would roll for, with something like a 5% chance of a character with high Int/Wis/Cha turning out to be psionic in addition to their main class - at which point it was just a free bonus.
Psionics certainly were a non-optional feature of the monster manual. Illithids are the most obvious example in the BG universe, but Drow were frequently psionic too, along with a wide variety of other mid-high level monsters. Part of the challenge of tackling them is that psionics was typically NOT available to the PCs.
In 3rd Edition, psionicist was an optional primary class, if you bought the rulebook. We have already seen Shadowdancer back-ported from 3rd to BG, so the edition should not be a barrier. The problem is that it is a new primary class with a completely different set of powers balanced for a totally different rules system.
But once you decide to integrate psionics into your game, the problem is that they did not integrate that well into D&D as they were a bolt-on afterthought. That classic game was designed around the 4 archetypes, Fighter and Thief have complementary physical skills, magic user and cleric have complementary magic skills, from complementary sources, and there is an interplay between the physical and the magic built into the lore, the game world, the adventure design, mostly things are balanced on the large scale, while flavorful and textured for the different roles as you zoom into adventure content.
Psionics have no part in this grand design, and always feel like a sudden bolt-on, as they feel more like an interaction with all-of-the-other-archetypes-at-once, us vs. them, rather than an integrated part of the whole.
That does not mean you cannot successfully integrate psionics into a D&D game, but they do need integrating at a very fundamental world-building level before the characters are born. IIUC, this might have been achieved with the Dark Sun setting, although I did not get to play that one myself.
So while I am all for modders having fun with psionics, or a new game-world in the infinity engine adding and integrating psionics, I would really rather no see them in my own BG series, thanks.
(I still have not played Icewind Dale, so no comment on whether they might integrate better there, with its much more user-driven party dynamic)
Psionics just seem to fit there.
FIghter/Psionicist buffed with psychometabolism. Good times.
On a side note, I just remembered how the final battle in Dark Sun: Shaterred lands was epic on so many levels.
Nostalgia kicked in, I might visit GOG and add it to my inventory
The same way thw Dakota verse and the dcu were separated despite milestone comics being publishes by DC or how the beyonders universe was suppose to be a universe separate from marvel universe despite being a creation of marvel.
Multiverse basically means many universes, not necessarily all of them; that's why we have the term omniverse, which literally means all the universes.
Crisis of infinite realms !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Forgotten realms! Greyhawk! Ravneloft! Mystara! Spelljammer! Dark Sun! Dragonlance! and many others.....
Fight side by side your favorite heroes and villains!
Explore areas lost to time!
Decide which realm will survive!
WotC should take note
So, basically what dc and marvel does?
Well, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
Well WotC currently doesn't support any other setting. But didn't they recently include Ravenloft setting into Forgotten Realms?
And Siege of Dragonspear is not exactly D&D 5ed game
http://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/curse-strahd
Magic is cool, but psionics is awesome.