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A psionic class?

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.
GemHoundNoobacca

Comments

  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,714
    GemHoundNoobacca
  • The user and all related content has been deleted.
    NoobaccabrusRaduziel
  • ArgyleArgyle Member Posts: 48
    That Dragon article is interesting. One thing I can't imagine psionicists not having is telekinesis, though I can see how it might be a problem to implement in a game. Maybe it could be made a little more specific, like an animated "Thurba" dagger at low level, a magic dancing long sword like Mordenkainen's Sword at mid level, and then a fully animated suit of armor with a magic 2H sword at high levels. I also like the repulsion effect which was very useful in Dragon Age.
  • lunarlunar Member Posts: 3,460
    There was the 'psionics unleashed' mod for bg2. I never got to work it with the ee, though.
  • NoobaccaNoobacca Member Posts: 139
    I used Psionics Unleashed for a while before the most recent patch for bg2ee broke the mod and it was a huge amount of fun. I'd love to see a proper class be designed by the developers, even if it was offered as dlc.
    Shadowdemon
  • The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • ArgyleArgyle Member Posts: 48
    Telekinesis requires moveable objects ... rocks, chairs, dinner plates, cows, etc. I don't think the BG game engine normally has that type of flexibility, but I am sure there are at least a few ways around it.
  • GreenWarlockGreenWarlock Member Posts: 1,354
    Time for the old curmudgeon to come out ;)

    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)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
    edited February 2016
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
    GreenWarlock
  • ArgyleArgyle Member Posts: 48
    Yeah, I was just thinking about computer games like BG. The only psi system I know of the old 1st Ed AD&D Player Handbook appendix for psionics. Overall I thought it was interesting, but if I am not mistaken, your total number of psionic ability points was determined on character creation based on INT, WIS, and CHA. And that was it for the rest of your life, with no advancement potential. And then in the Deities & Demigods book, some of the divinities with low psi levels of IV or V could be easily wiped by a low level character with 300 points. I never understood that.
  • GreenWarlockGreenWarlock Member Posts: 1,354
    @Argyle My recollection is that things were a little better in 2nd Edition, but not a lot. 3rd Edition psionics seemed a better attempt, making it just another primary class, but it was still a curiosity, outside the mainstream game environment. I have no experience of 4th/5th edition to know if/how they worked there.
  • dok0zhivagodok0zhivago Member Posts: 82
    I'd reallly like to see a Dark Sun game made in Infinity Engine.
    Psionics just seem to fit there.
  • mlnevesemlnevese Member, Moderator Posts: 10,214
    2nd edition psionics could be amazingly powerful... What about a low level character with disintegrate? :)
  • dok0zhivagodok0zhivago Member Posts: 82
    Ego whip and mass domination all the way !!!!!!!!!!!
    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 :)
  • DragonKingDragonKing Member Posts: 1,977

    I couldn't download the .pdf, but honestly I don't like what I see so far. What is this "Far Ream" stuff? How is there a realm outside the multiverse when the word multiverse, definitionally, means all planes/universes/realms?

    @subtledoctor
    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.
    dok0zhivago
  • dok0zhivagodok0zhivago Member Posts: 82

    I couldn't download the .pdf, but honestly I don't like what I see so far. What is this "Far Ream" stuff? How is there a realm outside the multiverse when the word multiverse, definitionally, means all planes/universes/realms?

    @subtledoctor
    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.
    Now here is na idea for a low - epic level adventure module....

    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 :)
  • DragonKingDragonKing Member Posts: 1,977
    @dok0zhivago
    So, basically what dc and marvel does?
  • dok0zhivagodok0zhivago Member Posts: 82
    @DragonKing

    Well, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery :)

  • ZilchkZilchk Member Posts: 46

    I couldn't download the .pdf, but honestly I don't like what I see so far. What is this "Far Ream" stuff? How is there a realm outside the multiverse when the word multiverse, definitionally, means all planes/universes/realms?

    @subtledoctor
    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.
    Now here is na idea for a low - epic level adventure module....

    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 :)
    Well WotC no longer supports any settings except Forgotten Realms.
  • dok0zhivagodok0zhivago Member Posts: 82
    @Zilchk
    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 ;)
  • ZilchkZilchk Member Posts: 46

    @Zilchk
    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 ;)

    Ravenloft is part of Shadowfell now,
    http://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/curse-strahd
  • znancekivellznancekivell Member Posts: 58
    I would support a Psionic class, absolutely. I am a huge psionics fan, I run them in as many PnP games as I can. I bought Ultimate Psionics & Psionic Bestiary for Pathfinder the day they were released. Still trying to get a hold of Mythic Psionics for some high-powered runs.

    Magic is cool, but psionics is awesome.
    Noobacca
  • ZilchkZilchk Member Posts: 46

    I would support a Psionic class, absolutely. I am a huge psionics fan, I run them in as many PnP games as I can. I bought Ultimate Psionics & Psionic Bestiary for Pathfinder the day they were released. Still trying to get a hold of Mythic Psionics for some high-powered runs.

    Magic is cool, but psionics is awesome.

    With psionic class we should get more psionic monsters and enemy npcs in a hypothetical expansion.
    znancekivell
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