Ozymandias9
2009-10-15, 01:09 AM
I've got a table that wants a strictly psionic campaign starting in a couple of weeks. I'm planning on using the 3.0 Psionic Handbook as opposed to 3.5 Expanded: while the later is clearly better as a class in competition with wizards, I think that the 3.0 version creates a better and more diverse option for a self complete system.
Though I've played in games that simply substituted psionics for magic wholesale, the closest I've come to running a campaign like this for more than a brief oneshot is removing magic/psionic transparency, so I'm shopping for advise.
Mechanics and Homebrew
I've got a post in the homebrew forums working on mechanics (stuff like psychic combat for non-manifesters and psionic variants for Rangers/Paladins). Your feedback is, of course, most welcome there as well.
Homebrew/Mechanics post (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7125414#post7125414)
Fluff and Flavor
Well, here it is. It's broad and open ended: the idea is generally to create a standard, vaguely medieval heroic phantasy campaign with psionics instead of magic. As such, there is little draw to keep the somewhat sci-fi flavored default presentation of psionics. One of the people who will be playing this campaign brought up that many people in the setting would view psionics essentially the way magic is viewed in a standard D&D campaign, and might even refer to it as such.
This is an issue, since the players want a different flavor than regular magic, but not the sci-fi crystal flavor that is presented by default (and became even more prevelent in 3.5). [Kamikasei is right: new-agey, 19th-century-spiritualism would seem a more acturate description.]
The sci-fi fluff is admittedly less prevalent in the 3.0 version, but its still there. The question becomes what elements of the sci-fi fluff can be divested of without damaging the basic flavor of psionics as opposed to magic: that is, what can we cut in the way of crystals and the like without divesting of the idea of this system as representing the focus of mind or will rather than the arcane or divine manipulation of cosmic forces.
Would replacing a psi-crystal with a modified familiar work for you, or does that seem too tied to the idea of the default wizard? If not, what could replace it with instead?
Same questions, but for Dorjes/Wands? Power stones/scrolls?
How would you reflavor Crystal Capacitors?
Tattoos one player likes and Universal Items don't seem too much of an issue, so I'm not concerned with those.
If you see any other places to remove crystals and the like, or any themes that could replace them in bulk without infringing too heavily on magical flavor, point them out. If you have any other ideas, I'd like to hear them too.
Though I've played in games that simply substituted psionics for magic wholesale, the closest I've come to running a campaign like this for more than a brief oneshot is removing magic/psionic transparency, so I'm shopping for advise.
Mechanics and Homebrew
I've got a post in the homebrew forums working on mechanics (stuff like psychic combat for non-manifesters and psionic variants for Rangers/Paladins). Your feedback is, of course, most welcome there as well.
Homebrew/Mechanics post (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7125414#post7125414)
Fluff and Flavor
Well, here it is. It's broad and open ended: the idea is generally to create a standard, vaguely medieval heroic phantasy campaign with psionics instead of magic. As such, there is little draw to keep the somewhat sci-fi flavored default presentation of psionics. One of the people who will be playing this campaign brought up that many people in the setting would view psionics essentially the way magic is viewed in a standard D&D campaign, and might even refer to it as such.
This is an issue, since the players want a different flavor than regular magic, but not the sci-fi crystal flavor that is presented by default (and became even more prevelent in 3.5). [Kamikasei is right: new-agey, 19th-century-spiritualism would seem a more acturate description.]
The sci-fi fluff is admittedly less prevalent in the 3.0 version, but its still there. The question becomes what elements of the sci-fi fluff can be divested of without damaging the basic flavor of psionics as opposed to magic: that is, what can we cut in the way of crystals and the like without divesting of the idea of this system as representing the focus of mind or will rather than the arcane or divine manipulation of cosmic forces.
Would replacing a psi-crystal with a modified familiar work for you, or does that seem too tied to the idea of the default wizard? If not, what could replace it with instead?
Same questions, but for Dorjes/Wands? Power stones/scrolls?
How would you reflavor Crystal Capacitors?
Tattoos one player likes and Universal Items don't seem too much of an issue, so I'm not concerned with those.
If you see any other places to remove crystals and the like, or any themes that could replace them in bulk without infringing too heavily on magical flavor, point them out. If you have any other ideas, I'd like to hear them too.