Dark.Revenant
2013-06-29, 05:12 AM
Psionica
Psionica is a homebrew collection of updates and houserules that I am successfully using in my current campaigns. Psionica combines and improves upon:
Pathfinder RPG
Psionics Unleashed
Psionics Expanded
Todo: Ultimate Psionics
Tome of Battle
Complete Scoundrel
Book of Erotic Fantasy
... and more!
http://www.sc2mafia.com/junk/1372307847439.jpg
Source: one of the Skull and Shackles Adventure Path book covers
What's this about?
This system has a number of changes and additions meant to improve the acting variety of Dungeons and Dragons. Just a few of the features include:
Psionics: There's no magic. Instead, there is Psionics, a far more balanced system with many applications and opportunities unavailable to the traditional magic system. Included are a number of flavorful inclusions, expanding the options for casters and introducing the variety that other systems like Mage: The Ascension and Ars Magica provide, without breaking the game's balance. Combine and reshape your powers for new effects, or go beyond your limits by shooting off one last power even when your psi is dry, at the cost of painful mental feedback.
Character Progression: You increase your ability scores as you go; some classes are faster than others.
Weapons and Armor: The entire expanded Pathfinder armory has been overhauled, balancing and fleshing-out hundreds of weapons and adding over a dozen more historic weapons. Some weapons also have better attack modifiers than others (Improved Unarmed Strike has a whopping +4, helping fix one of the Monk's greatest weaknesses). Weapons are now split into defined groups, including an exotic group that replaces the useless EWP feat tax. The armor system has been completely rewritten, including an all-new armor list involving modularity and customization. Armor and natural armor now provide (hefty) weapon-typed damage reduction, increasing the need for battle choices in weapon selection and team tactics.
Combat Actions: Full attacks boring you? Try out Combat Actions, the best thing to happen to beatsticks since pounce. Block, parry, guard-break, go for the eyes, mix in some groin kicks, and much more!
Feat Improvements: A cornucopia of feats are added dealing with numerous systems such as Combat Actions. Combat Maneuver feats no longer require a feat tax and the Improved and Greater versions are also combined, allowing for much greater build flexibility. In addition, several common useless tax feats (such as Dodge and Mobility) are combined, Desert Wind and Stone Dragon get some much-needed improvements (such as switching damage type and losing the movement restrictions), and more.
Vitality Dice: Combat lasts longer than 2 rounds because of the inclusion of VD, a new resource comparable to HP in value. Each VD can be used to instantly heal 10% of your HP or boost a failed saving throw (multiple VD can heal more HP or further boost a failed save). VD scales inversely with the expected survivability of characters in D&D; the balance is shifted such that fights last roughly the same length at all party levels. Also, Save-or-Die no longer dominates casters' lists, but remains an effective option due to the effective loss of HP incurred by burning foes' VD.
Skill System: Taking the best of the 3.5 and 3.P systems, class skills are now important throughout a character's career, but cross-class ranks don't cost an arm and a leg. As an added bonus, Skill Tricks are re-introduced!
Much More: There are numerous patches and changes to many aspects of the game, from fixing Acrobatics DCs and redoing the social skills (Diplomacy->Persuade, Intimidate, and Bluff) to refining the crafting rules.
Due to its large size, I have put Psionica on a google doc (comments enabled):
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1z93IuVEPzQR84PJX0X8mbQ7DybiXmuBX4OrU0z9hFPI/edit?usp=sharing
Comments and Criticism are welcome, but I don't expect anyone to PEACH the entire thing. Feel free to focus on any particular session and I will explain my reasoning behind these changes. Thank you!
Psionica is a homebrew collection of updates and houserules that I am successfully using in my current campaigns. Psionica combines and improves upon:
Pathfinder RPG
Psionics Unleashed
Psionics Expanded
Todo: Ultimate Psionics
Tome of Battle
Complete Scoundrel
Book of Erotic Fantasy
... and more!
http://www.sc2mafia.com/junk/1372307847439.jpg
Source: one of the Skull and Shackles Adventure Path book covers
What's this about?
This system has a number of changes and additions meant to improve the acting variety of Dungeons and Dragons. Just a few of the features include:
Psionics: There's no magic. Instead, there is Psionics, a far more balanced system with many applications and opportunities unavailable to the traditional magic system. Included are a number of flavorful inclusions, expanding the options for casters and introducing the variety that other systems like Mage: The Ascension and Ars Magica provide, without breaking the game's balance. Combine and reshape your powers for new effects, or go beyond your limits by shooting off one last power even when your psi is dry, at the cost of painful mental feedback.
Character Progression: You increase your ability scores as you go; some classes are faster than others.
Weapons and Armor: The entire expanded Pathfinder armory has been overhauled, balancing and fleshing-out hundreds of weapons and adding over a dozen more historic weapons. Some weapons also have better attack modifiers than others (Improved Unarmed Strike has a whopping +4, helping fix one of the Monk's greatest weaknesses). Weapons are now split into defined groups, including an exotic group that replaces the useless EWP feat tax. The armor system has been completely rewritten, including an all-new armor list involving modularity and customization. Armor and natural armor now provide (hefty) weapon-typed damage reduction, increasing the need for battle choices in weapon selection and team tactics.
Combat Actions: Full attacks boring you? Try out Combat Actions, the best thing to happen to beatsticks since pounce. Block, parry, guard-break, go for the eyes, mix in some groin kicks, and much more!
Feat Improvements: A cornucopia of feats are added dealing with numerous systems such as Combat Actions. Combat Maneuver feats no longer require a feat tax and the Improved and Greater versions are also combined, allowing for much greater build flexibility. In addition, several common useless tax feats (such as Dodge and Mobility) are combined, Desert Wind and Stone Dragon get some much-needed improvements (such as switching damage type and losing the movement restrictions), and more.
Vitality Dice: Combat lasts longer than 2 rounds because of the inclusion of VD, a new resource comparable to HP in value. Each VD can be used to instantly heal 10% of your HP or boost a failed saving throw (multiple VD can heal more HP or further boost a failed save). VD scales inversely with the expected survivability of characters in D&D; the balance is shifted such that fights last roughly the same length at all party levels. Also, Save-or-Die no longer dominates casters' lists, but remains an effective option due to the effective loss of HP incurred by burning foes' VD.
Skill System: Taking the best of the 3.5 and 3.P systems, class skills are now important throughout a character's career, but cross-class ranks don't cost an arm and a leg. As an added bonus, Skill Tricks are re-introduced!
Much More: There are numerous patches and changes to many aspects of the game, from fixing Acrobatics DCs and redoing the social skills (Diplomacy->Persuade, Intimidate, and Bluff) to refining the crafting rules.
Due to its large size, I have put Psionica on a google doc (comments enabled):
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1z93IuVEPzQR84PJX0X8mbQ7DybiXmuBX4OrU0z9hFPI/edit?usp=sharing
Comments and Criticism are welcome, but I don't expect anyone to PEACH the entire thing. Feel free to focus on any particular session and I will explain my reasoning behind these changes. Thank you!