Since when did Psion cease to be a class?

[BowStreetRunner]

The Psion class gets to choose from one of six disciplines: Seer, Shaper, Kineticist, Egoist, Nomad, and Telepath. However, I keep seeing people post that their class is Egoist or Seer or one of the other disciplines. Am I the only one who finds this both confusing and annoying?:smallconfused:

[Tulya]

The class entry explicitly says:

A psion who chooses clairsentience is known as a seer.
A psion who chooses metacreativity is known as a shaper.
etc.

As with the wizard with specializations.

Edit: And characters with known specializations or disciplines are usually thereafter referred to by that name in official materials, thereby supporting the practice.

For example, Giles Stoneforge (Complete Psionics p. 29) is not a Psion 5 of the Metacreativity discipline, but a Shaper 5.

[KillianHawkeye]

It works the same for specialist Wizards being called Evokers and Necromancers, etc.

[Starmage21]

The Psion class gets to choose from one of six disciplines: Seer, Shaper, Kineticist, Egoist, Nomad, and Telepath. However, I keep seeing people post that their class is Egoist or Seer or one of the other disciplines. Am I the only one who finds this both confusing and annoying?:smallconfused:

The Psion is like the Wizard. The names you are seeing are sobriquets based on the specialization of the class. The reason you see them a lot is the fact that psions MUST specialize, where Wizards MAY specialize.

[Gemini476]

The difference between two Disciplines is greater than difference between, say, a Conjurer and a Diviner. Mostly because Specialisation doesn't really matter and Disciplines have unique powers.

So people call them different things since they are almost different classes. It's a smaller difference than, say, a Ranger or Mystic Ranger, but it's still rather significant.

But really, it's almost exactly like referring to a wizard as a "Necromancer" or a
Pathfinder sorcerer by their bloodline.

[Dark.Revenant]

The same way that Wizards are Evokers, Diviners, Abjurers, Conjurers, Enchanters, Illusionists, Transmuters... and don't ever forget Necromancers. It appears this way on stat blocks; you won't see a Human Wizard 5, but a Human Necromancer 5.

Psions are actually more themed than those Wizard "sub-classes" because rather than gaining inclusive bonus spells they gain exclusive powers on their list. Without the use of feats, a Telepath cannot use Psionic Revivify and cannot ever use True Metamorphosis. A Necromancer, on the other hand, can most certainly use Teleport, Wall of Iron, etc.

Edit: Quadruple-ninjasaged.

[Barsoom]

There are really only three types of Wizards: Conjurers, Transmuters, and NPCs :smallwink:

[BowStreetRunner]

The same way that Wizards are Evokers, Diviners, Abjurers, Conjurers, Enchanters, Illusionists, Transmuters... and don't ever forget Necromancers.

Ugh! Even more confusing and annoying! :smalleek:

Um...what is this Necromancer of which you speak? I don't remember ever hearing of them before...

[Xervous]

Mild tangent: and now there's all these clerics running around professing devotion to causes!

And let's not forget the cheese wizard (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_yIG0Eexhyd8/SRulwNE-g9I/AAAAAAAAC9M/CGcAtrkITGI/s320/party3.jpg)

if this thing codes properly, anyone quoting will see its blued 3 times over. A necessity as I see it.

Dammit, I'm lapsing into blatant trolling...

[Psyren]

Am I the only one who finds this both confusing and annoying?:smallconfused:

I can't see how it can be either to be honest.

[BowStreetRunner]

I can't see how it can be either to be honest.

I'm sure you wouldn't. You probably have every class (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/lists/class)and every prestige class (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/lists/prc) memorized down to the last class feature! I, on the other hand, still find myself having to look some of them up and if it's not in the index it makes me have to actually stop and think!

[Karnith]

I can't see how it can be either to be honest.
To be fair, the names of the specialist psions are less intuitive than those for specialist wizards; I still have to look it up to remember that Egoists specialize in Psychometabolism.

[Grayson01]

Bowstreet it's also a time saver, to refer to the Psion by it's speciliazation. This way when people are looking for questions on a Psion people don;t have to ask what type to better answer the question on the build. Or if some one is suggesting Psion as a opption giving the specific Type makes it easier to guide the person in the right direction.

I can understand you frustatrion on not always understanding what someone is saying, be it a class, or a abbrv. or anything else (like * in DnD books that have no exsplenation to them). But that just means we are behind the power curve or just not speaking the lingo of the comunity we are stepping into. It's easier and polite enough to just ask for clarification.

[Psyren]

To be fair, the names of the specialist psions are less intuitive than those for specialist wizards; I still have to look it up to remember that Egoists specialize in Psychometabolism.

It's perfectly intuitive to me :smallsmile:
Ego = Self, and for a discipline that focuses on shapeshifting/healing, you're going to be the most self-sufficient guy around.

[Yogibear41]

Psions all converted to spell to power erudites out of envy, lol :smallcool:

[Dark.Revenant]

To be fair, the names of the specialist psions are less intuitive than those for specialist wizards; I still have to look it up to remember that Egoists specialize in Psychometabolism.

Egoist, Seer, Kineticist, Nomad, Shaper, Telepath, Erudite*

*A popular type of Generalist

It's not hard to figure out which of those is Psychometabolism :smalltongue:

[rollforeigninit]

You can always convert to the dark side and pick up Dreamscarred Press' excellent psionics products for Pathfinder. There is an actual Psion without all the muckety-mucking with specialization. Problem solved. Apologies in advance for all the PF hate that will follow.

[Psyren]

The new PF Generalist Psion is pretty amazing, yeah. "Erudite" has been retooled into a Generalist archetype.