Its all crystal clear?

[YPU]

I have only had a slight gimps at expanded psionics, and now im wondering, why the heck do they all use crystal weapons? Just wondering.

[Caelestion]

Crystals are psychic love!

[Were-Sandwich]

Because crystals are associated with psionics.

[Fax Celestis]

Because obsidian is sharper than surgical steel.

[its_all_ogre]

don't know and i hate it.
just change it if you don't like it

[pestilenceawaits]

Darn new age hippie psions.:smallsmile: I think it is a little weird also I can understand it for psicrystals and the psi wand things but I don't see a reason for the weapons. there are a couple of prestige classes devoted to those weapons though. http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040827d

[Jade_Tarem]

Because, deep in thier heart of hearts, the people who designed the psionics system wanted it to be cooler than the magic system. Not to knock psionics, but I'd be willing to bet that they almost wet themselves with joy when they realized they could 1-up the wizard artwork. "Haha!" they said, "Let the wizards have their cheesy combos and smoldering staves, we have sparkly crystal swords! In fact, we have razor-sharp spiny crystal everything! Swords, wands, alternate personalities, mirrors, furniture, clothing, toilet paper..."

[Khantalas]

Crystal toilet paper.

Ouch.

The official explanation is that crystals are naturally resonance points for psionic energy.

The unofficial explanation is that we needed more puns.

"Are we crystal clear on this, generic psychic warrior?"

"No, generic mysterious figure, but my sword is!"

[BCOVertigo]

Because, deep in thier heart of hearts, the people who designed the psionics system wanted it to be cooler than the magic system. Not to knock psionics, but I'd be willing to bet that they almost wet themselves with joy when they realized they could 1-up the wizard artwork. "Haha!" they said, "Let the wizards have their cheesy combos and smoldering staves, we have sparkly crystal swords! In fact, we have razor-sharp spiny crystal everything! Swords, wands, alternate personalities, mirrors, furniture, clothing, toilet paper..."

Suddenly Ialdabode had an epiphany, "OH GODS WHY DIDN'T WE STOP WITH THE WEAPONS? CRYSTAL TOILET PAPER IS A HORRIBLE IDEA!"

The fluff reason is that crystals are psionically resonant so they can channel stuff and act like batteries, etc. The real reason is because even the reality shattering powers of magic are worthless compared to Shiny Things.


Edit: CURSE YOU KHANTALAS!!!

[YPU]

Yea, I was aware of the horrible fluffiness, the only cool looking crystal swinger is the warforged on the intro page of sharn.
But are there any powers that actually need a crystal weapons or object?

[Khantalas]

Yea, I was aware of the horrible fluffiness, the only cool looking crystal swinger is the warforged on the intro page of sharn.
But are there any powers that need a crystal weapons or object?

What? Powers don't have material components.

[jjpickar]

Crystals give psionics some stylistic flair. Without them psionic characters are just normal people standing around that occasionally decide to blow things up, tear apart someone's mind, create new planes, etc. Which is kinda cool but crystals are pretty and shiny. Which makes them more cool I guess.

[Zincorium]

There's a prestige class that was on WotCs site that was pretty much a combined Kensai, Weapon Master, and still gave progression on psychic warrior and full BAB. It's pretty sick, but the requirements are steep and include having a crystal masterwork weapon to 'imbue'.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20020927a

[Dareon]

The profusion of typeless "crystal" (Or the more bad-aasimar version, "deep" crystal) is one of the things that annoys me about the various fluff decisions.

As a general metaphysicist, I have minor cognitive dissonance with psionics in general, Incarnum's use of chakras, and a few other terms. Most of the time I don't let it interfere with my enjoyment of an interesting system, since they let you do cool things (Even if straight-from-the-box incarnum makes you look like you were dumpster diving at Goodwill), and it was either use something that vaguely corresponds or come up with a new term.

[Thomas]

It's obviously a nod to various New Age beliefs about crystals having psychic resonance or power or something.

[Jack Mann]

Yeah, dude, it's 'cause the crystals, y'see, are all like... Yeah, so when you focus on your inner... y'know, well, and colors, so... yeah, dude.

[Arceliar]

That's like asking why wizards have beards.

Or why I have a beard.

Wait...why DO I have a beard?....

[TheOOB]

Also consider, gems, most notably diamonds, are extreamly important to magic. Many powerful spells (especially those dealing with a soul) use gems as material components and most magic items incorporate a gem of some sort in their design, perhaps as a sort of magical battery.

Psionics (using the standard magic transparency rules) or more or less just a different way of manipulating magical power. Stylisticly, or perhaps out of efficiency psionic crystals tend to be bigger and more "jagged" shapped then the clean cut smallish gems that mages use, perhaps to show how psionics rather then being a fairly exact and regimented system (like magic), is a little more feral and unpredicatable.

Or perhaps someone just thought that psionic characters needed to look different then normal characters and crystals just look cool.

EDIT: Wizards have beards because most wizards are old and long white beards are a sign of age and wisdom. Unless your a PC, who is always in the 16-20 range, most wizards who are any good have studied for decades and thus are old farts.

[Thomas]

Dave's not here, man.

[Fear_Zod]

also if you have a 'deep' crystal weapon, you can spend power points to do more damage.

[Ramza00]

Oh the Psychic Weapon Master is so good. Its Full BAB, 5/10, Full Kensai Weapon Upgrade, Adds +2 to a weapon threat range if you have improved crit (else you get improved crit), and you can increase the weapon multipler 5xs a day.

How do you like my 17-20 x5 Crystal Scythe?

[Fax Celestis]

Oh the Psychic Weapon Master is so good. Its Full BAB, 5/10, Full Kensai Weapon Upgrade, Adds +2 to a weapon threat range if you have improved crit (else you get improved crit), and you can increase the weapon multipler 5xs a day.

How do you like my 17-20 x5 Crystal Scythe?

Not as much as I like my 12-20/x7 3.0 weaponmaster Scythe. :smallbiggrin:

[Ramza00]

Not as much as I like my 12-20/x7 3.0 weaponmaster Scythe. :smallbiggrin:

That is 3.0, it is dead and gone :smallsmile: The above combo is a 3.5 combo :smallwink:

[Zincorium]

Not as much as I like my 12-20/x7 3.0 weaponmaster Scythe. :smallbiggrin:

Personally, I liked my 3.0 Disciple of Dispater/Weapons master wielding two 3-20/x2 Bladed Gauntlets with vorpal. But I'm thinking there are reasons why that kind if thing is not permitted any longer.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

The crystals really kind of annoyed me at first, but there is an actual logical explanation for it. Crystals are already beiing used to store energy and memory in computers. Crystals, if aligned right and this and that done to them could possibly have an neural-like matrix. Crystals tend to follow a fractal pattern, and alot of information can be stored in this way. If tuned to certain frequencies or conditions they are also capable of realigning themselves, which in this case is merely thoughts waves.

Thus one could almost say a psicrystal is a sort of no-tech computer accessible by the psion's mind. Main problem with this though is that it feeds into the whole 'Psionics is only for sci-fi! Waaaaaah!' mentality.

I think of these crystals as more alike to be silicon-based creatures, which are just as likely to exist as carbon-based.

[AtomicKitKat]

Chenjesu much?

[OzymandiasVolt]

What about Crystal Pepsi?

[Khantalas]

Frankly, I can't remember the last time I saw psionics in a sci-fi story.

[YPU]

Frankly, I can't remember the last time I saw psionics in a sci-fi story.
Fantastic four? That’s not real sci-fi. Ice planet has some suggestions to a psionic order.

[Mewtarthio]

What about Crystal Pepsi?

Suppose a guy's coming at you with a knife, and you can't see him through your Pepsi...


Frankly, I can't remember the last time I saw psionics in a sci-fi story.

Foundation series, by Isaac Asimov.

[Shadow of the Sun]

Silicon lifeforms are not actually that likely- they use a material that is rather rare, and the processes are far more difficult.

[Ishkahl]

As a general metaphysicist, I have minor cognitive dissonance with psionics in general, Incarnum's use of chakras, and a few other terms. Most of the time I don't let it interfere with my enjoyment of an interesting system, since they let you do cool things (Even if straight-from-the-box incarnum makes you look like you were dumpster diving at Goodwill), and it was either use something that vaguely corresponds or come up with a new term.

Glad to see someone else agress with me on this. qft

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

I use it for anyone with a good roleplay reason to have it. Why? I hate rust monsters....

[Jothki]

Frankly, I can't remember the last time I saw psionics in a sci-fi story.

Babylon 5 is a good example. Stargate almost certainly has had something like that at some point, just because it's Stargate. I suppose you could count the whole Pern series as well.

Psionics certanly does seem to be easier to justify existing in a sci-fi setting than magic does, since although it also relies on violations of standard physics it ties into a theme of the evolution of the mind.

[Jack Mann]

Really, psionics is just as much fantasy as magic. You're not going to throw spells around, and you're not going to read someone's mind. It's just a bit easier to justify with techobabble than magic.

[Wehrkind]

Heinlein's Starship Troopers makes mention of telepaths and the like, though it doesn't really go into it at all.

Also, Warhammer 40K has psykers all over. (Most likely from Heinlein's work.)

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Silicon lifeforms are not actually that likely- they use a material that is rather rare, and the processes are far more difficult.
You are aware that silicon is the most common mineral on this planet, right?

[Jack Mann]

Indeed. Silicon is less abundant in the universe than carbon (about seven times less as measured by parts-per-million), but it's still one of the more common elements. It's the second most common element in the Earth's crust, after oxygen. It's not hard to find.

[Shadow of the Sun]

Okay, I booped up. But carbon life is more common, even though carbon is rarer. I think that if it were just as likely to have silicon lifeforms, we would have them, don't you? Silicon is just not suitable to support life, it has difficulty making bonds that are necessary for life, it makes far less compounds, and silicon dioxide is unsoluable in water (the water boils before it is) which makes water-based life difficult (life that lives on water like we do). Silicon loses and carbon wins.

[Jack Mann]

So far as we can tell, all life on Earth shares a common ancestor. We don't have silicon based life because there's already carbon-based life filling all of the niches. That we haven't found silicon based life on Earth means nothing.

It's possible that silicon-based life isn't possible, but we can't rule it out based on evidence that slim.

[Shadow of the Sun]

My argument is not that it cannot exist, it is based along the lines that VT said is just as likely as carbon based life- which it isn't. Silicon just isn't a good material for conducting life. It can, but it is very unlikely, even compared to us, who live on a rock that is either getting hit by a snowball or becoming one.

[Bears With Lasers]

Well, there was silicon-based life, but now Anna Nicole Smith is dead.

...what do you mean, "silicone"?

[Shadow of the Sun]

A tiny bit bad taste there, I might say.

[Jack Mann]

And again, that's a poor argument. We only have one sample to go on. We just know that there isn't silicon life on Earth, not why there isn't. It's entirely possible that carbon-based life was just lucky enough to arise first.

Or, more likely, carbon-based life is just more likely on this planet. Not every world is going to be Earth-like. It's even possible that silicon-based life could be more likely, if it's more able to survive in an environment that's more common.

My point is that we don't have the information to say that silicon life does or doesn't work. Not until we've either seen it in action or seen its absence on a sufficient number of environments.

[Bears With Lasers]

I disagree; I think it's just fine.

[Ramza00]

And again, that's a poor argument. We only have one sample to go on. We just know that there isn't silicon life on Earth, not why there isn't. It's entirely possible that carbon-based life was just lucky enough to arise first.

Or, more likely, carbon-based life is just more likely on this planet. Not every world is going to be Earth-like. It's even possible that silicon-based life could be more likely, if it's more able to survive in an environment that's more common.

My point is that we don't have the information to say that silicon life does or doesn't work. Not until we've either seen it in action or seen its absence on a sufficient number of environments.
Carbon life is also more likely due to the amount of proteins/molecules you can make is thousands of times greater than what you can create with silicon.

[Shadow of the Sun]

That was the point I was trying to make- carbon is perfect for biochemistry. Silicon isn't.

[kamikasei]

Carbon life is also more likely due to the amount of proteins/molecules you can make is thousands of times greater than what you can create with silicon.

What's that based on? The whole idea behind 'silicon based life' is that silicon forms bonds in a similar way to carbon, thus under different conditions, could serve as the basis for an alternate biochemistry.

[TheOOB]

That was the point I was trying to make- carbon is perfect for biochemistry. Silicon isn't.

If there was life on other planets, it would be equally mind blowing if it was or wasn't carbon based. If the life was carbon based it would be mind blowing that something essentially randomly came about being so similar to us. If it's not carbon based then it's mind blowing because it ruins much of our ideas and truths about science.

Proving the existance of aliens, and what form they would take is impossible. We don't have enough evidence to affirm or deny any idea.

[Shadow of the Sun]

I am thinking along the lines of how it bonds, how it reacts to things and what it can use as a solvent. The things it can bond with effectively for life are rather rare and it is exactly the same for a solvent. I am not saying it cannot exist, I am saying that the ratio of carbon:silicon would be very lopsided in carbon's favour.

[AtomicKitKat]

Main problem with silicon-based stuff is that it's slightly less space-efficient than carbon-based. Mostly because Silicon is 1 electron shell larger. So that's like about 10% bigger?

[Ramza00]

Its been a few years since college chemistry....

but if I recall the reason why silicon based life is less likely is due to how it interacts with other elements. It can bond perfectly well with other things, but what those molecules become when bonded is very different. Especially with the mixture of oxygen and silicon. CO2 is a gas, SiO2 is sand, one a gas one a solid.

Sure both silicon and carbon have 4 free electrons to bond with, but that electrogetativity of the two are .6 different and that makes what it is likely to bond with, and the final product of the bonding very different.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Frankly, I can't remember the last time I saw psionics in a sci-fi story.

Ann McCaffery's Dragonriders of Pern series, which had empathic/telepathic bioengineered creatures known as 'dragons'.

Alan Dean Foster's Flinx series (starting with For love of Mother Not) has a main character who is telempathic, and has a pet who is also telempathic and acts as a catalyst for his growing powers.

Gordon Dixon's Dorsai Series also had telepathy (and an interesting way to get around a telepathic probe).

Shall I go on through more of my library?