Pathfinder Ultimate Psionics

[squab]

So going through the third-party Pathfinder book Ultimate Psionics book by Dreamscarred Press, every single race has "Naturally Psionic: Blues gain the Wild Talent (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/feats/wild-talent) feat as a bonus feat at 1st level. If a blue takes levels in a psionic class, he instead gains the Psionic Talent (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/feats/psionic-talent-psionic) feat."

Now given that I might want to use one of these races and NOT play a Psionic class, does anyone have any ideas on what would make a good replacement for this?

[Feint's End]

So going through the third-party Pathfinder book Ultimate Psionics book by Dreamscarred Press, every single race has "Naturally Psionic: Blues gain the Wild Talent (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/feats/wild-talent) feat as a bonus feat at 1st level. If a blue takes levels in a psionic class, he instead gains the Psionic Talent (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/feats/psionic-talent-psionic) feat."

Now given that I might want to use one of these races and NOT play a Psionic class, does anyone have any ideas on what would make a good replacement for this?

Why would you want to replace these? These are the things which make the races themselves and give them the psionic subtype. This is less a racial feature than it is part of their race. It's like saying I want to remove long ears from elves.
I also don't really think that it really cuts into their other racial features so there's that.

So I don't think you should replace it at all .... or at the very most make it a very rare kind of mutation.
You should note however that even non psionic classes can get a lot of utility out of psionic feats like speed of thought, up the walls and various weapon enhancements.

Edit: it's like psionic aptitude ... think of it less than a replaceable feature but something inherently present in all members of psionic classes. Like a heart.
There is after all a reason why no race has an option to replace it with another feature. It wouldn't make sense conceptually.

[Wolfofmibu66]

As Feint pointed out, it's kind of intrinsically tied to the races. If you were so dead set on replacing the feat, why not just create a blue skinned goblinoid race(using the blue as an example) with the advanced race guide? There are bound to be better existing races for whatever class you're intent on playing, especially if you happen to be min-maxing based on stats.

Also as Feint pointed out, having the ability to manifest powers and having a small power point reserve doesn't mean you have to make a Psion, vitalist, ect. The wild talent bonus feat is basically just one of those 'gimmee' feats that's a prerequisite for so many others. Also, while technically a "psionic" class in the fact that you need to have at least 1 power point to be a member of it, Soulknives and their archetypes are about as psionic as any other base class.

[squab]

Ok blues were just like literally the worst example I could have chosen. Half-giants is really what got me thinking on this. So I decided to carefully read each race and examine how connected they are to psionics.

Race description & Psionics:
Blues: terrible, terrible, literally the worst example, they don't make sense without psionics.
Dromites:psionics are a small part of what defines them. Could be removed without losing too much of who they are.
Duegars: psionics are the main thing that defines them as a race.
Elans: psionics are the main thing that defines them as a race.
Forgeborn:psionics are a small part of what defines them. Could be removed without losing too much of who they are.
Half-Giants: psionics are mentioned literally nowhere in the race description; it feels like they have psionic abilities only because they were released in a psionics book.
Maenads: nothing in the character description mentions psionics. (They have a very useful ability that wants them to have at least a few point points tho.)
Norals: psionics are the main thing that defines them as a race.
Ophiduans: briefly mentions psionics but doesn't define them at all. You change "psionic" and "psionically" to "magic" and "magically" in their race description without changing who or what they are.
Xeph: nothing in the character description mentions psionics.

Racial abilities:
Dromites have a once per day psi-like ability. Imo once per day racial abilities are usually useless, since they're (usually) also a weak and narrow ability.
Giants have a once per day psi-like ability. Imo once per day racial abilities are usually useless, since they're (usually) also a weak and narrow ability.
Maenads have a useful ability that uses power points. -2INT, +2STR at the beginning of a round if you spend a point. (Or a rage from their inner rage ability.) Very useful imo.

Other:
Maenads really, really, really want to be barbarians. Lawful Barbarians with additional rages that can temporarily boost STR at the cost of INT.

So going through that...
The psionic attributes of Dromites could be removed without any significant changes to them. (Maybe keep psionics as something they had at one point in history tho.)
The psionic attributes of Forgeborn could be removed without any significant changes to them. YMMV (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/YMMV)
There's no reason Half-Giants are psionic.
There's no reason Ophiduans are psionc.
There's no reason Xephs are psionic.

3/10 of them have no reason whatsoever to be naturally psionic.
2/10 of them have minor psionic flavor that could be removed with minor changes to their race overall.

Lastly, as for Soul Knives, their flavor is tied to psionics. On the other hand, flavor tends to be much more flexible then psionics.
In the setting I'm running (or attempting to run) there's more mechanical difference between psionics and magic then flavor differences, except in the case of psionic power dealing with telepathy.

[BWR]

Duegars: psionics are the main thing that defines them as a race.

Half-Giants: psionics are mentioned literally nowhere in the race description; it feels like they have psionic abilities only because they were released in a psionics book.


Half-giants are psionic because they were originally introduced in Dark Sun where everyone is psionic.
Psionics isn't the main thing that defines duergar. They existed well before the psionic variant was introduced.

[Feint's End]

Half-giants are psionic because they were originally introduced in Dark Sun where everyone is psionic.
Psionics isn't the main thing that defines duergar. They existed well before the psionic variant was introduced.

They are the same in name only. The psionic duergar have their own distinctive fluff (and much better worked out too).

@OP: I'm not sure I see the point in all of this. Are you asking for help replacing features because you don't want to play a psionic class or because in the world you are designing you want some races to be non psionic?

In the first case I won't help you because I find the very idea strange. If a race is inherently psionic then it's part of their being. All of them should be.

If you mean the second case then I guess we could help you find appropriate features. However in that case I suggest making the whole race non psionic.

In any case we are talking about natural psionic and psionic aptitude.

[atemu1234]

Half-giants are psionic because they were originally introduced in Dark Sun where everyone is psionic.
Psionics isn't the main thing that defines duergar. They existed well before the psionic variant was introduced.

However, nonpsionic Giants do exist. In 3.5, they're essentially the same, but worse (when I do it, I knock off the Level Adjustment). Similar logic applies to the others. Just get rid of what's psionic, and replace it with something that fits what you want to do, flavor be damned. A static feat of some sort should do it.

[Psyren]

You could always just replace with Skill Focus or one of the saving throw feats like Iron Will to represent turning their mental focus/pathways inward?

But even if you don't plan on being a psionic class I would keep Wild Talent. There are some nice psionic feats out there that can be very beneficial to a non-psionic class. For example, check out Deadly Throw, Ready Response, Hawkeye, Intuitive Shot/Fighting, and Fell Shot/Deep Impact, among others.