Psionic Tippyverse Ideas

[Ursus Spelaeus]

Let's say you wanted to ban all PHB classes and all casters, and replace casters with manifesters (Complete Psionics is banned though, because it is garbage.)
Then, you take what you have and you build the world around it. What would it look like?

People have mused on this before, but I wanted to sketch out a few ideas.

A high level psion could use Psychic Reformation on every 1st level human commoner to give them Hidden Talent and Psicrystal Affinity. If psicrystals are allowed to take feats, then give it Hidden Talent as well. Then every 1st level human commoner can have access to a couple of useful psionic powers like Psionic Minor Creation and Mindlink.
It might be better though, for the good of society, to give every commoner Shape Soulmeld and Pauldrons of Health so you can just eliminate disease.
Actually, could you use Psychic Reformation to change a 1st level character's feat selection such that they select flaws for additional feats?
Then you could give every 1st level human commoner the following:
Able Learner (From Races of Destiny. Now you can give every human commoner points in Use Psionic Device.)
Hidden Talent: Mindlink (Your society now has no language barriers)
Psicrystal Affinity (So everyone has a little construct friend)
Give the psicrystal Hidden Talent: Psionic Minor Creation (So now everybody has whatever useful wood or cloth item on hand that they might need for anything)
Shape Soulmeld: Pauldrons of Health (Sickness and disease is eliminated)
As for the flaws, just give everybody Noncombatant and Shaky, and maybe a third flaw of their choice for some additional feat.

[GreyBlack]

Let's say you wanted to ban all PHB classes and all casters, and replace casters with manifesters (Complete Psionics is banned though, because it is garbage.)
Then, you take what you have and you build the world around it. What would it look like?

People have mused on this before, but I wanted to sketch out a few ideas.

A high level psion could use Psychic Reformation on every 1st level human commoner to give them Hidden Talent and Psicrystal Affinity. If psicrystals are allowed to take feats, then give it Hidden Talent as well. Then every 1st level human commoner can have access to a couple of useful psionic powers like Psionic Minor Creation and Mindlink.
It might be better though, for the good of society, to give every commoner Shape Soulmeld and Pauldrons of Health so you can just eliminate disease.
Actually, could you use Psychic Reformation to change a 1st level character's feat selection such that they select flaws for additional feats?
Then you could give every 1st level human commoner the following:
Able Learner (From Races of Destiny. Now you can give every human commoner points in Use Psionic Device.)
Hidden Talent: Mindlink (Your society now has no language barriers)
Psicrystal Affinity (So everyone has a little construct friend)
Give the psicrystal Hidden Talent: Psionic Minor Creation (So now everybody has whatever useful wood or cloth item on hand that they might need for anything)
Shape Soulmeld: Pauldrons of Health (Sickness and disease is eliminated)
As for the flaws, just give everybody Noncombatant and Shaky, and maybe a third flaw of their choice for some additional feat.

So. No classes in the PHB exist. At all. So. The major problem I'm seeing here is that this is a world literally composed of special snowflakes. Everyone is possessed of some form of psychic or otherwise manifestational ability, whether through incarnum or psionics. This leads to widespread societal breakdown, as people, convinced of their own ability, opt to travel the world hunting monsters rather than begin farming.

Speaking of, EVERYONE has minor creation. Everyone. The commodity market collapses, there is no need to farm animals which are only farmed for material (e.g. wool). There is no lumber or real mining industry to speak of. Gems become hugely valuable for the creation of psicrystals.

This widespread anarchy prompts a couple of extremely strong psions to simply dominate everyone possible. Thrallherd become the ruling class, putting their thralls to work constantly using their minor creation to produce raw materials for their believers to craft items for them. Thralls live in squalor, only receiving base sustenance to survive.

Individuals of significant psychic talent will often still be thralls, but depending on their abilities, might be put into a different role. These individuals might become psychic warriors, who defend their Thrallherd to the death. They perform hunting duties, killing animals for sustenance.

Hugely powerful psionic talents (e.g. actual psions) who actually break free of these conditions are normally hunted down by these warriors. Those who survive are often driven underground or survive by feigning dominance. They attempt to subvert the system, hoping to one day dominate the thrallherd and asset themselves as the local thrallherd.

War is not fought by armies. When there is combat, it is normally done through subterfuge and sabotage. Perhaps a thrallherd will dominate one of the local thralls to make an attempt on the local thrallherd.

Without magic in your definition, there is extremely limited ability to create or control undead. Vampires would likely be the most powerful, who would likely organize their armies in much the same way. However, because undead are immune to mind-affecting effects, they are at a considerable advantage. I would see the thrallherd striking deals with these vampire lords, exchanging thralls to satiate their hunger while the vampires would not allow their thralls to feed indiscriminately.

Other, higher undead likely would not exist due to the need for higher level magics.

There's more, and I'll try and do a further write up but if anyone believes otherwise, say so? =D

[Florian]

Take a look at Traveller, Alien Module 4: Zhodani to gain insight into the unspeakable horror that is the psychic society.

[ExLibrisMortis]

You can still get most arcane spells by locking a StP erudite in a room with an unconscious black ethergaunt or elemental weird. With Tippyverse-level optimization, nothing much would change, you just have to get your 9ths from monster casting, instead of taking class levels.

[Ursus Spelaeus]

So. No classes in the PHB exist. At all. So. The major problem I'm seeing here is that this is a world literally composed of special snowflakes. Everyone is possessed of some form of psychic or otherwise manifestational ability, whether through incarnum or psionics. This leads to widespread societal breakdown, as people, convinced of their own ability, opt to travel the world hunting monsters rather than begin farming.

Yeah, that sounds like D&D to me.



Speaking of, EVERYONE has minor creation. Everyone. The commodity market collapses, there is no need to farm animals which are only farmed for material (e.g. wool). There is no lumber or real mining industry to speak of. Gems become hugely valuable for the creation of psicrystals.

It would greatly reduce the need for farming and lumber, but there would still be a demand for it as objects created with Minor Creation vanish after a few minutes.
You woulds still need to harvest materials in order to craft anything lasting.



This widespread anarchy prompts a couple of extremely strong psions to simply dominate everyone possible. Thrallherd become the ruling class, putting their thralls to work constantly using their minor creation to produce raw materials for their believers to craft items for them. Thralls live in squalor, only receiving base sustenance to survive.

Yeah, probably.
Except for those few individuals that can shape soulmelds granting Will saves and immunity to mind-affecting stuff.



Individuals of significant psychic talent will often still be thralls, but depending on their abilities, might be put into a different role. These individuals might become psychic warriors, who defend their Thrallherd to the death. They perform hunting duties, killing animals for sustenance.

Probably.



Without magic in your definition, there is extremely limited ability to create or control undead. Vampires would likely be the most powerful, who would likely organize their armies in much the same way. However, because undead are immune to mind-affecting effects, they are at a considerable advantage. I would see the thrallherd striking deals with these vampire lords, exchanging thralls to satiate their hunger while the vampires would not allow their thralls to feed indiscriminately.

Other, higher undead likely would not exist due to the need for higher level magics.


Actually, I am allowing Magic of Incarnum in this.
Necrocarnum soulmelds do allow Incarnates to raise Necrocarnum Zombies. In fact, those are even more powerful than regular zombies.


Take a look at Traveller, Alien Module 4: Zhodani to gain insight into the unspeakable horror that is the psychic society.

I love Traveller! Will do.


You can still get most arcane spells by locking a StP erudite in a room with an unconscious black ethergaunt or elemental weird. With Tippyverse-level optimization, nothing much would change, you just have to get your 9ths from monster casting, instead of taking class levels.

Yes, but Complete Psionics is... not good.

I should mention that I'm not really doing this as a pure intellectual exercise. I'm using this to brainstorm ideas for a campaign I'm preparing for.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Yes, but Complete Psionics is... not good.CPsi has some fantastic stuff in it, like Link Power and the soulbow.