Gem Dragons, perhaps the worst managed content for 3.5?

[rg9000]

Ok, I need to get this off my chest.

I wanted to have a little psionics in my campaign, and I figured, oh, why not use Sardior and the Gem Dragons as a way to introduce them to the world.

So I looked back at Mind's Eye, where Sardior is found, and I panicked when I saw the date of publishing, but I realized that it barely made the cutoff for when the author was writing for 3.5. So no problem there... wait, Attack and Defense Modes? Hold on a sec.

I checked the date of publishing of the Expanded Psionics Handbook, and realized that all of this was written in the short period where the rules had been updated to 3.5, and Core had been published, but EPH had not. The Mind's Eye articles on Sardior and Gem Dragons are both not updated properly to 3.5, nor can they even be played properly in 3.0.

To make matters worse, this applies to MMII, and the update booklet as well. The Gem Dragons in MMII still have the old psionics rules, and the update booklet just fixes DR.

Wizards had 4 years of Mind's Eye to update them, or any web supplement, or the Draconomicon, or the EPH, but nope. They just don't work.

Is there anything I can do? Is the best approach a simple lobotomy of the Attack/Defense modes? Does anyone have any homebrew?

[Venger]

Ok, I need to get this off my chest.

I wanted to have a little psionics in my campaign, and I figured, oh, why not use Sardior and the Gem Dragons as a way to introduce them to the world.

So I looked back at Mind's Eye, where Sardior is found, and I panicked when I saw the date of publishing, but I realized that it barely made the cutoff for when the author was writing for 3.5. So no problem there... wait, Attack and Defense Modes? Hold on a sec.

I checked the date of publishing of the Expanded Psionics Handbook, and realized that all of this was written in the short period where the rules had been updated to 3.5, and Core had been published, but EPH had not. The Mind's Eye articles on Sardior and Gem Dragons are both not updated properly to 3.5, nor can they even be played properly in 3.0.

To make matters worse, this applies to MMII, and the update booklet as well. The Gem Dragons in MMII still have the old psionics rules, and the update booklet just fixes DR.

Wizards had 4 years of Mind's Eye to update them, or any web supplement, or the Draconomicon, or the EPH, but nope. They just don't work.

Is there anything I can do? Is the best approach a simple lobotomy of the Attack/Defense modes? Does anyone have any homebrew?

Yeah, wizards are lazy and incompetent, nothing new there.

Fortunately, there doesn't really seem to be any work you have to do assuming this (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20030124a) is the page you're referring to. You seem familiar with the changes from 3.0 to 3.5 psionics so all you need to do with him and mm2's gem dragons is ignore all the nonsense about psionic combat. Everything else works fine.

Am I missing something?

[rg9000]

Oh, I just wanted to make sure that was all the differences. I am not used to using update booklets, and don't have access to the 3.0 Psionics book.

[DrMotives]

I've been looking to put a gem dragon as a could be antagonist, could be ally depending on how my players handle it. But it's easy, just look at caster level for whatever age, and realize it should say manifester level. The block tells you what type of psion each one is; ie sapphire dragons are nomads, and then go. If an attack or defense mode is still a power in XPH, like ego whip, just treat that as a bonus power known.

[Psyren]

Sardior's Psionic Mastery is pretty insane in 3.5 psionics - but then, he's a deity so insane abilities aren't out of the ordinary.

For the rest of them, I agree with Venger, you should just be able to remove the psionic combat stuff and the dragons will be functional in 3.5. psionics. If you plan to use the Thanes though, you may want to more clearly define their Planar Travel ability.

[Venger]

Oh, I just wanted to make sure that was all the differences. I am not used to using update booklets, and don't have access to the 3.0 Psionics book.

that's pretty much it. psionic combat no longer exists (the attack and defense modes have been adapted into powers of the same name) and you just use your primary ability modifier for your powers, it's not dependent on discipline.