Psionic handbook

[stewstew5]

I'm making my first psionic character and was wondering what handbooks I'd need (which introduced them to 3.5, which ones have the rules in combat etc.)

[BowStreetRunner]

Psionics Handbook has been superseded by the Expanded Psionics Handbook. So you will want the latter, not the former.
The other major source is Complete Psionic.
I know that there are other books that offer some support for Psionics as well - for instance Dragon Magic has a handful of new powers with a draconic theme, and Magic of Incarnum has some feats that interact with Psionic and Incarnum use.

[martixy]

[...] and Magic of Incarnum has some feats that interact with Psionic and Incarnum use.

Also powers. Soul Crystal FTW!

[Psyren]

The "third psionic sourcebook" isn't actually a book - rather, it's the long-running series of "Mind's Eye" articles now available at archive.wizards.com. This is where you'll find cool PrCs like the Meditant, Constructor, Crystal Master, Body Leech, and support for psionic additions to other subsystems like Incarnum and Binding.

[BowStreetRunner]

The "third psionic sourcebook" isn't actually a book - rather, it's the long-running series of "Mind's Eye" articles now available at archive.wizards.com. This is where you'll find cool PrCs like the Meditant, Constructor, Crystal Master, Body Leech, and support for psionic additions to other subsystems like Incarnum and Binding.

http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/arch/psi

[Ramza00]

1) Expanded Psionics Handbook

2) Complete Psionic

3) Mind's Eye articles on Wizards.com

4) Secrets of Sarlona added so many psionic powers (many of them just being adapations of existing spells) plus more multiclasssing feats.

5) Magic of Eberrron has Sense Danger and Power Link Shards.

there is another 5 books or so but those are the main 5 sources. 80% of the stuff being in the EPH.

[Psyren]

http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/arch/psi

That's the one. Just keep in mind that the stuff earlier than 2003 is probably 3.0 psionics and so you'd have to convert it yourself. There wasn't an official conversion for a lot of it because the rules changed so drastically.

[PhantasyPen]

If you're looking to just build a Psion (as in the actual class) then you probably just want the Expanded Psionics handbook, since as stated previously, the 3.0 Psionics Handbook is no longer valid. I would recommend focusing solely on the XPH for your first character, as it contains all the relevant rules about the subject and has a wide-enough selection of powers that you'll be able to build just about anything you want except for fringe cases which you probably shouldn't be building until you understand the system better.

[frogglesmash]

If your DM is okay with third party content, there's hyperconscious which, iirc, is by Monte Cook, so it's just a hairs breadth from being official. Either way, it's a very good book imo.

[Crichton]

If your DM is okay with third party content, there's hyperconscious which, iirc, is by Monte Cook, so it's just a hairs breadth from being official. Either way, it's a very good book imo.


It's by Bruce Cordell, actually. He was the author of the Expanded Psionics Handbook, and the co-author of Complete Psionics, so Hyperconscious, while not being official first party WOTC material, has a VERY good reputation, and many DMs allow it as if it were.