Results 1 to 30 of 167
Thread: Why does everyone hate psionics?
-
2008-03-07, 08:32 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2007
- Location
- A bike with no handlebars
- Gender
Why does everyone hate psionics?
... Why does everyone seem to hate psionics? I've been trying to find a game for a week or two, and every one I read says something like "core only. no psionics." It's freaking depressing, especially when I just decided on a build of psionic monk that I like...
So, does anyone know?My Homebrew
Avatar thanks to Kwarkpudding!!
-
2008-03-07, 08:35 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2007
- Gender
Re: Why does everyone hate psionics?
Because they tell off colored jokes and have really rank body odor?
Nah, usually it's either they don't feel like having to mess with yet another system within a system or they've had bad experiences with prior editions.
-
2008-03-07, 08:39 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2007
- Location
- Australia
Re: Why does everyone hate psionics?
Keith Baker, on the age of Erandis d'Vol:
Spoiler
... The miniature of her certainly makes her look older, but personally I like young Erandis both on the basis that the purge of the line started before she could grow into her full powers, and also because it lets her and Jaela have a vicious catfight sometime.
Maybe I'm playing a wrong game.
-
2008-03-07, 08:39 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2007
- Location
- Department of Smiting
- Gender
-
2008-03-07, 08:40 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2007
Re: Why does everyone hate psionics?
Mostly because psionics, previous to 3.5, SUCKED. ASS. HARD. They we're either brokely overpowered, or brokely lousy, and the change from crappy psionics to the spectacular Expanded Psionics Handbook is usually seen as one of 3.5's top 3 greatest achievements over 3.
-
2008-03-07, 08:45 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2007
- Location
- The Abyss
Re: Why does everyone hate psionics?
-
2008-03-07, 08:46 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2007
- Location
- A bike with no handlebars
- Gender
Re: Why does everyone hate psionics?
You are correct, and the example I gave was bad. Psionics appear in the SRD because they are under the open content license. However, many of the same people running those games allow homebrew on a case-by-case basis.
They just don't allow psionics.
@ all: Thanks for the info though. I haven't been playing too long, so I never really got into psionics before the expanded psionics handbook.My Homebrew
Avatar thanks to Kwarkpudding!!
-
2008-03-07, 08:47 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2007
- Location
- *stab*
Re: Why does everyone hate psionics?
1) They don't like the flavor
2) Bad experiences with prior edition psionics (everything before 3.5 psionics was bad)
3) Not core. Many people prefer to keep things core for simplicity.
4) Don't want to learn a different system
-
2008-03-07, 08:49 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2007
- Location
- Covington, KY
- Gender
Re: Why does everyone hate psionics?
Horseboy's got it right on. Now, the current system is much easier to pick up than older editions, to be fair.
Myself? No psi. I fall in the second category - horrid experiences with psionic PCs. I distinctly recall a PC in an AD&D game who could steal class abilities from other PCs via psionics. Ever seen a full caster with a fighter's THACO progression and a full set of thief abilities, plus extra psionic stuff? Game-breaking. Does this apply to the current rules? No - of course not. But I don't care. It's fully irrational and I admit that. But as long as I'm running games my choice stands: no psionics in my games.Originally Posted by Dervag
-
2008-03-07, 08:50 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2007
- Location
- Australia
Re: Why does everyone hate psionics?
Keith Baker, on the age of Erandis d'Vol:
Spoiler
... The miniature of her certainly makes her look older, but personally I like young Erandis both on the basis that the purge of the line started before she could grow into her full powers, and also because it lets her and Jaela have a vicious catfight sometime.
Maybe I'm playing a wrong game.
-
2008-03-07, 08:50 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2005
- Gender
Re: Why does everyone hate psionics?
They ban psionics because they think it'll make them look cool.
If I were Dm'ing and I banned Psionics, itd probably be because I diddn't want to work the whole psionics system through my head when making the adventures, considering there'd be, like, exactly one psionic character to use the rules, because I certainly don't want to use any psionic NPCs.
-
2008-03-07, 08:51 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2006
- Location
- Lima, Peru
- Gender
Re: Why does everyone hate psionics?
i think Solo's 4th reason is the one that plays the most. I, as an example, have Magic of Incarnum, and i haven't bothered to understand it so far.
besides, i haven't found an acceptable either. Warforged and Archivists aren't classified as "Core", and i want to play one.
Inner Circle
-
2008-03-07, 09:04 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2005
- Location
- GI Joe Headquarters
- Gender
Re: Why does everyone hate psionics?
I see a few other reasons why people don’t use psionics.
No healing, to my knowledge there is no healing powers, which means if you replaced the magic system with the psionics system, players will have no way to effectively heal themselves.
Setting specific reasons, if your playing in a world someone else created, and that person decided not to use psionics for whatever reason, then he’s probably not going to let you use them.
-
2008-03-07, 09:08 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2007
Re: Why does everyone hate psionics?
Body adjustment. Second level power, heals 1d12, augmentable. The empathic transfers.
If you can think of it, psionics does it and is balanced.
-
2008-03-07, 09:19 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2007
- Location
- Reykjavík, Iceland
- Gender
Re: Why does everyone hate psionics?
What's this crap about 'not bothering to learn the system'?
1. A power costs power points to manifest (cast) equal to (power level x2)+1. So, odd numbers: 1, 3, 5, 7 etc. Some are augmentable for extra effects.
2. You can't use more PPs on a single power than your manifester level.
3. Psionic Focus. DC 20 concentration check, full action to get it, lets you take 15 on a concentration check and you lose it when you use certain psionic feats.
There, you now know how psionics work. That's honestly about it. Other than this, it's not much more than any other sourcebook you'd open. 'Not bothering to learn the system' is not a valid excuse for not allowing psionics, because if you can get your head around D&D 3.x to begin with, psionics is dead simple.
-
2008-03-07, 09:24 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2007
- Location
- Non Sequitoria
- Gender
Re: Why does everyone hate psionics?
I think it's most likely because people feel psionics isn't "fantasy".
There's some other problems, but I think that's the big one.
I like them. They seem easier to manage than the traditional "memorize spells" way.Spoiler
Rizban: You could be all, "Today's Destruction is brought to you by the color green.... I HATE GREEN!" then fly off mumbling to yourself "Seven... seven bats... mwa ha ha ha..."
Don't mind me. I'm just going to have some post traumatic flashbacks in the corner here and sob uncontrollably.
Millenium Earl by Shmee
-
2008-03-07, 09:27 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2007
- Location
- Texas...for now
- Gender
-
2008-03-07, 09:32 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2006
- Gender
Re: Why does everyone hate psionics?
It's not that simple! I mean really, I can name a ton of examples of how it's different!
First and foremost.. um...
Well, there's...
Um...
...
Nevermind.
More seriously- yes, psionics really is simple. It's simpler than Tome of Battle, and I don't see people going crazy over not wanting to learn ToB's rules.
So if that's your reason, I'd guess that you haven't learned the grapple rules either.
^: Psionics = more balanced wizardry. I can't think of any differences between magic spells and psionic powers large enough to actually change the way an entire encounter goes.Last edited by AmberVael; 2008-03-07 at 09:34 PM.
-
2008-03-07, 09:33 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2007
- Location
- Reykjavík, Iceland
- Gender
-
2008-03-07, 09:33 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2008
- Location
- KEEE nosh AAAh, Wisconsin
- Gender
Re: Why does everyone hate psionics?
If you one shot an encounter with psionics, the DM shouldn't worry about balance. If they one shot the encounter, they're screwed for the next one. It isn't unfair to the player if they want to nova an encounter, they'll be useless for the rest of the day.
-
2008-03-07, 09:39 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2007
Re: Why does everyone hate psionics?
Bad experiences in the past. Another rule system that is poorly supported. Partly because Psionics are better balanced and not as broken and abuseable as the magic system in game so less incentive to learn the system.
A nice way to introduce them into a game might be the Psychic Rogue variant at Wizard's.
-
2008-03-07, 09:40 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2007
- Location
- Covington, KY
- Gender
Re: Why does everyone hate psionics?
And I don't allow splatbooks or content thereof until I've had a chance to fully acquaint myself with it - regardless of how long that takes. Psionics goes to the back of the line because without it, there are no psionicists - while whenever a book comes out for a core class there's an immediate need for it.
Originally Posted by Dervag
-
2008-03-07, 09:54 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2007
- Location
- The Land of Cleves
- Gender
Re: Why does everyone hate psionics?
They we're either brokely overpowered, or brokely lousy
But if you could actually figure out some way to use the system at all, yeah, Disintegrate on a 3rd-level character. Yeah, that's balanced.Time travels in divers paces with divers persons.
—As You Like It, III:ii:328
Chronos's Unalliterative Skillmonkey Guide
Current Homebrew: 5th edition psionics
-
2008-03-07, 10:02 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2005
- Gender
Re: Why does everyone hate psionics?
Hey, don't get me started now, I don't like Tome of Battle either, despite it's gap-leveling improvements.
And still, it's a whole new set of abilities to keep in mind when designing encounters.
Also, I don't like a large number of the powers.
Also, the grapple rules are needlessly complex anyways, and I propose we seperate them from core and make a supplemental book just for grappling.
-
2008-03-07, 10:10 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2008
Re: Why does everyone hate psionics?
I distinctly recall a PC in an AD&D game who could steal class abilities from other PCs via psionics. Ever seen a full caster with a fighter's THACO progression and a full set of thief abilities, plus extra psionic stuff?
-
2008-03-07, 10:18 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2007
- Gender
Re: Why does everyone hate psionics?
A little from "dont want to bother learning the system" and "dont like the flavor".
It just feels weird to me, i prefer magic as the prevalent force in the universe and psionics seems too futuristic to me.
-
2008-03-07, 10:29 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2006
- Location
- Albany, NY
- Gender
Re: Why does everyone hate psionics?
That... or before 3.5 Psionics was broken one way or another (as others have said). Or, the major reason, it steps on magic's toes. Most of my players aren't going to want to play a psionic character, because they didn't all buy the book or want to read the SRD section, and most do want to play some magical character or other (even if it's just a duskblade). The two systems tend to duplicate abilities and that causes versimiltude problems so having both in one game is, frankly, more trouble than it's worth.
[CENTER]So You Wanna Be A DM? A Potentially Helpful Guide
Truly wonderful avatar made by Cuthalion
-
2008-03-07, 10:31 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2007
- Location
- Non Sequitoria
- Gender
Re: Why does everyone hate psionics?
See, I don't think that it is too futuristic. Traditionally, psionics has been mostly in high science settings, but it doesn't have to be.
Magic and Psionics don't even have to be different things. I mean, they seem pretty similar to me.Spoiler
Rizban: You could be all, "Today's Destruction is brought to you by the color green.... I HATE GREEN!" then fly off mumbling to yourself "Seven... seven bats... mwa ha ha ha..."
Don't mind me. I'm just going to have some post traumatic flashbacks in the corner here and sob uncontrollably.
Millenium Earl by Shmee
-
2008-03-07, 10:35 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2007
- Gender
Re: Why does everyone hate psionics?
-
2008-03-07, 10:40 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2007
- Gender