DnD Psionics fanclub

I wonder if another pen and paper RPG gamer exists that loves this concept as much as I do. I don't know why I do so much, but I suspect its more to do with the flavor around it. I love the whole aesthetic surrounding it, the monastic feel, the different approach to supernatural abilities - sourced from mental discipline rather than arcane rituals. Also it adds a very slight undertone of sci-fi to medieval fantasy settings and works really well in steam punk or high fantasy settings.

I hear mixed reviews that psionics are overpowered, but I have to disagree if you really understand the rules in full. 2e psionics were arguably a bit broken, but 3/3.5 seems completely fine to me and I eagerly anticipate official psionic rules in 5e. Also looking forward to 5e Dark Sun and thinking of running a Dark Sun game on here once I can get my hands on the material some time in the future.

I think the biggest issue with psionics for most DMs has been that it's a whole new set of mechanics to learn, and unless you're like me, then it's just an extra bother. The moment you allow one psionic PC into a game then you have to start thinking about introducing psionic enemies (possibly items) otherwise the balance can become iffy. Unless of course you start making on-the-fly exceptions such as 'dispel magic' also dispels psionics etc.

Anyways I LOVE PSIONICS and I live to play Psions. What are your thoughts?

PS: Also 'Ectoplasm' is just the coolest word ever.

Another game that I know which has psionic powers is a little obscure Canadian game by the name of Undiscovered the Quest for Adventure (I am currently re-re-re-re-re-reading it for an upcoming review here on GP). What I like in this game is that psionic powers, miracles, and spells have this "the same but different" feel in that they are all abilities fuelled by points (psionic points, miracle points, and spell points respectively), but the mechanical intricacies of those abilities make them work in a wildly different way.

As for D&D psionic, I agree with you. 2e broken, 3.x seems fairly balanced (unless you used the 3.0 option of rolling a d20 to set your save DC).

I never got to really play with psionics in 3.5 or 2. The one campaign I tried we were playing in Eberron 3.5. The setup was a monster's campaign. We were a mercenary company from Droaam. On the surface we were trying to build good will with neighbors, taking dangerous jobs for less pay, but also spying on those neighbors and feeding info back to the Daughters.

It fell apart because of all the different rules. We had three "casters" one of which wasn't even using an actual class, just racial abilities. As the psionics guy in the party I was constantly reworking the "best option" in the moment. Should I spend my points now on a big effect, or save it. Classic "red mage" conundrum. This bogged down the game as the other casters were working out similar issues.

In 4e, they made it simpler. It was only flavor text though that separated a Psion from a Wizard or a Psychic Warrior from a Warden. Yes there were Power Points, but those only augmented your powers every once in a while, it didn't make them unique. I enjoyed playing a Psychic Warrior for a few games, but I was the party Defender, so no one was stepping on my toes so to speak.

However, in the end I really do agree that the idea of Psionics is really cool and would love to see it brought into 5e somehow. I almost think it should be a supplemental thing. Perhaps a series of Feats that grant powers. Taking a Feat instead of a stat bump seems well balanced to me (if somewhat limiting...but that is an editions wars topic for another discussion). I tried the Mystic before and it was fun, but a little OP.

As a true Psion, you already know my thoughts on the matter :) But for everyone else, here's my thoughts.

I'm not a big fan of psionics, but don't hate them at all either. I see them as just magic with a different flavour (and a very cool and distinct flavour at that). I would be happy to do psionics by just renaming and reflavouring spells and abilities, and maybe using the Spell Points variant system instead of spell slots. I might make a new 'spell list' just to put all the pisonics-flavoured cantrips and spells into one list so people don't have to multiclass much.

For example, I could see building a Jedi with existing classes and spells. I'm sure we could find spells that mimic the iconic force user abilities, even if we have to reflavour them. It doesn't have to be just spells. Battlemaster fighter maneuvers like Pary or Commanding Strike could be given a Psionic reflavouring as well.

But, I understand that some hardcore psionics fans will not be satisfied with this. Maybe it doesn't allow you to build the type of characters you could make in previous editions, or it just plain doesn't feel right. That's fair. But for me, I feel like I already have all the tools I need in the core game to implement Psionics to my taste.

Speaking of which, I'm yearning to run / play in a Dark Sun game!

4e has psionics and a Dark Sun campaign guide ;-)

I love the 5e Mystic! That is all.