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I dislike psionics. I've hardly ever played psionics, and I've never
run a game (in any system) that had psi. (In one science fiction game
I ran, the "rule zero" list included "NO PSIONICS. NO MAGIC. NO
EXCEPTIONS." in large friendly letters.)
But the recent thread "are psionics overpowered?" got me thinking.
What about a deliberately *weak* psi system, with various powers
represented by feats, rather than requiring levels in a psionic class?
The powers would have to be weak enough to be worth only a feat or
feat chain, even though usable "at will" without any "times per day"
or "psi points" limitations. TK-type powers should probably be left
out, (too powerful for this system, not to mention too much like magic
IMO - but then I'm the anti-Sea Wasp WRT this sort of thing.)
That would leave telepathy and various mental powers, and maybe some
weak "bio-psi" powers. (E.g. "Empathic Healing: You may heal 1d4
pointd of damage, by touch, as a full-round action, but you take an
amount of damage equal to the amount healed.")
Being able to read an *unwilling* mind by touch should be the second
or third feat in a chain, or the 3rd-5th feat to read the unwilling
mind at a distance.
And of course there would be a "mind block" feat, with no
prerequisites, that also maybe gave a +1 to Will saves vs
mind-affecting magic.
In general, I'd want the feats to be weak enough that a "mind block -
immune to all psi" feat would not become an "everyone would take
this."
Thoughts? Ideas? Flames?
--
Erol K. Bayburt
ErolB1@aol.com
I dislike psionics. I've hardly ever played psionics, and I've never
run a game (in any system) that had psi. (In one science fiction game
I ran, the "rule zero" list included "NO PSIONICS. NO MAGIC. NO
EXCEPTIONS." in large friendly letters.)
But the recent thread "are psionics overpowered?" got me thinking.
What about a deliberately *weak* psi system, with various powers
represented by feats, rather than requiring levels in a psionic class?
The powers would have to be weak enough to be worth only a feat or
feat chain, even though usable "at will" without any "times per day"
or "psi points" limitations. TK-type powers should probably be left
out, (too powerful for this system, not to mention too much like magic
IMO - but then I'm the anti-Sea Wasp WRT this sort of thing.)
That would leave telepathy and various mental powers, and maybe some
weak "bio-psi" powers. (E.g. "Empathic Healing: You may heal 1d4
pointd of damage, by touch, as a full-round action, but you take an
amount of damage equal to the amount healed.")
Being able to read an *unwilling* mind by touch should be the second
or third feat in a chain, or the 3rd-5th feat to read the unwilling
mind at a distance.
And of course there would be a "mind block" feat, with no
prerequisites, that also maybe gave a +1 to Will saves vs
mind-affecting magic.
In general, I'd want the feats to be weak enough that a "mind block -
immune to all psi" feat would not become an "everyone would take
this."
Thoughts? Ideas? Flames?
--
Erol K. Bayburt
ErolB1@aol.com
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