Psionics in Athas: balance?

Post/Author/DateTimePost
#1

Silverblade_The_Enchanter

Aug 26, 2006 14:15:49
3rd ed Psionics is pretty good but there's always the "magic versus Psionic" problem.
Personally I take a "Psionics is different route":

1) Psionics is a supernatural effect and thus Anti-magic Shell or similar will block it, because specifically, Anti-magic Shell blocks supernatural effects and psionics is clearly supernatural. Extraordinary effects should be things that occur in the real world or could exist, and no one (as yet anyway) has proven psionics or magic exists in our Universe, ergo they are both supernatural! ;)
2) Psionics and magic don't interact/affect each other, except where they clearly would, ie Dispel Magic won't affect a psionic effect, but a Wall of Fire could perhaps be affected by a pyro, in which case saves or caster level checks may come into play if there's doubt.
3) Spell and Power Resistance are identical (for balance and simplicity)
#2

seker

Aug 26, 2006 22:26:35
3rd ed Psionics is pretty good but there's always the "magic versus Psionic" problem.
Personally I take a "Psionics is different route":

Same here, though I did rewrite the old 2nd edition of psionics by 3.5 rules to make it a more viable alterantive to give to my own players and my own version of darksun

1) Psionics is a supernatural effect and thus Anti-magic Shell or similar will block it, because specifically, Anti-magic Shell blocks supernatural effects and psionics is clearly supernatural. Extraordinary effects should be things that occur in the real world or could exist, and no one (as yet anyway) has proven psionics or magic exists in our Universe, ergo they are both supernatural! ;)

I personally disagree with this.... I feel psionics is a natural ability as it is written in D&D... it uses internal energy vs external energy.... supernatural specifies that it is an effect that is deyond the natural effects.... if psionics are a natural portion of natural races... they are no more supernatural than learning to use other physical laws. So I would not allow anti-magic effects like the anti-magic shell to effect them.

And I am sorry, but considering how little humans know about how their own brains work and the nature of their own reality.... designating psionics as supernatural, when by their description they are a natural outgrowth of ability.... is changing the nature of the power. Remember extraordinary effects should be natural things that occur in the world the game is set in.... NOT things in the real world... it is a fantasy game. (I will not even go into the concept of what is commonly accepted by science and how much knowledge is just now being rediscovered by science.... even though there are many, many books that explained the same ideas and principles hundreds of years ago... and were discounted by "modern" science untill they were reproven.)

2) Psionics and magic don't interact/affect each other, except where they clearly would, ie Dispel Magic won't affect a psionic effect, but a Wall of Fire could perhaps be affected by a pyro, in which case saves or caster level checks may come into play if there's doubt.
3) Spell and Power Resistance are identical (for balance and simplicity)

I agree with these rules.
#3

dirk00001

Aug 28, 2006 10:23:14
I use magic/psionic transparency except when dealing with spells or powers that I feel, for whatever reason (my own opinion), should be specific to either spells or psionics. Normally it comes down to wording - Spell Turning only works vs. spells, just like Redoppsi only works against psionics. I allow Dispels to be transparent, same with antimagic/null-psi, but again that's an opinion thing as I think it's dumb that my wiz/psion PCs should have to take both Dispel Magic and Dispel Psionics in order to "cover" everything.