Psionics

Post/Author/DateTimePost
#1

zombiegleemax

Oct 27, 2003 14:31:15
Does anyone know why there are no psionic NPC's in Greyhawk? I'm DMing a 1e game with a Wild talent PC, and in going through ALL of my material, (Basically everything with Greyhawk on it except the LGG), I've only come across psionic monsters, no NPC's. Why is this? Just curious.
#2

zombiegleemax

Oct 27, 2003 15:27:08
I think the tone was set by EGG, who didn't like psionics. He did give the hermit that can be encountered during the wilderness portion of The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth module psionic ability though.
Scott
#3

zombiegleemax

Oct 27, 2003 17:30:11
There are non-canon sources of info for psionics, namely Erik's articles in the Oerth Journal about the monks of Zeif (IIRC).

Personally I think psionics are much like gnomes and thus have no place in Greyhawk, but that's just MO
#4

dr_draco

Oct 27, 2003 22:13:38
Check out the Dragon article "The Splintered Mind" which is an article about a psionic orginazation created by psions that split from the Scarlett Brotherhood.

The article was added to the WotC website. Here's the link to the article .

IMAGE(http://www.geocities.com/flammabledragon/psion.TXT) Dr. D
#5

samwise

Oct 27, 2003 23:28:32
It could be because psionics just plain didn't work in AD&D. Indeed, I don't think any system came close to be reasonable until 3E.
There are a few psionic NPCs in L1 and L2 though.
#6

Greyson

Oct 28, 2003 10:28:42
Dr. D, that's a sweet article, thanks for the citation. That's actually good stuff. Like Delgath, we also avoided the use of psionics in our games until 3rd Ed. because it seemed unworkable in previuos editions. But we had a psionic player when we went through Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil. He was pretty weak and dependent at lower levels. But he started to "throw his weight around," in a balanced way, after sixth or seventh level.

But, we still do not use gnomes or halflings. Please...
#7

zombiegleemax

Oct 28, 2003 10:44:56
Originally posted by Greyson
Like Delgath, we also avoided the use of psionics in our games until 3rd Ed. because it seemed unworkable in previuos editions.

I don't use psionics, period. I hate psionics. I think they're a blight on the game, in any edition. I think you have me confused with Samwise... an insult I shall not forget easily...
#8

Halberkill

Oct 28, 2003 14:47:44
Originally posted by Delglath
...much like gnomes and thus have no place in Greyhawk, but that's just MO

Not so! Gygax's first stories set in Greyhawk were called "Gnome Cache". If anything gnomes and greyhawk go hand in hand.

Though mind you, gnomes in those days were not the short nosed alien techno-babble gnomes of 3e.

I like Dragonlance, but hate the fact that they imprinted the tinkerer stereotype upon the race.

Halber
#9

dr_draco

Oct 28, 2003 16:17:32
No prob Greyson .

IMAGE(http://www.geocities.com/flammabledragon/psion.TXT) Dr. D