Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Jun 14, 2006 12:25:49	I have a newbie question about psionic NPCs... I don't know how different 3rd Ed. is, but I'm personally using 2nd at the minute. How do you determine the power scores for devotions/sciences of NPCs, including monsters? The Gaj, for example, has 'Score 17' listed in its entry in the Wanderer's Journal. Since it doesn't have ability scores, for powers like domination where the power score is Wis -4, or inflict pain where it's Con -4, you just use its score of 17 in lieu of other ability scores, right? So domination and inflict pain'd both have a power score of 13? Some other entries for psionic NPCs or monsters don't seem to give any power score, though (I'm specifically thinking of those in A Little Knowledge). Is there a standard way to determine what their power scores should be, say based on hit dice? Similarly, if you're creating your own psionic NPCs, how many PSPs, and what power scores should they have? Right now I'm basing them on the actual psionicist character class, but obviously it'd be quicker and easier if there was a guidline of power scores/PSPs for NPCs and monsters according to their hit dice... This is a really basic question - I hope I haven't overcomplicated it. Any help would be appreciated. Mark.
#2 radnovius Jun 14, 2006 12:37:21	3e & 3.5e are astronomically different when it comes to psionics. I'd likely go on using their HD as psionicist level for calculating PSPs in 2E. It's been so long since I used 2E I don't really remember what I used to do.
#3 zombiegleemax Jun 14, 2006 13:00:49	For psionicist PCs, PSPs are determined by their wisdom, with small bonuses for high constitution and intelligence. Obviously I don't want to have to give wisdom, constitution and intelligence scores for every psionic NPC.
#4 mystictheurge Jun 14, 2006 13:19:17	This is a really basic question - I hope I haven't overcomplicated it. As far as I recall, there wasn't anything about 2E psionics that wasn't overcomplicated. I too, don't really remember any of the details.
#5 gilliard_derosan Jun 14, 2006 23:30:24	I have a newbie question about psionic NPCs... I don't know how different 3rd Ed. is, but I'm personally using 2nd at the minute. How do you determine the power scores for devotions/sciences of NPCs, including monsters? The Gaj, for example, has 'Score 17' listed in its entry in the Wanderer's Journal. Since it doesn't have ability scores, for powers like domination where the power score is Wis -4, or inflict pain where it's Con -4, you just use its score of 17 in lieu of other ability scores, right? So domination and inflict pain'd both have a power score of 13? Power Scores were all based on ability scores. Monsters typically had the number that needed to be rolled under, since they rarely listed ability scores for monsters. So in the case of Gaj's "score 17", you need to roll under a 17. Typically, rolling the exact power score had a better effect, as listed in the old complete book of psionics. Some other entries for psionic NPCs or monsters don't seem to give any power score, though (I'm specifically thinking of those in A Little Knowledge). Is there a standard way to determine what their power scores should be, say based on hit dice? Similarly, if you're creating your own psionic NPCs, how many PSPs, and what power scores should they have? Right now I'm basing them on the actual psionicist character class, but obviously it'd be quicker and easier if there was a guidline of power scores/PSPs for NPCs and monsters according to their hit dice... This is a really basic question - I hope I haven't overcomplicated it. Any help would be appreciated. Mark. As for PSPs.. I am not sure about the mechanics in Complete book of psionics, but in The Way of the Psionicist, the revision for 2nd edition Dark Sun.. Psionicists begin with 15 psp's. And any bonus for high wisdom, con, and int scores. (16+1, 17+2, 18+3, 19+4, etc., etc.) They get 1d6psp's at 1st and every level till 9th, +con/int/wis bonuses. After 9th level, they get 3psp's, and only wisdom bonuses
#6 agathokles Jun 15, 2006 1:40:52	Is there a standard way to determine what their power scores should be, say based on hit dice? Power Scores are not based on level or HD. They should be based on ability scores. For NPCs, this is easily done. For monsters, a degree of DM fiat is required. Consider that most psionic monsters in the DS MCA have psionic power scores in the range of 10 to 17. For low psionic monsters (the equivalent of wild talents) scores of 10 to 13 are appropriate. For highly psionic monsters, scores of 15 to 17 should be used. For humanoid monsters, you should probably go with the standard psionicist class. Similarly, if you're creating your own psionic NPCs, how many PSPs, and what power scores should they have? Right now I'm basing them on the actual psionicist character class, but obviously it'd be quicker and easier if there was a guidline of power scores/PSPs for NPCs and monsters according to their hit dice... For NPCs, that's the standard procedure -- if they are psionicist, they should be created using the psionicist class. Otherwise, use the wild talents. PSPs are proportional to the character level -- for psionicists, (Wis-5)*(level+1), IIRC, plus small bonuses for high (16+) Int and Con. For monsters, you could use their psionic score instead of the ability scores, or simply decide by gauging how many powers the monster should be able to activate per encounter.
#7 zombiegleemax Jun 15, 2006 11:39:13	Power Scores were all based on ability scores. Monsters typically had the number that needed to be rolled under, since they rarely listed ability scores for monsters. So in the case of Gaj's "score 17", you need to roll under a 17. The Gaj's score of 17 is given just in its psionics summary, rather than a separate number for each power. So you mean that for the Gaj, 17 is used in place of wisdom, constitution, intelligence etc. when determining the number needed to be rolled under for various powers? Bearing in mind one determines the power scores of sciences/devotions with varying ability scores with a modifier applied (for example inflict pain is constitution -4, and others are based on charisma with a modifier). This is what I concluded made the most sense, but I can't find anything about it in the Psionics Handbook or Dark Sun books.
#8 gilliard_derosan Jun 16, 2006 21:45:05	The Gaj's score of 17 is given just in its psionics summary, rather than a separate number for each power. So you mean that for the Gaj, 17 is used in place of wisdom, constitution, intelligence etc. when determining the number needed to be rolled under for various powers? Bearing in mind one determines the power scores of sciences/devotions with varying ability scores with a modifier applied (for example inflict pain is constitution -4, and others are based on charisma with a modifier). This is what I concluded made the most sense, but I can't find anything about it in the Psionics Handbook or Dark Sun books. That would probably make the most sense. Either consider the 17 to be equivalent to their avility score in question, or consider the 17 to be the modified power score, which would mean that the Gaj would have had an ability score of a 21 in the case of Con -4... I would say that go with the former if the latter seems to be too powerful and abusive. But then again, according to the Prism Pentad Novels, Gaj's were not something to trifle with when it came to psionics, and Con's of higher than 18 were not that hard to attain. But then you get into the problem of other powers having "Score-2, or score+1" and if you consider the 17 to be modified already, it throws it out of whack..., so Score 17 being a default psionics ability score seems most logical