The question I've been asking myself as I immerse myself deeper into the setting is whether the campaign should be run as 2ed or 3.5. My players would be generally happy playing either style, although it has been a long time since we've played 2ed, and it would be my first time DMing it.
One reason I might go 2ed is getting the flavor of psionics better. Under 3.5 Psionics, I can't imagine why anyone would want to play a wizard. Why be an evoker when you can be a kineticist?
I'm not a psionics hater, and I thought the EPH was a big step forward in 3.5 magic. I love it that psionics is at least in the same power level as arcane magic now, but that's in other games. I don't see how that works with Athasian flavor though.
Psions can do alot of what wizards can do, and they can do it silent, stilled, and without that annoying green aura. There aren't that many arcane abilities that don't have a psionic equivalent with all the above advantages.
For those of you that have been running Dark Sun of all stripes for years, how do you balance among arcane magic and manifesting? Or do you see it as a problem at all?
I apoligize in advance if this is one of those flamewar questions.
- Self-converted Dragon's Crown shortly after the Psionics Handbook had been published.
- Tyrian Conspiracy.
- Part 1 of Dregoth Ascending.
I feel no need to balance 3(.)5e psionics specially with arcane magic. Almost any Athasian society does it well enough itself. But I have found no way to keep the old athasian flavour in 3(.5)e with its mighty clerics, weak half-giants and generally much less vulnerable characters. It has become an all-new game, and I like the old one.
I much preffer 3rd ed, but I'd just ban many psionic abilities which are too powerful/magic-like, like kineticists making cones of flames--oh give me a break, that's dumb! Mental attacks, altering the body, accelerating objects to deadly speed, all that is cool, but I'd ban the heck out of the energy-effects, some maybe ok, many are just ridiculous, especially in Dark Sun where such raw, flagrant power is reserved only for clerics/templars, with good reason.
I adore the original releases of many (A)D&D settings, but I preffer the mechanics of 3.5 by a long shot. Personally I'd just ban the snot out of any psi-ability that seems too powerful, a silly rip-off of wizard spells, and obviously not psionic ;)
Under 3.5 Psionics, I can't imagine why anyone would want to play a wizard. Why be an evoker when you can be a kineticist?
.......... I love it that psionics is at least in the same power level as arcane magic now, but that's in other games. I don't see how that works with Athasian flavor though.
In 2nd ed the only powers that did some direct damage were "summon planar energies", "project force", "detonate". Those did not so much damage. This is why we downtuned psionics concerning dealing raw damage. So, you can downgrade many kineticist powers. Or "clericize" the damage: 1d6/level becomes 1d8/2 levels. In return for the downgrade, you may skip the displays of the powers, so that psionics become the unseen way again.
PS: maybe you can also ban powers that are just too wizard-like. Things as psionic Analyze dweomer or psionic keen edge.
Athough psionic keen edge used to be a lot cooler in 2ed. It was called duo-dimensional blade, and it kicked all kinds of but. 2-dimensional blade. Ignored all armor but dex and magic. No strength bonus, but severed things. It was cool.
OK, there you have a point. Maybe keen edge was a bad example. But if you rename keen edge back to duo-dimensional blade, then it is OK for me again
