Not saying psionics are evil, or should be dropped officially, just wondering who might share my preference in this regard.
Obviously you switch things like psionics are not need to become a dragon, the psion class would vanish, dropped the use of obviously psionic monters, or just adapted them a bit, etc... This is assuming you make the modest few adjustments you needed to.
I got the idea from the Dragon's Crown published adventure; the Psionatrix - a powerful artifact has dampened psionics around the whole of Athas! This artifact has essentially reduced all psionics by 20 lvls, leaving only the most powerful mindbenders any access to "the Way". Thus, a 21st level psion has the same power as a 1st level before the Psionatrix...
The effect of the lost of psioncs has been an ecological disaster on Athas; many animals and insects hunt with psionics (the PCs came upon a Siltspawn grave yard in a coastal village - the siltspawn had starved to death!); deep silt voyages with silt skimmers has become almost unheard of (magic replacing floaters is much less common); and open war has broken out between the city-states now that the absence of psionics has tipped the balance of power.
My players started out searching for a way to restore psionics but have become bogged down (through their own actions, not mine) trying to stay alive and keep the city they live in free and keep their merchant house alive.
The adventures have required some changes since most psionic threats are no longer present, but they have found the long campgain entertaining - usally panicing when encountering something or someone with psionics. One of the players had aquired a necklace that I called "the stone of the open mind" which negated the effects of the Psionatrix, but he flaunted it's use and... well.... a sorcerer-king caught wind and sent his templars and goons after the PC to get the item... (praise be the Character Tree!) :D
The short of it, removing psionics has proven to be challenging to create adventures for and challenging to play.... we love it! Hopefully, the Psionatrix will be eventually destroyed or will involve some king of Lord of the Rings type epic to destory the dang thing. :D
Great question for a post!
Just curious how many people feel DS would be a good (or even better) setting if psionics vanished from the ruleset. I adore the dark sun setting, would *LOVE* to play a regular game in it, but I think it would be even more enjoyable if psionics got dropped.
I genuinely have no idea how dropping psionics would improve Dark Sun - could you give a few ideas?
As you may have guessed :D I'm not really in favour of the idea
Oviously, you're free to play in Your Own Private Athas, but for me Psionics really gives the setting a unique feel. It takes the place of Arcane Magic in traditional D&D settings, but is very different - well, it was in 2nd Ed., I'm not sure about 3rd. Ed.
Also, in many ways, Psionics is part of the themic richness of Athas - Magic represents the destructive aspects of Technology, for example; I think Psionics represents the power of the People - without need of the authority of the Sorcerer Kings, without the ivory-tower teachings of the Mages, without the money of the Nobles, without the loss of self of the Clerics, one can still have power...
Oviously, you're free to play in Your Own Private Athas, but for me Psionics really gives the setting a unique feel. It takes the place of Arcane Magic in traditional D&D settings
In a way...you have kind of hit the nail on the head. I've always felt it dilutes the special niche that is filled by arcane magic. Except arcane magic in dark sun can be such a plot device, such a rich feature, power, but a social price, temptation, etc.. Psionics...just...*is*. It lacks the imagery, it lacks the plot affecting influence, it lacks the look, it lacks the mystery. I think the setting would have such a richer tapestry if the special powers of the fantasy setting is kept to rare hands (ie: not so commonplace), to something underground, and unsettling. The rest of the people can be a bit more "normal", and the distinction servers to highlight the possible interesting gameplay that can come of it.
It's a preference, naturally. If I were to play a DS game even with psionics, I would gravitate towards a wizard, just to still explore that niche, but I find the commonplace nature of psionics in DS tends to make the flavour of the supernatural more bland.