Jaerom Darkwind's page

One other thought. Fold Psicraft into Spellcraft and Use Psionic Device into Use Magic Device. I know a lot of people make a big deal about psionics being different, but the fact is, there are perhaps a dozen distinct magic systems in d20, and all of them use Spellcraft except Psionics. If divine magic doesn't require a separate Prayercraft skill, then psionics don't need a Psicraft skill. I've been doing this in my Pathfinder design from the beginning, using the names Mystic Arts and Use Mystic Device for the resulting skills.

Epic is about transcending limits, about doing that which is impossible (or at least, highly improbable) for non-epic characters. Baseline epic is Greek Mythology, and it gets bigger from there. I see epic characters as the fantasy equivalent of superheroes, and that's the effect I go for when I design them. They might wear gleaming armor or silken robes instead of kevlar or Underarmor (TM), but they are unquestionably super-human(oid).

The primary thing that I would like to see in an epic ruleset is seamless divine rules. Epic characters should be able to achieve god-like and truly godly power levels. (Campaigns that prefer to keep deities statless can still make use of such rules simply by ruling that such characters are not the true gods.) The ELH as presently configured breaks down after a few dozen levels simply because numbers get too disparate. The gain of certain divine powers along the way will help ease this problem, while emphasizing the super-normal nature of epic characters. Note that this is not to say that the setting gods shouldn't or wouldn't have different special powers than epic characters, merely that epic characters would gain power increases similar to those enjoyed by gods. And that the possibility and methods of true divine ascension--preferably including ascension without outside assistance--should be clearly spelled out, and not necessarily remove the character from the game.

I would also like to see the nature of the Planes shifted toward the epic end of the spectrum. Planescape delivered a scaled-down version of the planes suitable for low-level campaigns, but I don't think that that ever really made a lot of sense. The Planes are the perfect playground for epic characters, full of monsters more terrible than any found on the Prime, ancient ruins from planar civilizations, and the homes of the gods themselves. The Planes are our epic campaign setting. In fact, you could even decide that the power of epic characters is tied up in the nature of the Planes to a greater or lesser extent, so that they literally become less powerful when they return home (explaining the lack of superheroes on the Prime and why epic characters tend to adventure elsewhere).

The one thing I would like to see gone from the ruleset is the sudden jump in power when one reaches 21st level. Sure, create feats that require epic somethings to gain them. But remove that stupid [Epic] descriptor and make these feats flow naturally from high-level feats. I would like the different between a 20th and a 24th level character to be little more drastic than that between a 10th and a 14th level character.

To me psionics are a special kind of magic, the magic that comes, not from training or study, but from the harnessing of internal energy. I've never understood the school of thought that said that psionics have no place in a fantasy world. Magic that doesn't require gestures and magic words is what fills most fantasy novels and movies. Plus, the added bits of flavor in D&D of their connection to crystals and tattoos makes the more fun and exotic.

Mechanically, I love almost everything about the system. I like the exotic skills, I like the special Psionic feats (well, I like a lot of them), I love the fact that they have power points instead of power slots, and I especially love the augmentation system. If spellcasters had spell points and augmentable spells, D&D would be a better game for it.

What I would like to see in any psionics revision is the complete or nigh-complete uncapping of powers. Tinker with the augments, change the scaling, whatever, but keep them increasing as high as a character is capable of pouring power points into them. This would not only make high-level psionic characters more effective, but would also make the transition into Epic play much much smoother, and perhaps even remove the need for an Epic Power system.

Along these same lines, I would like to see more options in each individual power, even if this means slightly fewer powers known. Dispel psionics, for example, should be able to mimic spells like Mordenkainen's disjunction (or at least simulate it to some extent). Detect psionics should augment to arcane sight and greater arcane sight levels of effectiveness. And so on. Furthermore, the possibility of developing custom augments to powers, similar to how spellcasters can research new spells, should be touched on (primarily to allow manifesters to mimic new spells from splatbooks).

Finally, please DO NOT fold Autohypnosis and the psionic focusing aspect of Concentration into Psicraft. Rather, I would much rather see them formed into a new Mental Discipline skill that would be a class skill not only for psionic characters, but also for contemplative classes like the Monk. I've wished we had such a skill in d20 since the original core books came out and I played my first game. Composure in WoTRPG was, sadly, the closest anyone ever came.