This may sound wild, but...
I've recently been working on adapting psionics for a mid-level (6th-13th) level campaign set in a futuristic sci-fi setting, with futuristic weapons (like pulse rifles, and even grenade launchers, etc), practically eliminating the presence of magic (in all its myriad forms), and making the XPH races and humans the only available races.
What I mean might sound wild is, that since psionics occupy such an unusual role in D&D, in that it's in many ways functionally similar to magic, but rarely, if ever, supported in any published adventures, it tends to get swept under the rug as an oddity.
Well, why not take Pathfinder into outer space. Several planets have been mentioned over the course of GameMastery (Pathfinder) Modules and Pathfinder adventure paths. Seems like it could be a new...ahem, "undiscovered country" (couldn't resist) for 3.5 OGL D&D.
I'm sure this sounds like shadows of Spelljammer (which, I confess, I have no experience with), but it may be more interesting to set it in a futuristic time/space, and using some of the rarely used weapons (if only for a basis) mentioned in the Dungeon Master's Guide (p. 146) to give both psionics and space-RPGs a fresh feel. Plus, could tie in with Planet Stories, I suppose...
I've dubbed my own work in this vein "Planets & Powers", and have borrowed from numerous sci-fi sources, from Star Trek/Star Wars, Mass Effect, Aliens, and bits and pieces from here and there. While I should have had this done by this January, my brother got me "Hungry Are the Dead," so now I have to do a Darkmoon Vale campaign. Oh, well...maybe in a few months.
Still, I know it's a bit out of left field, but it could be a unique and exciting take on these unexplored realms of RPGs.
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Thank you Eric Mona, for bringing this question up.
In my experience Psionics is one of those things in D&D that most people already have a set opinion about. In my experience most people hate it and a few people love it. I happen to be part of the latter crowd. I have enjoyed reading this thread, because there has been lots of excellent thoughts put out, beyond the I hate it/ love it arguments we are used to.
I am going to borrow Quandary’s format for my response to your question, because these questions will be a good outline by which to arrange my thoughts.
What does Psionics mean to you?
The first adjective that springs to mind is, different, miss-understood, and alien. Whether it happens to be culturally different in terms of having the flavor of the mysticism of channeling of Chi with a (in very broad strokes) Chinese or Japanese feel to it, or the mysticism of Pranic energy and Chakras, with a yogi guru feel of the Indian subcontinent. Or whether it has a completely Aberrant feel to it, in terms of a HP Lovcraftian Aboleth or Mind-flayer, feel to it.
But different is the primary adjective I can think of.
How can I get you to buy a Psionics book and use it in my campaign?
In short put the name of Psionics on it and like a lemming I will buy it. Heck I hopped off the cliff and bought the poorly written, poorly edited, and poorly thought out Complete Psionics book by WotC.
A Psionics book unfortunatly often has to pull 3 in 1 duty. It often has to be a player’s handbook, with Psionic classes and Psionic powers, a dungeon masters guide, with Psionic items and a Psionic setting, and a monster manual with Psionic monsters in it. There is no way to package all of that in 1 book.
I don’t think you necessarily need to provide a race. Perhaps submit a suggestion for a sub race, for say humans, maybe drown, duegar, dwarves, something like that, heck the elves have 3 established sub races. Maybe include a little detail about how these sub races fit into their culture at large.
You don’t necessarily need to put in new classes. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. You could use the classes already made, and re tweak them, so some I s are dotted and ts are crossed. For example, what happens to a Psion when his psi-crystal is destroyed? While I think the Core Classes of the PHB needed a little tweaking little power upgrade, I don’t think the Psionic classes need a little power upgrade. A little tweaking perhaps, but not more power.
You could include a section on how the Psion, the Erudite (Psionic wizard in terms of versatility), the Wilder, The Psychic warrior, Devine mind, Ardent, Lurk fit into the Golaron world. I would like to see a Psionic trickster rogue added.
A brief powers section might be useful, to “update” some troublesome ones, and introduce a few new ones. I thought the section on Psionics in the setting book was excellent.
Items are a thorny issue. Perhaps it is best to roll it into magic items, and include a brief discussion on putting a Psionic flavor to an item by using a name like Dorje, for wand or power stone for scroll. (Weather it is a rock or piece of paper doesn’t matter in the end as long as they function the same with the rules).
As for setting and monsters I am sure that will be the fun part. I have already mentioned the possible flavors of Chi mysticism, of Gurus and Chakras, and the aberrant alien flavor of aboleths and mind flayers.
One of my friends is an editor at Asimov magazine. One of his objections to Picnics has been the “sci fi” flavor to it. Perhaps removing some of the Freudian terms like Id insinuation and ego whip, might go along way to satisfying that crowd, Perhaps Psionics could fill the “mysticism” niche.
I suppose one problem is the sorcerer and the psion and the warlock are all elbowing for similar turf. And the psion and the sorcerer are elbowing for the same thematic turf because they are both drawing from power within.
Just as the arcane and divine manipulate magic from different worldviews, I wouldn’t mind Psionics, being a third form of magical manipulation, but from even different worldview.
There are not many good sources of inspiration for psionics. I suppose the Dyrni novels are, but there are not many models in western Tolkien inspired fantasy literature to draw upon. On the other hand, I am sure there is more inspiration then you can shake a stick at with Indian Chinese and Japanese mythology.
In terms of rulebooks as sources of inspiration, of course the Expanded Psionics rulebook is a good source. The Complete Psionic book might have a nugget or two. Anther source might be the folks at Dream scarred press. They put out a good book called Untapped potential. There is also Hyperconsciousness by Bruce Cordell. One book that would be excellent is the Will and the Way. It was a Dark Sun supplement. It included lots of fluff, such as the “will” was once capacity for raw psionic power, and the Way was the refinement of psioinic power though study and meditation, expressed in character classes. The book also talked about psionics and the law. Lots of useful stuff (I used that for Magic and the law in my campaign world)
What is an absolute deal breaker?
Well unfortunalty you cant keep all of the people happy all of the time. You have to balance the desires of the people who thoroughly dislike the name Psionics, and will not even consider a ‘psionics system” and others for whom psionics is a sacred cow. Nerd rage, it is unavoidable, you will probably anger some people.
But for you, the bottom line is will a product like this sell, and how can we meet our customers’ likes, even though they are widely varied.
For myself I can say this simply. I like variety. I liked that in the 3.5 system there were 4 varieties of characters that primarily used magic. There was the wizard, there was the Sorcerer, and there was the Psion and there was the Warlock. The wizard was very flexible, with his ability to fill in his spell slots as desired in the beginning of the day. The sorcerer could cast his spells at will, from a limited selection. The Psion used energy points to fuel his powers, he could choose at will from a limited selection, but could also choose how powerful to make his powers. The warlock had an at will attack ability namely the eldritch blast, and a handful of spell like abilities he could use at will. Presumably these were drawn from a pact with an otherworldly entity.
I like variety. We all have our sacred cows. Mine would be the power point system. . I like having the Vancian spell system, along with a power point system. Removing the power point system would be a deal breaker for me. Modifying the power point system would be fine, changing the amount of points a class gets is fine. I like the mechanic of each power costing x and an augment costs y with the rule, you can only spend power points on a power equal to your level. Please leave that alone.
Ironically also another deal breaker for me will be if Psioncis is a completely separate system, it needs to be completely transparent with the magic system. I don’t mind if you remove detect psionics and dispel psionics and replace them with detect magic and dispel magic. I don’t mind if you roll Psi craft, and Knowledge psionics into spell craft and knowledge arcane, or Autohypnosis into Concentration. Oh by the way, I would like to toss out a vote for keeping concentration and spell craft separate skills. Wizards are rarely hurting for skill points. Rogues always are. With psionics the concentration skill has a “psionic focus” mechanic that works with many psionic feats, which I like.
I suppose at the end of the day, I don’t even mind if you replace Psionics with some other name like Mysticism. Please keep the power points mechanic. That’s my sacred cow.
Well those are by bag full of coppers.
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If I'm not mistaken, Golarion's solar system has been mapped out, yes? Psionics would be a very interesting add-on as a power "from the void". Outer space is just that- a void. No life, no aura, no magic field generated by the lifeforce of a planet. The only magic is that which is within. There could be a whole culture that has never encountered "magic" as Golarion knows it out there.
Imagine if they got stranded planet-side...
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I like Scopion_Angel's idea for a "void" where the psionic magic is within, rather than generated by a mystic force or divine entity.
Perhaps a Black Hole, where most laws of physics are thrown out the window. Nothing can exist in or around a black hole except... (insert psion world here)
just an idea.
Ahh Psionics, my dark mistress.
Not only do I conceptually prefer Psionics to magic, but mechanically the XPH has IMHO the best magic system ever created. It's simple, it's versatile, it's elegant, it's powerful, it has drawbacks.
Whenever possible I play psionic characters. My best experience was in a Dark Sun campaign that ran a year and a half and we did every single Dark Sun module ever printed, including Draegoth Ascending, updated to 3.5 on the fly using Athas.org rules. It rocked. HARD. Best campaign I've ever played in. We even used the old "character trees" and out of the 3 characters 2 were psionic (a straight class Psion who hit lvl 21 before the end, and a Soulknife/Assassin) and the other was a feral halfling Ftr/Rgr/Invis Blade/Tempest XD.
I dearly wish there were a niche in the Pathfinder world/adventures for some of the old mind magic. Alas it seems Mind Flayers are copyrighted by WotC.
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Honestly Psionics works fine for me. I really wish Paizo had taken a huge leap and made the sorcerer a psion rather than a wizard wanna be with weird blood, then we would have had three distinct types of magic.
As to the idea of exploring the worlds in a future setting I think that is a very interesting idea. There are about a thousand different ways of exploring that, and all but one seems really really cool... we won't discuss that one, cause it sucks! lol lol
And, HEY, Spelljammer was COOL!