Maybe it's like that old quote about obscenity.
I can't define it, but I know it when I see it. (or something close to that)
But perhaps one thing I can say when I was judging was, when I looked at the creature - if I took the (psionic) descriptor off the stat block, did it change anything? If the answer was no, then it wasn't really a psionic creature (thankfully, that wasn't much of an issue for the contest).
If the answer is no, then shouldn't that mean that it was really a psionic creature? If the psionic descriptor is the only thing making it psoinic, then it's not a psionic creature.
If you take a look at existing pisonic monsters and Prcs ( like in the Dreamscarred beta documents) you will see some themes emerging.
I tried to get some inspiration while reading the beta pisonic powers list.
However, for one of my creatures I had the idea before I saw the contest posting. I got the idea when I was reading through the Bestiary 2. I think it fit as a psionic creature though.
When approaching this contest, my first step was to brainstorm several dozen monster concepts. To ensure they were psionic, I went for monsters that would be mechanically impossible in the Pathfinder game without using material found in Psionics Unleashed.
That sounds like an excellent approach.
My takeaway is that psionics lean more towards faux-science, while magic leans more towards faux-mythology.I took the exact opposite approach. I specifically avoided any monster that had a futuristic, scientific feel, because I suspect that sort of flavor prevents psionics from being accepted by a wider audience.
For each of my monsters, I asked, "Can I imagine Conan fighting this monster? Can I imagine Gandalf fighting this monster?" The answer had to be 'yes' to at least one of those questions before I considered including the monster, because I wanted a list of monsters that would appeal to the widest possible fantasy RPG audience.
My entries too were more along a pulp angle, but I kept in mind to keep them suitable for standard fantasy, even as slight oddballs.
After all Psionics has to set itself apart from standard fantasy and magic, otherwise there would be no need for psionics.So while imagining gandalf or conan fighting my monsters would feel odd, doing the same with Seoini and Valeros for example would work fine.
I gave some psi-like abilities to my creatures that were not psionic powers, but isntead were spells.
When I read the Psionic Spells section at the beginning of the beta Psionics Unleashed Monsters, it seems to indicate that this is an okay way to got.
However, I just noticed that the Cerebrlith has psi-like abilities listed separately from spell-like abilities. Is it incorrect to list spells under psi-like abilities?
Would it be appropriate to give a creature a psicrystal without giving it leverls in a psionic class?
If so, do you use the manifester level as the class level for determining the psicrystal abilities?
I specifically avoided any monster that had a futuristic, scientific feel, because I suspect that sort of flavor prevents psionics from being accepted by a wider audience.
Do you feel that there is any real difference between something that feels magical and something that feels psionic? I think the themes you chose are excellent subjects for psionics, but I also think they work just as well as subjects for magic; "the mind" is already a prominent theme for spells and magical monsters.
That would be cool, but it's not how things actually are (either in Pathfinder or in 3e). Yet a lot of people seem to like psionics anyway, and I think there are reasons for that.
Do you feel that there is any real difference between something that feels magical and something that feels psionic?Honestly? I think psionics should have been a part of the Pathfinder Core Rules from day one, and "the mind" should never have been a major theme of arcane or divine magic. Every monster with a strong mind-related theme should have been designed using psionics instead of arcane or divine magic.
For example, I think the animate dream from Bestiary 2 should have been a psionic monster. I think the animate dream's concept lost a lot of its "wow factor" when it was grafted onto Pathfinder's homogeneous, jack-of-all-trades magic system. Same goes for the intellect devourer, the night hag, and numerous other pseudo-psionic monsters.
I also think the wizard's spell list should have been gutted of many of its mind-affecting spells to create a clearer distinction between magic and psionics, and the monk should have been a full-on psionic class instead of just emulating psionics using ki points.
YMMV.
I can see your reasoning, but I think that a lot of players would not have liked this.
Andreas and I have to have a final discussion on winners, but we will have the results posted later this week. :)
Lots of great entries, so lots of consolation prizes in addition to a grand prize winner.
In the games I play, we treat psionics as the same as magic and it can be blended together. Its not uncommon for a creature to have both psionic abilities as well as spell like abilities as long as they fit the theme of the creature. Much like Dark Sun we also have combined psi-magic as well.
A sorcerer can unlock the secrets to twist magical energies to emulate a psi power and with focus and concentration a psi character can focus his mind to manifest a magical ability.
I used that concept when designing my creatures that I submitted.
After significant review and a lot of very creative entries, we are excited to announce that the winner of the 2011 Psionic Bestiary Contest is Dean Siemsen with his entries of the Chiondaru, Uruklaar, and Lianshai.
As the grand prize winner, Dean now gets a paid commission to write a psionic bestiary, as well as printed copies of any three Dreamscarred Press books and lifetime access to our PDF library. Congratulations, Dean! We look forward to working with you on this exciting new book.
Dean isn't the only winner - consolation prize winners will be contacted directly over the next 24 hours for their prizes of Premier Customer status at the Dreamscarred Press website and a free PDF of up to $9.95 value.
Thanks to everyone who participated! We plan to make this a regular occurrence, so start thinking about what you would submit for the next Psionic Bestiary Contest from Dreamscarred Press!
Hooray! Congrats to Dean and all the runners-up winners. :)
Congratulations, Dean!
As stated over at DSP forum, Congrats and I look forward to seeing your entries.
Congrats to Dean. looking forward to your great work.
Any word on the number of second-price winners and/or total contestants?
Congratulations Dean.
The next challenge would be for each (original) creature getting their own artwork. How's that going to work out?
I say have them commission Hugo...aka butterfrog. I commissioned a peace from him and it was amazing.
Aborynth Dragon.
I wish I could have entered That monster as its my Psi Dragon but there is now way I could have reduced enough of the info to fall into the word count for the contest. Its 1,457 words just for it alone....lol
Jeremy, and Andreas
Thank you both so very much! Words cannot express my excitement at being named the grand winner of this AWESOME contest. I am absolutely blown away. You have without a doubt made my YEAR! Thank you, thank you. :D
And congratulations to all my fellow bestiary winners! We did it guys and gals... we did it. :)
Thank you also for all the hearty congrats from my fellow paizoians. I promise to do my very best and make you all proud.
WOW! Just wow.
I say have them commission Hugo...aka butterfrog. I commissioned a peace from him and it was amazing.
Aborynth Dragon.I wish I could have entered That monster as its my Psi Dragon but there is now way I could have reduced enough of the info to fall into the word count for the contest. Its 1,457 words just for it alone....lol
Hugo's art is getting better and better.
Not sure how much it cost you to commission that piece, but if you keep in mind how much it did cost you ... and multiply that times the number of individual pieces each creature in DPS' bestiary would need ... could add up quickly. Not sure if they can easily afford that art budget.
Unless the sales of Psionics Unleashed is able to cover that.
Then again, they did dent the top 100 over at Amazon in the RPG category. :)
Good point, Now that he's gotten better and a bit more established, Im sure his prices have gone up as well. I paid for my commission according to his price chart he had on his DA page but I couldnt seem to find it this morning.
I know he still has a few delayed commissions he is working on finishing and he is working on Wayfinder and anther set of commissions for publication according to his DA page, but enough of that.
Minstrel_Wyrm, when are we going to see your winning entries?
I am dieing to see what you submitted and possibly throw against my group as they're probably tired of the stuff I create....lol
We have some artists in mind for the bestiary once we get a rough idea of how many illustrations we'll need and the specifics for them. :)
As for Dean's entries - I'll discuss with Andreas about getting them posted up. I'd really like to do it with some graphics to go with them, because I think it would greatly augment the write-up.
As for Dean's entries - I'll discuss with Andreas about getting them posted up. I'd really like to do it with some graphics to go with them, because I think it would greatly augment the write-up.
agreed 100%
Wow... that would be just incredible.
I am barely able to wrap my head around the idea that I was chosen. My head is swimming and now additional psionic monster ideas are coming forth. :)
Thanks to everyone for the heartfelt congratulations and the outpouring of wonderful support.
~Dean "The_Minstrel_Wyrm" Siemsen.
PS: Jeremy I just joined the DSP site and I chose a nickname... I went with "Chiondaru" of course. ;)
(Sad face at the "lack" of cilia covered humanoid avatars). :P
So, I've gone ahead and commissioned illustrations to go with Dean's winning entries...
So we'll be posting those up hopefully soon. :)
So, I've gone ahead and commissioned illustrations to go with Dean's winning entries...
So we'll be posting those up hopefully soon. :)
Squeeee!!!!
I got early sketches of the monsters last night... Gave some minor feedback, since they were pretty well right on the mark.
Oh, and these illustrations will be in color. :)
I got early sketches of the monsters last night... Gave some minor feedback, since they were pretty well right on the mark.
Oh, and these illustrations will be in color. :)
Wow, wow, wow... can't wait.
Wow, wow, wow... can't wait.I got early sketches of the monsters last night... Gave some minor feedback, since they were pretty well right on the mark.
Oh, and these illustrations will be in color. :)
Dean - let me know if you're getting my emails - it doesn't seem like they're going through. :)
Dean - let me know if you're getting my emails - it doesn't seem like they're going through. :)Wow, wow, wow... can't wait.I got early sketches of the monsters last night... Gave some minor feedback, since they were pretty well right on the mark.
Oh, and these illustrations will be in color. :)
Hi Jeremy,
Yep... I've been getting them. (Maybe I've been emailing back to the wrong address?)
Once I figured out to stop sending emails to the submissions one I've been emailing you
Is there another one that I should be using instead?
Dean
Ah-ha, I found it (in the misrouted emails)
You're emailing jeremysmith - not jeremy.smith
;)
Ah-ha, I found it (in the misrouted emails)
You're emailing jeremysmith - not jeremy.smith
;)
Oops.
You can see the Phrenic Infiltrator over at the Dreamscarred Press website.
Schaweet! Who's the aspiring artist?
Schaweet! Who's the aspiring artist?
Hi Urizen,
It's none other than Rick Hershey. (He did an AWESOME job bringing my Phrenic Infiltrator (Lianshai) to life). :)
Thanks Rick.
~Dean
As Dean mentioned, the artwork is by Rick Hershey of Empty Room Studios.
Rick does a fair bit of artwork for us - he did most of the monsters in Psionics Unleashed, as well as the cover design and artwork. He also did the cover art on High Psionics Compilation and the graphic for the Third Dawn Campaign Setting (as well as some of the interior art).
Ah, cool! I definitely know who Rick is. Thanks! =)
Hello Paizoians!
I'd just like to take a moment and say... WHEW!
I have turned in my Psionic Bestiary manuscript to Jeremy Smith (and he has confirmed that he received it) so now it goes into editing, layout and what-not.
I'm pretty pleased with the monsters I've created, and I hope that they add more excitement, more danger, more adventure and more mystery to your games. (Psionic or otherwise).
I wish I could tell you guys something (but I won't without a "go-ahead" from DSP). :)
But... I think you're gonna like it. ;)
(At least, I hope so).
Dean
And I'd like to thank Dean for his hard work. He did a great job with submitting his concepts and taking feedback and incorporating changes. I never found him to be resistant of constructive criticism, but he was also willing to let me know when I was wrong about something without doing so in an argumentative fashion.
All-in-all, it's been a pleasure working with Dean and I can't wait to get this Bestiary published. :)
And I'd like to thank Dean for his hard work. He did a great job with submitting his concepts and taking feedback and incorporating changes. I never found him to be resistant of constructive criticism, but he was also willing to let me know when I was wrong about something without doing so in an argumentative fashion.
All-in-all, it's been a pleasure working with Dean and I can't wait to get this Bestiary published. :)
Wow Jeremy... that was really AWESOME of you to say that. (And I really appreciate it as well).
Jeremy, for his part, has been fantastic to this "unknown" freelancer with his time, feedback, and willingness to help me be the best I could be with the Psionic Bestiary.
[quotes Dory]Oh boy... this is gonna be good... I can tell.[/Dory] :)
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Unless I already missed it, any word on when this Psionic Bestiary is coming out?
The manuscript has gone through two rounds of editing.
We're waiting on the artwork to come in so we can get the ball rolling on layout.
We're looking at releasing it in pieces, for those parts that are of a theme, and then compiling the whole thing, as the graphics have taken longer than expected to come in.
I'm trying to understand the Affinity Field power.For the 17+ rounds Affinity Field is active, any 1st-3rd level effect that affects you also affects others in the field. It immediately does and is done in the same action that caused you to be affected.
So it seems like it's an ongoing emanation, and anyone newly entering the area would need to make a save, and anyone leaving the area won't be further affected unless they return (but wouldn't need to make another save regardless of making or failing the first time).
Is that right? Or does the 'feedback loop' stay connected to anyone regardless of distance? Separately does it only affect creatures in the area at the start?