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My campaign world spans millenia, and not every campaign is in the same time period. Some are set in the future of the "main timeline", some in the past, and some in the "present". The main timeline, which has existed for over 20 years now, takes place after a psionic race was overthrown by a slave uprising.
But going back a 1000 years to when they first conquered the realm, they were a new threat. Strange "magic" wielding classes, enhanced warriors, fighters who could create their own suits of armor from nothing, etc.
I'm about to take my campaign back to the its "origin" story and such an event is the trigger for it. In your opinions, what percentage would be made up of what psionic classes? I figure psychic warriors and wild talent fighters would be the bulk of it (they using feats allowed for wild talents but no powers), as well as soulknives for infiltrators. But what of the others, the psions, the dreads, or the cryptics (also infiltrators) and others?
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Forget the Psionic part fir a minute.
Now think of it as an army full of things like Magus, Fighters, Clerics, Wizards, etc. what would the percentages of that be? Use the same ones for a Psionic army, but remember that such a force has a powerful advantage: collectives. When the entire army can know something in an instant...
Your average soldier isn't going to be a fighter, but a warrior, for instance. Changing that alters the fundamental question of what is an adventurer.
That's a good point. Thanks.
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There is a psionic version of the adept, the augur. It's 3.5, but I don't think the NPC classes changed much from 3.5 to Pathfinder.
. . . remember that such a force has a powerful advantage: collectives. When the entire army can know something in an instant...
Your average soldier isn't going to be a fighter, but a warrior, for instance. Changing that alters the fundamental question of what is an adventurer.
I'd say if psionics were common, replace wild talent with psionic talent across the board and have a few officers be trained as tacticians. They would be the backbone of your elite units, but, as Azten pointed out, just as common as any other adventuring class. I'd also figure a few society minds, sorry... vitalists and marksmen. I actually see those fitting in well. Tacticians and vitalists facilitate coordination. Marksmen make good 'mundane' artillery.
Psionics aren't common at all in this setting. Aside from a VERY FEW wild talents or even fewer actual psionic npc's they are unheard of. The psionic army is an invading force from another Prime Material Plane (or some such, I've tinkered with the idea of them being from an inner earth realm), so their powers are alien to the campaign setting.
Psionics aren't common at all in this setting. Aside from a VERY FEW wild talents or even fewer actual psionic npc's they are unheard of. The psionic army is an invading force from another Prime Material Plane (or some such, I've tinkered with the idea of them being from an inner earth realm), so their powers are alien to the campaign setting.
Ah. Fair enough.
Then ignore the wild/psionic talent feat swap then. I am now curious, though. What makes the psionic army psionic? You say race, but is it really a race, like Xeph or Maenad, or is a subset of creatures with a psionic template, like phrenic, or are all members of the race forced to take a level or two of a psionic class for societal reasons?
They actually date back to early 2e, when I began this campaign world. Then I just used the psionic creature rules from "The Complete Psionic" (or whatever it was called). Later, in 3e, the Elan race, minus the immortality mechanic, seemed perfect for them, so that's what I've been using ever since. Nearly all members of the race are psionic to that degree, with non-psionic and two servitor races under them doing a lot of the grunt work.
Hey, I just answered part of my own question... lol...