Psychic = / = Psion


Psychic Class

Silver Crusade

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Seeing the same complaints that happened back in the Occult Adventures playtest (and supplementary materials) so figured it need to be said. Again.

It's not Psionics. It was never going to be Psionics. They're not trying to copy Psionics.

You're not getting nova-inducing pools of Power Points to spend on not-casting. They're spellcasters. The closest you'll get is the Focus costing AMPs.


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Yeah, Paizo has gone in the direction of psychic power being a kind of magic (mostly associated with occult magic), and that is probably a good thing - it fits more cleanly into both the rules and the setting.


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I'm not sure I get the point of this thread. If someone wants a psion, I don't think this thread is going to change their mind and they'll most likely continue to advocate for as close to that psion image as they can get. I know it wouldn't change my mind if that's what I wanted.

Silver Crusade

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Just pointing out to help people not get their hopes up/correct assumptions.

If you continue to push for it after or worse blame the designers for getting "Psionics wrong" (like I've seen) that's on you.


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Rysky wrote:
Just pointing out to help people not get their hopes up/correct assumptions.

Well, it's not like things haven't changed from playtest to print, even things integral to a class like resonance and the alchemist. So it's a bit too early to say anyone's hopes for changing a playtest class to one more to their liking is impossible or futile even if it seems unlikely to you.

Rysky wrote:
If you continue to push for it after or worse blame the designers for getting "Psionics wrong" (like I've seen) that's on you.

Sure, but pointing it out before we see the final product isn't going to convince anyone is my point. People aren't going to stop hoping or making assumptions because you made this thread.

And for full transparency, I actually like the basic design of the class: my major complaint is that it seems under-tuned, with amps not [IMO] doing up enough to fill in the gap for losing a slot per level.

Silver Crusade

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No it's not, they're not going to implement a Psionics Power Point system. People pushing for it are just wasting their breath. You can push for changes sure, turning the class into psionics isn't one of them.

This thread was a PSA for those who might only have experience with DnD's psionics or misheard, the jerks are irrelevant.

Likewise, you're here arguing just to argue.


Tender Tendrils wrote:
Yeah, Paizo has gone in the direction of psychic power being a kind of magic (mostly associated with occult magic), and that is probably a good thing - it fits more cleanly into both the rules and the setting.

As far as I am aware psionics is also a form of magic, but it is a distinctly D&D, and I also prefer this approach. Psychic abilities are also thought of as equivalent to magic, if not magic, IRL by a lot of people so also makes sense to me on that axis


I agree with Rysky, though I admit that 2 years ago I didn't expected stuff like "automatic improved refocusing" as a class perk and not as a class feat ( Psychic, Runelord, Oracle ).

I also didn't expet hybrids like the magus and the summoner.

I mean, everything can happen... though it's unlikely we'll see a total twist now that the playtest already started.


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Power point pool ala "psionics" that people are used to is unlikely to come to PF2, as it would be a whole new system rather than working in the frame works already established.

Not impossible, but unlikely.

I think the closest you get is classes the feature lots of focus spells, and maybe have a larger than normal focus pool and ways to gain them back more frequently, but that's it.


Claxon wrote:

Power point pool ala "psionics" that people are used to is unlikely to come to PF2, as it would be a whole new system rather than working in the frame works already established.

Not impossible, but unlikely.

I think the closest you get is classes the feature lots of focus spells, and maybe have a larger than normal focus pool and ways to gain them back more frequently, but that's it.

Power points or at least 4e style power points came OK now the pool of points that refresh on a short rest to boost your at willing psychic power are focus points rather power points but still a rose by any other name.


siegfriedliner wrote:
Claxon wrote:

Power point pool ala "psionics" that people are used to is unlikely to come to PF2, as it would be a whole new system rather than working in the frame works already established.

Not impossible, but unlikely.

I think the closest you get is classes the feature lots of focus spells, and maybe have a larger than normal focus pool and ways to gain them back more frequently, but that's it.

Power points or at least 4e style power points came OK now the pool of points that refresh on a short rest to boost your at willing psychic power are focus points rather power points but still a rose by any other name.

Focus points are way chunkier (for better and for worse), and not a guaranteed resource either. They aren't as comparable as they first appear.


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siegfriedliner wrote:
Claxon wrote:

Power point pool ala "psionics" that people are used to is unlikely to come to PF2, as it would be a whole new system rather than working in the frame works already established.

Not impossible, but unlikely.

I think the closest you get is classes the feature lots of focus spells, and maybe have a larger than normal focus pool and ways to gain them back more frequently, but that's it.

Power points or at least 4e style power points came OK now the pool of points that refresh on a short rest to boost your at willing psychic power are focus points rather power points but still a rose by any other name.

Yes, I think this is about as close to the 4E psion as any PF2 class is going to get, unless a kineticist wanders in.

I don’t get psion vibes from this class, as that has a somewhat different genre vibe, but a class that spends points to boost spells they can cast every round works pretty good for me for a psychic.


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Alfa/Polaris wrote:
siegfriedliner wrote:
Claxon wrote:

Power point pool ala "psionics" that people are used to is unlikely to come to PF2, as it would be a whole new system rather than working in the frame works already established.

Not impossible, but unlikely.

I think the closest you get is classes the feature lots of focus spells, and maybe have a larger than normal focus pool and ways to gain them back more frequently, but that's it.

Power points or at least 4e style power points came OK now the pool of points that refresh on a short rest to boost your at willing psychic power are focus points rather power points but still a rose by any other name.
Focus points are way chunkier (for better and for worse), and not a guaranteed resource either. They aren't as comparable as they first appear.

Agreed, but I think it's the closest we will get. I think Siegfriedliner may have different ideas, but I agree with you.

Like I said, I can imagine a class focused on Focus Spells, which has more than the average number of points (normally it's a max of 3, I can imagine maybe like 6) with a way to recharge in combat a limited number of times per day and faster than average recharge (maybe 2 points per 10 minutes).

But it's still not at all like psionics in which spells have a variable cost and can be upgraded with additional points being spent. I don't see that ever happening.

There will be some capability to nova, by casting all your focus points in a single combat but it wont be like psionic systems in which your try to pour all your power points into a single spell to defeat the enemy with a single cast.

AnimatedPaper wrote:

Yes, I think this is about as close to the 4E psion as any PF2 class is going to get, unless a kineticist wanders in.

I don’t get psion vibes from this class, as that has a somewhat different genre vibe, but a class that spends points to boost spells they can cast every round works pretty good for me for a psychic.

I think a kineticisit will be mostly cantrip spells for things that there supposed to do all day (blasting) with a focus spell and pool to supplement those.

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