Dragon Magazine: Player Advice Collection (Part 5 of 6)
These are my reading notes of various Dragon Magazine articles. Learn more about the collection here.
This time the topic is Psionics. All articles bellow are from a Dragon Magazine #78 which dealt exclusively with Psionics in AD&D 1e.
Psionics is different... And that's putting it rather mildly
Author: Arthur Collins Issue: Dragon Magazine #78 Rating: ★★★★★
Arthur does a great job of explaining psionics, highlighting some issues, and offering potential workarounds. Authors often intertwine rules-as-written with their house rules, so I'm very grateful to Arthur for explicitly signposting what is RAW, what is his interpretation, and what is his proposed change.
Funny enough, his take on psionics is very much how I like to run things:
Let your player characters find out the hard way (if they ever do find out) that so-and-so is one of them. ... Let the possibility of psionics always be in the background, lurking around, waiting to surprise, horrify, and delight them.
This is a must-read for anyone interested in 1e psionics.
Overhauling the system: A three-part remedy for problems with psionics
Author: Robert Schroeck Issue: Dragon Magazine #78 Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
A title that oversells the content which ultimately boils down to three issues experienced by Robert. :
- Too strong level 1 characters » change psionic point acquisition.
- Psionic combat is black box to players » decide how much information to give based on the level of character with psionic talent.
- Player characters stop using psionic powers at higher levels » make their psionic powers atrophy when unused.
This is a brief two page article, but it just feel like filler compared to the comprehensive Psionics is different... by Arthur Collins.
Initially I ranked this one with two stars, but reduced it to one star because it introduces issues in one way (power, combat, non-use) and then solutions in different way (power, non-use, combat). Unforgivable.
And now, the pscionicist: A class that moves psionics into the mainstream
Author: Arthur Collins Issue: Dragon Magazine #78 Rating: ★★★★★
Arthur does it the second time in the same issue. Carefully thought out Psionicist class which can coexist with those who have psionic talents.
It is for those characters who want to dedicate themselves to mastering the Talent. In addition to fleshing out the class, it also introduces several new Minor and Major Disciplines, as well as completely new Grand Disciplines.
Six new magic items are offered as well: shiral crystal, jerraman crystal, merasha (potion), transfer portal, mind link medallion, and wards major matrix.
Although the class slots in nicely with AD&D 1e rules, I personally will probably use it to flesh out Psionicist NPC rather than giving it to the players. Either way. it is a ell written article that I'll definitely include in the final collection.
Spells can be psionic, too: How and why magic resembles mental powers
Author: Kim John Issue: Dragon Magazine #78 Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
“Mom, what does this mean?”
“Mooom, what does this meeeaaan?!”
“Moooooooooooooooooooooom!”
Kim addresses why “spells resembling psionic powers” resemble psionic powers in six gruelling pages of dense, small three-column text.
Here, let me sum it up for you:
Characters and creatures who use psionic disciplines or related powers may not have the slightest inkling of the nature of the forces they're tapping; the important thing is that those forces obviously can be tapped and use for the benefit of the one who does so.
“Mom, what does this mean?”
“Mooom, what does this meeeaaan?!”
“Moooooooooooooooooooooom!”
What, you want really detailed explanation for each damn psionic power that resembles a spell? Then go read the full article.
No, this one won't make it into the final collection.
Psionics: Sage advice
Issue: Dragon Magazine #78 Rating: ★★★★★
Great complement to two articles by Arthur Collins.
Questions answered are:
- How often should a character check for possession of psionic abilities?
- If a non-psionic character has his intelligence, wisdom, or charisma increased by powerful magics (tomes, wishes, etc.), would this allow for a new chance to become psionic?
- Can a character lose his psionic potential if he suffers a decrease in one of the three important ability scores?
- How can the chance for psionic abilities be quickly assessed for NPCs who have no previously noted scores for intelligence, wisdom, and charisma?
- Which player character races in the AD&D™ game can possess psionic ability?
- Is it possible for a character to use a wish spell to become immune to psionic attack?
- If a psionic character is surprised by a psionic monster, does the monster get to attack the character as if the character were defenseless?
- Shouldn't psionic attacks or defenses put up by experienced and high-level psionic characters be more effective than those put up by lower-level characters or creatures?
- Can a psionic character cast a spell while employing any sort of psionic power (attack, defense, or discipline)?
- If a psionic spell caster has a thought shield defense up while casting a spell, would a psionic attack made against the character cause the spell to be lost, or would the defense hold and allow the spell to be cast to completion?
- If a character is slain by psychic crush, can he be raised or resurrected? Would he still then possess psionic abilities?
- The Players Handbook states that thought shield is the only defense against psychic crush, but the charts in the Dungeon Masters Guide contradict this. Why?
- What does the Players Handbook mean when it says that thought shield can be kept up at all times, unlike other defenses?
- During multiple psionic operations, when two or more psionic characters are transferring strength points back and forth, how are the points distributed after the operation is ended?
- The line at the bottom of p. 77 of the DMG (“Damage accruing beyond the point ...”) is unclear. Can you explain?
- Can psionic creatures or persons sense the presence of other psionic beings? If so, at what range does this ability function?
- If a fighter gains the discipline of domination and then switches to the thief class (as a bard would do), would this character lose the domination power?
- Can the psionic discipline animal telepathy be used to communicate with humans? After all, humans are animals.
- Could someone possessing the cell adjustment discipline become aware of his own or someone else's hit-point total by using this power? How long does it take to use this discipline, in terms of “casting time”?
- Can a character with the discipline of energy control negate the effects of a powerful spell such as wish, feeblemind, or disintegrate? Does “spell level” refer to the level of the spell caster throwing the spell at the psionic character, or to the level of the spell on the spell tables in the Players Handbook?
- Does the “Detection of Invisibility” table on p. 60 of the DMG apply to psionic invisibility? Can a character using the discipline of invisibility attack another creature and still remain invisible to that creature?
- Can molecular agitation be carried out on any visible object, even if seen through a crystal ball, wall of force, by clairvoyance, and so forth? Also, if a creature only possesses a small quantity of metal, can it still be burned if this metal is heated?
- Can a psionic character levitate himself by the use of the telekinesis discipline?
- Do magical protection items (rings, stones, cloaks, scarabs, etc.) affect saving throws vs. psionics?
- Should a character gain experience points just for using a psionic discipline or attack/defense mode?
- If a psionic character uses psionic blast on a non-psionic monster and slays it, should the character be awarded experience points for the kill just as if he had slain the creature in normal (physical) combat?
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