To be honest, I prefer the version of psionics from "Complete Psionic's Handook" of AD&D 2e. It is both eloquent and easy to grasp (with the exception of telepathy and psionic combat, which are overly complicated). Would've love to play a psionic eventually...
Lol I've been trying to sell a group on a ad&d2e campaign. It's a low key trap to get them in a psionic senerio. Btw I'm not sure where the psionic combat stuff mentioned is. It's entirely unlike what I remember from the splat book. Which was much more vague but not as stupid as the system presented here. Ala 6:40 or so. Edit: ah 1st edition psionics, i heard it was dum but wow. 2nd edition CPH all the way. With some dark sun rules sprinkled in. Still pretty questionable stuff but I could make it work.
I am a huge fan of psionics. My intro was the 2e Complete Psionics Handbook. Adam, if you're interested, I'd love to chat with you sometime about how psionics evolved over the editions, and how psionics works with Dragonlance (including the 2e-era ban on psionics in DL). Thanks, Adam!
I rolled up a character drop a Dragon magazine titled "Hey, want to play a kobold?" With my dm permission. On the chart, I rolled psionics. At the time, he didn't allow it. Later on through the decades of plating, my character finally manifested them. Really cool in the original ADnD. Well done, Adam. Thank you.
This always comes up when I see people arguing over how to classify Darth Vader. Most want to make him an anti-paladin. When I tell them he's a swashbuckler with mad psionics, they act surprised because so few players use or think about psionics.
Psionics are a real thing! Women have been using the Ego Whip inferiority power on me since puberty! 😅 Cool vid, I've never played a character with this ability but it would be fun
The problem with the AD&D psionics system is that it's rather unlikely that you will be able to make a psionics capable player unless you hand-wave away the ridiculous d100 roll. 2nd edition was ok, but the chance of failing to make the power even go off felt bad, and psionic combat was a mess. 3rd edition was good. I made a both a psion and a psychic warrior. 4th edition was also good, though I never played it, only DM'd. 5th edition.....there's a bit of psionics, but not enough.
@@DLSaga I mean I only played AD&D a little while before 2E, but no one I know ever legitimately unlocked psionics. I felt that the whole "power score" thing in 2E psionics was also a bit broken, though I liked the way that powers were laid out. It's like if a fighter had to role under their strength score to be able to swing their sword, and then also had to roll to hit.
Well, according to the Complete Psionicists' handbook 2e, PCs who are NOT trained to be psionicists have a chance of getting permanent insanity for using latent wild psionic talents. Only disciplined Psionicists can use such powers without getting that rare chance of losing their minds. There is also an alignment restriction for Psionicists in that only the PCs with non-Chaotic alignments can safely use such abilities. Many of the reasons why Psionicists aren't well-liked among players is that there are certain creatures that are dangerous only to Psionicists but not to other classes, such as the Cerebral Parasite, Thought Eater, and the like. Also, certain creatures which would be dangerous to regular players are actually more lethal to psionicists as well, such as the Intellect Devourer and various Demons. Also in Dragonlance, Psionics would be considered a form of Sorcery, which is frowned upon the The Orders of High Sorcery and such users would be subjects to the same rules as a renegade wizard. Psionics usually thrive in realms where arcane and divine magic is too difficult to use, which would have been in the Age of Despair or the early times of the Age of Mortals, but psionics never manifested.
my dragonkin of my world of Dracon they use Psionics and thought with thier brains to cast magic no book or spell book needed to use thier Psionic magic it also helps them build things or make tech called Psionic forgers that build things in workshop or factory building
A fine video, but I still don't feel like I know enough to run one. The thing is, there are just no examples of psionics in fantasy movies like Conan or Lord of the Rings. DragonLance itself makes no mention of them, so far as I am aware, either in the novels or in the original core rule book. It also strikes me as pretty weird and unbalanced that due to a simple dice roll during character creation, a first level character can possess such tremendous power. Power that can't be taken away or leveled up. In 3rd Edition, if you wanted to play a race with a couple special abilities, you'd get a level adjustment to compensate. Seems like one lucky psionic could steamroll your carefully crafted 1st level dungeon solo.
That's fair, but there is only 1 power which affects non psionicists, so I don't think its over powered, especially when you consider the traditionally low ability scores, you have very few points.
my anthro dragonkin the light dragons the draconis also let go of the old draconic ways and are social creatures loving draconic beings who think all creatures matter to them they are scared of feral dragons and think them as nothing more but wild beast of nature but they leave them alone they help keep things in order like hunting to keep animal numbers low
Thank you for watching today's How to Play Advanced Dungeons & Dragons episode. What do you think of Psionics? Leave a comment below!
I’ve recently dug out my old AD&D books. I don’t know if it’s just nostalgia but I know I had more fun with it than the newer editions…
I feel the same way. I’ve been playing the original modules and AD&D is a much better system to 5e
To be honest, I prefer the version of psionics from "Complete Psionic's Handook" of AD&D 2e. It is both eloquent and easy to grasp (with the exception of telepathy and psionic combat, which are overly complicated). Would've love to play a psionic eventually...
that was a great version as well! I played that a lot.
Lol I've been trying to sell a group on a ad&d2e campaign. It's a low key trap to get them in a psionic senerio. Btw I'm not sure where the psionic combat stuff mentioned is. It's entirely unlike what I remember from the splat book. Which was much more vague but not as stupid as the system presented here. Ala 6:40 or so. Edit: ah 1st edition psionics, i heard it was dum but wow. 2nd edition CPH all the way. With some dark sun rules sprinkled in. Still pretty questionable stuff but I could make it work.
I ran a psionicist in my friends Dark Sun game for years. Great system, fun characters.
The powers in the old “deck of psionics” had some crazy cool abilities.
I am a huge fan of psionics. My intro was the 2e Complete Psionics Handbook.
Adam, if you're interested, I'd love to chat with you sometime about how psionics evolved over the editions, and how psionics works with Dragonlance (including the 2e-era ban on psionics in DL).
Thanks, Adam!
I like that idea! We really should get together sometime soon.
I like 4th ed version of psionics. A little simpler. Works with points for the encounters the more points the more powerful the result can be.
I never used psionics in 4e. I didn’t even know that was a thing. I’ll have to look into it.
I rolled up a character drop a Dragon magazine titled "Hey, want to play a kobold?" With my dm permission. On the chart, I rolled psionics. At the time, he didn't allow it. Later on through the decades of plating, my character finally manifested them. Really cool in the original ADnD.
Well done, Adam. Thank you.
That should say from, not drop. Fat fingers.
That’s sounds fun. Thanks for sharing it!
This always comes up when I see people arguing over how to classify Darth Vader. Most want to make him an anti-paladin. When I tell them he's a swashbuckler with mad psionics, they act surprised because so few players use or think about psionics.
I never considered using AD&D to describe Star Wars.
Psionics are a real thing! Women have been using the Ego Whip inferiority power on me since puberty! 😅 Cool vid, I've never played a character with this ability but it would be fun
lol it is pretty fun I think.
The problem with the AD&D psionics system is that it's rather unlikely that you will be able to make a psionics capable player unless you hand-wave away the ridiculous d100 roll.
2nd edition was ok, but the chance of failing to make the power even go off felt bad, and psionic combat was a mess.
3rd edition was good. I made a both a psion and a psychic warrior.
4th edition was also good, though I never played it, only DM'd.
5th edition.....there's a bit of psionics, but not enough.
I liked that it was ultra rare in AD&D. It felt as rare as monsters with it. But I do take your point. I enjoyed playing 2e psionicists.
@@DLSaga I mean I only played AD&D a little while before 2E, but no one I know ever legitimately unlocked psionics.
I felt that the whole "power score" thing in 2E psionics was also a bit broken, though I liked the way that powers were laid out. It's like if a fighter had to role under their strength score to be able to swing their sword, and then also had to roll to hit.
Well, according to the Complete Psionicists' handbook 2e, PCs who are NOT trained to be psionicists have a chance of getting permanent insanity for using latent wild psionic talents. Only disciplined Psionicists can use such powers without getting that rare chance of losing their minds. There is also an alignment restriction for Psionicists in that only the PCs with non-Chaotic alignments can safely use such abilities. Many of the reasons why Psionicists aren't well-liked among players is that there are certain creatures that are dangerous only to Psionicists but not to other classes, such as the Cerebral Parasite, Thought Eater, and the like. Also, certain creatures which would be dangerous to regular players are actually more lethal to psionicists as well, such as the Intellect Devourer and various Demons. Also in Dragonlance, Psionics would be considered a form of Sorcery, which is frowned upon the The Orders of High Sorcery and such users would be subjects to the same rules as a renegade wizard. Psionics usually thrive in realms where arcane and divine magic is too difficult to use, which would have been in the Age of Despair or the early times of the Age of Mortals, but psionics never manifested.
This is AD&D, not 2e
I thought Dragonlance setting didn’t have psionics & they just wouldn’t work in Krynnspace. I’m only 1 minute into video so maybe I’ll be corrected
This is about how to play AD&D, on a DL channel.
my dragonkin of my world of Dracon they use Psionics and thought with thier brains to cast magic no book or spell book needed to use thier Psionic magic it also helps them build things or make tech called Psionic forgers that build things in workshop or factory building
Is this from a different campaign setting?
@@DLSaga no its my setting of my book am working on my own imagination
@ very cool. I was just confused lol
A fine video, but I still don't feel like I know enough to run one. The thing is, there are just no examples of psionics in fantasy movies like Conan or Lord of the Rings. DragonLance itself makes no mention of them, so far as I am aware, either in the novels or in the original core rule book.
It also strikes me as pretty weird and unbalanced that due to a simple dice roll during character creation, a first level character can possess such tremendous power. Power that can't be taken away or leveled up. In 3rd Edition, if you wanted to play a race with a couple special abilities, you'd get a level adjustment to compensate. Seems like one lucky psionic could steamroll your carefully crafted 1st level dungeon solo.
That's fair, but there is only 1 power which affects non psionicists, so I don't think its over powered, especially when you consider the traditionally low ability scores, you have very few points.
my anthro dragonkin the light dragons the draconis also let go of the old draconic ways and are social creatures loving draconic beings who think all creatures matter to them they are scared of feral dragons and think them as nothing more but wild beast of nature but they leave them alone they help keep things in order like hunting to keep animal numbers low
I’m sorry, what?
@@DLSaga that is lore of my book called the Legend Of Miller which is me who is the main dragon character a young dragonkin kid named Miller
@ that’s great!