Human Psions? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Human Psions? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Werebat
03-26-07, 10:30 PM Can anyone other than a Kalashtar be a Psion in Eberron? I'm pretty sure the answer is yes, but I've not seen any examples of non-Kalashtar psions in any Eberron books or sourcebooks yet. Maybe just the humans of Sarlona?

- Ron ^*^
Arcane Guyver
03-26-07, 10:49 PM I can only think of changelings...the freaky-deaky one in City of Towers, and the kidnapper in the Lost Mark trilogy.
Millenia
03-26-07, 10:53 PM Anyone can be a psion. It's just that the kalashtar are the designated psionic PC race, so they are the most statted up.
Kid SixXx
03-26-07, 11:15 PM Can anyone other than a Kalashtar be a Psion in Eberron? I'm pretty sure the answer is yes, but I've not seen any examples of non-Kalashtar psions in any Eberron books or sourcebooks yet.

You missed the human Psi War / Quori Mindhunter?
Edymnion
03-27-07, 12:00 PM Anybody can be a psion.
Human, gnome, shifter, warforged, anybody.

How they learned to tap into the potential of their mind is another question though. Did they learn it from a Kalashtar/Inspired directly, or did they just stumble into it? I would limit any character that just blundered into psionic powers without training to the Wilder class though.

Or, you could always reflavor it so that it isn't really psionics, and just use the variant flavor text as fits the character. I have a WF that I gave a few ranks in PsiWarrior to in order to access some powers for flavor (namely, this is my WF with a greathammer, I took the Stomp power and described it as him slamming the ground with his hammer to make the shockwave that knocks you over). He's not "psionic", he just has, for a lack of a better term, a "special move".
The White Sorcerer
03-27-07, 12:56 PM Also remember that the humans of Sarlona had psionic traditions before the kalashtar propably even existed.
Arcane Guyver
03-27-07, 02:21 PM I forgot that they gave changelings and shifters racial sub levels for psionic classes. So even shifters can be psionic.
The White Sorcerer
03-27-07, 03:00 PM So even shifters can be psionic.

And not just shifters, any race can be psionic.
Wymarc
03-27-07, 03:14 PM trolls can be psionic.
Subtle Knife
03-27-07, 03:30 PM Beware the Psionic Hamster! "Boo sees you mean us harm...."

SK
Arcane Guyver
03-27-07, 05:00 PM And not just shifters, any race can be psionic.

Well, yes, but I was just illustrating the point - even one of the most 'savage' races in Eberron can attain psionic potential. A half-orc psychic warrior might be a fun character...
The White Sorcerer
03-27-07, 05:37 PM Well, yes, but I was just illustrating the point - even one of the most 'savage' races in Eberron can attain psionic potential.

Oh. Never mind*, then.

*pun unintended
JulesCARV
03-28-07, 12:20 AM One question that intrigues me -- I wonder if the Silver Flame has any connection to psionics. The Silver Flame is supposed to be made of Couatl essence, and Couatls are noted for the psionic abilities. It would be interesting if some of the Silver Flame's templars and priests were really ardents, divine minds, psychic warriors, and the like who unleashed their psionic potential from being touched by the Silver Flame (via Tira Miron or somesuch), and thus having contact with the massive psionic potential of all of those amalgamated Couatls.
Cambian00
03-28-07, 12:33 AM Player's Guide to Eberron has a pic of a Kalashtar Templar. She isn't statted, though..
JulesCARV
03-28-07, 10:35 AM This templar? (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/pgte_gallery/95021.jpg)
Millenia
03-28-07, 10:56 AM This templar? (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/pgte_gallery/95021.jpg)
Yes.
JulesCARV
03-28-07, 11:24 AM I suppose Kalashtar followers of the Silver Flame are one way of using the Silver Flame's potential connection to psionics, but what I'm wondering about is more whether Thranish humans, dwarves, and such might occassionally express psionic powers through their connection to the Flame, since this thread is primarily about non-Kalashtar psions (especially human psions).
The White Sorcerer
03-28-07, 11:54 AM wonder if the Silver Flame has any connection to psionics. The Silver Flame is supposed to be made of Couatl essence, and Couatls are noted for the psionic abilities. It would be interesting if some of the Silver Flame's templars and priests were really ardents, divine minds, psychic warriors, and the like who unleashed their psionic potential from being touched by the Silver Flame (via Tira Miron or somesuch), and thus having contact with the massive psionic potential of all of those amalgamated Couatls.

You know, that's actually the best source for ardents and divine minds in Eberron. Much better than linking divine minds to the Path of Light.
JulesCARV
03-29-07, 12:45 AM Hmm... an idea has occured to me. What about a soulknife/cleric or favored soul/exorcist of the Silver Flame with her soulknife as her Weapon of the Exorcist?

Somehow, it seems like a cool idea. I'm not sure how powerful it would be, but it sounds fun.
The White Sorcerer
03-29-07, 08:09 AM Hmm... an idea has occured to me. What about a soulknife/cleric or favored soul/exorcist of the Silver Flame with her soulknife as her Weapon of the Exorcist?

It's so crazy, it just might work.
Also, I think soulbows (CP) might be found among the Church.
Cambian00
03-29-07, 10:10 AM Hmmmm...

Soulknife/Cleric/Exorcist of the Silver Flame

I think I just found the concept for my next character..

Thanks dudes...
SwarthmoreDB
03-30-07, 12:35 AM Yea, I have often wondered that myself. I like how you set it up though, that most people would wind up taking a few levels of Wilder, but I feel that that would be somewhat restricting to PCs, especially if they wanna be something like a telepath or soulknife. As one person stated, humans had psionic traditions in Sarlona before coming to Khorvaire; why did they not continue using psionics at their new arrival spot?

I'd probably state something like psionics is something that most non-Quori influenced races find difficult to do (more than say, studying magic or becoming an artificer), but it will still randomly happen (during times of stress for Wilders), or maybe a few orders of monks and ascetics have still held onto psionic traditions so you don't have to depend on your Kalashtar buddy or Inspired-trained fellows to somehow 'know' psionic disciplines.

That, and I wanna make my NPCs develop psionics but still have it be somewhat mysterious to them or at least very uncommon (like an esoteric 'form' of 'magic').

Hopefully some of this made some sense to y'all...
JulesCARV
03-31-07, 11:14 PM I don't think that becoming a psion is intrinsically more difficult for a human than becoming a wizard. In fact, becoming a wizard might be slightly more difficult thanks to the requirements of spellbooks, components, etc. Now, becoming a level 4 psion is more difficult than becoming a level 1 wizard, just as becoming a level 4 wizard is more difficult than becoming a level 1 psion.

I suppose the main reason psionics is rare in Khorvaire is cultural -- they have a lot of pre-established infrastructure supporting magic, with academies, manuals, people selling obscure components, etc, so a smart young person can fairly routinely find training as a wizard, as an apprentice, student or somesuch. A smart young person is much less likely to be able to find a psion.

Another factor is that artificers, clerics, psions, sorcerers, and wizards are all rather rare, but adepts and magewrights are fairly common, and have a big impact on making magic common in the society of Khorvaire. There are no psionic NPC classes, so psionics is rare partly just from its limitation of only having PC classes.

Of course, one might point it that doing neat psionic stuff doesn't really require being a member of a psionic class. A human commoner with the feats wild talent and up the walls is capable of supernatural athletic feats, and is, from a mechanical perspective, no more impressive or implausible than a human commoner with education and skill focus (profession (actuary)), although a commoner with psionic feats is much less typical than most commoners with feats more useful to their lives.

I still think the main issue is culture, though: magic is prominent in Khorvaire, which makes becoming a mage easier. Psionics is rare, which makes it hard to become a psionicist.
Arcane Guyver
04-01-07, 02:23 AM I still think the main issue is culture, though: magic is prominent in Khorvaire, which makes becoming a mage easier. Psionics is rare, which makes it hard to become a psionicist.
Yup. Either you're wired that way (which I imagine is much more common among changelings than the other common races) or some other psionic character (probably kalashtar) taught you how to 'open your mind.' You know, 'there is no spoon' and all that rot.
SwarthmoreDB
04-02-07, 05:49 PM Maybe I'm being a bit stupid or a bit unimaginative, but what I was trying to get at was having a decent explanation for having non-Quori-influenced races getting their levels in something other than Wilder; I would hate for a person in my group to have an awesome idea for a character and then me being a dumbass having to shoot it down because I was a bit close-minded since their backstory didn't explain how they got their level in Telepath or PsyWar as just "I studied it on my own or experimented and that's how I found stuff out, LOLz".

Again, I think I might be being unimaginative, that's what I was trying to explain.
yrogerg
04-02-07, 06:09 PM It's so crazy, it just might work.
Also, I think soulbows (CP) might be found among the Church.

I'd actually picture soulbows being *more* common, what with archery being a major focus of the CotSF. (Without mentioning the extent to which the resulting character might be similar to a certain character from Bleach.)
JulesCARV
04-02-07, 09:50 PM I'd actually picture soulbows being *more* common, what with archery being a major focus of the CotSF. (Without mentioning the extent to which the resulting character might be similar to a certain character from Bleach.)

Well, I think it's pretty unlikely that soulbows would be more common than soulknives, considering that soulbows are level 6+ characters who have at least two soulknive levels. (assuming that that's what you meant -- I'm not sure what the "*more* common" refers to, but I thought that it was soulknife). I mean, a soulbow templar of the Silver Flame is, at least, a warrior 3/soulknife 2/soulbow 1, which, while not extraordinary, is getting to a somewhat rather high level by Eberron NPC standards. A soulknife templar of the Silver Flame can just be a soulknife 1. :)
yrogerg
04-02-07, 10:30 PM Well, I think it's pretty unlikely that soulbows would be more common than soulknives, considering that soulbows are level 6+ characters who have at least two soulknive levels. (assuming that that's what you meant -- I'm not sure what the "*more* common" refers to, but I thought that it was soulknife). I mean, a soulbow templar of the Silver Flame is, at least, a warrior 3/soulknife 2/soulbow 1, which, while not extraordinary, is getting to a somewhat rather high level by Eberron NPC standards. A soulknife templar of the Silver Flame can just be a soulknife 1. :)

Meh, I haven't actually read CP in too much depth, obvi. :P

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Werebat 03-26-07, 10:30 PM	Can anyone other than a Kalashtar be a Psion in Eberron? I'm pretty sure the answer is yes, but I've not seen any examples of non-Kalashtar psions in any Eberron books or sourcebooks yet. Maybe just the humans of Sarlona? - Ron ^*^
Arcane Guyver 03-26-07, 10:49 PM	I can only think of changelings...the freaky-deaky one in City of Towers, and the kidnapper in the Lost Mark trilogy.
Millenia 03-26-07, 10:53 PM	Anyone can be a psion. It's just that the kalashtar are the designated psionic PC race, so they are the most statted up.
Kid SixXx 03-26-07, 11:15 PM	Can anyone other than a Kalashtar be a Psion in Eberron? I'm pretty sure the answer is yes, but I've not seen any examples of non-Kalashtar psions in any Eberron books or sourcebooks yet. You missed the human Psi War / Quori Mindhunter?
Edymnion 03-27-07, 12:00 PM	Anybody can be a psion. Human, gnome, shifter, warforged, anybody. How they learned to tap into the potential of their mind is another question though. Did they learn it from a Kalashtar/Inspired directly, or did they just stumble into it? I would limit any character that just blundered into psionic powers without training to the Wilder class though. Or, you could always reflavor it so that it isn't really psionics, and just use the variant flavor text as fits the character. I have a WF that I gave a few ranks in PsiWarrior to in order to access some powers for flavor (namely, this is my WF with a greathammer, I took the Stomp power and described it as him slamming the ground with his hammer to make the shockwave that knocks you over). He's not "psionic", he just has, for a lack of a better term, a "special move".
The White Sorcerer 03-27-07, 12:56 PM	Also remember that the humans of Sarlona had psionic traditions before the kalashtar propably even existed.
Arcane Guyver 03-27-07, 02:21 PM	I forgot that they gave changelings and shifters racial sub levels for psionic classes. So even shifters can be psionic.
The White Sorcerer 03-27-07, 03:00 PM	So even shifters can be psionic. And not just shifters, any race can be psionic.
Wymarc 03-27-07, 03:14 PM	trolls can be psionic.
Subtle Knife 03-27-07, 03:30 PM	Beware the Psionic Hamster! "Boo sees you mean us harm...." SK
Arcane Guyver 03-27-07, 05:00 PM	And not just shifters, any race can be psionic. Well, yes, but I was just illustrating the point - even one of the most 'savage' races in Eberron can attain psionic potential. A half-orc psychic warrior might be a fun character...
The White Sorcerer 03-27-07, 05:37 PM	Well, yes, but I was just illustrating the point - even one of the most 'savage' races in Eberron can attain psionic potential. Oh. Never mind, then. pun unintended
JulesCARV 03-28-07, 12:20 AM	One question that intrigues me -- I wonder if the Silver Flame has any connection to psionics. The Silver Flame is supposed to be made of Couatl essence, and Couatls are noted for the psionic abilities. It would be interesting if some of the Silver Flame's templars and priests were really ardents, divine minds, psychic warriors, and the like who unleashed their psionic potential from being touched by the Silver Flame (via Tira Miron or somesuch), and thus having contact with the massive psionic potential of all of those amalgamated Couatls.
Cambian00 03-28-07, 12:33 AM	Player's Guide to Eberron has a pic of a Kalashtar Templar. She isn't statted, though..
JulesCARV 03-28-07, 10:35 AM	This templar? (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/pgte_gallery/95021.jpg)
Millenia 03-28-07, 10:56 AM	This templar? (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/pgte_gallery/95021.jpg) Yes.
JulesCARV 03-28-07, 11:24 AM	I suppose Kalashtar followers of the Silver Flame are one way of using the Silver Flame's potential connection to psionics, but what I'm wondering about is more whether Thranish humans, dwarves, and such might occassionally express psionic powers through their connection to the Flame, since this thread is primarily about non-Kalashtar psions (especially human psions).
The White Sorcerer 03-28-07, 11:54 AM	wonder if the Silver Flame has any connection to psionics. The Silver Flame is supposed to be made of Couatl essence, and Couatls are noted for the psionic abilities. It would be interesting if some of the Silver Flame's templars and priests were really ardents, divine minds, psychic warriors, and the like who unleashed their psionic potential from being touched by the Silver Flame (via Tira Miron or somesuch), and thus having contact with the massive psionic potential of all of those amalgamated Couatls. You know, that's actually the best source for ardents and divine minds in Eberron. Much better than linking divine minds to the Path of Light.
JulesCARV 03-29-07, 12:45 AM	Hmm... an idea has occured to me. What about a soulknife/cleric or favored soul/exorcist of the Silver Flame with her soulknife as her Weapon of the Exorcist? Somehow, it seems like a cool idea. I'm not sure how powerful it would be, but it sounds fun.
The White Sorcerer 03-29-07, 08:09 AM	Hmm... an idea has occured to me. What about a soulknife/cleric or favored soul/exorcist of the Silver Flame with her soulknife as her Weapon of the Exorcist? It's so crazy, it just might work. Also, I think soulbows (CP) might be found among the Church.
Cambian00 03-29-07, 10:10 AM	Hmmmm... Soulknife/Cleric/Exorcist of the Silver Flame I think I just found the concept for my next character.. Thanks dudes...
SwarthmoreDB 03-30-07, 12:35 AM	Yea, I have often wondered that myself. I like how you set it up though, that most people would wind up taking a few levels of Wilder, but I feel that that would be somewhat restricting to PCs, especially if they wanna be something like a telepath or soulknife. As one person stated, humans had psionic traditions in Sarlona before coming to Khorvaire; why did they not continue using psionics at their new arrival spot? I'd probably state something like psionics is something that most non-Quori influenced races find difficult to do (more than say, studying magic or becoming an artificer), but it will still randomly happen (during times of stress for Wilders), or maybe a few orders of monks and ascetics have still held onto psionic traditions so you don't have to depend on your Kalashtar buddy or Inspired-trained fellows to somehow 'know' psionic disciplines. That, and I wanna make my NPCs develop psionics but still have it be somewhat mysterious to them or at least very uncommon (like an esoteric 'form' of 'magic'). Hopefully some of this made some sense to y'all...
JulesCARV 03-31-07, 11:14 PM	I don't think that becoming a psion is intrinsically more difficult for a human than becoming a wizard. In fact, becoming a wizard might be slightly more difficult thanks to the requirements of spellbooks, components, etc. Now, becoming a level 4 psion is more difficult than becoming a level 1 wizard, just as becoming a level 4 wizard is more difficult than becoming a level 1 psion. I suppose the main reason psionics is rare in Khorvaire is cultural -- they have a lot of pre-established infrastructure supporting magic, with academies, manuals, people selling obscure components, etc, so a smart young person can fairly routinely find training as a wizard, as an apprentice, student or somesuch. A smart young person is much less likely to be able to find a psion. Another factor is that artificers, clerics, psions, sorcerers, and wizards are all rather rare, but adepts and magewrights are fairly common, and have a big impact on making magic common in the society of Khorvaire. There are no psionic NPC classes, so psionics is rare partly just from its limitation of only having PC classes. Of course, one might point it that doing neat psionic stuff doesn't really require being a member of a psionic class. A human commoner with the feats wild talent and up the walls is capable of supernatural athletic feats, and is, from a mechanical perspective, no more impressive or implausible than a human commoner with education and skill focus (profession (actuary)), although a commoner with psionic feats is much less typical than most commoners with feats more useful to their lives. I still think the main issue is culture, though: magic is prominent in Khorvaire, which makes becoming a mage easier. Psionics is rare, which makes it hard to become a psionicist.
Arcane Guyver 04-01-07, 02:23 AM	I still think the main issue is culture, though: magic is prominent in Khorvaire, which makes becoming a mage easier. Psionics is rare, which makes it hard to become a psionicist. Yup. Either you're wired that way (which I imagine is much more common among changelings than the other common races) or some other psionic character (probably kalashtar) taught you how to 'open your mind.' You know, 'there is no spoon' and all that rot.
SwarthmoreDB 04-02-07, 05:49 PM	Maybe I'm being a bit stupid or a bit unimaginative, but what I was trying to get at was having a decent explanation for having non-Quori-influenced races getting their levels in something other than Wilder; I would hate for a person in my group to have an awesome idea for a character and then me being a dumbass having to shoot it down because I was a bit close-minded since their backstory didn't explain how they got their level in Telepath or PsyWar as just "I studied it on my own or experimented and that's how I found stuff out, LOLz". Again, I think I might be being unimaginative, that's what I was trying to explain.
yrogerg 04-02-07, 06:09 PM	It's so crazy, it just might work. Also, I think soulbows (CP) might be found among the Church. I'd actually picture soulbows being more common, what with archery being a major focus of the CotSF. (Without mentioning the extent to which the resulting character might be similar to a certain character from Bleach.)
JulesCARV 04-02-07, 09:50 PM	I'd actually picture soulbows being more common, what with archery being a major focus of the CotSF. (Without mentioning the extent to which the resulting character might be similar to a certain character from Bleach.) Well, I think it's pretty unlikely that soulbows would be more common than soulknives, considering that soulbows are level 6+ characters who have at least two soulknive levels. (assuming that that's what you meant -- I'm not sure what the "more common" refers to, but I thought that it was soulknife). I mean, a soulbow templar of the Silver Flame is, at least, a warrior 3/soulknife 2/soulbow 1, which, while not extraordinary, is getting to a somewhat rather high level by Eberron NPC standards. A soulknife templar of the Silver Flame can just be a soulknife 1. :)
yrogerg 04-02-07, 10:30 PM	Well, I think it's pretty unlikely that soulbows would be more common than soulknives, considering that soulbows are level 6+ characters who have at least two soulknive levels. (assuming that that's what you meant -- I'm not sure what the "more common" refers to, but I thought that it was soulknife). I mean, a soulbow templar of the Silver Flame is, at least, a warrior 3/soulknife 2/soulbow 1, which, while not extraordinary, is getting to a somewhat rather high level by Eberron NPC standards. A soulknife templar of the Silver Flame can just be a soulknife 1. :) Meh, I haven't actually read CP in too much depth, obvi. :P