oriental psionics [Archive] - Wizards Community

oriental psionics [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
taylors005
04-16-08, 12:52 AM Are there any OA psionic classes at all?
calronmoonflower
04-16-08, 01:46 AM Well, not in Oriental Adventures.

However, you can fit psionics classes into the game without much trouble. It will take just a slight amount of reflavoring. Oriental Adventures makes a suggestion of including psychic warriors on page 205 of Oriental Adventures.

Also you might want to cross-post on the psionics board.

If you don't mind homebrew classes you could try my Psionic Fist
taylors005
04-16-08, 02:17 AM Well, not in Oriental Adventures.

However, you can fit psionics classes into the game without much trouble. It will take just a slight amount of reflavoring. Oriental Adventures makes a suggestion of including psychic warriors on page 205 of Oriental Adventures.

Also you might want to cross-post on the psionics board.

If you don't mind homebrew classes you could try my Psionic Fist

i never read past the classes in OA (shame on me)
your class has a lot of numbers to it ;) but looks interesting
and now i want to psionify the sohei
im cross posting now
RoyalBlueEyes
04-16-08, 09:25 AM The Simple Bow in Weapons of Legacy is set for any Oriental-themed campaign, as well as Psionics (I may even use it in my Rokugan campaign, as the PCs to uncover the evil BloodSpeaker Cult Cells accidentally uncover a group of Psionic Samurai Warrior-types). And then there was the La Jatang with the picture of the Fish beside it.

EDIT:
Jacking the OPs post for a bit; how would Psionics be applied to OA? More specifically Rokugan?
I'm thinking an order of monks, but should they be hiding their power, or simply be a diverse group having unlocked the powers of Psionics instead of that of the Kami?
taylors005
04-16-08, 09:37 AM The Simple Bow in Weapons of Legacy is set for any Oriental-themed campaign, as well as Psionics (I may even use it in my Rokugan campaign, as the PCs to uncover the evil BloodSpeaker Cult Cells accidentally uncover a group of Psionic Samurai Warrior-types). And then there was the La Jatang with the picture of the Fish beside it.

why is there always stuff i didnt read!?!?!?! lol
narukagami
04-16-08, 03:28 PM Correct me if I'm misunderstanding the question (wouldn't be the first time :P), but, why do you need OA-specific psionic classes? Whats wrong with all the current psionic classes?
taylors005
04-16-08, 03:50 PM Correct me if I'm misunderstanding the question (wouldn't be the first time :P), but, why do you need OA-specific psionic classes? Whats wrong with all the current psionic classes?

i'm working on a campaign setting. that involves the oriental adventure/ psionics/ and has a wild west feel

so i was kinda hoping there would be a cross over class before i went designing my own
narukagami
04-16-08, 04:54 PM Flavor text is mutable. You probably don't need new classes, just re-written flavor. There is nothing inherently oriental or western about the psionic class's mechanics, its all in presentation.
RoyalBlueEyes
04-16-08, 05:08 PM 3.5 XPH classes work well with an Oriental Adventure as is. RadicalTaoist and TempestStormwind went to work on renaming Psionic stuff for a more Oriental feel.
Psions could simply be a new variety of Monk (like Inkyo) who have mystical powers derived from the mind, instead of the spirit (following the story surrounding the Fish Laja Tang in WoL).
Psychic Warriors could be "sorcerers" forming katana into their hands.
SoulKnives: making their own weapons (katana/wakizashi) out of Psychic Energy? They could be angry peasants follow the way of the samurai.
The_Shaman
04-16-08, 06:14 PM I doubt psychic warriors would be considered sorcerers. If anything, their powers would most likely be considered a show of their mastery of ki. However, they are too skillful at combat to be considered proper sorcerers - unlike, say, psions. Psions can be considered sages of some sort - probably mages - by everyone not intricately familiar with the working of psionics, which would probably be 99.57% of the population.
RoyalBlueEyes
04-17-08, 12:09 AM I doubt psychic warriors would be considered sorcerers. If anything, their powers would most likely be considered a show of their mastery of ki. However, they are too skillful at combat to be considered proper sorcerers - unlike, say, psions. Psions can be considered sages of some sort - probably mages - by everyone not intricately familiar with the working of psionics, which would probably be 99.57% of the population.
I don't mean to get snippity, but I said, " "sorcerers" " not "sorcerers", you see the difference? No? Well, the former implies the outlook of the majority of society in one where being foreign is essentially a crime as well as a catch-all for everything from magically inclined warriors to Shang Tsung.

Ofcourse I know the Psychic Warriors are more martially inclined, thus turning their hands into katana.

In ye olde Onimusha terms Gargant would probably be a Psychic Warrior, able to summon and form his sword (a loose interpretation of Graft Weapon) as well as other feats of over-powered murdering mayhem.
The_Shaman
04-17-08, 06:08 PM This may be the case if PWs are considered inherently uncommon - foreign, as you put it. Do they need to be, however? The Sohei and the Inkyo already wield powers somewhat different from those of a common swordmeister. Psychic Warriors, thus, can be simply samurai taught by one of the more meditative, ki-focused schools, as will probably abound in Dragon and Phoenix territory.
RoyalBlueEyes
04-18-08, 04:04 PM While I don't intend to bash your ideology on the PW in Rokugan settings, I just can't agree with it wholeheartedly.
If it were in fact so simple as to say, "Well this class would fit in to any setting or campaign by simply the DM letting it be so" than it would in fact be possible to fit the banned classes into Rokugan and say, "Because I will it to be, this won't raise any questions or conflict with Rokugan material (even if used lightly)."
Which simply isn't true.
Will Psionic classes be so foreign to Rokugan that you shouldn't use them? No, even the Paladin sees love in the form of an outside race using it in Rokugan. But the fact is, if it were common (or to say uncommon) for the populace of Rokugan to know of Psionics, then Samurai of the Dragon or Phoenix clans would be better disposed to dealing with Oni than the Crab, who are by far the pinnacle of warfare technology in Rokugan, solely due to their connection to it. Thus it would be undermining Rokugani society to isolate Psionics to a minorly major clan. Afterall, the Dragon founded the Niten Technique and Tattoed Monks; the Phoenix have mastered the five elements and aren't limited in their magic.

Where each Clan has brought something new to the table, it would be most fitting to allow a minor clan, perhaps a new custom one, to bring something new to the table. Otherwise, every Great Clan would try to emulate it, and then as I always do, I will have a player ask, When and How Psionics showed up? Why weren't the Thunders psionically inclined? And Why are Arcane classes barred when Psionics and Divine Magic are allowed?

So then, to say that Psionics should not be foreign, simply because of one's preference towards it, shifts the entire game in that I've got to redefine the entire campaign (why should you invest in a Jade crafted sword if you can get a SoulKnife with Soul Swords enchanted with the properties of Jade?).

I'll admit, I like Psionics but I an not enamored completely.
narukagami
04-18-08, 04:21 PM It should be noted that the OP didn't specify Rokugan at all. Not all OA games are set in Rokugan, so readers out there shouldn't have to feel constrained by Rokugan fluff and canon when they design their campaigns.

Anyway, just wanted to clarify. You have good points on the inclusion of psionics in Rokugan regardless, so continue as you please :P.
RoyalBlueEyes
04-20-08, 11:44 PM It should be noted that the OP didn't specify Rokugan at all. Not all OA games are set in Rokugan, so readers out there shouldn't have to feel constrained by Rokugan fluff and canon when they design their campaigns.

Anyway, just wanted to clarify. You have good points on the inclusion of psionics in Rokugan regardless, so continue as you please :P.

I admit, the only reason I went off on that tangent was because of the mention of Dragon and Phoenix clan, which aren't always limited to Rokugan campaigns.
But even then, unless you're redesigning the entire clan dynamics, the Crab clan is the first and usually only necessary line of defense against the Oni (if you allow them to keep the Kaiu Wall, and thus give them purpose for why they are more inclined to wear heavy armor).

Anyway, I ramble.

PW could very well fit into any campaign, especially oriental, but for some reason I can't wash the images of anime out of my mine. Seriously, I'm sick and tired of Inu Yasha all ready, yet because it is so horrific, I can not be rid of the images of Inu and Kagome burned into the back of either eyelid.
The Ubbergeek
04-21-08, 02:43 PM There is many other animes out there.... :rolleyes:
RoyalBlueEyes
04-23-08, 12:00 AM There is many other animes out there.... :rolleyes:

Alas, I know. But it be that of Inu Yasha which earns my ire. If ye moost go on an adventure to kill 1! Not twenty or fifty, but ONE! Villain, that takes more episodes than Dragonball Z has in its entirety, AND you are successful at acquiring a large fanbase while doing so, you are truly a villain of unconquerable immorality!

Worse than the book of erotic fantasy...:noway:

Now, there are good anime out there, and I dare say I wish I could watch them more, but ultimately, you realize that all of the melodrama of the good drama-based anime is as stale as the bread currently molding in my pantry.

Anyway, about Psionics and Anime: I have no idea what it is about Psionics that reminds others and I of Anime, SciFi, or Steampunk.
Psionics is so...out there, yet you can only see it in those genres if you squint hard and are very liberal about it.

Psionics is just so weird in that you carry around a PsiCrystal (Animal Companion, Spell Book, Holy Symbol), you are never without a weapon (Proficiency in unarmed combat, Spells, ancestral daisho), and you are good at resisting telepathy (immunity to disease, fear, etc).
*All items in ()'s are their equivalents in the PHB

And that's just lumping all the classes together and taking their basics. They are much like the core classes, but something about them ultimately makes them different.

Perhaps its the naming of the powers and classes, the fluff; which we know we can alter at a whim.

Certainly the ability to use powers, to empower powers (which is more balanced than spells), and to spontaneously use powers is not.

Psionics is DnD, but ultimately does not feel like DnD for some strange reason.

Thus to use it in a setting that is granted only the system and basics of DnD seems even more gaijin. But there is nothing inherently worthy of banning Psionics from any setting of DnD.
-------------------------
Going off topic for a bit, and returning to my Onimusha tangent: Onimusha successfully incorporates Psionics into an Oriental Setting.

Call Weaponry answers, "Wait...where'd that spear come from?"
Energy Wave/Bolt/Cone/Missile answers Yagyu Jubei's Onimusha special attack
Energy Burst answers Samanosuke's Onimusha special attack
Metaphysical Weapon answers the whole charging-up special attacks

Anyway, that's a good way to incorporate Psionics into your game (although it'll mean a lot of multiclassing).
Joni-san
04-23-08, 08:56 PM *SNIP*

Maybe you need some of...

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/2899/1202821798596fn2.jpg

That would be Kamina from Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann, which is the pure, distilled essence of the giant robot genre.

If you like anime at all -- even if you hate the giant robot genre -- and are male, and Gurren-Lagann doesn't make you cry tears made of pure testosterone by the end of every episode while shouting and shaking a fist at the sky, then turn in your gender to someone who can make better use of it. :ayyyy!:

Yeah. It's pretty over the top.

Quoted because this cannot be repeated too many times!

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/8135/avatar398725sl1.png
-Joni
RoyalBlueEyes
04-23-08, 09:48 PM Maybe you need some of...

Quoted because this cannot be repeated too many times!

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/8135/avatar398725sl1.png
-Joni

You want me to watch that?
...
...
...
Sure.:D
starvingillithid
05-09-08, 08:37 PM there is also the yogi that SLEEPWALKER1366666 :bounce: made... :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow:

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
taylors005 04-16-08, 12:52 AM	Are there any OA psionic classes at all?
calronmoonflower 04-16-08, 01:46 AM	Well, not in Oriental Adventures. However, you can fit psionics classes into the game without much trouble. It will take just a slight amount of reflavoring. Oriental Adventures makes a suggestion of including psychic warriors on page 205 of Oriental Adventures. Also you might want to cross-post on the psionics board. If you don't mind homebrew classes you could try my Psionic Fist
taylors005 04-16-08, 02:17 AM	Well, not in Oriental Adventures. However, you can fit psionics classes into the game without much trouble. It will take just a slight amount of reflavoring. Oriental Adventures makes a suggestion of including psychic warriors on page 205 of Oriental Adventures. Also you might want to cross-post on the psionics board. If you don't mind homebrew classes you could try my Psionic Fist i never read past the classes in OA (shame on me) your class has a lot of numbers to it ;) but looks interesting and now i want to psionify the sohei im cross posting now
RoyalBlueEyes 04-16-08, 09:25 AM	The Simple Bow in Weapons of Legacy is set for any Oriental-themed campaign, as well as Psionics (I may even use it in my Rokugan campaign, as the PCs to uncover the evil BloodSpeaker Cult Cells accidentally uncover a group of Psionic Samurai Warrior-types). And then there was the La Jatang with the picture of the Fish beside it. EDIT: Jacking the OPs post for a bit; how would Psionics be applied to OA? More specifically Rokugan? I'm thinking an order of monks, but should they be hiding their power, or simply be a diverse group having unlocked the powers of Psionics instead of that of the Kami?
taylors005 04-16-08, 09:37 AM	The Simple Bow in Weapons of Legacy is set for any Oriental-themed campaign, as well as Psionics (I may even use it in my Rokugan campaign, as the PCs to uncover the evil BloodSpeaker Cult Cells accidentally uncover a group of Psionic Samurai Warrior-types). And then there was the La Jatang with the picture of the Fish beside it. why is there always stuff i didnt read!?!?!?! lol
narukagami 04-16-08, 03:28 PM	Correct me if I'm misunderstanding the question (wouldn't be the first time :P), but, why do you need OA-specific psionic classes? Whats wrong with all the current psionic classes?
taylors005 04-16-08, 03:50 PM	Correct me if I'm misunderstanding the question (wouldn't be the first time :P), but, why do you need OA-specific psionic classes? Whats wrong with all the current psionic classes? i'm working on a campaign setting. that involves the oriental adventure/ psionics/ and has a wild west feel so i was kinda hoping there would be a cross over class before i went designing my own
narukagami 04-16-08, 04:54 PM	Flavor text is mutable. You probably don't need new classes, just re-written flavor. There is nothing inherently oriental or western about the psionic class's mechanics, its all in presentation.
RoyalBlueEyes 04-16-08, 05:08 PM	3.5 XPH classes work well with an Oriental Adventure as is. RadicalTaoist and TempestStormwind went to work on renaming Psionic stuff for a more Oriental feel. Psions could simply be a new variety of Monk (like Inkyo) who have mystical powers derived from the mind, instead of the spirit (following the story surrounding the Fish Laja Tang in WoL). Psychic Warriors could be "sorcerers" forming katana into their hands. SoulKnives: making their own weapons (katana/wakizashi) out of Psychic Energy? They could be angry peasants follow the way of the samurai.
The_Shaman 04-16-08, 06:14 PM	I doubt psychic warriors would be considered sorcerers. If anything, their powers would most likely be considered a show of their mastery of ki. However, they are too skillful at combat to be considered proper sorcerers - unlike, say, psions. Psions can be considered sages of some sort - probably mages - by everyone not intricately familiar with the working of psionics, which would probably be 99.57% of the population.
RoyalBlueEyes 04-17-08, 12:09 AM	I doubt psychic warriors would be considered sorcerers. If anything, their powers would most likely be considered a show of their mastery of ki. However, they are too skillful at combat to be considered proper sorcerers - unlike, say, psions. Psions can be considered sages of some sort - probably mages - by everyone not intricately familiar with the working of psionics, which would probably be 99.57% of the population. I don't mean to get snippity, but I said, " "sorcerers" " not "sorcerers", you see the difference? No? Well, the former implies the outlook of the majority of society in one where being foreign is essentially a crime as well as a catch-all for everything from magically inclined warriors to Shang Tsung. Ofcourse I know the Psychic Warriors are more martially inclined, thus turning their hands into katana. In ye olde Onimusha terms Gargant would probably be a Psychic Warrior, able to summon and form his sword (a loose interpretation of Graft Weapon) as well as other feats of over-powered murdering mayhem.
The_Shaman 04-17-08, 06:08 PM	This may be the case if PWs are considered inherently uncommon - foreign, as you put it. Do they need to be, however? The Sohei and the Inkyo already wield powers somewhat different from those of a common swordmeister. Psychic Warriors, thus, can be simply samurai taught by one of the more meditative, ki-focused schools, as will probably abound in Dragon and Phoenix territory.
RoyalBlueEyes 04-18-08, 04:04 PM	While I don't intend to bash your ideology on the PW in Rokugan settings, I just can't agree with it wholeheartedly. If it were in fact so simple as to say, "Well this class would fit in to any setting or campaign by simply the DM letting it be so" than it would in fact be possible to fit the banned classes into Rokugan and say, "Because I will it to be, this won't raise any questions or conflict with Rokugan material (even if used lightly)." Which simply isn't true. Will Psionic classes be so foreign to Rokugan that you shouldn't use them? No, even the Paladin sees love in the form of an outside race using it in Rokugan. But the fact is, if it were common (or to say uncommon) for the populace of Rokugan to know of Psionics, then Samurai of the Dragon or Phoenix clans would be better disposed to dealing with Oni than the Crab, who are by far the pinnacle of warfare technology in Rokugan, solely due to their connection to it. Thus it would be undermining Rokugani society to isolate Psionics to a minorly major clan. Afterall, the Dragon founded the Niten Technique and Tattoed Monks; the Phoenix have mastered the five elements and aren't limited in their magic. Where each Clan has brought something new to the table, it would be most fitting to allow a minor clan, perhaps a new custom one, to bring something new to the table. Otherwise, every Great Clan would try to emulate it, and then as I always do, I will have a player ask, When and How Psionics showed up? Why weren't the Thunders psionically inclined? And Why are Arcane classes barred when Psionics and Divine Magic are allowed? So then, to say that Psionics should not be foreign, simply because of one's preference towards it, shifts the entire game in that I've got to redefine the entire campaign (why should you invest in a Jade crafted sword if you can get a SoulKnife with Soul Swords enchanted with the properties of Jade?). I'll admit, I like Psionics but I an not enamored completely.
narukagami 04-18-08, 04:21 PM	It should be noted that the OP didn't specify Rokugan at all. Not all OA games are set in Rokugan, so readers out there shouldn't have to feel constrained by Rokugan fluff and canon when they design their campaigns. Anyway, just wanted to clarify. You have good points on the inclusion of psionics in Rokugan regardless, so continue as you please :P.
RoyalBlueEyes 04-20-08, 11:44 PM	It should be noted that the OP didn't specify Rokugan at all. Not all OA games are set in Rokugan, so readers out there shouldn't have to feel constrained by Rokugan fluff and canon when they design their campaigns. Anyway, just wanted to clarify. You have good points on the inclusion of psionics in Rokugan regardless, so continue as you please :P. I admit, the only reason I went off on that tangent was because of the mention of Dragon and Phoenix clan, which aren't always limited to Rokugan campaigns. But even then, unless you're redesigning the entire clan dynamics, the Crab clan is the first and usually only necessary line of defense against the Oni (if you allow them to keep the Kaiu Wall, and thus give them purpose for why they are more inclined to wear heavy armor). Anyway, I ramble. PW could very well fit into any campaign, especially oriental, but for some reason I can't wash the images of anime out of my mine. Seriously, I'm sick and tired of Inu Yasha all ready, yet because it is so horrific, I can not be rid of the images of Inu and Kagome burned into the back of either eyelid.
The Ubbergeek 04-21-08, 02:43 PM	There is many other animes out there.... :rolleyes:
RoyalBlueEyes 04-23-08, 12:00 AM	There is many other animes out there.... :rolleyes: Alas, I know. But it be that of Inu Yasha which earns my ire. If ye moost go on an adventure to kill 1! Not twenty or fifty, but ONE! Villain, that takes more episodes than Dragonball Z has in its entirety, AND you are successful at acquiring a large fanbase while doing so, you are truly a villain of unconquerable immorality! Worse than the book of erotic fantasy...:noway: Now, there are good anime out there, and I dare say I wish I could watch them more, but ultimately, you realize that all of the melodrama of the good drama-based anime is as stale as the bread currently molding in my pantry. Anyway, about Psionics and Anime: I have no idea what it is about Psionics that reminds others and I of Anime, SciFi, or Steampunk. Psionics is so...out there, yet you can only see it in those genres if you squint hard and are very liberal about it. Psionics is just so weird in that you carry around a PsiCrystal (Animal Companion, Spell Book, Holy Symbol), you are never without a weapon (Proficiency in unarmed combat, Spells, ancestral daisho), and you are good at resisting telepathy (immunity to disease, fear, etc). *All items in ()'s are their equivalents in the PHB And that's just lumping all the classes together and taking their basics. They are much like the core classes, but something about them ultimately makes them different. Perhaps its the naming of the powers and classes, the fluff; which we know we can alter at a whim. Certainly the ability to use powers, to empower powers (which is more balanced than spells), and to spontaneously use powers is not. Psionics is DnD, but ultimately does not feel like DnD for some strange reason. Thus to use it in a setting that is granted only the system and basics of DnD seems even more gaijin. But there is nothing inherently worthy of banning Psionics from any setting of DnD. ------------------------- Going off topic for a bit, and returning to my Onimusha tangent: Onimusha successfully incorporates Psionics into an Oriental Setting. Call Weaponry answers, "Wait...where'd that spear come from?" Energy Wave/Bolt/Cone/Missile answers Yagyu Jubei's Onimusha special attack Energy Burst answers Samanosuke's Onimusha special attack Metaphysical Weapon answers the whole charging-up special attacks Anyway, that's a good way to incorporate Psionics into your game (although it'll mean a lot of multiclassing).
Joni-san 04-23-08, 08:56 PM	SNIP Maybe you need some of... http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/2899/1202821798596fn2.jpg That would be Kamina from Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann, which is the pure, distilled essence of the giant robot genre. If you like anime at all -- even if you hate the giant robot genre -- and are male, and Gurren-Lagann doesn't make you cry tears made of pure testosterone by the end of every episode while shouting and shaking a fist at the sky, then turn in your gender to someone who can make better use of it. :ayyyy!: Yeah. It's pretty over the top. Quoted because this cannot be repeated too many times! http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/8135/avatar398725sl1.png -Joni
RoyalBlueEyes 04-23-08, 09:48 PM	Maybe you need some of... Quoted because this cannot be repeated too many times! http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/8135/avatar398725sl1.png -Joni You want me to watch that? ... ... ... Sure.:D
starvingillithid 05-09-08, 08:37 PM	there is also the yogi that SLEEPWALKER1366666 :bounce: made... :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: