Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 eventhorizon1 Dec 15, 2014 0:55:01	I was looking for some help in making them an addition as a playable race for dark sun, but 5th edition of course. Any suggestions ?
#2 cowleymen Dec 15, 2014 18:01:47	Shardminds I only know from 4e, so Im not sure what their history in DnD is before that. Dark Sun is strange in they I view it as both a high and low magic world. Plenty of low level magic in people in the masses(not of the arcane sorts though). Few things I think we need to decide about them, mostly what makes them iconic?   First off, Innate psionic power. Pressuming that they get bonuses around being living crystals formed by thought/willpower, so should get bonuses to Intellegince, and maybe a +1 Con, being living crystal makes you fairly tough as well.   They also probably should be naturally telepathic, but not im sure about the range. 30-60 feet sounds right. Anything with a language understands the projected thoughts of a Shardmind.   Now the fun part, their old racial power of the shardburst. I say we scale damage the same as the Dragonborn breath weapon. The next part is making the  area of effect fairly equal in total coverage as the dragonborn cone or line.    So I think that covers most of what they need. the rest is fluff and maybe a few minnor traits.
#3 eventhorizon1 Dec 15, 2014 19:17:18	here is what i have so far  Shardmind     Ability modifiers: +1 to constitution +1 charisma     Speed: 30’       Languages:  deep speech and choice of one other.    Size: medium     Crystalline mind: you have resistance versus psionics. This racial trait can be used again after you have entered an uninterrupted trance.     Crystalline being: you do not need to eat, drink, or breathe.     Construct recharge: to gain the benefits of a long rest you enter a trance like state of inactivity for 4 hours. While in this state you are fully aware of your surroundings.      Psionic healing: all healing you receive only heals half as much as normal. Instead you may heal your wounds using the additional PSP you have gathered from an attack equal to the psionic damage. This ability can be used again after a rest like trance.     Psionic repository: because you resistance versus psionics you only take half damage from direct psionic attacks. The other half of the psionic damage you convert into PSP. You may not add more than ½ from the initial attack within a 24 hour period.        Racial feat   Disassemble:  you loosen the mental grip you have on your physical form in diffuse into a cloud of shards in a 20’ radius cloud centered on you. All those caught in the crystal cloud have disadvantage on all rolls, and when you reassemble you have advantage until the end of your next turn you resalable anywhere in an unoccupied space within your movement rate. After you use this trait you can’t do so again until you have completed a rejuvenating trance. Vulnerabilities: if the Shardmind takes bludgeoning damage it has disadvantage on attack rolls and damage until the end of its next turn. Vitality: Even though you do not need to eat or drink or breath you still area living being and as such still need some sort of fuel source and that source is psychic energy one example are  psychic crystals. The psi- crystals must have at least a reservoir of 1 PSP per character level. Another example is a willing psionicists but along with the PSP drain they also take an equal amount of hit point damage save vs constitution for half. If the participant is unwilling then an touch attack is needed. If the attack is unsuccessful then a psychic feedback takes place and the effect the Shardmind would impose on another is reversed back on them instead.  If they do not get this psychic energy they start to suffer exhaustion effects.
#4 DontEatRawHagis Dec 17, 2014 6:42:55	I feel like the power point mechanic is a lot more book keeping than necessary.    My suggestion would be to remove some of the bonus abilities like Psionic healing, Psionic repository, and Vitality.   Psionic resistance is in line with dragonborn recieving resistance to their element so I'd leave it in and remove the vunerability to bludgeoning. That type of detriment would be unfun from a player stand point.   As far as vitality goes if you want a resource to keep them fighting you could try having them required to take in precious gems or crystals once a week to regain crystal components lost during fights and due to erosion from the sand.   i remember shard minds from 4e but I don't remember what drew people to them.
#5 eventhorizon1 Dec 29, 2014 20:13:07	the shardmind is being reworked while i was working on the psion which i just posted. ill finish the write up after i have worked out the last mechanic. the reason  they have more abilities or penalties is all the races i offer in my campaigns have them i should have said this and the main reason is becasue of the half giant and Thri-kreen (used cyber daves write ups along with my own campaign modifications). i do like your idea about needing crytals but it would be more then once a week to keep it in line with the other races that need food and water. i need to rework this ,but i like the idea and will incoperate it along with the psionic vampire thing (something like when they run out of cyrstals and are in the desert then its resort to psionic leach or start to suffer the effects of exhaustion). the thing that drew me to this race is simple, i thought as a psionic slant race what better fit than a psionic heavy setting like dark sun.
#6 JamesMusicus Jan 05, 2015 21:38:35	I've put a lot of work into homebrewing balanced races. You can find a lot of my stuff here: http://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/2j6xbo/5e_guide_to_homebrewing_races/   I have a shardmind already made, but it may not be what you want so change it as needed, but try not to exceed 6.5 points using the system I've detailed.