How does the Psionic Disciplines work? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 eyebreaker May 05, 2013 17:21:25	There's the 6 dif disciplines and then they also have seperate lists for psionic abilities in general. How does it all work? Why the 2 lists? If I take the Psychometabolism disciline (as a Psion) can I still choose other powers that don't fall under that types listing? Such as Swarm of Crystals? Does that make any sense? I'm confussed
#2 Count_Von_CoC May 05, 2013 18:04:18	The Discipline lists are available only to psions of that discipline; all psions can choose off of the Psion/wilder list as well. It's kinda like a cleric's Domain spell list.
#3 Tempest_Stormwind May 05, 2013 19:54:48	Here's the FAQ. Psion Q: What powers can I select for my psion? I've got 36 to choose from, but there aren't that many in my discipline... A: That's because you've got an entire general list to pick from. Quoting from the New DM/Player's Guide: * Egoists can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Egoist (Psychometabolism) list. * Nomads can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Nomad (Psychoportation) list. * Kineticists can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Kineticist (Psychokinesis) list. * Shapers can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Shaper (Metacreativity) list. * Seers can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Seer (Clairsentience) list. * Telepaths can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Telepath (Telepathy) list.
#4 Scythal May 07, 2013 1:26:14	To say the same thing in a diferrent way: Psion get to choose from 2 types of powers: Privates powers witch appears on the 6 discipline lists Public powers witch are all the others. As a lv 1 psion, you choose one list of private powers. Choose wisely because you can't change it. Then, when you have to learn your known powers, they can be either private (from your list only) and/or public ones. I hope it helps you to understand how it works.
#5 eyebreaker May 07, 2013 10:08:48	How do I know when the powers I chose have to be chosen from my private powers & when it can be from any powers?
#6 Tempest_Stormwind May 07, 2013 10:38:00	Your question makes no sense. You always learn powers from the lists mentioned in my first post. Only the Expanded Knowledge feat can skip this rule.
#7 eyebreaker May 07, 2013 10:44:27	Then, when you have to learn your known powers, they can be either private (from your list only) and/or public ones. How do I know if they HAVE to be private or if they can be public?
#8 eyebreaker May 07, 2013 10:59:01	At 1st level a Psion knows 3 powers. If I choose Telepathy as my discipline how many of them have to be from the telepathy list and how many can be from any list?
#9 Count_Von_CoC May 07, 2013 11:50:40	As many as 3, from either list. The only restriction is that you can't pick from other discipline lists. So, for example, that same Telepath at 5th levels could choose any desired disciplines from the Telepath or Psion/Wilder lists, but couldn't choose Astral Caravan, since that's a Nomad-only power.
#10 eyebreaker May 07, 2013 12:07:42	As many as 3, from either list. The only restriction is that you can't pick from other discipline lists. So, for example, that same Telepath at 5th levels could choose any desired disciplines from the Telepath or Psion/Wilder lists, but couldn't choose Astral Caravan, since that's a Nomad-only power. Ok now I'm even more confussed. Didin't think that was possible. Lol. If it helps, my shaper knows many Metacreativity powers, a few Psychokinesis powers, and one or two very good Psychoportation powers. It's just all of her powers are chosen from the Psion/Wilder list and the Shaper discipline list, and none are from, say, the Kineticist discipline liest. Tempest says you CAN take powers from dif disciplines and Count says you CAN'T. Which is it? Sorry if I'm getting on anyones nerves. I'm just really confussed
#11 Count_Von_CoC May 07, 2013 12:40:07	You can take powers from any discipline, AS LONG AS THEY APPEAR ON THE PSION/WILDER LIST. If they're on a different discipline list, you can't.
#12 eyebreaker May 07, 2013 12:59:22	I think I understand now. At 1st level a Psion gets 3 powers. (s)he picks telepathy as his/her discipline. (s)he can choose the powers: 1] Astral Traveler (even though it's a psychoportation power) because it's also on the general Psion/Wilder powers list? or 2] Catfall (even though it's a psycoportation power) because it's also on the general psion/wilder power list? or 3] Control flames (even though it's a psycokinesies power) because it's on the general psion/wilder power list? And of course anything from the telepathy list. Am I finally understanding this?
#13 Tempest_Stormwind May 07, 2013 13:28:16	Did you notice how I mentioned there are two definitions for the word "discipline" in the XPH? The first refers to the "school" of a power. For instance, Control Flames is Psychokinesis and Astral Construct is Metacreativity. The second refers to the specialist list a power may or may not appear on, and the related psion specialty. For instance, Control Flames does not appear on a discipline list (it's a Psion/Wilder power), while Astral Construct is a Shaper power. (I use those specific examples rather than the telepathy one because it's easy to tell "Metacreativity" and "Shaper" apart, but a bit harder to tell "Telepathy" (the school) and "Telepath" (the list) apart, but the same logic holds.) For this reason, the old psionics board here referred to the latter as "devotion". It cleared a lot up, but the practice was never widespread. Now, we tend to talk about what list the power appears on. In your example, a Psion (telepath) can learn powers of any discipline, provided they appear on the Psion/Wilder list or the Telepath list. Your telepath can learn Mind Thrust (telepathy, Psion/Wilder), Mindlink (telepathy, Telepath), and Matter Agitation (psychokinesis, Psion/Wilder) but could not learn Control Object (psychokinesis, Kineticist) unless he used an Expanded Knowledge feat to do so. You'll see that a power's individual discipline doesn't matter for anything here - it's what list the power appears on that matters. Or, as I said in my very first post, quoting an FAQ I wrote seven years ago, Q: What powers can I select for my psion? I've got 36 to choose from, but there aren't that many in my discipline... A: That's because you've got an entire general list to pick from. Quoting from the New DM/Player's Guide: * Egoists can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Egoist (Psychometabolism) list. * Nomads can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Nomad (Psychoportation) list. * Kineticists can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Kineticist (Psychokinesis) list. * Shapers can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Shaper (Metacreativity) list. * Seers can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Seer (Clairsentience) list. * Telepaths can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Telepath (Telepathy) list.
#14 eyebreaker May 07, 2013 13:39:33	OK I got it now. Sorry for the agrivation I have caused. Reading back over everything makes me wonder why I didn't understand it sooner as it all makes sense now. Thanks for putting up with me and for the help. Much appreciated.

Post/Author/DateTime

Post

eyebreaker

May 05, 2013 17:21:25

There's the 6 dif disciplines and then they also have seperate lists for psionic abilities in general. How does it all work? Why the 2 lists?
If I take the Psychometabolism disciline (as a Psion) can I still choose other powers that don't fall under that types listing? Such as Swarm of Crystals?
Does that make any sense? I'm confussed

Count_Von_CoC

May 05, 2013 18:04:18

The Discipline lists are available only to psions of that discipline; all psions can choose off of the Psion/wilder list as well. It's kinda like a cleric's Domain spell list.

Tempest_Stormwind

May 05, 2013 19:54:48

Here's the FAQ.

Psion
Q: What powers can I select for my psion? I've got 36 to choose from, but there aren't that many in my discipline...
A: That's because you've got an entire general list to pick from. Quoting from the New DM/Player's Guide:

* Egoists can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Egoist (Psychometabolism) list.
* Nomads can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Nomad (Psychoportation) list.
* Kineticists can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Kineticist (Psychokinesis) list.
* Shapers can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Shaper (Metacreativity) list.
* Seers can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Seer (Clairsentience) list.
* Telepaths can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Telepath (Telepathy) list.

Scythal

May 07, 2013 1:26:14

To say the same thing in a diferrent way:
Psion get to choose from 2 types of powers:

Privates powers witch appears on the 6 discipline lists
Public powers witch are all the others.

As a lv 1 psion, you choose one list of private powers. Choose wisely because you can't change it. Then, when you have to learn your known powers, they can be either private (from your list only) and/or public ones.

I hope it helps you to understand how it works.

eyebreaker

May 07, 2013 10:08:48

How do I know when the powers I chose have to be chosen from my private powers & when it can be from any powers?

Tempest_Stormwind

May 07, 2013 10:38:00

Your question makes no sense. You always learn powers from the lists mentioned in my first post. Only the Expanded Knowledge feat can skip this rule.

eyebreaker

May 07, 2013 10:44:27

Then, when you have to learn your known powers, they can be either private (from your list only) and/or public ones.

How do I know if they HAVE to be private or if they can be public?

eyebreaker

May 07, 2013 10:59:01

At 1st level a Psion knows 3 powers. If I choose Telepathy as my discipline how many of them have to be from the telepathy list and how many can be from any list?

Count_Von_CoC

May 07, 2013 11:50:40

As many as 3, from either list. The only restriction is that you can't pick from other discipline lists. So, for example, that same Telepath at 5th levels could choose any desired disciplines from the Telepath or Psion/Wilder lists, but couldn't choose Astral Caravan, since that's a Nomad-only power.

#10

eyebreaker

May 07, 2013 12:07:42

As many as 3, from either list. The only restriction is that you can't pick from other discipline lists. So, for example, that same Telepath at 5th levels could choose any desired disciplines from the Telepath or Psion/Wilder lists, but couldn't choose Astral Caravan, since that's a Nomad-only power.

Ok now I'm even more confussed. Didin't think that was possible. Lol.

If it helps, my shaper knows many Metacreativity powers, a few Psychokinesis powers, and one or two very good Psychoportation powers. It's just all of her powers are chosen from the Psion/Wilder list and the Shaper discipline list, and none are from, say, the Kineticist discipline liest.

Tempest says you CAN take powers from dif disciplines and Count says you CAN'T. Which is it? Sorry if I'm getting on anyones nerves. I'm just really confussed

#11

Count_Von_CoC

May 07, 2013 12:40:07

You can take powers from any discipline, AS LONG AS THEY APPEAR ON THE PSION/WILDER LIST. If they're on a different discipline list, you can't.

#12

eyebreaker

May 07, 2013 12:59:22

I think I understand now.
At 1st level a Psion gets 3 powers. (s)he picks telepathy as his/her discipline. (s)he can choose the powers:

1] Astral Traveler (even though it's a psychoportation power) because it's also on the general Psion/Wilder powers list?

or

2] Catfall (even though it's a psycoportation power) because it's also on the general psion/wilder power list?

or

3] Control flames (even though it's a psycokinesies power) because it's on the general psion/wilder power list?

And of course anything from the telepathy list.
Am I finally understanding this?

#13

Tempest_Stormwind

May 07, 2013 13:28:16

Did you notice how I mentioned there are two definitions for the word "discipline" in the XPH?

The first refers to the "school" of a power. For instance, Control Flames is Psychokinesis and Astral Construct is Metacreativity.

The second refers to the specialist list a power may or may not appear on, and the related psion specialty. For instance, Control Flames does not appear on a discipline list (it's a Psion/Wilder power), while Astral Construct is a Shaper power.

(I use those specific examples rather than the telepathy one because it's easy to tell "Metacreativity" and "Shaper" apart, but a bit harder to tell "Telepathy" (the school) and "Telepath" (the list) apart, but the same logic holds.)

For this reason, the old psionics board here referred to the latter as "devotion". It cleared a lot up, but the practice was never widespread. Now, we tend to talk about what list the power appears on.

In your example, a Psion (telepath) can learn powers of any discipline, provided they appear on the Psion/Wilder list or the Telepath list. Your telepath can learn Mind Thrust (telepathy, Psion/Wilder), Mindlink (telepathy, Telepath), and Matter Agitation (psychokinesis, Psion/Wilder) but could not learn Control Object (psychokinesis, Kineticist) unless he used an Expanded Knowledge feat to do so.

You'll see that a power's individual discipline doesn't matter for anything here - it's what list the power appears on that matters.

Or, as I said in my very first post, quoting an FAQ I wrote seven years ago,

Q: What powers can I select for my psion? I've got 36 to choose from, but there aren't that many in my discipline...
A: That's because you've got an entire general list to pick from. Quoting from the New DM/Player's Guide:

* Egoists can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Egoist (Psychometabolism) list.
* Nomads can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Nomad (Psychoportation) list.
* Kineticists can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Kineticist (Psychokinesis) list.
* Shapers can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Shaper (Metacreativity) list.
* Seers can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Seer (Clairsentience) list.
* Telepaths can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Telepath (Telepathy) list.

#14

eyebreaker

May 07, 2013 13:39:33

OK I got it now. Sorry for the agrivation I have caused. Reading back over everything makes me wonder why I didn't understand it sooner as it all makes sense now. Thanks for putting up with me and for the help. Much appreciated.