From: rparker@wpi.WPI.EDU (Richard E Parker)
Subject: psionics
Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 20:49:45 GMT


	Ok, fellow DM.  This is to prevent you from getting into the kind of
trouble "I" got into.

	All telepathic powers should have saving throws vs. Mind Affecting
magic, except any you deem to be so nasty, they shouldn't get a save at all.
These should be rare and have a level requirement.  (No less than 10th level.
I recommend 15th for really nasty things and 20th for those things that you
really want to give to psionic masters to hose the party down with.)
	Next, you've got to start THINKING psionics like you've been thinking
magic.  Villains who have had the foresight to get a ring of fire-resistance
or some such thing, should have the foresight to buy psionic items too.
Villains who hire mages, should have access to psionicists too.  And powerful
critters like beholders and dragons should have psionic defenses as surely
as they have magic defenses.  Yes, this makes them nastier, but psionics makes
the party nastier too.
	No self-respecting master engineer builds a castle without hiring a
mage and psionicist (12th/10th level respectively) to ward his castle against
magical and psionic intrustion.  They construct WARDS to protect the castle
from invasion by teleport, clairvoyance, and rock-to-mud spells and any other
non-sense that a castle's lord may have to put up with from annoying
adventurers.
	On giving psionicists more points, I recommend one of two systems.  
Either let the psionicists roll d20 for extra points per level, so they have 
the chance of getting more than 10 points, or give them 1d10 per level and add
points for ALL attributes and not just wisdom at first level.  When they
complain that they haven't got enough points after all of that, laugh in their
faces.  I do.  (I freely admit that my players got away with murder when we
started.  If it can be done, they've tried it.  Don't let yours get you down
and definitely don't let them scare you away from this class.)
	Some of the powers need changes to give the psionicist more of a
chance.  Psionic attacks should be just that.  Contact should not be required.
Let some of the powers be area-effect powers.  (I recommend that only
sciences be allowed to be area effect.  Try psionic blast.)  Don't use the
standard system for handling damage for psionic blast and some of these other
attacks.  Use DICE.  That way, the Psionicist might not roll nearly as well as
he might and the baddy may live, or he may get really lucky.  Use d4s or d6s,
your choices.  75% loss of hit points is WAAAAAYYYYY too much for the
expenditure of a few points, even if it ISN'T real.  And remember the baddies
save for half.
	Rigidly enforce those power check penalties and the rest requirements.
If the psi-guy is humping and fighting his way through the dungeon, he don't
get PSPs back, same as the mage don't get spells back.  If you can get your
player's copy of the Psi-guy book.  READ it.  KNOW it.  You HAVE to know the
powers as well as you know spells.  It prevents chicanery.  I've had perfectly
good roleplayers try and perpertrate on me, when I knew they were full of it.
	Make up NEW powers for your own NPC psionicists.  Don't be afraid to
throw NPC psi-guys at the party.  It makes a nice change of pace from
conventional evil priests and sorcerers.  Let the players research new powers
too, to be fair, but such research should be far longer than researching a
mage or priest spell.  Hope this helps.  If you need more help, let me know.

							A. Paladin