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Summary: Psionics: Full Form
Review: Back in AD&D 2, Psionics were confusing, overpowered, and took a fair amount of tweaking to integrate them into any game other than Dark Sun(tm).No more. This book is everything it should be and nothing that it shouldn't: everything is clearly laid out and easy to find, the rules are well explained and easy to read, and the powers are well thought out. Everything is also cleanly integrated into the D&D 3 world, accounting for "Power Resistance" in some monsters. The balance is decent but at least well thought out and Dungeon Masters shouldn't have any difficulty incorperating these rules into an already running campaign. The price, for what you get, is maybe a touch high but not ridiculous. All in all, a worthwhile buy.
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Summary: Good for Psions and Non-Psions Alike...
Review: Not being a fan of the Psions (which are a Woefully Overpowered group), I find the book to be helpful to adapt to other classes and races as well. If any DM can think about it, D&D isn't really setup to be "playable in a certain format" ideal, like Forgotten Realms. With some modifications and such, Psionic Powers and Spells can be adapted for others (thought at either a terrible price for the ability or spell, or the character themselves). Take for example Thrall. A much more powerful Spell than the Vampire Ability Domination. With Thrall, theirs a chance your "Influenced Servant" will be able to do certain acts upon herslf...like Suicide, or plunging headlong into a battle.. Tweak it abit, and that Vampire is more lethal than ever. Forget Domination, Thrall would allow a Vampire a chance to make a battle even more fun for Higher Level PC's. The Psionics Handbook not only provides Psion PC's their fair share, it also offers us "Non-Psions" a good way to get access to new abilities and spells...thought adapting it is gonna be messy... Well worth the price, and one any DM should Pick-Up and start reading, as this book can be used by Psions or not. Of course, that's my opinion, I could be wrong.....
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Summary: problems with psions...
Review: overall, very good, yet there are definately problems with psions... In many ways, the psions are overbalanced since a psion with a good main stat can get massive numbers of power points, and be able to cast huge numbers of spells compared to the other classes. The metamagic feats are just two cheap in pp cost, so a psion can blast off 3 disintigrates a round with Twin and Quicken, which will kill most anything. Also, Mind Blast...a normal attack that has affects an area and forces everyone to save or be stunned for 3d4 rounds...add this to 2 feats that can increase saving throws by 4, and another ability to reroll, and the saving throw is 1d20 + 4 + cha rolled twice... Of course, as someone mentioned, the majority of psionic spells simply suck, their damaging spells are worthless, and the remainder of spells are simply mediocre so a psionicist is left blasting away using the same spells over and over again...
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Summary: This is a welcome edition to 3rd edition rules
Review: I have always wanted to make a crazy gnome that can blow up someones head whith a thought, and now I can. Dispite some minor drawbacks of power points this is an incredible book and can add a nice little bit of spice to most campaigns.
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Summary: Good system, but you may need to tweak the psion up a little
Review: The good news is that the psionics system is no longer a huge unworkable mess as it was in second edition. (That says a lot for how much better the 3e system is as a whole) Both of the new core classes presented are interesting, and the psionics system is distinct from the magic systems used by mages and clerics without being incongruous. Unfortunately, Psions in particular are extremely weak. The spells are divided between 6 disciplines - each tied to a particular stat. Meaning that at higher levels the psion will probably have only one discipline to select spells from. The psion received a very small number of spells. (slightly less the than sorcerer) Psion spells never get more powerful with level. Psion's spells per day a very low (equivalent to about half of what a sorcerer can manage). They can channel their points into a massive number of low-level spells. (A 10th level psion could cast 52 1st level spells in a day if he so wished) But since spells don't get better at higher levels - what use is casting a 1d6 damage spell to a 10th level character? And most significantly of all - psion spells just plain lack "umph". The most powerful psion attack spell, the 9th level detonation, does 17d6 damage to a single opponent, the mage 9th level spell meteor swarm does 24d6 to any caught in the blast radius. Even a cleric can dole out 1d6 per level with the 8th level firestorm (again over a large area). The psion astral constructs are no match for the beasties that clerics and mages can summon. They have some healing spells and some decent defensive buffing spells - but they only work on themselves!
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Summary: Perfect
Review: Expensive, I thought. I'll pass. For a week. But you know how it is. Once you've got it in your head, you can't let it go. Finally, I bought it. (Well, it was hard to get, but I have friends who can get me things from the US). And I love it! The two new classes, the prestige classes... the powers, monsters, and psionic items--you could start an entirely new campaign based only on psionics! Especially with the way they've allowed the psion to follow any of six paths. I prefer the telepath, but the shaper is cool, too. Give it a shot, I did, and I don't regret it.
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Summary: Since when is this handbook part of the core rules?
Review: OK, let me put it this way. Not everyone plays with psionics, but this gets released before a number of other "core" supplements (i.e. rangers, druid, theives, bards, etc.). Yes, the class books are smaller and less intensive, but they're a heck of alot more useful to alot more players and DMs... I suppose this is less of a criticism of the book than of WotC, but I think I make a valid point.
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Summary: They've turned Psionics into Magic and vice versa
Review: I was so happy when they introduced the character class of Sorcerer with spell abilities based on strength of mind. Now they've added this book with adds another character class with spell like abilities based on strength of mind. It's too much and too confusing. The prestige classes aren't that much different from some of the prestige classes for mages and sorcerers either. While there is a great deal of information, I feel they should have combined them into one type (which I've done in my campaign). If you're really interested in Psionics get the book but if it's just a passing interest don't bother - just use the Socerer and expand on some of the mental abilities.
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Summary: Failed Psionics
Review: WoC made the unique powers of the mind into nothing more than a feeble third type of magic. The spells... oh err powers are nothing more than reworded copies of wizard and sorcery versions. The claim to over 200 different powers is BS, oh there are over 200 if you count all of the minor and greater versions of a given power, as well as all 9 levels of create ectoplasmic construct. They turned useful powers into prestige classes (like mind blade). Overall i am, obviously, dissapointed by the turd editions attempt at psionics.
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Summary: And behind door number three... more magic!
Review: Back at GenCon 2000, they said that the new Psionics book would be "tightly integrated with the core rules" in a way that the old 2e Psionics weren't. They were wrong. The Force in Star Wars d20 is a lot more "core" in my opinion... and a lot more mystical psionic. That said, this is an excellent accessory if you're looking for a third form of magic, or a replacement for wizards and clerics. Despite using a system similar to The Force for "psionics" in my home campaign, I still keep this book handy--for Outer-Planar Creatures. Psionics in D&D 3e are new-age, outer-planar, and very, very edgy. If you're looking for insight into the powers of Mind Flayers and Githyanki and their ilk, this is the place to get it; if you're looking for "the ways of the mind", well, this isn't, but those really aren't quite what Psionics have ever been in D&D.
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