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Summary: A key to whole new adventures
Review: I have been playing third-edition D&D since the summer of 2000. And the Psionics Handbook has given me a lot of new ideas and monsters to work with, (I am a dungeon master for a group of friends) This book also lets me use something other than magic in my adventures. The pictures in this are also very absorbing and fun to look at (although sometimes nightmarish) Kids like me will spend hours looking at the Psionics Hanbook for just plain fun and gameplay.
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Summary: Just Another Sorcerer
Review: Please steer away from the Psionics Handbook. Its just magic that is labeled "psionics". The "psioncis powers" are just lame versions of spells, and anything that can affect a spell can also affect a "psionic power", including magic resistance, which has been lamely renamed as "power resistance" when applied to psionic powers. Im sure the first time a dispel magic takes out your Telekinesis, you will regret your decision to play a Psion and not a Sorcerer, which is a far more interesting class.
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Summary: A requirement for 3rd edition
Review: This book introduces a new class, the psionic warrior, as well as reviving a fun one from 2nd edition. The psions from 3rd edition are very different from the ones from 2nd. PSPs, now power points, are seriously reduced in number, and powers are divided into levels like spells. Each discipline has a stat linked to it, and the requirements for using a power besides power points to spare are that you have 10 + the level of the power in the linked stat. This book contains new feats for both of the psionic classes and the non-psionics, and some feats that are available only to characters with psionic powers. Also, there are several cool prestige classes, including one that can create a psychic weapon at will. Some powers make a comeback from 2nd, but there are many new powers, psionic items, artifacts, and creatures that have never been seen. This book rocks.
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Summary: Finally, psionics is what it should be...
Review: Remember Psionics? In the original AD&D, it was supposed to be a new frontier: Mental powers, dueling minds, and a truly fabulous mystique. Then came Attack points, Defense points, Psi Strength points, Major & Minor Disciplines, combat resolved in segments, and a never-ending flood of supplemental rules.Most people tried, and tried hard to like psionics, but the old system just drove people crazy. Try as they might, the system was a clumsy add-on, and sooner or later DMs and players would tire of patching the holes. Well not anymore... The new Psionics Handbook blows the doors off the old system, turning a great concept into a great set of rules. Players no longer have to get extremely lucky on a percentile roll to get psionics ("Honest! I rolled a 98...really!") WoTC has codified the house rule that most people used "If the DM allows you to have it, you can have it." In so doing they have eliminated the second most lied about roll in D&D (right after exceptional strength *grin*). Players can now get psionics as a member of one of two classes. The two psionic classes are the Psion (which is then subdivided into disciplines much like schools in magic) and the Psychic Warrior. The Psion is a full-blown mentalist, weak in physical combat while having the greatest range of powers. The Psychic Warrior is more capable in the physical world, with greater access to feats and less to psionic powers. Psionic prestige classes are also included for more variety. Characters now have one pool of power points, which they use for mental combat as well as to fuel their mental powers. Players will be surprised with how few points that characters will start with (3 if you're lucky), but since the 0-level disciplines can be used up to three times a day for free-the 1st level psionic character is on par with a starting spellcaster. Characters can get bonus power points with higher abilities and the bonus for these high scores increases as you gain levels, which is nice. At first level, your 18 gives you a measly 1 extra power point, but at third level, you get the 1 + 3 more points for a total of 4 bonus points. This scaling of bonuses keeps the low levels from being dominated by stat-mongers, and provides continuing benefits on a kind of "installment plan." Very balanced, and nicely done, (although more than one player is going to be confused by the table that spells out the bonuses). Mental combat will seem familiar to veterans, but only for a moment. The same attack and defense modes are back, but now each attack mode targets a different attribute. You no longer burn off the other guy's power points - you lower their abilities when you penetrate their defenses. For example, Ego Whip now does temporary strength damage, making your target weaker and weaker (this could have interesting side effects if your target was say, wearing heavy armor while standing on a ledge). The attacker's roll determines the saving throw DC of the defender, with some defense modes granting mental "hardness" which can partially absorb damage that gets through. Non-psionic targets are thankfully made less vulnerable to mental attack, and all damage to non-psionics is converted to rounds of stun (which can be plenty dangerous). New psionic feats offer a psionic character bewildering options, from ways to beef up your mental attacks to the ability to run up walls (players with visions of Shu Lien or Li Mu Bai should rest assured - the building blocks of Wudan mountain are in this book *grin*). It will be hard for low-level characters to balance their needs for feats from the Player's Handbook with the new psionic feats since many of the really desirable new feats have multiple prerequisites. The psionic powers section mirrors the spell descriptions in the PH. The power levels run from zero to nine, and the powers of a given discipline like telepathy range from things as mundane as Missive's one-way telepathic messages at level 0, to the jaw-dropping power of Thrall (PERMANENT mental domination of the target) at level 9. A possible criticism of many of these powers is that many look very much like psionic copies of spells from the PH. This is very true in some cases, but it is easy to see that these duplications are need-based. Plus, there are plenty of psionic-only powers to dazzle your players. The psionic items add a very nice flavor to the game as well. Power stones, crystal capacitors (think of them as mental batteries), and my personal favorite: psychic tattoos. Sure the stones and tattoos are essentially scrolls for the mentalist, but they give a palpable feeling of "other-ness" to a character (and let's face it, if you're using psionics-you want to be different). Rules are included for the creation, upkeep and use of each of the items - so that they can become part of the world, not merely a character's inventory. Statistics for new psionic monsters are provided, with some old favorites like the Githyanki and Githzerai making their return. Particularly irksome is the absence of some Mind Flayer psionic statistics. Given how frequently the ilithids are mentioned in the book, some NPC versions of the new classes using mind flayers would be very useful. Perhaps the best thing that WoTC has done with these rules was to integrate them with the games core rules. Rules are given for using psionics on non-psionic creatures, the effect of magic resistance on psionics, spells vs. psionics and a host of other issues that used to drive DMs bananas. Guidelines are even given for making psionics entirely separate from the magic rules (which is how many will want to play, although it has startling effects on gameplay). Simply put, psionics is back in a big way. Make it a rarity or the basis of your campaign, the rules will finally hold their own.
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Summary: Finally Psionics make sense...
Review: Ever since 1st edition D&D people have been trying to add psionics to the game. In first edition 1 in every 100 characters would have psionics and would become a power character. In 2nd edition they made it harder to have psionics but toned them down so they weren't as ridiculously overpowered. However, the "addition" of psionic powers has always felt like just that; an addition that is tacked on and exists outside the normal rules rather than within it. In 3rd edition that has all been solved by this wonderful book as WoTC adds psionics almost seamlessly to the world of D&D. First off, the addition of psionic character classes takes out the randomness of psionics from previous editions. Now anyone can be a psionicist. This is also somewhat problematic, as there are no drawbacks to be a psionic character other than susceptibility to psionic attacks. The powers are interesting however most are knock offs of mage spells but some unique ones are really neat. Psionic combat is no longer an irritating spectacle and is quite simple to work out. Also nonpsionic characters no longer have to fear being burned by even a 1st level character with a psionic attack form. How psionics are integrated into the D&D setting is wonderful. They are in some ways like another form of magic as both magic and psionics can affect one another. This adds character and makes keeping track of rules easier for the DM. Not to mention the endless roleplaying possibilities for exploring how the two interact. The addition of psionic items is a nice touch. While I feel they went a bit overboard as most of these items are rather powerful, they can easily be altered and toned down to fit nicely in any campaign. The prestige classes are mostly really obvious and not well planned. The Slayer is interesting and so is the Metamind, but the others are tacky or really overplayed. The psionic creatures section is somewhat confusing as while they include a bunch of old favorites, they don't ever update the Mind Flayer they always talk about throughout the book. Overall the book is excellent with a few minor points detracting from it. The lack of updated Mind Flayers, the shallow prestige classes and the copied feel of the powers keep this book from being excellent but it a great buy. Although WoTC needs to fire the people in charge of pricing their books as this book is half the size of the core books but about 7 dollars more.
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Summary: The epitomy of crappity crap
Review: For One, Psionics has no place in fantasy For Two, d20 did a horrible job of trying to craft it For Three, why didn't they just make Mind Flayers have spell like abilities? What the hell is wrong with that? I wouldn't pay $20 for this book, and I damn sure wouldn't pay $30.
Rating: 
Summary: Buy with caution
Review: The psionics system is okay, except for the extremely lousy prestige classes and the fact that psychic warriors don't get bonus power points. For prestige classes for the spellcasters, most add to the caster level of the base class giving you more power, but these don't making them virually useless.
For example, the Meta-mind prestige class is supposed to be all about "power points to burn" actually ends up with fewer power points and less power than sticking with the psion base class. The psychic warrior is probably the only base class with spells/powers that does not get extra slots (or power points) for having a high attribute; no explanation is given for this wacked-out exception to the rule. Finally, do NOT buy this if you just want the supposed "free 3.5 upgrade on PDF" like I did; the upgrade has to do with other books like the Fiend Folio and the Manual of the Planes, not Psionics; I don't know why it's even mentioned in connection with this book. When the real 3.5 version comes out in April 2004, hopefully they will fix the egregious errors mentioned above as well as the stupid typos. They should also allow for trading powers out like the sorcerer and bard.
Anyway, this was good first effort on a more balanced system for psionics; it is absolutely nothing like the 2nd edition version where powers will randomly fail on you but they aren't quite as powerful although mind blast may strike you as being too cheap and too powerful (blame it on the mind flayer).
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Summary: A sick joke
Review: I was a big fan of 2nd Edition psionics. My favorite class to play was psionicist. But with 3rd Edition, psionicists have become nothing more than wimpy mages. Now, I like the idea of a psychic warrior. That is the one thing the book did right. However, WotC foolishly claims that psionics is magic, when it is inherently not. They then give the "psion" all the weakness of a sorceror, but with none of the raw power. Psionics is now nothing special. They claim it was for balance, but I think the problem lies on those who do not wish for psionics to have a chance on stepping on wizards' toes. Instead, if you want psionics, I must recommend using "Forbidden Kingdoms" instead. Their psionics systems use the skill d20 mechanic instead of the magic mehcanic, and works much better and truer to psionics than this...book.
Rating:
Summary: Good For some...
Review: It has the new ruleset for D&D, which seems well done, except for the exp changes i don't agree with to much. But all the info is there for the basic setup of the 3rd Ed. rules. Some new spells. Not many... But all in all, if you are a avid D&D collector as well as a player/DM and the like it is a good read and nice collector's item. Love the new multi-class rules, they definately needed changing.
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Summary: Decent, and unfotunately necessary, though not fully useful.
Review: I believe that I will start this review off by suggesting that you not read this or any other review before you decide if you want to buy this product or not. They're probably just not going to help you. If you want to know if there are rules in this book that are clear, concise, and balanced, there are--other than that, how you feel about this source book is going to be entirely a matter of personal taste. I liked it for the most part, myself. This weird conception of treating psionics and magic as completely different entities has caused more trouble than good in the past (and made it almost impossible to incorporate psionics with an established campaign setting--the hours I spent setting MACs and figuring out how to balance it all still make me cringe). The new rules system parallels the magic system in third edition almost directly, and that does a lot to keep the psion on par with other characters and get the powers lined up in a row. All in all, this book has a lot going for it. The rules dovetail neatly with the core books, so integrating them should be simple enough work, the new powers and (particularly) feats are interesting (I would suggest that anybody who finds a psionic character to be underpowered examine just what he can do with the correct choice of psionic feats), and the core psionics rules balance as close to perfectly with the existing rules as can be expected. So what's wrong with the book? Well, for one thing, the psionic warrior was a bad idea to start with. This is precisely the kind of hybrid class that was supposed to be eliminated by the free multiclassing rules, and putting one in a supplement book like this just does not set a good precedent. If there's any element of these rules that could potentially unbalance things, it's the warrior, and novices need to be careful to make sure that this beefy class isn't abused. There's also a little bit too much of an effort to make psionics seem unique. I suppose it was to be expected that the designers would look for SOMETHING to replace the hideously underpowered rules that had made psionics distinct from magic in previous editions, but renaming every single magic item and skill for psionic characters is just annoying and confusing. The book is also a little on the light side--there's only about half as much text here as in the core books. That's not a bad thing in and of itself, but there's a lot of space here that could have been used to expand the product. In particular, I would have liked to see a little more elaboration on prestige classes, how psionics fits into the world at large, and (particularly) an adventure or two demonstrating creative ways to use psionics in a campaign. As it stands, what you get with this book are the core rules, straight up, and if that's all you're really looking for, you won't be dissatisfied.
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