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Monday, October 26, 2015

New Big Dragon Games releases Basic Psionics Handbook (Mind Powers that Don't Cloud the Mind)


If there was one part of the AD&D 1e ruleset that never made much sense to me (there was more than one actually, but this was probably the worst) was the Psionics Rules section. It didn't follow the rest of the AD&D rules in flavor or mechanics. They felt shoved in, not even tacked on. We tried to use them and never could really figure out how to make them mesh with the core rules.

+Richard LeBlanc has found a way to bring psionics to the common gamer with the Basic Psionics Handbook. It looks very usable with a quick glance through (and if Rich's previous works are any indication, it should be immensely useful.) This is going to the top of my long neglected review pile and has already been uploaded to my tablet ;)

The normal price is going to be $7.95 but it's currently at $5.95. I'm not sure how long the lower price is in effect, so I wouldn't wait to long to bite at this one.

Here's the blurb:
Unleash the powers of the mind into your BX/LL campaign! 
Finally, after 40 years of waiting, there’s a psionics system for the classic editions of the world’s original fantasy role-playing game. It’s simple, intuitive, andprovides a gameplay experience that feels at home alongside the original rules of the game. Within this jam-packed 56-page book, you’ll find: 
a simple, easy-to-play psionics system, tailor-made for classic versions of the world’s first role-playing game 
2 complete BX/LL character classes—the mystic and the monk—specifically designed to support the system 
support for basic and expert player levels 
an easy-to-use psionic combat system based on the classic attack and defense modes
complete descriptions for 114 psionic abilities... broken into 6 different chakra/discipline groups... adapated from the best existing resources 
tables for generating wild psionic abilities in non-psionic player classes 
full stats and descriptions for 38 psionic monsters 
tables for generating phrenic creatures 
instructions on converting psionic monsters from other classic editions 
conversions and additions for 8 monsters from Old School Adventures™ Accessory CC1: Creature Compendium
background information on psionic items, and descriptions for 13 specific items
support for mixing spellcasting and psionics 
And much more!

5 comments:

  1. Full of so much win it's hard to conceive, had mine bought and printed out within at 0730 zulu.

    :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I endorsed this BTW.

    That said, I'll bet a 5th Ed version would sell well.

    http://blackdiamondgames.blogspot.com/2015/10/d-and-three-pee-pee.html?m=1

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've always found, that while psionics are fine in fantasy, psionics and magic in the same setting seems redundant and unnecessary.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've been putting off my own LBB revamp of the original psionics system from Eldritch Wizardry, which was a clearer set of rules than the AD&D version.

    Good to see that psionics still holds interest with some folks, although I agree that they work best in a weird fantasy or sci-fi setting than a sword n sorcery setting.

    A good weird/sci-fi/sword n planet campaign setting is really needed to support psionics.

    ReplyDelete

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