Recharge Psionics?

[wadledo]

In my latest foray into the DMing world, I'm planing on using the Recharge Magic variant, and while nobody has asked to play a psionic class yet, I'd still like to know what the playground thinks about what I should do in case anyone asks.

[NEO|Phyte]

Originally Posted by wadledo

In my latest foray into the DMing world, I'm planing on using the Recharge Magic variant, and while nobody has asked to play a psionic class yet, I'd still like to know what the playground thinks about what I should do in case anyone asks.

Hmm...
I'd say copy over the recharge time based on spell level compared to max spell level, and include augmentation to determine the effective level. So if they manifest, say, energy ray, augmented up to 5d6 damage, it counts as a 3rd level power. Maybe add in an extra round of recharge for those pesky even-number PP amounts.

For actual PP recharging, Manifester level + manifesting stat PP a minute? Or just dump PP altogether, I dunno.

[wadledo]

Originally Posted by NEO|Phyte

*Snip*

My thought was something like recharge ML*Manifesting Stat per hour, so a 5th level psion with 18 Int would recharge 20 pp an hour?
Seems a little low, but I am also using the sanity rules, and was planing on some sadistic house ruling for psionics.

[NEO|Phyte]

Originally Posted by wadledo

My thought was something like recharge ML*Manifesting Stat per hour, so a 5th level psion with 18 Int would recharge 20 pp an hour?
Seems a little low, but I am also using the sanity rules, and was planing on some sadistic house ruling for psionics.

Per hour DOES seem rather low, given that it makes psions vastly less rechargy then their arcane/divine cousins, having to wait an hour to be able to manifest [stat mod] worth of fully-augmented powers, where a spellcaster just has to wait a few rounds, barring specific recharge times.
That said, you're also planning to be specifically mean to psionics, which means I have to not like you anymore.

[wadledo]

Originally Posted by NEO|Phyte

Per hour DOES seem rather low, given that it makes psions vastly less rechargy then their arcane/divine cousins, having to wait an hour to be able to manifest [stat mod] worth of fully-augmented powers, where a spellcaster just has to wait a few rounds, barring specific recharge times.
That said, you're also planning to be specifically mean to psionics, which means I have to not like you anymore.

Problem is that psionics don't suffer from the the sanity loss of arcane, or the taint induced spell loss of divine.

How does every 30 minutes sound?

And with psionics, I was thinking that they could have Con*ML number of PP over their normal limit before suffering from "Psychic Hemorrhaging".
Taking damage equal to their ML per round until they die, at which point they turn into some kind of horrible psionic wraith taint elemental thingy.
They can stop it by using powers, but can only heal damge taken from the PH as they would heal sanity loss.

[Draken]

Why not keep it simple and allow recovery of (Manifester level) PP each minute?

Or even (Manifester level + Relevant Ability Modifier) each minute.

[wadledo]

Originally Posted by Draken

Why not keep it simple and allow recovery of (Manifester level) PP each minute?

Or even (Manifester level + Relevant Ability Modifier) each minute.

.....But, brain explody!

[JackMage666]

It sounds like you shouldn't even be using the recharge rules. Like, you're looking for a way to kill players for not going nova every combat.

[wadledo]

Originally Posted by JackMage666

It sounds like you shouldn't even be using the recharge rules. Like, you're looking for a way to kill players for not going nova every combat.

.......Huh?

I'm using both the sanity and the taint rules.
I don't feel fair if psionics doesn't get some kind of negative in these systems as well as normal arcane and divine magic.

[Olo Demonsbane]

I say ML recharged per minute.

This is still a much slower recharge then the arcane/divine recharging, and anyway, IMHO psionics is weaker that arcane/divine magic.

[NEO|Phyte]

Originally Posted by wadledo

.......Huh?

I'm using both the sanity and the taint rules.
I don't feel fair if psionics doesn't get some kind of negative in these systems as well as normal arcane and divine magic.

Why not give psionics the same/similar negatives as arcane/divine? I figure you're already asking for adapting ONE variant for psionics, why not the others?

:edit: as for brain explodey, I suggest using Cascade Flu as a base.

[wadledo]

Originally Posted by NEO|Phyte

Why not give psionics the same/similar negatives as arcane/divine? I figure you're already asking for adapting ONE variant for psionics, why not the others?

Because that would be far to simple!

I also want psionics to be the casting that doesn't suck for once.
Wizard: I can't cast anything without going insane!
Cleric: I can't cast anything without going insane and making my god pissed at me!
Psion: I have to manifest more than normal or my brain explodes!

[Draken]

Meh. Who doesn't want to just burn your special schitick as much as possible? The limits imposed by D&D usually blocks this, but with psions recovering PP at this rate, they could... Keep floating all day long and use telekinesis for the most banal of actions.

Also, consider giving penalties for going to low on PP.

[wadledo]

Originally Posted by Draken

Meh. Who doesn't want to just burn your special schitick as much as possible? The limits imposed by D&D usually blocks this, but with psions recovering PP at this rate, they could... Keep floating all day long and use telekinesis for the most banal of actions.

Also, consider giving penalties for going to low on PP.

Fair enough, and the question is kind of pointless seeing how nobody dares offer up a full caster so far.

[Draken]

Originally Posted by wadledo

Fair enough, and the question is kind of pointless seeing how nobody dares offer up a full caster so far.

Maybe this is the only true fix for spellcasting, making people scared of using it.

[wadledo]

Originally Posted by Draken

Maybe this is the only true fix for spellcasting, making people scared of using it.

Probably true.

[NEO|Phyte]

Originally Posted by wadledo

Because that would be far to simple!

I also want psionics to be the casting that doesn't suck for once.
Wizard: I can't cast anything without going insane!
Cleric: I can't cast anything without going insane and making my god pissed at me!
Psion: I have to manifest more than normal or my brain explodes!

Hmm, guess I wasn't following your hemorrhaging stuff properly, that does sound a bit better/more interesting. See my edit in my previous post for ideas on brain explody.

...Hmm, what about [Ability Mod] PP every 5 minutes, and you can make concentration checks as a move action to regain [check result/2] PP, with each attempt having a 1% cumulative chance of causing hemorrhaging, resetting every 'natural' regen tick?

[wadledo]

Originally Posted by NEO|Phyte

Hmm, guess I wasn't following your hemorrhaging stuff properly, that does sound a bit better/more interesting. See my edit in my previous post for ideas on brain explody.

...Hmm, what about [Ability Mod] PP every 5 minutes, and you can make concentration checks as a move action to regain [check result/2] PP, with each attempt having a 1% cumulative chance of causing hemorrhaging, resetting every 'natural' regen tick?

I like this, actually.
It's simple enough that you can calculate it into a day(average 4 every 5 minutes= 48 in an hour= if they don't manifest something every half an hour or so, something bad happens), but complicated enough that the character can get shot down hard if necessary.

The problem with basing it off Cascade Flue is that all the other negative effects of sanity/taint are very personal, doing something to the caster that can permanently put them out of the equation, at least for a little.

Perhaps manifesting causes minor damage to the manifester(half the power level?), and when the total PP gets higher than 1.5 the normal maximum, a random power from the highest level capable of manifesting is manifested at full ML(with preference given to whichever discipline he is if it's a psion) under full control of DM until the PP is back to normal?

[NEO|Phyte]

Originally Posted by wadledo

The problem with basing it off Cascade Flue is that all the other negative effects of sanity/taint are very personal, doing something to the caster that can permanently put them out of the equation, at least for a little.

If you look, there's a 50% chance that non-personal/touch powers that get cascaded TARGET THE CASCADEE. I'd say decerebrating yourself is fairly personal.

[wadledo]

Originally Posted by NEO|Phyte

If you look, there's a 50% chance that non-personal/touch powers that get cascaded TARGET THE CASCADEE. I'd say decerebrating yourself is fairly personal.

Yea, but that's just (in most cases) death.
I don't want the characters to die, I just want them to be completely useless and debilitated, and their players screaming in rage as they read how their much beloved character was dragged down into the depths of their soul and beaten by clowns.

The difference between horror and a normal game is that in horror, the characters don't die unless it's either for the plot or they get cocky(or I feel like it, but whatever).

[NEO|Phyte]

Originally Posted by wadledo

Yea, but that's just (in most cases) death.
I don't want the characters to die, I just want them to be completely useless and debilitated, and their players screaming in rage as they read how their much beloved character was dragged down into the depths of their soul and beaten by clowns.

Well, it doesn't say HOW the cascading powers are chosen, so you could avoid distinctly lethal outcomes if you wanted, and after the cascade peters out, they have the choice of limping on with slow PP recharge, or risk cascading all over by trying to speed up the process. And 'spent' full casters tend to be useless and debilitated.

Did a bit more thinking on how it could go down:
Psionic characters regen PP at a rate of [Primary stat mod] per 5 minutes. Each hour(?) they are conscious and do not use at least their manifester level worth of PP, there is a cumulative 5% chance they go into a cascade a-la cascade flu. A psionic character can accelerate their PP regeneration by making a concentration check as a move action, regaining half the check result in power points. This has a cumulative 1% chance of causing a cascade. Accelerated PP regen and not using PP run off the same chance of causing a cascade (add 5% for every hour of not using PP, and 1% for every accelerated regen). The chance of cascading resets upon resting or suffering a cascade. In addition to the normal effects of a psionic cascade, once the victim has run out of power points, they suffer 1d[highest level power known] ability damage/burn to their primary manifesting stat.