Rpgs with good psionics.

[Jason Liang]

Stop sperging about magic.

Psionics are not magic. Play Pillows 2 as an Wizard and Cipher. Vastly different experience. I didn't liked Pillows 2 as Wizard but liked as a Psion/Cipher.

Final Fantasy Legend

Googled in images.

MC has a spike hair and a sword.
Hard pass.

IDK why this JRPG's hate so much character creators...

Just play no humans (like I recommended). There is no MC, you create your entire party.

 

[Cryomancer]

no humans

Tried to find and didn't.

About "no humans", it reminded about Bio-Mutant Psi Freak. his powers are too "mageesque" for my taste but the psi freak is very fun non the less :

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

It has been a while and I can't say they were done good but instead handled how spells were; there was for c64 Centauri Alliance.

 

[Cryomancer]

I recently finished Pillars of Eternity 2 : Deadfire in Path of the Dammed as a Psion(Cipher subclass). Also finished Knights of the Chalice 2 this year(didn't played in max difficult, KoTC2 is insanely hard) and my MC was a psion. Wizardry 6, I coudln't make the mapping mod to work and I have heard that the game is ludicrous hard to play without it, so I will wait more to play it. But seems like Psions there are great.

Please guys, mention more game with psionics.

Some years ago, I was obsessed with necromancy. Now it seems like I'm obsessed with psionics.

I'm now playing Pillows 1. Honestly, I'm finding Pillars 1 much harder, but nothing like KoTC2. My favorite spell below. My marksman companion with the best enchantments in his arquebus deals roughly 60 damage, meaning that being hit by disintegrate deals the same damage as having six well-built marksmen with the best arquebus in the game hitting you at the same time. And Arquebus is the highest damage ranged weapon in the game with a very slow reload time. One strategy that I'm using in my marksman against nasty encounters is to start the encounter with multiple arquebus and fire one shot. Switch to another, fire another shot, switch to another. Fire and switch to the first and only then, reload it.

The main differences over Pillows 2:

• No Psion subclass, so you can't use scrolls to buff your allies while constantly getting focus to use devastating spells. You must hit enemies to generate focus, and I don't like it.
• Low-level spells wouldn't scale with spell power and become useful at high levels.
• Many abilities that you can use out of combat in Pillows 2, you can only use in combat. In Pillows 2, I can use stealth and use puppet master against a nasty enemy before even engaging in combat. This is not possible in Pillows 1.
• No way to use empower to quickly get a huge accuracy and damage increase or a huge amount of focus.
• The game level is overall lower. I'm close to the endgame; I haven't done the DLC yet. My level? 11. When I was close to endgame in Pillows 2, I was at lv 20.
• No TB mode, so micromanaging your companions is harder. Mainly with their suicidal AI.
  (...)

 

[Kabas]

.
This cute little game is based on Pathfinder 2e. Psychic and Kineticist are implemented.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

You don't wanna try Centauri Alliance? I never played the appleII version; I only played the c64z

 

[Cryomancer]

This cute little game is based on Pathfinder 2e. Psychic and Kineticist are implemented.

I will check because I'm starving for a Psion but honestly didn't liked the graphics and PF2e ruleset.

You don't wanna try Centauri Alliance? I never played the appleII version; I only played the c64z

Seems amazing.

Seems like Bards Tale.

Downloaded. Both versions and this weekend, I will try to set a C64 or A2 emulator for my Debian.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

For some reason when I played this game I also wanted to play Mars Saga a.k.a. Mines of Titan.

 

[Cryomancer]

I only watched some videos of Century alliance and seems great. The game is 400kb. I downloaded A2 and C64 versions.

Either way, I asked chatGPT if a 3.5e lv 20 psionicist vs a lv 20 necromancer went to battle, who would win. His answer :

chatGPT

This battle would depend heavily on the constructs and undead each side creates, the tactics employed, and the inherent strengths and weaknesses of their armies. Let’s break it down systematically:

---

Factors to Consider​

Psionicist Army​

1. Constructs
   • Constructs are incredibly tough because:
     • Immunity to mind-affecting effects, critical hits, poison, disease, paralysis, and many other conditions.
     • High hit points (based on size and material).
     • Often high Damage Reduction (DR) or immunity to non-magical weapons.
   • Types of Constructs:
     A 20th-level Psionicist could create:
     • Astral Constructs using Astral Construct power with Boost Construct feat for customization.
     • Permanent constructs through crafting, such as Iron Golems, Clay Golems, and Effigies.
     • Psionic-infused constructs with abilities like energy resistance or enhanced combat skills.
   • Customization and Resources:
     The Psionicist can tailor constructs to have energy immunity, flight, or other abilities.
2. Advantages of Constructs
   • High durability.
   • Customization via menu abilities for Astral Constructs.
   • High mobility if given flight or teleportation.
   • Resistance to environmental and magical hazards.
3. Disadvantages
   • Constructs often lack intelligence and follow basic orders. Tactical adaptability might be limited.
   • High creation costs for permanent constructs (crafting requires time and resources).
   • Vulnerable to disintegration or acid-based attacks if not properly prepared.

---

Necromancer Army​

1. Undead
   • Undead are versatile and numerous because:
     • Animate Dead and Create Greater Undead allow the Necromancer to raise skeletons, zombies, and advanced undead like wraiths, specters, and vampires.
     • Undead Leadership (feat) could provide powerful intelligent undead followers (e.g., liches or death knights).
     • Spells like Desecrate and Unhallow bolster undead strength significantly.
   • Types of Undead:
     • Low-tier undead: Skeletons, zombies, ghouls.
     • High-tier undead: Vampires, liches, death knights, nightshades (using Epic rules or summoning spells).
2. Advantages of Undead
   • Quantity: A wealthy Necromancer can raise a massive undead horde.
   • Versatility: High-tier undead often have spellcasting abilities and intelligence.
   • Immunities: Undead are immune to mind-affecting effects, poison, paralysis, and many physical vulnerabilities.
   • Buffs: Spells like Magic Circle vs. Good, Mass Inflict Wounds, and Harm are devastating when used with undead.
3. Disadvantages
   • Vulnerable to turn undead and dispel magic.
   • Some higher-tier undead require a lot of control (e.g., control limits for Animate Dead are tied to caster level).
   • Lower-tier undead are fragile against high-damage area-of-effect attacks.

---

Head-to-Head Analysis​

Psionicist Tactics​

1. Astral Constructs: Rapid deployment of powerful, customizable constructs. Psionic feats and enhancements allow for specialized abilities (e.g., flight, energy resistance, or grappling).
2. Direct Combat Powers: Powers like Energy Ray, Energy Burst, and Disintegrate can target high-value undead leaders.
3. Battlefield Control:
   • Wall of Ectoplasm or Energy Wall to divide and disrupt undead hordes.
   • Time Hop or Ectoplasmic Cocoon to disable powerful undead temporarily.
4. Buffs: Powers like Vigor and Energy Adaptation keep constructs and the Psionicist durable.

---

Necromancer Tactics​

1. Mass Numbers: Animate enormous armies of undead using Animate Dead and Desecrate. Wealth ensures the Necromancer can build portable altars for battlefield deployment.
2. High-Tier Undead Leaders: Intelligent undead (vampires, liches) can act independently, adding tactical flexibility.
3. Debuffs and Damage:
   • Spells like Mass Inflict Wounds, Energy Drain, and Control Undead weaken constructs and disrupt Psionicist strategies.
   • Darkness and Fog Cloud provide cover for advancing undead.
4. Fortification: Spells like Unhallow and Desecrate provide massive boosts to undead resilience.

---

Outcome Prediction​

Psionicist Wins If:​

• Construct durability outweighs undead numbers.
• They leverage energy resistance and damage reduction to nullify necromantic spells and attacks.
• Intelligent constructs or battlefield control powers (e.g., Energy Wall, Time Hop) disrupt undead formations.

Necromancer Wins If:​

• Overwhelming numbers of undead wear down constructs faster than the Psionicist can replace them.
• High-tier undead leaders outmaneuver or overpower constructs (e.g., a vampire with spellcasting abilities).
• They use spells like Control Undead to turn Psionicist constructs against their creator.

---

Final Verdict​

• Psionicist Edge: Superior durability and flexibility through customized constructs and direct combat powers. Likely to dominate against low-tier undead but may struggle against high-tier threats.
• Necromancer Edge: Sheer numbers and versatility of undead, especially with intelligent spellcasting undead leaders, could overwhelm the Psionicist in prolonged combat.

The battle would ultimately come down to preparation, battlefield conditions, and who strikes first!

I also asked to draw the battle.

Also tested the PRC mod for NwN1. Liked a bit but found too bugged in some parts. Eg - Some powers that I manifest do literally nothing. Also, no astral constructs...

 

[Technomancer]

No way to quickly get a huge amount of focus.

Cast Reaping Knives on your monk and equip Talisman of the Unconquerable while using blunderbuss. You will have more focus than you know what to do with. And yeah, you can maximize switching strat since you can chain shot up to four blunderbusses if you are playing island aumaua and have extra weapon slot talent. And maximize speed of switching by having Coil of Resourcefulness belt and Quick Switch talent.

 

[Cryomancer]

Reaping Knives

Spell only available at lv cap of second DLC, when I completed the game I was lv 13... About blunderbuss, you are right.

 

[Cryomancer]

Played a bit of CoQ.

I bitched about it having cooldowns, but it is one of the few games with cooldowns that don't end up in the same rotation/QTE spam. The other game is UnderRail. When I played CoQ initially, I didn't like it because I was expecting a KoTC2 experience and progression. CoQ game has a vastly different progression. And, for example, light manipulation has some "charges" and can be spammed. After you get to lv 6 or 7, CDs become less boring. I imagine that when I manage to get high levels, I wouldn't even need to use my firearm. Also have heard that at high levels, even other world espers want to devour your brain. Quite cool imo.

That said, about testing the Centauri Alliance, I didn't play. Couldn't make VICE (C64 Linux emulator) work.

random seed was: 0x6764fbd6
command line was: x64sc
C64MEM: Error - Couldn't load kernal ROM kernal-901227-03.bin'.
Error - Machine initialization failed.

I tried to put the path to the kernel room and ... Same problem. I really want to try Centauri Alliance.

Any way to fix it?

 

[Cryomancer]

Still couldn't fix the problem in C64 emulator. I watched some videos and really want to play Centauri Alliance.

That said, tested TE4 and basically, there are 3 psionic classes. Mindslayer, Solipsist and Possessor, Mindslayer is the most "generic" version of a Psion. It has force fields, can manipulate weapons telepathically, and strike with powerful mind powers. Solipsist is more about bluring the line between reality and dream. Possessor is the more unique. Is all about stealing enemy bodies and taking control over dead bodies. I played a bit with all 3. I still don't like how everything has CDs but honestly liked what each ability can do. For eg, Inner demons can literally make the enemy fight against himself.

I didn't unlocked everything, tested psionics with a mod that allows me to play with any class.

Honestly, is imo a bit cool but much weaker than necromancer.

 

[Kabas]

That said, tested TE4 and basically, there are 3 psionic classes.

Cursed and Doomed classes are also technically psionics. They're using a dark side version according to lore.

Do you have Embers of Rage expansion? It adds Psyshot who is a hybrid psionic/tinker class.

 

[Cryomancer]

Cursed and Doomed classes are also technically psionics. They're using a dark side version according to lore.

I liked mainly Doomed, but honestly, fells more like a Shadow elementalist Wizard than a psionicist...

 

[CryptRat]

Still couldn't fix the problem in C64 emulator. I watched some videos and really want to play Centauri Alliance.

Not sure it'll help but I made this when I played it : https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads/running-centauri-alliance-c64-version-under-vice.119266/

The game is cool, it's The Bard's Tale except with a low encounter rate (there are other differences).

 

[Cryomancer]

Thanks but I still didn't found how to make c64 works with your thread.

_______________________

Recently played Wizardry 6 and honestly, LOVED psionics in that game.

Getting stats high enough to play as a psion human was very hard but after a lot of retries, I finally did it and honestly, loved the progression. Sure, psionics don't have the sheer destructive force of magical spells but they have a lot of utility outside of combat. For eg, identify, detect secrets, charm and mindread. It makes much easier to interact with NPCs, you can also get a map and make finding items easier with psionic powers. Psionic powers also inflict insanity. I honestly got bored of CoQ as the progression in the game is more ""modern"" and only CDs go down and numbers up, you don't unlock new interesting stuff per say on leveling up. For eg, when I got to lv 6, I got my Theosophy skill to higher level and thanks to that, could learn how to manifest my mind powers in partially illusion form. Similar to IWD Shadow Monsters

iwd shadow monster

[/URL]

You can chose how much you spend per spell. At lv 1, it summons mind "figments", from your own mind. At lv 2, shadows. At lv 5, summons 9th level Wraith and at lv 6 it summons a might lv 14 phantasm. Table bellow

Power Level 1 Summons Figment

Power Level 2 Summons Shadow

Power Level 3 Summons Weird

Power Level 4 Summons Chimera

Power Level 5 Summons Wraith

Power Level 6 Summons Phantasm

src https://www.crimsontear.com/gaming/wizardry-6/magic/illusion#spell
Sadly seems like Wizardry 8 removed this summons.

And I can't progress in Wiz 6 no matter what. Because I have no clue about what to do even with cluebook. But I will try Wizardry 7 soon. My screenshots of W6 :

I have hear that Wizardry 7 demands less IRL clairvoyance.

 

[Cryomancer]

Guys. A question. The unique JRPG that I liked so far is SMT3 Nocturne. Will I like Scarlet Nexus? I have heard that it has great psionic powers. But honestly didn`t liked much the MC design.



Other question.

Telekinesis already has such a rule, not allowing you to make objects you move with your mind arbitrarily fast, but giving you a max speed.

Edit: I went to check it, they use the word mass:

In GURPS, a character like Silver the Hedgehog would have how much Telekinesis to be able to lift even cars and throw at very fast speed like he does in games and "fly" with in game speed? I'm curious.

 

[Mauman]

Guys. A question. The unique JRPG that I liked so far is SMT3 Nocturne. Will I like Scarlet Nexus? I have heard that it has great psionic powers. But honestly didn`t liked much the MC design.



Other question.

Telekinesis already has such a rule, not allowing you to make objects you move with your mind arbitrarily fast, but giving you a max speed.

Edit: I went to check it, they use the word mass:

In GURPS, a character like Silver the Hedgehog would have how much Telekinesis to be able to lift even cars and throw at very fast speed like he does in games and "fly" with in game speed? I'm curious.

Scarlet nexus is an action rpg. It's closer to Devil May Cry with stats than any of the SMT games.

That being said, if you're looking for an action-rpg system that involves lighting people on fire with your mind while smacking people with a telephone pole using telekinesis with the occasional spectacle like surfing down an abandoned highway using a bus as your surfboard, then yes you might like it.

Just so you know though, it's painfully anime. The story does have some decent twists though even if none of the characters really stand out as great.

I personally enjoyed it and was able to overlook it's shortcomings.

 

[Alex]

(...)

Telekinesis already has such a rule, not allowing you to make objects you move with your mind arbitrarily fast, but giving you a max speed.

Edit: I went to check it, they use the word mass:

In GURPS, a character like Silver the Hedgehog would have how much Telekinesis to be able to lift even cars and throw at very fast speed like he does in games and "fly" with in game speed? I'm curious.

If you were to use the same tables as 3rd edition, considering a big car should weigh around 4000lbs, you would need power 30 to even move it at all, and to send it flying at, say, arrow speed, 12 more power. So, in total, 42 power in TK. That would take 210 character points, over double what a normal 3e character starts with, but way within reason for a super character (in fact, a complaint of using psionics in 3e with supers is that it isn't balanced for them at all).

If you were to ignore the table changing from exponential to linear, then 19 power would be enough to lift the car, bring the total down to 31, for measly 155 character points. Either way, at this minimum level but with the levitate skill, assuming silver weighs less than 125lbs, he should be able to levitate at 5500m/s, which is equivalent to about 16 times the speed of sound. In GURPS, this would also cause you to take damage from air attrition, but a pk shield could be used to avoid this. Also, if you kept the tables exponential, then the max speed for such a psion would be 11,314m/s, over double (perhaps there is a reason they didn't go exponential after all).

 

[Kabas]

Silver the Hedghog... Sonic Robo Blast 2... Doom engine...
Damn it, i completely forgot. There exists this fairly old mod for Doom literally called Psychic.

But Doom is not RPG...

Doom is a dungeon crawler and this mod has a level up system, it counts as RPG in my book.