Psionics in AD&D: How They Work

[thegreyelf]

This is actually part 2 in a series. You can access part 1 from a thread up in OD&D General, or from the blog entry itself:

Now that we've looked at how Psionics work in original Dungeons & Dragons, let's examine how they work in Advanced D&D. Readers may be shocked to discover that psionics in AD&D are, in many ways, much easier and more straightforward than they are in OD&D. The two systems are very similar, but there are some important and notable differences. The next blog entry in this series will compare and contrast the two systems, but for now I want to focus on how they work to keep a clean exploration and explanation of these two rules sets, both of which offer a lot of fun and something different and mysterious for D&D games that have become a bit rote in their approach....

wastedlandsfantasy.blogspot.com/2019/01/psionics-in-dungeons-dragons-part-ii.html

[thegreyelf]

Psionics in D&D part 3: Comparing OD&D and AD&D psionics went live this morning.

The use of psionics in D&D is a fairly simple affair: first, you roll to see if you have the capability. Then, you roll to see how strong that capability is. Finally, you determine which psionic attack and defense modes you know, and which powers you learn.

Abilities (attack and defense modes and powers) are used by spending psionic strength points.

Psionic combat is resolved by comparing attack mode and psionic strength of the attacker vs. defense mode on a matrix, or based on a saving throw if the victim is a non-psionic.

These basic concepts are the same across both versions of the rules.

Now, let's look at where they diverge, and they diverge in some very important ways. In general, psionics in OD&D are far more powerful than they are in AD&D.

wastedlandsfantasy.blogspot.com/2019/01/psionics-in-dungeons-dragons-part-iii.html