Mindscapes: A Psionics Sourcebook

by Bruce R. Cordell

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1588461092
• ISBN13: 9781588461094
• Release Date: April 2003
• Publisher: Malhavoc Press
• Length: 94 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 8.3" x 10.9"

Customer Reviews

The essential psionics accessory

One thing I like about the 3E core rulebooks is it seemed like WotC play tested the hell out of them. Nearly everything is fairly well balanced. Overall, I really like 3E and consider it worth buying. Unfortunately, like many, I feel this was -not- the case with the 3E Psionics Handbook. Fortunately, along came Mindscapes to right all the wrongs thereof. Let's take a look:VALUE: More affordable than WotC's class books (and this one happens to be exceptional among that breed).DESIGN: The art in Mindscapes is some of the best yet from Malhavoc press. The layout of the book is intelligent, making it easy enough to find what you're looking for.CONTENT:Mindscapes was written by the same guy who wrote the Psionics Handbook, so, like, who could know the material better, right?1) Mindscape Psionic CombatIn general the 3E Psionics Handbook (hereafter called the PsiH) benefited greatly from the (at that time new) d20 system. However, there were some issues that were, for the most part, universally acknowledged. Among these problems, psionic combat was one of the biggest.Mindscapes comes at psionic combat from a completely different angle. It's beyond the scope of this review to go over Mindscapes combat in detail, but trust me when I tell you, it's brilliant, has mega cool points, and eliminates virtually all the problems with the original system. There are also rules for converting characters from the original system to this one.Note: Mindscapes combat may seem complicated in writing, but plays out in-game really smoothly. Try it if you don't believe me.2) Prestige Classes (PrCs)First of all, Bruce redid the four original PrCs from the PsiH (considered by many to be weak), and they are -much- better. In addition, there are a slew of new PrCs for psions and psionic warriors. IMHO, these PrCs range from good to brilliant. The chakra savant, chronrebel, ghostbreaker, and lucid cenobite were my favorites. If you're interested in adding to- or replacing- divine healers, there are even a couple PrCs that allow for psionic characters to fill that role. Note: There's a variant (more favorable) power point progression for the basic Psion class in this book, too, which patches another issue from the PsiH.3) FeatsGreat stuff here. Some build off feats from the PsiH, some have to do with Mindscapes combat, and others are brand new. Definitely check the errata though, as there were some fairly substantial tweaks that went in afterwards.4) PowersHere we find a fairly saucy assortment of new powers for both psionic classes. Generally these powers are a welcomed addition, and balance nicely against the core powers. (You'll also find the psionic attack/defense modes as powers because Mindscapes combat eliminates combat modes.) An area of some contention with the PsiH was how the damage dice of powers didn't scale with level advancement like arcane- and divine- caster's spells do. The variant power scaling rules fixes this, allowing your characer to pump up their powers as