The Expanded Psionics Handbook is a sourcebook written by Bruce Cordell for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game that contains rules and options for integrating psychic powers (also known as psionics) into the game. Along with its predecessor, the Psionics Handbook, the Expanded Psionics Handbook expands and adapts the psionics concept with a new emphasis on balance and playability.
Contents
The Expanded Psionics Handbook contains a system for adding psionics to Dungeons and Dragons. Psionics use a different system from traditional D&D spellcasting, using a point pool to track a character's power usage.
The Expanded Psionics Handbook introduces four Base Classes, several prestige classes alters some rules and includes a new system for becoming psionically focused. The base classes are the psion and psychic warrior (both of which are reprints from the Psionics Handbook), the wilder, and the soulknife. The prestige classes are the cerebremancer, elocater, fist of Zuoken, illithid slayer, metamind, psion uncarnate, pyrokineticist, thrallherd and the war mind.
The Handbook also contains four new psionic races—the dromites, elan, maenads, and xelphs—provides psionic versions of dwarves, githyanki, githzerai, and yuan-ti. It adds several new psionic monsters, including the intellect devourer and temporal filcher, and adds the phrenic template, which can make any Dungeons and Dragons creature a psionic creature. It was adapted for several reasons, including changes to the core D20 system and balance concerns. Some players considered psions to be weaker than wizards and sorcerers.
Reviews
- Backstab #48