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anyone use psionics or magic in there games , or any ideas for classes or powers/ablites

oger333 wrote:anyone use psionics or magic in there games , or any ideas for classes or powers/ablites

I don't think that either belong in the game.

Mynameisnatan wrote:

Icefalcon wrote:

oger333 wrote:anyone use psionics or magic in there games , or any ideas for classes or powers/ablites

I don't think that either belong in the game.

The zombies are magic based though.

Aside from their ability to sense PPE and heal when they feed, not really. If you take away both of those abilities like most people here do, then there is nothing magical about them.

Icefalcon wrote:

Mynameisnatan wrote:

Icefalcon wrote:

oger333 wrote:anyone use psionics or magic in there games , or any ideas for classes or powers/ablites

I don't think that either belong in the game.

The zombies are magic based though.

Aside from their ability to sense PPE and heal when they feed, not really. If you take away both of those abilities like most people here do, then there is nothing magical about them.

They're animated corpses, how can that not constitute being magical? Plus since they do actually sense PPE and heal when feeding on the victims you can't handwave that away to try and strengthen your case because they do have them.

I'd say supernatural, not magical.

However, in saying so, there is magic, mutations (good and bad) and psionics in my game.

I could see a low powered magic setting. Maybe O.C.C. and P.C.C. from BtS.

I don't think I'd allow anyone the power to fly or levitate. Being able to easily escape from a convergent mob by going over their heads removes pretty much the whole element of danger presented by the zombies in the first place.

--flatline

flatline wrote:I don't think I'd allow anyone the power to fly or levitate. Being able to easily escape from a convergent mob by going over their heads removes pretty much the whole element of danger presented by the zombies in the first place.

--flatline

If you are going to use magic, then have flying zombies.

Mynameisnatan wrote:The cultists also know how to channel PPE so they technically are magic users.

Not sure that technically qualifies as magic. That's not the only thing PPE can be channeled to do. Are nega-psychics magic users? Larhold Human Renegades? The cultists are the likeliest candidates to learn anything in DR though, will give you that.

Magic and psionics were always envisioned as a very thin veneer on the game world and were intended to be easily removed to suit the tastes of the players and GM's.

Not really, since most I know don't like Dead Reign as is, or the zombie genre in general. However, it all depends on how your zombies are active. One example.

"[b]Mask I.S.P. & Psionics[\b]: One of us. One of us. Heh, sorry. Psychics using this ability only have to worry about masking their scent from zombies (it basically renders them invisible to the zombie’s ability to sense P.P.E., since it also affects the ability of see aura, which one could say it functions along the same lines of sense P.P.E.)."

My answer is "it depends on the tone of the game you wish to run" Some GMs and groups might like the idea of magic or psionics, others might find it so out of place they remove the PPE systems. Its all about what sort of story your looking to run/play.

I don't think magic fits the theme. Other games would be better suited, just add zombies. Characters aren't supposed to have the upper hand. But it's each GM's choice to use any of the books as they see fit. Personally, I don't think PPE should even be in the game. But cultists need something to be relevant, otherwise they're just a collection of disturbed individuals.

In the long run, the explanation I like for zombies is some kind of virus that keeps the feral parts of the brain working.

The way the setting (when it was still a specific setting) was conceived and written magic and psionics were flavor and background more than anything else, the sugar on the donuts.

As printed I would probably eradicate the ppe, magic, and psionics that are implied.

I am flexible. If the whole setting has magic and psionics, then that is what I run with. If there is no magic, I run with that. The way it was presented as "kinds-sorta, psuedo-magical" is what makes it undesirable to run the way it is.

Yendor wrote:"[b]Mask I.S.P. & Psionics[\b]: One of us. One of us. Heh, sorry. Psychics using this ability only have to worry about masking their scent from zombies (it basically renders them invisible to the zombie’s ability to sense P.P.E., since it also affects the ability of see aura, which one could say it functions along the same lines of sense P.P.E.)."

Masking ISP and psionics doesn't mask your PPE, I think you're thinknig of the OTHER power from Psyscape.

The world could still be pretty scary for a lot of psychics (even masters could get challenged by the pure MASS of enemies) and even mages.

Admittedly, spells like Fly like the Eagle would be incredibly useful, but even those only last so long, and if you set down on top of some new building: eventually you're going to need to rest and get your PPE back. Is the building secured from zombies so you can meditate or sleep? Is there a cult read to capture you?

One option for bringing magic into this world making it harder to exploit would be to utilize the sorcerous disadvantage in TTGD of 'ritual only' so that any magic you use would take a long time to prep, adding a lot of suspense as your friends fight off zombies while you cast the spell, and limiting the whole instant-escape-via-flight trick.