Re: Psionic Helms

You missed a few:

>	Standard Helm (Minor and Major) - Mages/Priests

Bards, Rangers and Paladins, at appropriate levels.

>	Bardic Helm - Bards

Or anyone else with the appropriate Musical Instrument proficiency.

>	Forge - Dwarves
>	Orbus - Beholders

Actually, the Orbus powers the engine built into the beholder's ships, from
the example in Wildspace. I think that anyone that had bothe engine and Orbus
could Spelljamm the ship.

>	Lifejammer - anyone brave (stupid) enough to try
>	Ki - Oriental cultures
>	Series - Illithid/Psionics

Not psionics. This type of helm is powered by innate *magical* ability, and
can be designed for any race with innate spell-like powers. At least
according to the basic set, and I've yet to see anything in any of the other
products to the contrary.

>	Pool - Illithids
>	Furnance - anyone with magic items to burn (literally)
>	Artifurnace - fantasy equivilent of a fusion reactor/warp core
>			(anyone can use)

Actually, it's built around an artifact, and can be destroyed to recover the
artifact. The artifact is the power source. Also from ther basic set. And the
Book of Artifacts.

>	Jade - Drow/Other creatures with innate spell abilities
>
>	There are probably a few others mentioned, but I can't remember them
>right now.  Some of logic above is mine and is roughly based on the source
>materials.

There are, but they're all variations on the above themes, except for the
Thri-Keen Crystal Thrones. Which *some* psis can use, if they've the right
devotions and some imagination.

>	At first, in the main boxed set, there was really only the Std Helm
>(mention might have been made of the furnace) and the Forge.  The Std Helm
>was intended for all "spell-casting" characters.

And series- and furnace- helms.

 Thus, mages/priests/bards.
>However, the text usually skipped all mention of bards.  Then, in a later
>supplement, they introduced the Iambic (Bardic) helm.  So, obviously, bards
>couldn't use the Std Helms; they had to use this variation.

Why? A Bardic Helm requires Musical ability, not Magical. And Bards have an
easier time than other musicians. Spellcaster's with musical ability can use
can use the Bardic Helm.

Just because a new Helm is designed for a particular set of abilities,
doesn't mean that the older helms no longer function for those characters.
Drow spellcasters can use 3 types of helm: The Drow Helm, a properly designed
series helm (the basic rules state that each type of these must be designed
for a particular race), and a standard helm. A Drow Spellsinger, or muscician
would also be able to man an appropriate Bardic Helm.

Besides, if I had a choice of using a helm that drained my spells, and one
which didn't, I know which I'd use.

>	Psionics are obviously NOT spellcasters.  Thus, there were left out
>in the cold.  In fact, they still are.  No where in any text does TSR
>actually state what helm a psionic character can use.  Thus, _I_ decided
that
>since Illithids are naturally psionic monsters, their series helm must be
>able to work for psionic characters as well.

Except that the Series Helm is powered by *magic* according to the basic set.
However, using psi points to power a KI Helm works.

Also, I once had a psi player use Insect Mind to duplicate A Thri-Keen mental
archeticure and power a Thri-Keen Crystal Helm.

Then the gentleman spent the next block of the party's Mage's research time
building 2 devices with Empowerment that had telepathic abilites, including
Insect Mind, so that they could be used as Helmsmen and power the Crystal
Throne also.


>	Of course, your campaign is free to vary its mileage from these
>recommended CAFE numbers.

I guess I just don't like altering the basic rules as much as most folks.
Sorry.


Thank You For Your Time,

Thomas O Magann Jr
http://www.sfo.com/~tomjr/

<tomjr@???.com> or my back-up: <TMagann@???.com>