Psionic mantles were psionic distillations[1] of universal concepts or principles, or cosmic "philosophies" as some referred to them, fundamental aspects of reality that were constants throughout the multiverse.[2] Concepts or "philosophies" that transcended emotional, ideological, and physical boundaries,[3] acting as the building blocks of the multiverse.[4] The deities of the multiverse were each associated with mantles, no less than four,[5] that correlated to their divine domains and portfolio.[6]
Much like domains,[7] psionic mantles were the distilled essence of singular aspects of deities,[8] philosophies and qualities they embodied.[9] And just as each domain had a list of spells particular to it, plus a number of other associated benefits,[10] each mantle was tied to a specific series of psionic powers, thematic to the universal principle,[11] as well as psionic abilities that were unlike anything found among the disciplines.[12] These mantles were the means by which certain enlightened wielders of the Invisible Art, known as ardents and divine minds, derived their abilities.[11]
Practice of Psionic Mantles[]
The methods by which to tap into a mantle's reserve of great psionic power differed between ardents and divine minds, with both differing from how clerics and paladins accessed divine domains.[11]
Just as clerics chose two domains at the start of their journey (prior to the Spellplague),[7] ardents chose two psionic mantles. While some were religious and chose mantles corresponding to a god they worshiped, worship was not a requirement for accessing a mantle's power. Their approach bypassed any connection to the divine,[6] whereas clerics and paladins drew directly from a specific deity they devoted themselves to in order to be granted domain prayers.[7] Ardents needed only to recognize a cosmic philosophy, strive to better understand it, and through the strength of their minds master it.[6] An ardent could even follow mantles that were diametrically opposed concepts, such as the good mantle and evil mantle.[13]
In contrast to ardents, divine minds chose one mantle at the start of their journey and were always fervently religious. They shaped their inner power through faith and derived their mantles from a deity they worshiped.[14] And much like paladins with their code of conduct,[15] if a divine mind ever grossly violated the ethics of their deity's alignment, their own convictions would falter and they could lose access to all of the powers granted by their psionic mantle. Only by seeking atonement for their violations could they regain their mantle.[16]
Both differed from clerics and paladins in that they were not divinely inspired.[11] They were more detached from their religions and often times a god would barely be aware of their devotion.[9] And owing to the differing nature of psionics and divine magic, ardents and divine minds never had to prepare their psionic powers, unlike divine spellcasters and their domain prayers, as the powers derived from a mantle were ingrained within a manifester's mind.[17]
Variations[]
The Elements mantle stood apart from other mantles, in that its unique power required a manifester to choose one of the four primary elements whenever they were psionically focused – air, earth, fire, or water.[18]
Appendix[]
Background[]
Mantles were featured in-name-only in 4th edition Dungeons & Dragons as a class feature of the ardent (unrelated to the previously discussed ardent). There the term was used to refer to "emotional states" that an ardent tapped into, rather than "universal concepts".[19]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Bruce R. Cordell, Christopher Lindsay (April 2006). Complete Psionic. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 7. ISBN 0-7869-3911-7.
- ↑ Bruce R. Cordell, Christopher Lindsay (April 2006). Complete Psionic. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 5–7. ISBN 0-7869-3911-7.
- ↑ Bruce R. Cordell, Christopher Lindsay (April 2006). Complete Psionic. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 5. ISBN 0-7869-3911-7.
- ↑ Bruce R. Cordell, Christopher Lindsay (April 2006). Complete Psionic. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 156. ISBN 0-7869-3911-7.
- ↑ Bruce R. Cordell, Christopher Lindsay (April 2006). Complete Psionic. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 11. ISBN 0-7869-3911-7.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Bruce R. Cordell, Christopher Lindsay (April 2006). Complete Psionic. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 6. ISBN 0-7869-3911-7.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams (July 2003). Player's Handbook v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 32. ISBN 0-7869-2886-7.
- ↑ Bruce R. Cordell, Christopher Lindsay (April 2006). Complete Psionic. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 9. ISBN 0-7869-3911-7.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Eytan Bernstein (2007-07-11). Psionic Classes. Class Chronicles. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2015-09-19. Retrieved on 2016-07-25.
- ↑ Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford (2014). Player's Handbook 5th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 59–60. ISBN 978-0-7869-6560-1.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Bruce R. Cordell, Christopher Lindsay (April 2006). Complete Psionic. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 4, 6, 9. ISBN 0-7869-3911-7.
- ↑ Bruce R. Cordell, Christopher Lindsay (April 2006). Complete Psionic. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 8, 66. ISBN 0-7869-3911-7.
- ↑ Bruce R. Cordell, Christopher Lindsay (April 2006). Complete Psionic. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 8. ISBN 0-7869-3911-7.
- ↑ Bruce R. Cordell, Christopher Lindsay (April 2006). Complete Psionic. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 9–10. ISBN 0-7869-3911-7.
- ↑ Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams (July 2003). Player's Handbook v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 42, 44–45. ISBN 0-7869-2886-7.
- ↑ Bruce R. Cordell, Christopher Lindsay (April 2006). Complete Psionic. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 13. ISBN 0-7869-3911-7.
- ↑ Bruce R. Cordell, Christopher Lindsay (April 2006). Complete Psionic. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 7, 10. ISBN 0-7869-3911-7.
- ↑ Bruce R. Cordell, Christopher Lindsay (April 2006). Complete Psionic. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 12, 68. ISBN 0-7869-3911-7.
- ↑ Mike Mearls, Bruce Cordell, Robin Heinsoo, and Robert J. Schwalb (March 2010). Player's Handbook 3. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 23. ISBN 978-0-7869-5390-5.