Mind over Matter is a book of psionic options written for Old School Essentials and other similar OSR-games. It will be approximately 200 pages, black and white, in A5 format, and will be available in pdf, print on demand, and hardcover offset. The hardcover offset will have a smyth-sewn binding. The pdf and POD will be fulfilled using Drivethrurpg. After the campaign, the offset book will retail for 39.95.
This crowdfunding project is raising money for art and offset printing. None of it has been produced with any AI, and all of the art will be made by humans, commissioned specifically for this project.
To get the elephant in the room (tariffs) out of the way, my plan is to print everything in the US. At this point, I cannot guarantee shipping or tariff costs for offset books shipped overseas. Should this project get a substantial number of international backers, or should shipping/tariffs increase dramatically, I'll reach out to an overseas partner to either handle distribution or potentially print the books overseas. Shipping costs for the offset books will be calculated through Backerkit at fulfillment, but when possible I will be sending everything via media mail to keep the cost down.
I'm keeping this campaign simple; no stretch goals, no complicated parts, just the book. That will help to guarantee the project is able to be completed on time and to reduce risks from things I cannot control (such as tariffs).
This book started as a simple outline of a psionics system in Issues 25 and 26 of Populated Hexes Monthly. I have taken those bare-bones rules and options and expanded on them.
This book is projected to be approximately 200 pages, containing the following:
Psionics
There are two separate psionic systems presented in the book:
A classic system based on the devotions and disciplines from the AD&D 2e Psionics Handbook, but using activation rolls rather than Inner Strength Points.
The Path of Seven Blades, a system of maneuvers and stances drawing inspiration from the 3rd edition Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords.
Classes
A total of twelve new classes.
Adept. A straight psionic class with a slower progression but more versatility.
Battlemaster. A front-line fighter that follows the Path of Seven Blades.
Caprini and Caprini Contemplative. Two versions of a psionic sheep-folk race, previously seen in Populated Hexes Monthly.
Gharial. A race of alligator-people created by the Crocodile Kings with the ability to deliver a psychic stunning attack, and also immune to mental effects.
Loxen. First seen in Volume Two of the BX Advanced Bestiary, the loxen are psychic elephant-folk that can cause earthquakes with a stomp and access their ancestral memories.
Luck Thief. A human class that can manipulate luck and probability with their psychic abilities.
Megrim. A dolorous folk from the Shadowlands, megrims exude a depressive aura that is only offset by feeding off the emotions of others.
Psi-Knight. A warrior able to summon a blade of pure mental energy.
Psionicist. The psionic equivalent of a magic-user, psionicists rely on the potency of their mind.
Rimora. Hailing from the dry desert regions of the world, rimorae have quick coagulating blood, and can create organic armor by scarring themselves in ritualistic fashion.
Swordsage. A devotee of the Path of Seven Blades, swordsages rely on perfection of mind and body.
Materials and Items
Rules for creating psionic items.
New psionic items.
Monsters
New and revised monsters created using the psionic rules in this book.
A quick preview of selections from the book can be found here.
Why it Uses Activation Rolls
When I set out designing this system I had three goals in mind, with the aim of recreating the style of the psionic system from early version of D&D.
Easy to track. Tracking points for psionics can add a lot of complication to BX-style games and slow down play, especially when you're trying to increase or modify the powers being used.
Reliance on Ability Scores. BX-style games are designed so that ability scores are less important to a successful class; you can play a magic-user with an Intelligence of 9 and they will be just as effective as a magic-user with an Intelligence of 18. Psionic systems that use points are often dependent on high ability scores for effective characters, and I wanted to avoid that.
Behind the Curtain. Psionics that use points can be difficult for Referees to keep track of during play. The activation roll system translates easily to monster recharge rolls, to make it easier and faster for Referees to run monsters.
The book is 90% written and will come in right around 60,000 words, which translates to roughly 200 pages in the A5 format. I project that I will be done with the writing at the end of this campaign. It needs to be edited, and at the same time that happens I'm going to go ahead and start commissioning art for the project. My goal is to commission roughly one piece of art every four pages, or about fifty pieces total, layout depending. I've already reached out to the artists I have worked with in the past, and everyone is ready to go.'
My projected timeline for this project is:
April 23rd to May 21st. Project is live. I will be polishing and putting the final touches on the book during this time.
June 1st. I'll be using the last week in May to compile a list of art needs and reach out to the artists.
June 1st-July 31st. I'm allocating a full two months for art, given the number of pieces I'll need.
July 31st-August 15th. Layout.
August 16th. PDF is released to backers.
September 1st. I'll give it a couple of weeks for backers to look over the pdf. It seems that no matter how many times I review a file others always find mistakes I made. I'll submit the files around September 1st to the printers. It typically takes about one month for me to get the POD proofs/offset books.
October 1st. POD print codes and offset books go out to backers.
This is, I feel, a realistic schedule and one that, if anything, is a little generous on the timeline. If parts of the project (the big one is the art timeline) I should be able to move up the schedule.
PDFs and Print on Demand books will be fulfilled via Drivethrurpg. When pledging for the POD version, you will be paying for the content through this campaign, and then will get a discount code for an at-cost printer version through Drivethru, meaning that you will be paying for the cost to print and ship the POD book. You will have the choice to select hard or softcover Print on Demand books. Right now the hardcover version of the book looks to have a print cost of about 12.50 (US) and the softcover about 7.00 (US).
I've published and printed a number of books over the past few years, the vast majority of which have hit their target release dates. None have been substantially late. I see no issues arising from this project. My team has extensive experience fulfilling Kickstarters as well as general orders, and we're able to move through projects quickly.
