Psion class (Mearls, Happy Fun Hour)

[Dausuul]

Rather than mystic, the name of the psionic class will probably be: psion.

Good deal. I never warmed to "mystic." There's nothing wrong with the occasional sci-fi trope in D&D; such tropes have a long and honorable history in the game, all the way back to Arneson's Blackmoor.

Psion
• Telekinetic
• Metamorph
• Nomad
• Constructor

So, you can specialize in moving stuff with your mind; transforming your physical form; teleporting (I assume that's what Nomad does, could use a better name); or... uh... instantiating a class? What the heck does a Constructor do?

Also, shouldn't telepath be a psion subclass rather than a wizard tradition?

 

[Tony Vargas]

Actually, I don't treat psionics as if it was magic. More like Babylon 5.

Babylon 5 is the kind of Space Opera that borrows heavily from myth/legend/fantasy. JMS even cited mythology, LotR & the Arthurian cycle as inspirations. So, yeah, it has magic (and supernatural beings, roughly angels/maiar & demons in the Vorlons & Shadows) with the serial #s filed off. ;P

Good deal. I never warmed to "mystic." There's nothing wrong with the occasional sci-fi trope in D&D; such tropes have a long and honorable history in the game, all the way back to Arneson's Blackmoor.

Well, I'll acknowledge it's a long history, and one that can't be abandoned or taken in a radical new direction without alienating fans of it's past incarnations.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

Well, I'll acknowledge it's a long history, and one that can't be abandoned or taken in a radical new direction without alienating fans of it's past incarnations.

I think it's possible to present it in such a way that it works with the more "mystic"al feel and the sci-fi feel. Perhaps a little tricky, but completely doable.

I'm just hoping they capture the best bits from the playtest versions. I really liked the mechanical concept from last time (disciplines with multiple effects), although the power level needs to scale up to the equivalent of 9th level spells. However, I liked the metaphysics behind the earlier version (sans Far Realm nonsense) better.

I mean really, how many psionic fans wouldn't be satisfied with:
1) Flavor that can be spun as either sci-fi, magic, or "other" mystical
2) Reality transcending metaphysics description (presented as "some psions see psionics as...")
3) Recapturing AD&D feel with terms like "disciplines"
4) Unique system, but that mirrors power and utility of spellcasting
5) Subclasses using a simplified version of psionics compared to the full mystic/psion class, based on Innate Spellcasting (ie, Monster Manual psionics)

Sounds like that would work for most fans, provide options for those who want them, and get some who are on the fence to try it out.

Some of the concerns I had with previous playtest versions was not allowing iconic things, like astral travel, and that needs to be addressed.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Good deal. I never warmed to "mystic." There's nothing wrong with the occasional sci-fi trope in D&D; such tropes have a long and honorable history in the game, all the way back to Arneson's Blackmoor.


So, you can specialize in moving stuff with your mind; transforming your physical form; teleporting (I assume that's what Nomad does, could use a better name); or... uh... instantiating a class? What the heck does a Constructor do?

Also, shouldn't telepath be a psion subclass rather than a wizard tradition?

In 4e constructor were callled Shapers aka the Psion using their mind To summom or shape psi material such as crystal and ectoplasm

 

[gyor]

Personally, I kind of feel like the Sorcerer is a better home for a Psionic-Arcane hybrid; the classic "mutant" feel of "oh my goodness, I can read people's minds!" Wizard and the future Psion look like they'll both be Int-based, so they could multiclass pretty easily.

I see the Sorcerer Psion as a kind of Foulbred subclass, your ancestor was either an Aberration or a victim of Far Realms taint, perhaps you were even an Illithid experiment yourself.

 

[gyor]

If it were me, I'd switch telepath and constructor. Telepathy is a core element of psionics, like clairsentience, telekinesis, and body manipulation. Forming constructs out of astral goo feels more wizardy.

Exactly its a core element of the Psion class as in I think its likely all Psions are going to be Telepathic.

 

[Gradine]

Double-Post

 

[Gradine]

Good deal. I never warmed to "mystic." There's nothing wrong with the occasional sci-fi trope in D&D; such tropes have a long and honorable history in the game, all the way back to Arneson's Blackmoor.


So, you can specialize in moving stuff with your mind; transforming your physical form; teleporting (I assume that's what Nomad does, could use a better name); or... uh... instantiating a class? What the heck does a Constructor do?

Also, shouldn't telepath be a psion subclass rather than a wizard tradition?

As others have pointed out Constructors (or Shapers) have focused on the past of shaping material out of psy-stuff (usually ectoplasm, sometimes also crystal).

Nomads specialize in "psychoportation" and astral projection and all things getting from point A to point B. There was a Nomad-focused prestige class in 3.5 called the Elocater that I played once; it's a ton of fun. Lots of mobility, as you can imagine. He liked to teleport above people and land on them spear-first.

 

[Salthorae]

Exactly its a core element of the Psion class as in I think its likely all Psions are going to be Telepathic.

I have to agree with this sentiment. Building constructs seems wizardy to me, reading minds, less so.

Was there anything new in this weeks? I haven’t had a chance to go watch it yet.

 

[Dungeonosophy]

A bit of D&D History.

I invented the word Psion. (As far as I know.)

Here's the story.

Back on the WotC Message Boards, in the run-up to 3E, (must've been around 1999-2000), I posted my own speculative synthesis of how I'd like to see the 2E Classes and Groups (Warrior, Rogue, Wizard, Priest, Psionicist) redone for 3E. I posted a list of classes, grouped by, well "Group", since that was the paradigm I was familiar with. The details of 3E were only beginning to leak out. In that post, I offered a completist perspective, and included basically all of the 2E classes in the list, even rare classes, hoping they'd all be included in the 3E PHB, or in a followup sourcebook. I included all of the 2E Psionicist classes from the Complete Psionics Handbook in the list.

...But I felt irked by how "Psionicist" is such an ugly, long, clunky word. And so, since this was my own personal vision of 3E, I thought to myself: The only essential bit of that word is "Psion-". Why not just call the Group "Psion"? It's fits in aesthetically with such short words as "Rogue" and "Priest".

So in my posted list, I grouped the psionic classes under the name "Psion". I did invent it.

Around that time, I (and others) were conversing back and forth daily with Ryan Dancey and other WotC reps. And Dancey was responding to my posts.

Not long after that, I saw WotC using the word "Psion".

Now, it's such a simple word, that it could very well have been independently conceived by a WotC staffer. Yet, you see why I propose that my invention may've directly inspired the class name.

The only way to prove it would be to:

1) Search through an archive of the only WotC msg board (if an archive exists), and find my post. I don't even remember my handle back then. Maybe I used my name, Shane.
2) Search the WotC msg board for any prior use of "Psion".
3) Confirm with Dancey and/or other staffers to see if they remember picking the word up. There was surely at least some brief discussion about changing such a significant thing as the Group (now Class) name.

Not that anyone (including myself) is burning to affirm this teeny bit of D&D lore. Yet since the word Psion has been used so often since then, in Dark Sun, and now 5E, I figured I'd share the story from my perspective.