Psionics Coming Soon To D&D?

WotC's Mike Mearls has hinted that we may be able to expect some psionics content soon, possibly in the Unearthed Arcana column. He was asked by Ethan Clow on the Twitterweb "any chance we might see a Psionic class for 5e soon? Perhaps in unearthed arcana?" to which he replied "wouldn't be surprised. I *might* have had a couple prior edition psionics books on my desk last week..." (Thanks to Wolf Hunter for the scoop).

 

[Remathilis]

I'm a big fan of all things psionic, but that remark leaves me skeptical. Psionics as 'just another kind of magic' simply doesn't cut it. So, I strongly doubt a typical 'Unearthed Arcana' article can do it justice. It needs a separate source book. Nothing less will do.

This is what I hope for; a system that is familiar enough that the DM doesn't need to relearn everything due to having a psionic in his group, but has its own flavorful method of using powers, unique abilities that aren't just PHB spells, and a variety of subclasses, feats, races, and monsters...

I think the Psion could easily be a a Sorcerer subclass. I don't think there was ever anything fundamentally special that psionics ever brought to D&D other than a spell point system. I don't see them adding spell points as a default system for a class since they already have it as an option in the DMG.

And that's what I'm afraid we're getting. "Hey guys! I'm a psion sorcerer! I can cast magic missile, poison spray, firebolt, and detect magic, but since I'm a psion I can also telepathically talk to you once per short rest. Psionics are cool, huh?"

 

[Siphersh]

Which was basically reflavored spellcasting with a spell point system.

No, it isn't.

When you use psionics in 2nd edition, you roll an ability check. That's a big difference, and it represents a specific narrative difference between magic and psionics.

Also, access to most of the powers is not limited by level. Instead, you get better and better at them, which is called psionic "mastery" in earlier editions. I think that these two features are at least as defining of psionics as the point system. And all three of them have narrative relevance.

Also, completely overpowered

Yes, and that's why 3rd edition and later distorted psionics for the sake of uniformity. But I think that 5E is a very solid and flexible system, and it can do better than that.

There is already an optional spell point system if the DM wishes to use it.

Yes, and warlock or sorcerer can be reskinned and modified to serve as psionic classes. And if there will be an UA article about that, I think there's nothing wrong with that. That's completely in the spirit of 5E. That's something that 5E was designed to be really good at.

But in Dark Sun, psionics is fundamental. More so than magic. If you want psionics for Dark Sun, then what you want from psionics may be different from a campaign where psionics is marginal. You may want magic to be mechanically distinct from psionics, because in Dark Sun it's really important about magic that it's not psionics.

So I'd like if they published some ideas about building a more peculiar kind of psionics too.

 

[Siphersh]

I think the reason that there's never going to be a consensus on psionics is that some people want it for what it is, while others want it for how it's done.

What psionics is is something that you do, as opposed to magic which is something that you "wield". What's wrong with wanting it to be done the way it is?

 

[Mouseferatu]

What psionics is is something that you do, as opposed to magic which is something that you "wield". What's wrong with wanting it to be done the way it is?

I didn't say there was anything wrong with it. In fact, I specifically said the reverse. I'm simply saying that there are two fundamentally different ways of looking at it, and they can be satisfied in two very different ways.

 

[aramis erak]

I couldn't disagree with this sentiment more.

I like free stuff; I like that "they" are giving us free, quality mini-suplements. Unlike the play test period, they're not asking for your feedback. I am not under the impression that my individual feedback is so valuable to them that I should be on their payroll.

Funny, but the Unearthed Arcana articles have been major topics within the monthly surveys last month and this month.

 

[Kobold Stew]

Funny, but the Unearthed Arcana articles have been major topics within the monthly surveys last month and this month.

Fair enough. I continue to believe that the free mini-supplements are good for the game, which was my point.

It'd be interesting to learn how the response rate compares to the play test, or how they are planning on implementing feedback (if they are), etc.

 

[Parmandur]

Isn't that a bit odd? Psionics is not Dark Sun. It exists in Faerun and Eberron at least. I imagine others as well.

...

Psionics are one of the defining features of Dark Sun?

 

[Parmandur]

Fair enough. I continue to believe that the free mini-supplements are good for the game, which was my point.



It'd be interesting to learn how the response rate compares to the play test, or how they are planning on implementing feedback (if they are), etc.

They've said the first survey, at any rate, had more responses than any playtest survey.

 

[Mishihari Lord]

Ummm.... could you go into a bit more detail? This doesn't make sense to me. What does psionic magic have to do with old school sword and sorcery flavor?

Andre Norton's Witch World books had both magic and psionics, and I definitely consider them classic swords and sorcery.

 

[CapnZapp]

The thing with psionics having a different mechanism than wizards/clerics/etc is that almost by definition it will either be better or it will be worse.

(the likelihood of it being comparably powerful as in "same same but different" is of course theoretically possible, but really slim to none)

So while I can understand the desire for mechanically different psionics, I don't believe most people want to pay the price.

Which is, either everybody want to play a psionicist (instead of a spellcaster) or nobody does.