D&D 5E Psionics as sorcerer?

[fromthe1980s]

Since I laid hands on my 5e PHB, I've thought about making Professor X from Xmen or a similar type character. I even remarked: It would be easy to alter the Sorcerer for that. I was totally disappointed in the UA mystic.

Why couldn't psionics be a Sorcerer with permanent Subtle Spell? Many spells are perfectly suitable for fluffing as "psychic." Cantrips alone that could be: blade ward, dancing lights, friends, light, mage hand (fluff it as invisible maybe), mending, message, minor illusion, prestidigitation, true strike. In fact, some spells seems more suited to mind games that "arcane," illusions for example. Knowing that someone is in your head = friends cantrip.

Even spells that have a point of origin with the caster such as fireball could be realistically created "in the mind" as opposed to "from the weave."

Replace CHA with INT maybe.

 

[Rocksome]

One of the first games I ran when 5e came out was a one-off Dark Sun game where the Psion was just a refluffed sorceror. Permanent Subtle spell seems a bit strong, many psychics need to put their hands to their head when manifesting powers and let our grunts, groans, screams and verbal commands.

 

[Mercule]

I tend to agree that the "classic" psion is best handled as a Sorcerer, with wild talent as just the Magic Initiate feat.

After much thought on the matter (this isn't the first go-round on the topic), I wouldn't even worry about permanent subtle/silent spell for a psionic Sorcerer. Just grant/accept that the V and S components for psionics aren't the same as they would be for a Wizard. They probably aren't even standardized. Most telekinetic characters in movies/comics, for example, still point their fingers and gesture when they move stuff. A pyrokinetic may even say something like, "Burn, you bastard," as he shoots jets of flame from his fingers. These aren't arcane formulae. They're just aids to concentration and make the casting easier. A psion could create an effect without the speaking or gesturing, but it would take a bit more focus from him and it's generally not worth it -- kinda like trappings for using metamagic.

Basically, just run with it. I haven't taken the time to write up a Psion kit for Sorcerer, but that's definitely my plan. The Mystic isn't a bad class. I actually kinda like it. It just isn't a Psion.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Since I laid hands on my 5e PHB, I've thought about making Professor X from Xmen or a similar type character. I even remarked: It would be easy to alter the Sorcerer for that. I was totally disappointed in the UA mystic.

Why couldn't psionics be a Sorcerer with permanent Subtle Spell? Many spells are perfectly suitable for fluffing as "psychic." Cantrips alone that could be: blade ward, dancing lights, friends, light, mage hand (fluff it as invisible maybe), mending, message, minor illusion, prestidigitation, true strike. In fact, some spells seems more suited to mind games that "arcane," illusions for example. Knowing that someone is in your head = friends cantrip.

Even spells that have a point of origin with the caster such as fireball could be realistically created "in the mind" as opposed to "from the weave."

Replace CHA with INT maybe.

It works perfectly well as a sorcerous origin (that's the way I did it for my astral classes doc).

The real question, though, is does that meet player expectations?

And I think you'll find that for a lot of players, it needs to be its own class - there's value in declaring yourself psionic as a high-level class decision point.

That means that WotC has an incentive to make it a class. And if they do a good job, separate it out from other casters, give it a unique identity, it'll be a worthy addition to the game.

Hence, the mystic.

But yeah, if you want to go with a sorcerer, go wild.

 

[Xeviat]

If you were making a consolidated world and you didn't want to add more classes, Sorcerer and spoon could be combined. But, the current Sorcerer story wouldn't work. Dragon sorcerers and psychic sorcerers would be weird as part of the same class to me. But if sorcerers chose an element, like air/earth/fire/water/mind, or whatever.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[DEFCON 1]

But yeah, if you want to go with a sorcerer, go wild.

Wait, wait... I thought he wanted to go psionic, not wild!

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Having psionics as a Sorcerer subclass would’ve been my preference, but I’m a psionics-hater, considering how they’ve been implemented in the past.

 

[MechaTarrasque]

If you were making a consolidated world and you didn't want to add more classes, Sorcerer and spoon could be combined. But, the current Sorcerer story wouldn't work. Dragon sorcerers and psychic sorcerers would be weird as part of the same class to me. But if sorcerers chose an element, like air/earth/fire/water/mind, or whatever.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sorry hit the laugh by accident. To each his own, but I figure if you can handle dragons and chaos, then dragons and psychics aren't that much different (psychics are all gem dragon bloodline sorcerers?). I will give concede that dragons are kind of the odd man out of the sorcerer thing, as pretty much all the other origins have a planar connection: chaos to the Feywild, Limbo, and the Abyss; shadow to Shadowfell, the elemental ones to the Elemental Planes (storm to elemental chaos), and favored soul to well all the outer planes. Psychic is basically to the Astral Sea (or the Far Realm) as the other sources are to those other planes.