Psion class (Mearls, Happy Fun Hour)

[Hexmage-EN]

I've started reading a book recently called Secret Religions, which covers various real world New Age organizations and cults. It's inadvertantly helped me like the idea of psionics in D&D better, changing my understanding of the concept from just a scif-fi substitute for magic into a form of mysticism.

The main thing that has caught my interest is that several groups, like the Theosophical Society, taught that psychic powers are innate to all humans but that only some people learn how to access them. Some claim that humanity as a whole once made extensive use of psionics but either forgot how to use them or somehow become largely incapable of it, while others say that humankind is just now discovering their hidden abilities for the first time.

Another interesting concept is that there are entities who have mastered these powers to the point of becoming independent of mundane reality. These "ascended masters" strive to help others achieve apotheosis.

D&D already has a number of concepts that could be integrated with this mystical view of psionics. Monks, like psions, are capable of unlocking supernatural power that is innate to mortals, yet largely untapped and only accessed through specialized study (4E's psionic monk makes more sense now, actually). Githzerai also embody both psionics and the monk class, and they have their own "ascended master" in Zerthimon. Perhaps "ki" is related to psionic energy in some way.

Plus you've got the Astral Plane, a realm of thought, so you'd think that would have something to do with psions. 4E also floated the idea that divine magic might be a variant of psionics, seeing as the realms of the gods are linked to the Astral Plane. Maybe you could even have fringe cults claiming that the gods themselves are actually an order of ultra powerful ascended masters.

 

[Dungeonosophy]

Maybe you could even have fringe cults claiming that the gods themselves are actually an order of ultra powerful ascended masters.

"Fringe cult" = the entire World of Mystara. Pretty much all of the gods (called "Immortals" in Mystara) were mortals who worked their way up to Immortality.

Interesting perspective on Theosophy and D&D. Gygax admits that some D&D creatures were directly taken from Theosophy: the Solar Deva and Planetar. Presumably also the Monadic Deva.

Gygax:
"Planetar and Solar were inspired by Theosophy."
— ENWorld, Q&A with Gary Gygax part 13, 2007


Also, the very terms Etheric Plane, Astral Plane, and Outer Planes (Theosophy's "Devachan", "home of the gods") is from Theosophy.

On a related note: I recently discovered that, aesthetically, the name "Cthulhu" is very likely based on a mix of "Kuthumi" and "Djwal Khul" two figures from Alice Bailey's theosophy: Kuthumi + Djawal Khul = "K(u)thu(mi)(Djwa)l(k)hu(l)" = Kthulhu.

https://secretsun.blogspot.com/2014/08/lovecrafts-secret-source-for-chthulu_9.html

 

[Zardnaar]

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.

We were using that word in AD&D 2E with no internet access. Psionist was rarely used psychic was probably used the most.

 

[Dungeonosophy]

We were using that word in AD&D 2E with no internet access.

Fair enough - it's a word that easily could be independently invented. Nevertheless, it is feasible (though far from certain) that my correspondence with Dancey at that time may've brought the word to WotC staffer's ears and consciousness.

 

[Zardnaar]

Fair enough - it's a word that easily could be independently invented. Nevertheless, it is feasible (though far from certain) that my correspondence with Dancey at that time may've brought the word to WotC staffer's ears and consciousness.

Possible yeah, even without internet access and regular Dragons a lot of stuff we did in AD&D was echoed independently by other groups. I missed the dart specialist thing though and we used more optional rules at various times than most groups probably (we actually used Skills and Powers- once).

 

[Yaarel]

Mearls, Happy Fun Hour 2018 6-12 is up!

Show focuses on the psion (formerly mystic) class.

Element-kinesis (pyrokinesis, cryokinesis, etcetera) merges with wu-jen and mentalist, and goes to wizard class.

Telepath returns from wizard to psion, currently as ‘awakened’, possibly renamed telepath. The awakened telepath gains full-on telepathy. All psions get some telepathy.

Barbarian gains the immortal subclass.

Currently ...

Psion
• Awakened (Telepath)
• Nomad (Teleporter)
• Metamorph
• Constructor (Shaper of force constructs)

 

[Kobold Avenger]

One of my thoughts on if they keep power points, they should reduce the number of power points and have them refresh on a short rest. Using the roughly the Warlock Spell Levels and # of Slots to determine how many Power Points they get. That could mean that they'd get something similar to Mystic Arcanum for later levels to match up with other casters.

I think that finding somewhere between the Wizard and the Warlock might be something to aim for other than going "More like the Wizard".

 

[CapnZapp]

Since differentiation is good in itself (everything else equal), I see a point here.

Obviously, however, I would love it if the Psion isn't "X with spell points" for any value of X.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I like the Pathfinder Kineticist, which is mechanically similar to the 3.5 warlock, but completely refluffed.

 

[Yaarel]

Mearls mentions the immortal mystic will go to the barbarian class. ... But does that mean the barbarian will be the psychic warrior?