Unearthed Arcana New Unearthed Arcana: Psionics!

There’s a new Unearthed Arcana article out, and it’s all about psionics! "Their minds bristling with power, three new subclasses arrive in today’s Unearthed Arcana: the Psychic Warrior for the fighter, the Soulknife for the rogue, and the tradition of Psionics for the wizard."

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In this 9-page PDF, there are also some new psionics-themed spells (including versions of classic psionic powers like id insinuation and ego whip) and two new feats.

 

[Chaosmancer]

For the Psychic Warrior is Psionic Armament once per round or once per short rest or what? Because once per round seems a bit good.

You choose your Psionic Armament during a long rest.

The abilities (either defensive or offensive) can then be activated once a round for the entire day. The Defensive is a reaction that is similiar to the Ancestral Guardians reaction, and the offensive is a honestly pathetic damage boost for a once per round.

It looks like the Soulknife can't Sneak Attack with her psychic blade: 'it deals 1d6 psychic damage on a hit'.

You can sneak attack with it. They are just clarifying the stats of the weapon. It is a Finesse weapon that does 1d6 psychic on a hit, just like the Shortsword is a finesse weapon that does 1d6 piercing on a hit.

Looking at the spells, I see a big problem with Id insinuation: you can have up to 3 turns per round. I think the damage should be per round, not per turn.

My reading of it is "at the end of their turn" which would only happen once per round anyways. You might have a typo on your copy of the spell if it says something different.

 

[Parmandur]

Fans of past editions aren't everyone. "Everyone" includes the 7.4 billion people who have never played D&D.

5e is just meant to be D&D for the mere 40 million who have.

Get them all singing kumbaya together, and you have a better chance of getting new voices to join in.

Everyone in "real life" that I know who liked 4E is now all about 5E. So, big tent = success.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Everyone in "real life" that I know...So, big tent = success.

that's how big and unbiased a sample size?

Seriously, we've had 5 years of 'missing class' threads.

 

[Kurotowa]

that's how big and unbiased a sample size?

Seriously, we've had 5 years of 'missing class' threads.

"EN World posters" is hardly a less biased sample. It self-selects for the highest investment D&D fans and leans heavily towards long time players. I'm the only one in my group who even reads this forum.

 

[Harzel]

So we aren't admitting to levels of success? That seems a little restrictive, but whatever props your tent.

At some point, a difference in degree becomes a difference in kind. If I claim as a goal "become a world-class marathon runner", and what I have accomplished is to have struggled to complete a 5K in a bit over 30 minutes, I think it is fair to say that "partial success" does not apply.

Now, admittedly, there's an objective metric there, and "does this PC feel like Darth Vader" is quite subjective. However, I even if the level of success is subjective, I don't think that it's unfair to categorize a sufficiently limited success as failure. You're free, of course, to disagree with the judgement.

Also, it's kind of toxic to imply that having an opinion that you happen to disagree with is somehow aberrant ("whatever props your tent").

 

[Salthorae]

I'm the only one in my group who even reads this forum.

Me too, of the 15 people I know locally who play regularly (there are more, these are just the ones I know), I'm the only one on here.

 

[Quartz]

You choose your Psionic Armament during a long rest.

The abilities (either defensive or offensive) can then be activated once a round for the entire day. The Defensive is a reaction that is similiar to the Ancestral Guardians reaction, and the offensive is a honestly pathetic damage boost for a once per round.

But it is once per round. That's very good.

You can sneak attack with it. They are just clarifying the stats of the weapon. It is a Finesse weapon that does 1d6 psychic on a hit, just like the Shortsword is a finesse weapon that does 1d6 piercing on a hit.

5E is exception-based so surely that wouldn't apply? The language is quite explicit. Adding Sneak Attack to Rend Mind seems just obscene.

My reading of it is "at the end of their turn" which would only happen once per round anyways. You might have a typo on your copy of the spell if it says something different.

In 5E there's a difference between a turn and a round. A character or monster can have up to three turns per round - main action, bonus action, and reaction. And then there are monsters with Legendary Actions.

Another observation I have is that these are all Long Rest abilities. The 5 minute workday strikes again. I would much prefer them to be based off a Short Rest.

 

[Zaukrie]

No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying that someone who has no idea what goes into game design probably shouldn't be calling the designers things like "lazy" or "ruined it", or other attacks. Especially when the team has made probably the most successful version of D&D ever, whether or not it fits our own personal desires.

that's not close to what you posted......

I do agree, we shouldn't attack them, but that's not what you posted.

"A lot of opinions here on how WotC should design the game from people who haven't designed or published anything themselves. "

 

[Salthorae]

5E is exception-based so surely that wouldn't apply? The language is quite explicit. Adding Sneak Attack to Rend Mind seems just obscene.

You guys look like you're talking at cross purposes.

You can sneak attack with your Psychic Blade, yes.

Rend Mind is a separate ability that is not an attack with a finesse or ranged weapon (it is a separate action and sneak attack requires an Attack), so Sneak Attack doesn't apply here even though the fluff says you do it with the Psychic Blade.

 

[Sacrosanct]

that's not close to what you posted......

I do agree, we shouldn't attack them, but that's not what you posted.

"A lot of opinions here on how WotC should design the game from people who haven't designed or published anything themselves. "

I was making a variation to the common armchair quarterback saying. I thought that was pretty implied with where I was going with at that. Sorry if that wasn't clear.