Unearthed Arcana Unearthed Arcana Revisits Psionics

The latest Unearthed Arcana from WotC revisits some psionic rules! “Shine with the power of the mind in this installment of Unearthed Arcana! Today we revisit several psi-themed options that we released in the past few months. Studying your feedback on those options, we’ve crafted this new collection of subclasses, spells, and feats, found in the PDF below.“

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[Krachek]

Show me one that doesn't have any. I can't think of a single spell that works via thought alone and doesn't have at least one of those components. Even the presence of a single component invalidates that spell as being a psionic power.



This has been disproven ad nauseam, but I'll disprove it again for you.

They only use those things sometimes. Sometimes they use their hands to levitate something, other times their hands are bound and they do it by thought alone. Sometimes they wave their hands and use a mind trick, other times they just stare and use their minds alone.

The motions you see are just movie gimicks to help the audience understand when a power is being used, not some sort of component of the power.

Do you have use Jedi power yourself? You speak like they were really existing.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

He's not a Psion because he can't heal? That's a long bow to draw.

I just honestly don't even slightly for one heartbeat agree. I've been healing people with Psionicists and Psions since 1991 dude. This is not negotiable for me. Healing is part of Psionics. It's also part of it in fiction, very consistently, even in Star Wars, as we recently saw!

As well as Biofeedback, the other big thing people bizarrely ignore, but which is common in fiction and in previous versions of the game is time/space stuff - i.e. teleportation etc. - but Wizards have good access there.

And he's not memorizing spells in the morning. He's meditating on his Psionic Crystal and attaining Psionic focus.

You don't seem to understand the issue. The issue isn't how you get them in there. It's that you have to operate like a Wizard, i.e. having only specific spells "armed" each day. It's not the Psionicist/Psion model at all. Not in previous rules, and not in fiction. Psionicists/Psions have consistently had a more limited arsenal, but access to all of it all the time - and there's loads of classes in 5E that DO work that way. Just not Wizard.

I'm actually kind of interested here, not trying to be mean, like this is a real problem. Wizards are not the right base. We could work out how to build a 5E Psion, but we can't do it from Wizard.

But I otherwise agree. I could fluff a Bard as a Psion also. I could fluff a Paladin or Ranger as a Psionic Warrior as well.

Refluffed Hexblades make for pretty compelling Githyanki 'Antipaladins' also - the patrons name is changed to the Lich Queen, and the Sword they bond to for + Cha is a silver sword.

Yes that's a much better refluff than actually using the Fallen Paladin or Conqueror Paladin or the like, I agree (no sarcasm, I actually do agree).

Paladin would mechanically be an awesome starting point for 5E Psychic Warrior, if you just like, overwrote the fluff entirely. Fighter is a dodgy one. It's not a disaster but it's not where it needs to be.

 

[Flamestrike]

Refluffing is insufficient.

Thats not the point. Im saying it's possible to refluff at the moment, and it clearly is.

Personally I would like to see a Psionic class of its own instead.

Then he's not a wizard refluffed. See, a Psion doesn't have to pick and choose which of his powers are available like a wizard does, so...

Im sorry; in which editions Psion are you talking about here? 1E Psionics, 2E Psionicist, 3E's Psion or whatever they did with it in 4E? Is it an Ardent, a Psionicist, a Telepath or what?

Because psionics having fixed powers has varied over the editions.

 

[Flamestrike]

Healing, as well as Biofeedback

Here you go:

Life Transference, a Necromancy spell on Dnd-Spells | Dungeons and Dragons 5e - Spells, spell cards, spellbooks for all D&D lovers'

You psionically transfer your targets damage to yourself. There is your psionic healing.

Yes that's a much better refluff than actually using the Fallen Paladin or Conqueror Paladin or the like, I agree (no sarcasm, I actually do agree).

Pact of the Blade Hexblade really works for Gith knight. Refluff your Patron to the Lich Queen, and refluff your Pact weapon to a Silver sword.

I did a similar re-fluff of a Hexblade for a Moon Elf wielding a Moonblade. It was perfect (the Spectre summoned at 6th level, was simply re-fluffed into the Elfshadow).

 

[DEFCON 1]

We're at the stage now in this conversation where the people who want a full psion class had probably better start expanding and building upon their ideas in preparation for the survey if they hope for WotC to actually make it. Because if the reasoning for why a psion needs to be its own class and not a sorcerer or wizard subclass is "Has to have healing and no spell components"... that'll be the easiest reasoning for WotC to just ignore. Mainly because most people already ignore spell components (so even if the class had components listed it wouldn't stop anyone from using it, they'd just ignore them like casters players already do)... and one single aspect of psionic power that can't be duplicated by a sorcerer/wizard I don't think would be enough to justify a full new class in their minds.

Now honestly... if I was to bet on it I'd guess that the Psi Knight, Soulknife and Psionic Soul will appear in the next Xanathar's kind of book, and yes, a full Psion class will probably appear in a Dark Sun setting book in 2021 or 2022. But I'd still think the folks who really want it need to make a really strong case for it for Jeremy to go along. More than just healing and spell components.

 

[Flamestrike]

On topic, I am totally underwhelmed by the Psionic Sorcerer.

It's one of those rare 'take this archetype at 1st level' arcehtypes, so they had a lot of room to play with switching Cha for Int, removing components entirely, and making it feel a lot more like a Psion.

 

[Maxperson]

Here you go:

Life Transference, a Necromancy spell on Dnd-Spells | Dungeons and Dragons 5e - Spells, spell cards, spellbooks for all D&D lovers'

You psionically transfer your targets damage to yourself. There is your psionic healing.

Did you miss the part where it heals ANOTHER creature's injuries? And where YOU sacrifice YOUR health? You've incorrectly used that spell in two different wrong ways in order to try and provide healing to your fake Psion.

 

[Flamestrike]

Did you miss the part where it heals ANOTHER creature's injuries? And where YOU sacrifice YOUR health?

It does heal. Other people, while taking damage itself in the process (the weakening effect of using so much Psionic energy).

If you really REALLY must have healing, dip a level in Favored soul Sorcerer Ardent.

You've never played a Psion, have you?

Pleasant as always I see. Another off to the ignore list.

 

[Maxperson]

It does heal. Other people, while taking damage itself in the process (the weakening effect of using so much Psionic energy).

You've never played a Psion, have you?

 

[Sword of Spirit]

On the whole, I like this even though I'd still prefer a psion class (which I'm aware is now off the table according to the document).

Not quite. The mystic version is abandoned. Whether or not their might be a psion class in the future is still up in the air.

[Edited to add] But if they can get away with not making one, I bet they won't make one, so if you want one, make sure to let them know on any relevant occasion (surveys, social media, chatting with Jeremy Crawford at a con, etc).