Unearthed Arcana Why UA Psionics are never going to work in 5e.

[FlyingChihuahua]

Extrapolating from this discussion, I have found another reason why people might want psionics:

they're hipsters for types of magic. Arcane and Divine magic are too "mainstream" or something, thus they want to use a different type of magic that is more "underground"

 

[Guest 6801328]

See, but you don't actually need anything about magic for that to be the case.

Heck, let us say magic is as easy as teaching algebra. Then, a hundred years ago, a Demon Horde appeared and started killing anyone who knew magic and dragging their souls to the Abyss.

How many magic-users are in the setting at the start of your adventure a hundred years later?

Sure, I didn't say it had to be something about magic itself. But there really does need to be a setting-specific explanation, if you want it to be rare. Your Demon Horde story works fine.

Or, you can just say that magic is hard to learn and expensive. If it costs a million dollars to even attempt to learn from a mage, would you be able to afford it right now? A college education is actually out of the reach of most people in the country, that is why loan programs exist, because the majority of people who go to college can't actually afford it. Take away the loans, and have each wizard only take ona few apprentices, and boom, wizards are rare again, with no need for anything else.

Yes, I alluded to something like that.

See, Max's point (as it has been presented to me) is that the only explanation for magic being rare that works is that you have to be born magical. If it can be taught, then everyone will learn it and use it by the time the adventure starts.

That is what I'm trying to argue against.

Yeah, I don't agree with the premise that it has to be that you're born magical. But for a setting to be internally consistent, there needs to be some explanation. Being born magical is just one of the possible solutions. (And a particularly easy one, at that.)

 

[PsyzhranV2]

Just make it so that the practical magic beyond the first few levels is the equivalent of postdoctoral research. If you're a Wizard or a Bard studying magic at a university, you might have to write and defend your doctoral dissertation on magical theory before you have the requisite knowledge base, let alone permission from the university, to start learning practical magic beyond the few cantrips and rituals that the Magewright who tailors your clothes knows.

Under such a worldbuilding construction, anybody could theoretically learn magic, but to reach PC levels of magic would take a long period of study, for which only a few would have the intellectual capacity and discipline of character to excel in, and that even would fewer have the tuition funds and social connections to support such an academic career. Other forms of magic - holy, druidic, pact magic, etc. - would have lower barriers to entry, but as a trade-off be less reliably taught from master to student; one would have to have "the gift" or interference from an outside benefactor to use those magics. Does that solve the problem?

 

[Maxperson]

Yeah, I don't agree with the premise that it has to be that you're born magical. But for a setting to be internally consistent, there needs to be some explanation. Being born magical is just one of the possible solutions. (And a particularly easy one, at that.)

Yep. That's the one I use. So long as there is something in the game that acts as a limiter on who can learn magic, spellcasters being relatively rare works. If there is no limiter, you end up with an Eberron where spellcasters are everywhere, even if the really powerful ones are rare.

 

[Maxperson]

Just make it so that the practical magic beyond the first few levels is the equivalent of postdoctoral research. If you're a Wizard or a Bard studying magic at a university, you might have to write and defend your doctoral dissertation on magical theory before you have the requisite knowledge base, let alone permission from the university, to start learning practical magic beyond the few cantrips and rituals that the Magewright who tailors your clothes knows.

That would pretty much prohibit Wizard multi-classing for PCs, though. Most PCs who cross over into Wizard do so after only having spent a matter of days or weeks, sometimes months, prepping to become a Wizard. Often they do so without any prep at all.

 

[FlyingChihuahua]

That would pretty much prohibit Wizard multi-classing for PCs, though. Most PCs who cross over into Wizard do so after only having spent a matter of days or weeks, sometimes months, prepping to become a Wizard. Often they do so without any prep at all.

sounds like a plus to me.

stops fighter 1/wizard x's in their tracks.

 

[Maxperson]

sounds like a plus to me.

stops fighter 1/wizard x's in their tracks.

I don't mind it. I'd rather come up with an explanation that allows my players to multi-class as they see fit for their character, yet still leaves casters rare overall.

 

[Catulle]

I mean, sure, but limiting magical development is then a homebrew situation, rather than a RAW one, which imposes no such restrictions, right..?

 

[Maxperson]

I mean, sure, but limiting magical development is then a homebrew situation, rather than a RAW one, which imposes no such restrictions, right..?

RAW makes no overt restriction, but the RAW default assumption that spellcasters are relatively rare heavily implies that some sort of limiter is in effect. Especially since it describes how ancient magic and wizards are, meaning that by default there has been more than enough time for spellcasters to be everwhere and not

 

[JiffyPopTart]

Lots of not well thought out ideas shooting around here.

Just because a person in the Forgotten Realms can swing a sword and use a shield doesn't make them a Fighter. Just because someone can track a deer doesn't make them a Ranger. Same goes for sneaking about. Same CAN go for casting a spell.

If 1 in 100 people are mentally able to learn to cast a light cantrip, and 1 in 100 of those can learn to cast a 1st level spell....and so on....you end up with 1 in 100000000000000000000 people able to cast 9th level spells, which means there probably shouldn't be any yet in the universe.

The saying "Anyone can learn magic" isn't the same as saying "Everyone can learn magic". Yes, there might be some natural talent involved to be among the best (which all PCs are) but that doesn't mean you wouldn't have the students doing the bare minimum to get their degree, then who go home and live on the family farm casting Light (and only light) for the rest of their lives because anything more is too hard.