D&D 5E Psionics in Tasha

[Crimson Longinus]

What I do not understand about this is why they felt the need to call it "psionics".

In 1e-2e (despite being something that was supernatural from a real-world perspective), it was flavoured from something other than magic. A counterpoint. A rival. This is my preferred model, although I acknowledge it is extremely difficult to do in a way that is both streamlined and balanced.

In 3e, 3.5, and 4e, it was basically just another branch of magic, but it was mechanically distinct. And the points-based casting mechanics had their fans (especially the 3.5 take).

Making a few spells with a "psionic" tag on them and maybe a couple of is not going to please either of those groups. And the people who wanted neither of those and who are grave dancing now are probably not terribly attached to the name "psionics" either, so if they had called it "psychic magic" or "mentalist magic", everyone would have been a little happier.

EDIT: Also, add me to the list of strongly disliking tequila.

_
glass.

Because then people who want psionics would continue to whine for bespoke psionics rules. This is their way of saying, 'here are your psionics rules, whether you like it or not.'

 

[Benjamin Olson]

Weirding way above uses verbal components.

And a material component curtesy of David Lynch, but the less said of that the better.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Because then people who want psionics would continue to whine for bespoke psionics rules. This is their way of saying, 'here are your psionics rules, whether you like it or not.'

LOL it is nothing new with WotC, many players IME have something about 5E in terms of rules they don't like--why would psionics be any different?

 

[Minigiant]

I don't like psionic spells because we don't need more attack spells that are just like old evocation spells but enchantment and psychic damage.

I don't want Enchantment to be Necromancy's psychic sister.
What's next Illusion school getting a bunch of shadow blast spells.

How about some paladin, ranger, sorcerer, and warlock unique spells for Thor's sake.
Hooray for the 3 fans of mindblast wizards and the 15,000 powergamers who wanted to psychic damage nuke people with wizards.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

Psionics are weird, psionics are different, psionics are powers that Wizards don't quite understand, people who have psionics powers are mutants. You lose all that when you turn them into Sorcerers. Oh well, I'll just use the Mystic.

 

[SkidAce]

It can be third form of magic, yes. But still magic and can still use the same system. Arcane and divine are separate types of magic yet use the same base system.

Nope, psionics is sciencey. Yes I know its not real life, but these are games, we don't call hyperdrives magic do we?

 

[SkidAce]

I think taking the sorcerer, giving them the ability to ignore verbal components (or just giving them subtle magic for free), swapping the spell casting stat to intelligence and listing the optional spell point rules in the side bar as mandatory, and boom you have psionic from 2e... More or less.

I could live with this.

 

[Mistwell]

Nope, psionics is sciencey. Yes I know its not real life, but these are games, we don't call hyperdrives magic do we?

The problem is we don't agree on what psionics is.

To me, the most iconic psionics in fiction is the Deryni series. Which is, in no way at all, sciencey.

Dragon Magazine agreed the Deryni series was psionics. So we have clear precedent for psionics as not sciencey.

So what do we do with diametrically opposed views on what psionics even is?

 

[Minigiant]

To me, magic is the language of the building blocks of the universe. When you cast fireball, you are doing the gestures, saying the words, and presenting the objects that tell the world to explode at the point of your choosing. Magic might be the bastardization of Truespeak. Magic might be the manipulation of the Weave. Magic might be the slight agitation of the elemental portofolios. Every world see it differently but they all say magic in sourced somewhere behind the laws of the world,either tied to or adjacent to natural physics.

Psionics to me is defined by not being a phenomon attached to magic nor physics. It might be a result of corruption from the Far Realm. It might be the collective consciousness of intelligent beings pushing on reality. It might be an intrusion of another plane of existence's own building blocks.

But the core was that you can't use the world's magical or physics logic to do psionics. Outside of manipulating one's mind with magic to become psionic, magic cannot do anything psionic. And even then, it's not magic users using magic to do psionics, it's magic users using magic to be psionic then using psionics to do psionics.

Making magic users use psionics as spells takes the whole point away.

 

[DND_Reborn]

So what do we do with diametrically opposed views on what psionics even is?

Live with WotC representing it by spell slots?