D&D 5E Psionics in a sci-fi D&D

[teitan]

Starfinder does Sci Fi, D&D does Sci Fi. Bam. I prefer reskinned magic, it is easier and makes for a cohesive system. Nothing wrong with flavoring things and then using feats to differentiate. It's essentially what Psionics has been since 2e anyway.

 

[Minigiant]

You could certainly do a feat chain and a class option, for those who psionics to be their primary pursuit. That's the problem with feats. They represent a cool thing you can do outside of your primary focus as an adventurer. What if psionics is your primary focus?

D&D is a class based game.
If you want X to be the primary focus of a character, you need a class with X as one of its foci. Since most of the spellcasters already have foci, youl ikely will have to create a new spellcaster class in order to inject psionics as a focus.

 

[MGibster]

But that’s the thing. They aren’t.

Psi bolt is just fire bolt that deals psychic damage. Or maybe something like dissonant whispers.

I mean, sure, if that's what you're going for then just use the magic rules and call it psionics. But in most science fiction worlds I'm familiar with, the ones with psionic powers typically don't operate like they do in a high fantasy setting.

 

[Micah Sweet]

D&D is a class based game.
If you want X to be the primary focus of a character, you need a class with X as one of its foci. Since most of the spellcasters already have foci, youl ikely will have to create a new spellcaster class in order to inject psionics as a focus.

That's my point. I'm in favor of a psionics-based class, using a system that is different from magic.

 

[tomBitonti]

I prefer the 1e pseudo-science and early 20th century psychbabble lingo feel. With spell points. I don’t mind if there is overlap with some magical abilities. The campaign is was in several years ago use the 3.5E psionics (updated) and we liked it a lot.
TomB

 

[Mordhau]

Telekinetic animate dead.

Yes. But we would expect this to work differently to normal animate dead. For one we would to expect the caster to have to continue to concentrate to maintain the telekinetic affect.

And that's leaving aside whether this is really a telekinetic effect that makes sense. Why would I telekinetically animate a whole skeleton rather than just say a sword?

 

[Kobold Stew]

I really liked the ideas behind the Mystic class that was presented in Unearthed Arcana: a Psion-class, with subclasses that allowed for a wide choice of party roles. Talents/Disciplines/points had a breath of the difference from normal spellcasting classes that Warlock has, but wasn't providing just a copy of that.

There were so many ideas in that one playtest (some good, some bad), but out of it could have come a solid, consistent and diverse class that would offer a non-spellcasting model.

For me, there was too much there; but a psion class where the subclasses allowed you to

1. choose between (say): (a) cloud minds and teleport, (b) start fires and move things (telekeneisis, pyrokenesis), (b) read objects and predict the future (a la lucky or Divination), (d) sense and view other places (clairvoyance/audience)

2. while also giving you a choice between being a fighter (psionic armor and blades) or a blaster (beams and mental attacks)

would hit all the buttons I need for psionics in 5e.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Personally, I’ll play them either way. But I vastly prefer Psionics as a distinct system from Magic.

 

[Aldarc]

I have a question.

Why the insistence that we need psionic classes?

Why not simply a series of feats with an additional feature that you can replace any class feature you gain after 1st level with a psionic feat. The feats would be something along the lines of warlock invocations- similar in power to a class feature. Would make each sort of psionic package a nice discrete element that could be added to anything - PC or NPC - without a lot of work.

So, you could have a character that is a little psionic on top of being a _____ or you could be mostly psionic with a chassis of another class.

Why do we have to have psionic classes?

Sorry, but based upon past interactions regarding psionics, I'm skeptical that you have any interest whatsoever in being receptive to answers in favor of psionic (as classes or otherwise) in good faith. You don't like psionics, and that's fine, but trying to kill psionic classes and the like for those who do like it? Not cool. And it will never stop being not cool, Hussar.

 

[Hussar]

You could certainly do a feat chain and a class option, for those who psionics to be their primary pursuit. That's the problem with feats. They represent a cool thing you can do outside of your primary focus as an adventurer. What if psionics is your primary focus?

That's why I suggested that you could replace class features with psionic feats.

So, at 8th level cleric (I'm picking a random example because I happen to know that clerics get a feature at 8th - typically a damage rider for their weapon attacks) could replace whatever feature they would have gotten from their class, and instead get a psionic feature. A class that focuses on psionics would simply replace every feature after first level with a psionic feature.

Of course, then you do have the issue with spell casting. That's a fair point. A core caster gets class features as well as spells every level. But, wouldn't the solution for a primarily psionic focused character be to simply not take a caster as a base?