Helldritch
Hero
Magic reskinned would be the way to go. Sorcerer style at that! This would give psionics the versatility that it should have.
D&D 5E Psionics in a sci-fi D&D
- Thread starter Morrus
- Start date
Mind of tempest
(he/him)advocate for 5e psionics
but how would we do subclasses as sorcerer has the worst themes?
Helldritch
Hero
Relatively simple.
Martial psionic could still have sorcery points but could be half caster. A purr mind over matter type of psionic could be a full caster type while something akin to rogue could go the arcane trickster way. All these could have sorcery points but would have more or less to work them on.
Feats could add sorcery points, "spells" could come mainly from the transmutation, divination and alteration schools as psionics is usually seen with those. A sub class could add evocation an other could add charm and so on. And depending on the subclass you could see one with charm, alteration and evocation. An other could have transmutation, alteration and divination and so on.
Cantrip could be based off vicious mockery and mind spike. Less damage but with other effects. A telekinetic cantrip could be added and so on. The sky is the limit.
Martial psionic could still have sorcery points but could be half caster. A purr mind over matter type of psionic could be a full caster type while something akin to rogue could go the arcane trickster way. All these could have sorcery points but would have more or less to work them on.
Feats could add sorcery points, "spells" could come mainly from the transmutation, divination and alteration schools as psionics is usually seen with those. A sub class could add evocation an other could add charm and so on. And depending on the subclass you could see one with charm, alteration and evocation. An other could have transmutation, alteration and divination and so on.
Cantrip could be based off vicious mockery and mind spike. Less damage but with other effects. A telekinetic cantrip could be added and so on. The sky is the limit.
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Yaarel
🇮🇱 🇺🇦 He-Mage
The 3e Psion (XPH) was successful because it simplified the mechanics of spellcasting. At the time, within the context of 3e, using spell points spontaneously was simpler than the vancian slot preparations.
But now in 5e, the spellcasting is spontaneous and simpler for every mage class. There is no longer a need for psionics to use different mechanics for spellcasting. The normal 5e spellcasting mechanics work great for psi themes. Particular the Warlock spellcasting mechanics.
I like how 5e is implementing several methods for psi, using normal 5e mechanics.
I want to see the 5e Psion as its own class, using the Warlock mechanics. Compare how Wizard, Bard, and Druid, are separate classes but use the same spellcasting chassis.
At the same time:
The psionic feats in Tashas resemble the 1e psionic tradition.
The Psionic subclasses are fun. Psi Knight works fine.
I can imagine a Rogue or Monk subclass that uses a skill-check approach to psionic abilities, maybe resembling the 2e psionic tradition.
I feel the Sorcerer psionic subclass represents the 3e Psion well enough. Its flavor is too elementalist (also too Aberration!) for my taste, but the 3e Psion was also very elementalist, focusing on the "Fire Starter" "pyrokinesis" and expanding it to the other elements.
I feel an Artificer psionic subclass is spot-on to inherit all of the "psionic crystal" flavor.
In my eyes, the Bard is already a psionic class (telepathy, psychometabolism, precognition, teleportation). I want the player to be able to choose the "psionic" tag as an option to make all Bard spells be spell-like abilities that eschew any material component, including the spellcasting-focus musical instrument, and even have a method to eschew costly components that cost gp.
But now in 5e, the spellcasting is spontaneous and simpler for every mage class. There is no longer a need for psionics to use different mechanics for spellcasting. The normal 5e spellcasting mechanics work great for psi themes. Particular the Warlock spellcasting mechanics.
I like how 5e is implementing several methods for psi, using normal 5e mechanics.
I want to see the 5e Psion as its own class, using the Warlock mechanics. Compare how Wizard, Bard, and Druid, are separate classes but use the same spellcasting chassis.
At the same time:
The psionic feats in Tashas resemble the 1e psionic tradition.
The Psionic subclasses are fun. Psi Knight works fine.
I can imagine a Rogue or Monk subclass that uses a skill-check approach to psionic abilities, maybe resembling the 2e psionic tradition.
I feel the Sorcerer psionic subclass represents the 3e Psion well enough. Its flavor is too elementalist (also too Aberration!) for my taste, but the 3e Psion was also very elementalist, focusing on the "Fire Starter" "pyrokinesis" and expanding it to the other elements.
I feel an Artificer psionic subclass is spot-on to inherit all of the "psionic crystal" flavor.
In my eyes, the Bard is already a psionic class (telepathy, psychometabolism, precognition, teleportation). I want the player to be able to choose the "psionic" tag as an option to make all Bard spells be spell-like abilities that eschew any material component, including the spellcasting-focus musical instrument, and even have a method to eschew costly components that cost gp.
tomBitonti
Hero
I’d rather prefer that psionics not be a skinning of existing classes. For me, the use of pseudoscience and the psycho babble gave psionics a distinct feel. Those also tied psionics into different literary tropes. Different abilities result.
I don’t mind much if a class chassis or spell casting mechanic were re-used. However, I prefer a point based system with augmentable abilities.
TomB
I don’t mind much if a class chassis or spell casting mechanic were re-used. However, I prefer a point based system with augmentable abilities.
TomB
I'm seeing a lot of "This is how I would do it in my games" which is not exactly the case, herein.
This is Morrus asking. Who has publicly confirmed in the Level Up/A5e forum that ENPublishing is working on a Sci-Fi systems book for A5e.
This is a professional designer, producer, and publisher who is actively working toward a Sci-Fi book asking whether you'd rather have a full system for Psionics that is different from magic or just reskinned magic...
If you had ENPublishing's writers and designers working together with you to create a system, would you rather Psionics just be Mage Hand with power points or would you want it to be something more complex?
This is Morrus asking. Who has publicly confirmed in the Level Up/A5e forum that ENPublishing is working on a Sci-Fi systems book for A5e.
This is a professional designer, producer, and publisher who is actively working toward a Sci-Fi book asking whether you'd rather have a full system for Psionics that is different from magic or just reskinned magic...
If you had ENPublishing's writers and designers working together with you to create a system, would you rather Psionics just be Mage Hand with power points or would you want it to be something more complex?
Yaarel
🇮🇱 🇺🇦 He-Mage
I feel the power sources, psionic and primal, are the same thing. Both use the mind to manifest magic directly. (The Weave is psychosensitive.)
The only difference is thematic.
Primal focuses on plant and elemental themes, with a more animistic vibe that is in tune with minds of natural features of nature.
Psionics focuses on humans, and by extension animals. Humans are a kind of animal. Telepathy, animalistic shapeshifting and bodily healing, fate-luck precognition, telepathy, mindlink, mind manipulation, and illusion, are all "psionic".
Telekinesis is weird. It is important for popculture psionic flavor, but less important for reallife historical mind-magic concepts. Where telekinesis does occur, it is perceived as the mind having a palpable force, the same as a ghost, that can project outofbody to push and even take objects. In this context, teleportation is sending ones mindforce outofbody and then pulling the body to the remote location. Probably allow both the psionic power source and the primal power source to be competent at telekinesis and teleportation.
I view the Fly spell as part of telekinetic force, but the spacetime aspects of teleportation as part of precognition
The only difference is thematic.
Primal focuses on plant and elemental themes, with a more animistic vibe that is in tune with minds of natural features of nature.
Psionics focuses on humans, and by extension animals. Humans are a kind of animal. Telepathy, animalistic shapeshifting and bodily healing, fate-luck precognition, telepathy, mindlink, mind manipulation, and illusion, are all "psionic".
Telekinesis is weird. It is important for popculture psionic flavor, but less important for reallife historical mind-magic concepts. Where telekinesis does occur, it is perceived as the mind having a palpable force, the same as a ghost, that can project outofbody to push and even take objects. In this context, teleportation is sending ones mindforce outofbody and then pulling the body to the remote location. Probably allow both the psionic power source and the primal power source to be competent at telekinesis and teleportation.
I view the Fly spell as part of telekinetic force, but the spacetime aspects of teleportation as part of precognition
Why wouldn't there be Magic and Psionics?
Crimson Longinus
Legend
Because it is scifi. Also, they're just different names for the same thing to begin with so having both would be thematically confused.
Laurefindel
Legend
Mechanically, the bard is an excellent psionist/psion/psionic. In early 5e, we started a Dark Sun game and I made my psionist out of the bard. I refluffed the name of class abilities while keeping the ability itself untouched and it worked wonderfully. The Sorcerer and Warlock would also work well.
I'd be curious to know whether magic is also a thing in @Morrus ' premise of "psionics in a sci fi D&D" setting, and whether wizard/bard/warlock/cleric/druid/sorcerer already exist as entities of their own. If they don't, then it's a no brainer for me that they should be re-fluffed as different branches or traditions of psionic classes.
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