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

[Raduin711]

What do you take away and add with psionics in the spell system without making a broken character? Traditionally psionics has some powerful stuff and you use the psionics system as the limitation. If you port them over wholely, whoever gets them will have very powerfull spells. If you use what exists, you then have to invent what is psionics's gimmick mechancis.

For me what would help:

• Elemental restriction: Fire, Force and Psychic. Leave electric, thunder and acid for other classes or subclasses
• A preference for single-target rather than multi-target effects. Multi-target effects should be centered on the caster (vortex)
• Excel at divinations, illusions, (some) evocations, fear/charm effects.
• Can alter their own bodies in astounding ways, but not other's. mediocre healers, except where the mind is concerned.
• Cannot make things out of nothing.
• Cannot raise the dead/undead.
• Limited summoning ability (creatures summoned from the world of the mind)
• An odd one: spell effects are "dumb." While a magic effect might seem to have a life of its own and know things the caster doesn't know (i.e. locate object, alarm, protection from evil) psionic effects allow the user to enhance their own senses, (darkvision, ESP) but has to do their own thinking. A psionicist could detect evil by examining the mind, but not with a magical aura that tells him so.

 

[Mind of tempest]

For me what would help:

• Elemental restriction: Fire, Force and Psychic. Leave electric, thunder and acid for other classes or subclasses
• A preference for single-target rather than multi-target effects. Multi-target effects should be centered on the caster (vortex)
• Excel at divinations, illusions, (some) evocations, fear/charm effects.
• Can alter their own bodies in astounding ways, but not other's. mediocre healers, except where the mind is concerned.
• Cannot make things out of nothing.
• Cannot raise the dead/undead.
• Limited summoning ability (creatures summoned from the world of the mind)
• An odd one: spell effects are "dumb." While a magic effect might seem to have a life of its own and know things the caster doesn't know (i.e. locate object, alarm, protection from evil) psionic effects allow the user to enhance their own senses, (darkvision, ESP) but has to do their own thinking. A psionicist could detect evil by examining the mind, but not with a magical aura that tells him so.

why make them bad healers as that seems like a pointless idea?

 

[Cadence]

why make them bad healers as that seems like a pointless idea?

I'd guess to fit the common tropes of psi-characters. Can Xavier fix your mind, but not your body?

 

[Mind of tempest]

I'd guess to fit the common tropes of psi-characters. Can Xavier fix your mind, but not your body?

you also have to balance game needs over pure replica, also force healing is now certainly a thing.

most psi characters just get one or two abilities in fiction that they use to great effect but that does not translate to a class-based game very well at all.
it would work in something classless maybe.

for telekineses, mass effect might be a good place to look for spells or abilities

 

[Cadence]

you also have to balance game needs over pure replica, also force healing is now certainly a thing.

most psi characters just get one or two abilities in fiction that they use to great effect but that does not translate to a class-based game very well at all.
it would work in something classless maybe.

for telekineses, mass effect might be a good place to look for spells or abilities

Is balancing game needs an argument those wanting reskinning could lean on?

What's the best movie/show with force healing? Is it as good and non-draining as what the cleric does, and does? Does it show up in other classic psionic-using books/shows/movies?

If one thinks something doesn't translate well to a class based system, is the best answer on how to translate it "don't"?

 

[Hussar]

Was cogitating on this and I do think that the idea that we need unique mechanics gets rather overblown.

None of the classes in 5e use unique mechanics. They don't. All the classes use the same basic mechanics just modified in some way. No one complains that the rogue and the fighter use identical mechanics. Does that mean that rogues feel like fighters? No one seems to be making that complaint. Yet, the primary act of both characters - an attack - works exactly the same - roll the attack, roll the damage. Sure, the fighter rolls more attacks in a round and rogue deals more damage with a single attack, but, at the end of the day, there really isn't a whole lot of difference between them.

So, why don't we talk about how rogues need to make attacks that don't use the AC system? If we want rogues to be different, and not just another fighter, why aren't they using a class specific combat mechanic?

Because, frankly, no one wants that. It's a PITA, and pretty much pointless.

So, given that we have a bajillion different kinds of "caster" using the baseline mechanics, why do we need a new casting system just for a single class?

 

[Scars Unseen]

So, why don't we talk about how rogues need to make attacks that don't use the AC system? If we want rogues to be different, and not just another fighter, why aren't they using a class specific combat mechanic?

Because, frankly, no one wants that. It's a PITA, and pretty much pointless.

And yet we've had threads on this very forum discussing how to expand martial capabilities with many suggestions that go beyond using the AC system. I'm not sure you should be so quick to make claims as to what "no one" wants.

 

[Raduin711]

why make them bad healers as that seems like a pointless idea?

Bards can heal as well but they aren't great at it, not like clerics...

 

[jmartkdr2]

Was cogitating on this and I do think that the idea that we need unique mechanics gets rather overblown.

None of the classes in 5e use unique mechanics. They don't. All the classes use the same basic mechanics just modified in some way. No one complains that the rogue and the fighter use identical mechanics. Does that mean that rogues feel like fighters? No one seems to be making that complaint. Yet, the primary act of both characters - an attack - works exactly the same - roll the attack, roll the damage. Sure, the fighter rolls more attacks in a round and rogue deals more damage with a single attack, but, at the end of the day, there really isn't a whole lot of difference between them.

So, why don't we talk about how rogues need to make attacks that don't use the AC system? If we want rogues to be different, and not just another fighter, why aren't they using a class specific combat mechanic?

Because, frankly, no one wants that. It's a PITA, and pretty much pointless.

So, given that we have a bajillion different kinds of "caster" using the baseline mechanics, why do we need a new casting system just for a single class?

The inverse of this question is: if psionics is a new kind of magic, why shouldn't it get it's own class? Why is an artificer or warlock not a wizard, but a psion is a wizard with all the spells renamed? Do psions need spellbooks? If so why?

I could see psions as sorcerers in a world where origin made a much bigger difference in how sorcerers play.

(I'm in the "it should be it's own class" camp, but part of that is based on the fact that a new class doesn't need a ton of new mechanics. Some, but not 100%)

 

[TwoSix]

If I was doing it, I'd just say that there was no other magic type in the setting and reskin the existing magic system liberally.

If someone else is doing it, then I want a new system, because learning new systems is fun.