D&D General What’s The Big Deal About Psionics?

[Frozen_Heart]

Yes, it is just magic. If you levitate things with your mind, it is magic. But for some reason some people want a completely separate parallel magic system because they have found a different word for magic. 'Psionics' is just a word Victorians came up when calling things 'magic' became too embarrassing.

In this game channelling power of gods or nature, learning complex magical formula, being born with dragon blood, making pacts with devils and the power of rock 'n roll all use the same basic magic system. It is ludicrous idea that vaguely defined 'psionics' would somehow be more different to all of them than they're from each other.

Except the people who study from books, the people who have dragon blood, the magic guitar guys, and the people who worship gods all get their own classes.

If it's all just magic and spells, and all the same, why not make them into subclasses?

 

[James Gasik]

It's nostalgia, really. That's how psionics were presented in older game systems, and people who like psionics liked the feel. It's far from the first or last time this has happened, pact magic, shadow magic, truenaming, binding, incarnum- just to name a few alternative systems for magic that have existed over the years. Some people like this sort of thing, and obviously, others feel it is unecessary. And that's fine, there's no 'one true way' to play an TTRPG. I don't think it's fair to call something another person thinks is cool as being 'ludicrous' though.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Except the people who study from books, the people who have dragon blood, the magic guitar guys, and the people who worship gods all get their own classes.

If it's all just magic and spells, and all the same, why not make them into subclasses?

Sure, there could be a psion class. (And also some of the current casters could be subclasses of each other.) There shouldn't be a completely separate parallel magic system for them though, any more than there should be a completely separate parallel combat system for using monk's martial arts.

 

[Scars Unseen]

IMHO, that is what a lot of the argument boils down to at the end of the day: i.e., the thematics.

Without theme, nothing is anything. Magic is a theme. We use specific mechanics to represent them in D&D, but there is nothing about the idea of magic that inherently requires that to be so. It is so because at one point, the people who wanted mechanics to represent the theme of magic chose a system that resembled a specific literary influence on them. So there should be nothing strange about the idea that people who don't think that the existing vehicle that is used to represent magic matches the theme they have in their head would want to design one that does.

 

[Yaarel]

I think there needs to be two psionic classes. One is a full caster using normal "innate spellcasting". The other is using weird mechanics.

The normal one is the one that I want. The other one is to make others happy.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Without theme, nothing is anything. Magic is a theme. We use specific mechanics to represent them in D&D, but there is nothing about the idea of magic that inherently requires that to be so. It is so because at one point, the people who wanted mechanics to represent the theme of magic chose a system that resembled a specific literary influence on them. So there should be nothing strange about the idea that people who don't think that the existing vehicle that is used to represent magic matches the theme they have in their head would want to design one that does.

And there is nothing about fighting with weapons that requires specific D&D implementation of AC and hit points. But that's how D&D does it, an it would be crazy to have a separate parallel system just because some don't like the implementation. I fully get not liking some D&D mechanics, but you know what: there are other games besides D&D!

 

[CreamCloud0]

Not that I’ve ever played in an edition with proper psionics myself but my personal interpretation of why people want them so much are (in no specific order):
-flavour, the idea of a psychic jedi-like hero who can effect peoples minds, throw energy punches and has telekinesis is cool AF
-mechanical variation, psionics to my knowledge has always used a completely separate system to ordinary magic users, some people just want a change up to how they get to play and still be playing DnD
-specifically not capital M ‘Magic’, it’s not influenced by antimagic and similar and that’s sometimes a really beneficial point in some situations and so tangentially from that: why does everything beyond normal need to be magic? as I’ve seen emphasised in some of the recent fighter power level threads, let us do cool things without having to use magic to do so
-it’s part of the lore, psionics have been around in DnD for a while now and are part of its thematic identity, probably IMO at least as much as artificers are

 

[James Gasik]

Crazy, and yet it's been done many times before, enough to leave a lasting impression on some people. There's nothing wrong with different and experimental- should it be a core option? Obviously not! But if a developer feels there's a market, and creates a 5e Psionics book, then provided it's not completely insane (like the Mystic was), there's no reason not to accept it as a viable option for some people who enjoy the game. Anything that adds something fresh to the game is good. As it is, the current overreliance on the current magic system has created how many subclasses who are basically "class + caster"? Oh don't worry about making new mechanics, slap some spells on it!

That having been said, there are a few subclasses out there that have interesting new mechanics that are obviously magical, but aren't "spells" as well, showing there's more than enough design space to go around. Even if you feel psionics would be "reinventing the wheel", surely the staid old magic system could do with a tune up and a new coat of paint anyways?

 

[Minigiant]

Oh boy.

The easiest way to explain it is : The problem isn't Psionics, it''s D&D's Magic and Spells.

1) Psionics in most media don't use a slot based system that D&D magic is based on. Mind powers using have a stress or points system.

2) Psionics if done to the scope it is known for would be too powerful to give D&D spellcaster's access to. Snatching new types of spells is too easy in 5e.

 

[Scars Unseen]

And there is nothing about fighting with weapons that requires specific D&D implementation of AC and hit points. But that's how D&D does it, an it would be crazy to have a separate parallel system just because some don't like the implementation. I fully get not liking some D&D mechanics, but you know what: there are other games besides D&D!

If all designers had that mindset, we'd still be using race as class because that's how D&D did it. We would never have gotten the warlock or the warlord. Half the problem with the sorcerer is that it was designed as the wizard's quirky cousin instead of taking a theme as a starting point and then designing to fit that theme. I wasn't a fan personally, but the Tome of Battle classes were certainly not designed with the the fighter as a limiting factor.

D&D is a lot of things, and it can be more things still. Will be more things if past editions changes are anything to go by.