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

[nevin]

I think Psionics can work as an alternative to magic. Think an order of Monks who's self appointed job is to deal with Mages who get too powerful and begin to mess with reality. If rare enough it can make a great DM tool to make it harder for the party to detect what thier enemies are doing. DM just has to treat it like clerical or arcane magic. Consider what can be done and what the other orders of the world can do about it and what the Gods will do about it.

 

[nevin]

There are medieval, animistic and mystic, ways to describe the power of a mind

You are not wrong and I've tried all those arguments over the years but you say psionics and people file in the scifi bin of thier brain.

 

[Yaarel]

You are not wrong and I've tried all those arguments over the years but you say psionics and people file in the scifi bin of thier brain.

I never played 2e. But 3e doubled down on the Greek technobabble names instead of standard D&D spell names. It made psi sound like scientific names for animals. It doesnt need to be like that. Psi can use normal D&D terms, like "teleportation" (not psychoportation), "shapeshift" (not psychometabolism), "conjuration" (not metacreativity), and so on. Use normal D&D terms and flavor.

 

[James Gasik]

If by one, Minigiant, you mean Dying Earth, I can think of one other fantasy series that uses spell slots; Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber. In the second series, Merlin explicitly has to prepare spells in advance for later use.

 

[Krachek]

Psionics are a modern version of the quest for the holy grail,
where the DM of the homebrew table search a cure for all the sorrow of the game.
Some wait that the Wizard of the coast simply deliver it, but that won’t ever happen.
The quest will fail until the DM realize that is not outside but inside to find the solution of a psionics system by making his own adaptation and home brew for such a system!

 

[Mind of tempest]

Except we already have a template for an alternate system for psions. The psi dice system is already part of two psionic subclasses, and would make sense for a psionic class.

Every class has a 'unique' mechanic.

but how would a full caster even use that system do you have any ideas as I have no idea?

 

[Stormonu]

I just don't find any of those meaningful or significant.

Yeah, it's like football and baseball are exactly the same - they're both sports, right?

 

[James Gasik]

One way I thought about to make a Psionic character is to give them Talents, not unlike Warlock abilities. Periodically, you choose a Talent, and it gives you an at-will ability on part with a cantrip (or slightly better, in the way that Eldritch Blast is better than normal cantrips). The Psionic then gets a pool of "Power Dice" that are refreshed on a short rest. The character can expend a Power Die to enhance the effectiveness of a Talent. In this manner, the character always has abilities they can use, but they can add some extra oomph to these abilities in tough encounters.

So for example, let us assume there is a Talent called Minor Telekinesis. It functions as an improved Mage Hand, and it can be used to deal 1d6 force damage and push someone back 5 ft. unless they make a Strength save. However, the Psion can use a Power Die, adding it to the damage dealt, and now they are automatically pushed, and must make a Strength save to avoid also being knocked prone!

Then at a certain level, if you have Minor Telekinesis you can select Improved Telekinesis, and eventually Greater Telekinesis, if that's how you wish to specialize your character.

 

[Smackpixi]

Thank you everyone for your responses. To me, for ME, (ie you do whatever you like yourself) Psionics seem to be something you need to carve out at system creation, mind effect spells like suggestion, sleep and stuff that only Psionic people can do, and wizards can’t get. Regular spells can do everything, like they do, except change peoples minds, which would be the sole realm of Psionics characters. These are not the droids you’re looking for needs to be not already done. I mean, to do it “right” that is how I would do it.

That bridge seems well crossed in 5e, and, honestly all previous versions. Psionics become just thematically different “spells” with not much space to be unique when regular spells intrude all over that area. So I don’t see how you append it to 5e without taking away a bunch of stuff from casters, which, would make total sense in a setting book introducing Psionics characters.

Anyway, thanks,

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

I'm not tied to a point-based casting system (the DMG has me if I want that), but the psion has its own flavor and should be its own class with its own subclasses (based on the different psionic disciplines) and its own spell powers list. We need psicrystals, astral constructs, psychmetabolism, the iconic psionic attacks and defenses, dorjes, psicrowns, thought eaters, callers in darkness, blues, brain moles, etc.

And now make it for the Dmguild, so I can throw some money at you

This is exactly what I want from a psion: crystals, ectoplasm, emo-esoterism and a good dose of Mythos fluff on the side.

I'm pretty sure I could take the psion from 4e and use it nearly as-is for 5e. There's a lack of forced movement and pupeteering in 5e, that could be the niche of the psion.