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

[James Gasik]

Ok I have to stop you right there. You act like "system bloat" is an expectation. Like, oh hey, we printed a book about playing on Theros, well better add centaurs to the Sword Coast! Or wow this supplement introduced a new spell from Strixhaven! Obviously, my Wizard in a Curse of Strahd game has access to it! Until something changes, any book beyond the basic ones needed to play the game are OPTIONAL. They only add to "system bloat" if people purchase them and add them to their game.

 

[Yaarel]

If you just want a dressed up spellcaster called a Psion you already have that in a sorcerer that is reskinned with a thematic choice of spells.

But that is, at the end of the day, a reskinned sorcerer and not worthy of being called a different base class

The Sorcerer has the wrong flavor for psionics, its own weir spell point mechanics are a problem, its spells wrongly require material components and costly gp components, and there are other inappropriate aspects as well.

A need a fresh start for a normal 5e Psion class.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

For the OP...

I am a fan of psionics primarily because I think there is lots of unused design space for more than one non connected system in the same world.

There are stories that can be told by having two different things that cannot be told by only having one universal thing.

I personally think there should be a HUGE difference in the feel of arcane and divine magic, just as much as the difference that there should be between psionics and arcane. The feel both in universe and on the tabletop.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

The Sorcerer has the wrong flavor for psionics, its own weir spell point mechanics are a problem, its spells wrongly require material components and costly gp components, and there are other inappropriate aspects as well.

A need a fresh start for a normal 5e Psion class.

That, to me, means a players reskinning muscle needs a workout.

 

[Yaarel]

Yeah but arguably they have never been properly done. 1e was wonky, 2e was straight broken, 3.x was also bad, 4e was samey as everyone else. 5e is the first time I have been like, ok, I like where they went with them this time. It's unified and sure the Psionicist is essentially a Sorceror but they flavored the Aberrant Mind enough that it's interesting enough and different enough to be fun.

Of the editions, 3e psionics worked best. Its flavor of crystals and goo was offputting but its mecanics were sound. The reason the mechanics were high quality was because they had the Wizard class in mind, to improve it. There were no random mechanics, the mechanics came into existence to fix and improve the 3e gaming engine.

 

[James Gasik]

Well no random mechanics other than Autohypnosis and Psionic Focus you mean.

 

[Azzy]

Pun-Pun was a symbol, a battlecry, of the failure of 3e mechanics.

No. No, it wasn't. It was a whimper on the char-ops board. Nothing more.

 

[Yaarel]

That, to me, means a players reskinning muscle needs a workout.

I want 5e to officially support psionics, and that includes a full caster Psion, whose flavor and mechanics work reliably and seemlessly within the medivalesque settings and the standard 5e gaming engine.

I dislike the mechanics of the Sorcerer class (and its name). If I wanted to reskin a class, I would use the Bard class. If I was going to design a new class from scratch, I would reuse the Warlock spell chassis.

5e needs psionic options that work well.

 

[Yaarel]

Well no random mechanics other than Autohypnosis and Psionic Focus you mean.

5e has the Concentration mechanic relating to 3e Focus.

The 5e skill Insight might include effects relating 3e Autohypnosis.

But currently I am using the 5e skills thematically. Nature for elemental spells, Animal Handling for beast spells, Persuasion for charm spells, and so on.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Pun-Pun was a symbol, a battlecry, of the failure of 3e mechanics.

As someone who was there for Pun-Pun, no he wasn't not until years and years later.

At the time, he was just another anomaly that was fun to think about like the Hulking Hurler that could throw the planet.

It's only when revisionists were trying to put a silver lining on certain design choices in 5e that Pun-Pun became and excuse for anything.