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

[Yaarel]

While you could merge them, they really do have their own distinct and separate qualities. A warlock in my world is not going to be a similar RPG experience to playing a sorcerer. The pact of a warlock is a huge RPG element.

If you're going to merge them and just say that they're mechanically similar, but some subclasses get their power from pacts while others get them from heritage, you're going to just pull people further from the importance of the origin in the development of a PC.

The current Warlock flavor is a mess. Does the pact grant magical capability allowing the Warlock to "cheat" (like a Sorcerer) or does the Warlock have to study magic anyway (like a Wizard) and do the hard work?

Folding the Sorcerer flavor into the Warlock clarifies the magical flavor.

 

[James Gasik]

Yeah but the Mystic's powers were a different story. I played in a game where the DM allowed a Mystic, over my reservations, and he soon regretted it. In addition to spamming a power that targeted the generally weak Int save for rarely resisted psychic damage, he broke a few encounters in half with wall of wood. Which I pointed out was better than any wall spell another caster could get at the same level.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

Nah. First, Wish = some other spell of 8th level or lower unless you want to risk losing the ability to use it. So go ahead and cast it 3 times. You've just spent most of your spell points to cast some other spells of under 9th level and taken yourself out of almost every other fight for the adventuring day in the process. Sure you'll own that one fight, but overall you've made the day harder for you and your group.

The key is adventuring day. Spell points allow even more disproportionate narrative control during downtime.

 

[Yaarel]

Why does all player facing magic have to be a spell with you guys?

Why is at will power + resource augment so unacceptable? The mystic was on the right track for something that actually felt mechanically unique.

I want normal mechanics because I like the 3e Psion that casts spells. It ensures my 5e Psion will stay competitive with 5e full casters at high levels. And I am sick of failed experimental psionic mechanics.

Heh, go experiment with some other power source. Stop ruining psionic!

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

I want normal mechanics because I like the 3e Psion that casts spells. It ensures my 5e Psion will stay competitive with 5e full casters at high levels. And I am sick of failed experimental psionic mechanics.

Heh, go experiment with some other power source. Stop ruining psionic!

The good news is you already have you option. It's called the wizard/sorcerer/GOO refluffed.

Since you already have your meal, maybe don't tell the rest of us we aren't hungry? D&D could use less of people spoiled for choice telling everyone else "F you, I got mine! Don't even dare ask for yours!" See also any request to give the fighter nice things.

 

[Stormonu]

Actually the wizard needs to be gutted and limited to maybe 4 schools +universal. Go back to spheres for clerics/druids while we're at it.

I do wish that spell school specialization had more impact on Wizards. The Wizard subclasses are mostly flavorless and bland. But I don't want to go back to the headache of spheres for clerics (or druids).

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

Yeah but the Mystic's powers were a different story. I played in a game where the DM allowed a Mystic, over my reservations, and he soon regretted it. In addition to spamming a power that targeted the generally weak Int save for rarely resisted psychic damage, he broke a few encounters in half with wall of wood. Which I pointed out was better than any wall spell another caster could get at the same level.

Failure of balance doesn't mean the concept is unworkable, only that the dials need to be tweaked.

 

[Maxperson]

The key is adventuring day. Spell points allow even more disproportionate narrative control during downtime.

Can you explain that? How do spell points improve downtime ability?

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

Can you explain that? How do spell points improve downtime ability?

Three weeks pass. The fighter gets to beg the DM with Mother May I on using skills (something the wizard could do if they bothered). The wizard gets even more flexibility in manipulating the world by eeking out more casts of fabricate or whatever they want to do.

Casters need to be gutted, not given more power, and versatility is power.

 

[Professor Murder]

Honestly, I enjoy Psionics when they are an alternate magic system. There is a long history of them being extra cheese on top of an existing character due to wild talents. So they will always be a mixed bag in terms of how they impact the game.
However, not every game I run can support them narratively.