Unearthed Arcana New Psion update, Dungeons and Dragons Unearthed Arcana

WotC updates the psion in new playtest document.
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A new Unearthed Arcana is up, featuring a revised version of the Psion class. Per a D&D Beyond article, the Psion has seen considerable changes. Feedback for the class focused into three main areas - Psionic Energy Dice, Psionic Modes, and Spellcasting. Psionic Energy Dice are now more flexible and easier to obtain - a new feature called Psionic Reserves allows players to regain uses of Psionic Energy Dice and Telepathic Propel and Telepathic Connection allow players to use those abilities one time each without expending energy dice. Meanwhile, Psionic Modes has been cut from the class, with various aspects of the ability being incorporated into various subclasses as new features. Finally, the Psion now has an updated and expanded spelllist. The UA also contains seven brand new spells and updated versions of existing spells as well.

Additionally, the Metamorph, Psykinetic, and Telepath have all received updates. The Metamorph's abilities now often feature a roll of the Psionic Energy Die while they're being expended. The Psykinetic gains a Stronger Telekinesis feature with an improved Mage Hand spell use. Also, players can now use Telekinetic Propel without expending a Psionic Energy Dice. Finally, the Telepath has a new Telepathic Distraction feature that lets you interfere with another creature's attack roll if it's within range of your telepathy. Scramble Minds was redesigned to reduce the number of dice rolls needed to keep combat from getting bogged down.
 

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Christian Hoffer

Christian Hoffer

The third edition psion was a mix of New Age mysticism, Eastern Yogism, comic book superheroes, crystalmancy, with a touch of pulp sci-fi and cosmic horror. Not every psychic character wants to be secreting slime from their pours or summoning tentacles like they're in an adult anime (I've seen enough to know where that is going). The 3 5 psionic class handled all those fairly well and I'm happy that the 5e one seems to be following in that tradition. If you can't accept telepathy without tentacles, I don't know what to tell you. But I did just fine before without it thank you.

Edit: it should be worth noting the two settings with devoted lore on psionics (Athas and Eberron) explicitly do not tie psionics to the Far Realm.
In the case of Eberron, of course, psionics are largely connected to Quori who are explicitly evil Outsiders (aberrations in all 5e statblocks I've found). To quote from the Eberron Wiki:
The most notable psionicists belong to the powerful illithid race (which has earned the nickname "mind flayers" due to its considerable psionic powers, and appetite for brain matter), possessed of a communal intelligence.
Few members of any other race besides aboleths, inspired and their quori masters, and kalashtar are psionicists.

And if we look at the actual text of the Aberrant Mind or GOOlock in 5e we don't find that the Far Realms are actually essential. Cthulhu may be a suggested GOOlock patron - but so are Tharizdun and Ghaunadar. The nightmarish manipulable realm full of evil outsiders/aberrations of Dal Quor works just as well as the Far Realms for Aberrant Minds both mechanically and thematically for 5e and Aboleths are explicitly called out as a potential source of power for Aberrant Minds. So yes, Eberron psionics aren't bloodless and non-creepy and non-tentacly; they are full of horror and are entirely mechanically and thematically in line with existing 5e psionics.

As for Dark Sun? You mean the land of cannibal halflings and slavery, and where there are no gods and arcane magic literally leeches the life out of the earth? When your goal is horror there's no need to add horror tropes to mind controllers. So yes Dark Sun is here, as everywhere else, different and the horror is much more naked.

So your argument here is "Dark Sun does things differently from D&D norms". Which ... wasn't that part of the point of Dark Sun?

And no it's not "I can't accept telepathy without tentacles" but "strong telepaths are inherently horrifying and should be treated as such rather than everyone pretending that mind control is just peachy and neutral".
 

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Indeed, it's the same as attempts at a Witch class. Popular culture depictions of the concept are broad and varied, and there's no definitive D&D version history to narrow the options. So either you get a situation where no specific concept will please everyone, or you get attempts that are overburdened because they try to be everything at once.

This version of the Psion at least commits to a specific vision of what D&D psionics should look like, and it does it with mechanics and power scale that suit 5e.
Meanwhile we already have D&D psionics in 5e that have mechanics and power scale that suit 5e. We've Aberrant Minds, GOOlocks, Soulknives, Psi Warriors, and arguably more. The depiction of psionics in D&D 5e is already broad and varied with multiple visions.

This tries for a different vision and one that's less interesting and much narrower. While sucking up all the oxygen by pretending to be a full class when the forced telepath/telekinetic part gives it the thematic room of a subclass. If this were 3.X with fifty eight different base classes and full of shovelware I wouldn't mind it. But as only the second non-PHB class in ten years and all we get is a wizard/sorcerer hybrid? Bleh.
 

In the case of Eberron, of course, psionics are largely connected to Quori who are explicitly evil Outsiders (aberrations in all 5e statblocks I've found). To quote from the Eberron Wiki:
The most notable psionicists belong to the powerful illithid race (which has earned the nickname "mind flayers" due to its considerable psionic powers, and appetite for brain matter), possessed of a communal intelligence.
Few members of any other race besides aboleths, inspired and their quori masters, and kalashtar are psionicists.

And if we look at the actual text of the Aberrant Mind or GOOlock in 5e we don't find that the Far Realms are actually essential. Cthulhu may be a suggested GOOlock patron - but so are Tharizdun and Ghaunadar. The nightmarish manipulable realm full of evil outsiders/aberrations of Dal Quor works just as well as the Far Realms for Aberrant Minds both mechanically and thematically for 5e and Aboleths are explicitly called out as a potential source of power for Aberrant Minds. So yes, Eberron psionics aren't bloodless and non-creepy and non-tentacly; they are full of horror and are entirely mechanically and thematically in line with existing 5e psionics.

As for Dark Sun? You mean the land of cannibal halflings and slavery, and where there are no gods and arcane magic literally leeches the life out of the earth? When your goal is horror there's no need to add horror tropes to mind controllers. So yes Dark Sun is here, as everywhere else, different and the horror is much more naked.

So your argument here is "Dark Sun does things differently from D&D norms". Which ... wasn't that part of the point of Dark Sun?

And no it's not "I can't accept telepathy without tentacles" but "strong telepaths are inherently horrifying and should be treated as such rather than everyone pretending that mind control is just peachy and neutral".
The Quori are certainly have a alien mindset, but the Kalshatar don't. They use remnants of the psionic energy of their Quori ancestors in a way that purifies (il-Yannah). A Kalshatar who practices those teachings rejects the corruption of the Quori.

It should also be worth noting mind flayers are Daelkyr, not Quori. The connection between them is coincidental. An aberrant mind or goolock is quite appropriate for someone with connections to the Daelkyr, but less so the Quori and very much not the Kalshatar.

As to Dark Sun, you realize the class is most likely being designed FOR Dark Sun, right? Dark Sun psionics is based much more heavily on the sci-fi pulp fiction style of psionics, Dune being a great example. It doesn't fit the whole Far Realm connection (does Athas even touch the Far Realm? Does it have mind flayers? Legit question).

Again, I don't see why having a psionic class free of Far Realm connection is controversial. Telepathy is dangerous if abused, but so are fireballs and D&D does not play up the idea of wizards being innately horrifying (they cast occult magic, they summon the dead! Burn the wizards!).
 

OK, the mind-control may be taboo for the current standars by WotC, but mind-affecting powers are possible without losing your sacred free will.

The witch class from Dragon magazine was designed to be a nPC class. For our current point of view a D&D witch class would be like an artificer clone using primal magic to craft lots of single-use magic item. And the teleserie "Charmed" could be a serious influence for the new generation of players if these try to imagine a D&D witch.

Maybe the witches could be useful or interesting when they were working for the main PCs in the "bastions" crafting magic items. Maybe I imagine the witch class like a mixture of primal artificier and the vestige binder class from 3.5 Tome of Battle. In the battlefield she would be more focused into poisons or explosive alchemy, o nerfing+buff-breaking enemies, althought the gameplay should be simple and fast in the tabletop. A subclass could be about plants like monster allies, style "plants vs zombies" or "garden warfare".

I say Dark Sun is "hyrborean-punk" althought others may feel more confortable with the term "planetary romance".

I can't link psionic powers with Lovecraftian myths. I see the psion like somebody who trains to reach the ascension or to make awake up the within spark of divinity.
 


I’m pretty sure Athas is cut off from other planes, but the Far Realm wasn’t a thing when Dark Sun was created. So there is no “no mind flayers” rule as such, but they might have a different origin.
The far realm was a thing in 4e, which was the last time Dark Sun got any love, but a quick search of the PDF copy I have of the 4e book doesn't mention the far realm one lick. There's actually a stunning lack of mentions of "aberrations" or "aberrants" as they were known in 4e, just two mentions.
 

The Quori are certainly have a alien mindset, but the Kalshatar don't. They use remnants of the psionic energy of their Quori ancestors in a way that purifies (il-Yannah). A Kalshatar who practices those teachings rejects the corruption of the Quori.
This in no way means they aren't offshoots of the Quori. Or in any way out of line with an Aberrant Mind. You just need "an alien influence" and "rejects the corruptions of the Quori" doesn't mean it's not there.
 


This in no way means they aren't offshoots of the Quori. Or in any way out of line with an Aberrant Mind. You just need "an alien influence" and "rejects the corruptions of the Quori" doesn't mean it's not there.
I'm a Kalshatar psionic who is trying to embrace nature of the Path of Light, so I will never use the subclass abilities of my chosen subclass. 🙄
 

The far realm was a thing in 4e, which was the last time Dark Sun got any love, but a quick search of the PDF copy I have of the 4e book doesn't mention the far realm one lick. There's actually a stunning lack of mentions of "aberrations" or "aberrants" as they were known in 4e, just two mentions.
Thanks, that what I was wondering
 

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