D&D (2024) What Should a Psion Be Able To Do?

Incenjucar · Friday at 7:10 PM

Psychic pyrokinesis is a very popular trope, but I feel it needs to cordoned off a bit to keep its flavor. It's often a very curse-like ability beyond the cantrip level.

dave2008 · Friday at 7:10 PM

Theory of Games said:
As Phoenix, Jean could do nearly anything. Which - I didn't look at it yet - but a 20th-level Psion would be a literal force of nature, no?

No, not IMO. Level 20 PCs are not that powerful. Forces of nature are for level 20+ play IMO.

dave2008 · Friday at 7:12 PM

Reynard said:
I think restricting it to the Professor X/Jean Grey paradigm of telepathy and telekinesis is the best way to make sure it has an identity of its own. Once you start adding pyrokinesis and biokinesis you are just another caster.

On top of this I think you need to add everything a Jedi can do. They are what I think of when I think of psion/psi-knight

But I generally agree about removing pyro/bio type stuff (though I can also see an argument for keeping them).

Flights of Fancy · Friday at 7:13 PM

dave2008 said:
On top of this I think you need to add everything a Jedi can do. They are what I think of when I think of psion/psi-knight

Great! What is your list of powers then?

Mind of tempest · Friday at 7:13 PM

shoot fire and ice with their mind.
Do something with soul, as the old goddess of souls was psyche or something.
manipulate their own body.
mind controle and telekenisis.

dave2008 · Friday at 7:16 PM

Flights of Fancy said:
Great! What is your list of powers then?

Telekinesis and thought / mind control of varying degrees.

Telekinesis would allow fast movement, more powerful attacks, longer jumps, etc along with simply lifting, moving and stopping things.

Mind control: mind reading, thought implantation, mind control, astral projection, and possible foresight of some type

dave2008 · Friday at 7:18 PM

Mind of tempest said:
shoot fire and ice with their mind.

I don't see those as fundamental psion abilities. I think I agree with @Reynard on this one that your just creating a caster with a different name if you include these. I mean fire and ice are not things of the mind (though I do understand how one could justify them to some extent).

Zaukrie · Friday at 7:21 PM

dave2008 said:
Telekinesis and thought / mind control of varying degrees.

Telekinesis would allow fast movement, more powerful attacks, longer jumps, etc along with simply lifting, moving and stopping things.

Mind control: mind reading, thought implantation, mind control, astral projection, and possible foresight of some type

I'd be ok if it was just this, but I really like manipulation of space and time for them for some reason. No idea why.

I also understand why people want body manipulation for the psion, and I'm all for it. But I won't miss it if it isn't there.

Flights of Fancy · Friday at 7:23 PM

dave2008 said:
I don't see those as fundamental psion abilities. I think I agree with @Reynard on this one that your just creating a caster with a different name if you include these. I mean fire and ice are not things of the mind (though I do understand how one could justify them to some extent).

I am hoping in a week or so once I have a lot of responses I can create a fairly exhaustive list and then make a poll so we can see if certain powers fall within the realm of psionics by here or not.

Zaukrie said:
I also understand why people want body manipulation for the psion, and I'm all for it. But I won't miss it if it isn't there.

I think it is a common enough trope to make it, personally.

dave2008 · Friday at 7:27 PM

Zaukrie said:
I'd be ok if it was just this, but I really like manipulation of space and time for them for some reason. No idea why.

I also understand why people want body manipulation for the psion, and I'm all for it. But I won't miss it if it isn't there.

In my mind, space and time manipulation are a very advanced / powerful version of telekinesis. So I think it is a power issue. The problem being D&D spells rarely concern themselves with this type of thinking.

D&D (2024) What Should a Psion Be Able To Do?

Incenjucar

Legend

dave2008

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dave2008

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Flights of Fancy

Candy is King

Mind of tempest

(he/him)advocate for 5e psionics

dave2008

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dave2008

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Zaukrie

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Flights of Fancy

Candy is King

dave2008

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