D&D (2024) UA2025 Psion Spell List [+]

Here are the spell lists from the UA2025 for the Psion class and subclasses Metamorph, Psi Warper, Psykinetic, and Telepath. In the lists an astrix (*) indicates a new spell in the UA. A ring (°) indicates the spell in the subclass list is also on the main class spell list.

The premise of this thread assumes that the future Psion will be a spellcaster, and in this sense, is a positive thread [+]. It isnt the thread to discuss whether this class should be a spellcaster.

Perhaps the future Psion will cast spells in a flavorful way such as only the Somatic components or without any spell components, or perhaps will employ spell points. In any case, the class spellcasting feature refers to the same spells that the the rest of the D&D classes refer to.

For the Psion class, each spell requires scrutiny for flavor appropriateness and mechanical power.

Green means go, use the spell as is, possibly mentioning a minor tweak.
Yellow means right idea, but: the spell itself needs a significant rewrite, the spell is underpowered and needs a significant boost, or a new spell needs to replace it.
Red means wrong idea, delete it from the spell list.
[Blue Brackets] mean add this spell that seems to be missing from the spell list.
{Curlies} mean relocate this spell between the various spell lists of the Psion list and subclasses.
Gray means neutral, not sure, I dont know.

Copy-and-paste one or more of the lists that you want to colorize and comment on.

PSION

PSION SUBCLASSES

Psion Slot 0 Cantrips
Blade Ward, Dancing Lights, Friends, Light, Mage Hand, Mending, Message, Mind Sliver, Minor Illusion, Prestidigitation, Telekinetic Fling*, True Strike, [Eldritch Blast], [Guidance], [Thaumaturgy], [Thunderclap], [Spare the Dying], [Vicious Mockery].

Spare the Dying is Metamorph psychometabolism. Guidance is Seer navigating timelines, which I associate with Psi Warper spacetime manipulation.


Telepathy and Telekinesis.

The mechanics for telekinesis and telepathy have been problematic in every edition of D&D. To transmit the old school Telekinesis spell at the uselessly high slot 5 and the Telepathy spell at the absurdly high slot 8, was a less good choice.

The future Psion class is also an opportunity to get the extremely important concepts of telekinesis and telepathy right. Probably the current spells relating these need to be entirely rewritten, or new spells need to be added with the intention to displace them.


Regarding telepathy.

The Telepath subclass must have the best player options possible for telepathy beyond any other class or playable species. The UA has the Telepathy language at a base range of only 5 feet. This weird stinginess is wrongminded. The base cannot be less than 30 feet, and perhaps should be 60 feet. Plus it should function flawlessly thru barriers, and with various requirements should do special things like detect the presence of other minds within range. Telepath telepathy must be extraordinarily excellent. It is the entire point of the subclass, and this subclass is the go-to in the D&D game.

Message isnt actually telepathy, and is unable to read minds for mutual communication. Message is currently one of the less appealing cantrips that rarely gets considered when players can only pick a few cantrips. Perhaps rewrite Message to make it actually useful telepathy. In any case, whether a spell rewrite, a new spell, or a class feature, the Psion and especially the Telepath must get telepathic functionality right. It is important for the class and for the D&D game.


Regarding telekinesis.

The mechanics for telekinesis in the D&D game is unsatisfactory. Whether significant rewrites of spells, or an addition of new spells, or new Psion class and Psykinetic subclass features, or new features to boost new spells − whatever way this gets done, D&D needs to get telekinesis right.

Telekinesis is a concept that is simple but highly versatile and potentially game-breakingly powerful. Reconciling authentic flavor and ensuring mechanical balance can be a challenge.

Flavorwise, there are two concepts for telekinesis. One concept is the soul has an aura, sometimes called "ki" in Japanese (and in Norse called "hamr", "nefesh" in Hebrew, and properly the "psyche" psukhe in Greek). This aura mainly functions to animate ones own living body, and its influence in a range beyond that is normally very subtle. But for certain individuals this aura can be even stronger than the physical body, to propel objects that are within range of the soul aura. This aura can project outofbody to roam to a remote location. Ghosts and poltergeists likewise are examples of this disembodied soul aura. The second concept also involves being within range of the soul aura, whether around the body or remotely outofbody. However, the aura doesnt actually push the object. The aura attunes the object. The objects own forces (at the quantum level of the atom) synchronize simultaneously to dift or lurch in any direction. For the second concept, the amount of mass is irrelevant, it could be a handheld coin or a planet. The range of soul aura applies, but perhaps spacetime distortions extend it.

Mechanically, I like the way D&D distinguishes between different kinds of telekinesis. Nonattack telekinesis is gentle, can only involve objects and willing creatures, but can lift and fly significant amounts of mass. Attack telekinesis can deal damage, and do Unarmed Strike substituting the mental ability, including Grapple and Shove to propel in any direction including up or down. The attacks concentrate the soul aura influence into a small space with heightening force. The larger Sizes are beyond the effect. Then there are telekinetic barriers, such as Mage Armor and Wall of Force, where the soul force is very strong but reactive to deflect or neutralize other forces, and generally passive.

D&D a needs a kind of telekinesis that is available at level 1 (or earlier during the background) and that can scale smoothly while advancing in levels. It increments from subtle to magnificent. Importantly, the area of effect isnt the objects themselves, but rather the area of focus within ones own soul aura. So at level 1, the telekinetic character can gently focus on a nearby area that is equivalent to Tiny Size. At higher levels, this Size increases to Small, Medium, Large, Huge, and at 20 epic Gargantuan. Any soul can deny this gentle influence, so must be willing. For D&D purposes, this means any creature, since even Elemental and Construct exhibit kinds of soul.

With regard to the Mage Hand cantrip, a floating glove isnt what telekinesis is. Telekinesis influences an area equivalent to Tiny size and larger, and everything within this area simultaneously. But to interact with an object, such as opening an unlocked door, or using an Action to make a Sleight of Hand skill check to try telekinetically open a lock, can only be one object at time. The Psion needs a new cantrip. Leave Mage Hand to the arcane classes.

For attack telekinesis, probably the Unarmed Strike is fine as a basis. There can be ways to use the soul aura in specialized ways, such as the Eldritch Blast cantrip and Telekinetic Fling. Regarding telekinesis, players often want to say, I reach into the monsters heart and squeeze it to kill it. Well, yes, this is what happens, ... when the monster reaches zero hit points. Until then the telekinetic attacks are dealing nonphysical and physical damage. Every death strike, is by definition reducing the target to zero hit points. High level telekinetics that deal high damage can kill a low CR monsters with a single thought.

The new spell, the Telekinetic Fling cantrip, is solid 1d10 damage, but a minor tweak should clarify that it is the telekinesis that does the Force damage without any 'amunition', but as a utility usage, this cantrip can also fling around handsize objects in poltergeist-style, and knock on doors and shake curtains.

Thunderclap is Thunder damage in the sense of a sharp telekinetic concussive shockwave, and notable for being multi target. It is relevant to the Psion. Eldritch Blast. Either the Psion class or the Psykinetic subclass needs to have Eldritch Blast cantrip on the spell list, as the basic telekinetic Force-damage attack. It can flavor in various ways, whether as invisible missile, gravity-like torque, reinforced illusion, or other player choice. Thaumaturgy is minor telekinetic effects plus luminous glowing eyes, perhaps even add to the cantrip luminous soul aura or halo.


For the telekinetic barriers, the spells are probably the best way to go mechanically: Blade Ward, Mage Armor, Shield, ... Wall of Force, ...

Possibly the Psykinetic subclass might gain a telekinetic shield, which functionally is a normal shield. Its AC cannot stack with a normal shield, but it would stack with the Mage Armor spell, and doesnt require a hand. Tweak the Mage Armor spell itself so that is always on, its Duration persisting until the end of the next Long Rest. Eliminate the hastle, there is no concern about balance, and the always-on is important flavor, and other classes can have this too.

Blade Ward, the cantrip is underpowered, requiring Concentration for the inflict -1d4 to the targets attack, is rarely appealing. The cantrip itself needs a rewrite to buff it.

For cantrips I wouldn't mind if they got Primal Savagery a Druid cantrip that seems to be something at least a Metamorph should get.

I don't think any blade cantrips fits the Psion spell list, though it might be suitable for some subclass.

I would have thought Elementalism would be more suitable than Prestidigitation out of the purely for flavour cantrips.

I think they want to keep Vicious Mockery Bard exclusive and I wouldn't suggest that one.

I generally think new cantrips are what the Psion should get of offensive cantrips, like there aren't any Psychic Damage cantrips with attack rolls maybe make something like "Mind Bullets". And I've always advocated that there should be a cantrip like "Bigby's Backhanded Slap" or "Bigby's Bitchslap" that does force damage + something else.

I think there's a difference in design philosophy that can lead to different results here. Is the method to look at a spell, imagine if it makes sense for a psion, and if so, add it? Or is the method to curate a specific list of evocative spells that might be a bit more narrow, but that emphasize the specific niches of the psion? And are we revising spells for an ideal psion experience, or just using existing spells and saying, "yeah, that works." Do we have a specific vision of psion we're looking to embody, or are we willing to let the psion emerge from the design decisions we make?

Like, eldritch blast is warlock-exclusive, and that's clearly an intentional design by WotC to keep some spells mostly within a single class or narrow band of classes. Like, maybe our psion DOESN'T have a basic force-damage attack. Is that a dealbreaker? Certainly when I imagine a telekinetic character, I don't imagine they are throwing magical bolts of force around. OTOH, some sort of "far hand" that lets me make melee attacks with my mind or grapple enemies using psychic power sounds kind of up the alley...but maybe the psion doesn't do that, since we don't really have a current spell that does that at low levels?

Psion Slot 1
Animal Friendship, Charm Person, Command, Comprehend Languages, Detect Magic, Dissonant Whispers, [Expeditious Retreat], Feather Fall, Identify, Jump, Longstrider, Mage Armor, [Magic Missile], Silent Image, Sleep, Speak with Animals, Tashas Hideous Laughter, Tensers Floating Disk, [Unseen Servant].


I organize the comments by the themes of the relevant subclass, even tho everyone in the Psion class can dabble in these particular spells.


TELEPATH/METAMORPH

I like the spells that are into plant and animal themes. Suitably animistic. It also conveys the modern tropes of 'psychometry' where a psychic can sense the residue of thoughts and emotions imprinted into objects and surrounding areas. I worry that some of these nature spells are underpowered balancewise, and unable to compete with must-have spells when the Psion class gets so few prepared spells to choose.

TELEPATH

Comprehend Languages. This spell isnt a spell, it is a ritual. No player in their right mind would select it, when it means missing out on more vital combat spells, or ever a useful utility spell that will at least happen frequently.

The 'Spell' category and the 'Ritual' category need to be two separate design spaces. Rituals dont use the power of a spell slot, they specifically utilize power from elsewhere. Rituals can have any weird requirement to perform them, including costly ingredients, specific times, the number of performers, eating a rose, whatever. To perform a Ritual successfully, one must make a skill check. (Ideally, anyone whether a spellcaster or not, whether proficient or not, can attempt any Ritual, as long as the performer meets the appropriate level prerequisite.) A significant failure in a Ritual by 5 or more below the DC means a mishap. An abundant success might also happen if 5 or more above the DC. Each Ritual details what it does. Rituals dont appear in the Spell Lists. Rituals appear in a separate list for a separate part of the game that is more like magic items.

Identify is an application of psychometry to attune the mind of the magic item creator into the magic item itself. It is relevant. But this spell too is not a spell. It is a Ritual. Identify is a trap option that needs to stay out of the spell list, especially when the number of choices to prepare are limited.


METAMORPH
−

Surprisingly, no slot 1 spells here that have Metamorph flavor.


PSI WARPER

The [Expeditious Retreat] spell relocates from the Psi Warper subclass spell list to here in the Psion class spell list. It is a fine spell for Psions generally, but doesnt articulate the distinctive flavor of the Psi Warper as a manipulator of the fabric of spacetime.


PSYKINETIC

Feather Fall. Levitate. I am less of a fan of these spells in any D&D edition. When thinking about what would actually make these spells appealing to me, I would do the following. Feather Fall gets a spell description update that allows the spellcaster and willing creatures to hover and drift upward or downward. Effectively this also absorbs all of the current Levitate spell. Then the Levitate spell rewrites to allow the target to hover and move at Speed 30 in any direction. Later in slot 3, the Fly spell is great as-is, and I consider it the benchmark for what kinds of flying and frequencies the D&D game should normally have at each tier of level advancement.

[Unseen Servant] is ones owns telekinesis, often operating out of habit. It belongs on the Psion list. I find Unseen Servant useful enough to be on the spell list, but it could qualify as a Ritual only.

[Magic Missile] is sharp telekinetic torque.



SHAPER/METACREATIVITY/ILLUSIONIST/CONJUROR

I view the Shaper as a special technique that blends telekinesis and telepathy. Effectively, it blurs the boundaries between subjective reality and objective reality. The 'summoned' creatures are actually projections of ones own soul and imagination, and sometimes of ones unconscious. The reality of a particular mind can seemlessly become the factual reality of everyones objective shared reality. This concept of mind-over-reality touches on modern flavors, such as the quantum observer effect, where a conscious mind actually causes the reality to exist. It also relates to various premodern culture that lack a strict distinction between dream, subjective experience, and objective reality: it is more like a continuum from weak to strong. Later at the slot 9 spell list, this mind-over-reality must have the Wish spell on the spell list. For a conscious mind to "Wish" something into existence is the essence of every psionic theme and trope.

Minor Illusion. Silent Image. Major Image. This is a minor tweak, but I am reminded that I really want these spells to organize by the Sizes: Medium, Huge, and Gargantuan respectively. Currently Minor Illusion affects an area 5-foot cube. This is Medium Size but I would like it to unambiguously apply to an image of a Medium size Human standing up, rather than squeezing oneself into a slightly too short cube. But generally, all spells, especially psionic relevant spells refer to the same, convenient, useful concept of Sizes, rather than grid counting or guessing how much something weighs.

Kobold Avenger said:

For cantrips I wouldn't mind if they got Primal Savagery a Druid cantrip that seems to be something at least a Metamorph should get.

I don't think any blade cantrips fits the Psion spell list, though it might be suitable for some subclass.

I would have thought Elementalism would be more suitable than Prestidigitation out of the purely for flavour cantrips.

I think they want to keep Vicious Mockery Bard exclusive and I wouldn't suggest that one.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I was looking for [Primal Savagery], but didnt see it in the 2024 Players Handbook. The concept is appropriate here, especially for the Metamorph.

Relatedly I also want to see a cantrip that grants an alternate form, werewolf style, with a specific animal. The animal is a recognizable, unique, individual. The animal is chosen when first gaining the cantrip, but it can be taken more than once, as separate cantrip, and swapped out while leveling. The shapeshifter can alternate back and forth between the Humanoid, a medial form inbetween, and the animal. Possibly this needs to be a level 1 spell, but the intention is always on.


I like Prestidigitation even tho it seems more specifically a Shaper metacreativity thing. [Thaumaturgy] actually seems more like a basic Psion go-to.

In my mind, the Elemental power source is too distinctive, and too "flashy". I prefer the Psion class stay away from it. Even the Heat Metal spell in slot 2 feels too elemental for me. That said. I am ok with a separate subclass that handles all of the Elemental themes and tropes, including the "Fire Starter" "pyromancer". The Elementalism cantrip belongs to this elemental subclass, but not the base Psion class itself, I feel. In this case, the absence of Elemental themes helps distinguish the Psion from other spellcaster classes. I generally think of Druid and Sorcerer as the go-to for Elemental magic.

For Vicious Mockery. I prefer the D&D design avoid spells that are unique to a class. It is extremely important that each spell is mechanically balanced along the other spells in the same slot. They need to be equally desirable (from a character optimization point of view) even if doing different things. Spells that are unique to one class tend to distort and buff its power, and make it more difficult to compare with other spells in the same slot. Ultimately class-unique spells threaten to jeapordize the entire game engine. It is ok for a class to have a feature that buffs a particual spell. Thus the class can gain unique benefits from the spell, while the spell itself remains clearly balanced. Since Vicious Mockery seems pertinent to the Telepath, maybe it can be on this subclass spell list. I am fine with the Bard class having a class feature that buffs Vicious Mockery, similar to how the Warlock buffs Eldritch Blast.

Kobold Avenger said:

I generally think new cantrips are what the Psion should get of offensive cantrips, like there aren't any Psychic Damage cantrips with attack rolls maybe make something like "Mind Bullets". And I've always advocated that there should be a cantrip like "Bigby's Backhanded Slap" or "Bigby's Bitchslap" that does force damage + something else.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I added Vicious Mockery also because it is a Psychic damage attack. Maybe there can be a cantrip that deals "phantasmal" damage, being Psychic damage subjectively in the mind of the target only. I think the phantasmal spells should be the Enchantment spell school rather than objectively existing Illusion spell school.

Force damage plus something else, is interesting. Maybe something like spend a reaction to reinforce a successful weapon attack or spell attack?

I'm A Banana said:

I think there's a difference in design philosophy that can lead to different results here. Is the method to look at a spell, imagine if it makes sense for a psion, and if so, add it? Or is the method to curate a specific list of evocative spells that might be a bit more narrow, but that emphasize the specific niches of the psion? And are we revising spells for an ideal psion experience, or just using existing spells and saying, "yeah, that works." Do we have a specific vision of psion we're looking to embody, or are we willing to let the psion emerge from the design decisions we make?

Like, eldritch blast is warlock-exclusive, and that's clearly an intentional design by WotC to keep some spells mostly within a single class or narrow band of classes. Like, maybe our psion DOESN'T have a basic force-damage attack. Is that a dealbreaker? Certainly when I imagine a telekinetic character, I don't imagine they are throwing magical bolts of force around. OTOH, some sort of "far hand" that lets me make melee attacks with my mind or grapple enemies using psychic power sounds kind of up the alley...but maybe the psion doesn't do that, since we don't really have a current spell that does that at low levels?

Click to expand...

For me, the philosophy is, if the spell already exists in D&D and works well for the Psion concept, then dont reinvent the wheel with redundant mechanics. Some current spells are thematically off for the Psion, or too fiddly with multiple moving parts, to feel like a mind is visualizing it. The spells that are spot on in concept, and evoke mindful flavor, belong on the Psion list.

Eldritch Blast is relevant to the Psykinetic. Note, the Telekinetic Fling cantrip is equivalent in d10 Force damage. If the Fling flavor allows damage without actual ammunition, plus flavorfully allows it to do poltergeist effects on objects, then this might supercede the Eldritch Blast.

The Warlock class doesnt need unique access to the Eldritch Blast cantrip. Because the Warlock has its own class features, Invocations to buff the Eldritch Blast, and these features are unique.


Regarding grappling enemies telekinetically. This can be a spell, or it can be Psion class feature or Psykinetic feature that allows the character to use the mental ability Intelligence instead of Strength for Unarmed Strike (including damage, grapple, and shove), and can target any creature within 30 feet.

Even though a lot of people had problems with crystals and ectoplasm in 3.5e, it did at least have it's own unique flavour for the Psion.

So I think there should be a spell where a Psion throws a crystal around, and it can even be an exploding crystal and do Force or Piercing damage.

For ectoplasm maybe something like the old Tanglefoot Bag of past editions, it could be a cantrip that does little or no damage at all.

Psion Slot 2
Animal Messenger, [Augury], Blindness/Deafness, Calm Emotions, Crown of Madness, Detect Thoughts, Enhance Ability, Enlarge/Reduce, Enthrall, Heat Metal, Hold Person, Invisibility, Knock, [Levitate], Locate Animals or Plants, Magic Mouth, Mind Spike, Mirror Image, Phantasmal Force, See Invisibility, Shatter, Silence, Suggestion, Tashas Mind Whip*, Zone of Truth.


TELEPATH FLAVOR SPELLS
Calm Emotions, Crown of Madness, Detect Thoughts, Enthrall, Mind Spike, Mirror Image, Phantasmal Force, Suggestion, Tashas Mind Whip.

A Ritual List (not the Spell List!)
Animal Messenger, Locate Animal or Plants, Magic Mouth, Zone of Truth.

As one can see, the Psion base class leans heavily into telepathic flavor. The Telepath subclass needs ways to stand out distinctively. Meanwhile many telepathic spells are less suitable for combat. Maybe the Telepath also takes over all of the Shaper aspects as well, in the sense of blurring subjective and objective reality. The Shaper spells gives oomph to the anemic Telepath subclass. Thus when comparing the UA Psion subclasses with 2e and 3e, the following organization emerges:

• Telepath = reality = Telepath + Shaper
• Psi Warper = spacetime = Teleport + Seer
• Psykinetic
• Metamorph

[Edit: Later I reseparate Telepath and Shaper. There are so many telepathic spells. The Shaper has enough relevant spells to sustain its own distinctive category.]

(SHAPER FLAVOR SPELLS)
Invisibility, See Invisibility

Here, the invisibility is understood as distorting reality, rather than telekinetically bending light, or telepathically cloaking oneself as a kind of phantasmal effect.


METAMORPH FLAVOR SPELLS
Blindness/Deafness, Enhance Ability, Enlarge/Reduce, Hold Person.


PSI WARPER FLAVOR SPELLS
[Augury], Knock, Shatter.

The Augury spell, in other words being "psychic". And of course it must not have the unnecessary gp Costly Material component.


PSYKINETIC FLAVOR SPELLS
[Levitate], Silence.

Relating to Fly, Levitate conveys the telekinetic flight of the Psykinetic flavor. I relocate the spell from where it was in the Psi Warper subclass spell list, to here in the main Psion class spell list. Mechanically, the spell is less competitive with other spells in the same slot, but levitation is a common trope and might apply to various kinds of Psions.


ELEMENTALIST FLAVOR SPELLS
Heat Metal.

I prefer the Elemental spells only be in a subclass rather than the base Psion class.

Kobold Avenger said:

Even though a lot of people had problems with crystals and ectoplasm in 3.5e, it did at least have it's own unique flavour for the Psion.

So I think there should be a spell where a Psion throws a crystal around, and it can even be an exploding crystal and do Force or Piercing damage.

For ectoplasm maybe something like the old Tanglefoot Bag of past editions, it could be a cantrip that does little or no damage at all.

Click to expand...

Can the Psychic Crystal be a cantrip that does both Force damage and a choice of Pierce, Slash, Bludgeon?

I am one of the people that felt the crystal and ectoplasm was too far away from the "power of the mind" flavor. At the same time, I am fine with spells giving a nod to 3e. Spells are self contained, and not actually baked into the Psion class features.

For the "ectoplasm", I am interpreting it as an "unfinished formation of a new reality". With the rationale in the preceeding post that combines both 3e Telepath and 3e Shaper into the UA Telepath. The sense is: the mind existentially experiences reality; phantasm only exists subjectively in the mind; illusion blurs subjective perception and objective reality; illusions become force constructs with psychological attunement; the force of an illusion is often only strong enough to manipulate light and sound vibrations, but some illusion effects have strong force to propel mass and deal Weapon damage; finally, "ectoplasm" is glimpses is into new potential realities that havent yet taken root in the shared objective reality, and are an aspect of Illusion. Making an Ectoplasm cantrip do Tanglefoot effect, sounds fine.