Unearthed Arcana 5E Psionics Alert! The Mystic Is Back In Unearthed Arcana

It's back! The long-awaited new version of the mystic - 5th Edition's psionic class - is here. "The mystic class, a master of psionics, has arrived in its entirety for you to try in your D&D games. Thanks to your playtest feedback on the class’s previous two versions, the class now goes to level 20, has six subclasses, and can choose from many new psionic disciplines and talents. Explore the material here—there’s a lot of it—and let us know what you think in the survey we release in the next installment of Unearthed Arcana." Click the image below for the full 28-page PDF!

It's back! The long-awaited new version of the mystic - 5th Edition's psionic class - is here. "The mystic class, a master of psionics, has arrived in its entirety for you to try in your D&D games. Thanks to your playtest feedback on the class’s previous two versions, the class now goes to level 20, has six subclasses, and can choose from many new psionic disciplines and talents. Explore the material here—there’s a lot of it—and let us know what you think in the survey we release in the next installment of Unearthed Arcana." Click the image below for the full 28-page PDF!

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mellored

Legend
Names (including Class names) are important. That is why you have a pencil and a hand with which to write the class name of your choice on the top of your character sheet.

Sorry, had to make that quip. No actual insult intended. (I invite your counter quip.)

I understand that official lore is important for some players and dungeon masters. I just wish they could embrace the freedom of 4E's "refluffing." It certainly relieves a lot of stress when trying to customize monsters or characters for any particular world or campaign.
Gamma world was king of refluffing. You got a stat block, and had to add your own.
 

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Hussar

Legend
Question. How do powers work with readied actions? Are they like spells and you have to burn the power points but you cast as a reaction if triggered? But lose the power points no matter what?

Or is it like an attack and you only burn points if you "cast"?
 

SailorNash

Explorer
This version is trying to do way too much. Im not really crazy how my psychic can minor in gigantism, or my Jedi can shoot laser beams. It's analogous to having Rage, Sneak Attack, and Smite listed in the same general "melee" grouping. Sure, you could limit yourself to create the character you want (which is what I plan to do). But isn't it better overall to make a Rogue and a Paladin separate things, each with their own identity and abilities?

Here they're separating disciplines out into subclasses, but other than starting picks - which later can be swapped out - none of it really matters. Or the all-elements cantrip that's perfect for Wu Jen...not so much for anyone else. Seems like too many dissimilar things all mixed up together, without any coherent unifying fiction?

I'd make Wu Jen their own class. Learn each elemental style at your level-ups. Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Heart. Turn into Captain Planet at 20. Clear, concise, makes sense, shouldn't be too upsetting for former Psion-haters. Everyone loves a good elementalist.

Psychics are a well-known character type, and fit in just fine with fantasy. Let them pick modular options from the Nomad, Awakened, and Avatar lists as they see fit. Similar to Warlocks in that respect. The power of mind control is balanced by them being a little weak otherwise. Especially against anything resistant to Psychic damage. Few problems here.

Enhanced warriors should be fine. Great combat powers, not as much utility elsewhere. Plenty of competition here with things like Paladins and Eldritch Knights, but there's room for a character type here. Especially for non-Sorcerer "internal power" characters. Similar to Monk.

Weird, body-altering powers...I think that's part of the "sci-fi" that historically turns most people off of Psionics. Myself included. Could make for good body horror Warlock abilities. Or a Druid that picked Beast Aspects from a list for partial transformations, rather than shifting fully into animals. Shapeshifters in general are a fine concept. But that should be the main gimmick of a class.

Aside from flavor reasons, making these fit fictional archetypes, it'd be far better for game balance as well. Better to create a half-caster and full-caster framework, rather than forcing it by adding HP and weapon proficiencies here, bonus disciplines and skills there. Make the casters d6 HD and limit their access to the AC buffs. Allow the others to wear plate, but not as many ranged or utility options. Give each a few cross-class or general picks, perhaps, but otherwise force them onto a "spell list" for their chosen "class".
 

Satyrn

First Post
The odd Order out(npi!), the Wu Jen - a 1e OA class and 2e Kit (and, like everything in the multiverse, presumably a 3.5 PrC) - though, is 'guised as psionic, for some reason.
If you care at all, the wu jen was a base class in 3.0 (Oriental Adventures) and 3.5 (Complete Arcane)
 

cbwjm

Seb-wejem
Question. How do powers work with readied actions? Are they like spells and you have to burn the power points but you cast as a reaction if triggered? But lose the power points no matter what?

Or is it like an attack and you only burn points if you "cast"?
My guess would be that you burn the points as you would burn a spell slot but hopefully this will be clarified when officially released.
 

Wolfwood2

Explorer
Looks like you cannot add Dex mod to soul knife.

Ah, but look at normal weapons in the PHB. They are listed as "1d8 Slashing" or whatever, same as the soul knife is listed as "1d8 psychic". The bit about adding stat damage to weapon attacks is not in the weapon description itself, but in the combat section as a special general rule for all attacks with weapons. And the soul knife is very specifically "a martial melee weapon". So yes, you add your Dex (or strength I guess) mod to damage.
 

Argyle King

Legend
Was the 4e PH3 really so obscure that no one recognizes the psionic classes?
(I mean, I didn't even bother looking at it, at first, because it said 'psionic' on the cover, but I thought that was just me...)

There's no 'guise of psionics' involved: the Ardent, Battlemind and Psion were Psionic, that was prettymuch the whole point of 'em. They're in witness protection, apparently, under false names (Avatar, Immortal, everything-else-but-the-Wu-Jen, but they're still psionic..
...er, Mystic.
Whatever.

.


Yes and no...

While I am familiar with the classes from 4E's PHB3 and I would agree that there are certainly heavy elements of them in this UA article, I also see touches of 4E's Psionic Monk, a little bit of Warlord, maybe Seeker, and a few other things.
 

Quickleaf

Legend
This version is trying to do way too much. Im not really crazy how my psychic can minor in gigantism, or my Jedi can shoot laser beams. It's analogous to having Rage, Sneak Attack, and Smite listed in the same general "melee" grouping. Sure, you could limit yourself to create the character you want (which is what I plan to do). But isn't it better overall to make a Rogue and a Paladin separate things, each with their own identity and abilities?

Here they're separating disciplines out into subclasses, but other than starting picks - which later can be swapped out - none of it really matters. Or the all-elements cantrip that's perfect for Wu Jen...not so much for anyone else. Seems like too many dissimilar things all mixed up together, without any coherent unifying fiction?

After getting a chance to review it a little, that was my take away as well. There's some interesting and well thought-out design, but on a fundamental level I couldn't make sense of the story behind the class. Then again, D&D has historically embraced psionics with a "kitchen sink" feel, so this feels in line with that.

For example, the three character snippets in the first section ("A human clad in simple robes walks along a forest path", "The militia forms in ranks to prepare for the orcs’ charge", "Baron Von Ludwig was always proud of his grand library") left me uninspired and without a sense of what a mystic is supposed to be.

Order of the Avatar...why does someone need to pursue study of psionics to lend hope, ferocity, and courage to others?

Mastery of Weather..."Your mind reaches into the sky, reshaping the stuff of storms to serve your needs"...and they're saying this is not magic? Because that sure sounds like magic to me!
 



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