D&D 5E 5E psionics

[thexar]

No.

Why would they shape psionics to the needs of a campaign that doesn't have psionics from the get-go? Obviously, the campaigns that have the most relevance regarding psionics are the ones where psionics is central, like for example a Dark Sun campaign. People who would use psionics in a campaign where psionics is marginal, shouldn't have strong opinions about psionics.

If one reads the psionics rules from Eldritch Wizardry to PHB3, I think it's obvious that psionics is supposed to be something that the character does, as opposed to magic, which is something they use, they "wield", regardless of the source of magic. That's what makes psionics psionics, and 5e has a mechanics for that right in its core: the ability check.

And probably the most prominent concept in psionics is psionic mastery, which means that you get better and better at certain powers, as opposed to the spell levels of magic. And 5e has the perfect mechanics for that too, which is the proficiency bonus and expertise (double proficiency bonus).

3e and later distorted psionics for the sake of uniformity, but 5e can do better than that. It can recapture the essence of psionics, because it's an incredibly solid and flexible system.

Yes, yes - YES!

 

[Khaalis]

What I am currently thinking about for a homebrew Psionics system while we await an official one, is a system that blends certain aspects of the Warlock and the Sorcerer. They are good systems and would utilize existing (and accepted) mechanics. I haven't settled specifically on how to distribute the abilities quite yet but I think this is the best place to start. As to the Class/Subclass structure, I'm looking at a single new base class - Psion (or Psionicist or Psychic) that would fit the roll of the "mind mage" for lack of better way to classify it. This class would have then multiple subclasses that focus on what I see as the classic psychic categories - Telepath and Kineticist and perhaps a Seer and/or Shaper style subclasses. Categories like Metabolics and Portation would fall into the realm of new subclasses for base classes like the fighter, monk, rogue, etc. Perhaps the new mix of mechanics Might even warrant a second new base class of Psychic Warrior that is broken out into the concepts of Psi-Knight, Soulblade, Battlemind, Lurk, Soulbow, etc. (though I think many of these are just better as as Multiclass Subclasses like Eldtritch Knight).

 

[Feenicks007]

I never understood the reasoning that Psionics =/= magic would somehow unbalance the game, just because you can't Dispell it. Can you dispel the sword being swung at you, or the arrow being shot at you? Can you dispel a Barbarians rage or a Monk's flurry of blows? Not every mage has Dispel memorized and not everything can be dispelled, so how does it unbalance the game?
Kobold Avenger keeps saying that people who want to be Psions are "special snowflakes" but his reasoning shows the exact opposite is true. Mages can cast magic and dispel it, as well as create spells that block physical attacks. No one else can do that. So creating a new form of attack that mages can't block doesn't unbalance the game, it creates parity. D&D is an RPG game, everyone wants to be a special snowflake, characters are better than the normal people to being with, they're automatically special. That's why you can play as a drow who decided to live on the surface and who eschews his culture, or play as a dwarven mage who uses rune magic.
If a DM can't incorporate Psionics into a campaign, they aren't a very good DM. If players can't manage to deal with simple rules like Psi-blast (wis att vs AC) then they're not very good players. D&D is about fantasy and wish fulfillment, some people want to play as a psion and it's not that hard to create or balance.

 

[dwayne]

D&D Psionics What Will It Look Like in 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2wRun3gglQ

 

[Gradine]

I'm just thinking aloud here, so there may be problems with this, but...

I like the idea of modeling psionics off a system people are familiar with (though it could be expanded beyond that point of familiarity), but not a system that makes it too similar to the others casters.

I'm thinking, rather than a spell list, combine the concepts of the warlock's invocations and the battlemaster's maneuvers. You start with basic powers that the psion can pick, which he can use at-will, or between rests, or whatever. The point is, no cost.

The psion also has "psychic dice" or something, like the battlemaster's superiority dice. The psion can choose to spend them when he uses one of those "free" powers. He can either just add the dice as extra damage or other effects, to make the basic power spiffier. Or, he can use them to unlock the more powerful, higher-leel versions of those powers. As he gains levels, he gains more dice, and he can spend more on a given power.

So basically, each power is actually a full range of powers, from weakest to strongest.

For example, maybe there's a basic power where the psion can briefly read the surface thoughts in someone's mind for a single turn. That's the free version. As he gains levels, the psion gains the ability to spend dice and use ever greater powers related to the first. Maybe if he spends one die, he can change the target's memory of the last minute. If he spends two, he can read much deeper thoughts and older memories. All the way up to the most powerful version, the equivalent of a 9th-level spell, which costs some obscene number of dice, but lets the psion completely rewrite the target's life, erasing all memories and replacing them with new, false ones that turn the target into a totally different person.

Like I said, just an example off the top of my head, but it preserves the "doesn't work quite like anyone else" that some people want in a psion, while using the skeleton of an already familiar system, so it's not odd enough to frighten huge numbers of players off.

I really like these ideas. Personally, anytime I need to make a psionic character, I almost always start with the monk. The way Ki points are used really model exactly what I'm looking for in a 5e psion. The only thing I would add are the at-will powers, much like the warlock invocations, but maybe tie them to ability checks, with the option to add proficiency and/or expertise to a handful of them.

 

[dwayne]

There is a point system for casting in the Dungeon masters guide page 288 - 289 this in its self would work but to add some twist. Tie the powers in a chain to get one higher up you need to know the others that are lower on the list. This way you would have a progression of abilities which would prevent cherry picking of powers. The sciences would be like specialized wizard schools and would have added benefits like them, there was a guy who talked about this. The psi blade and the soul knife would be easy subs under fighter and thief as monk has KI which in of its self is quasi psionic in a way and the sorcerer has a path that gives abilities and powers that are also quasi psionic like.

 

[Nebulous]

I really like these ideas. Personally, anytime I need to make a psionic character, I almost always start with the monk. The way Ki points are used really model exactly what I'm looking for in a 5e psion. The only thing I would add are the at-will powers, much like the warlock invocations, but maybe tie them to ability checks, with the option to add proficiency and/or expertise to a handful of them.

I would expect them to take the monk Ki-point system and embellish it to create the Psionics rules. And yes, I'd be fine seeing a full Psionics chapter in a Dark Sun campaign sourcebook. To my knowledge that hasn't been done before. Usually Psionics has been its own standalone book.

 

[Xelaaredn]

Well, I was thinking just after I wrote that post... A combination of that power system and limited spell capacity--maybe like the paladin, maybe like the warlock--might be a good way for me to take a new crack at the shadowcaster from the 3e Tome of Magic. I never did feel I'd come up with mechanics that lived up to the concept...

Please, please, please do this. I took a crack at it myself but I just can't seem to get the original flavor right while maintaining balance (not giving the warlock too many uses of spells in a day). Only fix for that I can think of is have them not recover spells after a short rest...