D&D Debuts Playtest for Psion Class

Wizards of the Coast is playtesting the Psion class for Dungeons & Dragons. Today, Wizards of the Coast provided a new Unearthed Arcana for the Psion, a new class for the current revised 5th edition of Dungeons & Dragons. The playtest includes base class rules plus four subclasses - the body-shifting Metamorph, the reality warping Psi Warper, the offensive-minded Psykinetic, and the Telepath.

The core mechanic of the Psion involves use of Psion Energy die. Players have a pool of energy dice that replenishes after a Long Rest, with the number and size of the dice determined by the Psion's level. These psion energy dice can either be rolled to increase results of various checks/saving throws or spent to fuel various Psion abilities.

While the Psion and psionics have a long tradition in D&D, they've only received a handful of subclasses in 5th Edition. If the Psion survives playtesting, it would mark the first time that Wizards of the Coast has added a new character class to D&D since the Artificer. Notably, the Psion and psionics are also heavily associated with Dark Sun, a post-apocalyptic campaign setting that many considered to be off the table for Fifth Edition due to the need to update parts of the setting to bring it current with modern sensibilities. However, the introduction of Wild talent feats (which replaces some Origin feats tied to backgrounds with psion-themed Feats) in the UA seems to suggest that Dark Sun is back on the table.

 

[Nightfly]

The Metamorph is the sickest freaking thing I've seen this edition for OFFICIAL subclasses. Absolutely metal. I want that now.

"Hey boss, this supplement for MÖRK BORG got sent to us by mistake. Should I forward it on?"

"Nah, let's just print it"

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Weird that they still require Somatic components. My psion can cast spells naked in an area of silence, but needs to be able to wave their hands around to think their magic? Wonder why this choice was made...

 

[Micah Sweet]

The shadows are coming.

Then I suppose I'll meet you in the world of 3pp, the place where no shadows fall.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

The link to a free copy of the Esper, with all powers and stuff needed to play it, is in my signature.

It's also in Paranormal Power.

Ah. Thank you.

 

[Hatmatter]

Well, I am often wrong, but on this I was right; simply because I listened to what Jeremy Crawford said and didn't listen selectively.

Despite years and years of complaining and fretting here, I noted what Crawford actually said about psionics and other options and I noted that he never closed the door on it. He has always been quite open concerning game design priorities and how ideas that have potential but that have not come together in a way that pops are put into a file to potentially return when the time is right.

This, for example, was posted by me four years ago (May 2021), but there are a number of places in these forums where I have similarly stated that I thought it was very possible the psionicist would return when the timing was right and when the designers felt that they had an appropriate idea for how to make it work.

My hope would be that some dear ENWorld members might reign in the rhetoric and begin to give D&D writers the benefit of the doubt instead of painting with broad strokes where each person is either part of the Rebel Alliance or the Empire (I will say that I have noticed an improvement here in the last couple months in this regard).

Despite an overarching corporate structure, the writers themselves are fans of the game and want what is best for D&D, which includes expanding options and creating classes that players of the game would like. Since 2012 or so, they have been trying to do this in a more considered way where pieces fit together in a complimentary fashion so that D&D can thrive in a sustainable fashion in the future.

Aldarc, I remain optimistic that we could eventually see a Psion or Psionicist. I think the way psionics were handled in Tasha's leaves the door wide open...and my hunch is that it was done deliberately so. But, then again, I have been accused of wearing rose-colored glasses at times.

I am with you on the Warlord as well. I don't know about that one, though. But, then again, that is why I would like to see 5th edition as the evergreen edition. If the game continues to develop, I think it would be inevitable that we would get those kinds of expansions, done in a way that work with the whole rest of the game.

 

[maceochaid]

Looking back at the Psi-Warrior and the Soul Knife I see that you cannot combine your psychic energy dice. I haven't done any calculating of the balance, but it would have been nice if you could have used them interchangeably to create some synergies when multi-classing. I could see the Psi-Warrior or Soul Knife/Psion would have more dice, but they would be a lower die size.

 

[Superchunk77]

I honestly don't think it's a problem if WotC releases their own take on Dark Sun, which isn't the same as the fan take or previous takes.

The fan community for Dark Sun is surprisingly active (far more active than many recent settings, including most 5E ones), and they're focused on basically maintaining the legacy of the 2E take on Dark Sun, and specifically more the first 2E Dark Sun campaign setting than the second one (the second one had less of a planetary fantasy/ecological fantasy vibe). If an official 5E Dark Sun comes out I don't expect that to change any more than the 4E Dark Sun changed that.

WotC would undoubtedly steer away from or revise certain issues, and honestly, I don't think that's a big problem if done well and with style and verve.

The problem is, I don't think WotC have done any setting at all real justice in 5E except maybe, arguably, some of the MtG ones. I'm not saying the other 5E settings are terrible, just that they're all a bit tepid and rushed-seeming. I suspect they will actually do a good job with the new 5E FR setting, if only because the FR is a setting it's fairly easy to be confident in. But D&D's leadership has changed completely. I don't hate or even dislike Perkins and Crawford as people, but I do think they really had kind of an... en-bland-ifiying vibe in their attitudes to fantasy and D&D and settings in general. I'm hoping those who succeed them will have a big more energy in this department.

EDIT - Also D&D is now much, much more financially important to WotC than it was in 2014/2015, and I don't think we're going to see WotC repeatedly putting out settings from MtG then doing Shocked Pikachu face when they don't catch on with the D&D crowd.

The only plus to WotC doing a Dark Sun book would be the DM's Guild material that would follow. However, as WotC has previously stated, the setting is "far too problematic" for them to even glance at.

 

[Remathilis]

I'll treat it like any other WotC class: I'll respond to the entire survey process based on balance metrics and discussion points they bring up. I'm not going to review bomb it and pretend it's mechanically the worst thing in the world or anything.

And yeah. I'll tell them I much prefer the Esper if there's a space to do that.

I'm sure this class is a perfectly cromulent spellcaster that will function like all other spellcasters in 5e.

I mean, there is no shame in liking a different version more (even if it's your own, that's happened twice to me with reanimator artificer and dance bard). I still want feedback based on what was presented. I just worry about people looking at WotCs and saying "this isn't what I want in psionics, so red bomb away" rather than measuring it as a new caster class with a psionic theme. WotC isn't making a whole new system for psionics, so this is probably the best mechanical design space it's going to get. I just hope people review it in that field of vision vs comparing it to the Mystic or 3pp systems.

 

[OB1]

Really, really like this new class overall, feels like there are some great stories to be told with it. Heck, I might make a couple of villains to antagonize my current group using this UA as a guide.

I wouldn't mind seeing a way to convert spell slots to psi die (like the sorcerer) but would make it only one way (no psi die back to slots). If I were thinking a little bolder, I'd cut off spell progression at 10th level, and have the remaining levels add even more psi die to your daily pool, and then add a few additional high psi die cost abilities to the subclasses. A different take on a half caster, so to speak. That would also really help the feeling of wildly divergent paths for the subclasses off the base class. It has a little bit of that now, but could be pushed even further. Like, the telepath should be the only subclass with the ability to explode peoples heads, etc.

 

[Remathilis]

Looking back at the Psi-Warrior and the Soul Knife I see that you cannot combine your psychic energy dice. I haven't done any calculating of the balance, but it would have been nice if you could have used them interchangeably to create some synergies when multi-classing. I could see the Psi-Warrior or Soul Knife/Psion would have more dice, but they would be a lower die size.

No. Separate pools. Check the 2024 versions of the two subs