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.

 

[Mistwell]

With Perkins Leaving I'm not sure the institutional knowledge is there to do Darksun well.

Greg Bilsland just returned to WOTC as Executive Producer of Dungeons & Dragons. He used to run a Dark Sun campaign.

James Wyatt just got a promotion too in the D&D team. He's the one who talked at length in an old WOTC article about greenliting Darksun for 4e.

 

[Minigiant]

I've see

Neither Tales of the Valiant or Daggerheart will replace D&D because they don't have the same appeal. MCDM's system might pull more people, but ultimately it will also be a niche since it's more crunchy. 5E is popular because is simple yet somewhat crunchy, which is easier to pick up by new players.

We also have the first 3PP setting/adventure launching next month for 2024 books with Crooked Moon from Avantris, so it's not all doom n' gloom.

It's not doom and gloom. It's literally 5-6 years out.

But WOTC's D&D sales will dip in 5-6 years if they don't produce something big and new because they'll run out of big old ideas to reintroduce. There are only 3-4 old official base classes and 2-4 old official settings that can drive book sales alone.

Of course 1 or 2 big new official releases can extend things. Maybe by a whole decade if hot enough..
But if the dip comes hard, WOTC will pivot to 6e. That's not doom, that's logic.

 

[Von Ether]

At this time, I'm thinking psionics will be more to flesh out the Kalshtar for this year and I have a "wait and see" attitude for Dark Sun next year.

But up until 3E Psions weren't spellcasters. Making them spellcasters where everyone gets a saving throw vs their manifestations neuters them. It takes away everything that made the class different, powerful and made them feared. Remember running into a psionic class or creature in 1E or 2E and having no defenses against their powers unless you had a spell or magical item that gave you defense? It was scary. That's exactly what I dont like about later editions, especially 5E, they may have slightly different mechanics, but all spell casting classes feel the same regardless of narrative.

This has been a crux in game design for ages. How many different game mechanics do you need to create to provide a different feel?
Of course the answer is mostly subjective. That same level of scary 1/2e psionics pretty much meant GMs never used psionics in my local meta back in the day. OTH: Savage Worlds has been pretty popular with using the same powers but changing up things for different power sources up by tweaking the amount of starting power points, starting number of powers, and one extra mechanic like gadgets or backfire effects.

And I have run and played in several Savage Worlds where PCs using different power sources and no one complained it felt "samey."

 

[Micah Sweet]

Don't play 5E then. If you want scary 1E psionics, play 1E. But if you ARE going to play 5E... then you gotta dance with the date that brought you.

Plenty of other psionic classes in 5e. Just not by WotC.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I think many people wonder rather trust something as big as a class is heavily playtested or come from a decently trusted source before they inject it into their games.

And with psionics' history, I don't blame weariness on that side.

I can't stop people from insisting that the megacorp does better work. I just fervently believe they're wrong.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I'm curious why you think that given they just relaunched the core books last year.

You can publish a set of books, but you can't make everyone buy them.

 

[Steampunkette]

Except statements like "A strong party is a diverse party" and other persistent and intense pro diversity stances that Wizards has and continues to take.

Hard disagree.

WotC has included strong themes of diversity within D&D 5E, both the core books and many supplements.

On top of that, WotC supports LGBQT charities on a regular basis.

WotC's hesitance with publishing Dark Sun is that the setting has slavery as a strong component . . . not as "good" or "tolerated" thing, something for the PCs to oppose . . . but one that can be triggering for folks bothered by that inclusion, due to their own personal trauma, cultural trauma, or would just rather not play in such a dark setting. Good reasons to go slowly, IMO.

Doesn't mean we'll never get a 5E Dark Sun, just means that if we do, WotC is going to take their time with it and likely remove or downplay the slavery aspect. Which will trigger the hardcore fans, which is another reason for the hesitance . . .

They've definitely been good about it for a long while, now. We'll see how long it holds.

Target was also really good about inclusivity. So was Meta, Google, IBM, Disney, dozens more.

We'll see how long Hasbro holds and whether it's a moral stance they believe in or just something they say to score points when there's minimal cost to doing so.

 

[Dire Bare]

They've definitely been good about it for a long while, now. We'll see how long it holds.

Target was also really good about inclusivity. So was Meta, Google, IBM, Disney, dozens more.

We'll see how long Hasbro holds and whether it's a moral stance they believe in or just something they say to score points when there's minimal cost to doing so.

Well, sure.

But I think I'll wait until WotC demonstrates they were just "rainbow-washing" with earlier efforts before I start assuming they can't take a "strong stance" on any issues. No evidence of this so far, at least to my eyes.

 

[Mournblade94]

Greg Bilsland just returned to WOTC as Executive Producer of Dungeons & Dragons. He used to run a Dark Sun campaign.

James Wyatt just got a promotion too in the D&D team. He's the one who talked at length in an old WOTC article about greenliting Darksun for 4e.

Alright then! I thought Wyatt was still at MTG. But that sounds good to me

 

[Steampunkette]

Well, sure.

But I think I'll wait until WotC demonstrates they were just "rainbow-washing" with earlier efforts before I start assuming they can't take a "strong stance" on any issues. No evidence of this so far, at least to my eyes.

"Slavery is bad. And should be opposed at all times" really shouldn't be a strong stance to take, either.

But slavery isn't the issue, in the end. They -claim- it is... but then they have you oppose slavery in all the other worlds. Well. Not really. Slavery is just a thing that happens in those worlds and sometimes you interact with it and sometimes you don't. 'Cause even THAT isn't a strong stance they take.

Duergar keep slaves (Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide). Blindheim are slaves to Drow and Kuo-Toa (Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1). Yuan-Ti keep slaves and sometimes eat them (Monster Manual). Grung uses slaves for various menial tasks and poison them to keep them under control (One Grung Above, introducing Grung as a player heritage). Geryon keeps slaves he stole from Baphomet (Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes). Gith bring treasures and slaves back to their ageless realm (Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes). In the Tomb of Annihilation Suplement there's the caravel Carcerius which carried slaves from Chult and went down with a full cargo hold of Chultan slaves still chained up. Drow keep thousands of slaves of various races in Menzoberranzan (Out of the Abyss). Goblins keep slaves (Volo's Guide to Monsters). There's the Thrull slaves of the Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica, too.

Like. There being slaves in the game is not remotely the reason why Dark Sun isn't being made. Regardless of whatever "Sensitivity" WotC claims exists about them. If they gave a crap about that they wouldn't have had a slave ship full of slaves get sunk off the coast of Chult with everyone on board specifically drowned. You'd -imagine- that would have a far more specific issue of sensitivity.

Anyway. That's not the reason. And hasn't been for a -long- time. People love to imagine that's the reason... but it isn't.