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.

 

[CreamCloud0]

I came around to the Psion being a spellcaster because D&D has 500 bespoke mechanical effects locked behind spells. A class that more directly effects the nature of those spells in unique ways as compared to the Sorcerer is cool to me. Yes, we could make it a non-spellcaster, but the amount of effects covered in level 1-5 spells means that the Psion gets too experimental for WotC OR becomes very repetitive.

i mentioned in the 'what you want the psion to be' thread but while i don't REALLY want the psion to be a caster as such i'm more than happy to let it piggyback off of the massive list of existing spells, rather than redesigning a bunch of abilities that are psionic copies of existing spells.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Compare that to Chess having multiple stalemate rules, En Passant rules, funky knight movement, castling rules that are different depending on the side your are castling on, getting pawns to the other side and becoming any piece you want even if it duplicates a unique piece(except the king!), each piece type having a different movement mode, and more.

I've taught both games and people have an easier time learning Monopoly.

Come on! You can write the entirety of the rules of chess, including en passant, castling etc on two sides of A4, and no one has to stop the game whilst they look up a rules, you can easily keep them all in your head.

Chess is a complex game, but the rules are simple.

 

[Maxperson]

Come on! You can write the entirety of the rules of chess, including en passant, castling etc on two sides of A4, and no one has to stop the game whilst they look up a rules, you can easily keep them all in your head.

Chess is a complex game, but the rules are simple.

You're reading more into what I am saying than there is. I'm not saying Chess is complex with regard to rules. I'm saying 1) Monopoly is also simple and can be written on a small piece of paper, and 2) having taught both, folks tend to have a harder time with Chess than Monopoly.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I don't know if that's true. The bidding aspect and open negotiation are a different kind of complexity. The game even asks you to figure out percentages for tax (although it's optional). Monopoly has more math in general than games I would consider to be "simple".

That’s not rules complexity, that’s gameplay complexity. Nevertheless, most modern versions of Monopoly are hugely simplified.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

You're reading more into what I am saying than there is. I'm not saying Chess is complex with regard to rules. I'm saying 1) Monopoly is also simple and can be written on a small piece of paper, and 2) having taught both, folks tend to have a harder time with Chess than Monopoly.

Both games have minimal rules compared to any version of D&D, and are more widely played. The main difference is chess is difficult to play well, and Monopoly is as boring as hell.

 

[Maxperson]

Both games have minimal rules compared to any version of D&D, and are more widely played. The main difference is chess is difficult to play well, and Monopoly is as boring as hell.

Yep. I still haven't taught my son how to play Monopoly, even though I have like 2 or 3 versions of it in the house, all still shrink wrapped. He and I do play Chess, though.

 

[GiantBrainStudio]

5e already has the MCDM Talent class which is a great take at psionics.

 

[Umbran]

Chess is a complex game, but the rules are simple.

In my professional work, I have found there to be two words that could use differentiation: "Complex" and "Complicated".

A thing is "complicated" when there are many moving parts and details you must know to understand the operation. A mechanical clock, for example, is complicated - lots of gears and parts with very small tolerances in their design.

A thing is "complex" when the end result is difficult to predict, even when you know the moving parts. A mechanical clock is NOT complex - its behavior is easy to predict and describe.

Meanwhile, the interaction of three bodies interacting under the force of gravity (the "three-body problem") is not at all complicated, but has "butterfly flaps its wings in the Sea of China" levels of complexity.

I'm saying 1) Monopoly is also simple and can be written on a small piece of paper, and 2) having taught both, folks tend to have a harder time with Chess than Monopoly.

Having peeled apart those two words, we can now easily see why this is.

Tic-tac-toe is not complicated, nor is it complex.
The game of Monopoly is moderately complicated, but not very complex.
The game of Chess is moderately complicated, but is complex.
The game of Go is not complicated, but is very complex.

People don't have a hard time with simple or moderately complicated rules - they have a problem with how complex the results are.

 

[dave2008]

Chess is a complex game, but the rules are simple.

I just wanted to point out that the US Chess Federation’s Official Rules of Chess, V 7th Edition, 1-1-24 is 144 pages long! The link is to a PDF of the rules.

I generally know how to play chess, but I have no idea what that PDF covers to need 144 pages. I also know that there are lot of/some strange rules that I am unfamiliar with and only know because my son is much more interested in chess than I am.

 

[dave2008]

5e already has the MCDM Talent class which is a great take at psionics.

There are lots of pscionics options out there already.