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.

 

[Yaarel]

Yes. The psion is essentially the psionic version of the wizard. The 3.5e XPH does have a psionic sorcerer equivalent in the form of the wilder. However, unlike the psychic warrior and the soulknife, both of which have been updated to 5e as subclasses, the wilder is probably too thematically similar to the existing wild magic sorcerer to be worth updating. Aberrant Sorcery is something different.

I think the UA Psion includes the 3e Wilder, via the "nose bleed" hit dice and similar. Even the psi dice themselves with their randomosity are Wilder-esque. It is only a nod. If the Psion class succeeds, it would be easy to make the Wilder a future subclass for it.

 

[pukunui]

I think the UA Psion includes the 3e Wilder, via the "nose bleed" hit dice and similar. Even the psi dice themselves with their randomosity are Wilder-esque. It is only a nod. If the Psion class succeeds, it would be easy to make the Wilder a future subclass for it.

Yeah, that's true.

 

[Corinnguard]

I feel they never should have added clerics to Dark Sun.

The Elemental Clerics of Athas are more like Warlocks than Clerics IMO. In order to become an Elemental Cleric, they must somehow gain the attention of the elementals by throwing themselves off a cliff (air), burying themselves alive (earth), setting themselves on fire (fire) or drowning themselves in a body of water (water). If the elementals accept them, they become an Elemental Cleric. If they don't, the would-be acolyte dies. This kind of makes the elementals more like a patron rather than a divine being. Mind you, this was something that popped up in 2e. I am not sure how an elemental cleric would be portrayed in 5e.

Even the Templars were warlocks. The Sorcerer Kings were their patrons.

I could see the Elementalist class from Purple Martin Games being a psionic class in Dark Sun. They're essentially aerokineticists, geokineticists, pyrokineticists and hydrokineticists.

 

[Yaarel]

I think the 2014 Spell point variant is probablyfine...but Gary Gygax's ancient, cranky criticism of the very idea of Spell Poonts still applies: very fiddley and annoying in practice, open to abuse.

The smaller Short Rest spell point is much simpler than the slots, and it is not really abusable. Its balance equals the standard Warlock slots, except it improves gradually across levels, instead of lurching in large chunks of improvement. Heh, few or no players complain about the Warlock being too powerful.

 

[Yaarel]

spell components is that they do several things:

• Way to balance Spellcaster vs Martial characters (Wizard can't hold a weapon/shield in one hand)

I know that one would assume the GP-Cost Material component is there for balance, but it isnt.

Since a Wizard lacks training with a Shield, the Somatic spell restriction is moot. If a Wizard decides to take a feat to train with a Shield, it should be able to cast with a Shield. Meanwhile, the weapons are often also the spellfocus for casting, such as the staff and sometimes a longsword, so there isnt any balancing purpose for the Somatic component.

• Gate low level spells for high level characters (Chromatic orb being 1st level damage, but having the versatility reserved for higher level characters)

See above. The spell components are not a balancing mechanism.

• Limit how many times you can cast a powerful spell

See above. The spell components dont and cant serve a balancing function.

• Give puzzles/challenges that counter spellcasting (cast a silence spell to stop a spell, pickpocket an evil cleric's holy symbol, only use V component spells in a jail cell)
• Flavor (and even little jokes)
• Serve to envision how conspicuous or showy a spell is

The problem with spell "flavor" is.

It must be the class that decides the flavor.

A Bard dancer needs to cast almost all of the spells by a Somatic component. A Bard instrumentalist needs to cast almost all of the spells by a Focus Material component. A Bard singer needs to cast almost all of the spells by a Verbal component.

Most classes cast spells. Spell components make all of the classes "feel samey".

Even now, the UA Psion is trying to force the Psion to parrot the Wizard Material component, even when it is highly inappropriate.

It is the CLASS that must determine how to cast (or manifest) a spell.


All the spells that actually require balance need spell descriptions to assure it, without assuming the presence of gp.

Delete the spell component entry. It interferes with the game.

 

[beta-ray]

View attachment 406782

 

[GarrettKP]

I t

hink it has more to do with the lack of int to begin with.
Wis full caster: Druid, Cleric
Wis half caster: Ranger
Cha full caster: Bard, Sorcerer
Cha half caster: Paladin
Cha weird caster: Warlock
Int full caster: Wizard, Psion*
Int half caster: Artificer*

Now we just need a Wis and Int weird caster to complete the sets.

 

[Remathilis]

Now we just need a Wis and Int weird caster to complete the sets.

I get the impression that WotC feels the warlock was a bit of a mistake, but the attempt to fix it was soundly rejected. So they kept pact magic, but have little interest in replicating it.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I get the impression that WotC feels the warlock was a bit of a mistake, but the attempt to fix it was soundly rejected. So they kept pact magic, but have little interest in replicating it.

The original 3.5 warlock is very different mechanically to the 5e warlock.

 

[Remathilis]

The original 3.5 warlock is very different mechanically to the 5e warlock.

True, but I was speaking to the 14 to 24 playtest with the half-caster change. Jeremy hinted they were unsatisfied with pact magic, but the results were overwhelming against the redo so they kept it for 24.