D&D 5E Do Psionic Organizations Still Have a Place in 5e?

[Vaalingrade]

Is there an actual psionic class yet?

Nope. Psionics has been demoted to flavor text to tag onto a subclass. It's not even psionics, just regular magic like wizard spells or owning books, or aiming at things.

 

[beta-ray]

Bard?

That's a sonic class

 

[Corinnguard]

They haven't came back with Diamond Mind, Iron Heart, White Raven, Setting Sun and the other schools of fighting, I doubt they're thinking of those psionic organizations from 3.5e.

WoTC is unlikely to bring back a 5e version of Tome of Battle: Book of 9 Swords. But something like them has been brought back for EN Publishing's Level Up for its' martial classes.

Level Up is also bringing back psionics.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Why not? Why is a full class required in order to have an organization?

Not at all--not for a generic organization. But an organization for the promotion of a specific skill set should have people who...y'know...actually possess and cultivate that set of skills.

As @Vaalingrade said, psionics has been demoted to being a flavor tag applied to purely arcane spellcasting. There is no actual psionic power available to player characters. There are arcane classes who use illusions, enchantments, and conjurations with a psychic flavor or psychic damage type. That's not the same thing—for exactly the same reason that an Eldritch Knight that got a couple Cleric spells and radiant damage spells wouldn't be a Paladin. They do not have a psionic skillset. They have an arcane spellcasting skillset that happens to emphasize mind-affecting spells.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Not at all--not for a generic organization. But an organization for the promotion of a specific skill set should have people who...y'know...actually possess and cultivate that set of skills.

As @Vaalingrade said, psionics has been demoted to being a flavor tag applied to purely arcane spellcasting. There is no actual psionic power available to player characters. There are arcane classes who use illusions, enchantments, and conjurations with a psychic flavor or psychic damage type. That's not the same thing—for exactly the same reason that an Eldritch Knight that got a couple Cleric spells and radiant damage spells wouldn't be a Paladin. They do not have a psionic skillset. They have an arcane spellcasting skillset that happens to emphasize mind-affecting spells.

It's fine as the basis for an organisation. Having a range of classes with similarly themed subclasses works better for an organisation than requiring everyone to belong to the same class. But WotC needs to stay at least somewhat contemporary. Old style D&D psionics is very 1970s, and therefore is just the sort of niche market smaller companies cater to.

 

[Tonguez]

It's fine as the basis for an organisation. Having a range of classes with similarly themed subclasses works better for an organisation than requiring everyone to belong to the same class. But WotC needs to stay at least somewhat contemporary. Old style D&D psionics is very 1970s, and therefore is just the sort of niche market smaller companies cater to.

I'm hoping the new Background rules can be adapted to Organisation backgrounds including one that greats a Psionics feat of some sort - so sure Psionics will still be a flavour tag for some other class powers, but a well made thematic tag might be just the flavour we need

 

[EzekielRaiden]

It's fine as the basis for an organisation. Having a range of classes with similarly themed subclasses works better for an organisation than requiring everyone to belong to the same class. But WotC needs to stay at least somewhat contemporary.

I didn't say I require everyone to belong to that class.

But I would require some of them to belong to it. Preferably, a plurality or outright majority of those with significant influence/clout/authority within said organization, assuming such things matter for it. Just as I would require an organization dedicated to divine magic to have actual divine spellcasters, not just arcane casters who happen to know some spells from the divine list, like the UA Theurgy Wizard, Favored Soul Sorcerer, or Celestial Warlock. All of those three--and even other spellcasters with no divine magic at all--could easily be part of that organization. But I would expect a significant contingent to be, y'know, actual divine spellcasters.

Otherwise, it's an arcane organization that happens to favor mind (or radiant) magic. Not a psionic(/divine) organization. Again, for exactly the same reason that a society of eldritch knights that know a few radiant damage spells does not a Paladin order make.

Old style D&D psionics is very 1970s, and therefore is just the sort of niche market smaller companies cater to.

Chronological snobbery is not a worthwhile argument. Either define why it went out of style, at which point a reference to what year it came from is irrelevant, or don't treat the more-distant past as inferior simply because it is not the more-recent past. D&D itself is "very 1970s," and it's still alive and kicking today--and is 100% still a "niche market."

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Some organitations could be linked to certain prestige classes updated to be subclasses.

Other point is if those factions will be multiversal or only regional. For example the monastic order "Fist of Zuoken" appearing in FR, Greyhawk and Mystara. The Ebon Saint "brotherhood" (complete psionic) could be in one of the Gatetowns of the Outlands.

* I miss really the martial adepts but I understand they aren't going to be update soon. They were too complex for the standards of 5ed, but that door shouldn't be totally closed. WotC has to publish things couldn't be imitated easily by the rivals, not only "rehashs" of old glories. And if players know too very well the best combos with spells, then they should start from zero if there is a new game mechanic.

 

[ezo]

So what say you? Is there a place for psionic organizations still, or are they now a relic of the past?

I never played 3E for long, but even if I had come across such things I never would have used them in the first place.

So, not even "a relic of the past", but a "never should have existed" is my take.

 

[Yaarel]

I'm hoping the new Background rules can be adapted to Organisation backgrounds including one that greats a Psionics feat of some sort - so sure Psionics will still be a flavour tag for some other class powers, but a well made thematic tag might be just the flavour we need

1e psionics is more like a list of randomly acquired feats. 4e had a list of level 1 feats, for psychic talents. (For Dark Sun but in 4e everything is core.) Likewise 5e Tashas has psionic theme feats. It is natural for 5e 2024 to supply backgrounds that involve experience with the psionic power source and supply a psionic feat.