D&D (2024) Githzerai Psion? Thri-kreen Psion? Where's My Psion?

[Mind of tempest]

1) Far Realm Struggling Tentacles and Claws Psychic
2) Psionic Spell Slot Wizard
3) Power Point Goey Psion
4) Mind Psuedoscience Psionicist

two seem mechanics based two thematic based?
1 and 4 could co-exist fairly well with the sub-class system?

There are a few problems with implementing a psion.

1: Making it different enough from a just reskined wizard.

In order toake this more than just a wizard with a very small spell selection they need to come up with something unique to the class, like using points or something else ( I loved how Meals was working with a core cantrip like ability that you then improve but spending points.

2: Page count
In order to implement something that is not just cast some spells you need to dedicate a large page count to all of the powers. This is seen as too much for a class that only some people will use.

make it fill the role of cleric party wise it makes it compete with the wizard less.
use it to sell a setting also plenty of people play artificer and that is just a wizard who got into inventing

I can you in exclusive preview an image of the psio class updated and according the preferences of the new generations:

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* WotC will need psionic powers for some future setting without magic, for example a new edition of Gamma World.

Psionic powers may be more dangerous you could guess, because some psionic manifester infiltrated in a dinner of high society she could read minds or using teletransporting to send poison to certain cup of wine, and nobody would realise.

* I like the concept of psionic ardent like a frienemy of the divine casters, a hate-love relation because the ardents works more like a freelance or independient agent.

* The "cultivators" from manhwa and manhua are a potentially interesting concept to be explored

* We have to agree if anti-magic field or counterspelling can work against psionic powers.

* I like the idea of a new discipline about souls and spirits.

* My suggestion is publish something like a playtest template and allowing players to publish their own homemade version.

I can vibe with this hell I have had similar ideas myself.

soul could have lots of options, you could go Blue Mage by way of shang tsung

 

[WanderingMystic]

I would put Tand al'Thor as a bladsinger wizard if I was staying home up in 5e

 

[Mind of tempest]

Not sure I agree here. I've seen sorcerer more and more used to represent casters with some sort of internal flexible power, especially one based around a specific thematic (like an element). Since D&D introduced them as a Class (a quarter century ago!), I've seen the concept used more and more in fantasy RPGs and video game based fantasy.

AtLA Benders, Elsa, Eleven, or X-Men like Storm are the fantasy trope that Sorcerers are trying to hit. D&D's spell system just makes them not be able to do that, and the game is also a little schizophrenic in mixing "thematic magic" with "origin magic".

But there's absolutely a strong thematic division between "I studied gnostic tomes to learn magic" (Wizards, and Warlocks to a lesser extent) and "I possess magic" (Which Sorcerers and Psions both hit). Psionics and Sorcery also have more of a flavor of "The power I have is uncontrolled, and I must control it." Psionics just leans more towards the power is alien, and Sorcery is more natural and spiritual.

I have seen psionics sometimes associated with enlightenment for a greater contrast with sorcery

 

[TwoSix]

I would put Tand al'Thor as a bladsinger wizard if I was staying home up in 5e

Yea, that's absolutely why we need a broader range of classes and subclasses. Mechanically, that makes some sense. But it doesn't fit conceptually. Rand isn't a scholar (he's a sheepherder!), and he's a big dude; he makes much more sense to be Str/Cha focused than he does Dex/Int (as a bladesinger needs).

 

[Mind of tempest]

More classes the better, I agree. Ideally, I think you need

Wizard - nerd caster, basically Gale.
Enchanter/Artificer/Runesmith - smart, but engineer smart as opposed to Wizard "theoretical physicist".
Sorcerer - Somewhat controlled one trick ponies, but raw power.
Psion - 1 or 2 classes, depending on if you think Professor X types and Carrie/Eleven types should be in 2 different categories.

Plenty of others, too, but those are the main ones for "mage types".

you missed the worships gods mage that is clerics and the rest of the divine caster

Sure!

But they also have the Sorcerer and Wizard classes in PF 1e. So it's creating a 3rd option rather than collapsing two into one.

I think D&D 6e should just have the Wizard and no Sorcerer, or Sorcerer or no Wizard. Or maybe "Mage". And that class, regardless of what it's named, gets both Metamagic and Spellbook stuff, too.

And then any "Destined One" or "Genetic Lottery" concepts wind up moved over to Bard. Your "Descended from Dragons" magic caster or your "Born under a Strange Star" protagonist or your "My Blood is Sacred and people want to sacrifice me on profane altars to bring about the end of the world" type characters.

You know the type...

bard feels wrong as a dumping ground for magically destined people.

 

[Staffan]

I have seen psionics sometimes associated with enlightenment for a greater contrast with sorcery

That was basically the feel in 2e and 3e. Likely primarily because the Far Realm was a mid-2e invention (so much later than the Complete Psionics Handbook), and 3e initially tried staying close to 2e both flavor-wise and mechanically (with 3.5e jettisoning some of the mechanical aspects that didn't work out, like the attack/defense modes and non-pumpable powers).

4e linked psionics more to the Far Realm, but suggested that psionic magic is more of an "immune response" to Far Realm influence. 5e is the first edition that strongly ties PC psionics to actual Far Realm influence.

 

[Yaarel]

Thanks for remember Eleven(Stranger Things), but I don't watch Netflix. Other examples could be the jedi knights(Star Wars) and other force adepts from Star Wars or the X-Men from Marvel. The Scarlet Witch from the UCM before Wandavision was more like psionic powers than true magic.


Now WotC doesn't need to sell a new psionic handbook but something like a longer version of an UA article and allow players to create and playtest their homebred version.

The sorcerers are like the sisters from "Charmed", using only a little number of tricks, or like the superheroes, or the magical girls from soho manga style "Sailor Moon".

* Warmages (from the complete arcane) are an interesting concept, but mechanically they can't be only sorcerers with a light armour. How would be the battlefield if warmages could use magic to reload crossbows? Or they could create something like astral constructs working like walking tower-shields, the best "canon fodder".

Mage Hand Publishing created a 5e version.

The tv series Legion is great for the Telepath Astral dominion mindscape Psion. Possibly it is even an ethereal force "spirit scape" Fey domain of delight.

 

[Steampunkette]

I did say it was an unpopular opinion!

Bards becoming "All Music" is, in my opinion, not a great direction to go. They're supposed to be jacks of all trades, master of none.

They use lots of weapons, but not as well as a fighter. They cast lots of spells, but not as well as the wizard. They heal, but not as well as the cleric. They use skills, but not as well as the thief. They -also- have Bardic Inspiration, Song of Rest, and Countersong. Ope. Sorry. They renamed Countersong to Countercharm in 5e. So one less musical thing. And "Bardic Inspiration" can be stirring words. It -can- be a song but doesn't have to be...

That said: If the "Chosen One" is an archetype you can do multiple "Chosen One" archetypes. For multiple classes.

You can have your Rands Al'thor as a Ranger, or a Paladin. Your Eloras Danan as Bards. Etc. All based on the specific character's identity and abilities. (But let's be honest, most of the Sword and Sorcery ones are gonna be bards because they're supporting the Barbarian/Fighter/Knight/Mercenary/Whoever).

You cannot do that when they're all Sorcerers.

 

[Scribe]

The INTENT is to just provide an alternative to Wizards who MECHANICALLY (and this is more important to the designers than literally anything else) doesn't need to memorize spells. The flavour stuff is absolute backfill.

Painfully accurate.

 

[Minigiant]

two seem mechanics based two thematic based?
1 and 4 could co-exist fairly well with the sub-class system?

4 different mechanics and themes

1. Far Realm Struggling Tentacles and Claws Psychic
   • Theme: Far Realm Tentacles and Claws
   • Mechanics: Upgradable Gifts
   • Resource: Short rest Mental Fatigue
2. 2) Psionic Spell Slot Wizard
   • Theme: Divination+ Enchantment focused
   • Mechanics: Spells
   • Resource: Spells Slots
3. 3) Power Point Gooey Psion
   • Theme: Ectoplasmic and Crystals
   • Mechanics: Leveled Augmentable Spell like Powers
   • Resource: Power Points
4. 4) Mind Psuedoscience Psionicist
   • Theme: Olden Time Psuedoscience
   • Mechanics: Augmentable Powers and Disciplines Powers
   • Resource: Poin

Basically anyone who makes a Psionic class for D&D will get no more that 40% of Psionic fans pleased... AT BEST.