D&D 5E Good third party psionics systems for 5th Edition?

Steampunkette

A5e 3rd Party Publisher!
Supporter
The VRC does. I didn't go into it 'cause it's not for sale, yet. But for completeness' sake:

The Voidrunner's Codex introduces a Psion and a Psyknight as two separate classes largely meant to mirror Jedi Consulars and Jedi Knights, respectively.

The Psyknight, in particular, is interesting in it's design because while most people imagine a Fighter-Mage gish (thanks to that being the original definition) the Psyknight is more of an Adept or Monk crossed with a Mage. They're still armed with a weapon or two, but they're unarmored warriors who play with their Bonus Action mechanics a lot.

The Psion, on the other hand, focuses almost entirely on being a Warlock but Different. Power Points and Power Rating replace Spell Points and Spell Level, and the Eldritch Blast class feature of an A5e Warlock is replaced by Psionic Blast.

At level 1 use your action to psychically attack for 1d8+Mod energy damage (you pick at level 1) and it increases in damage die size over leveling. Up to a maximum of 3d12. You also pick up "Enhanced Blast" at 6, 12, and 18 which each modify your Psionic Blast in different ways. Like Blast Multiplier that allows you to hit two targets, or Blast Radius which lets you do half damage in a 10ft radius, etc. Basically Eldritch Invocations.

The actual powers are functionally just spells. Some of them have "Surge" options to spend extra power points, if you have a Power Rating high enough, to have greater effects.
 

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Micah Sweet

Level Up & OSR Enthusiast
The VRC does. I didn't go into it 'cause it's not for sale, yet. But for completeness' sake:

The Voidrunner's Codex introduces a Psion and a Psyknight as two separate classes largely meant to mirror Jedi Consulars and Jedi Knights, respectively.

The Psyknight, in particular, is interesting in it's design because while most people imagine a Fighter-Mage gish (thanks to that being the original definition) the Psyknight is more of an Adept or Monk crossed with a Mage. They're still armed with a weapon or two, but they're unarmored warriors who play with their Bonus Action mechanics a lot.

The Psion, on the other hand, focuses almost entirely on being a Warlock but Different. Power Points and Power Rating replace Spell Points and Spell Level, and the Eldritch Blast class feature of an A5e Warlock is replaced by Psionic Blast.

At level 1 use your action to psychically attack for 1d8+Mod energy damage (you pick at level 1) and it increases in damage die size over leveling. Up to a maximum of 3d12. You also pick up "Enhanced Blast" at 6, 12, and 18 which each modify your Psionic Blast in different ways. Like Blast Multiplier that allows you to hit two targets, or Blast Radius which lets you do half damage in a 10ft radius, etc. Basically Eldritch Invocations.

The actual powers are functionally just spells. Some of them have "Surge" options to spend extra power points, if you have a Power Rating high enough, to have greater effects.
I do like the fact that psionic reflexes (equivalent to cantrips) can benefit from being surged just like more powerful abilities can, and that surge effects are more varied than uocasting tends to be and can be split or combined if you spend enough points.
 


Gorck

Prince of Dorkness
The Korranberg Chronicle Psion has Power Points and Talents and Augments. Talents are literally cantrips and referred to as such in their individual text descriptions. Augments are Psionic Spells down to having 9 levels and a Power Point cost that directly maps to having a specific number of spell slots.

Only instead of upcasting with higher spell slots you "Intensify" a power directly by spending individual power points to gain more benefit from those powers. Lots of powers cannot be "Intensified" in the same way lots of spells don't really get much benefit from casting them at higher levels.
One more thing I’ll add about this particular version is that I find it to be the most similar to what is in the 3.5 Expanded Psionics Handbook (if you’re familiar with that).
 

Steampunkette

A5e 3rd Party Publisher!
Supporter
One more thing I’ll add about this particular version is that I find it to be the most similar to what is in the 3.5 Expanded Psionics Handbook (if you’re familiar with that).
Oh, absolutely.

I had the 3e Psionics and 3.5 Psionics and 4e Psionics materials.

I was -so annoyed- at 3e's insistence on trying so hard to turn Psionics into New Age Religion with crystals and stuff back when it dropped, but ultimately I realized it was just a flavor I personally didn't vibe with and let it go.
 

Steampunkette

A5e 3rd Party Publisher!
Supporter
What I would really like is a full-sized expansion of the Tasha's material. More psionic subclasses and feats, rules for "high psionics" campaigns, wild talents.
I put out a book with Psionic Subclasses for every class, psionic monsters including some REALLY esoteric concepts in monster form, and wild talents for each heritage that can be shifted out into feats.
 

Why not a sourcebook style Moderkainen's monsters of the multiverse about psionic PC species and monsters? The powers would be designed to allow a spell version for normal spellcasters.
 

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