D&D 5E Let’s Build a Psion

[Aldarc]

Great feedback:

As far as I'm concerned Wisdom is following tradition.

Actually, you are the probably the person awhile back (though I believe on another forum, possibly GitP) who convinced me that Wisdom would be the better stat.

I know it would make psions more powerful, but I think they should drop somatic and verbal components.

The idea here is that the psion at first does not require material components. As they level, they lose somatic and verbal component requirements as well. It's just gradual and not all at once. From a flavor perspective, it's the idea that psions are learning how to bypass the typical restrictions that bind wizards and/or even sorcerers.

IMO this should be a subclass power. I don't see why someone who is a master of Mind over Matter needs Telepathy.

Maybe not, but it's a ribbon ability, much like the GOO Warlock, that represents a general baseline psionic ability. It's not necessary, but 5e classes typically get a bunch of ribbon abilities like this. The fact that both the Mystic and Mike Mearls Psion had something like this seemed like it should be included as well.

I have only played a 5e fighter, so I don't know how this works, but IMO this shouldn't be a psion's power. People will call it overpowered as well. I don't see any need for this level of power when they get to ignore VS component (and their crystalline focus, because it has to be crystalline, negates material components).

This ability comes directly from the Mike Mearls version of the Psion. I do think that Psions should be better at Concentration mechanics than other casters as well. The ability to Concentrate on two spells from the Psion spell list would be a simple way to distinguish them from other casters more than simply negating VSM, which other groups don't necessarily pay strict attention to using either.

This needs flavor to support it. Maybe seers need this, but not most psions.

Maybe, but it was again baseline for all psions in the Mike Mearls version. I think the general idea was probably something like Neo "downloading kung-fu" or Trinity "downloading helicopter piloting skills" in the Matrix.

This was always a power or feat in previous editions. This was the kind of thing that made GMs leery as well.

Sure, but this is also meant to be analogous to a Sorcerer's Font of Magic, a Wizard's Arcane Recovery, or a Land Druid's Natural Recovery. This could be rebalanced, but I like the flavor that the Psion can potentially either have their spell slots fuel HP or have their limited HD fuel spells.

 

[Xeviat]

In the spirit of 5e, I think that it's easier to have the more familiar sub-system (i.e., spells) be the default from the get-go. If I used "power points," I would probably recommend that it be subsumed by chi points, as that would at least tie the power points into another sub-system (i.e., monk chi).

I had considered making them a short rest recovery class, as per the warlock, but a full caster is the most familiar model for spellcasters.

You can fully do the ki points for mystic. The progression is 2 points per level, recover on a short rest, spell point costs from the DMG. It's VERY close to warlock converted to spell points (smoothed out) and very close to full caster spell points divided by 3. You just need to decide how you want to do points past level 10 (give long rest slots like the warlock, or one per day restrictions like the spell point system).

Psions without points will feel weird. I'm 100% on board with the Monk and Psion having shared mechanics. I have a "Mystical Monk" variant that does just that.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

Getting to skip components makes them immune to Counterspell. I don't think it's particularly fair that Counterspell then be on their spell list, and don't see any particular reason for it. Some sort of spell-like ability to counter another psion's component-less spells would be appropriate, as would some sort of ability to mentally screw with the concentration of traditional spellcasters, but I don't see the lore logic for them being great and directly countering arcane or divine magic.

 

[Aldarc]

Taking Counterspell off their list is a trifling matter.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

Here's a partial draft I made of a simple psion a few months ago. It's Intelligence-based but there are a lot of similarities.