Mike Mearls on D&D Psionics: Should Psionic Flavor Be Altered?

WotC's Mike Mearls has been asking for opinions on how psionics should be treated in D&D 5th Edition. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that he'd hinted that he might be working on something, and this pretty much seals the deal. He asked yesterday "Agree/Disagree: The flavor around psionics needs to be altered to allow it to blend more smoothly into a traditional fantasy setting", and then followed up with some more comments today.

"Thanks for all the replies! Theoretically, were I working on psionics, I'd try to set some high bars for the execution. Such as - no psionic power duplicates a spell, and vice versa. Psionics uses a distinct mechanic, so no spell slots. One thing that might be controversial - I really don't like the scientific terminology, like psychokinesis, etc. But I think a psionicist should be exotic and weird, and drawing on/tied to something unsettling on a cosmic scale.... [but]... I think the source of psi would be pretty far from the realm of making pacts. IMO, old one = vestige from 3e's Tome of Magic.

One final note - Dark Sun is, IMO, a pretty good example of what happens to a D&D setting when psionic energy reaches its peak. Not that the rules would require it, but I think it's an interesting idea to illustrate psi's relationship to magic on a cosmic level."

 

[MechaTarrasque]

I don't know Dark Sun much, they may have done that in 4E already, for all I know.

I don't remember much about 4e Dark Sun. I do remember that they changed defiling, not necessarily for the better for Dark Sun, but in a way that could be interesting for an "evil" class or evil outsiders the PC's could summon (basically you juice up your attack by defiling someone close to you). I thought that would be interesting for, say summoned devils--they could do more damage then their CR (basis for summoning), but only if they defiled an ally (to be extra evil, the summoner would only be defiled if no one else was around). You get a benefit for doing something evil (hurting a party member unless you drag a sacrificial NPC around with you, and what is the barbarian going to do with all those hp's anyway?)--that's how you sell evil in D&D.

 

[Xeviat]

I do have to agree that the sorcerer and magic initiate almost full the same role as psionics. Now, the exact nature of their abilities, and their fluff and thematics, are very different.

I do like the monk as psionic and psionics as ki. But I also like the far realm theme too. It depends on how many "power sources" you want in your game.


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[lkj]

FYI:

https://twitter.com/mikemearls/status/782244204315496448

 

[MechaTarrasque]

FYI:

https://twitter.com/mikemearls/status/782244204315496448

That should be interesting. Get feedback on the UA ranger (new) in Nov, get feedback on the Mystic in Jan. A couple of months to write up other stuff and print books--I am starting to believe the Big Book of Crunch November in 2017 theory.

 

[Parmandur]

That should be interesting. Get feedback on the UA ranger (new) in Nov, get feedback on the Mystic in Jan. A couple of months to write up other stuff and print books--I am starting to believe the Big Book of Crunch November in 2017 theory.

Definitely getting something next year; might be a box set or something, but a book seems probable. They have bounced a lot of subclass ideas against the wall in the past year, too.