Unearthed Arcana New Psion update, Dungeons and Dragons Unearthed Arcana

A new Unearthed Arcana is up, featuring a revised version of the Psion class. Per a D&D Beyond article, the Psion has seen considerable changes. Feedback for the class focused into three main areas - Psionic Energy Dice, Psionic Modes, and Spellcasting. Psionic Energy Dice are now more flexible and easier to obtain - a new feature called Psionic Reserves allows players to regain uses of Psionic Energy Dice and Telepathic Propel and Telepathic Connection allow players to use those abilities one time each without expending energy dice. Meanwhile, Psionic Modes has been cut from the class, with various aspects of the ability being incorporated into various subclasses as new features. Finally, the Psion now has an updated and expanded spelllist. The UA also contains seven brand new spells and updated versions of existing spells as well.

Additionally, the Metamorph, Psykinetic, and Telepath have all received updates. The Metamorph's abilities now often feature a roll of the Psionic Energy Die while they're being expended. The Psykinetic gains a Stronger Telekinesis feature with an improved Mage Hand spell use. Also, players can now use Telekinetic Propel without expending a Psionic Energy Dice. Finally, the Telepath has a new Telepathic Distraction feature that lets you interfere with another creature's attack roll if it's within range of your telepathy. Scramble Minds was redesigned to reduce the number of dice rolls needed to keep combat from getting bogged down.

 

[Neonchameleon]

It kind of feels like you are poo-poohing the idea when you keep saying things like 'just make it an archetype of sorcerer.'

It's the same thing where people say that Warlord or Ranger should just be an archetype of Fighter... I mean sure you can do that, but that feels needlessly limiting to me. Especially when we're talking about what will be only the second new class from WOTC since the game's inception.

The problem is that for practical purposes what we have here is an Int-based sorcerer. And that WotC's internal playtesting process appears terrible (I recall the brawler fighter which I wanted to like but was not ready for public playtesting).

If you can not mechanically substantially differentiate the psion from the sorcerer then make it a subclass of sorcerer. We already have two unarmoured full casters using a d6 hit die and casting primarily from the arcane list. One using Int, one using Cha. This tries to slither between two of the most alike classes of the game.

 

[Remathilis]

If you can not mechanically substantially differentiate the psion from the sorcerer then make it a subclass of sorcerer. We already have two unarmoured full casters using a d6 hit die and casting primarily from the arcane list. One using Int, one using Cha. This tries to slither between two of the most alike classes of the game.

I worked very hard on saving the psionic soul from the UA since I didn't want aberrant sorcerer being the only caster-like psionic. It didn't work. Here's my takeaway from that experience: the sorcerer is a terrible psionic class. First, it's spell list is full of things it doesn't want and lacks much of what they do. Second, it's still a Charisma based caster. It doesn't feel like a psion, it feels like a sorcerer with telepathy. It's the equivalent of saying "we don't need a cleric class, the celestial warlock captures everything the cleric vibe was."

 

[Neonchameleon]

I worked very hard on saving the psionic soul from the UA since I didn't want aberrant sorcerer being the only caster-like psionic. It didn't work.

That's because (a) the best caster-like psionic is the GOOlock because warlocks are just better thematically and mechanically than cookie cutter full casters, and the ability to Just Do Stuff through invocations is better than cookie cutter spell casting and (b) the College of Whispers bard is also a caster-like psionic character.

Here's my takeaway from that experience: the sorcerer is a terrible psionic class. First, it's spell list is full of things it doesn't want and lacks much of what they do. Second, it's still a Charisma based caster. It doesn't feel like a psion, it feels like a sorcerer with telepathy. It's the equivalent of saying "we don't need a cleric class, the celestial warlock captures everything the cleric vibe was."

I couldn't disagree more about the Int/Cha split. Telepaths are about mental strength not book learning - and that's charisma not intelligence (and if this is such a big thing I fully support making it subclass feature for a new subclass). One of the historical problems of the Psion as a psychic is that they were intelligence rather than being the first charisma caster (predating the sorcerer). As for "lacks most of what they do", that's what any good sorcerer subclass has ten fixed spells for and there's no spell sorcerers are forced to take not from their subclass.

The problem here is that the Psion is one very specific and narrow type of psychic character which is the problem making it worthy of a class rather than a subclass. This is made even worse because every one of this incarnation of the Psion is a dual threat telepath/telekinetic; 5e already has better psionic representation than any other edition. And as an aside the metamorph might be playable but not if you use it as people with the fantasy of being a metamorph will want to.

Short version: This version of the psion would appear to be shovelware of a sort we haven't seen since the days of 3.X

 

[Horwath]

I worked very hard on saving the psionic soul from the UA since I didn't want aberrant sorcerer being the only caster-like psionic. It didn't work. Here's my takeaway from that experience: the sorcerer is a terrible psionic class. First, it's spell list is full of things it doesn't want and lacks much of what they do. Second, it's still a Charisma based caster. It doesn't feel like a psion, it feels like a sorcerer with telepathy. It's the equivalent of saying "we don't need a cleric class, the celestial warlock captures everything the cleric vibe was."

easy fix is to change primary attribute from Cha to Int.
Sure some spells might be lacking, but I agree, primary Int goes a lot better on psionics.

 

[Misanthrope Prime]

That's because (a) the best caster-like psionic is the GOOlock because warlocks are just better thematically and mechanically than cookie cutter full casters, and the ability to Just Do Stuff through invocations is better than cookie cutter spell casting and (b) the College of Whispers bard is also a caster-like psionic character.

I couldn't disagree more about the Int/Cha split. Telepaths are about mental strength not book learning - and that's charisma not intelligence (and if this is such a big thing I fully support making it subclass feature for a new subclass). One of the historical problems of the Psion as a psychic is that they were intelligence rather than being the first charisma caster (predating the sorcerer). As for "lacks most of what they do", that's what any good sorcerer subclass has ten fixed spells for and there's no spell sorcerers are forced to take not from their subclass.

The problem here is that the Psion is one very specific and narrow type of psychic character which is the problem making it worthy of a class rather than a subclass. This is made even worse because every one of this incarnation of the Psion is a dual threat telepath/telekinetic; 5e already has better psionic representation than any other edition. And as an aside the metamorph might be playable but not if you use it as people with the fantasy of being a metamorph will want to.

Short version: This version of the psion would appear to be shovelware of a sort we haven't seen since the days of 3.X

I'm currently playing a whispers bard. It's got nothing to do with psionics except doing some psychic damage. It plays more like a rogue in every respect, up to and including its psuedo sneak attack.

You really like stating your subjective opinions as fact. That's good for politics, but bad for interpersonal relations, just FYI.

 

[Neonchameleon]

I'm currently playing a whispers bard. It's got nothing to do with psionics except doing some psychic damage. It plays more like a rogue in every respect, up to and including its psuedo sneak attack.

You really like stating your subjective opinions as fact. That's good for politics, but bad for interpersonal relations, just FYI.

The claim it's "got nothing to do with psionics except doing some psychic damage" is not a fact, it's at best an interpretation. When you have a spell list that contains such things as Message, Vicious Mockery, Dissonant Whispers, Command, Detect Emotions, and Calm Thoughts you are bordering on the psionic at the best of times (and I'm just scratching the surface). You also have Words of Terror which is liminally psychic and "If the target succeeds on its saving throw, the target has no hint that you tried to frighten it." implies that the words are not directly themselves what is causing the issue. Shadow Lore is also pretty psychic.

The College of Whispers bard is, according to Mike Mearls, "the Dark Sun bard". And it's the "liminal psychic"; it's not the flashy "Look at me I'm psychic" of the aberrant mind, the GOOlock, or the psion. It's the shadowy mind influencer where people are not sure just what happened but their heads were messed with. And yes it plays like a rogue/bard. This is because there are more ways of being psychic than being an off-brand sorcerer the way the psion historically was.

 

[Misanthrope Prime]

The claim it's "got nothing to do with psionics except doing some psychic damage" is not a fact, it's at best an interpretation. When you have a spell list that contains such things as Message, Vicious Mockery, Dissonant Whispers, Command, Detect Emotions, and Calm Thoughts you are bordering on the psionic at the best of times (and I'm just scratching the surface). You also have Words of Terror which is liminally psychic and "If the target succeeds on its saving throw, the target has no hint that you tried to frighten it." implies that the words are not directly themselves what is causing the issue. Shadow Lore is also pretty psychic.

The College of Whispers bard is, according to Mike Mearls, "the Dark Sun bard". And it's the "liminal psychic"; it's not the flashy "Look at me I'm psychic" of the aberrant mind, the GOOlock, or the psion. It's the shadowy mind influencer where people are not sure just what happened but their heads were messed with. And yes it plays like a rogue/bard. This is because there are more ways of being psychic than being an off-brand sorcerer the way the psion historically was.

You are aware that dark sun bards don't have any spellcasting or psionic powers and primarily relied on poison, right? "Dark sun bard" doesn't mean "psionic bard".

 

[Neonchameleon]

You are aware that dark sun bards don't have any spellcasting or psionic powers and primarily relied on poison, right? "Dark sun bard" doesn't mean "psionic bard".

You are aware that the College of Whispers bard is a full cater with no ability with poison? So that couldn't have been what he meant

And that every bard from Dark Sun was psionic primarily because every character from Dark Sun was psionic? Which means that absent poison (and it is absent) what made Dark Sun bards stand out from other D&D bards was that they were psionic.

 

[TwoSix]

I couldn't disagree more about the Int/Cha split. Telepaths are about mental strength not book learning - and that's charisma not intelligence (and if this is such a big thing I fully support making it subclass feature for a new subclass). One of the historical problems of the Psion as a psychic is that they were intelligence rather than being the first charisma caster (predating the sorcerer). As for "lacks most of what they do", that's what any good sorcerer subclass has ten fixed spells for and there's no spell sorcerers are forced to take not from their subclass.

Another problem is that is presupposes the older paradigm of "I roll my stats, and those inform what classes I'll be good at", a paradigm in which the character's class powers are derived from their natural talents.

More recent editions have moved away (but not entirely) from this paradigm, assuming that class and stats are much more used to holistically describe a character. A sorcerer doesn't have magical powers because they're charming, rather, their magical aura simply gives the character a magnetic presence.

Telepaths in fiction are generally shown as magnetic and having a compelling presence, not being overly studious or learned. You don't ask Jean Grey to make History checks, you ask Beast. Telepathic abilities are almost innately going to make an individual better at social interactions, which is much better represented by a high Charisma score, rather than a host of subclass exceptions that let the character use Intelligence for their Charisma skill checks and Insight checks.

 

[TwoSix]

Short version: This version of the psion would appear to be shovelware of a sort we haven't seen since the days of 3.X

Psion is the Divine Mind of 5e.