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.

 

[GarrettKP]

it can either have been dropped or passed, but even if it passed, that does not mean it will be published unchanged

It passed. The document says as much.

 

[Yaarel]

The Psion and the Bard handle the Nordic "witches". Telekinesis is rarely a thing, but the prescience, telepathic enchantment, and shapeshifting are spot on. A spell that roams the Material Plane outofbody via shamanic journeys thru the Border Ethereal would round it out. These Bards focus thought via commands or songs without music instruments. Now that the psionic power source is a thing, I would make the Bard explicitly a psionic caster. Druid with its shapeshifting and weather magic might work for Sámi.

The Fey Warlock does a pretty good job for the Scottish witches. Bard is accurate for Celtic bards generally, especially Taliesin and Merlin. The Fiend Warlock does well enough for the German witches.

 

[Kurotowa]

Yeah, that's rather my point. Most of the iconic D&D classes started as emulating one or two characters as their template and expanded from there. The Ranger was Aragorn, the Paladin was Holger Carlsen, the Barbarian was Conan and Fafhrd, the Thief was Bilbo and the Grey Mouser. It started with something specific.

When you start with a broad category, like "witch" or "psychic" it's too broad. You can't pin it down with game mechanics and a limited power budget without leaving a lot of people unhappy that their vision of the character got cut. Is a "witch" a Druid, a Bard, a Warlock, a Wizard, or a Cleric? Yes to all, depending on how you want to slice it.

So no Psion class is going to cover every base. Not every depiction that's ever appeared in fiction, and not even every iteration of psionics over the 50 year history of D&D. They have to pick somewhere to put their marker down.