Unearthed Arcana New Unearthed Arcana: Psionics!

There’s a new Unearthed Arcana article out, and it’s all about psionics! "Their minds bristling with power, three new subclasses arrive in today’s Unearthed Arcana: the Psychic Warrior for the fighter, the Soulknife for the rogue, and the tradition of Psionics for the wizard."

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In this 9-page PDF, there are also some new psionics-themed spells (including versions of classic psionic powers like id insinuation and ego whip) and two new feats.

 

[Garthanos]

Omg thank you!! Wow, I didn't even know these existed. So are these considered on the level of UA, or just theorycraft by Mearls?

Some of these are sweet!

Some are definitely unfinished form they seem to have solid foundations but are missing some of the final bits.

 

[neobolts]

In terms of 5e casting, in your mind, how exactly are Wizards different from Clerics or Bards?

They all have Foci or Component pouches. They all have the same exact spell slots. Bards are different in that they don't have to prepare spells... and that's it mechanically.

Spell lists are different, sure. But other than that they are pretty much exactly the same.

What would make the Psionicist different from these other three but still have them using the Neo-Vancian slot casting?

We are getting into the concept of 4e "power sources" here. Psoinics is a source akin to arcane or divine. By comparison in 3e, it was a separate book appropriate for settings that used psionics.

Psionics being an arcane tradition is every bit as jarring as making druid or cleric an arcane tradition. There's something being fundamentally misunderstood in the design.

As a thought exercise: Is Prof. X a wizard? If not, what makes him different from a wizard? This may sound silly, but the answers to these questions form the concept statement for what the psion should be both flavor and mechanics-wise.

I'll echo spellbooks being a dead wrong choice. I'll add that Cha not Int should be caster stat to match psionic races.

 

[Garthanos]

Although AD&D set my foundation of flavor there are other sources

Spellbooks by any other name might smell sweeter.

Crystals: crystal storing the matrix of a psionic ability is one example that works fine as a spell book. (inspired by 3e psionics and something in old RuneQuest)

Ancestral Memories : When thinking about psionics and the Bene Gesserit of Dune which are almost psionics I came to the conclusion that the Bene Gesserit had access to ancestral memories and some enhanced senses and resistances that made them more a race than a class. However the flavor of them being able to tap into those ancestral memories and gain access to an art/discipline that hadn't been used in generations made some sense some of it could be mechanically implemented much as a spell book. (basically a feat to allow them to have a "book" which contains any power works).

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

If my memory doesn't fail the name for that "ancestral memories" would be akasha, but this word may have got different meanings.

 

[Sacrosanct]

One of the most popular settings in DnD

Is it though? I mean, it's popular, sure. But is it one of the most popular D&D settitngs? More popular than FR, or Eberron, or Ravenloft, or Grayhawk? How many settings are there in D&D, and where does it fall? I'd be curious to know that. I'd only be comfortable saying it's more popular than Spelljammer.

You aint missing much. No matter how you feel about psionics*, those subclasses are just not interesting or fun to play.

Colour me paranoid, but it's almost as if they have deliberately written the worst possible subclasses, so they can collect all the negative feedback and use it as evidence for not having psionics in 5e.

In your opinion. Many others have had a positive reaction to it. I like fighters and am meh on psionics, but even I find the subclass more appealing than most fighter subclasses out there (like PDK, Samurai, champion, etc). So if you think WoTC is purposefully sabotaging the concept, they are doing a bad job at it based on many of the reactions (including the guy interviewing Crawford).

 

[Parmandur]

Omg thank you!! Wow, I didn't even know these existed. So are these considered on the level of UA, or just theorycraft by Mearls?

Some of these are sweet!

First draft, waaaay pre-UA level. Some of it has made it to UA, one, the Order Cleric, has made it into a book.

 

[Parmandur]

Is it though? I mean, it's popular, sure. But is it one of the most popular D&D settitngs? More popular than FR, or Eberron, or Ravenloft, or Grayhawk? How many settings are there in D&D, and where does it fall? I'd be curious to know that. I'd only be comfortable saying it's more popular than Spelljammer.

Last solid info WotC shared with us, the Settings (in a "choose all that apply" survey format) clustered into three tiers:

- Forgotten Realms, Eberron, Dark Sun, Planescape, and Ravenloft

- Greyhawk, Dragonlance, and Spelljammer

- Everything else (Mystarra, Birthright, etc.)

So, Dark Sun is a Top Five Setting, while Greyhawk and Dragonlance are not. So, I think it is fair to say it is one of the most popular Settings. Probably why they brought it back for 4E.

D&D Monthly Survey | Dungeons & Dragons

dnd.wizards.com

 

[Parmandur]

Re: Dark Sun

I understand why folks are having an issue with a wizard psionicist in Dark Sun, but, there's a very easy fix that already exists in DS.

All characters start at 4th level.

poof, end of problem. No more worrying about spellbooks or anything like that. 2e did it. Don't see why 5e can't. 1st-3rd (well, in 5e, we'd probably start them at 3rd level, but whatever) level just doesn't exist in that setting. So, you're never a "learning psionicist". You are just a 4th level psionicist and off you go.

Or, introduce Athasian Subraces for the relevant Races that replace the High Fantasy elements with Psionics.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Well, there you have it then. I guess it is. I'm surprised it got better than Grayhawk

 

[Parmandur]

Well, there you have it then. I guess it is. I'm surprised it got better than Grayhawk

Note that this survey was "which settings do you love? Check all that apply!" sort of deal. I suspect a "which setting do you play in actively would be more even between Greyhawk and Dark Sun, but more people like the idea of Dark Sun. But that's just a guess, I don't have data.