Unearthed Arcana Psionics Hits Unearthed Arcana

If you've been waiting anxiously for psionics to arrive in the D&D Unearthed Arcana column, your wait is over! The Awakened Mystic is a psionic class by Mike Mearls which - currently - has access to three psionic disciplines, with more to come later. Following on from Mike Mearls' question, Should Psionic Flavour Be Altered? (a discussion which promoted 750+ comments here on EN World, and is still ongoing), it sounds like he has answered the question with a resounding "yes". Rather than pseudo-scientific sounding terms like telepathy, clairovoyance, and the like, we have the disciplines Conquering Mind, Intellect Fortress (a callback to earlier editions), and Third Eye.

UPDATE - IMPORTANT NOTE FROM MIKE MEARLS: "For folks looking at the psionics material in today's UA, looks like there was a minor error. Not all the material is there." Keep an eye on it; I expect it'll be fixed soon.

UPDATE 2 - fixed! Updated document includes another three disciplines (Celerity, Iron Durability, and Psionic Weapon) and the basic rules to the class.

Find it here!

 

[RotGrub]

Am I the only one who actually liked the 2e psionist? In fact, every other edition has had zero appeal to me.

Disintegrate at 3rd level

 

[AntlerDruid]

Finally psionics!

I don't like the Mystic name at all as it screams magic....if all of the psionic classes are to come from this class, then they should just call it a "Psychic"

Not liking the Far Realm connection either...should be just one of the options....not the default

So far I really like the class .....especially the telepathy at will at 1st level ......& I want to playtest it

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

Am I the only one who actually liked the 2e psionist? In fact, every other edition has had zero appeal to me.

I really liked the 2E psionicist post-Will and the Way. The ability to research and improve specific psionic powers was what really sold me. I had a dwarf who improved Deflection to the point where it was reflexive (like Absorb Energy) so he got a chance to deflect every single attack that hit him--that felt awesome and very different from wizards. Also, some of the TWATW powers were just unbearably cool, like the one that collapsed a bladed weapon to two-dimensionality, and the other that wrapped a Dimension Door around yourself. Good times.

My reaction to the new material is that it's just begging for an Immortal/Fighter or Immortal/Barbarian multiclass. Regeneration at 3rd level is unbearably sweet.

A couple other notes:

* If you start out as a fighter, Strength of the Mind will let you have three saving throw proficiencies at a time. Str/Con/Dex for example goes very well with barbarian Danger Sense.

* Barbarian rage is incompatible with spellcasting but not with psionics.

* Action surged Lethal Strike novas are nasty. I'm not really a nova guy but 47 points of damage per hit with up to six attacks is impressive. And unlike paladin smites it works at range. So does Sharpshooter Ethereal Weapon, I think.

I miss psychometabolism. It was always my favorite discipline, not because turning your hands into weapons and your skin into armor was powerful (it wasn't, not even on metal-poor Athas) but because it was so cool.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

Con's: I don't like the flavor of tying it to the Far Realms, and would rather have that removed from the final article (...but I can ignore that, if I have to). I'm worried about the multi-class synergies. Especially, the discipline that gives another action for 5 psi points - I have an immediate concern about how that's going to play with a warlock splash for hex and eldritch blast.

5 psi points and your bonus action. Warlocks' bonus action is already busy with Hex (and Sorlocks are even busier due to Quickened Spell). It has more of an impact on martial classes due to Extra Attack scaling with number of actions but not bonus actions.

 

[TheCosmicKid]

The Conquering Mind abilities say, "On a successful save, the target is unaffected and you cannot use this ability on that creature again until you finish a long rest."

I'd flip that around: you cannot use the ability on the creature again after a failed save. What's more, if after a successful save you maintain concentration, you can "hold the charge" as it were: on subsequent rounds you can keep trying to use the effect on the same target without spending any more power points (or perhaps spending a token amount). The idea being that it's the still the same instance of psychic manifestation, and you're just spending more than one round pushing at the target's mind.

Naturally, the effects themselves would have to be rebalanced. But I like this "try try again" play pattern much more than its reverse. It feels more like a classic psychic battle of wills from film or TV to me: the psion, with his fingers to his temples, bearing down ever harder and harder on his victim's brain. The victim can resist, but only for so long - the only permanent way to thwart the psion is by breaking his concentration. It just doesn't seem right if the psion tries only for six seconds, and then gives up if the victim can resist that first assault. Also, in general, when playing casters I hate that feeling of "He saved, so you just wasted your spell and your turn." If a successful save only means my cool power is deferred rather than lost, effects like this are a lot more satisfying.

 

[mach1.9pants]

I'm just very thankful there are no new age crystals and ghost busters goo!

 

[Saeviomagy]

The concentration effects are much too powerful - they should be the equivalent of cantrips, but they're obviously much better than that.

In general, balance is all over the place.

Mechanically this is about the level of polish that I'd expect from the average home-brew class on a forum somewhere, not anything official from wizards, even for an early cut.

 

[CapnZapp]

Find it here!

(Posted so I can promote to article then edit into something more readable).

Thank you very much for your effort to make this readable!

Edit: And double thanks for the direct link!

Regards,
Zapp

 

[miniaturehoarder]

Is it me, or does Mind Thrust seem kind of powerful? All you have to do is perceive them...you do not have to have line of effect. If they are with 120 feet of you, and you are scrying on them (for example), you can dump all of you psi points into a mind thrust and potentially do a boatload of damage to someone. Oh, and their Intelligence = AC in this case...just target the big dumb fighter, and all will be well...

Agree, horrible idea, if it is supposed to bypass armor, make it a save.

 

[miniaturehoarder]

The concentration effects are much too powerful - they should be the equivalent of cantrips, but they're obviously much better than that.

In general, balance is all over the place.

Mechanically this is about the level of polish that I'd expect from the average home-brew class on a forum somewhere, not anything official from wizards, even for an early cut.

When hasn't psionics been broken out the gate?