D&D 5E Psionics in Tasha

[Hexmage-EN]

They could have went a similar route as Explorer's Guide to Wildemount and put all the spells on a separate list that is by default only accessible by certain subclasses. EGtW had "Dunamancy", and only Chronurgist or Graviturgist Wizards could learn Dunamancy spells barring DM special approval, because in-setting these spells are new and not common knowledge except to Wizards of those two schools.

Psionics could have its own separate spell list that by default is only accessible to Psionic subclasses.

 

[DEFCON 1]

D&D Designer A: So, we have this new thing we have to put in the game. Psionics.

D&D Designer B: Hmm... so, let's design something!

A: Yeah, let's do that!

B: What should we do? Something cool? Something new?

A: That sounds awesome! We should do something reflecting the long heritage of psionics in D&D!

....5 second pause....

A&B Together: Long peals of laughter

B: That was funny! So, spells?

A: Yep, spells.

You know why, don't you?

Cause none of you so-called "psionics fans" could decide on how exactly psionics was supposed to be!

It's the same thing as all the "warlord fans"... we had 577 different threads about psionics and warlords and there was never a single consensus of what had to be or had to not be there. Hell... even something as simple as components had the psionics fans going back and forth for dozens of pages on whether they were okay or not, or whether some types were okay or not, and if they weren't okay, what the balancing factor had to be to not overpower psionics compared to spellcasting? None of you could decide... and all of you were immobile on compromise.

And this is why the surveys determined that anything other than what we are getting-- psionics as merely another "Power Source" of spellcasting-- was not going to fly. Cause no one had any cohesive idea of what it should be instead. And this is why we've been saying all along "be careful what you wish for" and "make up something for yourself" because it's the only way each of you was going to get a system you would enjoy for yourself.

P.S... all you seven Warlords fans... we have seen literally over a dozen attempts here on EN World to "create a Warlord class"... and every single one has died out before it was finished because people participating could never come to consensus or they just lost their taste for it. So please, for the love of all that is holy... do not keep hoping WotC is going to make you one. Cause you're going to be disappointed. All of you. If you can't even make your own Warlord that the folks here on EN World are happy with... do you really think WotC is going to be able to do it once they open up their surveys to all the other players out there who don't have these exceedingly narrow and idiosyncratic beliefs about what a Warlord is?

 

[Flamestrike]

New House Rule: Psionics(spells or whatever) ignore Verbal components.

Why should they?

Surely 'part time' practitioners (i.e. casters with only a handful of psychic themed spells) should arguably need such trappings to generate those effects.

More specialised psionic PCs will likely be able to cast them without such trappings.

For example, the psionic specialist Aberrant Mind Sorcerer we're likely getting got this power in UA:

Psionic Sorcery

Beginning at 6th level, when you cast any of the spells gained from your Psionic Spells feature, you can cast it by expending a spell slot as normal or by spending a number of sorcery points equal to the spell’s level. If you cast the spell using sorcery points, it requires no components.

Which will likely remain in Tashas in some form.

In addition to the caster simply taking Silent spell metamagic as well.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Or a suicide shot of tequila.

Snort the salt, squeeze the lemon in your eye, and then drink the tequila.

Bonus points if you include chilli in any of those steps.

Ouch. I usually put the lemon on the hand, salt on it then then just drink the Tequila.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

That in no way reflects the design process which can be easily followed through several years of UA.

Not only was it a reflection, it was dead-on.

That was a transcript of the actual conversation. Names were changed to protect the guilty.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Not only was it a reflection, it was dead-on.

That was a transcript of the actual conversation. Names were changed to protect the guilty.

I know nowadays, in the internet it is not common form, but proof?

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

You know why, don't you?

Cause none of you so-called "psionics fans" could decide on how exactly psionics was supposed to be!

Eh, I'd say it's much simpler than that.

5e is built on a spell-equivalency system. That's why even the martial characters get spells or abilities that let them cast spell-equivalents (and the same with monsters).

As such, it's much, much, much easier to design almost anything in 5e with spells. It's not rocket science.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I know nowadays, in the internet it is not common form, but proof?

....because the non-spoken parts were in italics, of course!

 

[Undrave]

But why? Why design a convoluted new mechanic for a thing we already have functining rules for? There already is a system for manifesting supernatural effects. It's not like every fighting class have their own separate rules for hitting things and they all pick their weapons from the same generic weapon list too.

And of course spells can impose status effects already.

I can fully understand that people who are interested in the game design side of things might find separate mechanics appealing, whilst majority of the players just want to use the framework they're already familiar with.

If different mechanics didn't matter, 4e would have been far more accepted than it was... just sayin'

It can be third form of magic, yes. But still magic and can still use the same system. Arcane and divine are separate types of magic yet use the same base system.

Arcane and Divine are the same damn thing in 5e, and I think that's a flaw. Sadly, I think it's actually too late in the design to introduce a new branch of magical effects. There definitely should have been a proper different between Arcane and Divine (especially in regard to dispel and counter spell) to begin with, then adding a third branch would have been child's play. Same with making Primal its own thing as well.

But they didn't, and now we just have 'Spells with a different' names. You get what you want, but that doesn't mean we have to be happy about it.

 

[Weiley31]

This is probably gonna be the closet we get to a 5E Psionics system that doesn't follow the WoTC route and still hits the notes properly.

The Korranberg Chronicle: Psion's Primer - A Complete Psionics System - Dungeon Masters Guild | Dungeon Masters Guild

The Korranberg Chronicle: Psion's Primer - A Complete Psionics System - Open your Mind's Eye with The Korranberg Chronicle - Psion's Primer A Complete Psionics System Within this book's pag

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