D&D 5E Psionics in Tasha

[dave2008]

Spells have a certain meaning in common and D&D usage. They are cooked up or new prayers and generally invoke outside power to enact.

What psionics does are not spells. Powers, sure, but not spells.

That is your opinion. I think psionic powers have as much to do with spells as a cleric's prayers, but I don't see a lot of complaints about how cleric have spells and the same spell casting system as wizards (I actually think it would be cool to give clerics a completely different magic mechanic).

Just to be clear, there is no wrong or right answer. It is just our opinions. I don't have any issue with you wanting the psionics you want.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

its almost as if whoever created the system didn't really understand what psionics are.

No one understands what psionics are because psionics don't exist.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Ugh, psionics again... Err! I mean, yeah! Hooray for those that actually want this!

I am amazed that, from what I see, WoTC has managed to release a Psionics system that will please almost no one that actually wants psionics.

I'm sure it will be fine for anyone that likes more stuff. Or more spells. More spells are cool. But it's not the psionics that anyone who actually wanted psionics was hoping for.

It would be like they released a Warlord, and just made the Warlord a new Wizard subclass. Sure, it's called a Warlord! And it has a lot of spells!

....but not exactly what the people who wanted a Warlord, wanted.

 

[Cadence]

I think I'd be happier with psionics being non-magic if arcane magical spells and divine intercessionary/thaumaturgical miracles/prayers/invocations were different to the same extent too.

I'm trying to deal with the dissonance that in d&d psionics not being magic has always felt weird to me... but in super-hero comics they are clearly different.

 

[Flamestrike]

Lets all just be thankful that intelligence saves are becoming ever more important.

With Xanathars and now this, there are a fair few nasty Int save spells getting around.

 

[Cadence]

B fut...

View attachment 126574
Also from the Mind Flayer, cannot be countered or dispelled. It has no spell level equivalent. Yet, it is "magically" emitted, so Magic Resistance would still impact the Intelligence saving throw. If you take the word "magically" out of the description, it is no longer a magical effect, it becomes a "mental" effect.

So, IMO, WotC just handled it wrong from the beginning. We've had psionics since 1E and it doesn't have to be complex or difficult to use, but I don't think we'll see a non-magical psionics until 6E, unfortunately.

It feels a bit odd to me that psychic blasts affect the same damage taking pool that physical attacks do. Why should cure light wounds fix them, for example? It almost feels like there should be a separate mental hp pool with the will power stat adding on instead of con maybe.

 

[DND_Reborn]

It feels a bit odd to me that psychic blasts affect the same damage taking pool that physical attacks do. Why should cure light wounds fix them, for example? It almost feels like there should be a separate mental hp pool with the will power stat adding on instead of con maybe.

Unfortunately it is a byproduct of the abstract nature of HP. Unless the HP mechanic changes, this sort of thing is going to happen.

 

[Istbor]

I am amazed that, from what I see, WoTC has managed to release a Psionics system that will please almost no one that actually wants psionics.

I'm sure it will be fine for anyone that likes more stuff. Or more spells. More spells are cool. But it's not the psionics that anyone who actually wanted psionics was hoping for.

It would be like they released a Warlord, and just made the Warlord a new Wizard subclass. Sure, it's called a Warlord! And it has a lot of spells!

....but not exactly what the people who wanted a Warlord, wanted.

Well, then maybe this will allow psionics to die a noisy death. Would not affect me or the games I run in the slightest. Though I am sure some people would lament and gnash their teeth over it.

 

[MiraMels]

I, for one, am glad that they are integrating psionics into the existing spellcasting system that literally every other class in the game uses. It's an excellent subsystem and it's just about as complex as i'd like the game to be.

5e's spellcasting can already portray academic wizardry, divine prayers, ancient druidic magic, ranger tricks, barbarian spirit warriors communing with nature, arcane science gizmos, and war magic. They can add "mysterious psychic powers" in there without breaking my suspension of disbelief.

If they wrote an entirely new mechanical subsystem to handle psionics, the only thing that would accomplish is ensuring that i never bother to learn or use it in my own games.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I, for one, am glad that they are integrating psionics into the existing spellcasting system that literally every other class in the game uses. It's an excellent subsystem and it's just about as complex as i'd like the game to be.

5e's spellcasting can already portray academic wizardry, divine prayers, ancient druidic magic, ranger tricks, barbarian spirit warriors communing with nature, arcane science gizmos, and war magic. They can add "mysterious psychic powers" in there without breaking my suspension of disbelief.

If they wrote an entirely new mechanical subsystem to handle psionics, the only thing that would accomplish is ensuring that i never bother to learn or use it in my own games.

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.