D&D (2024) Psionics: What Do You Want?

[WanderingMystic]

Mechanical identity separation from spellcasting.

Narrow selection of thematic powers that possess great individual flexibility.

A method of utilizing that flexibility to improve aspects of the powers to make them more useful in the current situation.

The ability to always tap into the basic powers, themselves, independent of current reserves of power.

A broad class-based focus on information gathering from people, places, and things which does not require specific power selection to accomplish to represent the sixth sense in general.

Insight proficiency as a keystone identifier, rather than Arcana. Understanding yourself and the people around you is a potent characteristic of psionic characters who 'just seem to know' what people around them are thinking and feeling, even without reading their minds.

While I agree with you, they have mentioned numerous times that when something is even remotely similar to spellcasting, they will just use spell casting, why reinvent the wheel. I hate this idea and would love an Artificer who just built magical items or inventions instead of having spells, i would love it if psychic characters had narrowly defined disciplines which you just spent more psi points to augment that will never happen in a WotC creation.

 

[Horwath]

1. power(spell) point system as default, slots as options for those who want it.

2. Ignoring Verbal, Somatic and Material(non costly) components on all spells granted by this class

3. More unique cantrips and option to augment them with powerpoints in addition to normal scaling at levels 5,11,17.

4. Proficiency in Int, Wis and Cha saves, with ability to use highest of those 3 as a manifesting stat. So we get some difference between psions.

5. More than 4 subclasses at release.

 

[Minigiant]

While I agree with you, they have mentioned numerous times that when something is even remotely similar to spellcasting, they will just use spell casting, why reinvent the wheel. I hate this idea and would love an Artificer who just built magical items or inventions instead of having spells, i would love it if psychic characters had narrowly defined disciplines which you just spent more psi points to augment that will never happen in a WotC creation.

WOTC doesn't think they can balance a new subsystem against Spell & Slots and Extra Attacks and knows that if they did, a plurality of the customer base would not want to learn 35+ new features.

 

[Li Shenron]

For those that are not happy with the "psionicist as spellcaster" paradigm, what is it that you actually want to see?

I don't want psionics.

 

[Remathilis]

I don't want psionics.

I didn't want pact magic but every time I open my PHB it stares me in the face.

 

[Steampunkette]

While I agree with you, they have mentioned numerous times that when something is even remotely similar to spellcasting, they will just use spell casting, why reinvent the wheel. I hate this idea and would love an Artificer who just built magical items or inventions instead of having spells, i would love it if psychic characters had narrowly defined disciplines which you just spent more psi points to augment that will never happen in a WotC creation.

The thread isn't "What will WotC do with Psionics" which you've outlined. The thread is "What do you want?"

So I responded with what I wanted.

WOTC doesn't think they can balance a new subsystem against Spell & Slots and Extra Attacks and knows that if they did, a plurality of the customer base would not want to learn 35+ new features.

If I can do it, by myself, in a way that is engaging and interesting enough to be the new favorite class of dozens of people when only a couple thousand bought the book... I'm pretty sure WotC can pull it off, too. They've got a lot more designers with a lot more combined experience than I have.

Not sure what the 35+ new features would be in this case. I'm interested in the idea, though, if you're willing to share.

 

[Minigiant]

.

Not sure what the 35+ new features would be in this case. I'm interested in the idea, though, if you're willing to share.

I'd want a minimum of 9 base effects for psionics.

9 effect x 4 tiers of play = 36 total effects.

You could maybe cut down 2-3 as damage and healing are just numbers go up.

 

[Remathilis]

1. power(spell) point system as default, slots as options for those who want it.

2. Ignoring Verbal, Somatic and Material(non costly) components on all spells granted by this class

3. More unique cantrips and option to augment them with powerpoints in addition to normal scaling at levels 5,11,17.

4. Proficiency in Int, Wis and Cha saves, with ability to use highest of those 3 as a manifesting stat. So we get some difference between psions.

5. More than 4 subclasses at release.

1. It is my understanding that spell points are notoriously hard to balance as you can spam higher spells at the cost of lower ones, essentially getting the best of traditional progression and pact magic. Plus it wrecks havoc with multiclassing. I would have wanted points too for nostalgia sake, but I get why it's slots.

2. This I think is too create some limits on psi magic as fully ignoring components would limit counterplay (counter spell, silence, paralysis, etc.) I think they need one component to keep it from being broken and this was the most obvious.

3. I wouldn't mind more cantrips, but argument cuts a little too close to sorcerer territory

4. Three saves at level 1 is too much, and I really think they want the Int based caster. The psi-knight and aberrant sorcerer can be the Wis and Cha caster psionics.

5. Four is good for now, but I want more in future books. It took artificer forever to get a fifth and sixth. Let's hope the wait is shorter.

 

[Steampunkette]

I'd want a minimum of 9 base effects for psionics.

9 effect x 4 tiers of play = 36 total effects.

You could maybe cut down 2-3 as damage and healing are just numbers go up.

So 36 total effects...

And how much would each effect contain? Maybe 5-6 variations of function?

Let's be generous and call it 6.

That'd be about 216 individual variations on either 36 or 9 themes, however you specifically want to play it.

That's a LOT.

There's 326 spells in the PHB each of which is designed to be a unique special snowflake with as small amount of overlap as possible. And almost every book that comes out adds another 60 or more.

Compared to learning 9 at a time, and the total of 6 ways they can be altered with power points or psi dice or whatever for 54 'Spells' that are broadly the same as the 9 basic powers you have access to, just with specific aspects altered.

No one creating a level 1 Wizard needs to worry about the spells above 1st level their first time playing the class, after all. So they'd just need to learn their 9.

Or. At least. however many of those 9 they're allowed to take at level 1.

 

[Minigiant]

So 36 total effects...

And how much would each effect contain? Maybe 5-6 variations of function?

Let's be generous and call it 6.

That'd be about 216 individual variations on either 36 or 9 themes, however you specifically want to play it.

That's a LOT.

There's 326 spells in the PHB each of which is designed to be a unique special snowflake with as small amount of overlap as possible. And almost every book that comes out adds another 60 or more.

Compared to learning 9 at a time, and the total of 6 ways they can be altered with power points or psi dice or whatever for 54 'Spells' that are broadly the same as the 9 basic powers you have access to, just with specific aspects altered.

No one creating a level 1 Wizard needs to worry about the spells above 1st level their first time playing the class, after all. So they'd just need to learn their 9.

Or. At least. however many of those 9 they're allowed to take at level 1.

I mean 35+ effects.

9-10 effects at 3-4 tiered power ranks.
Or

5-6 effects at 3-4 tiered power ranks and 10-12 assorted psionic effects.

100+ effects is being greedy and just asked for imbalance.