Unearthed Arcana Unearthed Arcana: Psionics and Mystics Take Two

February's Unearthed Arcana article from WotC's Mike Mearls has been posted. This time around, the topic is psionics again "This month, Unearthed Arcana returns to the mystic character class and the rules for psionics. Based on the playtest feedback you sent us, there are a number of changes you can expect." The article expands the Mystic class to 10th level, and adds a variety of new options.

Find the article right here.

 

[mellored]

Well, it's not exactly "yelling a limb back on" so I don't expect it'll cause a warlord debate.

Now it's simply thinking a limb back.

 

[Devilbass]

Healing through the power other mind is a classic sci-fi trope. Very fitting for psionics.

 

[GobiWon]

No, it is per discipline use.

Then lethal strike breaks the system. It's front loaded and is ripe for a multiclass dip with classes that grant multi-attack early. Psi limit needs to be per turn not per discipline use. It is essentially allowing you to multi-cast per turn which is something the designers have been against since the beginning.

 

[GobiWon]

Unarmed strikes are melee weapon attacks. Lethal strike with monk flurry of blows is broken if you can nova your points all in one round. Psi limit needs to be per round.

 

[Devilbass]

Then lethal strike breaks the system. It's front loaded and is ripe for a multiclass dip with classes that grant multi-attack early.

If you dip for a single level of Mystic, Lethal Strike doesn't even come close to game breaking. A twice daily spike of an extra 2d10 damage is a non-issue. If you go for three or four levels, maybe it becomes problematic. Even then, if your primary class gets Extra Attack, there is a compromise going on, whether you're delaying an ABI, or Aura of Protection, or what have you, Lethal Strike isn't far and away better. Honestly, probably not even better than those examples without a specific concept in mind. And if you mean the Mystic is too front-loaded for Extra-Attack classes regardless of Lethal-Strike, I'm just not seeing it.

Gaining proficiency with martial weapons, heavy armour, and shields by going Immortal is likely irrelevant. If you get Extra Attack early, you probably already have access to the weapons and armour you want, or have a way of boosting your AC that doesn't rely on armour. Gaining two extra skill proficiencies and expertise on one is really good, and maybe should be curtailed, but isn't really related to the Extra Attack issue. As far as the disciplines, and the psi points, well that's no more front-loaded than any full-caster.

 

[Ganymede81]

And in both 2e and 3e, psionics had more of a new-agey flavor. You had powers like Dream Travel, Deja Vu, Crystal Shard, Precognition, Aura Sight, and Deja Vu.

I see what you did there.

 

[The Myopic Sniper]

It definitely looks they are moving in the right direction. Although I still think the class is still way more finicky and persnickety than it needs to be.... although this may just a way to test features and ideas and the end product will be a lot sleeker.

I am really not fond of the 2nd level Mystical Recovery power from a design perspective though. I may be misreading it, but it looks like every time that they want to release a new subclass for the Mystic or even homebrew one that you then have to go through and assign each of the disciplines to the new subclass. And if they want to create new disciplines, then they are going to have assign among the current subclasses. It just makes designing new class options way more difficult than they need to be even I do like that any subclass can take any discipline now though.

I am glad that they got rid of the floating saving throw and replaced it with Strength of Mind. Although at this point, I wish they would get rid of Strength of Mind and roll it into a Discipline. There is really no need to have it as a defining class feature since I am guessing 99% of the time people will end up just end up staying with Wisdom, or using Constitution and Dexterity as their default replacement. It could easily be the non-PP consuming part of a discipline or ditch the substitution aspect and make having a third transferable saving throw a greater discipline. It doesn't seem too out of line.

I do think they are moving the right way with this. The talents are very welcome. I would just like to see something even simpler. It seems about an order of magnitude to complicated.

That said, I would love to see someone rework the Monk with a lot of these design principles and structures. There are some real good ideas that would make that class flow a bit better than the huge class feature treadmill that we have now there.

 

[SkidAce]

... I don't feel like I'm an echo of the farm realm when I spend points on things or because I resist psychic damage or because I have an extra proficiency...

NOT THE FARM REALM!

/head explodes

 

[HardcoreDandDGirl]

looks like fun, but I hope they have more classes in the wings

 

[Yaarel]

I guess I'm one of the vocal few who thinks the Far Realm narrative is really unfit for psionics as a monolithic narrative choice.

I honestly am having trouble getting past it. Like, "Do you want to play a character whose mind has been awakened by the reality-warping powers of the Far Realm?" just seems like I shouldn't be using the class if I'm not really interested in a Far Realm focused game, which is a weakness that, say, Wizards and Rogues and Clerics and Fighters and Paladins don't have. It doesn't gel well with the pseudo-new-agey / 60's counterculture / "The Men Who Stare at Goats" vibes that psionics gives off in general, either. Narratives of psychic power in fiction come from human potential - "new" powers arising, evolution (like dark sun), breeding/genetics, monastic enlightment, "secret government programs," etc., etc.

Clearly, folks are cool with this, but my interest for the class pretty much bottoms out at any mention of the Far Realm. I don't want my dude who can read minds and enhance his own metabolism to have to be linked to some distant tentacled threat from beyond the stars. I'm cool with my Old One Warlocks doing it, but as a whole class, that's a pretty narrow narrative.

I feel the same way. I cant help it. If the narrative for the ‘source’ of Psionics is the Far Realm and its squick, I probably wont purchase any Psionic products.