D&D General What’s The Big Deal About Psionics?

[Minigiant]

I think the Warlock level of mechanical uniqueness is pretty much the feasible maximum to actually get implemented.

My point is every caster except the Wizard has their own mini mechanic as a class feature.

So the Psion, even if you make it use spells, would need a new mechanic.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

My point is every caster except the Wizard has their own mini mechanic as a class feature.

So the Psion, even if you make it use spells, would need a new mechanic.

Sure.

 

[glass]

traditional Psion full spellcaster

Just to reiterate, "traditional Psion" and "full spellcaster" are contradictory; polar opposites.

I suspect hardcore psionics fans are the biggest barrier for WOTC making psionics. They have super specific and often contradictory demands for what psionics should be, and tend to want unrealistic things like making a full parallel magic system.

It wasn't unrealistic in 3e. Apart from not being magic, it wan't unrealistic in 2e either (twice).

_
glass.

 

[Minigiant]

So speaking of the intersection of flavor and mechanics - if we were to get a full on new psionicist class of some sort, I'm interested in knowing what people think the subclasses for that class should be. (should this be it's own thread? This feels like the general "psionics" thread...)

I really dislike the Wizard subclassing model of taking every "school" and making it a subclass, but that would be what taking the 2e or 3e psionics model and moving it into 5e would mean (so telepath, telekinetic, metabolic, etc.). I'd personally like something with more flavor but still fairly general. Ideas?

As of last week, I am only for 1 subclass for Discipline specialist.

• Ardent
• Dreamer
• Electromancer
• Psionic Specialist
• Pyrokinecist
• Uncarnate
• Wilder

 

[James Gasik]

I would like to see the Elocater back. And a functional Cererebromancer (love the concept, hate the implementation).

 

[Yaarel]

My point is every caster except the Wizard has their own mini mechanic as a class feature.

So the Psion, even if you make it use spells, would need a new mechanic.

I assume the caster Psion will have separate class features relating to the discipline sub class.

Prescient (spacetime, divination, teleport)
Telepath (enchantment, illusion)
Telekinetic (force, fly, conjuration)
Shapeshifter (psychometabolism, healer)

 

[Jer]

As of last week, I am only for 1 subclass for Discipline specialist.

• Ardent
• Dreamer
• Electromancer
• Psionic Specialist
• Pyrokinecist
• Uncarnate
• Wilder

Ardent, Dreamer, Uncarnate and Wilder I can get behind - all of them have good hooks to build a subclass on. In fact Ardent is the one I want to see the most. I'm not so sure about the Specialist or the Electromancer. The Pyrokineticist I always go back and forth on - it's an archetype but it's so limited. Even if you allow them to control both heat and cold it still feels less thematic than I'd like. I'd almost want to roll all of the energies together into a single energy manipulator subclass of some kind rather than breaking them out as separate subclasses - fire, cold, lightning, thunder, maybe radiant and necrotic (throw in force and you'd have the general telekinetic I guess) - and then have the ability to choose more energies you can manipulate as you level up.

I would like to see the Elocater back. And a functional Cererebromancer (love the concept, hate the implementation).

For a Cerebromancer, would that be a Psionicist subclass or a Wizard subclass? I like the idea, but the actual 3e implementation was basically "here's a patch prestige class to take for multiclassing psions and wizards because we know that caster multiclassing is broken" so I'd like to see the theme come out more and I feel like you could take it either as a Wizard who goes deep into the study of psionics or a Psionicist who has figured out how to tap into arcane magic with their psionic powers and then build from there.

 

[Minigiant]

Ardent, Dreamer, Uncarnate and Wilder I can get behind - all of them have good hooks to build a subclass on. In fact Ardent is the one I want to see the most. I'm not so sure about the Specialist or the Electromancer. The Pyrokineticist I always go back and forth on - it's an archetype but it's so limited. Even if you allow them to control both heat and cold it still feels less thematic than I'd like. I'd almost want to roll all of the energies together into a single energy manipulator subclass of some kind rather than breaking them out as separate subclasses - fire, cold, lightning, thunder, maybe radiant and necrotic (throw in force and you'd have the general telekinetic I guess) - and then have the ability to choose more energies you can manipulate as you level up.

Well for Pyrokinecist and Electromancer, I was thinking more than "hurr Durr fire power from brains".

More exploration in to the elements of fire and electricity.

For pryomancers I wants thinking of things like burning up the mind to fly someone into a rage, begining passions to the point of being emotional, seeing through flames and teleporting between them, setting ones brain ablaze to burn away mind control.

For electromancer I was thinking of powers like moving fast, taking extra actions, overclocking ones mind, communing with storms, inflicting and curing madness, and shocking oneself to reroll saving throws.

 

[James Gasik]

Ardent, Dreamer, Uncarnate and Wilder I can get behind - all of them have good hooks to build a subclass on. In fact Ardent is the one I want to see the most. I'm not so sure about the Specialist or the Electromancer. The Pyrokineticist I always go back and forth on - it's an archetype but it's so limited. Even if you allow them to control both heat and cold it still feels less thematic than I'd like. I'd almost want to roll all of the energies together into a single energy manipulator subclass of some kind rather than breaking them out as separate subclasses - fire, cold, lightning, thunder, maybe radiant and necrotic (throw in force and you'd have the general telekinetic I guess) - and then have the ability to choose more energies you can manipulate as you level up.


For a Cerebromancer, would that be a Psionicist subclass or a Wizard subclass? I like the idea, but the actual 3e implementation was basically "here's a patch prestige class to take for multiclassing psions and wizards because we know that caster multiclassing is broken" so I'd like to see the theme come out more and I feel like you could take it either as a Wizard who goes deep into the study of psionics or a Psionicist who has figured out how to tap into arcane magic with their psionic powers and then build from there.

I have no idea how 5e could do it. It probably can't. But hey, this is a thread about what we want, not what we're going to get, right?

I mean, I still want to play an Ultimate Magus, but barring the exceedingly slim chance of finding a 3.5 game, that's not going to happen. Though at least Caster/Caster multiclasses are better supported in 5e, even though my attempt to make a Mystic Theurge with Cleric/Wizard was only "ok" in the end.

 

[Yaarel]

I view all of the elemental effects (plant, fire, air, water, and earth) to be the primal power source. The psionic power source feels less flashy. At the same time, both primal and psionic are the magic of the mind. In the case of primal, it is elemental minds, including raging fire and joyous fire.

Both arcane and divine depend on the weave.

Both psionic and primal depend on the mind.