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

[Maxperson]

They're not creating from zero here, folks. Making a balanced psionics system - even one that does not operate like spells do - would/will be based upon the mechanics of D&D. They know what appropriate damage is at a given character level, and they know how to balance abilities. The trickiest part of making a psionic power source work is not the mechanics - it is the lore side of it. They have to find lore that gets wide acceptance in an audience with people that resist psionics, and dozens of cults that each have a different idea of what psionics should be.

You might want to research what a cult is before accusing people of being in them.

 

[James Gasik]

They're not creating from zero here, folks. Making a balanced psionics system - even one that does not operate like spells do - would/will be based upon the mechanics of D&D. They know what appropriate damage is at a given character level, and they know how to balance abilities. The trickiest part of making a psionic power source work is not the mechanics - it is the lore side of it. They have to find lore that gets wide acceptance in an audience with people that resist psionics, and dozens of cults that each have a different idea of what psionics should be.

Despite this knowledge about the game, someone at WotC made the Mystic, and got a lot of those things wrong, sadly.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

The big deal is, many (perhaps most) people want it, and almost none of them agree on even the smallest details of how it should work.

 

[James Gasik]

3e did that. There were other ways to detect psionics happening. You can also have the result be some sort of magic as well, so it doesn't get around anti-magic zones. Anyone who is claiming that psionics are "just a way to end-run things like counterspell and anti-magic zones" is being disingenuous. There might be the odd person saying that, but by and large our side doesn't have those things as a goal or even desire.

It's no more niche that monks, bards or warlocks.

It was niche in 1e and 2e, true. It was MUCH more prevalent in 3e, and I don't know about 4e.

You don't need a fancy shmancy scientific explanation. If a table wants it, they can come up with it.

4e Psionics had some neat ideas but they didn't stick the landing very well. The Monk was Psionic in name only, with an interesting mechanic that rewarded you for using two specific at-will powers in the same turn. You didn't need to, but there was a bonus effect if you did.

The Ardent was a hot mess, the Battlemind lacked a viable basic melee attack, being Constitution-based. The Psion, on the other hand, while not as robust as the Wizard, had some neat abilities. Their main thing was you had a bunch of At-Will Powers, and a limited pool of Psionic points you could use each encounter. You could use these points to Augment an At-Will to make it stronger. So it still followed the AEDU structure, but you had more leeway with how much power you brought to bear during a single encounter; you could spend all your points to have the same 3 encounter powers as everyone else, or you could spread the power out with weaker effects over the course of the battle. All that having been said, I saw one Psion played ever, because it required more resource management than I think most people cared for.

 

[Mind of tempest]

They're not creating from zero here, folks. Making a balanced psionics system - even one that does not operate like spells do - would/will be based upon the mechanics of D&D. They know what appropriate damage is at a given character level, and they know how to balance abilities. The trickiest part of making a psionic power source work is not the mechanics - it is the lore side of it. They have to find lore that gets wide acceptance in an audience with people that resist psionics, and dozens of cults that each have a different idea of what psionics should be.

any idea what the sides are?

 

[Steampunkette]

I wound up writing a 5e/A5e Psionics book... 64 pages with full color art throughout. New monsters, a Psionic class, Psionic powers...

Just need to wait to kickstart it 'cause Christmas is bad for Kickstarters.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I wound up writing a 5e/A5e Psionics book... 64 pages with full color art throughout. New monsters, a Psionic class, Psionic powers...

Just need to wait to kickstart it 'cause Christmas is bad for Kickstarters.

Awesome! I look forward to giving you money for it.

 

[Aldarc]

The big deal is, many (perhaps most) people want it, and almost none of them agree on even the smallest details of how it should work.

"I'll have commonly used rhetoric against implementing any sort of change for 500, Alex."

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

In the restaurants not everybody asks the same plate, in the pubs not everybody asks the same drink, in the fashion shops not everybody buys the same clothing. Always there is a player who wants her player to be different.

Other point about the psionic powers is the great flexibility. In the morning most of spellcasters have to choose the list of spells they are going to use in the rest of the day. The psionics don't need worry about that. This could be useful for new players who don't know enough strategy.

Maybe mystic class needs a lot work but I would rather better before sooner.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

"I'll have commonly used rhetoric against implementing any sort of change for 500, Alex."

I would love for there to actually be psionic rules. I am simply saying the reason why we haven't actually gotten any; this isn't a normative argument, it's a descriptive one. WotC's...shall we say, imperfect data-collection methods make it impossible for them to actually know enough about anything to make a new product that won't be instantly rejected by a significant number of fans.

Personally, I just want psionic rules that aren't spellcasting. As long as it's not spellcasting (well, and actually effective), I wouldn't care one whit how it was implemented. Power points! Wild talents! Freeform! Whatever.

5e is the "don't rock the boat" edition. Always has been. The "One D&D" playtest might change that, but I wouldn't bet on it. So long as 5e is focused on not rocking the boat, and WotC continues to use their...questionable data-gathering/survey design/statistical analysis, I suspect psionics will remain in enternal limbo, constantly desired but never provided.

They have to be willing to make some people mad. Since they aren't, we're stuck in neutral.