D&D 5E What is the appeal of psionic characters for players?

[jgsugden]

For many, psionics are just a part of their worlds and have been there for decades. Not having published rules for a core mechanic in your games kind of suuuuuuuucks.

Yes, we can write our own. I did so right when 5E came out. However, the PCs that use those mechanics can't make full use of D&D Beyond, and there tends to be more resistance by players to homebrew rules. I've been through this psionics game over and over in 3E, 4E and 5E - as well as when dealing with similar situations of delayed release such as races that were not in the PHB, the artificer, etc... It was also frustrating for the guy running a 4E psion to suddenly have no support when everyone converted their PCs to 5E.

I have seen the same story repeat itself - DM comes up with rules. Players complain they're too restrictive. WotC announces rules are coming. Players cheer because they can switch to the WotC rules. They see the WotC rules. They ask if they can keep using the homebrew rules because the WotC rules are 'ridiculous'.

I'm not saying that always is the case, but I have seen it a lot of times.

In my opinion, if they support something as a major mechanic in an edition, they need to consider it a priority to release rules to cover it in the first year of a new edition.

Beyond that, Psionics have a historic lore than makes them different than magic. They are ice cream rather than cake. There is nothing wrong with cake, but having the option to have ice cream is real nice too.

 

[TwoSix]

I think what makes them a weird fit for many fantasy worlds is the inherent distinction between psionics and magic. When telepathy and telekinesis are established as being effects reproducible with specific spells, it’s kind of weird to say “this character is telepathic/telekenetic, but it’s not magic, it’s the power of their mind!” Having psionics exist alongside magic that is capable of producing the same effects invites difficult to answer questions about the nature of magic. What makes one preternatural effect magic when some people do it and the same exact effect not magic when other people do it? There are of course ways to answer these questions, but they can have the effect of limiting what magic can be, in a genre defined in large part by the presence of magic.

Sure, but the OP's question wasn't about psionics, it's about psionic characters, specifically the subclasses that just came out in Tasha's. Psionics as a power source is an issue of setting and cosmology fluff; psionic characters that primarily use telekinesis and telepathy are a question of the best way to reskin those effects if the game doesn't have psionics as a defined part of the cosmology.

Also, in a generic fantasy D&D setting most magic is kind of handwavey, and the tropes of how to use psionics style effects are already prevalent in the genre (after all, that's why people went right to Jedi.)

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

I think what makes them a weird fit for many fantasy worlds is the inherent distinction between psionics and magic. When telepathy and telekinesis are established as being effects reproducible with specific spells, it’s kind of weird to say “this character is telepathic/telekenetic, but it’s not magic, it’s the power of their mind!” Having psionics exist alongside magic that is capable of producing the same effects invites difficult to answer questions about the nature of magic. What makes one preternatural effect magic when some people do it and the same exact effect not magic when other people do it? There are of course ways to answer these questions, but they can have the effect of limiting what magic can be, in a genre defined in large part by the presence of magic.

It's the same thing as a wizard that casts Tenser's Transformation on themselves. They're good at fighting, just as good at it as a Paladin is, but they're using spellcasting and magic to be better at it, not martial prowess. They're using spells to replicate the effects they want to achieve, merely copying what another class can do. There are "psionic spells", but they're just wizards and sorcerers pretending like they're psions, replicating the effects to the best that they can.

 

[Maxperson]

I think what makes them a weird fit for many fantasy worlds is the inherent distinction between psionics and magic. When telepathy and telekinesis are established as being effects reproducible with specific spells, it’s kind of weird to say “this character is telepathic/telekenetic, but it’s not magic, it’s the power of their mind!” Having psionics exist alongside magic that is capable of producing the same effects invites difficult to answer questions about the nature of magic. What makes one preternatural effect magic when some people do it and the same exact effect not magic when other people do it? There are of course ways to answer these questions, but they can have the effect of limiting what magic can be, in a genre defined in large part by the presence of magic.

I don't have an issue with duplicating effects. There are multiple ways to cut a piece of paper. Scissors(magic) are not the only way to get the effect.

To me it's all about the power source. Call on a god to do it.....divine. call on an external power source like the Weave.....arcane. Call on your own internal power.....psionic.

 

[SkidAce]

For many, psionics are just a part of their worlds and have been there for decades. Not having published rules for a core mechanic in your games kind of suuuuuuuucks.

Yes, we can write our own. I did so right when 5E came out. However, the PCs that use those mechanics can't make full use of D&D Beyond, and there tends to be more resistance by players to homebrew rules. I've been through this psionics game over and over in 3E, 4E and 5E - as well as when dealing with similar situations of delayed release such as races that were not in the PHB, the artificer, etc... It was also frustrating for the guy running a 4E psion to suddenly have no support when everyone converted their PCs to 5E.

I have seen the same story repeat itself - DM comes up with rules. Players complain they're too restrictive. WotC announces rules are coming. Players cheer because they can switch to the WotC rules. They see the WotC rules. They ask if they can keep using the homebrew rules because the WotC rules are 'ridiculous'.

I'm not saying that always is the case, but I have seen it a lot of times.

In my opinion, if they support something as a major mechanic in an edition, they need to consider it a priority to release rules to cover it in the first year of a new edition.

Beyond that, Psionics have a historic lore than makes them different than magic. They are ice cream rather than cake. There is nothing wrong with cake, but having the option to have ice cream is real nice too.

Quoted for Cosmic Truth!