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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Neonchameleon" data-source="post: 9361498" data-attributes="member: 87792">D&D wizards have a very very vague resemblance to Dying Earth wizards; a Dying Earth archmage might be able to remember as many as six spells at a time. And could probably use a sword.Nope. As mentioned. D&D wizards are a popular culture mash-up with there being a couple of recognizable influences there.And serious caster.Mostly all fighters. Galahad and Percival might qualify as D&D Paladins.Only in 1eAll as mash upsSo if you cut the spell parts out and changed all the mechanics you could turn it into a spell.And a Psion's flavour is and always has been "you're an arcane caster with some of the serial numbers filed off. And here are 70 pages of extruded psionic spells so we have the excuse to sell another book."70 pages of spells meaningfully makes the game worse and the class more likely to be banned. And without it the main difference is a hint of calamari.Psion has never been sufficient for the sheer depth of psionic characters and themes. Psion has always been "Wizard with the serial numbers filed off" - fine for Professor X but largely useless for Psylocke. The Psion isn't just a psychic character - but one with the lowest possible hit points, armour, weapon proficiencies, and base skill points and who does everything through what are essentially spells.Meanwhile you know what works well for Psylocke (at least 90s Psylocke?) The 5e Soulknife. This is because 5e has a much better understanding of the depth and themes of psionics and doesn't try to ram almost all of them in to the framework of a squishy wizard with the serial numbers filed off.The Aberrant Mind on the other hand keeps both classic psion mechanics like power points and ramps up the creepiness that is inherent to strong psionic characters but gets lost in D&D where the tendency is to make psionics an antiseptic version of magic where you lack components.Like the Psion the Aberrant Mind isn't so suitable for Psylocke. I would however argue that due to the extra creepiness it might be more suitable for maintaining Professor X's themes. And then we get to Jean Grey. Who I think is not so much a Psion or Aberrant Mind but a straight up 5.24 GOOlock (the revised one from the OneD&D Playtest 7 not the lacklustre 2014 PHB version) with the Phoenix Force being her patron.So yeah, talk to me about themes. And about how one-size-fits-all would be an improvement (people always talk about the Psion and never the much more interesting Psychic Warrior).And then about how once we're talking about the very limited number of psionic characters whose entire schtick is casting psionic spells that this tiny group should get oodles and oodles of custom spells just for them, rather than just tweaking the calamari quotient of the psionic sorcerer subclass.And adding in extra stuff is great for third parties. But keeping it out of the core is also smart to keep the game newbie friendly.</blockquote>

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