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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Neonchameleon" data-source="post: 9365182" data-attributes="member: 87792">I'm not asking it to justify itself on playstyle alone. I'm asking what its playstyle justification is and how that is different from the wizard and sorcerer that already exist - and so far all I'm hearing is crickets chirping. You need both and you have neither.So do I. And the theme of almost all famous fictional psychics I can think of is that they are weird and have some sort of unnatural influence - whether it's Carrie, Jean Grey, or Mewtoo. Whether it's from Babylon 5 or 40k, Judge Dredd, or even the Midwitch Cuckoos. The phrase "cracked in the head" comes to mind, frequently literally. And if you're going to have a common (although not universal) origin for them then The Far Realm is a pretty good approximation.The origins of strongly psychic characters in fiction tend to be explicit connections to the Far Realm equivalent (40k), Great Old Ones (Babylon 5, Jean Grey/Phoenix Force), psychic alien impregnation (Midwitch Cuckoos) or unnatural meddling that government or corporate scientists did in labs (Mewtoo, Eleven, River Tam). And I'd argue that, fantasy universes seldom having that sort of corporation, Great Old Ones are decent thematic standins for the faceless and implacable corporation with semi-comprehensible motives.There are also weakly psychic characters; characters who do a lot of other things but happen to be psychic who don't have such strong otherness in their background. Spock is a good example - but Spock isn't a Psion of any form; he's much closer to the 5e Soulknife as he's primarily a scientist and bridge officer who happens to also be psychic.Playstyle is what you actually do in game. Anyone who doesn't care about playstyle doesn't care about theme.Nope. Barbarian rage and reckless attacks is distinct from other melee combatants. Rangers? Yup, they've got one, using magic and weapons together in a way no other class matches. Sorcerer? This is the closest - and the reason work went in to OneD&D.Yeah, I've named more than a few fictional psychics.Meanwhile who's the standout D&D psychic? The generic ones are clearly Illithids - while the only D&D psychic character I can name is "Tav" - the protagonist of Baldur's Gate 3 who has illithid brainworms.That is because the main theme of the Psion appears to be "off-brand wizard who is a special snowflake who avoids the drawbacks of most fictional psychics". However the Aberrant Mind doesn't have to have this theme. They can be "just because". It's simply that the semi-teflon of the psion is rare in fiction because it's not terribly interesting, so it's a possibility rather than the default for the Aberrant Mind.So what are the "bare needs of the psion" other than being bare of complex entanglements and having gained powers because they are like sorcerers but more special?And who are these fictional psions you are using as your touchstones? What is this theme? I've spent a long time discussing themes of psychics, while you seem to just repeat the word as a mantra.</blockquote>

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