D&D 5E What's wrong with this psion?

[WayOfTheFourElements]

Ectoplasmic Tentacles
Basic Shaper Manifestation

Power
Power Point Cost: 0
You draw forth a tentacle of ectoplasmic goo from the Astral Plane and immediately fling it forward. As an action you can summon 1 tentacle and take a ranged power attack against a target within 30 feet. On a hit, it takes 1d4 force damage.
This power's damage increases by 1d4 when you reach 5th level (2d4), 11th level (3d4), and 17th level (4d4)

The goo evaporates at the end of the your turn.

Discipline
Power Point Cost: 1
You draw forth a tentacle of ectoplasmic goo from the Astral Plane and move an unattended object weighing up to 5 lb. at will from a distance. As a bonus action, you can propel the object as far as 15 feet in any direction, though the displine ends if the distance between you and the object exceeds the discipline’s range.

The goo evaporates after 1 minute or until you use a bonus action to dissipate it.

Augment
You can augment this power in one to three of the following ways.

• For every additional power points you spend to a maximum of 7 power points, you can summon an additional tentacle and make an additional ranged attack.
• For every 2 additional power points you spend, add 30 feet to this power's range.
• If you spend 2 additional power points, a target of Medium size or smaller must make a Strength saving throw or be restrained for 1 minute. At the end of the target's turn they may attempt the saving throw again. The goo evaporates once the saving throw is made.

You can augment this discipline in one or both of the following ways.

• For every 2 additional power points you spend, this discipline’s range increases by 5 feet.
• For every additional power point you spend, the weight limit of the target increases by 15 pounds.

The psion lacks this

I am very happy WotC didn't take this route. It would slow down play at the table. No thank you. I'm now convinced WotC made the right choice, at least for my table.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Ectoplasmic Tentacles
Basic Shaper Manifestation

Power
Power Point Cost: 0
You draw forth a tentacle of ectoplasmic goo from the Astral Plane and immediately fling it forward. As an action you can summon 1 tentacle and take a ranged power attack against a target within 30 feet. On a hit, it takes 1d4 force damage.
This power's damage increases by 1d4 when you reach 5th level (2d4), 11th level (3d4), and 17th level (4d4)

The goo evaporates at the end of the your turn.

Discipline
Power Point Cost: 1
You draw forth a tentacle of ectoplasmic goo from the Astral Plane and move an unattended object weighing up to 5 lb. at will from a distance. As a bonus action, you can propel the object as far as 15 feet in any direction, though the displine ends if the distance between you and the object exceeds the discipline’s range.

The goo evaporates after 1 minute or until you use a bonus action to dissipate it.

Augment
You can augment this power in one to three of the following ways.

• For every additional power points you spend to a maximum of 7 power points, you can summon an additional tentacle and make an additional ranged attack.
• For every 2 additional power points you spend, add 30 feet to this power's range.
• If you spend 2 additional power points, a target of Medium size or smaller must make a Strength saving throw or be restrained for 1 minute. At the end of the target's turn they may attempt the saving throw again. The goo evaporates once the saving throw is made.

You can augment this discipline in one or both of the following ways.

• For every 2 additional power points you spend, this discipline’s range increases by 5 feet.
• For every additional power point you spend, the weight limit of the target increases by 15 pounds.

The psion lacks this

These are just unnecessarily complicated spells. Many 5E spells already have the 'augments' option, they do more when being cast at higher level. Granted, they tend not to have several things to choose from, as in most cases that would get too fiddly, but there is no reason there couldn't be some spells that work that way.

 

[Minigiant]

I am very happy WotC didn't take this route. It would slow down play at the table. No thank you. I'm now convinced WotC made the right choice, at least for my table.

Modified ray of frost and mage hand would slow your table down that much?

I'm afraid of what ritual casters do and their "what exactly does that spell do again" nonsense appears at the table.

 

[Minigiant]

These are just unnecessarily complicated spells. Many 5E spells already have the 'augments' option, they do more when being cast at higher level. Granted, they tend not to have several things to choose from, as in most cases that would get too fiddly, but there is no reason there couldn't be some spells that work that way.

To me the whole point of Psionics is to be fiddly.

I'd 100% get banning the player with the least attention span or memory from playing psionic PCs.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

To me the whole point of Psionics is to be fiddly.

I'd 100% get banning the player with the least attention span or memory from playing psionic PCs.

Right. So now you should understand why WotC will never make the psionics the way you want.

 

[Aldarc]

Right. So now you should understand why WotC will never make the psionics the way you want.

Supposedly the first iteration of the mystic received good marks, though people apparently preferred the name "psion." It was not until the second iteration - where WotC tried to have the mystic do too much - that popular opinion turned pretty solid against the mystic, but that was mainly because - according to WotC's own words - it trampled on too many other toes of other classes. But this was when they tried to put the Psion, the Psychic Warrior, the Soulknife, the Shugenja, etc. all into the same class. So I kinda think that WotC threw the baby out with the bath water when they switched gears from the mystic class.

 

[Minigiant]

Right. So now you should understand why WotC will never make the psionics the way you want.

Well they still made wizards so...

 

[Minigiant]

Supposedly the first iteration of the mystic received good marks, though people apparently preferred the name "psion." It was not until the second iteration - where WotC tried to have the mystic do too much - that popular opinion turned pretty solid against the mystic, but that was mainly because - according to WotC's own words - it trampled on too many other toes of other classes. But this was when they tried to put the Psion, the Psychic Warrior, the Soulknife, the Shugenja, etc. all into the same class. So I kinda think that WotC threw the baby out with the bath water when they switched gears from the mystic class.

This

The DnD community only tolerates the wizard having a ton of little fiddy bits and a broad array of effects to memorize.

That's why the sorcerer is, in simple terms, a kneecapped wizard.
The cleric gets all its versatility from subclasses.
And mystic got downvoted.

 

[humble minion]

Here's how I see it, a sorcerer is a character who possesses inborn or innate magical power. A psion possesses innate mind powers. I see no reason why a psion shouldn't be a type of sorcerer.

I'm MOSTLY alongside with this, mechanically, but I'd want a few changes before i'm completely ok

• first is the no-components thing. That's easy enough as a 1st-level feature of the Sorcerous Origin
• second is a unique 'psionic' spell list. The sorcerer list as written includes spells a psion shouldn't imho be casting (stinking cloud? Fireball? Chill touch?) while excluding spells they absolutely should have access to (Modify Memory, Awaken)
• third is a variable spellcasting ability, chosen at 1st level from any of the three mental ability scores. I really, really hate the idea of all psionics being dependent on Cha. It may fit some characters, by there's always been a heavy emphasis on willpower when it comes to psionics too - the 2e DS psionics book was called 'the Will and the Way', not 'the Wittiness and the Way' after all...

Which I suppose is where my answer to the OP comes from. OP has made a perfectly functional and acceptable psion from the psionic soul sorcerer. But that's only one possible example of what a psionicist is. My psion PC concept might be an isolated, grubby hermit who hasn't spoken to another human in a decade because he's been busy meditating and training his mind through ruthless exposure to environmental hardships, making friends with the denizens of his desert refuge. He's focused on extra-sensory perception, and exploring the depths of the minds of himself and of others. He invokes his powers through meditative focus and willpower, and they are likely to include things like Locate Object, Speak with Animals, Locate Animals and Plants, Awaken, Modify Memory, Arcane Eye, Telepathic Bond, etc. This concept is about as iconic a Dark Sun character as it is possible to make, right next to the mul gladiator, but it's impossible with the psionic sorcerer as presented in the most recent UA. Psionic sorcerers are wedded to Charisma as a casting stat, and too many quintessentially psionic abilities are not on the sorcerer spell list. Sure the OP can make a psion out of the psionic sorcerer - but without further modifications to the class, that's pretty much the ONLY psion that can be made from the psionic sorcerer. It just excludes too many concepts, which i think is the major problem with it.

Edit: I also like the idea of not making psionics necessarily be dependent on Cha because too many spellcasting classes are Cha-based already. If you want to make an uncharismatic spellcaster, you're cutting your options in half from step 1. No Bard, no Sorcerer, no Warlock. Even the paladin's spells are Cha-based! A bit more love given to Wisdom and Intelligence in that department would really make a lot more character concepts viable.

 

[WayOfTheFourElements]

I'm MOSTLY alongside with this, mechanically, but I'd want a few changes before i'm completely ok

• first is the no-components thing. That's easy enough as a 1st-level feature of the Sorcerous Origin
• second is a unique 'psionic' spell list. The sorcerer list as written includes spells a psion shouldn't imho be casting (stinking cloud? Fireball? Chill touch?) while excluding spells they absolutely should have access to (Modify Memory, Awaken)
• third is a variable spellcasting ability, chosen at 1st level from any of the three mental ability scores. I really, really hate the idea of all psionics being dependent on Cha. It may fit some characters, by there's always been a heavy emphasis on willpower when it comes to psionics too - the 2e DS psionics book was called 'the Will and the Way', not 'the Wittiness and the Way' after all...

I think those would be great changes.