Unearthed Arcana Why UA Psionics are never going to work in 5e.

[Weiley31]

I see psionic like monks.

Funny you say that as, IIRC, the 4E Monk was Psionic based. Also Mearl's Way of the Soulknife IS a Monk subclass. Which matched the Monk traditions of the Kalashtars. And I make the argument that Ki points can be reflavored as Power Points.

And since Soulknife was always a Psionics class...

 

[Big Bucky]

I see psionic like monks...

i think you may have just convinced me. I never thought of it before but monks are a good analogy. Outside the norm but learnable.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

This is the kind of thing I don't get. They seem the same to me. The power just comes from their mind.

No, not really. A Sorcerer controls and uses the exact same magical energies as a Wizard. They just come into it naturally, rather than having to train to control the power. Think of a child prodigy pianist versus a music-school trained pianist. They may play just as well as each other and are using the same skills/talents, but one "just does it" while the other had to train.

 

[Asisreo]

The main issue is that the people who are holding up psionics are the ones that need it to be it's super unique thing that fits so perfectly into what they perceive psionics should be. Psionics in 5e don't act like that, though.

Another very big issue is it would be quick for any psion to immediately outdo even the most skilled of Giths and Mindflayers. Because it makes sense that ancient civilizations that studied psionics since time immemorial could basically only fling chairs across a room and leave the plane on a one-way ticket while some guy who picked up a book called "How to think hard" can assualt the minds of the most cunning of devils.

Don't get me wrong, psionics would be sick in 5e but there's no way to make everyone happy while psionics keep their uniqueness. TBH, the Mystic class was the closest to a tolerable psion I've experienced and I would've been on-board if they scaled their versatility waaaaay back.

 

[Weiley31]

They’re just sorcerers right? They have an innate power they need to learn to control. Just give them a subclass with more mind control type spells.

True, but the main difference, lore wise, is that for Sorcerer, their powers come/derive from their Blood. It is the Bloodline and the Power of the Blood that fuels their Spontaneous spell casting.

For Psions, it's their mind, and not their blood, that gives them their power. And such a Talent can be unlocked in ANYBODY, according to the UA, via the Wild Talent. You can't "unlock" a power through blood as it's Lineage based via Bloodlines.

Now granted, a child of a Psion COULD tap into the Wild Talent if the father/mother possessed it as well. But the Sorcerer relies mostly on the idea of bloodline relations for their powers.

 

[Asisreo]

True, but the main difference, lore wise, is that for Sorceries, their powers come/derive from their Blood. It is the Bloodline and the Power of the Blood that fuels their Spontaneous spell casting.

For Psions, it's their mind, and not their blood, that gives them their power. And such a Talent can be unlocked in ANYBODY, according to the UA, via the Wild Talent. You can't "unlock" a power through blood as it's Lineage based via Bloodlines.

Now granted, a child of a Psion COULD tap into the Wild Talent if the father/mother possessed it as well. But the Sorcerer relies mostly on the idea of bloodline relations for their powers.

But why is that needed? Why can't the flavor text just say "As a psion, your powers come from your own mind, not your blood. You've awakened to a deeper understanding of the mystic arts blah blah blah..." It's so easy to change flavor text, especially ones that haven't been written.

 

[Big Bucky]

such a Talent can be unlocked in ANYBODY, according to the UA, via the Wild Talent.

I always thought psions did have some innate talent/power. That seems like how it’s been represented in media.

 

[Weiley31]

But why is that needed? Why can't the flavor text just say "As a psion, your powers come from your own mind, not your blood. You've awakened to a deeper understanding of the mystic arts blah blah blah..." It's so easy to change flavor text, especially ones that haven't been written.

Probably cuz WoTC expects us, the players, to reflavor it due to 5E's modular nature.

Plus alotta people weren't happy with the Psion as a Arcane Tradition in the last Psionics UA. Perhaps mentioning the mental studying, required to unlock it, would remind people of the bad taste it left in the mouth.

Then again, I got no probs with allowing the Abarant Mind, Archivist(Psionic Artificer), the Psionicist Arcane Tradition, and THIS UA Psionic Sorcerer, Psi-Knight, Rogue/Monk Soulknife, and Mystic being variant Psionic paths in my games.

 

[Weiley31]

I always thought psions did have some innate talent/power. That seems like how it’s been represented in media.

Well you would be right. You would just need the proper prodding/training/close encounter with an Eldritch entity/Mind Flayer/gifted talent to bring it to the surface.

 

[SkidAce]

This is the kind of thing I don't get. They seem the same to me. The power just comes from their mind.

In many case of sci fi and literature, the difference is simple, but with wide ramifications.

If you use magic, you are using magic.

Conversely, psionics, even if appearing similar, is actually "science" and a real cause and effect.

Spock was not using magic.*




*I should put that in my sig.