After careful reading, this makes me very happy. It's not the Jack of All Trade, Master of them all that the Mystic was. While it uses Slots (Which will make some people upset, not me though I like the system) it makes a new way to be a caster. It feels just unique enough to feel new, and interesting, while keeping to what 5e does well. It also is not trying to be all classes at once (and the objectively best choice for them) , which was why the Mystic failed. I will want to give it high marks, although I need to check to see if the Cantrip has any other upgrades... because right now it's a Fireball of force with ammunition. Which is ok, but it doesn't feel special, and I would take a level 1 background that give me Magic just for a better Cantrip option.
I suggest to add some pages for optional rules, for example the displays from 3.5.ed, or the psionic power points to be spent for metapsionic effects.
The teleserie X-Files showed some examples of how criminals with some psionic power could be really dreadful menaces.
Today I don't imagine a 5e D&D psion like Mace Windu from Star Wars but more like Momo Ayase from Dandadan manganime. I don't imagine the 2024 psion like an abomination-hunter fighting Lovecraftian monsters from the Far Realm but facing "anomalies" like the creepypasta, backrooms, SCP fundation or other new weird fiction like the videogames Control, FBC: Firebreak and Once Human.
What do you think about the "soulbreaker", a psionic barbarian subclass?
Given how much they scaled back alternative systems in the current DMG, I wouldn't hold my breath on them introducing them in secondary books. Particularly since a common complaint about such systems was that they were never implemented on Beyond, and WotC has been leaning further into Beyond integration lately.
Am I really the only person here who immediately thought "Dark Sun" upon seeing this? This is pretty huge news for Athas heads. This could be WotC's way of laying down the mechanical framework for magic in Dark Sun without interfering too much with existing classes with psionics, like a whole rework to clean it up. Plus, it looks pretty fun. I really don't see how this isn't a major hint at a future Dark Sun release, and I'm saying this as someone who really didn't think it was possible with the sensitive topics. Personally I think it's fine, I'd even say a meaningful and important inclusion since all of that stuff is portrayed as unambiguously evil, but whatever that's slightly off topic. Sooooo looking forward to seeing what happens with this
I know some people complaining about use of spellcasting and slots but, for me, if you need a system of "psionic powers" that get better on level up and a way of restricting how often you can use them...well you end up with spellcasting anyway. No point reinventing the wheel. Just use the existing spellcasting, modified to fit the concept of psionic powers, which is exactly what they've done.
I have a couple of niggles.
The lack of armor or shield proficiency feels a little bit off, despite the fact that the psion is "wizard-adjacent". At the very least the metamorph subclass needs some AC boost since it's more directly involved in physical combat.
The Psionic Modes feature is terrible. Mainly because it lasts 1 minute and can be used only twice a day. Yet the ongoing benefits of the feature (ignoring psychic resistance or gaining psychic resistance) are very situational, and the other benefits of rerolling damage die or boosting certain saving throws still takes your psionic energy die resource and may never even come up in the one combat that your mode is going to last for! So why limit it? That's just silly. Personally I would get rid of the limits and allow the Psion to choose which mode they want to be in as long as they're not incapacitated and it lasts until they switch. Maybe the ability to ignore/gain psychic resistance doesn't kick in till later levels and/or it takes an energy die to switch modes, but don't think it would be OP to have your mode 'always on'.
Not sure all the Psionic Disciplines and Wild Talents are quite balanced with each other, though I guess they don't need to be perfectly aligned. I think the Psion should gain more of them though.
Shout-out to the Metamorph's Organic Weapons feature. The Viscera Launcher that shoots acidic bile is delightfully disgusting! And also the Psychic Screams spell, which on dropping a creature to 0 hit points, causes their head to explode!
A class with a custom spell list, which means they will not get any future spells added to 2024 D&D unless they explicitly publish an update/errata for it.
The Psionic Modes feature is terrible. Mainly because it lasts 1 minute and can be used only twice a day. Yet the ongoing benefits of the feature (ignoring psychic resistance or gaining psychic resistance) are very situational, and the other benefits of rerolling damage die or boosting certain saving throws still takes your psionic energy die resource and may never even come up in the one combat that your mode is going to last for! So why limit it? That's just silly. Personally I would get rid of the limits and allow the Psion to choose which mode they want to be in as long as they're not incapacitated and it lasts until they switch. Maybe the ability to ignore/gain psychic resistance doesn't kick in till later levels and/or it takes an energy die to switch modes, but don't think it would be OP to have your mode 'always on'.
Level 7 allows them to gain more use of Psionic Modes at a cost of hit die. But it does seem weird that they set it to a base of two instead of proficiency bonus times a day.
The Psionic Modes feature is terrible. Mainly because it lasts 1 minute and can be used only twice a day. Yet the ongoing benefits of the feature (ignoring psychic resistance or gaining psychic resistance) are very situational, and the other benefits of rerolling damage die or boosting certain saving throws still takes your psionic energy die resource and may never even come up in the one combat that your mode is going to last for! So why limit it? That's just silly. Personally I would get rid of the limits and allow the Psion to choose which mode they want to be in as long as they're not incapacitated and it lasts until they switch. Maybe the ability to ignore/gain psychic resistance doesn't kick in till later levels and/or it takes an energy die to switch modes, but don't think it would be OP to have your mode 'always on'.
Level 7 allows them to gain more use of Psionic Modes at a cost of hit die. But it does seem weird that they set it to a base of two instead of proficiency bonus times a day.
True, but I still find the whole feature too situational to be useful. Unless you're in a campaign fighting mindflayers.
Am I really the only person here who immediately thought "Dark Sun" upon seeing this? This is pretty huge news for Athas heads. This could be WotC's way of laying down the mechanical framework for magic in Dark Sun without interfering too much with existing classes with psionics, like a whole rework to clean it up. Plus, it looks pretty fun. I really don't see how this isn't a major hint at a future Dark Sun release, and I'm saying this as someone who really didn't think it was possible with the sensitive topics. Personally I think it's fine, I'd even say a meaningful and important inclusion since all of that stuff is portrayed as unambiguously evil, but whatever that's slightly off topic. Sooooo looking forward to seeing what happens with this
No, even some images in the youtube video has some Dark Sun vibe
Maybe I'm just not seeing this - but what is this class supposed to do, exactly?
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Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
Am I really the only person here who immediately thought "Dark Sun" upon seeing this? This is pretty huge news for Athas heads. This could be WotC's way of laying down the mechanical framework for magic in Dark Sun without interfering too much with existing classes with psionics, like a whole rework to clean it up. Plus, it looks pretty fun. I really don't see how this isn't a major hint at a future Dark Sun release, and I'm saying this as someone who really didn't think it was possible with the sensitive topics. Personally I think it's fine, I'd even say a meaningful and important inclusion since all of that stuff is portrayed as unambiguously evil, but whatever that's slightly off topic. Sooooo looking forward to seeing what happens with this
My number one thought was "Woop woop Dark Sun incoming!" And I couldn't be happier that it was even ever a possibility, even if it never happens.
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DM for life by choice, biggest fan of D&D specifically.
The wild talent feats don’t have asi attached, so I guess they’re origin feats?
Per the existing rules on feats in 5.24, looks like. Makes sense in a way, given that most characters with psychic talents manifest them when they're young. Also makes it slightly easier for the DM to award a wild talent feat as a boon for someone who does something that causes them to suddenly manifest such a talent.
Not that any of that matters, because this isn't "psionics". This is a low-quality sorcerer with vaguely warlock-esque overtones, with a bunch of prepackaged gadgets that equally vaguely suggest traditional psychic talents while being absolutely and utterly inflexible, unnatural, and extrinsic to the user. So the exact same mistake they keep making with every single so-called "psychic" class or subclass they introduce, because Wotsee has one singular "Special Powers!" system and it will NOT relent on the idea that its "Special Powers!" system absolutely honking sucks for this application.
Spells and spell slots are not equivalent to psychic abilities, nor are they a useful way to simulate psychic abilities. I was so hopeful that maybe they'd had an epiphany...but I really should have known better.
The wild talent feats don’t have asi attached, so I guess they’re origin feats?
They have their own new feat category; they're not in any of the existing categories.
Right. I guess I should have phrased it more like, they could be origin feats. A sub-set. Of course, they’d need to make backgrounds that call them out. Or say they can be subbed for an origin feat in a background or something.
Backgrounds representing their connection to wild talents will be included with these feats in a future book if they become official, but in the meantime a character who takes the Noble or Sage background can choose a Wild Talent feat in place of that background’s Origin feat, and any character can choose one of these feats when their class normally allows a feat choice.
The wild talent feats don’t have asi attached, so I guess they’re origin feats?
No, they're a new category of feat; Wild Talent Feat. Something being an Origin Feat isn't determined by them having an attached ASI, it's determined by them having the "Origin" feat category.
The wild talent feats don’t have asi attached, so I guess they’re origin feats?
No, they're a new category of feat; Wild Talent Feat. Something being an Origin Feat isn't determined by them having an attached ASI, it's determined by them having the "Origin" feat category.
While they may not be called "Origin Feats"- which to be fair is relevant since Warlocks at least have an Invocation that specifically draws from that category- they seem to fill the same role as Origin Feats or the Dragonmark Feats from the Eberron UA- they're feats intended to be taken as a part of a Background, presumably because the campaign is in a particular setting or looking to draw on a particular common theme.
I suppose? How, though? What, precisely, do they do?
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Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
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After careful reading, this makes me very happy. It's not the Jack of All Trade, Master of them all that the Mystic was. While it uses Slots (Which will make some people upset, not me though I like the system) it makes a new way to be a caster. It feels just unique enough to feel new, and interesting, while keeping to what 5e does well. It also is not trying to be all classes at once (and the objectively best choice for them) , which was why the Mystic failed. I will want to give it high marks, although I need to check to see if the Cantrip has any other upgrades... because right now it's a
Fireball of force with ammunition. Which is ok, but it doesn't feel special, and I would take a level 1 background that give me Magic just for a better Cantrip option.I suggest to add some pages for optional rules, for example the displays from 3.5.ed, or the psionic power points to be spent for metapsionic effects.
The teleserie X-Files showed some examples of how criminals with some psionic power could be really dreadful menaces.
Today I don't imagine a 5e D&D psion like Mace Windu from Star Wars but more like Momo Ayase from Dandadan manganime. I don't imagine the 2024 psion like an abomination-hunter fighting Lovecraftian monsters from the Far Realm but facing "anomalies" like the creepypasta, backrooms, SCP fundation or other new weird fiction like the videogames Control, FBC: Firebreak and Once Human.
What do you think about the "soulbreaker", a psionic barbarian subclass?
Given how much they scaled back alternative systems in the current DMG, I wouldn't hold my breath on them introducing them in secondary books. Particularly since a common complaint about such systems was that they were never implemented on Beyond, and WotC has been leaning further into Beyond integration lately.
Am I really the only person here who immediately thought "Dark Sun" upon seeing this? This is pretty huge news for Athas heads. This could be WotC's way of laying down the mechanical framework for magic in Dark Sun without interfering too much with existing classes with psionics, like a whole rework to clean it up. Plus, it looks pretty fun. I really don't see how this isn't a major hint at a future Dark Sun release, and I'm saying this as someone who really didn't think it was possible with the sensitive topics. Personally I think it's fine, I'd even say a meaningful and important inclusion since all of that stuff is portrayed as unambiguously evil, but whatever that's slightly off topic. Sooooo looking forward to seeing what happens with this
I'm liking this so far.
I know some people complaining about use of spellcasting and slots but, for me, if you need a system of "psionic powers" that get better on level up and a way of restricting how often you can use them...well you end up with spellcasting anyway. No point reinventing the wheel. Just use the existing spellcasting, modified to fit the concept of psionic powers, which is exactly what they've done.
I have a couple of niggles.
Shout-out to the Metamorph's Organic Weapons feature. The Viscera Launcher that shoots acidic bile is delightfully disgusting! And also the Psychic Screams spell, which on dropping a creature to 0 hit points, causes their head to explode!
A class with a custom spell list, which means they will not get any future spells added to 2024 D&D unless they explicitly publish an update/errata for it.
This can be done, but will they?
Level 7 allows them to gain more use of Psionic Modes at a cost of hit die. But it does seem weird that they set it to a base of two instead of proficiency bonus times a day.
True, but I still find the whole feature too situational to be useful. Unless you're in a campaign fighting mindflayers.
No, even some images in the youtube video has some Dark Sun vibe
Maybe I'm just not seeing this - but what is this class supposed to do, exactly?
Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
Make your head a'splode :)
The wild talent feats don’t have asi attached, so I guess they’re origin feats?
They have their own new feat category; they're not in any of the existing categories.
pronouns: he/she/they
My number one thought was "Woop woop Dark Sun incoming!" And I couldn't be happier that it was even ever a possibility, even if it never happens.
DM for life by choice, biggest fan of D&D specifically.
Per the existing rules on feats in 5.24, looks like. Makes sense in a way, given that most characters with psychic talents manifest them when they're young. Also makes it slightly easier for the DM to award a wild talent feat as a boon for someone who does something that causes them to suddenly manifest such a talent.
Not that any of that matters, because this isn't "psionics". This is a low-quality sorcerer with vaguely warlock-esque overtones, with a bunch of prepackaged gadgets that equally vaguely suggest traditional psychic talents while being absolutely and utterly inflexible, unnatural, and extrinsic to the user. So the exact same mistake they keep making with every single so-called "psychic" class or subclass they introduce, because Wotsee has one singular "Special Powers!" system and it will NOT relent on the idea that its "Special Powers!" system absolutely honking sucks for this application.
Spells and spell slots are not equivalent to psychic abilities, nor are they a useful way to simulate psychic abilities. I was so hopeful that maybe they'd had an epiphany...but I really should have known better.
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Right.
I guess I should have phrased it more like, they could be origin feats. A sub-set. Of course, they’d need to make backgrounds that call them out. Or say they can be subbed for an origin feat in a background or something.
From the UA document:
No, they're a new category of feat; Wild Talent Feat. Something being an Origin Feat isn't determined by them having an attached ASI, it's determined by them having the "Origin" feat category.
Find my D&D Beyond articles here
While they may not be called "Origin Feats"- which to be fair is relevant since Warlocks at least have an Invocation that specifically draws from that category- they seem to fill the same role as Origin Feats or the Dragonmark Feats from the Eberron UA- they're feats intended to be taken as a part of a Background, presumably because the campaign is in a particular setting or looking to draw on a particular common theme.
I suppose? How, though? What, precisely, do they do?
Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.