Harness the immence power of thought with the Psion, spellcasters who use innate mental powers to gain extraordinary abilities and unleash the magic of their minds. This playtest document presents a new class, the Psion, along with its four subclasses and new spells to support this class. It also contains several Wild Talent feats to add psionic abilities to all types of D&D characters. These playtest rules are compatible with, and make use of, the Player's Handbook.
As a reminder, Unearthed Arcana playtest material does not interact with the D&D Beyond Character Builder. Grab your pen and paper to test this class!
Designers F. Wesley Schneider, Ben Petrisor, and Makenzie De Armas sat down with Todd to talk about this mind-blowing (heh) class below:
[Insert Jurassic Park "You did it. You really did it." meme here]
We'll see how well just being a full caster goes over, though off the cuff I've got reservations about constant "psionic spells have no V or unpriced/unconsumed M components" bit. Spellcasting being fairly noticeable is a deliberate check on its power over stealth and social situations, and pretty much completely stripping that away on a class that also gets an option to debuff the saves on Enchantment spells is concentrating way too much mind control power in one place, imo. I'd say make the component removal part of the Psionic modes- gives a combat benefit of arguably making the spells hard to Counterspell while keeping the general utility limited enough that it becomes an "okay, I'm going to spend some resources on this because it's a big moment I/we want to work" move rather than a "I try to use Charm Person on them all when their backs are turned because why not?" move.
[Insert Jurassic Park "You did it. You really did it." meme here]
You sure you don't mean "Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should?" lol. In all seriousness I didn't have this on my bingo card and I'm really excited by what I've read so far. I can't wait to dive into this more, looks fun.
[Insert Jurassic Park "You did it. You really did it." meme here]
You sure you don't mean "Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should?" lol. In all seriousness I didn't have this on my bingo card and I'm really excited by what I've read so far. I can't wait to dive into this more, looks fun.
Eh...
Honestly, it kinda feels like they're forcing it at this point- Aberrant Sorcerer and Goolock cover a lot of the general "with the power of my mind" caster vibes, and Psi Warrior, Soulknife, and a Pact of the Blade Goolock (or really any Pact of the Blade who uses Psychic damage for their weapon) cover a lot of the overtly "psychic warrior" space. I haven't had a chance to deep dive this yet, but I've got reservations.
Yep, we've reached the usual timetable of an edition's lifespan for someone to take a real crack at psionics. Going to have to read this over and see how it interacts (or doesn't) with the magic system. If they laid the groundwork like the video says, it might be fun to see if I can try out an "oops, all psionics" style adventure.
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"The mongoose blew out its candle and was asleep in bed before the room went dark." —Llanowar fable
So this class removes the material component from most spells. That could actually make casting more difficult for spells that include both a material and somatic component. Other classes can use a focus, but the psion must have a free hand.
So this class removes the material component from most spells. That could actually make casting more difficult for spells that include both a material and somatic component. Other classes can use a focus, but the psion must have a free hand.
No shield prof, so they're unlikely to have both hands full even if there's a weapon-user subclass, particularly because stowing something like a wand or other magic item would be a free action.
I will be honest, this does not seem as interesting as the previous UA psionic class, the Mystic. Mystics have some balance issues (as every UA does) and were fairly mechanically complicated - but they did something unique and were full of abilities that looked very similar to existing spells… but functioned just differently enough to give them their on unique feel and mechanical quirks. It was a really, really well designed class that actually felt distinct and like something parallel to spellcasting.
This is a spellcaster, much like any other, with many spells that already exist in the game. It might call itself a psionic and have some psionic flavor, but, at its core, it is still a magic rather than psionic class. That kind of defeats the whole purpose, especially given the historical distinction between magics and psionics in D&D. Disappointed in the direction Wizards took, especially when they already did the legwork with something so mechanically unique that better fit the assignment.
So this class removes the material component from most spells. That could actually make casting more difficult for spells that include both a material and somatic component. Other classes can use a focus, but the psion must have a free hand.
No shield prof, so they're unlikely to have both hands full even if there's a weapon-user subclass, particularly because stowing something like a wand or other magic item would be a free action.
True, it is a pretty rare case where it would actually matter. Still, I'd prefer if ignoring the material component was optional.
I am one of those who miss the power points pool. I suggest to add a paragraph presenting it as an option.
Lots of players didn't remember the displays from 3.5 Ed but these could be necessary to avoid possible abuses during stealth or infiltration operations. For example if somebody in a high society dinner could be suffering a headache this could be a mental display warning somebody is using telepathic powers. A display could be the key to discover an enemy who was using psionic powers to hide.
I miss the astral constructs, and the ardent class like frienemies of divine spellcasters with a love-hate relation, like dog and cat. And the elemental stewards should return. These deserve a second oportunity.
Could astral constructs to be used like "energy armours"? Dreamscarred Press created the "Aegis" class.
What about a new "discipline" about spirits and sols? the athanatism discipline from 2018 psionic guide for Starfinder by Dreamscarred Press (their last project).
Today the xianxia fiction and "cultivators" could be a great influence for 2024 psions.
* Are you thinking into the creation of PCs style X-Men or Momo Ayase(Dandadan manganime).
* We should see later a second UA about the psionic PC races: fraals? shardminds(4e), synads(complete psionic), maenads, elans, xephs and dromites. I miss the blue goblin subrace. They were the outcast among the misfits, like master Yoda had suffered a hard life.
Will NEVER be in my game. I went through psionics in my AD&D games 40 plus years ago. It was hopelessly broken then, and will be hopelessly broken today. There are already numerous game balance-breaking classes, sub-classes, spells, features etc in the game. No point in adding another.
I like the spells and feats, but I am on the fence when it comes to the class and subclasses. It will take some playtesting to really know for sure how well it works.
Gosh I love when they rearrange and reskin abilities from other places and then call it “new”. So this is a sorcerer warlock “but with your mind.” Nothing in this makes it unique compared to other casters, the main class is fairly empty, the subclasses are just borrowing abilities from elsewhere, and the subclasses also lean heavily on wotc’s new tactic of telling you what specific spells you have to use in order to actually get any class abilities. I’m not angry, just disappointed.
Reading the comments here I was very worried, but honestly the only problem I see is the lack of verbal components, and the only unsatisfying thing are the Psionic Disciplines. They are modeled after the Battle Master's Disciplines, when they should be modeled after Invocations (and therefore much more powerful).
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DM for life by choice, biggest fan of D&D specifically.
Reading the comments here I was very worried, but honestly the only problem I see is the lack of verbal components, and the only unsatisfying thing are the Psionic Disciplines. They are modeled after the Battle Master's Disciplines, when they should be modeled after Invocations (and therefore much more powerful).
They can't make them much more powerful when they're working off a full caster basis, though. And after every prior attempt to create a better mousetrap vis a vis large scale "not magic" powers has fallen through, I imagine the full casting part is non-negotiable.
Reading the comments here I was very worried, but honestly the only problem I see is the lack of verbal components, and the only unsatisfying thing are the Psionic Disciplines. They are modeled after the Battle Master's Disciplines, when they should be modeled after Invocations (and therefore much more powerful).
Nah, it's a full caster, not a warlock caster, so it's more like metamagic. Looking over the disciplines:
Biofeedback is likely amazing at low levels (at level 1, being able to get 1d6+3 temp hit points 4x/day by casting prestidigitation is great), but its scaling is decidedly questionable (1d12+5 hit points at level 20 is... not so amazing).
Destructive Thoughts has a problem: a vast shortage of conjuration or evocation spells that have saving throws.
Devilish Tongue: it makes up for these being Charisma skills on an Intelligence-based caster.
Ego Whip requires enemies to be provoking opportunity attacks from you, and you to have no better use for your reaction (such as casting shield, since you're a full caster with d6 hit dice in melee combat).
Expanded Awareness: it makes up for these being Wisdom skills on an Intelligence-based caster.
Id Insinuation: powerful but expensive. Probably a high level option only.
Inerrant Aim: another 'good at low level' option; high levels aren't going to be making all that many attack rolls.
Psionic Backlash: what exactly are you subtracting your psionic dice from? I'm guessing damage, but the text should say. Another 'quite good at low level, miserable scaling' ability.
Psionic Guards: situational, but quite good when it applies.
Swift Precognition: I predict this being used to cast true strike. Which is solidly useful but may not be what the devs intended.
Tactical Mind: hey, it's a bonus to skills that actually use Intelligence.
I would note that abilities that are quite good at low level but don't scale well are kind of fine.
Just gonna say, Id Insinuation combos way too well with the no V components for spells when it comes to trying mind control shenanigans in social situations.
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D&D StaffLovers of psionics, this newest Unearthed Arcana is just for you! Download The Psion and try it out right now!
Update 6/3/2025: The feedback survey is now live!
Harness the immence power of thought with the Psion, spellcasters who use innate mental powers to gain extraordinary abilities and unleash the magic of their minds. This playtest document presents a new class, the Psion, along with its four subclasses and new spells to support this class. It also contains several Wild Talent feats to add psionic abilities to all types of D&D characters. These playtest rules are compatible with, and make use of, the Player's Handbook.
As a reminder, Unearthed Arcana playtest material does not interact with the D&D Beyond Character Builder. Grab your pen and paper to test this class!
Designers F. Wesley Schneider, Ben Petrisor, and Makenzie De Armas sat down with Todd to talk about this mind-blowing (heh) class below:
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[Insert Jurassic Park "You did it. You really did it." meme here]
We'll see how well just being a full caster goes over, though off the cuff I've got reservations about constant "psionic spells have no V or unpriced/unconsumed M components" bit. Spellcasting being fairly noticeable is a deliberate check on its power over stealth and social situations, and pretty much completely stripping that away on a class that also gets an option to debuff the saves on Enchantment spells is concentrating way too much mind control power in one place, imo. I'd say make the component removal part of the Psionic modes- gives a combat benefit of arguably making the spells hard to Counterspell while keeping the general utility limited enough that it becomes an "okay, I'm going to spend some resources on this because it's a big moment I/we want to work" move rather than a "I try to use Charm Person on them all when their backs are turned because why not?" move.
You sure you don't mean "Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should?" lol. In all seriousness I didn't have this on my bingo card and I'm really excited by what I've read so far. I can't wait to dive into this more, looks fun.
Find my D&D Beyond articles here
"Anyone can be a psionic arsonist! You can be a psionic arsonist!" - Makenzie De Armas
I was not expecting to see a whole new class today. This looks fun as hell.
pronouns: he/she/they
Eh...
Honestly, it kinda feels like they're forcing it at this point- Aberrant Sorcerer and Goolock cover a lot of the general "with the power of my mind" caster vibes, and Psi Warrior, Soulknife, and a Pact of the Blade Goolock (or really any Pact of the Blade who uses Psychic damage for their weapon) cover a lot of the overtly "psychic warrior" space. I haven't had a chance to deep dive this yet, but I've got reservations.
**Checks watch**
Yep, we've reached the usual timetable of an edition's lifespan for someone to take a real crack at psionics. Going to have to read this over and see how it interacts (or doesn't) with the magic system. If they laid the groundwork like the video says, it might be fun to see if I can try out an "oops, all psionics" style adventure.
So this class removes the material component from most spells. That could actually make casting more difficult for spells that include both a material and somatic component. Other classes can use a focus, but the psion must have a free hand.
No shield prof, so they're unlikely to have both hands full even if there's a weapon-user subclass, particularly because stowing something like a wand or other magic item would be a free action.
I will be honest, this does not seem as interesting as the previous UA psionic class, the Mystic. Mystics have some balance issues (as every UA does) and were fairly mechanically complicated - but they did something unique and were full of abilities that looked very similar to existing spells… but functioned just differently enough to give them their on unique feel and mechanical quirks. It was a really, really well designed class that actually felt distinct and like something parallel to spellcasting.
This is a spellcaster, much like any other, with many spells that already exist in the game. It might call itself a psionic and have some psionic flavor, but, at its core, it is still a magic rather than psionic class. That kind of defeats the whole purpose, especially given the historical distinction between magics and psionics in D&D. Disappointed in the direction Wizards took, especially when they already did the legwork with something so mechanically unique that better fit the assignment.
True, it is a pretty rare case where it would actually matter. Still, I'd prefer if ignoring the material component was optional.
I am one of those who miss the power points pool. I suggest to add a paragraph presenting it as an option.
Lots of players didn't remember the displays from 3.5 Ed but these could be necessary to avoid possible abuses during stealth or infiltration operations. For example if somebody in a high society dinner could be suffering a headache this could be a mental display warning somebody is using telepathic powers. A display could be the key to discover an enemy who was using psionic powers to hide.
I miss the astral constructs, and the ardent class like frienemies of divine spellcasters with a love-hate relation, like dog and cat. And the elemental stewards should return. These deserve a second oportunity.
Could astral constructs to be used like "energy armours"? Dreamscarred Press created the "Aegis" class.
What about a new "discipline" about spirits and sols? the athanatism discipline from 2018 psionic guide for Starfinder by Dreamscarred Press (their last project).
Today the xianxia fiction and "cultivators" could be a great influence for 2024 psions.
* Are you thinking into the creation of PCs style X-Men or Momo Ayase(Dandadan manganime).
* We should see later a second UA about the psionic PC races: fraals? shardminds(4e), synads(complete psionic), maenads, elans, xephs and dromites. I miss the blue goblin subrace. They were the outcast among the misfits, like master Yoda had suffered a hard life.
Yeah, hard no.
Will NEVER be in my game. I went through psionics in my AD&D games 40 plus years ago. It was hopelessly broken then, and will be hopelessly broken today. There are already numerous game balance-breaking classes, sub-classes, spells, features etc in the game. No point in adding another.
A whole new class? That sounds awesome. I'll have to take a look at this later.
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I like the spells and feats, but I am on the fence when it comes to the class and subclasses. It will take some playtesting to really know for sure how well it works.
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Gosh I love when they rearrange and reskin abilities from other places and then call it “new”. So this is a sorcerer warlock “but with your mind.” Nothing in this makes it unique compared to other casters, the main class is fairly empty, the subclasses are just borrowing abilities from elsewhere, and the subclasses also lean heavily on wotc’s new tactic of telling you what specific spells you have to use in order to actually get any class abilities. I’m not angry, just disappointed.
Don’t worry, this is so milquetoast and conservative it couldn’t tip a scale with a feather on the other side.
Reading the comments here I was very worried, but honestly the only problem I see is the lack of verbal components, and the only unsatisfying thing are the Psionic Disciplines. They are modeled after the Battle Master's Disciplines, when they should be modeled after Invocations (and therefore much more powerful).
DM for life by choice, biggest fan of D&D specifically.
They can't make them much more powerful when they're working off a full caster basis, though. And after every prior attempt to create a better mousetrap vis a vis large scale "not magic" powers has fallen through, I imagine the full casting part is non-negotiable.
Nah, it's a full caster, not a warlock caster, so it's more like metamagic. Looking over the disciplines:
I would note that abilities that are quite good at low level but don't scale well are kind of fine.
Just gonna say, Id Insinuation combos way too well with the no V components for spells when it comes to trying mind control shenanigans in social situations.