Quote from Bunsenburner03 >>

College of Whispers

 

 You know, the more I think about it the more Whispers makes sense. I guess the reason it still feels like a magic user instead of Psionic character is because of the spells. Spells just don’t feel Psionic to me. 

I'm hoping they come out with some more martial based things and non-magic options.

Mechanically, I would give 50:1 odds that psionics is functionally identical to spells. However, if you want to play a "jedi mind trick" psionic bard, or of the sort of mental manipulation with hints of psionic flavor, college of whispers is your best option right now. You could only take spells that feel they could be psionics (which they have a list of), and with their abilities you can:
Infuse words with terror to influence the mind of someone

Allow your weapon attacks to strike at a creatures mind as well, dealing additional psychic damage

Take memories from the dead and disguise yourself as a dead person by influencing the minds of those around you

Convince people you know a secret they do not.

I would say it fits a decent psionic bard, there could be a better one, but it works

Wouldn't the way of the astral self be a psionics monk?  just like GOOlock is for the warlock and Aberrant Mind is for the sorcerer.  A psionic ranger might be interesting, or psionic paladin (Make them even MORE jedi)

I know. I hate that they are using spells for Psionics. It grates on me like you have no idea.

yeah, but otherwise introducing the psionics class means re-examining every possible case of interactions of old rules, and how those psionic rules would work.  Then again, it has been 5 years since 5e hit, it is about time for some new classes and stuff (Loving my artificer)

I think it could be easier than all that. They could still basically design psionic power in a manner similar to spells, just not use the same spell list. 

Casting Time = Activation Time

Duration, Range, AoE could all function the same mechanically

All they really need as a new list, less narrowly defined functionality, and some other resource to spend besides “Spell Slots.” Would it take some time and effort? Sure. They have had over a year to design a replacement for the Mystic. It doesn’t really have to be all that complicated, just different enough to not feel like Spell Casting. 

I doubt we’ll get that in the next UA though. Heck, I doubt we’ll get it at all. 😢

Astral Self could be a Psionic Monk. But I’m wondering about new stuff, not the stuff they already gave us.

I was thinking of interactions like Counterspell or Dispell magic, or antimagic field.  Would those nullify psionic powers/effects?

Quote from Zoken44 >>

I was thinking of interactions like Counterspell or Dispell magic, or antimagic field.  Would those nullify psionic powers/effects?

 This is one of the issues of psionics being implemented as spellcasters. Apparently in older editions, psionics were not affected by these spells. (I'm new to 5e, but I have a good friend who's played for a long time, and he confirmed this to me). So, in 5e, with the direction they're appearing to take, psionics may well be affected by antimagic.

I mean, according to 5e, psionics is magic, but a strange, almost alien kind of magic, that is not based on the Weave, instead coming from the mind of the psion.

Well does that mean that psionics are not shut down by things like a Beholder's main eye?  That could be kind of game breaking if Pionics can put up as big of numbers as spell casters.

I mean, i expect that, for simplicity, they will say that psionics is affected by antimagic field, and the like. However, they would come up with some reason like antimagic actually affecting psionics too.

If it doesn't then that makes Psionics now a trump card to everything.

Well, regarding the example of a beholder specifically, they are pretty alien creatures who can warp local reality with their minds without meaning to, so it would make sense for their powers to still work. As for psionics being a trump card generally, that would go both ways. The DM could also bust out psionics to use against their players.

The problem is that psionic counters are specific only to psionics while magic counters affect multiple classes and martial counters also affect multiple classes.

Quote from Bunsenburner03 >>

I mean, i expect that, for simplicity, they will say that psionics is affected by antimagic field, and the like. However, they would come up with some reason like antimagic actually affecting psionics too.

The reason is that Psionics in 5e are Magic. Crawford confirmed this on twitter, Psionic is a type of magic separate to Divine and Arcane Magic.

That make sense then

In older editions Psionics were not magic and those exact problems existed.

If Psionics are “magic” then things that affect magic work on Psionics Detect Magic and Antimagic Field for example. If Psionics counts as “spells” then Counterspell and Dispel Magic would also work.

Yo be clear, I have no problems with Psionics = Magic. I do have a problem with Psionics = Spells. Mind powers should not need magic words, magic gestures, or sympathetic material components to function. 

A Psionicist should be able to throw a fireball, but they should not have to “Cast” Fireball to do it.

PS- A Beholder’s anti-magic eye is “anti-magic” not “anti-spell.” 

So that just means we do need one or two dedicated casting classes for psionics, and a psionic half-caster.

Quote from Zoken44 >>

So that just means we do need one or two dedicated casting classes for psionics, and a psionic half-caster.

 1 Psion Class (NOT CASTERS) and some Subclasses for the other Classes (especially Fighter, Barbarian, Monk, and Rogue) should just about cover it.