The Psion class has returned to Unearthed Arcana, reshaped by player feedback and ready for another playtest!
You can read the full playtest packet yourself or click below for highlights from the Psion and its subclasses, which include designer insights from Ben Petrisor.

The Updated Psion
Thanks to the massive amount of player response, we have been able to make substantial changes to the Psion. The majority of feedback on the class fell into three buckets: Psionic Energy Dice uses, Psionic Modes, and Spellcasting.
Following player feedback, we’ve made changes to the Psion to make their use of Psionic Energy Dice more flexible and easier to regain. Telepathic Propel and Telepathic Connection now allow you to use the feature, at least once, without expending Psionic Energy Dice; Psionic Restoration now restores all expended Psionic Energy Dice over a 1-minute meditation; Psionic Reserves is a new feature that allows you to regain uses of Psionic Energy Dice until you have four whenever you roll Initiative; finally, several Psionic Disciplines have been redesigned to allow you to either choose how many Psionic Energy Dice you expend or only expend the die on a success. These changes allow the Psion to have more uses of Psionic Energy Dice and be less reliant on resting.
Psionic Modes has been cut. The feedback showed that the feature added complexity to the class by being an additional limited-use feature to track and competing with other Bonus Action class and subclass features. Aspects of Psionic Modes that scored well, such as the modified options in the Psykinetic and the Telepath, have been adapted as new features.
Spellcasting now provides new cantrips at levels 4 and 10. In addition, the Psion’s spell list has gotten a huge update. The spell list now includes more spells, including updated versions of spells from previous books like Enemies Abound and Mental Prison. This UA also adds seven brand-new spells, adding to the Cleric, Psion, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard spell lists.
Metamorph
Recurring player feedback was wanting expended uses of Psionic Energy Dice to include a roll of that dice. An example is in the Metamorph’s Mutable Form (formerly Extend Limbs), which now rolls the Psionic Energy Die to gain Temporary Hit Points. Life-Bending Weapons has been redesigned so that the extra damage your Organic Weapons deal does not expend a use of Psionic Energy Die, unless you use the feature to also restore Hit Points to yourself and your allies.
Organic Weapons can now be maintained longer, letting players walk around town with their limb transformed into a Viscera Launcher.
Feedback called out concern for the Organic Weapons competing with magic weapons. If the Metamorph appears in a book, magic items that provide benefits to Organic Weapons will appear alongside it.
Psykinetic
The Psykinetic gains a new level 3 feature, Stronger Telekinesis, that allows Mage Hand to have a longer range, and the hand can carry up to 20 pounds. Telekinetic Techniques is a core feature for the subclass, so we redesigned it to be able to be used every turn; Players can now use Telekinetic Propel without expending a Psionic Energy Die, but you use a d4 instead of the scaling die.
Destructive Trance (formerly Empowered Attack Mode) no longer uses Psionic Modes and instead can be activated at the start of your turn.
Now that the Psion has access to more Psionic Energy Dice, Heightened Telekinesis still expends four Psionic Energy Dice, but it doesn’t expend a spell slot.
Telepath
Telepathic Connection has been redesigned to grant a greater base range of telepathy. This lets us play with features that use that telepathy range.
Telepathic Distraction, a new feature, lets you interfere with another creature’s attack roll if it is within range of your telepathy. Bulwark Mind (formerly known as Empowered Defense Mode), like Destructive Trance, has been redesigned to not use Psionic Modes.
Potent Thoughts now also increases the base range of your telepathy out to 60 feet.
Player feedback showed that Scramble Minds added too many die rolls to rounds of combat, potentially slowing play down significantly. We redesigned the feature so that you choose the creature’s behavior, reducing die rolls, keeping allies safe, and getting the desired outcome for enemies.
Your Feedback Matters
Once you’ve read or played with these playtest materials, be sure to fill out the survey on D&D Beyond, coming on October 9, and let us know what you think.
I don't like that psions are full on spellcasters, i feel like psions should have a completely different source of power that is unique to them.
Them having special way of utilizing their psionic dice is great, give us more of that.
Giving them an ability to cast certain spells is okay, but why are they fullcasters now? Whats the point of other spell casters if psions are able to do the same and even better and more because of their psionic dice. They should be either half casters with benefits of psionic dice or have their own richer thing!
Completely agree
Couldn't agree more
Literally, this verson of psions heve 0 identity, its just a sorcerer with a sprinkle of brain waves...
I stand with a thought that each class should have their own thing...
It would be the best if they gave them 20 unique psion only powers that they can choose from and modify them to their liking when cast based on the number of psionic dice used.
But then just make them half casters with more ways of changing a small amount of spells they can learn, why make them into just sorcerers but with brain powers
The 2nd edition version was great, especially with the addendum. It provided a great way to customize your Psionicist with a lot of flexibility. This new version is awful. Spellcaster...?!!! I currently use Grok and feed in the manuals and play a game with it ... and it does pretty damm good. Bring back the original.
https://publish.uwo.ca/~vince/DnD/Psionics/Psionics-MostlyCompleteBook.html
I know feedback's not open yet, but for adding spells, catapult really should be on the psion spell list.
Some of us remember the Mystic class. They tried separating psionics from spellcasting and it didn't work out at all. This is way better.
Two of the best spells in the game are back! Welcome back Horrid Wilting & Psychic Scream! The new spells look sick too.
A half caster would have more flavor though... They aren't many in the game.
Oh no... They want to add Blade Barrier to that spelllist... Can't we cleric people just... Have something nice to ourselves? I mean... Why? It's not even psionics related. Oh man...
So many problems averted if this was a half-caster
Yes. It's more reasonable for in-game mechanics to just create a psionics school of magic, though, and it should have its own mechanics and spells like all the other schools do, not just a ragtag collection of spells that could be psionic.
Yeah, that too... Could also work. This seems like a cope out to do the class as presented here, no offense to the devellopers. But it ain't great.
Remember spell points from the 2014 dmg if ya don't like your psion using slots make it use points instaed gives in that 2e/3.5 feel and its balanced so no vancian psions today i guess
I didn't like Psion being a spellcaster.
Since the psychic warrior and soulknive both have magic abilities similar to spells, but are not spellcasters in the traditional sense, I think the Psion should work similarly.
They can have access to some spells but not by using spell slots. Psionic disciplines should give then access to spells in the same way invocations give warlocks spells without using spell slots.
Another thing I did not like is the power level of the Psion's psionic dice power level and uses compared to the psi warrior figher and soulknive rogue subclasses.
Since rogue and fighter are the only two classes that can have direct access to both psionic power and spellcasting trough sublcasses, then those options should have the same power level and can be used as comparison.
The players handbook defines that Eldritch knight and arcane trickster subclasses are 1/3 spellcasters. Then, to maintain the power level, the psi warrior figher and soulknive rogue should have 1/3 of psionic power.
Full-casters have 2-4 spells prepared and 2 spell slots (1st-level only) at 1st level and 22-25 spells prepared and 22 spells slots (4 1st-level and 1 9th-level) at 20th level,
Half-casters have 2 spells prepared and 2 spell slots (1st-level only) at 1st level and 15 spells prepared and 15 spells slots (4 1st-level and 2 5th-level) at 20th level.
1/3-casters have 3 spells prepared and 2 spell slots (1st-level only) at 3d level and 13 spells prepared and 11 spel slots (4 1st-level and 1 4th-level) at 20th level.
Psi warriors have 3 psionic power options at 3d level and 6 at 20th level. Also, they have automatic improvements to one intial option at higher levels (telekinetic thrust), and one high-level option is equivalente of a 5th-level spell (telekinetic master), which can be used frequently at the cost of 1 psionic die and 1 magic action.
Soulknives have 2 psionic power options at 3rd level and 6 at 20th level. Also, they have two high-level options which are better versions of a 2th-level spell (Psychic Teleportation, which is an improved Misty Step spell; and Psychic Veil, which is an improved Invisibility spell), and can treated as 3rd- or 4th-level spells.
Since these psionic subclasses begin with 4d6 psionic dice (3rd level) and end up with 12d12 psionic dice (20th level), the Psion class should have 4d6 at 1st level (as it does currently) and at least 24d12 psionic die at 20th level (instead of the 12d12 dice it does have currently).
Also, the number of options for Psions to use psionic energy die use should be higher at 20th level, and the power level of one of those uses should be equivalent to a 9th-level spell, if usable no more than once per day, or at least 6th-level if usable more than once per day.
So the Psion should have at least 2 or 3 uses for psionic energy dice at 1st level (it has 2 currently) and more than 12 uses at 20th level (it has 8 currently, counting the 6 Psionic Disciplines it learns), not counting the extra features of the subclasses.
The telepath subclass grants extra 5 uses for psionic dice, while the psykinetic and psi warper grant 4 each and the metamorph 3. The most powerful of these extra uses are:
- Life-bending Weapons: similar to a combination of the effects of Mass Healing Word (3rd-level spell), but with less range, and Inflict Wounds (1st-level level spell), but with less damage and no saving throw to halve damage, and automatic activates when an attack hits, which places it as a 4th or 5th-level spell, costing 1 dice and no action.
- Mass Teleportation: similar but with less range and more targets than Dimension Door (4th-level spell), similar but with less range and targets than Teleport (7th-level spell), but can't affect objects and can affect unwilling targets, which places it as an 6th or 7th-level spell, costing 4 dice and a Magic action
- Heightened Telekinesis: similar to Telekinesis (5th-level spell), but can affect Gargantuan instead of Huge targets and doesn't requiere Concentration for the same duration, which places it as 6th or 7th-level spell, costing 4 dice and a Magic action.
- Scramble Minds: similar to Confusion (4th-level spell), but with 30-feet sphere area instead of 10-feet sphere and roll twice to detemine affected tagets actions on their turns, which places it as an 6th or 7th-level spell, costing 4 dice and a Magic action.
Thanks all the gods it's only spells plus enhancements.
Nevertheless, a saving throw modifying Psion kind of invalidates any mind magic using wizard, warlock or sorcerer.
Also Telepaths' tend to break games and campaigns. always did and always will.