D&D 5E The Psionics Revisited 2020 UA Survey is up

[dave2008]

The link to the survey for the recent UA - Psionics Revisited can be found a just below the link for the new UA: Subclasses Revisited

Note: The very last question in the survey simple asks for additional comments. @Maxperson , this is where you can as for a full Psion class.

 

[badooga]

I wrote that I'm not a fan of the die mechanics, even if the individual powers are okay. I'd rather they be like the GOO warlock, where each power is just part of a normal subclass feature, without some extra "unifying" thing attached to it. I also said that I think the Soulknife should be a monk sub, and that the Psionic Soul should be reverted back to the Aberrant mind.

For the general feedback section, I said that we should get a psion class that is inspired by 4e psionics, where you have different augmentations that can be used to add new effects to an at-will power. I justified it by quoting the PHB (emphasis mine):

A spell is a discrete magical effect, a single shaping of the magical energies that suffuse the multiverse into a specific, limited expression. In casting a spell, a character carefully plucks at the invisible strands of raw magic suffusing the world, pins them in place in a particular pattern, sets them vibrating in a specific way, and then releases them to unleash the desired effect—in most cases, all in the span of seconds.

This makes it clear that spells can't really do the whole augmentation thing, which is where psionics can fill in the gaps. The most they can have is Metamagic, which simply bends multiple spells in the same way rather than adding new effects to them.

 

[dave2008]

I wrote that I'm not a fan of the die mechanics, even if the individual powers are okay.

I like the die mechanic, I just suggested they make the size change non-random.

I also suggested a Psion class, but not at the expense of the subclass and feat options.

 

[badooga]

I like the die mechanic, I just suggested they make the size change non-random.

I also suggested a Psion class, but not at the expense of the subclass and feat options.

Yeah, that's fair on the die thing. I do definitely agree on the feat and subclass options though. For the feats, I said that after other changes, they should remove access to Psionic/Wild Talent as a prerequisite, and that they should simply be available for any character. By letting any character take a psionic-themed feat, it would help to create the "everyone has access to psionics" fantasy they kept going on about.

 

[dave2008]

For the feats, I said that after other changes, they should remove access to Psionic/Wild Talent as a prerequisite, and that they should simply be available for any character. By letting any character take a psionic-themed feat, it would help to create the "everyone has access to psionics" fantasy they kept going on about.

Perhaps I am forgetting, but didn't one of the feats give you access to psionic/wild talents? I realize that makes it the dreaded "feat train," but I thought it made sense in this situation. You need to have the ability to use psionics (the base feat or a class feature), before you can have the option to enhance those abilities. Similar to fighter maneuvers really (though they haven't really built more feats off that chassis).

 

[Kinematics]

I can't connect with the survey site. Finally got a Cloudfront error. Will try again later (if they didn't already lock my IP as 'used').

 

[dave2008]

I can't connect with the survey site. Finally got a Cloudfront error. Will try again later (if they didn't already lock my IP as 'used').

Sorry to here that, good luck!

 

[badooga]

Perhaps I am forgetting, but didn't one of the feats give you access to psionic/wild talents? I realize that makes it the dreaded "feat train," but I thought it made sense in this situation. You need to have the ability to use psionics (the base feat or a class feature), before you can have the option to enhance those abilities. Similar to fighter maneuvers really (though they haven't really built more feats off that chassis).

Yes, the Wild Talent feat gives you access to the whole psionic die thing. It makes sense to have feats that hook into psionic powers just as many of the feats we have now hook into spellcasting, and for there to be a Wild Talent feat that is analogous to Magic Initiate, but ones like Telepathic where "You awaken the ability to mentally connect with others" shouldn't require you to already have psionic powers in the first place. It'd be cool to just be able to gain telepathic powers via a single feat that basically represents "background psionics".

 

[dave2008]

Yes, the Wild Talent feat gives you access to the whole psionic die thing. It makes sense to have feats that hook into psionic powers just as many of the feats we have now hook into spellcasting, and for there to be a Wild Talent feat that is analogous to Magic Initiate, but ones like Telepathic where "You awaken the ability to mentally connect with others" shouldn't require you to already have psionic powers in the first place. It'd be cool to just be able to gain telepathic powers via a single feat that basically represents "background psionics".

I don't remember the feats precisely, but the baseline wild talent feat is what I see as "background psionics." I personally would not want telepathic powers to be the background psionics that everyone has.

 

[Fenris447]

I'm heavily in favor of the feats as they are. That is, the various feats require either the Wild Talent feat or a Psionic subclass. My only change would be that psionic-bent races like Gith get variants that have Psi Dice built in, so that they don't have to take Wild Talent to get the other feats.