Dungeons and Dragons 5e: Understanding the New Psionic Subclasses from Unearthed Arcana
Wizards of the Coast has recently released a new Unearthed Arcana detailing three new subclasses for fighter, rogue, and wizard which specialize in psionics. These subclasses provide a new way to play each of these classes as well as a new twist on psionics in general. These subclasses are still just in the playtesting phase, so it's up to the DM whether they will be available to their players or not, and as with all Unearthed Arcana, they will not be official until they appear in an officially published 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons book. So how do the Psionic Warrior, Soul Knife, and Psion compare to their former edition counterparts?
For those that don't know, psionics are a form of magic in which the psionicist's increased intellect and mental power allowed them to affect matter or reality. They may be able to use their mind to create a blade of force or enhance their own physical might. Psionics have been popular ever since their release in 3rd edition, striking the fancy of a particular niche in the Dungeons and Dragons community. The new subclasses introduced are choices that a player makes upon reaching third level that determine what their character specializes in. In this case, players now have the option to specialize in psionics.
The new Psychic Warrior is a subclass for the fighter, and it focuses on bolstering the fighters already impressive offensive and defensive capabilities with latent mental powers held inside the fighter. The Psionic Warrior gains many useful abilities right off the bat, like the ability to use a reaction to bolster their damage. The class also gains access to the Mage Hand cantrip and a ranged telekinetic strike capable of knocking foes off balance. Surprisingly, though, the Psionic Warrior's true potential is in the defensive manifestations of mind. The Psionic Warrior is capable of reducing damage taken by her or an ally, and can even create a telekinetic field which bolsters her allies' resistances and provides them cover from ranged attacks.
The Psychic Warrior from 3.5 edition was its own class, but the new 5th edition version still seems to be an upgrade. The old Psychic Warrior essentially had access to some Psionic powers (basically Psionic spells) that they could use instead of making attacks and had a base attack bonus (effectively 3.5 edition's method of measuring martial prowess and fighting capability) equal to that of a rogue. Although the new Psychic Warrior does not have access to Psionic powers, they are just as capable of a fighter as any and can still use their Psionic abilities in addition to making their normal attacks.
The Soulknife is by far the most stylistic of the Psions, and in this instance, takes the form of a Rogue subclass. The Soulknife's trademark is their ability to create tangible blades of psychic energy, capable of cutting both flesh and mind. In 5th edition, the manifested blade is effectively a short sword that can be thrown, a solid weapon for one of the Thief class. In addition to this psychic blade, the Soulknife is capable of affecting the minds of others, striking fear, turning invisible, and even making direct attacks against a person's psyche, the last of which deals major damage and leaves the target stunned.
By contrast, the Soulknife of 3.5 edition focused entirely on their psychic blade and is able to manifest a much more powerful one. Though the weapon starts out the same, leveling up grants it many bonuses, and the Soulknife also gets various features along the way the class even more deadly with it. The main difference between the two is that the 5th edition Soulknife gets all of the Rogue abilities, albeit at the cost of specialization in their conjured weapon. That said, Soulknife was considered one of the worst classes in 3.5 (basically fighters but worse), so a shift to a sneaky type makes a lot of sense for this class.
While the Psionic Warrior uses mental talents to bolster physical capabilities and the Soulknife uses Psionic mastery to create blades of energy, the Psion utilizes the purest form of psionics, focusing purely on intellect and tapping into the power it holds. The Psion is now a Wizard subclass, and therefore, has access to all the Wizard's abilities in addition to the ones presented here. The Psion is able to channel spells to greater effect through a Psionic focus, casting spells without the need for components. They even are capable of turning their own body into psychic energy and moving freely through creatures and objects while still casting spells. A new set of psionic-themed spells has been added to the list to aid players in making their Psion feel more appropriate.
The Psion in 3.5 edition, however, was its own class, and this comes with some benefits. Rather than using the Wizard spell list with a couple of additions, they had a complete set of psionic powers (different from spells) and a brand new spell casting system. This almost makes these two classes incomparable, despite sharing a name. If anything, the old Psion relates closer to the Unearthed Arcana's Mystic class, another attempt at psionics.
It is nice to finally see psionics being considered again in 5th edition, as it is something fans have wanted for a while. Of the three, the Soulknife seems to be the most aesthetically and mechanically pleasing, as it really adds something different to the fold. The Psychic Warrior, though its abilities are somewhat lacking, should provide players with another opportunity to create intellectual fighters, breaking the trope that fighters must be big and dumb. The decision to make Psion a Wizard subclass is quite strange, though it may make for some interesting Wizards at the table, and the new spells are available to almost all the spell-casting classes, meaning even bards and sorcerers can benefit from this update. Fans of these changes should be sure to let Wizards of the Coast know how these classes work out, so that someday these subclasses might be official.
As of now, players can bring these subclasses into their Dungeons & Dragons campaign—keeping in mind that none of it is official material yet.
Source: Wizards of the Coast
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