Segev
2019-06-11, 10:15 AM
This was originally posted in response to somebody's request for help making "a psychic," but I feel like it needs some critique and refinement, so I'm bringing it here for people to examine for flaws and suggest improvements. (Especially to the Power Points, which are meant to allow conversion back and forth between spell slots near-freely, but which might be too powerful if I missed anything.)
The psionic origin has its roots in aberrations in your past, whether you're somehow descended from an illithid, or are an intellect devourer who "went native" in your stolen host and don't even remember your wicked origins, or were influenced by growing up too close to the dreams of an aboleth, or simply have a powerful mind and ego that flexes itself upon the world.
Psionic
Your sorcerer spellcasting is Psionic, and needs no components. You cannot learn sorcerer spells which have expensive material components, except for find familiar. When casting any sorcerer spell, you have a highly-visible manifestation of your psionic power, whether it be glowing eyes, an aura of light around your body, minor telekinetic effects lifting your hair and loose articles upwards as if in an invisible wind, or similar cosmetic but obvious effects which shed light like a candle for the duration of the casting.
If you cast find familiar, the 100 gp component is a gem, which you imbue with a portion of your own mind to turn it into a psicrystal. It grows ectoplasmic legs and uses the statistics of a spider, though it has the Construct type and an Intelligence of 6. It otherwise functions as a normal familiar granted by the spell. You also gain the option to cast find familiar (if you know it) from a higher level spell slot with a more expensive gem. If you do, you may learn sorcerer spells which require expensive material components up to the level of spell used to create your psicrystal, and up to the value of the gem used in the casting of this spell. You will use your psicrystal as the material component for such spells; this can result in its destruction if the spell consumes the materials.
Psionic Power Points
At 6th level, when you convert a Sorcerer spell slot into Sorcery Points, you also gain a number of Psionic Power Points equal to the difference between the number of Sorcery Points you obtain and the number it would cost to create a spell slot of that level. Psionic Power Points do not count against your Sorcery Point maximum (and you may store as many of them as you have sorcerer levels), but you end every Short and Long Rest with 0 of them. Psionic Power Points behave like Sorcery Points and can be spent along side them for metamagic and creation of spell slots. However, any metamagic or spell slot even partially paid for with Psionic Power Points must be augmenting a Sorcerer spell cast from a Sorcerer spell slot (never Pact Magic or a spell learned from any other source). Additionally, any spell slot created by even partially spending Psionic Power Points must be spent immediately on a Sorcerer Spell; as such, the creation of the spell slot becomes part of the casting action, rather than a separate bonus action, when even partially paid for by Psionic Power Points.
Psionic Power Points may also increase a purchased spell slot beyond 5th by spending 2 for every additional level, up to a maximum of a 9th level spell slot (for 15 SP+PP). At least one Psionic Power Point must be spent on any purchased spell slot over 5th level.
You cannot spend more SP + PP on any spell level purchased than your Sorcerer level, and you cannot create a spell slot you would not otherwise have from your Sorcerer level (e.g. you cannot create ninth level spell slots before level 17).
Psicrystal Manifestation
At 14th level, you gain the ability to use the projected fragment of your mind in your psicrystal as the originator of your spells, as long as it is within one mile of you. Both you and your psicrystal must spend the required action to cast the spell, and both of you have the display of psionic might. Both of you must act in the same round, and the spell takes effect at the end of the latter of the two actions (if you do not act on the same initiative, simultaneously). When you do, the spell is cast with all of your statistics, using up your spell slots, psionic power points, and/or sorcery points and calculating all values based on your normal ones, but your psicrystal is the originator and may make any associated actions at the time of the spell's completion (if, for instance, it enables and requires a touch attack). Your psicrystal also maintains any Concentration for that spell, and the spell is interrupted if your psicrystal's Concentration is interrupted.
Mental Renewal
At 18th level, when you roll one or more of your hit dice to regain hit points during a Short Rest, you may choose instead to dedicate those hit dice to your Psionic Power Points. When your short rest is over, your Psionic Power Points are set to the number you rolled, rather than zero. Any which exceed your total allowed may become Sorcery Points, instead.
The psionic origin has its roots in aberrations in your past, whether you're somehow descended from an illithid, or are an intellect devourer who "went native" in your stolen host and don't even remember your wicked origins, or were influenced by growing up too close to the dreams of an aboleth, or simply have a powerful mind and ego that flexes itself upon the world.
Psionic
Your sorcerer spellcasting is Psionic, and needs no components. You cannot learn sorcerer spells which have expensive material components, except for find familiar. When casting any sorcerer spell, you have a highly-visible manifestation of your psionic power, whether it be glowing eyes, an aura of light around your body, minor telekinetic effects lifting your hair and loose articles upwards as if in an invisible wind, or similar cosmetic but obvious effects which shed light like a candle for the duration of the casting.
If you cast find familiar, the 100 gp component is a gem, which you imbue with a portion of your own mind to turn it into a psicrystal. It grows ectoplasmic legs and uses the statistics of a spider, though it has the Construct type and an Intelligence of 6. It otherwise functions as a normal familiar granted by the spell. You also gain the option to cast find familiar (if you know it) from a higher level spell slot with a more expensive gem. If you do, you may learn sorcerer spells which require expensive material components up to the level of spell used to create your psicrystal, and up to the value of the gem used in the casting of this spell. You will use your psicrystal as the material component for such spells; this can result in its destruction if the spell consumes the materials.
Psionic Power Points
At 6th level, when you convert a Sorcerer spell slot into Sorcery Points, you also gain a number of Psionic Power Points equal to the difference between the number of Sorcery Points you obtain and the number it would cost to create a spell slot of that level. Psionic Power Points do not count against your Sorcery Point maximum (and you may store as many of them as you have sorcerer levels), but you end every Short and Long Rest with 0 of them. Psionic Power Points behave like Sorcery Points and can be spent along side them for metamagic and creation of spell slots. However, any metamagic or spell slot even partially paid for with Psionic Power Points must be augmenting a Sorcerer spell cast from a Sorcerer spell slot (never Pact Magic or a spell learned from any other source). Additionally, any spell slot created by even partially spending Psionic Power Points must be spent immediately on a Sorcerer Spell; as such, the creation of the spell slot becomes part of the casting action, rather than a separate bonus action, when even partially paid for by Psionic Power Points.
Psionic Power Points may also increase a purchased spell slot beyond 5th by spending 2 for every additional level, up to a maximum of a 9th level spell slot (for 15 SP+PP). At least one Psionic Power Point must be spent on any purchased spell slot over 5th level.
You cannot spend more SP + PP on any spell level purchased than your Sorcerer level, and you cannot create a spell slot you would not otherwise have from your Sorcerer level (e.g. you cannot create ninth level spell slots before level 17).
Psicrystal Manifestation
At 14th level, you gain the ability to use the projected fragment of your mind in your psicrystal as the originator of your spells, as long as it is within one mile of you. Both you and your psicrystal must spend the required action to cast the spell, and both of you have the display of psionic might. Both of you must act in the same round, and the spell takes effect at the end of the latter of the two actions (if you do not act on the same initiative, simultaneously). When you do, the spell is cast with all of your statistics, using up your spell slots, psionic power points, and/or sorcery points and calculating all values based on your normal ones, but your psicrystal is the originator and may make any associated actions at the time of the spell's completion (if, for instance, it enables and requires a touch attack). Your psicrystal also maintains any Concentration for that spell, and the spell is interrupted if your psicrystal's Concentration is interrupted.
Mental Renewal
At 18th level, when you roll one or more of your hit dice to regain hit points during a Short Rest, you may choose instead to dedicate those hit dice to your Psionic Power Points. When your short rest is over, your Psionic Power Points are set to the number you rolled, rather than zero. Any which exceed your total allowed may become Sorcery Points, instead.