Fear of Psionics and its Impact over 5 Editions in D&D

[Lucas Yew]

An idea I had for 5e psionics was to retool V/S/M components.

Vibrant (V)
Most disciplines release psychic vibes that even untrained minds can notice. Creatures near the psionic disciple (typically close enough to be involved in combat) get a sudden sense of alertness, for example recoiling or turning around as if something had crept up on them. At the DM's discretion, creatures wholly unfamiliar with psionics might chalk the experience up to their imagination, or develop vague suspicions against the disciple if they are aware of the character's presence. By default, all nearby creatures become aware of the disciple's position.

Somatized (S)
A discipline can induce a momentary change in the disciple's appearance. Levitating hair or conspicuous veins are commonly associated with psionics. If the disciple is lightly or heavily obscured, a somatized component does not call this obscurement into question (the disciple's eyes might become one solid color, but they will not glow in the dark).

Manifest (M)
Some disciplines must manifest as a construct of light before they can produce any other effect. The most common manifestation is a halo around the disciple's head, sometimes composed of runes or fractal patterns (and here, yes, the character's eyes might glow). Whatever form the discipline takes, the disciple sheds bright light in a 5-foot radius.

All these are classic ways to signal an active psion to the audience, both in general fiction and in D&D art (Or was it just 4e? Anyway, I liked it). More importantly, this would solve the problem of psionics devaluating the Subtle Spell feature of the sorcerer.

Hmm, that's quite an opposite approach to PF1's take on Psychic Magic. It focuses on how to "detect" psionics usage, while PF1's Thought and Emotion components are there to mostly define how to "disrupt" castings.

[anthon]

Hmm, that's quite an opposite approach to PF1's take on Psychic Magic. It focuses on how to "detect" psionics usage, while PF1's Thought and Emotion components are there to mostly define how to "disrupt" castings.

yeah one of the things that makes most psionics scary is the lack of components.

making a new triple component option definitely creates a variant of magic, but it also unecessarily robs the whole class of its mystique at the same time it makes the noticeable psionic powers less special.

Certainly some psionic powers are so amped up they become visible. That's usually a bad thing.

meanwhile, if someone is sitting there doing mantras and in lotus position, or grasping a crystal necklace,

or worse, grasping a a crystal necklace that's glowing while their hair goes all anti gravity -

with psionics these have meaning. What meaning you might ask?
the mantra/lotus/crystal stuff means the psychic is weak. They are using crutches or delving into higher level psionic stuff before they are ready.

but when stuff starts glowing, when audible buzzing happens, when their eyes start glowing and their hair starts flowing like water and the little pebbles start falling up instead of down, that's some DBZ shiz. its a bad portent with meaning.

Identical meaning to creatures with Legendary and Lair abilities like "Regional Effects".

I've always believed psionics is better presented as dragons/aberrations and less like "hello, my name is Harry Geller, where's Spoon Bending 101?" magical school.

if you watch scanners or firestarter you get the idea. They are a fear radiating being. Even in Akira this was true.

Switch over to that old David Lynch movie being remade this year, Dune. "My name is a killing word" says Moadib. He yells at a dude and he explodes - sure, that's scary. Like a breath weapon. But what's really creepy is the prophecies surrounding him. How beings lightyears away are terrified and having visions.

There is a mystique about Psionicists.


And there's a sort of Secret Spy fear about their lack of components. That they could be among us, doing horrible things. Manipulating states or killing indiscriminately. The whole village or nation would be terrified and suspicious. But this is all before any visuals happen.

When actual visuals happen, it's even worse. Dudes lifting off the ground and having their necks snapped like rag dolls. Even other supernatural beings BTFOing.

What about Wizards?

9/10 times when a Wizard is portrayed as scary, its because that wizard is using Psionic tropes.
torching people with pyrokinesis, reading their minds and erasing their memories, levitating in cool matrix like camera angles, causing heavy objects to lift, etc. The magneto tropes.

A Pure mage should probably be summoning something or casting elaborate pentacle spells or using mighty magic items. But im telling you flat out, 9/10 times when they flex, they use the Psionics Playbook.