The Psion
Weathering the onslaught of a powerfully built bandit, a lean elf carefully blocks blow after frenzied blow, then picks a moment to counter with an unnaturally powerful attack of his own. The last thing the bandit feels as the elf's blade cuts across it's chest is a sharp, blinding pain lancing through it's mind. As it lays twitching in the dirt, the elf grimly turns to face another bandit.
A human woman and her rakish male companion walk down a dark alley and approach a door, guarded by a Goliath. As they move to walk past the guard he stops them with a hand on the man’s chest, and asks for the password. After a long pause the guard’s hand on the man’s chest tightens, grasping the man’s shirt in his fist. The man worriedly looks over to the woman, who, staring intently at the guard, utters one word, firmly and confidently. The guard releases his grip, and with some disappointment steps aside.
An orc sees a dwarf conjure a flame into its hands and throw it forward through the air, landing in a line across the ground and erupting into a long wall of fire, consuming a number of his shrieking compatriots and splitting his fighting group in half. He rushes forward and swings his axe hard and true, knocking the dwarf back and cutting a large gash into its chest. The dwarf, unphased, steadies himself and faces the orc, the conflagration still ablaze. With a gesture of the dwarf's hand, the orc is hurled through the air and into the flames.
These psions are the quintessential manipulators of psionic power. Psions unleash the potential locked within every conscious mind: applying force with just a thought, controlling, concentrating, and magnifying the elemental energies around them, and invading the minds of other creatures, affecting their thoughts, feelings, and actions.
An Other Kind of Power
Only the most wisened of psions, be it through self discovery or formal education, know that psionic power is born through the exposure of their resident plane to the Far Realms. They are divided, however, in their beliefs on the nature of that birth. Some believe that the ultimate source of psionic power lies within the Far Realms, while others believe that it’s a native power emergent in response to the Far Realms’ threats.
All users of the power, however, recognize the otherness of their abilities. Whereas arcane and divine magicians learn to sculpt and control power drawn from a source greater than themselves, psions strive through a combination of innate talent, practiced skill, and pure dedication of will to draw forth and wield a power that seems to spring from within themselves.
While many of the manifestations of this source of power do not differ discernibly from those of arcane or divine origin, some do. Psions tend to be capable of subverting a creature’s conventional defenses entirely, making vulnerable or assaulting directly the creature’s very core: their mind, their thoughts, their will, their senses, their emotions. Some psions are even able, with great focus, to wield their abilities with
little or no outward indication of doing so.
The natural response to these abilities, especially in places where their occurrences are rare, is often times a reactionary fear, revulsion, and hatred.
The Weirding Way
Psionic power is rare and emerges unpredictably, first manifesting at any age and at any scale of strength. The wellspring of psionic power lies within the self, it's flow directed by mere thought, and individuals who find themselves suddenly bestowed with psionic abilities often initially lack the discipline of thought to keep their powers contained and under control. The consequences can be disastrous, as unintended as they may be.
The hostile responses from individuals and communities exposed to psionic power can be a harrowing experience for those who wield it, and they oftentimes spark a determined survivalist streak in those who live through them. How that streak comes out in their behavior differs from psion to psion. Some devote themselves to hiding their abilities from others and practice them only covertly, while some do their best to disguise their powers as arcane or divine in origin. Some refuse to use them altogether. These psions are able to live relatively normal lives in all walks, though they carry with them the constant fear of discovery.
Other psions, however, choose another path: one of self actualization, of seeking the realization of their full potential. They don’t want to live fearfully within a society that rejects them, and they don’t need to. Practicing with their powers constantly, gaining refined control, deepening their understanding and strength, pushing their endurance to new lengths, testing themselves against ever greater challenges: these psions are adventurers.
Creating a Psion
The most important aspect to consider when making a psion is how the otherness of their powers has affected their lives. How do they regard their own powers? How have their powers affected their relationships with the people closest to them? What was their life like before their powers emerged, and how was their life changed by their emergence?
Another thing to keep in mind is which abilities first manifested themselves for the psion, and whether or not their associated disciplines will encourage them to choose a thematic psionic aptitude.
Quick build
First, Intelligence should be your highest ability score, followed by Strength or Dexterity, and Constitution. Then choose the Cloistered Scholar background.
Class Features
As a psion, you gain the following class features
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per psion level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
The Psion
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | Disciplines Known | Spells Known | Psi Points | Spell Level Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Psionics, Psychic Combat | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1st |
| 2nd | +2 | Overdraw, Aberrant Aptitude | 2 | 4 | 4 | 1st |
| 3rd | +2 | Mind Over Matter | 3 | 5 | 6 | 2nd |
| 4th | +2 | ASI | 3 | 6 | 6 | 2nd |
| 5th | +3 | - | 4 | 7 | 10 | 3rd |
| 6th | +3 | Aberrant Aptitude Feature | 4 | 8 | 10 | 3rd |
| 7th | +3 | Resilience of Mind | 4 | 9 | 12 | 4th |
| 8th | +3 | ASI | 5 | 10 | 12 | 4th |
| 9th | +4 | Stillness of Mind | 5 | 11 | 14 | 5th |
| 10th | +4 | Aberrant Aptitude Feature | 5 | 12 | 14 | 5th |
| 11th | +4 | Discipline Mastery (6th) | 6 | 12 | 18 | 5th |
| 12th | +4 | ASI | 6 | 13 | 18 | 5th |
| 13th | +5 | Discipline Mastery (7th) | 6 | 13 | 20 | 5th |
| 14th | +5 | Aberrant Aptitude Feature | 6 | 14 | 20 | 5th |
| 15th | +5 | Discipline Mastery (8th) | 6 | 14 | 22 | 5th |
| 16th | +5 | ASI | 6 | 15 | 22 | 5th |
| 17th | +6 | Discipline Mastery (9th) | 6 | 15 | 26 | 5th |
| 18th | +6 | Aberrant Aptitude Feature | 6 | 16 | 26 | 5th |
| 19th | +6 | ASI | 6 | 16 | 26 | 5th |
| 20th | +6 | Perfection of Mind | 6 | 16 | 26 | 5th |
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per psion level after 1st
Proficiencies
Armor: Light armor
Weapons: Simple weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Intelligence, Wisdom
Skills: Two of your choice
Psionics
Psionic Disciplines
A psionic discipline is a set of conceptual exercises or mental practices that allow a psion to control, focus, and shape psionic power toward a directed end. Beginning by pulling on a single emergent thread of ability, a psion may in time find themselves unraveling the potential of powers only previously imagined.
At 1st level, you know two psionic disciplines of your choice. Each discipline consists of an emergent ability and a spell list. When you learn a discipline you gain it’s emergent ability, and may choose spells from it’s spell list when you
learn new spells.
The Disciplines Known column of the Psion table shows the total number of disciplines you know at each level; when that number goes up for you, you learn a new discipline.
Psi Points
You have a pool of mental strength represented by psi points. The number of psi points you have is based on your psion level, as shown in the Psi Points column of the Psion table. The number shown for your level is your psi point maximum. Your psi point total returns to its maximum when you finish a long or short rest. The number of psi points you have can’t go below 0 or over your maximum.
Manifest Mind
You can spend your psi points to cast a psion spell that you know. The number of points you must spend to do so depends on the level of the spell, as noted in the table below. Unless otherwise noted, the spell you cast cannot exceed your maximum spell level as noted on the Psion character table. Spells cast in this way do not require material components, except for those that have a cost indicated in the spell's description.
Psi Point Cost For Spells
| Spell Level | Psi Point Cost |
|---|---|
| Cantrip | 0 pts |
| 1st | 2 pts |
| 2nd | 3 pts |
| 3rd | 5 pts |
| 4th | 6 pts |
| 5th | 7 pts |
| 6th | 9 pts |
| 7th | 10 pts |
| 8th | 11 pts |
| 9th | 13 pts |
Spellcasting Ability
Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your psion spells. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a psion spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell Save DC
Spell attack modifier
Learning Spells of 1st Level and Higher
Each discipline has its own spell list. You know three 1st-level spells of your choice from the spell lists of the disciplines you know. Any spell you learn from a discipline’s spell list is a psion spell for you.
The Spells Known column of the Psion table shows when you learn more psion spells. When the number goes up for you, you learn a new spell. Each spell you learn must be chosen from the spell lists of the disciplines you know, and it must be of a level no greater than your spell level maximum (as noted in the Psion class table). For instance, when you reach 3rd level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.
Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the psion spells you know and replace it with another spell from the spell lists of the disciplines you know. That spell must also must be of a level no greater than your maximum spell level.
Psychic Combat
Beginning at 1st level, through disciplined practice you learn how to wield the power of your will in martial combat: to attack both mind and body; to repel blows and disregard
physical pain.
Bonus Cantrip
You learn the Psionic Blast cantrip.
Combined Attack
When you make an attack roll against a creature that you are targeting with a weapon attack or with a cantrip, you can use a bonus action to simultaneously assault it's mind. When you do so, the creature must succeed on an Intelligence saving throw vs your psion spell save DC or take 1d4 psychic damage.
This damage increases by 1d4 when you reach 5th level in this class, and again by another 1d4 when you reach 11th and 17th level.
Unarmored Defense
While you are not wearing any armor, your AC equals 10 + your Constitution modifier + your Intelligence modifier.
Overdraw
Starting at 2nd level, when you would otherwise be capable of casting a spell with your Manifest Mind ability but do not have enough psi points to do so, you can instead lose all of your remaining psi points, gain one level of exhaustion, and cast the spell without paying it’s psi point cost. Once you use this ability you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.
Aberrant Aptitude
At 2nd level you begin to express a defining talent, which is represented by an aberrant aptitude of your choice: X, Y, or Z.
Your aberrant aptitude gives you features when you choose it at 2nd level, and additional features at 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level.
Mind Over Matter
Beginning at 3rd level, your mental discipline allows you to maintain focus even in the face of bodily harm. When you make a Constitution saving throw to maintain your concentration as a result of taking damage, you may use your reaction to add your Intelligence modifier to the result. Once you use this ability you cannot use it again until you complete a long or short rest.
Ability Score Increase
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Resilience of Mind
Beginning at 7th level, you have resistance to psychic damage.
Stillness of Mind
Starting at 9th level, you can use your action to end one effect on yourself that is causing you to be charmed or frightened.
Discipline Mastery (6th Level)
At 11th level, your dedicated exploration of psionic energy and focused techniques culminates in a discipline mastery. Choose any spell of 6th level or lower from the spell list of a discipline you know. That spell is a discipline mastery for you.
You can use your Manifest Mind ability once to cast either a discipline mastery or another psion spell you know at 6th level. If the spell you cast is a discipline mastery then you can cast it without paying it's psi point cost. You must finish a long rest before you can do so again.
Discipline Mastery (7th Level)
At 13th level, your dedicated exploration of psionic energy and focused techniques culminates in a discipline mastery. Choose any spell of 7th level or lower from the spell list of a discipline you know. That spell is a discipline mastery for you.
You can use your Manifest Mind ability once to cast either a discipline mastery or another psion spell you know at 7th level. If the spell you cast is a discipline mastery then you can cast it without paying it's psi point cost. You must finish a long rest before you can do so again.
Discipline Mastery (8th Level)
At 15th level, your dedicated exploration of psionic energy and focused techniques culminates in a discipline mastery. Choose any spell of 8th level or lower from the spell list of a discipline you know. That spell is a discipline mastery for you.
You can use your Manifest Mind ability once to cast either a discipline mastery or another psion spell you know at 8th level. If the spell you cast is a discipline mastery then you can cast it without paying it's psi point cost. You must finish a long rest before you can do so again.
Discipline Mastery (9th Level)
At 17th level, your dedicated exploration of psionic energy and focused techniques culminates in a discipline mastery. Choose any spell of 9th level or lower from the spell list of a discipline you know. That spell is a discipline mastery for you.
You can use your Manifest Mind ability once to cast either a discipline mastery or another psion spell you know at 9th level. If the spell you cast is a discipline mastery then you can cast it without paying it's psi point cost. You must finish a long rest before you can do so again.
Perfection of Mind
At 20th level, your mastery of psionic power reaches it's pinnacle. Your physical form is infused with the psionic energy of your mind. You gain the following benefits:
- You are immune to poisons and non-magical disease.
- You no longer age.
- Your Intelligence score increases by 4, up to a maximum of 24.
- When you roll initiative and your psi point total is less than 7, it becomes 7.
Aberrant Aptitudes
As a psion's abilities grow and mature a particular aptitude emerges. Whether through directed study and practice or through innate, natural talent, they develop a greater gift with one form of psionics over all others.
*All Aberrant Aptitudes are currently excluded from this document for brevity.
Disciplines
* Indicates a new spell, listed at the end of this document
Electrokinesis
You can conjure, concentrate, and control electrical energies, bending them to your will and wielding them like weapons within your immediate vicinity.
Emergent Ability
You learn the Produce Spark cantrip.
Spell List
Thunderwave (lvl 1)
Witch Bolt (lvl 1)
Hungry Lightning (lvl 2)*
Shatter (lvl 2)
Lightning bolt (lvl 3)
Thunder Step (lvl 3)
Storm Sphere (lvl 4)
Wall of Thunder (lvl 4)*
Thunder Clap (lvl 5)*
Chain Lightning (lvl 6)
Storm of Vengeance (lvl 9)
Empathy
You are sensitive to the emotional states of the creatures around you, and capable of altering them to your own liking.
Emergent Ability:
You learn the Friends cantrip.
Spell List
Cause Fear (lvl 1)
Charm Person (lvl 1)
Share Pain (lvl 1)*
Tasha’s Hideous Laughter (lvl 1)
Calm Emotions (lvl 2)
Crown of Madness (lvl 2)
Fear (lvl 3)
Enemies abound (lvl 3)
Confusion (lvl 4)
Charm Monster (lvl 4)
World of Horror (lvl 5)*
Eyebite (lvl 6)
Power Word: Pain (lvl 7)
Antipathy/Sympathy (lvl 8)
Hydrokinesis
You can conjure, concentrate, and control water, bending it to your will and wielding it like weapons within your immediate vicinity.
Emergent Ability
You learn the Produce Frost cantrip.
Spell List
Create or Destroy Water (lvl 1)
Ice Knife (lvl 1)
Ice Sheet (Lvl 1)*
Snilloc’s Snowball Swarm (lvl 2)
Water Whip (Lvl 2)*
Tidal Wave (lvl 3)
Wall of Water (lvl 3)
Water Walk (lvl 3)
Watery sphere (lvl 4)
Control Water (lvl 4)
Cone of Cold (lvl 5)
Maelstrom (lvl 5)
Ottiluke’s Freezing Sphere (lvl 6)
Wall of Ice (lvl 6)
Tsunami (lvl 8)
Mind Control
You are capable of invading the minds of other creatures, altering their mental states and compelling their actions to conform to your own will.
Emergent Ability
You learn the Minor Compulsion cantrip.
Spell List
Command (lvl 1)
Daze (lvl 1)*
Second Thought* (lvl 1)
Sleep (lvl 1)
Enthrall (lvl 2)
Hold Person (lvl 2)
Suggestion (lvl 2)
Broken Will (lvl 3)*
Hypnotic Pattern (lvl 3)
Compulsion (lvl 4)
Dominate Beast (lvl 4)
Dominate Person (lvl 5)
Geas (lvl 5)
Mass Suggestion (lvl 6)
Otto’s Irresistible Dance (lvl 6)
Dominate Monster (lvl 8)
Take Body (lvl 9)*
Nomadic Step
You can see interdimensional thresholds that, crossed with a mere step, can move a creature incredible distances in the blink of an eye.
Emergent Ability
You learn the Minor Step cantrip.
Spell List
Defensive Step (lvl 1)*
There and Back Again (lvl 1)*
Misty Step (lvl 2)
Rope Trick (lvl 2)
Transposition (lvl 2)*
Baleful Transposition (lvl 3)*
Dimension Door (lvl 4)
Far Step (lvl 5)
Scatter (lvl 6)
Teleport (lvl 7)
Etherealness (lvl 7)
Precognition
You have a tingling sense for what is about to happen, and can bend your slight foresight into powerful advantages.
Emergent Ability
You cannot be surprised.
Spell List
Precognitive Sight (lvl 1)*
Augury (lvl 2)
Counterspell (lvl 3)
Victory Before Battle (lvl 5)*
Foresight (lvl 9)
Psychic Assault
You are capable of weaponizing your psionic abilities, aiming them towards your opponents with the intent to do harm.
Emergent Ability
You learn the Psychic Lance cantrip.
Spell List
Poison Mind (lvl 1)*
Psionic Blast (lvl 1)*
Psychic Sap (lvl 1)*
Ego Whip (lvl 2)*
Shadow Blade (lvl 2)*
Psychic Crush (lvl 3)*
Destroy Mind (lvl 3)*
Flay Mind (lvl 4)*
Mind Blast (lvl 4)*
Synaptic Static (lvl 5)
Psychic Scream (lvl 9)
Psychokinesis
You have a supernatural read on the senses of by nearby creatures, and can subtly alter them in ways that deeply change their perceptions of the reality around them.
Emergent Ability
You learn the Minor Image cantrip.
Spell List
Disguise Self (lvl 1)
Illusory Script (lvl 1)
Silent image (lvl 1)
Mirror Image (lvl 2)
Blindness/Deafness (lvl 2)
Phantasmal Force (lvl 2)
Major image (lvl 3)
Visions of Disgust (lvl 3)*
Hallucinatory Terrain (lvl 4)
Phantasmal Killer (lvl 4)
Mislead (lvl 5)
Seeming (lvl 5)
Mental Prison (lvl 6)
Project Image (lvl 7)
Illusory Dragon (lvl 8)
Weird (lvl 9)
Pyrokinesis
You can conjure, concentrate, and control flames, bending them to your will and wielding them like weapons within your immediate vicinity.
Emergent Ability
You learn the Produce Flame cantrip.
Spell List
Burning hands (lvl 1)
Hellish Rebuke (lvl 1)
Flaming sphere (lvl 2)
Scorching ray (lvl 2)
Pyrotechnics (lvl 2)
Fireball (lvl 3)
Melf's Minute Meteors (lvl 3)
Wall of Fire (lvl 4)
Flame Strike (lvl 5)
Immolation (lvl 5)
Investiture of Flame (lvl 6)
Fire Storm (lvl 7)
Incendiary Cloud (lvl 8)
Telekinesis
You are capable of acting with physical force on the world around you using nothing but the strength of your mind.
Emergent Ability
You learn the Mage Hand cantrip. When you cast the spell, the hand is invisible.
Spell List
Catapult (lvl 1)
Counterpose (lvl 1)*
Featherfall (lvl 1)
Push (lvl 1)*
Grasp (lvl 2)
Levitate (lvl 2)
Leomund’s Tiny Hut (lvl 3)
Slow (lvl 3)
Otiluke’s Resilient Sphere (lvl 4)
Telekinetic Armor (lvl 4)*
Hold monster (lvl 5)
Animate Objects (lvl 5)
Telekinesis (lvl 5)
Disintegrate (lvl 6)
Force Cage (lvl 7)
Reverse Gravity (lvl 7)
Telepathy
You can touch, probe, and penetrate the minds of other beings.
Emergent Ability
You are able to communicate back and forth telepathically with any creature you can see within 60 feet of you, but you can only do so with one creature at a time. You don’t need to share a language with the creature for you to understand each others telepathic messages, but the creature must be
able to understand at least one language or be telepathic itself.
Spell List
Dissonant Whispers (lvl 1)
Distract (lvl 1)*
Find Memory (lvl 1)*
Speak with Animals (lvl 1)
Detect Thoughts (lvl 2)
Share Thoughts (lvl 2)*
Zone of Truth (lvl 2)
Nondetection (lvl 3)
Sending (lvl 3)
Speak with Plants (lvl 3)
Modify Memory (lvl 5)
Rary’s Telepathic Bond (lvl 5)
Scrying (lvl 5)
Feeblemind (lvl 8)
Power Word: Stun (lvl 8)
Power Word: Kill (lvl 9)
New Spells
*One new spell is listed here because it is directly mentioned above. All others are currently excluded from this document for brevity.
Psionic Blast
Cantrip Evocation
- Casting Time: Action
- Range: 90 ft
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instantaneous
You make a ranged spell attack against one creature or object you can see within range, assaulting it with an invisible thrust of force. On a hit, the target takes 1d10 force damage.
This spell's damage increases by 1d10 when you reach 5th level (2d10), 11th level (3d10), and 17th level (4d10).