The Psionicist

The The Psionicist is a stranger, even in lands they love. A person with unusual, mysterious, and poorly understood powers. Unlike the Mage or the Priest, the Psionicist's powers come from within. A spark of something greater, or something older, trapped in the labyrinth of the mind. With chance and happenstance one might touch that spark. But with dedication, training, and skill the Psionicist tends that spark, that ember, into a roiling inferno of power.

But the touch of that inferno has it's own perils. And some fall to strang Madness. Bewar the Psionicist, my friends, for their ways are not our own! Embrace the Psionicist, my friends. For their ways or not our own!

Mental Power

Psionicists tap into psionic powers that do not function as magic or spellcraft. Such powers are not subject to Antimagic Fields, Dead Magic Areas, or the Counterspell. Similarly, these effects do not tend to have verbal, somatic, or material components by default, though some Psionicists may use gestures, words, or items to focus their mind on a task, but it is by no means required.

Instead, Psionic attacks are usually very subtle to the eyes and the ears. Distortions in the air often precede a telekinetic attack, while telepathic contact can often be heard as a soft din of whispers overlapping each other. Consider giving your character a unique manifestation tied to their powers, such as words or symbols appearing on their skin, glowing eyes as they manifest a power, or something similar.

Scholarly Interest

The greatest sources of knowledge on Psionics are almost invariably deeply taboo. Tomes which discuss eldritch beings, ancient scrolls of meditative states, and the writings of madmen carved into cave walls or human flesh.

Thus most young Psionicists struggle with a lack of available insight into the properties of their own mind, and spend their time trying to catalogue different aspects of their powers through journals, diaries, and extensive notebooks cataloguing the divergent powers of their own minds.

Understanding and Outrage

Telepathy is a strange thing. In connecting minds together it often provides a unique insight into the ways that people think. In the source of ideas. But it bears with it a great stigma among those who are not well versed in matters of the mind. To peer into the mind of another is often seen as the most intimate of trespasses. And those who have a great deal to hide often lash out.

In most societies there aren't a great deal of laws relating to Psionicists. But laws normally applied to arcanists are often stretched to cover "Mind Mages" as psionicists are often called.

Adventuring Mentalists

Psionicists largely take to the roads and darkened places of the world for the same reasons any other adventurer does. An urge to do good, a lust for power, the need for wealth, or a desire for vengeance of some act or another. But they also turn to these places in the hopes of gaining greater understanding of themselves, of their mysterious powers.

Whether that understanding is through use, through seeking information, or some combination of the two, it results in growing power.

Consider your character's life up to the point of adventure. Have they written about their experiences? Sought friends or mentors? Or have they hidden their strange powers from others. What is the source of your -particular- psionic spark? Are you simply a mortal touching upon the vast hidden potential of your people, or is there some external source which put that spark there...?

Consider, also, Psionic monsters. The Illithid crave brains. Wouldn't yours be a -delectable- treat?

Class Features

As a Psionicist, you gain the following class features

Hit Points

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• Hit Dice: 1d8 per psionicist level
• Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
• Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per psionicist level after 1st

Proficiencies

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• Armor: Light armor
• Weapons: Simple Weapons
• Languages: One Regional or Racial Language of your choice

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• Saving Throws: Intelligence, Wisdom
• Skills: Insight, Persuasion, Deception. Choose two from Arcana, Athletics, Investigation, Religion, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth.

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a weapon and Leather Armor or (b) two weapons
• (a) 20 ammunition and a Light Crossbow or Shortbow or (b) any simple weapon

Mindstrike

All Psionicists gain the ability to perform a simple Mind Strike. As an action, the Psionicist chooses a target within 90ft and forces them to make an Intelligence Saving Throw. On a failed save, the target takes 1d10 Force damage. On a Successful save the target takes half damage.

At level 5, the Psionicist may choose two targets, or cause the first target to take 2d10 damage. This increase is applied again at levels 10 to 3d10 and 15 to 4d10.

Some Order Abilities or Psionic Quanta can directly modify your Mindtrike or change the way that it is used.

Psionics

Your studies and efforts have lead you to unlock the innate power trapped within a mortal mind, a rare feat, this grants you the ability to directly alter reality through manifesting psionic force rather than spellcraft.

Talents

You know three Talents of your choice from the Psionic Talents list. You gain access to additional Talents as you gain Psionicist levels, as shown on the Psionicist table. Each talent has specific rules on how it interacts with your Psionic Dice. You may use a Talent as many times as you like between long rests, but may only empower them with a Psionic Die so long as you have one or more available.

Psionic Dice

You gain a Psionic Die at level 1. At certain levels your Psionic Die will change size, and you will eventually gain access to multiple Psionic Dice, as shown on the Psionicist Table. You may only apply one Psionic Die to a given Talent or Psionic Quanta that requires their use.

Changing Psionic Dice

Whenever a Psionic Quanta tells you to Expend a Psionic Die, reduce the chosen die's size by one step. A d8 becomes a d6 for example. Whenever you roll a Psionic Die as part of Manifesting a Talent, you reduce the size of the die if you roll the maximum value on the die (6 on a d6, for example). If you roll a 1 on the Psionic Die you instead increase it by one step, up to it's current maximum. If Manifesting a Talent causes you to roll both a 1 and the maximum size of your Psionic Die, you do not change the size of your die.

Losing Psionic Dice

If your Psionic Dice is currently a d4 and you roll a 4, or Expend the dice to power a Psionic Quanta, you lose access to that Psionic Dice and cannot use it until you have recovered it through a long rest or other ability. Some Psionic Quanta may require that you Sacrifice a Psionic Die. You lose access to that die until you recover it through normal means.

Recovering Psionic Dice

Whenever you take a Long Rest your Psionic Dice return to their default values as shown on the Psionicist table.

Psionic Order

At first level you may choose a Psionic Order. Each Psionic order provides you with a benefit at level 1, and also gives you access to additional abilities at levels 3, 6, 9, 13, and 15. The Psionic Orders, and their abilities, are listed after the primary class information.

Telepathy

As a Psionicist, you can make telepathic contact with another character within 60ft of you, so long as the target is willing. Both you and the target can communicate freely through this psionic link, so long as you share a language. You can also share memories, or images, with a target. This allows for some rudimentary communication with targets you do not share a language with.

Psionic Quanta

Psionic Quanta are a form of mental trick that can alter how you interact with reality. Many, but not all, provide enhanced abilities if you are willing to Expend, or Sacrifice, a Psionic Die. You gain two Psionic Quanta at level 2, and additional Psionic Quanta at the levels indicated on the Psionicist Table.

When you gain a level, you may choose one Psionic Quanta that you know and choose to forget it, immediately gaining a new Psionic Quanta of your choice, so long as you meet any prerequisites.

Psychometry

At 5th level, your touch grants you supernatural insights. By touching or handling an object or person you can attempt to learn an important detail about the target's history. Such details might be where an item was created, the last person the target kissed, or some event within the last week which the object or person was present for.

More significant events leave a psychically active mark lasting months, years, or even centuries. Such as murders, massive magical events, or the presence of powerful entities.

You can use this ability a number of times equal to your intelligence modifier, and recover all uses on a long rest.

Mental Shroud

At 7th level your ability to shroud your own mind against others. You gain Resistance to Psionic and Force damage, are immune to Fear and Charm effects, and your thoughts can no longer be read against your will.

Meditation

At 10th level you gain the ability to recover your Psionic Dice through Meditation. When you take a short rest you may restore a lost Psionic Die as a d4 or increase the size of one of your Psionic Dice by 2 sizes, up to it's current maximum.

Psionic Awakening

At 20th level, your psionic power has reached it's apex, and your mind is fully empowered. By Sacrificing one of your Psionic Die, you may enter a state of heightened awareness for one minute. While in this heightened state, you can apply the Sacrificed Psionic Die to any Ability Check or Attack roll you make during the duration. As a Reaction during this state, you may apply the Psionic Die to your Armor Class or Saving Throws if you are targeted by a spell or attack.

When this state ends, you automatically recover the sacrificed dice as a d4.

Psionic Orders

Three Psionic Orders are presented here. Each Psionic order grants a series of powers that a Psionicist otherwise does not have access to.

The Order of the Chiurgeon

The Order of the Psychic Warrior

The Order of the Shaper

The Order of the Chiurgeon

Psychic Chiurgeons are mentalists who focus on the body, their own and others. Through careful use of telekinetic force a Chiurgeon can perform Surgery. Through careful use of Telepathy, they can assure their patient feels no pain. And through a combination of the two, they can repair or alter a living body for various purposes.

Order Training: Chiurgery

You gain access to the Chiurgery Talent, described below, in addition to any other talents you possess. Only Psychic Chiurgeons can gain access to this Talent.

Chiurgery

(Talent)

Manifesting Time 1 Action

Range 15ft

Duration Instantaneous

By reaching out with your mind you stabilize your target.

Psionic Dice Use

When you use a Psionic Dice with the Chiurgery Talent, the talent provides healing equal to your Intelligence Modifier. This healing is increased by your level, adding an additional amount of healing equal to your Intelligence Modifier at levels 5, 10, and 15.

If you use a d6 or higher while manifesting this power it increases the healing by 1d6 per Intelligence Modifier.

If you use a d8 while manifesting this power, it also removes 1 exhaustion, disease, or poison.

Order Training: Medical Knowledge

As a Psychic Chiurgeon, you have a wealth of knowledge about anatomy and biology. You gain Proficiency in the Medicine skill, and add double your proficiency modifier due to your particular expertise.

Adaptive Chiurgery

At 3rd level, you gain the ability to alter your own body and the bodies of others in unique ways through a short surgical intervention. Doing so takes 1 action. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your intelligence modifier (Minimum 1) and recover expended uses of this ability on a short or long rest. By expending a Psionic Die you can apply two of these effects at once with only one use of the ability.

You can alter yourself or another willing target within 15ft in one of the following ways:

Amphibean Conversion

By causing your target to grow gills, and gain slightly water-permeable skin, you allow them to breathe both air and water for up to 10 minutes.

Aquatic Modification

By adding webbing to your target's hands and feet, you grant them a swim speed equal to their movement rate. This benefit lasts for 10 minutes.

Brachiating Alteration

With minor changes to your target's hands, and a slight elongation of the arms, you grant your target a climb speed equal to their movement rate. This also allows them to climb across, or hang from, ceilings and tree branches. This benefit lasts for 10 minutes.

Environmental Adaptation

Your target may ignore the effects of Extreme Heat and Cold for 8 hours thanks to small scales or fur that you cause them to grow.

Crepuscular Reshaping

A slight increase to the size of your target's eyes and expansion and reshaping of their ears grants them advantage to perception checks for 8 hours.

Battle Adaptation

At 6th level, you gain an improvement to your Adaptive Chiurgery which allows you to modify a target's body in a more aggressive manner. You also gain an additional use of your Adaptive Chiurgery per short or long rest. All of these adaptations last for 1 minute.

The Battle Adaptations are:

Combat Claws

Your target grows long, sharp, and deadly claws. They gain an unarmed attack which deals 1d10 slashing or piercing damage. These claws are treated as light finesse weapons.

Elemental Adaptation

By drawing metals from the target's body to the surface you create elemental channels for different energy forms. The target becomes Resistant to Fire, Cold, Lightning, Thunder, or Acid damage, you make this choice when you first apply this adaptation.

Hardened Plates

Whether through growing scales or thickening the target's skin, you increase their AC by 1, if they are wearing armor, or give them Unarmored Defense equal to 10+Dex+Con.

Striking Tail

Extending the spine a short distance, and increasing both it's muscle density and flexibility, you give your target a tail. This tail has a striking surface that deals either 1d8 Bludgeoning damage, plus strength modifier, or 1d6 Poison damage, plus constitution modifier. You make this choice when you grant the target a tail. In either case, the tail can be used to make a special Bonus Action attack. This is considered an unarmed attack.

Regenerative Impetus

At 9th level you gain the ability to restore your allies' reserves. So long as you are within 30ft of them, you can expend one of your Psionic Dice to grant your allies a total number of Hit Dice equal to the die's maximum value. You can divide these hit dice in any way you choose, so long as the added hit dice do not exceed the target's maximum number of hit dice.

These hit dice may be used immediately.

Maladaptive Alteration

At 13th level your Chiurgical ability has advanced to the point that you can now apply your Adaptive Chiurgery to unwilling targets, and gain a series of maladaptive alterations that you can apply to any target. In addition, the range of your Chirgery increases to 60ft, and you gain an additional number of uses equal to your Proficiency Modifier. If you attempt to adapt an unwilling target they can make an intelligence saving throw against your Psionic Manifestation DC (8+Proficiency+Intelligence Modifier).

Each of the following effects last for 1 minute, or until the target succeeds at an Intelligence saving throw made at the end of their turn.

Aquatic Abnormality

By modifying the target's legs into a serpentine tail you grant your target a swim speed of 50ft. Unfortunately this effect also reduces their walking movement rate to 5ft by forcing them to crawl along the ground.

Elemental Fragility

Thinning your target's skin, reducing it's fur density, or weakening it's scales, you cause the target to gain Vulnerability to Fire, Cold, Lightning, Thunder, or Acid damage. You make your choice when you apply this effect.

Extraneous Hair

You cause the target's hair to grow, explosively, out of control. Initially this effect causes your target disadvantage on attack rolls and skill checks unless they use a free hand to hold their hair out of their way.

Seal Orifice

By causing the target's skin to grow and connect across orifices, you can severely debilitate your target. Choose between eyes, ears, and mouth. The target is blinded, deafened, or silenced based upon your choice. A target with a weapon which deals slashing damage can deal 1d6 damage to themself to negate this penalty once per round, but the wound will close, again, at the end of their tur

Emergency Chiurgery

At 15th level you can dive deeply into the minds of those around you and inspire great acts of healing. As an action sacrifice one of your Psionic Dice and choose a number of targets within 90ft equal to 1/2 that dice's maximum (d4 is 2, d10 is 5). Those targets may immediately spend Hit Dice and recover Abilities as if they had just taken a Short Rest.

The Order of the Psychic Warrior

Psychic Warriors are mentalists who combine the power of the mind with physical aptitude to great effect. With telekinetic shielding and psionically empowered strikes, the Psychic Warrior finds new uses for the Psionicist's Mind Strike to deadly effect.

Thought Shield

While wearing No Armor, the Psionic Warrior has a base AC of 10+Dex+Int. While wearing Light armor, you may use your Intelligence modifier in place of Dexterity when determining your armored AC

In addition, you gain proficiency in Constitution Saving Throws.

Psionic Weaponry

As a special use of your Mind Strike ability you may form two bladelike structures of telekinetic force called Mind Blades, or empower a physical weapon with telepathic strength called Psionic Investment. You can use both options interchangeably, even wielding a Psionic Weapon in one hand and a Mind Blade in the other.

Psionic Quanta which modify your Mind Strike ability also apply to your Psionic Weaponry.

Mind Blades

Your Mind Blades function as a melee weapon that you are proficient in, each dealing 1d6 points of Force damage. They are considered light finesse weapons with a throwing range of 20/60. Activating or dismissing your Mind Blades requires no action. No other creature can wield your Mind Blades. You can dual-wield Mind Blades as you would any other weapon.

Psionic Investment

Your Psionic Investment allows you to spend one action to empower a weapon you are holding, which becomes your Psionic Weapon, and this investment remains until you choose to invest your power in another weapon. You become proficient with your psionic weapon and may use your Intelligence Modifier in place of Strength or Dexterity to attack and damage rolls with it.

Psionic Smiting

At 3rd level you gain the ability to telekinetically or telepathically smite your foes while wielding your Psionic Weaponry. Activating Psionic Smiting requires a Bonus Action and lasts for 1 minute. You have a number of uses of Psionic Smiting equal to your Intelligence Modifier and recover expended uses on a long rest.

Mind Blades

Activating your Psionic Smiting while wielding your Mind Blades increases the telekinetic force you wield. Increase the damage of your Mind Blades by your intelligence modifier.

Psionic Investment

Activating your Psionic Smiting while wielding your Psionic Weapon increases the telepathic power you wield. While you are Smiting, you may roll your highest current Psionic Die and add it to your Psionic Weapon's damage as Psychic Damage.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 6th Level, you can Attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on Your Turn.

Intellect Fortress

At 9th level your defensive prowess increases, significantly, and you gain the following benefits.

As a reaction to being attacked you can expend a Psionic Die and roll it to increase your armor class by the rolled value until the end of your next turn.

As a reaction to rolling a saving throw you can expend a Psionic Die and roll it to increase your saving throw total by the amount rolled.

As a reaction to being critically hit you can sacrifice a Psionic Die to make the attack into a normal hit.

Focused Assault

At 13th level your ability to focus your psionic power into the edge of a blade increases. Each successful hit with your Mind Blades or Psionic Weapon deals an extra 1d8 Psychic damage.

Psychic Shockwave

At 15th level you unlock the ability to create a maelstrom of psychic force through your weapons. When you activate this ability, only one of the two following options occurs. Using Psychic Shockwave requires an Action and can only be used once per long rest.

Mind Blades

Honing your emotions into the edge of your Psionic Weapon you lash out with a burst of movement and danger. As part of the Psychic Shockwave you teleport up to 30 feet in a direction of your choosing, including straight up, to an unoccupied square. This creates a Line effect 15ft wide starting in the square you left and targeting the square you ended your teleport in. All targets within the line's area must make an Intelligence Save or take damage as though you had struck them, twice, with your Mind Blade, including any Psionic Smiting if you have that effect active.

Psionic Investment

Slashing through the air itself you create a series of psionic arcs which hover in mid-air for a moment before exploding outwards. As an action, roll a single attack roll and compare it to the AC of all enemies within 15feet. Any target that your attack would hit takes damage as they were struck by two of your melee attacks with your Psionic Weapon, including any Psionic Smiting if you have that effect active.

Shockwave Areas

The Mindblade Shockwave hits an area containing up to 88 squares. It deals 2d6+2d8 and adds both your Strength -or- Dexterity and your Intelligence modifier each twice.

The Psionic Weapon only hits 32 squares, but could deal up to 4d6+2d8+2d10 plus twice your intelligence modifier.

So there's definitely a tradeoff between area to consider, but the damage values should be very similar.

The Order of the Shaper

Shapers are Metacreative psionicists. Manipulating thoughts into forms, drawing psychopomps and other hypnofauna into the real world, or even giving form to the dreams and nightmares of others. These are the tools of the Shaper.

Psychopomp

Whether you created a psychopomp from a dream state or met one in dreams or near-death, you have attained the ability to give your Psychopomp a manifest form in reality. In it's true form, a Psychopomp is a small and vaguely hominid translucent shape of mist or smoke. Possessing of arms and a fairly well defined head, the rest is only a vague impression of shape. A Psychopomp generally takes on the form of a tiny common animal, though typically with a single unusual feature. Such as a cat with two tails, or a raven with three eyes.

A Psychopomp acts on your initiative and can move as you direct it once per turn. You can command your Psychopomp to use an object or make a Telekinetic Strike as a Bonus Action. Otherwise it takes no actions in combat.

If you fall in battle, the Psychopomp will move to your space and use it's Guiding Force to provide advantage on death saves, and use it's action to defend you and itself until you either recover or die.

Should your Psychopomp die, you can undergo a ritual during your next long rest to recover your Psychopomp, but until you do, you have disadvantage to ability checks.

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Psychopomp

Tiny construct

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• Armor Class 12+Proficiency
• Hit Points 8 Twice your level
• Speed Fly 35ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
6 (-2)	12 (+1)	14 (+2)	16 (+1)	12 (+1)	14 (+2)

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• Condition Immunities Poisoned, Restrained
• Senses passive Perception 13
• Languages Common

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Diffuse. Area of Effect spells and effects deal half damage to a Psychopomp.

Guiding Force. If a Psychopomp shares a space with a dying creature it can impose advantage or disadvantage on the creature's Death Saving Throws.

Seeming. The Psychopomp can change between it's true form and the shape of a tiny, strange, animal as an action.

Actions

Telekinetic Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 15ft., one target. Hit 3 (1d4 + 1 Force)

Telekinetic Strike

As a Shaper, your Mindstrike gains a new form. While you can still force your target(s) to make Intelligence Saving Throws you can choose, instead, to make a ranged spell attack to deal your Mindstrike damage to your target(s).

Nyctomorph

At 3rd level you are now capable of manifesting false-people into reality. These shadow-forms can appear as humanoids, quadrupeds, tentacles, clouds of insects, or myriad other potential threats. Regardless of their appearance they are Medium Sized and each take up 1 square.

Summoning the Nyctomorphs is an action. Choose five squares within 50ft of your current position, which need not be on the ground. Each of those squares becomes occupied by a Nyctomorph.

Nyctomorphs cannot move, and do not take orders or even a turn of their own. However they will take Reactions to make Opportunity Attacks on creatures you designate. Treat such attacks as melee spell attacks using your proficiency and intelligence modifiers and dealing damage equal to your current highest Psi Dice.

You can manifest your Nyctomorphs a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus per long rest.

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Nyctomorph

Medium construct

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• Armor Class 10+Proficiency
• Hit Points Your level in Hit Points
• Speed 0ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
10 (+0)	10 (+0)	10 (+0)	0 (+0)	10 (+0)	0 (+0)

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• Condition Immunities None
• Senses Darkvision 60ft
• Languages None

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Diffuse. Area of Effect spells and effects deal half damage to a Nyctomorph.

Actions

Unarmed Strike Melee Weapon Attack: reach 5ft., one target.

Telekinetic Barrage

At 6th level you gain the ability to center your Mindstrike ability on your Psychopomp or a Nyctomorph. When you do so, all targets within 5 feet of your Psychopomp or Nyctomorph must make an Intelligence Save or take the damage you have directed toward your target. Your Psychopomp takes no damage from this effect, but a Nyctomorph takes half damage. On a successful save, the target takes half damage.

Because you can split your Mindstrike across multiple targets, you can use this ability to target multiple valid targets to create multiple areas of effect.

Improved Manifestations

At level 9 your manifested creations are more real than ever before. Your Nyctomorphs and Psychopomp add your current highest Psionic Die to their damage and the Psychopomp now has three times your level in hit points.

Hypnofauna

At 13th level you are able to breathe dreams into life. Your Nyctomorphs now exude an aura of Dreams or Nightmares. Any creature which begins it's turn adjacent to one of your Nyctomorphs must make a Wisdom Saving throw against either Fascination or Fear, your choice when the saving throw is made.

If the target fails their saving throw against a Fascination effect they find themselves distracted, and unable to move away from the Nyctomorph who appears, to them and to you, as a dreamlike figure from their fondest fantasy. Any attack they make against the Nyctomorph is made with disadvantage.

If your target fails their saving throw against a Fear effect, they must immediately move away from the Nyctomorph by the fastest means available.

Each time a creature who has failed this saving throw begins their turn next to one of your Nyctomorphs they gain advantage on their next saving throw against these effects.

If a target succeeds on their saving throw, they are immune to the Hypnofauna effect for 24 hours.