MCDM had already created two classes (The Illriger and The Beastheart) and decided to create possibly the last MCDM class before putting all their efforts into their own RPG. Talents and Psionics are something MCDM has been promising since the company’s inception. One can only assume that it took so long to release them in order to ensure they created new mechanics for spell-like powers. They needed to be different enough to feel special and unique, but at the same time not OP or disappointing.
Due to the complexity and length of the document, we divide this analysis into three parts.
Psionics and Talents | Talents Psionics Specializations | Powers, Items, etc.
Psionics and Talents
First, can I just stop for a second and talk about that cover? It’s so awesome! It has that superhero team attack movie vibe, with a good ol’ fashioned mini chart on the side, featuring all the superheroes. I was surprised to see that the character on the cover wasn’t the same one that appeared on the PDF covers for the other classes, or the one on the cover of Flee, Mortals (Flee, Mortals review coming soon!). But then I noticed that the female Goliath-like character from D&D is the same one that MCDM showed a few days ago in their new RPG Pillar archetype/class. So maybe the character on the cover is a preview of the character that will appear in the new RPG. I wouldn’t be surprised.
Powers
Powers are like spells, but unlike spells, they have their own unique mechanics: powers have levels (here called “orders” – thanks for changing that awful name!), they have a casting time, they may require a saving throw from the target, some powers require concentration (though you can focus on more than one power at a time), and they have a limit to the number of times you can cast them per rest.
“Order”, instead of spell level, indicates how powerful the power is; that is, you can only cast higher order powers if you are a higher level. Order 1 powers work the same as cantrips, as there is no limit on how many you can cast per day; however, you can gain stress from them, just like higher order powers.
You start with two secondary powers and four primary powers. As you gain levels, you can learn more primary powers, similar to cantrips. For higher powers, you can gain one new power per level, but this can only come from the higher power or lower available. Additionally, just like wizards can learn new spells, talents can try to learn new powers by watching others cast them. There’s even a mechanic for how long it takes to decipher how the powers you see work, which I thought was pretty cool.
distortion
Tension is probably what distinguishes talents from regular wizards in D&D5e. To be honest, this tension system is what I like most about how magic is handled. It’s dramatic to be able to cast huge spells and then die in the process, and in my campaign several NPCs did this even though it’s mechanically impossible. I really hope MCDM treats regular magic this way in the new system.
So, tension is what a character gets from using a power. By activating a power, the character can either become more powerful or accumulate tension and weaken the PC. This is similar to how characters like Eleven from Stranger Things, or Xavier and Jean Grey, get nosebleeds and headaches when they use their power too much. The more powerful a character is, the higher their maximum tension is, and therefore the more resistant they are to tension. When a character reaches maximum tension while activating a power, they can choose to activate the power and die, or drop to 0 HP. I love this test-of-luck mechanic mixed with dramatic decisions. If I were to design this, I would tinker with that mechanic a bit more, allowing the character to activate a power that they normally can’t activate, sacrificing themselves in the process, but I haven’t read all the subclasses in detail, so I’m not sure yet if I can find something like that somewhere, or if it was tested and removed after playtesting.
When a character accumulates stress, they can decide whether to stress their mind, body, or soul. I’ve seen this kind of game where the player chooses where to accumulate damage, stress, etc., and I always think it’s a great design. In this case, the more stress each has, the greater the impact on the character, as well as the fatigue level. For example, if you get mental stress three times, you can’t perform dash, disengage, or dodge actions, and you lose proficiency in all skills until you rest. Short rests can be used to remove stress with hit dice. This is another mechanic I love.
Manifestation Die
Along with powers and strains, the manifestation die is what makes the talent so unique. As your character levels up, so does your manifestation die. Ranging from d4 to d8, this die is responsible for whether you gain a strain or not. Every time you cast a power of the secondary or higher, you have to roll the die and try to get a higher number than your manifestation score. Your manifestation score is basically a number you get depending on how many powers you are concentrating on at the same time. This allows players to focus on many powers at the risk of rapidly gaining strain. You can also get a manifestation score higher than the maximum of your manifestation die, meaning you can always gain a strain. You just have to hold on to that power for a little longer.
It turns out that subclasses (or psionic specializations as we’re calling them here) also have a bit to do with manifestation dice, and I’ll explain that in more detail in the next article.
Talent Feature
1. Psionic Power. You can use your power as a talent. 2. Tension to maintain. If you fail a concentration check, you gain tension. 2. Psionic Specialization. You can choose from the following subclasses: Chronopath, Metamorph, Pyrokinetic, Rezopath, Telekinetic, or Telepath. 3. Psionic Essence. Similar to the sorcerer’s metamagic option, you gain one psionic essence at levels 3, 7, 11, and 15. These are things you can add to the effects of your powers, like launching enemies into the air, charming creatures you hit for a minute, increasing your power damage, making them attack more people at once, making enemies fear you, and so on. Most of them involve gaining tension in exchange. I think these psionic essences are great to further the talent theme. If you want all your talents to be telekinesis, you can have your attacks keep enemies at bay. If your character is focused on mind control, you can charm enemies when using another power. 4. Ability Score Improved. I don’t think I need to explain this one. 5. 3rd Order Powers. As you level up, you get access to 3rd Order Powers. 6. Psionic Specialization Feature. From Psionic Specialization (Subclass) 7. Psychic Boost. Similar to the fighter’s Second Wind, which gives you hit points as a bonus action, but this one is used to remove stress. You can use it twice per long rest at level 12, and three times at level 17. At this point in leveling up, this will prove very useful, since your stress max isn’t high yet. 8. Ability Score Improved. I don’t think I need to explain this one (again). 9. 4th Order Powers. As you level up, you get access to 4th Order Powers. 10. Psionic Specialization Feature. From Psionic Specialization (Subclass) 11. Psionic Bastion. Resists charm and fright, and can’t be put to sleep by magic. I generally dislike immunity, but I think it makes perfect sense for the talent to be immune to these conditions at this level. However, this does hinder the ability to create a story where the talent becomes enchanted and unstable, and later becomes one of the most powerful and destructive forces in the universe. It’s a bit of a shame that the Dark Phoenix storyline can’t be mechanically present. At the same time, we can also assume that Jean Grey was low-level when it happened. 12. Ability Score Improvements. I don’t think I need to explain this (again)(again). 13. 5th Order Powers. As you level up, you gain access to 5th Order Powers. 14. Psionic Specialization Features. From the Psionic Specialization (Subclass) 16. Ability Score Improvements. I don’t think I need to explain this (again)(again)(again). 17. 6th Order Powers. As you level up, you gain access to 6th Order Powers. 18. Shielded Mind. You get advantage on Wisdom, Intelligence, and Charisma saving throws, and you’re immune to spells that allow you to gain something from your mind or essence. Thematically, I really like how this ability makes you feel like you have an impenetrable mind. It makes total sense at this level. 19. Ability Score Improvement. I don’t think I need to explain this one again. 20. Ignore Stress. When you finish a long rest, you can choose your mind, body, or soul. All stress effects from it are ignored. That means you get 8 stress threshold before stress effects start to kick in on the section you didn’t choose. Nice. You have a really strong mind. I’m not sure if this is a cool level 20 ability, but I can see it making your character seem a lot more powerful, considering it lets you focus even more power at once.
Well, that’s all for now, stay tuned next time when we’ll cover Psionic Specializations!
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