Psion/Nomad in 5e

The final conversion for getting my Patfinder/Midgard campaign moved over to 5e is finding some way to implement the Psion class, as presented in Dreamscarred Press' "Ultimate Psionics" (a great product, but very Pathfinder-y).

In this case, the player has specialized as a "Nomad" (teleportation, I mean "psychoportation" specialist), and in keeping with my "just get this working" ethic, here is how I'm handling his character. It's going to be a work in progress, and the player is willing (and eager) to work with me to get the feel right over the first few sessions.

First off, Psions are analogous to Wizards. They improve their powers through careful study and have "specialist schools".

I had already decided to use "Psionics as another flavor of Magic" in the PF version of this campaign. Simply put, "magic" derives from three sources - arcane (powered by the structure of the material plane, by way of ley lines, and wielded through ritual and pattern), divine (powered by the collective belief of trillions of souls, both alive and post-alive, and wielded through emotion), and psionic (powered by the creative energies of the astral "Sea of Possibilities", and wielded through mental discipline).

But for practical purposes, I'm using the "Point System" magic from the DMG, and adding "Nomad" as a school of magic with the following properties:

At 1st level, you gain "Psionic Focus", which is similar to "Concentration". It takes one action to become focused, and if you ever fail a Concentration check, you lose focus as well. While focused, you can "cast" cantrips at no point cost (Normally they cost 1 point), and can manifest any special abilities. Your Intelligence is your casting attribute.

At 2nd Level, you gain "Nomad's Step" - while focused, you can use your action to teleport within line of sight up to 15 feet away, +5 feet for each level above 2nd. You also gain "Catfall" as an always prepared Cantrip. (Catfall is a single-person Feather Fall limited to 20' + 10' per power point spent.) Note, replaces  "Arcane Tradition" - not sure about gaining extra Feather Fall, but that seems to be a decent way to simulate the Nomad's growing control over space and time.

At 6th Level, you gain "Inconstant Position" - use your reaction to give any attack a 50% chance to miss you. You may use this power up to 1+(level-8)*2 times after a long rest.

I'll wing it from there.

I'm "reskinning" some of the spells to sound more "psionic-y", but the game effects will be the same.

I'm leaving Arcane Recovery in, though I need to work out how many points you can recover. It'll probably be something like "regain your caster level in points".

Lastly - since "Psionics" is another form of magic, it's treated as magic for any detection or resistance checks.

There are a lot of holes in this system, such as how many "spells" does a Psion get, and can they collect them like Wizards, or are they "hard coded" like a Sorcerer? Though "Sorcerer" matches the original vibe of "psionics is stuff you know how to do", I like the Psion class as an explorer of the Psionic arts, and though having to prepare a limited number of spells is possibly goofy in this case, I think it will work fine for play balance.

Tengu, D&D 5e Style

Similar to my previous Catfolk post, another of my players is playing one of the "Ravenfolk", also known as Tengu, Huginn, or Heruti.

So here is the Racial Template I plan to use for Tengu. It is based off of Kobold Press's "Advanced Races 5 - Ravenfolk" book by Wade Rockett, which is released under the OGL. (The Open Content of his product includes new feats, spells, magic items, gear and player character race abilities, the last of which is what I am using for inspiration.)

Note: this edit includes numerous suggestions from James Ray, Benjamin Eastman and others I don't mean to slight by not remembering.

Tengu/Ravenfolk Traits

• Ability Score Increase: You are fast and highly observant. Your Dexterity increases by +2 and your Wisdom by +1.
• Age: Tengu leave the nest at 12 years of age and can live to over 100 years.
• Alignment: Tengu favor no particular alignment, and are as diverse in outlook as Humans.
• Size: Tengu are medium sized creatures. They stand roughly 5 feet tall and due to their hollow bones, weigh roughly 100 pounds.
• Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
• Keenly Observant: You have innate proficiency in Perception.
• Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 60 feet as if you were in bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light.
• Natural Weapon: Bite (1d4 Piercing)
• Languages: You can speak, read and write both Common and Feather Tongue

In the original text, Tengu also had proficiency in all sword-like weapons, due to their cultural upbringing, but I think that in 5e, that might be better left to a Background, so I have not included it. Likewise, though "gifted linguist" is part of their back story, I'm not sure how best to represent that in 5e. Maybe they take much less time learning a language than normal?

Also, I'm balancing the original race's high Dex/Wis by making them naturally proficient in Perception. I considered the suggestion to drop Perception in favor of Stealth, but Dex+2 and Stealth sort of shoe-horns them into Rogues. Also, in my view of Ravenfolk, making them fast (Dex+2) but keenly observant (Wis+1, Perception) fits them better.

The Children of Odin see all....

Catfolk, D&D 5e Style

I'm planning to switch my home "Pirates of Pathfinder" game over to 5e. My players in that campaign are largely disinterested in the sophisticated character building and combat options of Pathfinder, and I think 5e would be a better fit for them. Plus, I'm all excited about 5e these days. :)

However, one of my players likes to play Catfolk. Those aren't represented in 5e yet.

Here is how I intend to port the OGL Pathfinder Catfolk player race to 5e. Please see the link above for fluff details, I'm going to stick pretty close to mechanics here, though with an attempt to make it "read" like 5e.

Catfolk Traits

As a Catfolk, you are a natural explorer and trailblazer, curious and brave by nature. Your people are known to be generous and loyal to their family and friends, and catfolk are friendly with any people who offers goodwill.

• Ability Score Increase: You are likable and agile. Your Dexterity increases by +2 and your Charisma by +1.
• Age: Catfolk reach adulthood at 15 years of age.
• Alignment: Catfolk are generally Good, with the majority tending towards Chaotic.
• Size: Catfolk range from 5 to 6 feet tall, with female Catfolk tending to be 5" shorter than males on average. Catfolk are medium.
• Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
• Sprinter: You gain an extra +10 feet of movement when you Dash.
• Natural Hunter: You have an innate proficiency in Survival and Stealth skills. You are also proficient in the use of your claws (1d4 Slashing) for melee.
• Cat's Luck: You may claim Advantage on one Dexterity Saving Throw. This ability recharges after a long rest.
• Darkvision: Accustomed to nighttime hunting, you can see in dim light within 60 feet as if you were in bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light.
• Languages: You can speak, read and write both Common and Catfolk.

I'm not doing anything with Subraces for the moment, though the SRD Catfolk gives plenty of room for adapting the various racial feats and such.

I'm also considering a different take on Cat's Luck, which is mostly inspired by how my player keeps trying to use it. Instead of claiming Advantage (which mimics the OSR version), I might allow a re-roll, keeping the second value.

Next, I'll try adapting the Huginn or Tengu "Ravenfolk".

Notes: Thanks to Sean Bircher for his suggestions.

Just got my D&D 5e Player's Handbook!

Yesterday evening, my 5e PHB arrived from Amazon. Here are a few very brief impressions.

I haven't had a chance to really dig into it, but scanning over the book gives me warm fuzzies. The artwork is a bit less "Wayne Reynolds" than I like (I'm one of the few people who like the kind of Anime-style of Pathfinder) but it's very attractive. The book's production overall is very nice as well. I like their whimsical touches as well. It hearkens back to AD&D a little, which I'm sure is the point.

I was happy to see so many classes represented in the book. It's not just the standard "Fighter, Cleric, Thief, Wizard" by any stretch. I was a bit confused why there were only two bloodlines for Sorcerers, but I guess the authors wanted to leave some room for future expansion.

The spells list seems to be a smaller percentage of the book than it was in previous editions, though I haven't actually done the page count to verify that. I really like this edition's take on Cantrips, Spells and Rituals. It matches ideas I've been using in my own games. The "Spell Slots" system is interesting, though it doesn't mesh with my "spells are like grenades - you prepare them and then throw them" explanation of D&D magic. That's ok, the 5e system might not make as much sense, but it looks like it will be more fun to play.

I may have more impressions once I've read the thing, but honestly everyone's doing 5e blogs these days, so I don't know that I'd have much to add to the discussion. I'll stick with more obscure topics, I think.

Treasonous Thoughts

I'm very seriously considering ditching Pathfinder for 5e.

There, I said it.

I could never bring myself to sell my PF rulebook though. And it's unlikely I'll sell my Swords&Wizardry books. There are only two of them, and frankly, they're good enough that I'm still likely to run S&W for an even more casual game.

I only have a few non-primary PF rule books, though I do have a few full adventure paths worth of modules.

The only wrinkle is that I'm currently in love with the Midgard setting, and at the moment, that's only spelled out for Pathfinder. I suspect that until WOTC makes their licensing scheme known, we won't see any 5e Midgard stuff, which would be a shame.

Hopefully the rumored "3e to 5e conversion guide" will help.

Honestly, I'm probably not going to be playing much D&D over the next few months, since our "Supers!" game is going well. I'll blog about our latest session in the near future.