After my first few years of playing Dungeons and Dragons 5e, I began to dream of new classes for the system. I knew past editions didn't pull punches in this department, thanks to systems like prestige classes, so I wondered how 5e would approach the topic. Each version of the artificer class scratched that itch initially (and made Intelligence more useful), but only temporarily. Enter the psion. Dungeons and Dragons revealed its first version of this class back in May 2025, and now there's an updated version with all kinds of adjustments, most of which make it stronger than ever.
The psion resembles Dungeons and Dragons' artificer class in that they're both highly flexible in terms of playstyle. Based on the build path a player chooses, their psion could be a gish who wields organic weapons, a crowd-control expert with telekinetic might, or a bard-like support that manipulates dice rolls. Remarkably, the three returning psion subclasses are stronger than ever in the new UA document. If you didn't already think the psion was a good alternative to a sorcerer or wizard, this update is compelling reason to give it a chance.
If you're not interested in the psion class update, give the new UA document a glance anyway, because it also includes playtest versions of several new spells.
Dungeons and Dragons' New Psion Class is Only Getting Stronger
For starters, the core class features have improved in some significant ways. For instance, psions now have 30ft of telepathy by default rather than 5ft, which can make a huge difference for stealth or social interactions. More importantly, though, the class is much more forgiving with the use of Psionic Energy Dice, thanks to a few changes:
- Several Psionic Disciplines now only spend a Psionic Energy Die if the related d20 roll is a success, conserving the player's resources if using the ability doesn't pay off
- Psionic Restoration now apparently restores all the player's expended Psionic Energy Dice after 1 minute of meditation, rather than up to half their maximum dice as part of a Short Rest
- At later levels, the new Psionic Reserves feature ensures players will always start combat with at least four Psionic Energy dice
These changes make a lot of sense. The abilites of the psion class demand a lot of Psionic Energy Die expenditure, between Disciplines and subclass features. Now players are under less pressure to conserve dice for fear of running out. Speaking of, each subclass in this document also gets its own buffs:
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Subclass |
Adjusted Features |
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Metamorph |
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Psykinetic |
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Telepath |
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You might notice that the teleportation-themed Psi Warper subclass doesn't appear in the new Psion document, but if you're a fan of this subclass, don't fret! Wizards of the Coast says it already scored high marks in its first playtest, so whenever the Psion gets published, it'll presumably include the Psi Warper with the exact same features as before.
How the Updated Psion Compares to Other D&D 2024e Classes
All in all, these changes improve on the psion's biggest strengths: a wide range of build paths, a generous secondary resource, and plenty of built-in customization. This makes it a serious competitor to its closest counterpart, Dungeons and Dragons' wizard, the only other Intelligence full-caster. Wizards do offer a lot of customization thanks to the spellbook mechanic and a massive possible spell list, but they're still reliant on spell slots to put that customization to use, being short on practical class features at most levels. The psion's Disciplines give it a lot of powerful options -- both in combat and out of combat -- that don't demand a spell slot.
Sorcerers in DnD are perhaps an even better point of comparison. Metamagic allows the sorcerer to compete with the psion's flexibility and customization, while Sorcery Points act as a secondary resource that fuels powerful class and subclass features. However, Sorcery Points have a few arguable weaknesses that Psionic Energy Dice lack. Sorcerers must sacrifice spell slots to regularly regain Sorcery Points, as opposed to the psion's entirely independent Dice. Psionic Restoration is also better than Sorcerous Restoration in many situations, restoring more resources in less time. The sorcerer's level 20 feature does seem stronger overall, but there's still a clear rivalry to be had between these classes.
The Psion is Whatever It Wants to Be
Although the psion resembles wizards and sorcerers the most, fans of other classes shouldn't overlook the psion. It has a lot of elements that make it an appealing alternative in many contexts. To name a few:
- Psionic Disciplines are a clear cousin to the warlock's Eldritch Invocations, offering class customization and powerful abilities that define a character, both mechanically and in roleplay
- Bards will be all too familiar with the use of a pool of dice, and can even use them to support the party in similar ways to Bardic Inspiration while getting access to a more aggressive list of spells
- Playing a Metamorph psion offers a darker take on the druid's shapeshifter fantasy
Based on this updated version, the psion should be in the conversation when you're considering playing any given spellcaster class in DnD. It's a solid jack-of-all-trades that doesn't make a ton of sacrifices in exchange for its flexibility. I know I'm going to consider playing a psion as my next DnD character, and you should too.
- Franchise
- Dungeons & Dragons
- Original Release Date
- 1974
- Publisher
- Wizards of the Coast
- Designer
- E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson