Misc. Houserules, Feats, and Fighting Styles
Psionic Feats & Items
Psionic Feats
The following feats are designed with psionics in mind. Whenever you gain a feat, you can also choose from the following options so long as you meet the feat's prerequisites.
Psionic Initiate
Prerequisite: Intelligence, WIsdom, or Charisma 13+
You become initiated into the psionic techniques of a mystic, gaining the following benefits:
- Increase your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You learn two talents from the mystic power list. In addition, choose a 1st-level mystic power. You can manifest that power once at its lowest level without expending psi points. Once you manifest it, you must complete a long rest until you can manifest it again using this feat. Additionally, you can manifest this power with any psi-points you have. Your psionic abiity for this power is the same as the ability score you increased with this feat.
War Psion
Prerequisite: The ability to manifest powers
You learn how best to use your powers in the heat of combat, gaining the following benefits:
- You have advantage on Constitution saving throws that you make to maintain your concentration on a power when you take damage.
- When a hostile creature's movement provokes an opportunity attack from you, you can use your reaction to manifest a power at the creature, rather than making an opportunity attack. The power must have a manifest time of 1 action and must target only that creature.
- Whenever you deal damage with a mystic talent, you can add your psionic ability to the roll, unless you already add it.
Reinforced Will
Your willpower is unmatched, giving you the following benefits:
- You gain proficiency in either Wisdom, Charisma, or Intelligence saving throws.
- Whenever a creature tries to telepathically contact you, read your mind, or targets you with a telepathy power, you can use your reaction to respond to that psychic intrusion with force. The target must make an Intelligence saving throw (DC 8 + your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus) or take psychic damage equal to your level and grant you advantage on your first saving throw you make against a telepathy power before the start of your next turn. Once you use this ability, you cannot use it again until you complete a short or long rest.
Psi-Scholar
Prerequisite: Intelligence 13+
You are a professional in psionic lore. You gain the following benefits:
- You gain proficiency in the Arcana skill if you didn't know it already and can add double your proficiency bonus to any check you make with that skill.
- You learn the call to mind and detect psionics powers and can manifest them at will without expending psi points. You also learn one other 1st- or 2nd-level clairsentience power of your choice. You can manifest that power once without expending psi points, regaining the ability to do so again at the end of a long rest. Intelligence is your psionic ability for all of these powers.
Psionic Items
Just as magic can be imbued into weapons, armor, tools, and scrolls, psionic energy can be implanted into various objects. These objects are known as psionic items. Many of the forms these items take are similar to magic items--trinkets with unique tricks, armor imbued with supernatural resistances, and legendary weapons with potent powers are just the start of the forms psionic items take. Psionic items also come in the form of power stones, cognizance crystals, dorjes, psicrowns, and psionic tattoos.
Psionic items follow most of the rules of psionics-magic transparency and thus follow the rules in the Dungeon Master's Guide for magic items with the following supplemental rules.
Attunement
A creature attunes to psionic items using the same attunement slots and the same methods as magic items. Some psionic items have prerequisites. If that prerequisite is to be a manifester, a creature qualifies if it can manifest at least one power using its traits or features, not using a psionic item and the like.
Being a manifester does not meet the requirement of being a spellcaster and vice versa. Otherwise, all rules of attunement apply.
Psionic Item Categories
In addition to weapons, armor, and rings, psionic items also come in the following forms.
Items of Power
Items of power are the psionic equivalent to wonderous items, which include include worn items such as boots, belts, capes, gloves, and various pieces of jewelry and decoration, such as amulets, brooches, and circlets. Other items also fall into this catch-all category.
Power Stones
Power stones are small thumb-sized crystals and rocks that store the energy of a single psionic power, just as spell scrolls store magic power. These stones glow in a manner proportionate to the level of the power in the stone. A power stone with a level-0 talent may emit a barely detectable hue while a 9th-level power radiates at a brightness more closely to a candle.
A power stone is a consumable psionic item. To use a power stone, a creature must be holding it. When the power within the stone has been invoked, it ceases glowing, shatters, or crumbles into dust.
Any creature can use a power stone, though creatures with the ability to manifest powers find it easier.
Power Stones. A power stone holds the energies of a single psionic power. If you can manifest powers, you can use an action to activate the stone and manifest its power.
If you cannot manifest powers, you must make an Intelligence ability to determine whether or not you can manifest it correctly. The DC equals 10 + the power's level. On a failed check, the stone retains its power, but you cannot attempt to use it again for 24 hours.
If you can manifest powers but the power level of the psionic power is of a higher level than your maximum power level, you have advantage on the ability check made to manifest the power.
Once the power is manifest, the stone stops glowing and crumbles into dust. The level of the power in the stone determines the powers saving throw DC and attack bonus, as well as the stone's rarity, as shown on the Power Stone table below.
Power Stone
| Power Level | Rarity | Save DC | Attack Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Talent | Common | 13 | +5 |
| 1st | Common | 13 | +5 |
| 2nd | Uncommon | 13 | +5 |
| 3rd | Uncommon | 15 | +7 |
| 4th | Rare | 15 | +7 |
| 5th | Rare | 17 | +9 |
| 6th | Very Rare | 17 | +9 |
| 7th | Very Rare | 18 | +10 |
| 8th | Very Rare | 18 | +10 |
| 9th | Legendary | 19 | +11 |
Variant: Brainburn
A creature who tries and fails to manifest a power through a power stone must make a DC 10 Intelligence saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 1d6 psychic damage per level of the power and cannot manifest powers by any means for 1 minute.
Cognizance Crystals
Cognizance crystals store psionic energy. They vary in size, color, and structure, but generally a cognizance crystal consists of a fist sized "core" crystal with one or more smaller crystals attached to its outer surface, held in place by silver wire. A cognizance crystal weighs approximately 1 pound. A cognizance crystal faintly glows.
Dorjes
A dorje is a long, slender crystal that serves a similar function as wands do. They're anywhere from 8 to 15 inches long and about half an inch thick. A dorje weighs only 1 pound.
Psicrowns
A psicrown is a special headband that typically stores several powers, as well as the energy to manifest them. They vary in material, from elaborate metal crowns to simple silk headbands, though typical psicrowns weigh no more than 1 pound and psionically resize themselves to fit the wearer once attuned.
Psionic Tattoos
Psionic tattoos are typically large, elaborate, intricate, and colorful pieces whose designs range from abstract to deeply symbolic.
A psionic tattoo is a single-use psionic item embedded somewhere on the users body. By touching the tattoo, a creature can activate the psychic energy within, manifesting some power on its wearer. The tattoo then disappears, fading away into the creatures skin.
To acquire a tattoo, one generally has to have one inscribed by an artist trained in creating such tattoos (see "Inscribing Tattoos" sidebar). However, those trained in psionics can transfer tattoos to other creatures, or even take them from the bodies of slain foes. A creature must have the Psionics feature in order to do this.
As an action, you can touch an unconscious or willing creature and transfer one of your tattoos to them. Alternatively, you can touch the body of a dead creature to receive one of its tattoos.
Psionic Tattoos. A psionic tattoo is a design on a creatures body and infused with the energy of a single psionic power. You can use an action to activate the tattoo and manifest this power. However this power can only be used to target yourself, even if the power could normally target multiple targets. If the power is an area of effect, it is centered on yourself. Another creature within 5 feet of you can use their action to touch and activate the tattoo for you, but only if you are willing or unconscious. Once a tattoo is used, it disappears from your body.
The level of the power determines the psionic save DC and attack bonus, as well as the tattoo's rarity, as shown in the Psionic Tattoo table.
Psionic Tattoo
| Power Level | Rarity | Save DC | Attack Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Talent | Common | 13 | +5 |
| 1st | Common | 13 | +5 |
| 2nd | Uncommon | 13 | +5 |
| 3rd | Uncommon | 15 | +7 |
| 4th | Rare | 15 | +7 |
| 5th | Rare | 17 | +9 |
| 6th | Very Rare | 17 | +9 |
| 7th | Very Rare | 18 | +10 |
| 8th | Very Rare | 18 | +10 |
| 9th | Legendary | 19 | +11 |
Crawling Tattoos
Crawling tattoos resemble regular psionic tattoos, but instead of manifesting a power on the wearer, the tattoo springs to life, latching onto another creature before activating its effect.
A crawling tattoo is single-use psionic item that follows all of the same rules as psionic tattoos with some exceptions. Instead of manifesting a power when activated, the tattoo detaches itself from the users body, rushing towards a creature of the users choice and attempting to attach itself to that target. The crawling tattoo then manifests the power on the creature it attaches to then disappears.
Crawling Tattoos. A crawling tattoo is a design on a creatures body that can be detached to manifest a power on another creature. You can use an action to activate the tattoo. When you do so, choose a creature you can see. That creature must be capable of wearing tattoos or else nothing happens and the action is wasted.
The crawling tattoo detaches itself from your body, landing in a space within 5 feet of you. The crawling tattoo then comes to life, using the crawling tattoo stat block. Some of its statistics reference the tattoo's power--consult the Psionic Tattoo table to determine these statistics. The crawling tattoo acts independently of you and takes its turn immediately after yours.
Once you issue the target, the crawling tattoo is no longer directly controlled by you. It tries to take the most efficient route to the target possible. The tattoo can only take actions that directly help it get closer to its target, such as a Dash action to get closer or Search action to determine where it is hiding. Otherwise, the only action the crawling tattoo makes is a latch attack against its target.
The crawling tattoo returns to you if the target goes to a different plane of existence, if the target dies, or if it cannot be reached within 1 hour by the tattoo. Once it returns to you, it immediately uses its action to reattach.
If the crawling tattoo is reduced to 0 hit points, it is destroyed and the power within is lost.
Inscribing Tattoos
Any creature physically able to wear a tattoo can wear a psionic tattoo. They can be placed on just about any physical surface on a creature, from skin and bone to stone and chitin. However, creatures without physical forms at all, like ghosts or fire elementals, cannot have any tattoos. A creature must also be unconscious or willing to receive the tattoo.
Inscribing a psionic tattoo takes time. It takes 2 hours per level of the power to inscribe (minimum 1 hour). This time can be broken up, but the tattoo must be finished within 30 days, or it fades away.
Crawling Tattoo
Tiny construct, unaligned
- Armor Class equal to the DC of the power
- Hit Points 5 times the level of the power (minimum 5)
- Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 13 (+1) 14 (+2) 11 (+0) 5 (-3) 10 (+0) 4 (-3)
- Skills Survival +4, Perception +4
- Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
- Damage Immunities poison
- Condition Immunities exhaustion, poisoned, paralyzed, unconscious
- Senses Blindsight 30 ft. (blind beyond this radius)
- Languages -
Spiderclimb. The crawling tattoo can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Actions
Latch. Melee Weapon Attack: attack bonus of the power to hit, 5 ft., one creature. Hit: The crawling tattoo immediately manifests its power on the target, concentrating on it if the power requires concentration. The crawling tattoo remains attached until the power ends, at which point it dies.
Activating a Psionic Item
Activating a psionic items works identically to activating a magic item in many ways, using many of the same methods of activation, including consumables and charges. However, psionic items rarely use command words or cast spells. The following rules are used in addition to the rules on activating magic items.
Command Thought
A command thought is a word, phrase, idea, concept, or abstraction that must be conjured in the mind of the user in order to use the object. A psionic item with a command thought never has any tells, even if it manifests a power that normally would.
Powers
Some psionic items allow the user to manifest a power from the item. The power is manifested at the lowest possible power and manifester level and doesn't expend any of the users psi points. The power uses its normal manifest time, range, and duration, and the user of the item must concentrate if the power requires concentration. Certain items make exceptions to these rules, changing the manifesting time, duration, or other parts of a power.
Rarely, a power may bypass the manifesting of the power and confer the power's effects. Such an item still uses the power's duration unless the item's description says otherwise.
A psionic item, such as certain psicrowns, may require you to use your own psionic ability when you manifest a power from the item. If you have more than one psionic ability, you choose which one to use with the item. If you don't have a psionic ability—perhaps you're a rogue with the Use Magic Device feature—your psionic ability modifier is +0 for the item, and your proficiency bonus does apply.