Psionics might be a dirty word to many Dungeons & Dragons players, but they are making a comeback in the latest Unearthed Arcana article in the form of the psychic warrior, the soulknife, and the psionics Arcane Tradition.
The ability to use telepathy or telekinesis is already possible with the aid of magic in most Dungeons & Dragons settings, but there have been attempts to add different forms of ESP to the game, with differing results. The Dark Sun setting in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons had way too many random psionic powers, while the third edition Psionics Handbook was notable for having overly complicated rules.
The official Dungeons & Dragons website has a new Unearthed Arcana article that presents playtest content for three psionic archetypes for the existing classes. Two of these classes appeared in the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons, while the third is an extension of magic that is already available to arcane spellcasters.
The psychic warrior is a new psionic archetype for fighters that they can take at 3rd level. Psychic warriors can use telekinesis to bolster their defenses, strengthen their attacks, throw enemies from afar using their mind, and deal extra damage to foes.
The soulknife is a psionic archetype for rogues that they can take at 3rd level. A soulknife has the ability to conjure a deadly blade out of psionic energy and use it to slay their foes. The soulknife always have access to a weapon, they can bolster their abilities with telepathy or telekinesis, strike fear into the hearts of their enemies with their blade, and turn invisible at will. The psychic blade will be familiar to fans of a certain X-Men character.
Psionics is an Arcane Tradition that wizards can take at 2nd level. These wizards have mastered the ability to strike with their minds alongside their magic. A psionics mage can use their focus to enhance their cantrips, transform their body into psionic energy to bolster their abilities, cast powerful enchantment spells without consuming slots, and deal extra damage with force or psionic magic.
It should be stressed that these new classes are part of playtest material and they haven't been properly balanced yet. The Thought Form ability of the psionics wizard especially feels ripe for abuse, due to the number of resistances it applies to the character. It remains to be seen whether these classes will make their way into future modules or whether they will face the same scorn as the older psionics classes.
Source: Dungeons & Dragons