To celebrate our one year anniversary, we’ve created our first class for fifth edition, the esper. The esper is an Intelligence based class whose powers are derived from psionics. We have four subclasses in this version for you to try. We welcome any feedback to incorporate into future versions.
Floating above the tall reeds with two fingers to her temple, a dwarf surveys the hilly terrain. A band of gnolls splits into two groups in an effort to flank her party of adventurers. She relays this information to the leader of her companions and prepares to psionically assault the first gnoll unfortunate enough to charge them.
An elf examines the motionless creature he has constructed by drawing psionic energy from the Astral Plane. As he sends telepathic commands forth, the waves of mental energy resonate within the creature. It springs to life and awaits his commands.
Sauntering to the elaborate wrought-iron gate, a human dressed for a formal ball clutches a bag of coins. His companions doubt he will be able to bribe the guard of such an important member of the royal court, but he had opened his mind and read the emotions of the sergeant at the gate. She was worried and envious at the guests. An easy bribe he told the rest of his party, and he was right.
All of these adventurers are espers. The strength of their minds enables them to use psychic energy to impose their will on and off the battlefield. With powers honed through rigorous training and discipline, they can manipulate the very fabric of the world through their thoughts and emotions, making them formidable allies to any who travel and adventure with them.
Espers in the World
While psionics permeates the D&D multiverse, it often remains overshadowed by the prevalence of magic. For many, their first encounter with psionics occurs when they face an aberration from a distant plane. However, it can also manifest as an individual’s innate intuition and the ability to glean insights from the unknown. This power originates from within and, once honed, can develop into the formidable abilities of an esper.
Espers, including seers, soothsayers, and psychics, are prevalent across various worlds. They can often be found in ancient temples, training alongside monks, each harnessing their inner peace in distinct ways. Races that frequently traverse the Astral Plane tend to have a strong connection to psionics due to their experiences in that realm. Beware of dragons made from colorful crystals and gems, as they can wreak havoc on intruders’ minds and bodies.
In worlds ravaged by the misuse and overuse of magic, psionics emerges as a stable and rational alternative. The city of Serenity adopts a collective approach to governance, with every citizen’s mind linked to a massive psionic crystal at the city center. People place their faith and trust in this collective consciousness, and conflicts are resolved long before they escalate to violence.
Get the Esper PDF below!
Further Reading
We have some other subclasses for other 5e classes, such as the Circle of Death druid, the Frostweaver wizard, and the Path of the Wanderer barbarian.
Imagery created with Midjourney.
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