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Dungeons & Dragons is adding a brand-new character class in 2027, and the information that has been revealed about its powers hints that it's going to be one of the strongest roles in the game. Players will go beyond the usual source of magic for their abilities, as they scour enemy minds for answers.

Unlike previous editions, Dungeons & Dragons 5e has rarely added new classes, preferring to include subclasses for existing roles or Feats that provide players with new options. The current iteration of D&D has only added a single new class outside the Player's Handbook: the Artificer, which is an update of a previous job that used magic to create items.

The Psion Is Bringing Mind Powers To D&D In 2026

In 2027, the Dark Sun campaign setting will be returning to Dungeons & Dragons across a series of books. While a lot of its content is intended to function within its setting, it's adding a brand-new character class that can be used in any D&D campaign: the Psion.

Psions are adventurers that have developed their mental powers to the point where they can affect the physical world, often in ways that emulate traditional magic spells. They're less Harry Potter and more Professor Xavier/Jean Grey, with the player given a ton of freedom regarding how they gain access to their abilities. Maybe they trained on a remote mountain until they unlocked their mental powers, perhaps they were infected by a Mind Flayer parasite that was quickly removed, or maybe they're just a good old-fashioned Marvel mutant.

While the Dark Sun Dungeons & Dragons books aren't scheduled to launch until 2027, the basic outline and powerset of the Psion has been revealed in two separate Unearthed Arcana playtest documents, with fans around the world sharing their feedback and data regarding how they want the class to function.

The D&D Psion's Powers, Explained

The Psion is a primary spellcaster that uses Intelligence as their prime requisite, meaning they get a full range of slots from levels 1–9, use d6 for their Hit Dice, and probably won't be on the front lines whacking enemies with a sharpened piece of metal. Like Sorcerers, they are limited in how many spells they have access to, with a small pool that increases with each level, and with the option to swap them out.

Starting at level 1, the Psion gains access to 4d6 Energy Dice, with the number going up over time. These are initially used for basic telepathy and telekinesis, but once the Psion hits level 2, they'll be able to choose from a list of Psionic Disciplines, similar to the Warlock's Eldritch Invocations, where the Energy Dice are spent to increase their effects, such as dealing more damage, granting more temporary hit points, or providing bonuses to an ally.

Easily the best Psionic Discipline is Sharpened Mind, which can either allow the caster to bypass Psychic damage resistance, or increase the damage of an attack by a roll of an Energy Die. Some of the other great options include Psionic Backlash, where the caster damages an enemy after being hit; ID Insinuation, where Energy Dice are rolled to subtract from an enemy's saving throw; and Destructive Thoughts, where Energy Die up to the caster's Intelligence modifier can be rolled to deal additional damage.

How Psions Will Shape D&D Going Forward

The Psion has the potential to be a heavy hitter when it comes to damage, despite the fact that it doesn't have access to certain Sorcerer/Wizard mainstays, like Fireball or Lightning Bolt. Their spell selection comes with a wide range of utility, with damaging spells like Shatter, Thunderwave, and Telekinetic Crush sitting alongside useful utility choices like Invisibility, Fly, Suggestion, and Sleep.

Those who want to add some extra combat potential to their Psion will get the chance to do so at level 3, when they select their subclass. The Metamorph is a powerful shapeshifter, where Energy Dice can be expanded to transform them into a monster, Akira-style; the Psykinetic's telekinesis allows them to fly, throw enemies, and send attacks flying back at their source; and the Telepath can mess with the enemy's mind, causing them to miss.

The troublesome aspect of the Psion for Dungeon Masters is the amount of mind-reading potential they have, especially through their spells. Any group that wants to run a murder mystery or role-play-heavy campaign might struggle to keep things interesting, if one character can go around plucking the answers out of people's brains. This is also a problem for regular spellcasters, though not to the same degree as the Psion, whose whole gimmick involves invading and influencing the minds of others.

The rules for Psionics have long been a problem in the history of Dungeons & Dragons, with attempts to turn them into an alternate magic system usually causing more trouble than they're worth. The 5e version seems to have ironed out the issues, with the end result being a powerful class focused entirely on mind magic, with the potential to break enemy encounters with their mind.