D&D: WotC Never Tires Of Giving Something A Free ‘Misty Step’ – But The Psi Warper Seems Cool
WotC’s favorite 5E trick, giving someone the ability to cast a free Misty Step, is here to stay in 5.5E if the Psi Warper is any indication.
If there’s one spell that embodies modern D&D, it’s probably Misty Step. Because you practically have to try to make a character that can’t cast the spell at least once per long rest. It’s a feature that turns up in every section of the game. You can find it in the right feats. In the features of different species. And when it comes to subclasses? It feels like casting Misty Step is one of the first grounds WotC likes to explore.
And it’s not hard to see why. Misty Step lets you teleport 30 feet! That’s a huge jump – all for the cost of a Bonus Action. The Psi Warper gets to make it even better. It leans hard into the “warp space and time” aspect of psionic powers.
But the real question is, can the new Psi Warper subclass do anything once you’re done casting Misty Step? Absolutely.
The Psi Warper – One Space/Time Warping Subclass Isn’t Enough
The Psi Warper has some pretty big shoes to fill, though. Because this is a subclass that strays dangerously close to a niche that’s already been carved out – and in WotC’s own books, no less. I’m talking, of course, about Dunamancy, a concept of magic first introduced in the world of Critical Role, and found in the Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount.
There, you’ll find spells and subclasses dedicated to time and gravity magic that are all about manipulating the position of enemies. And with what the Psi Warper is trying to do, it’s hard not to see shades of Dunamancy echoed in the mechanics, just toned down. Which is a shame, because the repositioning and moving enemies around of Dunamancy is one of the more exciting things to come out of 5E’s spellcasting mechanics.
And I don’t think I’m stretching things either. Here’s a look at what the subclass is all about:
“Psi Warpers tune their psionic powers to manipulating the space between objects. Capable of teleporting across the battlefield and creating vacuums in space, a Psi Warper is never in one place for too long.”
To be clear, the Psi Warper is definitely its own thing; it just also happens to be something we’ve seen before. But I think it explores some interesting new ground. Especially at the middling levels. Does it go far enough? I don’t personally think so, but read on and judge for yourself.
Psi Warper – How Many Times Can YOU Cast Misty Step
As stated, the Psi Warper is a class all about casting Misty Step. And to emphasize this, Misty Step shows up in two of the three level 3 features you gain, and is kind of there in the thid. Let’s start with Psi Warper Spells, a list of Bonus Spells that you’ll always have prepared. These are all teleport/movement enhancing spells: Expeditious Retreat, Featherfall, Blink, Haste, Banishment, Dimension Door, Steel Wind Strike, Teleportation Circle, and of course, Misty Step.
But then, thanks to Teleportation, the other big level 3 feature, you can cast Misty Step without expending a spell slot once per Long Rest. This is huge in 5.5E, because it means you can follow up your slotless Misty Step with a spell that uses a Spell Slot. Especially since the Psi Warper can restore the use of this feature by spending one Psionic Energy Die. Meaning you can Misty Step many more times than you might think.
Finally, you also get Warp Propel, a feature that transforms the Psion’s Telekinetic Propel from a 10-foot push into a sort of offensive Misty Step. You can teleport a creature that fails its saving throw against this feature up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see that is horizontal to you. So now you can teleport enemies off of things if you’re fighting on cliffs or bridges over lava. This is hands down the best feature of the class so far.
Shattering Mid-Level Expectations
At higher levels, the Psi Warper does more than just teleport hijinks. But don’t worry, it still also does teleport hijinks. Starting at level 6, with the Warp Space ability. This feature is where you get the echoes of Dunamancy, because it lets you cast Shatter and spend a Psionic die to both make the spell hit a broader space (20-foot radius, same as a Fireball), and creatures that fail their saves are pulled directly to the center of the sphere. The only problem is that you can ONLY do this with Shatter.
Having that feature tied to the Shatter spell is a problem for two reasons. For one, it’s very limiting – Shatter is only an okay spell, and it feels like having a subclass that can “create vacuums” should be able to do it with more than a 2nd level spell. And for two, Shatter is a 2nd level spell, which means it competes directly with spell slots you would want to use to cast Misty Step. Worse, it takes a Psionic Die, which you also want to use for casting Misty Step. It’s the whole identity of the class, teleporting yourself or others.
Especially since at level 6 the other feature is Teleporter Combat, which is a very cool feature. Teleporter Combat enhances Misty Step; now when you cast it, you can also cast a Psion cantrip that has a casting time of an action as part of the Bonus Action you use to cast Misty Step. Meaning you could potentially be throwing out two cantrips per round. Or a Misty Step, a Psion Cantrip, and then a spell. I really like this feature, it’s fun, it’s tactical, and it’s full of flavor.
Still More Teleportation For The Psi Warper
At the highest levels, the Psi Warper pulls out even more teleportation tricks. And, you guessed it, they all involve 30 feet of movement. So you really get to throw out a bunch of Misty Step-like teleports. Starting at level 10 when you get Duplicitous Target. This feature lets you take a Reaction to swap places with a willing creature within 30 feet of you whenever you’re the target of an attack roll.
Sadly, you can only swap with allies and any enemies who are willing, for some reason. But if you’re within 30 feet, you can make that attack target someone instead of you. Call it a defensive Misty Step.
The Psi Warper caps off at 14th level with Mass Teleportation. This feature lets you spend a Bonus Action and four Psionic dice to target your Int Mod number of Huge or smaller creatures within 30 feet of you and teleport themm to an unoccupied space you can see within 150 feet of you. Unwilling creatures get a saving throw, but that’s the only limitation. It doesn’t specify horizontal; you can absolutely drop your enemies 150 feet into the air so that they fall to the ground.
I like it. It’s simple, it’s easy, and it’s a feature that feels like it should cap off a class all about teleportation. I wish, on the whole, the class did a little more with the “vacuums” side of things. That Shatter feature is a little tame. I think that a Psi Warper could go much further, and have more flexibility so that you feel like you’re actually throwing creatures around besides just casting Misty Step all the time.
But that’s just my opinion. Yours is the one WotC wants to hear. Be sure to fill out the survey at the link below on June 3rd when feedback opens up!
Any teleportation of 30 feet is basically a Misty Step just from another angle.
