[RPG] Unarmed Strikes/Martial Arts with Potent Psionics

class-featurednd-5eunearthed-arcana

Is it possible, with all discussed rules of Unarmed Strike/Martial Arts for it to be used with UA Mystic 3's Potent Psionics?

Potent Psionics
At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon attacks with psychic energy. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon, you can deal an extra 1d8 psychic damage to that target. When you reach 14th level, this extra damage increases to 2d8.

Best Answer

Technically, no. Potent Psionics requires you to "hit a creature with a weapon". An unarmed strike isn't a weapon, so you can't use Potent Psionics when you hit a creature with an unarmed strike.

However, unarmed strikes are melee weapon attacks. Given that Potent Psionics says:

At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon attacks with psychic energy.

It's possible that it was intended to work with weapon attacks (which would include unarmed strikes) rather than with weapons specifically. As always with Unearthed Arcana, you have to remember the disclaimer:

These game mechanics are in draft form, usable in your campaign but not refined by design iterations or full game development and editing.

So while, technically, Potent Psionics doesn't work with unarmed strikes, you shouldn't be surprised if this changes in the final version of the Mystic.