In almost every case I can think of, psionics exist as a lore based reskin of traditional magic but are still basically the same thing. You have a limited resource of them and they allow you to do otherwise impossible things.

What is the point of this? Why not just have a psionic discipline of magic? In a sci Fi setting why not just have it magic, since that's still what it is. 95% of the time they are the same thing. It seems like pointless overhead that is now shoehorned in as a reference to older games.

So I'm not talking about the historical reasons from settings like dark sun or others that need to call out the was they differentiate themselves for mechanical reasons. They are basically redoing magic all together for their setting. I'm wondering how it could be used if RPGs were being written for the first time today. Is there a system that has used them in opposition to transitional magic in some way? When is it worth it to have a distinct system? When it matter more than once every 10 sessions?

It’s cool

In our current game, sci fi, we have divine, magic, and picnics. It's all rolled into one. So detect magic, detects psionics

picnic magic is underrated

Agreed- the power to do impossible stuff with your mind is just Magic. But, I guess marketing is important and people like the word psionics so there it is.

Each system has unique components.

It's for the scifi nerds who think magic isn't cool enough.

They get real mad when you tell them psionics is a type of magic.

It's culturally left over from classic sci fi from a time when the idea that humans might be able to unlock brain powers that were definitely real and not magic was more popular than it was today.

It’s pseudo science based pseudo magic

What game are you talking about, OP? Psychic powers are just another type of magic in Pathfinder 2e, for instance, and D&D 4e's psionics worked relatively similarly to any other Power Source. Being specific in your complaint helps!

To be less glib: Psychic powers have different tropes and aesthetics than magical spellcasting, and that alone is enough to drive differences in mechanics for some people. Being associated with the spiritualism of the 1800s and the science of the 1900s - to say nothing of how often mental abilities are set out as futuristic or alien! - really lets it stand apart from the ritual sorcery most fantasy and myth invoke.

Of course, there's no reason the two have to be different at all, in the same way that a game might have good reasons to treat a sword, spear, axe, and hammer all the same within its mechanics, too. Game design is all about where you choose to shine your spotlight and what you ignore or abstract away.

I cast summon ant swarm

They're "magical pick-me's," basically.

Divine is a pretty half assed reskin most of the time as well to be honest.

Divine, magic, and picnics: the three pillars of the magical universe!

I prefer how systems like Draw Steel handle psionics- you can use psionic abilities that you don't yet have the resources to pay for, but in exchange you go into a strained state that causes damage on your turn until you recover. The abilities themselves are powerful and unique, and some of them have extra effects when you use them while strained.