Telekinetic 5e

Which 5e Classes Make the Most of Telekinetic?

The color code below has been implemented to help you identify, at a glance, how good the Telekinetic 5e feat is for a specific class/subclass.

• Red isn’t going to contribute to the effectiveness of your character build at all
• Orange Situationally good, but a below-average option otherwise
• Green is a good option
• Blue is a great option, you should strongly consider this option for your character
• Sky Blue is an amazing option. If you do not take this option your character would not be optimized

The Telekinetic feat in 5e is best on builds that:

• Don’t already get mage hand or have limited cantrips learned. This offers some additional utility because mage hand is quite a solid utility spell.
• Are spellcasters, or are you otherwise interested in pumping CHA, WIS, or INT. The reason for this is twofold. First and most obviously, Telekinetic offers an ASI for those ability scores. Second, the Shove’s DC is based on the ability score you increased. Therefore, builds that aren’t going to pump their CHA, WIS, or INT will find their mage hand shoves to be underpowered.
• Don’t already have a lot of use for their bonus action. Classes like rogues and bards wouldn’t mind having the ability to shove a creature with a mage hand but their Bardic Inspiration and Cunning Action definitely take precedent.

Artificer: This feat adds some serious value to artificers. They can already learn the mage hand cantrip but are on the lower end of the spectrum when it comes to the number of cantrips they can know. The ASI to INT is always something artificers are interested in. Artificers don't typically have a use for the bonus action, so Telekinetic can offer some action economy as well as battlefield control.

Barbarian: Barbarians won’t find any use for this feat as they can push enemies with brute force much more effectively than with their CHA, WIS, or INT. They also won't have any use for the ASI.

Bard: Bards can get some decent mileage out of Telekinetic but tend to already have mage hand anyway. It gives them a little more breathing room and crowd control in a tight spot. Keep in mind that the Shove requires a bonus action, which bards already have a use for in their Bardic Inspiration.

Cleric: This feat can add a bit of extra value to clerics as they aren't normally able to learn mage hand. This, combined with the ASI makes this feat relatively worthwhile. Unfortunately, the biggest downside is that Telekinetic uses your bonus action, which you will likely be using for spiritual weapon. Still, it's worthwhile utility out of combat and can help your battlefield control.

Druid: Druids don't normally get access to mage hand so this plus the WIS ASI is solid value. Druids don't have a particularly important use for their bonus action so this provides nice action economy and battlefield control.

Fighter: Fighters have little to no use for this feat because the Shove bonus action will be weak due to a lack of CHA, WIS, or INT. Also, the Shove can't knock enemies prone, only move them 5ft. These caveats make Shield Master a much more worthwhile feat for Fighters to pick up. Eldritch Knights might make decent use of this with their INT focus and it's particularly flavorful (but not powerful) for Psi Warriors.

Monk: Monks don’t get a lot out of this feat. None of the subclasses really benefit from mage hand, and monks already have a use for their bonus actions. The WIS ASI is decent, but there are better feats out there that also provide this.

Paladin: In general, Telekinetic offers some decent utility to paladins. Mage hand isn't a spell they normally get access to, the bonus to CHA is always welcome, the only issue comes with the bonus action Shove. Paladins who normally stick to Divine Smites will favor this feat because there is really no other use for their bonus action. Paladins that like to mix it up and use the Smite-based spells may find a bit of contention for their bonus action. That said, paladins don't have a ton of spell slots so the bonus action Shove can still be useful in this circumstance once the spells run out.

Ranger: Rangers don't get access to mage hand and don't normally have a use for this bonus action. Combined with ASI to WIS and Telekinetic offers some decent value.

Rogue: Rogues can find some use with this for some invisible pickpocketing, but Arcane Tricksters will want it more. Because it buffs their mage hand to 60ft, they can do a whole lot more from that distance. The only issue that rogues will run into is when they want to use their Cunning Action or an offhand attack. That said, the value this offers rogues is undeniable, even if the ASIs don't line up.

Sorcerer: Sorcerers might enjoy this, as it gives them a little more to do during turns without using a spell slot. However, it’s still not a huge upgrade. It does allow them to push enemies into AoE spells, though.

Warlock: Warlocks are on the lower end when it comes to the number of cantrips they learn. Mage hand is always useful, as is the ASI to CHA. When it comes down to combat, hex will be much more important to use than the bonus action Shove, but when you've already got your hex on a target, the Shove can offer some good battlefield control.

Wizard: Some bonus INT, an extra/enhanced cantrip, and a really good use of your Bonus Action. Shoving a creature can save an ally or move an enemy into danger.