Post/Author/DateTime	Post
celestialkin 03-03-08, 02:19 AM	As much as I love psionics I have always been a bit disappointed with the psicrystals. I get the concept, it fits well with the psionic theme (crystals and all that), but I still feel that arcane casters can get all these amazing creatures from a simple cat to pretty much any animal/magical beast/creature, while my psion is the kid with the pet rock. :raincloud Familiars are the only thing I even from arcane casters. Does anyone else here feel similarly about this? Do not get me wrong, I am certain there are many on here who adore their psicrystals; I am just not one of them. Do any of you know of any "official" ways of bypassing this issue? Maybe a way like that feat from Complete Arcane for other arcane casters (which sadly does not work for psionics, or even divine :()? As always, many thanks in advance for your replies!
hogarth 03-03-08, 07:12 AM	I don't know of any official way, but I'd allow a psionic character to take the Acquire Familiar feat. Why not? Or you could just get your DM to change the fluff of the psicrystal. Maybe it's a mini-golem in the shape of a cat or an imp?
Lycanthromancer 03-03-08, 11:13 AM	Just reflavor it. Psicrystals are superior in all ways to anything but the most powerful critters gained through the Improved Familiar feat, so why pine over an inferior ability? I changed one of my psicrystals to a small clockwork dragon, and it worked just fine. Think of it as a homegrown mechanical pet.
hogarth 03-03-08, 11:38 AM	Just reflavor it. Psicrystals are superior in all ways to anything but the most powerful critters gained through the Improved Familiar feat, so why pine over an inferior ability? Familiars have some mechanical advantages over psicrystals: Psicrystals need to be repaired; repairing is usually less convenient than healing. Familiars have much better senses in general (scent, blindsense, +8 to Spot checks, etc.); a psicrystal's senses are limited to 40', limiting their ability as scouts. A flying familiar often has a mobility advantage over a crawling/climbing psicrystal; the psicrystal eventually gets flight too, of course. The psicrystal has its superior aspect, of course (can speak, ignores darkness/silence, durable).
The_Mess 03-03-08, 12:05 PM	Convince your DM that magic/psionics transparency means you can take the Call Familiar feat!
Lycanthromancer 03-03-08, 12:26 PM	Familiars have some mechanical advantages over psicrystals: Psicrystals need to be repaired; repairing is usually less convenient than healing. True, though any effect that would heal you heals your psicrystal, so if you need healing, this is generally the best route to take. Familiars have much better senses in general (scent, blindsense, +8 to Spot checks, etc.); a psicrystal's senses are limited to 40', limiting their ability as scouts. Psicrystals are more limited in some situations, but they can see regardless of conditions, due to their special form of sight and hearing, that can generally only be obscured through mundane means. Given that you can make contingencies for this, psicrystals make wonderful scouts (especially given that familiars are far more squishy, and you can either give your psicrystal to the party rogue to help him out (and relay messages for you, which familiars can't do) or use your powers (such as metamorphosis) to give your psicrystal the ability to see and hear normally - in addition to its special blindsense). A flying familiar often has a mobility advantage over a crawling/climbing psicrystal; the psicrystal eventually gets flight too, of course. Yup, but psicrystals are much harder to destroy, and in tight spaces, why would your psicrystal/familiar be flying anyway? Just have it stay perched on your shoulder, climb up a wall, or climb a tree. Use your surroundings to your advantage! The psicrystal has its superior aspect, of course (can speak, ignores darkness/silence, durable).They also make excellent night-watch alarms, can communicate over distances of up to 1 mile, and have special abilities granted at higher levels that familiars never get. Go take a look at the two special ability lists, and tell me which one you'd rather have. :D
hogarth 03-03-08, 01:39 PM	True, though any effect that would heal you heals your psicrystal, so if you need healing, this is generally the best route to take. Where do you get this from? :confused: Maybe Share Powers would allow you to share a Body Adjustment effect, but how would you share a Cure Light Wounds (for instance)? They also make excellent night-watch alarms, can communicate over distances of up to 1 mile, and have special abilities granted at higher levels that familiars never get. Go take a look at the two special ability lists, and tell me which one you'd rather have. :D Overall, psicrystals might be superior to familiars, but your comment "Psicrystals are superior in all ways to anything but the most powerful critters gained through the Improved Familiar feat" (emphasis) is just plain wrong. The 40' sense range is a substantial limitation(in my experience) and seeing in magical darkness is no replacement for scent/blindsense.
Tempest Stormwind 03-03-08, 02:18 PM	My first psicrystal (back in 3.0) wasn't a gem at all. It was a stabilized astral construct that resembled, in all ways, a ferret, drawn completely from my imagination and representive of that character's inner being*. Ectoplasm can resemble anything if done correctly. (Since it was 3.0, I had the gem "cost" to create one serve as a type of structural anchor, akin to the "heart" of the construct.) It still had all the stats of a psicrystal (including being unable to move originally; I played this as an unwillingness of the ferret to leave my person without a bit of extra psionic "food" to drive it), it just looked like a familiar. And given how it acted and how I played it, it felt more like a familiar than the party sorcerer's raven (who was little more than plucky comic relief). * This was shortly after reading The Amber Spyglass for the first time, yes.