Post/Author/DateTime	Post
angelofsorrow66 03-21-08, 07:20 PM	I need help building a 3rd level psionic charater. i really enjoy a strong but dextrous (did i spell that right?) elf-ish race. any recomendations or should i homebrew? i want to play a martial psionicist, but i dont like the psychic warrior (no class abilities that scream AWSOME) or the soulknife (no powers) or the divine mind (to paladin-y) or the lurk (low hit-dice). again, any recommendations or should i homebrew? i realize im being picky, but im just being honest. thanx in advance
Fireclave 03-21-08, 07:57 PM	For race, you might want to consider playing an wood elf (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/elf.htm#woodElf), which is stronger than an normal elf (though still suffers the constitution penalty). For class, I still recommend psychic warrior. It's the simplest way to get a martial, psionic character, and gets enough bonus feats combat oriented feats to explore a feat tree or two, or use the bonus feats to take Expanded Knowledge a few time to pick out some fun powers that aren't on the PsyWar list. But barring that, you might want to try something Psion ??/Ranger ??/Slayer (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/prestigeClasses/slayer.htm) 10. The slayer Prc grants 9/10 manifesting levels and full Bab.
Lycanthromancer 03-21-08, 09:05 PM	Psychic warriors can be made to do all sorts of things, beyond 'tank.' What role do you want to fill in the party? Tank? Scout? Combat assist? Utility box? I've got suggestions regardless of the role you want, so feel free to toss some boundaries my way.
InkBlot 03-21-08, 10:46 PM	i want to play a martial psionicist, but i dont like the psychic warrior (no class abilities that scream AWSOME) Have you looked at it's class features? The Psychic Warrior couldn't be screaming "awesome" any louder. Skate: Zipping around inches above the ground isn't awesome? Psionic Lion's Charge: Pouncing 60 feet across the battlefield and tearing into your opponent with a lightning fast barrage of attacks, all in one round, isn't awesome? Bite Of The Wolf: Growing huge fangs and biting people in half isn't awesome? Body Equilibrium: Swordfighting while waltzing through the tops of bamboo forests and across the surface of water isn't awesome? Dimension Swap: Simultaneously teleporting your ally out of danger and yourself into the face of your enemy isn't awesome? Dissolving Touch/Dissolving Weapon: Using the power of your mind to charge your fist/blade the corrosive power of acid isn't awesome? Hustle: Being able to take an extra move action isn't awesome? Being able to move into position to charge, and then charge, on the same turn; being able to charge in and then tumble out of danger on the same turn; being able to drop a foe with a full attack, and then dash halfway across the battlefield to help an ally flank; being able to move, use a standard action, and move again in a single turn; this is an awesome power. Strength Of My Enemy: Wounding your enemy, draining his strength, and increasing your own, with every strike of your sword isn't awesome? Claws of the beast: Turning your hands into claws and slicing your enemies into shreds isn't awesome? Expansion: Growing 24 feet tall in the blink of an eye isn't awesome? Prevenom/Prevenom Weapon: Poisoning your blade with the power of your mind isn't awesome? And that's just up to 2nd level powers, and not even considering some of the slightly more subtle stuff, or any of the Psywar's psionic bonus feats.
Lycanthromancer 03-21-08, 11:04 PM	And the people in the Why Fighters Are Unliked (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=996349&page=28) thread don't think that psywars are nearly as cool or as powerful or as awesome as we say they are.
The_Rob 03-21-08, 11:59 PM	You may also want to consider taking the one or two levels of Fighter or Monk is you're looking for some martial skills, then get to your psychic warrior.
angelofsorrow66 03-22-08, 03:42 PM	Have you looked at it's class features? The Psychic Warrior couldn't be screaming "awesome" any louder. Skate: Zipping around inches above the ground isn't awesome? Psionic Lion's Charge: Pouncing 60 feet across the battlefield and tearing into your opponent with a lightning fast barrage of attacks, all in one round, isn't awesome? Bite Of The Wolf: Growing huge fangs and biting people in half isn't awesome? Body Equilibrium: Swordfighting while waltzing through the tops of bamboo forests and across the surface of water isn't awesome? Dimension Swap: Simultaneously teleporting your ally out of danger and yourself into the face of your enemy isn't awesome? Dissolving Touch/Dissolving Weapon: Using the power of your mind to charge your fist/blade the corrosive power of acid isn't awesome? Hustle: Being able to take an extra move action isn't awesome? Being able to move into position to charge, and then charge, on the same turn; being able to charge in and then tumble out of danger on the same turn; being able to drop a foe with a full attack, and then dash halfway across the battlefield to help an ally flank; being able to move, use a standard action, and move again in a single turn; this is an awesome power. Strength Of My Enemy: Wounding your enemy, draining his strength, and increasing your own, with every strike of your sword isn't awesome? Claws of the beast: Turning your hands into claws and slicing your enemies into shreds isn't awesome? Expansion: Growing 24 feet tall in the blink of an eye isn't awesome? Prevenom/Prevenom Weapon: Poisoning your blade with the power of your mind isn't awesome? And that's just up to 2nd level powers, and not even considering some of the slightly more subtle stuff, or any of the Psywar's psionic bonus feats. class features, not powers, but when you put it that way, youre right
angelofsorrow66 03-22-08, 03:51 PM	[QUOTE=Lycanthromancer; What role do you want to fill in the party? Tank? Scout? Combat assist? Utility box? I've got suggestions regardless of the role you want, so feel free to toss some boundaries my way.[/QUOTE] im in a two person party, and my other is a wood elf ranger. i was thinking about playing a tank/healer (i realize at thid level i dont get that) and the divine mind looked pretty cool
Lycanthromancer 03-22-08, 04:24 PM	Divine minds are horrible. They're pretty cruddy. Seriously. Awful. Try an ardent, instead. Or go shaper and get some wands of cure X wounds (see if your DM will allow Use Psionic Device for magical items; otherwise, it's near-worthless). Of course, if you want 'healer,' psionics isn't the best way to go (but see my psionic powers revision, the sangehirn PrC (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040625c) in The Mind's Eye, or the society mind in Untapped Potential). Really, your best bet for 'healer' would be body adjustment (psywar 2) and empathic transfer (also psywar 2). Or just get your ranger companion a wand of cure light wounds, as he can already use it. If you want to play warforged, you can go shaper and use psionic repair damage (shaper 2) to heal yourself and your psicrystal. The ranger can already heal himself, so it's all good, I suppose. Ardent, though, with the correct mantles can do this fairly well, however. Or, since it's a two-person-only party, ask your DM to go gestalt (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/gestaltCharacters.htm). Then go ardent/cleric or nomad/psywar or ardent/society mind, etc. A two-person gestalt team should match up to a normal party's CR - 1 or 2, which should be fairly easy to work with.
angelofsorrow66 03-22-08, 08:18 PM	thanks for your help guys, and i think ive decided what i want to be: Xeph Soulknife with hidden talent (Mind thrust) and Psionc weapon. sure, i was looking for tank, so Half Giant Psywar would be best, but the Soulknife has a better hit die and between psycic strike, psionic weapon and 15 str, i dish out anywhere between six and twenty-eight points of damage. my ranger buddy hates me now because i deal more hurt than he does with his +4 comp longbow ( he says soulknife, and psionics in general, is broken), and im thinking about takng levels in war mind at sixth. again, thanks. Altaire, the Angel of Sorrow
Lycanthromancer 03-22-08, 09:07 PM	Soulknife? Broken? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!111!!!one-hundred-eleven!!!1
InkBlot 03-23-08, 12:43 AM	Xeph Soulknife with hidden talent (Mind thrust) Are you sure you want to take mind thrust? You'll only be able to use it as if you were a 1st level Wilder, sans wild surge. On top of that, you'll only be able to use it four times a day (three if you want a power point left over for focusing). It's almost assured that anybody you target with your mind thrust will be able to make the saving throw easily. Even targets without a good will save should be able to make the save. Personally, I would go for a self buff. That way each power point spent is guarantied to have an affect, no matter how the dice roll. Force screen, biofeedback, burst, empty mind, offensive precognition, defensive precognition, offensive prescience, thicken skin, and skate are all real nice for Hidden Talent. Or you could branch out to non-combat powers, with something like call to mind, conceal thoughts, empathy, mindlink, minor creation, precognition, or sense link. At the very least, if you really want an offensive power, go for something that doesn't give a save, like matter agitation.
InkBlot 03-23-08, 01:38 AM	Soulknife has a better hit die and between psycic strike, psionic weapon and 15 str, i dish out anywhere between six and twenty-eight points of damage. my ranger buddy hates me now because i deal more hurt than he does with his +4 comp longbow ( he says soulknife, and psionics in general, is broken) You're doing 1d6 + 1d8 + 2 damage each round, or 3d6 + 1d8 + 2 damage every other round (10 damage/round either way). He's doing 2d8 + 8 damage every round (13.5 damage/round). He'll also score critical hits more often, since he's making far more attack rolls than you are, and he has a higher crit multiplier to top it off. He's definitely winning the damage race here. That's not even taking into account the fact that you provoke attacks of opportunity every time you refocus, or the fact that he's dealing his damage from across the battlefield. Also, at this level your average damage using Psionic Weapon every other round, and your average damage simply attacking every round, is exactly the same. However, when you attack every round a greater portion of your damage potential will go through, and you'll score more critical hits. I recommend only using your Psionic Weapon feat once per battle, and only refocusing out of combat.
angelofsorrow66 03-23-08, 04:43 PM	You're doing 1d6 + 1d8 + 2 damage each round, or 3d6 + 1d8 + 2 damage every other round (10 damage/round either way). He's doing 2d8 + 8 damage every round (13.5 damage/round). He'll also score critical hits more often, since he's making far more attack rolls than you are, and he has a higher crit multiplier to top it off. He's definitely winning the damage race here. That's not even taking into account the fact that you provoke attacks of opportunity every time you refocus, or the fact that he's dealing his damage from across the battlefield. Also, at this level your average damage using Psionic Weapon every other round, and your average damage simply attacking every round, is exactly the same. However, when you attack every round a greater portion of your damage potential will go through, and you'll score more critical hits. I recommend only using your Psionic Weapon feat once per battle, and only refocusing out of combat. ok, didn't think of that. then what should i go for? race wise, Thri-Kreen are pretty decent but withthe racial class out of CPsi i dont get everythng until sixth. Half-Giant is nice too, but they dont have anywhere near the abilities of the Mantis People, but they do have a lower LA, and with the racial class, i get everything already, being 3rd level. class wise, the Psywar is real nice, and if i take Hidden talent (Expansion), that frees up a power slot for me. However, they dont get the HD that a souknife gets (that makes no sense to me, the Psychic warrior should have the d10, not the soulknife), and a soulknife doesn't have to worry about being disarmed. and geting enchantments without paying for them and being able to switch them during down time is awesome. Ardent is cool too, and if I went that way, Primary mantles would be Destruction and Energy, with Life as a secondary mantle (go blasting). the ardent's hit dice sucks though
Lycanthromancer 03-23-08, 06:53 PM	Psywars have more options. Depending on the powers you take, you never have to worry about being disarmed, you can add weapon enhancements (+2 flaming, etc) in addition to any others you might have, you can grow really big for grappling, have the option of weapons other than a sword, and you can get a psicrystal (which is REALLY nice for a number of reasons). Go psywar. Use vigor + share pain + psicrystal to boost your hp, offensive precognition to boost your BAB, and you're good to go.
angelofsorrow66 03-25-08, 10:25 PM	Im just throwing this out here: Any ideas for psionic warmage? I realize there's the wilder, but i wanted something more combat oriented. (NO PSYWAR)
Lycanthromancer 03-25-08, 10:27 PM	There's the ardent, which can fulfill that role. There's the egoist, which can do the combat mage through buffs and blasting, the kineticist, which, given the right power list, can fulfill both roles, too. You can also go through some PrCs, which would do well with this. Kineticist/ranger/illithid slayer is a good example, for instance.
angelofsorrow66 03-26-08, 10:22 AM	thanks for the ardent idea lycanthromancer. but again, im just throwing this out here. psionic barbarian?