Post/Author/DateTime	Post
JohnnyArkham 04-16-08, 10:53 PM	So I've been given permission to play a Gnome Psionic character and would very much like to focus on the fact that both Gnomes and Psionic characters seem to be fascinated by gems/crystals. I'm uncertain as to what the best class/PrC/feat/power list choices might be as I'm not terribly well versed in Psionics just yet. I have access to the primary Psionics book as well as Complete Psionics. ANY help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much Johnny
Amaril 04-17-08, 12:02 AM	Check out the Crystal Master (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040625d).
MnemonicSV 04-17-08, 04:14 AM	Well, crystal master or not, make certain your gnome psion takes the Psycrystal Affinity feat. If you DM allows it, perhaps you could even create a new psicrystal personality (like this): Fastidious: +3 bonus on Appraise checks. This splinter personality is consumed with the details and accuracy of all it perceives. Though most of it's "pointers" are irrelevant to the current situation, the fastidious psicrystal does still come in handy when appraising an object's true value. Shaper is probably your best bet for primary discipline, if only because the other disciplines have little or nothing to do with material possessions/obsessions. Imprint Stone is a good feat choice for flavour reasons, as is Craft Universal Item to create nifty things like shards, psionatrices, crystal anchors and crystal masks. Oh, and specify that all your Material displays are "gem dust" instead of ectoplasm. It will have no in-game effect, but it will emphasize your "gem fetish."
hogarth 04-17-08, 10:20 AM	Another prestige class I'd recommend is Crystal Proselyte from Hyperconscious (you gradually turn yourself to crystal).
Slagger the Chuul 04-17-08, 10:38 AM	If you have any 5th-level power choices, you may be interested in the crystal body power, which appears in Dragon Magic, along with a couple of other gem-based powers.
JohnnyArkham 04-18-08, 01:08 AM	Excellent suggestions, folks. My thanks. Here's another thought; Can you think of a way to translate the Gnome's starting Spell-Like Abilities into balanced and similar Psi-Like Abilities? Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day—speak with animals (burrowing mammal only, duration 1 minute). A gnome with a Charisma score of at least 10 also has the following spell-like abilities: 1/day—dancing lights, ghost sound, prestidigitation. Caster level 1st; save DC 10 + gnome’s Cha modifier + spell level.
InkBlot 04-18-08, 10:58 AM	What's wrong with a member of an innately magical race developing psionic powers? Why does he have to be a psychic gnome instead of just a gnome psion? Every sentient mind has psionic potential. Not to mention, magic is a kind of psionics, and psionics is a kind of magic. Perhaps your gnome realized his psionic potential as a natural consequence of spending long hours intently focusing on the intricate nature of crystals. Perhaps he saw the connection between crystals and psionics, and then purposefully sought to bring out his psionic potential in order to bring himself closer to the crystals he loves. Perhaps he was accidentally exposed to a powerful burst of psionic energy from a high level power stone, and it somehow imprinted basic knowledge of psionics upon his brain. That said, if you really want to have a "psionic gnome" race, then the easiest thing would be to just swap all those spell like abilities for the Hidden Talent feat (see page 67 of your Expanded Psionics Handbook). Hidden Talent would give you +2 power points and any one 1st level power of your choice. You can even choose your power from the Psychic Warrior or Discipline lists. The gnome racial SLAs include a couple grab-bag spells. Psionic powers are usually more precise than that. Each power has a singular effect, although that effect may have more than one use. Psionics also doesn't have 0th level powers. Even powers which directly mimic 0th level spells are 1st level. More specifically, there is no psionic equivalent to prestidigitation or speak with animals, and the psionic light/sound generating powers are severally nerfed compared to the arcane equivalents. The closest parallel is between create sound and ghost sound. Perhaps you could try stealing one of the Psion expanded class options from The Mind's Eye. The shaper one is pretty neat. (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070411a) Trinkets You can create little items by sacrificing your psionic focus. Level: 1st. Replaces: The bonus feat at 1st level. Benefit: By sacrificing your psionic focus, you can create a temporary item as a move action. It is like minor creation, except the object you create is smaller and you create it more quickly. You can create one unattended, nonmagical object of nonliving plant matter, up to 1 cubic inch. For instance, you could create a wooden ring, a piece of paper, a handkerchief, a thin glove, or other item. You cannot create a dried herb, a poison, or other distillate of dead plant matter that has special secondary effects. The created object has a duration of 1 minute and can be recognized as a "created" object easily. This ability is considered a psi-like ability and treated as a 1st-level power for purposes of dispelling the effects.
Lycanthromancer 04-18-08, 11:07 AM	What's wrong with a member of an innately magical race developing psionic powers? Why does he have to be a psychic gnome instead of just a gnome psion? Every sentient mind has psionic potential. Not to mention, magic is a kind of psionics, and psionics is a kind of magic.Well, gnomes DO suck. I mean, those SLAs are pretty random and mostly useless, unless you go way out of your way to use them, or the DM decides he wants to have an adventure involve badgers or ferrets or something. I have yet to see a DM who took that much interest in his players' character stats...But then, I've had a few really ****ty DMs. Then again, I don't like SLAs or PLAs on player races anyway. They're way too limited, regardless of character class.
sin shai, nagai jedi 04-19-08, 04:48 AM	Well, gnomes DO suck. I mean, those SLAs are pretty random and mostly useless, unless you go way out of your way to use them, or the DM decides he wants to have an adventure involve badgers or ferrets or something. for once i disagree with you, gnomes are awesome, they're always alot of laughs. i'd just like to note, i played a gnome druid who had a ferret for an animal companian, it rocked. back on topic, i think you should keep the regualer SLA for the gnome, theyre good for role playing if nothing else, a gnome can cause an awful large amout of trouble with just those few SLA.
SlanderPanic 04-20-08, 05:11 PM	I'm going to have to agree that a gnome's magical abilities are a lot of fun if you remember to use them. They're not often useful in a fight, but during roleplaying they're great. In my own campaign setting, gnomes -with their innately curious natures- have taken to psionics with the same enthusiasm as anything else. I'll allow them to trade in their spell-likes (except for speak with animals) to gain Hidden Talent as a bonus feat.