Lurk's psi-crystal [Archive] - Wizards Community

Lurk's psi-crystal [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
LadyK
06-18-07, 02:09 PM I am wondering whether or not to use a psi-crystal with my lurk. What are the pros and cons? And if I do use a crystal, what one should i be using to best suite my lurk?
Soahc
06-18-07, 02:18 PM Cons; it's going to cost you a feat...

Pros; it can use your skills and mods for skills, so basically it's letting you perform the check twice!

Oh, and use the HERO PSICRYSTAL it'll give you a +2 on fort saves:D
Racinante
06-18-07, 02:19 PM Hmmm... edited because I cannot read....
AntiDjinn
06-18-07, 02:27 PM Con: It costs a feat.

Pros: See the entry for psicrystals in the psion section of the XPH.

As for which one to choose, it depends on how your lurk is built and what areas you feel need shoring up. General good choices for a lurk: Coward (+3 Hide checks), Hero (odd notion for an assassin to favor this persona, but Fortitude is your only poor save), Liar (+3 Bluff), Nimble (+2 initiative, though much of the time you will prefer to ambush so reaction isn't a problem), Single-Minded (+3 on Concentration checks, useful for getting focused as well as manifesting), and Sneaky (+3 Move Silently).
Lycanthromancer
06-18-07, 02:41 PM You can use a psicrystal for numerous things, if you're willing to play creatively.

Advance scout
Universal translator
Mount/weapon/flanking buddy (with Expanded Knowledge: Metamorphosis)
Long-range communicator
Orbital cannon
Surrogate fighter
Night watch
And if all else fails, ammo
TheKeyofE
06-18-07, 02:59 PM And if all else fails, ammo

Haha! I never thought of that. Throw your psicrystal using an augment or Psionic Shot. 1d3+2d6 damage from a rock, anyone?
Lycanthromancer
06-18-07, 03:00 PM And just think what would happen if you loaded it up with a hold-the-charge power first.
The_Shaman
06-19-07, 02:59 AM Also, if you could give a second feat, it allows you to be able to hold a second psionic focus. As iirc all psionic classes benefit from being focused, the second focus allows you to make use of attacks such as deep impact and not lose any of your bonuses.

Feat-intensive? Yes. Worthwhile? IMO yes.
SlanderPanic
06-19-07, 03:04 PM Psicrystal Affinity is always worth a feat, LadyK. In this case, though, you may want to wait a couple of levels. I know you're starting at 1st, so you may want to wait until 3rd level to get it. A feat like Speed of Thought or Up The Walls is going to be more worthwhile at first level.
Tempest Stormwind
06-19-07, 03:57 PM The lurk's an assassin, a thug. Consider the psicrystal to be a remote spy camera, a mine (for delivering some of the lurk's nasty touch powers), and a minor always-on personal buff (Hero = Great Fortitude, for instance, while Liar = Skill Focus (Bluff), which works well with your feinting).

For the record, touch power + feint + Lurk Augment = nasty, nasty stuff.
InkBlot
06-19-07, 04:40 PM That's right. A touch power ignores armor/shield, and a feint gets rid of dex/dodge! All you have to hit is AC 10, give or take a few points for Dex penalty or deflection/cover/insight bonuses. So AC 10 for Sneak Attack + 1d6/pp + Lurk Augment! Brilliant!
Tempest Stormwind
06-19-07, 05:18 PM That's right. A touch power ignores armor/shield, and a feint gets rid of dex/dodge! All you have to hit is AC 10, give or take a few points for Dex penalty or deflection/cover/insight bonuses. So AC 10 for Sneak Attack + 1d6/pp + Lurk Augment! Brilliant!

Don't give me credit; I had to survive it before I realized what was going on. DisposableHero used the technique on Dreaming Dark assassins against us in our weekly Eberron game (with their touch power of choice being an Expanded Knowledge: Dissolving Touch and the augment being Mental Assault; had they been higher level, they would have likely added other mageslaying augments to the strike). This trick works best for mageslaying, actually, since they have a low base attack and traditionally lower Sense Motive, meaning the feint is most likely to succeed.

I've also considered using the same style of technique on a lurk/soulknife, using Untapped Potential's Deceptive Blade as a feat. If you have both Deceptive Blade and Improved Feint, you can feint as part of the action of drawing your mind blade. Thus, with Free Draw, feinting literally becomes a free action. This frees up your move action for a Dimension Slide, meaning the lurk suddenly gets even *more* deadly, and can do it "at range" of sorts. (I'm ironically away from my UTP, so I'm not sure if we worded Deceptive Blade to only function with mind blade attacks; if not, it can work for feinting while you jab them with the touch power.)
TheKeyofE
06-19-07, 07:23 PM Lurk/Soulknife?

(linked from "Psionic Motivators" thread)
http://www.badongo.com/t/640/719012.jpg
SlanderPanic
06-20-07, 10:12 AM Haha! Good call, E.

I'm finding myself falling in love with the lurk lately and LadyK's threads have just been bringing that out more. I may well retire my ultra-skillmonkey Exalted rogue in the Forgotten Realms campaign I'm in so I can try a lurk out.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
LadyK 06-18-07, 02:09 PM	I am wondering whether or not to use a psi-crystal with my lurk. What are the pros and cons? And if I do use a crystal, what one should i be using to best suite my lurk?
Soahc 06-18-07, 02:18 PM	Cons; it's going to cost you a feat... Pros; it can use your skills and mods for skills, so basically it's letting you perform the check twice! Oh, and use the HERO PSICRYSTAL it'll give you a +2 on fort saves:D
Racinante 06-18-07, 02:19 PM	Hmmm... edited because I cannot read....
AntiDjinn 06-18-07, 02:27 PM	Con: It costs a feat. Pros: See the entry for psicrystals in the psion section of the XPH. As for which one to choose, it depends on how your lurk is built and what areas you feel need shoring up. General good choices for a lurk: Coward (+3 Hide checks), Hero (odd notion for an assassin to favor this persona, but Fortitude is your only poor save), Liar (+3 Bluff), Nimble (+2 initiative, though much of the time you will prefer to ambush so reaction isn't a problem), Single-Minded (+3 on Concentration checks, useful for getting focused as well as manifesting), and Sneaky (+3 Move Silently).
Lycanthromancer 06-18-07, 02:41 PM	You can use a psicrystal for numerous things, if you're willing to play creatively. Advance scout Universal translator Mount/weapon/flanking buddy (with Expanded Knowledge: Metamorphosis) Long-range communicator Orbital cannon Surrogate fighter Night watch And if all else fails, ammo
TheKeyofE 06-18-07, 02:59 PM	And if all else fails, ammo Haha! I never thought of that. Throw your psicrystal using an augment or Psionic Shot. 1d3+2d6 damage from a rock, anyone?
Lycanthromancer 06-18-07, 03:00 PM	And just think what would happen if you loaded it up with a hold-the-charge power first.
The_Shaman 06-19-07, 02:59 AM	Also, if you could give a second feat, it allows you to be able to hold a second psionic focus. As iirc all psionic classes benefit from being focused, the second focus allows you to make use of attacks such as deep impact and not lose any of your bonuses. Feat-intensive? Yes. Worthwhile? IMO yes.
SlanderPanic 06-19-07, 03:04 PM	Psicrystal Affinity is always worth a feat, LadyK. In this case, though, you may want to wait a couple of levels. I know you're starting at 1st, so you may want to wait until 3rd level to get it. A feat like Speed of Thought or Up The Walls is going to be more worthwhile at first level.
Tempest Stormwind 06-19-07, 03:57 PM	The lurk's an assassin, a thug. Consider the psicrystal to be a remote spy camera, a mine (for delivering some of the lurk's nasty touch powers), and a minor always-on personal buff (Hero = Great Fortitude, for instance, while Liar = Skill Focus (Bluff), which works well with your feinting). For the record, touch power + feint + Lurk Augment = nasty, nasty stuff.
InkBlot 06-19-07, 04:40 PM	That's right. A touch power ignores armor/shield, and a feint gets rid of dex/dodge! All you have to hit is AC 10, give or take a few points for Dex penalty or deflection/cover/insight bonuses. So AC 10 for Sneak Attack + 1d6/pp + Lurk Augment! Brilliant!
Tempest Stormwind 06-19-07, 05:18 PM	That's right. A touch power ignores armor/shield, and a feint gets rid of dex/dodge! All you have to hit is AC 10, give or take a few points for Dex penalty or deflection/cover/insight bonuses. So AC 10 for Sneak Attack + 1d6/pp + Lurk Augment! Brilliant! Don't give me credit; I had to survive it before I realized what was going on. DisposableHero used the technique on Dreaming Dark assassins against us in our weekly Eberron game (with their touch power of choice being an Expanded Knowledge: Dissolving Touch and the augment being Mental Assault; had they been higher level, they would have likely added other mageslaying augments to the strike). This trick works best for mageslaying, actually, since they have a low base attack and traditionally lower Sense Motive, meaning the feint is most likely to succeed. I've also considered using the same style of technique on a lurk/soulknife, using Untapped Potential's Deceptive Blade as a feat. If you have both Deceptive Blade and Improved Feint, you can feint as part of the action of drawing your mind blade. Thus, with Free Draw, feinting literally becomes a free action. This frees up your move action for a Dimension Slide, meaning the lurk suddenly gets even more deadly, and can do it "at range" of sorts. (I'm ironically away from my UTP, so I'm not sure if we worded Deceptive Blade to only function with mind blade attacks; if not, it can work for feinting while you jab them with the touch power.)
TheKeyofE 06-19-07, 07:23 PM	Lurk/Soulknife? (linked from "Psionic Motivators" thread) http://www.badongo.com/t/640/719012.jpg
SlanderPanic 06-20-07, 10:12 AM	Haha! Good call, E. I'm finding myself falling in love with the lurk lately and LadyK's threads have just been bringing that out more. I may well retire my ultra-skillmonkey Exalted rogue in the Forgotten Realms campaign I'm in so I can try a lurk out.