Post/Author/DateTime	Post
awaken_D_M_golem 04-23-07, 07:25 PM	Assuming DM Fiat to get this into play ... It seems to me, that this Artifact is just not that much stuff. A good aligned psi- character gets 17 pp and enough exp to be 1/2 way up the next level. The 17 pp is meaningless if a re-charge set-up is allowed. The exp is going to get eaten away by level differences within the party. An evil character needs to be a high enough level to not be zonked by the exp loss. Immunity to confusion is something a DivineMind has. A Psychic Chirurgery power is not commonly available, but the cost isn't a problem. A good character is happy for the power points. The exp should be used to craft as much stuff as possible. Otherwise it's wasted. I'm looking at this and stewing on it. As a plot device, this can cause some problems for a party around 5th thru 10th level. What level party do you think this would provide a challenge ? Any other ideas on how to use this ?
awaken_D_M_golem 04-26-07, 06:22 PM	Nothing ?! An Aura Alteration 'might' trigger the bad stuff on a character during the study of the Sutra. Confused beings will drop weapons and armor. Party can capture/grapple the "evil" good guy, make sure the local police don't lock 'em up and throw away the key, and locate someone for a PsyChi and restore. Results : One psi- of the party is down maybe a level and some gear and gold. Good adventure. Conversely, a literate psionic BBEG could have the same thing applied to it. Effectively this is equal to a 1-3 level drain and a confusion spell/power. That weakens a CR by about 5 or 6 by my estimation. The more followers a bbeg has, the less likely it would be to face said bbeg in such a reduced form. Results : As long as the followers/minions don't have a way to Divination a solution, it works. Otherwise, this just expends a small amount of the treasure, but maybe the more powerful Fixer is now interested in the party ... :evillaugh Ideas ???
Kiklio 04-26-07, 07:35 PM	I don't understand your dismissal of the Sutra's granted effects. A permanent 17pp increase to a character's pool is huge; it's a ninth-level spell slot. The equivalent of a kalashtar's level-by-level increase. A psychic warrior's fantasy. The experience is nothing to sneeze at either. I am furthermore confused by your idea of using the Sutra as a trap. While creative, it is better used as a reward. The Sutra should reside in a mountain temple guarded by warrior-monks who await the day a mental champion will arrive to defeat some monster and claim enlightenment. The Sutra could be the property of an immortal elan ascetic who will bequeath the text upon his chosen disciple. In metagame terms, the Sutra rewards a character's dedication to good psionics, and a player's dedication to the game. Maybe the DM uses the Sutra to say "thanks" to a player who promises not to blow up the game even though his group only fights two or three encounters a day. Maybe a player made some bad multiclassing choices, and the DM wants his unique character to be near par in his psionic abilities despite lack of manifester levels. I believe artifacts should be either wholly for the players or wholly against the players. The Sutra should be a reward for the players, something to be gained after a trial. If you want a villain involved, perhaps the party and the psionic villain have both just discovered the location of the unguarded Sutra, and must race to claim the prize. In this case, the item will still be for the players...if they succeed.
awaken_D_M_golem 04-27-07, 04:00 PM	Hey Kiklio, good stuff. The experience thing is this thread link ---> experience is a river Supposing the good guys get the Sutra, whoever gets it must use the exp, otherwise it just fades. A strategy would be to make as much stuff as possible, but still have the bonus level in place. As more exp comes to the party, Sutra-man should keep on making stuff until the party catches up. Otoh, if there's some super power like Metamorph just around the corner, getting there faster is OK, then make stuff. A party might have a secret evil guy, mascarading as a good guy ... all the sudden He's exposed !! :eek: The power points ... you are right, especially for PsyWars. Psions get 18pp at 10th level, and at 20th they could pop out +1 of 20 maxxed out powers. That's not quite as meaningful. I was kinda angling toward re-charge situations. In that case, PsyWars still could use it, as could DivineMinds :rolleyes: . I'm thinking in terms of "plot device". You're thinking in terms of rewards. Both are reasonable. Further afield, put a Dwoemer on the Sutra so you can find it after it disappears. That's high level stuff. Go find it and slowly build your army a little bit better. Might attract some Bad attention ...