Post/Author/DateTime	Post
JulesCARV 01-28-08, 05:01 PM	Anyone have more ideas for psicrystal personalities? Here are a few. Compassionate: +3 bonus on heal checks This crystal is the personification of benevolence and mercy. It can always be relied upon to provide comforting words and aid to an owner fallen on hard times, and will aid one who seeks to help others in need of healing and succor. On the other hand, this psicrystal will sometimes gasp in horror and feel driven to righteous indignation by an owner who does not treat others with compassion, from a horse force-marched in a time when overland speed is critical to a lowly kobold scout killed to prevent his reporting back to his superiors in spite of not being a direct threat. Diva: +3 bonus on perform checks This crystal relishes an audience and the adulation of crowds. It tends to be very particular about its needs, demanding to be polished regularly and insisting on being kept clean throughout the most noisome dungeon crawls. However, the diva psicrystal's talent at pleasing crowds can aid an owner who finds himself performing publicly, whether giving a rousing inspirational speech before a battle or adding an ambience of sweet flute music to a ballroom. Inquisitive: +3 bonus on gather information checks This crystal feels compelled to ask questions constantly, seeking out those who might know answers. It seems to have little sense of social propriety about what questions might be too sensitive or inappropriate to ask, and frequently seems oblivious to when it causes annoyance or embarassment to those it questions, not least its own owner. However, its inquisite nature can help an owner think of promising routes of inquiry when he seeks information from others. Polyglot: Gain the ability to speak four three languages of your choice. Once chosen, they do not vary. A polyglot crystal prides itself on knowledge of languages. Going beyond mere fluency, it fancies itself a master of style, calligraphy, and verse in its languages, distinguishing between the dwarven poetry from twelve centuries ago and the dwarven poetry from thirteen centuries ago by the subtle changes in stresses. It sometimes claims a greater degree of knowledge than it actually possesses, but it does unquestionably know something of language, and its knowledge helps the owner in learning new languages. Unrelenting: +2 +3 bonus on rolls to confirm a critical hit The strong do as they can, and the weak suffer what they must, according to the cruel perspective of this psicrystal. Mercy is weakness, and any advantage must be pressed to the fullest extent possible. An owner of an unrelenting psicrystal may be disturbed by his crystal's apparent disregard for any values other than strength, power, and victory, such as mercy or empathy. Nonetheless, in the heat of battle, an unrelenting psicrystal may aid its owner in pressing an advantage to the fullest extent, exploiting an opponent's weakness with a relentless certainty.
Tedronai 01-29-08, 01:45 AM	Polyglot should probably be dropped to 3 languages, if not 2. At 3, this is on par with the skill bonus options for individuals with Speak Language on their class skill list (which relatively few classes provide, Psion, Wilder, and Ardent not among them, and represent the most common classes to acquire Psicrystals). At 2, this benefit approximates the benefit of the skill options for classes that do not have speak language on the class lists, but is less valuable than the skill options for classes that do have speak language on their skill lists. I'd suggest that Unrelenting likely needs to be increased in power to be worthwhile. Critical threats don't happen often enough for a +2 on confirmation rolls to be reutinely worthwhile, especially when most manifesters don't spend too much time making attack rolls anyway. I would suggest increasing the bonus to +3, at which point it is less potent than a dedicated feat which happens to perform the same function (which gives a +4, don't recall what the feat is called, it's found in one of the Completes - warrior, I believe), but might still be worthwhile to choose.
CrimsonDeath 01-29-08, 03:41 AM	I'd suggest that Unrelenting likely needs to be increased in power to be worthwhile. Critical threats don't happen often enough for a +2 on confirmation rolls to be reutinely worthwhile, especially when most manifesters don't spend too much time making attack rolls anyway. I would suggest increasing the bonus to +3, at which point it is less potent than a dedicated feat which happens to perform the same function (which gives a +4, don't recall what the feat is called, it's found in one of the Completes - warrior, I believe), but might still be worthwhile to choose. On the contrary, Psychic Warriors spend a great deal of time making attack rolls and benefit greatly from having a psicrystal (Vigor + Share Pain, Psicrystal Containment, etc.) The +3 still isn't too bad though, especially with the Instinctive Consummator feat available (burn psionic focus to automatically confirm a critical threat).
JulesCARV 01-29-08, 12:57 PM	Ah.... my thought on Polyglot was that the +3 bonuses are more powerful than just gaining three ranks in a skill, because it can put you over the maximum rank limit in terms of total modifier, which isn't really applicable to speak language (the old Open Minded vs. Skill Focus issue). However, given that speak language is rarely a class skills, perhaps 3 languages is appropriate -- it comes out to about a 6-skill point investment, which counts as about open minded. Fair point on Unrelenting -- +3 sounds good.
Soel Griffin 01-29-08, 09:01 PM	Instinctive Consummator feat available (burn psionic focus to automatically confirm a critical threat). Where is this feat located? Also, to the OP, there was an issue of Dragon that featured some psicrystal substitution abilities. (can't recall the issue number; they were labeled substitutions in the article title, but the actual article just has you pay an xp and gp cost.)
CrimsonDeath 01-29-08, 09:07 PM	Where is this feat located? CPsi p. 55
GuardianLurker 01-29-08, 09:17 PM	Greedy: +3 bonus on Appraise checks. This crystal is focused on the finer things in life. And by that, it means things worth a lot of money. Raw coins are the best of course, but any form of portable and material wealth is thoroughly appreciated. More disturbingly, the crystal applies the same rules to people as well; it will perceive and be friendlier to the expensively dressed mass murderer than to the shabbily dressed penitent saint. The crystal will constantly urge its master to live beyond his means.
MnemonicSV 02-01-08, 01:14 AM	Hey, why not try more obscure skills: Daydreamer: +3 bonus on Lucid Dreaming checks. This psicrystal is often off in it's own little world, allowing it's rampant imagination to colour all exchanges. When not distracted, it pesters it's owner to get more sleep, and can become somewhat angry if it's owner simply doesn't get enough rest. When it's owner finally does allow sleep to claim him though, this psicrystal aids and bolsters it's owner's subconscious mind. Reaffirming: +3 bonus on Control Shape checks. Lycanthropy can be a terrible affliction... however, the psion who knows of his condition can always rely on his reaffirming psicrystal to help him keep his form in check. "You are only who you wish to be" is the motto of a psicrystal with this personality fragment. When the need arises for the owner to control his own form, his psicrystal's constant reaffirmation echoes and amplifies his desires.