Post/Author/DateTime	Post
FabulousRex 08-19-05, 05:29 PM	Despite the name of the title, I myself am a new psionics-user, and need to get this started as a resource to help newbies to Psionics. Firstly I'ld like to adress some common starting mechanics for Psionics. Sure it's a bit redundant on this forum, but it would help immensely as a copy-n-paste for new users. Then I'ld like to discuss the Psionic Classes and how the typically operate. Next will be a DM's guide to incorporating Psionics into an ongoing campaign (with a focus on Eberron). Lastly a section on things to watch out for, what Psionics is capable of doing (Novas, Mind-Effecting), and how to deal with some perceived problems. So If you'ld like to post, feel free and I'll keep the sections updated in different posts to make it cut-n-paste friendly. Much kudos in advance for helping out!
FabulousRex 08-19-05, 05:30 PM	Basic Mechanics of Psionics Basic Mechanics, by Tempest Stormwind: The psionics rules for D&D 3.5 are remarkably easy to learn, if you have a handle on how magic works. The psion, fundamentally, works like a spontaneous spellcaster (sorceror, bard, etc) that does not suffer from arcane spell failure, nor has any need for components. They recover their power points (which are similar to spells per day) after 8 hours of rest, just like an arcane spellcaster, although it only takes a single full-round action to recover them all instead of an hour's concentration (like a sorceror or a bard). Manifesting a power is fundamentally like casting a spell for a spontaneous caster, in that it functions under exactly the same rules (spend power points/spell slot, provokes attack of opportunity, may require concentration, etc), except where metapsionic feats are used (see below for details). If you are comfortable running sorcerors, then you shouldn't have any problem with this aspect of psionics. The differences, however, are the two key rules to the Expanded Psionics Handbook, and without them, the system seems terribly broken. 1 -- AUGMENTATION Psionic powers can often 'augment' -- manifest themselves at a stronger power level by expending more power points. This is similar to spell scaling (i.e. Fireball: 1d6 per caster level) except that, unlike magic, it is not free. Psionic manifesters must spend power points to accomplish this feat, and they are subject to a special limit. This limit is the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT RULE IN THE EXPANDED PSIONICS HANDBOOK: You may not spend more power points than your manifester level on a single manifestation. That is, a 4th level psion can only spend 4 power points on any given psionic manifestation. He could spend fewer, if he wishes, but not more than 4 -- augmentation and metapsionic feats included. (The Overchannel feat and the Wild Surge class feature can allow a manifester to temporarily treat his manifester level as higher than normal for a single manifestation, at the cost of damage or a risk of dazing and loss of a LOT of PP. He still has to pay for the extra boost if he uses Overchannel, though.) This brings us nicely into the second key rule: 2 -- PSIONIC FOCUS Psionic Focus is, essentially, a state that you can be in that serves as a balancing factor. It's described under the Concentration skill in the XPH, although any book that uses psionic material includes its rules in a sidebar. Basically, you can take a full-round action (provoking attacks of opportunity) to make a DC20 Concentration check to become 'psionically focused' -- a state that indicates you are ready to use certain feats. Psionic focus has NOTHING to do with manifesting powers, nor does it do anything by itself. In fact, without special class features or psionic/metapsionic feats, you can only use it on one thing -- you can expend it (lose your 'focused' state) to 'take 15' on a single Concentration check. Things get more interesting, however, when you have psionic feats. Many psionic feats (i.e. 90%+) relate to focus in some way or another. Some require you to be psionically focused -- for instance, Speed of Thought adds a +10 Insight bonus to your speed when you are psionically focused. If you lose your focus in any way (expending it or being forced to lose it), you also lose this speed bonus, although it returns when you restore your focus. Other feats require you to expend your focus, essentially trading your 'focused' state for a special, powerful, one-time effect that's like a minor spell or power -- for instance, Psionic Weapon adds +2d6 damage to a melee attack, but requires you to expend your psionic focus to trigger it. Most notable of the 'expend-focus' feats are every last Metapsionic feat. That's right, in order to use any metapsionic feat, you must expend your psionic focus. This prevents, normally, the use of more than one metapsi feat on any one manifestation. Since it takes a full-round to recover, it's similar to (but inferior to) the Sorceror's use of metamagic, although you can use that prep round in advance. Unlike sorcerors, though, use of metapsionics does not alter the time to manifest the power itself, so Quicken Power can be used. Psionic Focus is a powerful balance tool, and many metapsi feats cost slightly less than their metamagic equivalents. You automatically lose your psionic focus if you fall unconcious or hit zero power points. You can be forced to lose it via the Psionic Hole feat or a creature like a gray glutton. The feats Psicrystal Affinity and Psicrystal Containment allow your psicrystal to become psionically focused, which is similar to your own focus (although being unfocused, with a focused psicrystal, is not enough to count as 'being psionically focused' for things like your feats), and you can even expend both to power two expend feats at once (like Greater Psionic Weapon and Deep Impact). Finally, the feat Psionic Meditation can speed up the focus process, to a move action. Considering how focus is used to power other feats, relying of focus stunts like this can be very, very feat-intensive. A lot of writing for something that, fundamentally, is very simple, but I wanted to cover all the bases. With these two rules in mind, you will notice that psionics is a very good system -- adaptable, flexible, easy to learn, and above all else, balanced with core material. And no, I don't mean the Cleric or Druid. CoDzilla can stay asleep in Tokyo harbor while Akira the Wilder has his heyday.
FabulousRex 08-19-05, 05:33 PM	Psions and their Disciplnes PLAYER NOTES: LEARNING POWERS AS A PSION, By Tempest Stormwind A fair bit of confusion has arisen here, mostly due to the overuse of the word "discipline." "Discipline" is the rough equivalent of "school of magic." It is also the subtype of psion (Egoist, nomad, kineticist, shaper, seer, telepath), and the special list of powers only available to those characters (the 'discipline powers' -- a special addition similar to, but not quite like, a domain. If you are familiar with the Arcane Disciple feat, it is somewhat like that.). So, in an effort to dispel confusion, I'll try to clarify what, exactly, a psion's discipline (subtype) means for your power selection. * Egoists can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Egoist (Psychometabolism) list. * Nomads can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Nomad (Psychoportation) list. * Kineticists can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Kineticist (Psychokinesis) list. * Shapers can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Shaper (Metacreativity) list. * Seers can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Seer (Clairsentience) list. * Telepaths can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Telepath (Telepathy) list. They do not automatically learn their discipline powers, nor can they learn any power that is not on the lists mentioned above (without the use of the Expanded Knowledge feat). Disciplnes and their Roles, by FabulousRex- Since you are forced to choose a Disciplne as a Psion, the choice you make -must- match the charecter you want to play. A sneaky, devious type is better used as a Telepath or Seer than a Kineticist. So I've made some basic guidlines on all the Disciplnes concerning their flavor, play style, and suggested Optimization routes. Seer- With Powers and Skills focused on information, a Seer is a great choice for a 'know it all' type of PC (for good or ill). Information can mean alot of different things, though. Out of combat, knowing your enemies, allies, and partners is invaluable. Inside combat, precognitive powers let you cheat the odds, influence your saves, and give you insight bonuses on combat checks. Suggested Optimization- Psycrystal Affinity is immensely useful to gather information, in addition to it's other benefits. Psion Uncarnate could make you into the ultimate spy, if you wish to lose your connection to the Material Plane. Shaper- The Shaper's Skills are almost Rogue-Like, and ideally suited to modifying their signature Power, Astral Construct. They also have a few nifty creation and modification powers (as well as some good save-or-dies), and make ideal Psionic Crafters. If you want a well-rounded Psion with alot of gear, the Shaper is for you. In and out of combat, it's likely you will solve most problems with expendable ectoplasmic Constructs that you create on the spot. Suggested Optimization- Boost Construct was literally -made- for Shapers, don't pass it up! The online Constructer PrC is also Ideal to maximize your use of the Astral Construct power. Kineticist- Kineticists are notorius 'blasters', with some of the best Energy powers on their Disciplne list. They are, however, matter manipulators. Their other skills and powers focus on the mind over the enviroment around them. If that means siezing control of an enemy's body, shifting and manipulating matter, or forming terrific blasts of energy is up to the individual Kineticist! Suggested Optimization- Meta-Psionic feats to boost your energy-power output are a good idea, along with Psionic Mediation and Psycrystal Containment to truly use those MetaPsi feats to their fullest. Egoist- Egoists focus on the changes and manipulation of their own bodies, both with their Skills and Powers. Famous for shape-shifting via Metamorphasis, Egoists also pack some impressive self-buff and self-heal powers, making them the most likely to enter melee combat and survive (if not thrive!). Suggested Optimization- Metamorphic Transfer is fantastic with the Metamorphasis power, allowing you to use some of the target creature's unusual abilites a few times a day. The online Sangehirn is fantastic for applying your powers to your party (especially healing), and the Slayer makes you a formidable melee combatant. Nomad- The Nomad is not thought of as the most powerful Disciplne, but it has it's place, and can be especially good at battlefield control, time manipulation, and transportation. It's skills make it a very self-sufficient Disciplne, ideal for low-PC games and outdoors campaigns, while it's powers make the Nomad the king of battlefield mobility. Suggested Optimization- The Elocator is a fantastic PrC for Nomads, both in flavor and usage. Really crank up that mobility and time control! Telepath- Perhaps the most popular Disciplne, the Telepath focuses on what Psionics has a special affinity for, mind manipulation. Wether it's charming your way through social encounters, or forcing your enemy to kill itself, the Telepath views the human mind a clay to be molded however they see fit. This of course means that mind-effecting-immune creatures like Undead can cause a Telepath fits if he's unprepared! Suggested Optimization- Psionic Endowment can really kick up the DC's to beguile their foes' minds, while the Thrallherd PrC simply attracts followers to you without you having to lift a finger! Psychic Warrior- Psionic Gish Here's a great build guide for PsyWar's, by Wyvern Slayer- Psychic Warrior Build Guide and Compendium (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=53738) The Unique Soulknife Here's a greath Soulknife Guide, courtesy of Todd- Soulknife Build Guide and Compendium (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=372176) It is also HIGHLY suggested that DMs and Players adopt something to help the Soulknife out, as it is widely regarded as underpowered. The most common, highly rated, and elegant 'fix' is Blaine Tog's version, which makes the Soulknife more into a skirmisher and skill monkey, which fits well for the flavor of the class. Blaine Tog's Soulknife Fix (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=310984) Basic Soulknife Insights, by FabulousRex- Right away, one of the most interesting classes I've seen is the Soulknife out of the XPH. The SK's ability to create a weapon on demand is impressive, but some of the other features aren't so great. Skills are OK, but not good, BAB is only medium, poor Fort save for a figher-type (but good Will and Ref), and no flexibility to multiclass really can hamper an otherwise great class. The key thing to do is maximze your strengths, and minimize your weaknesses. Mobility is encouraged by the class features, so going for Spring Attack (and related feats) is a solid choice. Since you don't have to spend money on a primary weapon or a backup ranged weapon (typically an attacker's most expensive, important, and easy-to-lose equipment), getting great armor and utility items becomes easier. Great armor helps anyone, a Mithril Breatplate is perhaps the best protection a single-class SK can get. Additionally, things like Psychoactive Skins, Potions, and command-activated Power/Spell items are great buys. Basically, take the money saved on weaponry, and channel it into getting better supporting gear to help yourself out. That's my basic take on the class. The Powerfully Limited Wilder Here's an in-work Wilder build guide, by cvazi- Wilder Build Guide and Compendium, by cvazi (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=487972) Basic Wilder Overview, by cvazi- Playing an effective single class Wilder for 20 straight levels is almost impossible. The Wilder lies in an uncomfortable middle ground between the caster-type and warrior-type. The Wilder does not have the versitility of the Psion, nor does the Wilder have the martial proficiencies of the Psi-warrior. To continue this path is to continue on a path of follies. The power of the Wilder lies in selecting one of these paths and playing to his strength. The Wilder has a psion's power points, but only gains 11 powers known. Chose them well, and you will never be lacking. The Wilder has 4+int skill points and the class skills of bluff, intimidate and sense motive; The Wilder's manifesting key modifier is Charisma- you are very useful outside of combat. The nature of psionics allows the Wilder to manifest while in heavy armor- a well planned level dip or PrC will give the Wilder that- and martial weapon proficiencies to compliment to his innate 3/4 BAB and d6 HD. Finally his signature move, The Wild Surge allows him to last longer and hit harder than a psion of equal level- at a cost of course. The key to the Wilder is focus. Know what you want to do, and you can do it better than almost everyone else.
FabulousRex 08-19-05, 05:35 PM	DM's Guide to Incorporation Psionic Transparency, by Disposable Hero- Flavor Concerns: Many DMs I have spoken too, both online and in person have told me that one of the most important aspects to building a magical fantasy world is to understand how and why magic works. As a fundamental element that divides the world we live in from the world our characters do, magic, and by extension psionics need to be understood in the context of the world by the DM to decide how the world reacts to them, how common they are, and any number of other factors. A good example of this is Eberron, which has a very scientific and technological outlook on magic. Magic is considered a tool, it is both common and commonly harnessed, its abilities are available to anyone who can study them, and thus is present in almost every aspect of life on eberron. Transparency: From a flavor perspective, transparency very much mirrors the eberron perspective of magic in psionics. Energy is energy no matter its source, and thus psionics and magic interact as if they were the same being powered by a different souce. Transparency is most thematically appropriate in settings where magic and psionics can be expected to occur in similar frequencies. In such a world, the line between psionics and magic is blurred, and only the learned on the subjects would really realize the differences. A psion and a wizard would be treated as very much the same in terms of profession and ability. Psionics are Different: More appropriate in settings where one form, magic or psionics, is much more common than the other. Many have suggested on this board that the thematically sensible extension of psionics are different is to also differentiate arcane and divine magic in the same way, that all three major casting disciplines are affected only by themselves. Mechanical Concerns: The long and the short of the mechanical debate is that tranparency comes with less rules baggage and generally less work on the part of the DM than the psionics are different variant. Under transparency psionics are mechanically balanced by the same factors. Spell resistence, dispelling, magic and psionic defenses like spell turning or thought shield automatically provide protection against similar attacks from other sources. Transparency: The extent to which one applies transparency can sometimes be a hang up where the rules are concerned. Common extensions of the transparency under DM discression are as follows: Items - Originally Posted by SRD ...and magic items that could potentially affect psionics do affect psionics... This statement is highly ambiguous and certainly cause for some debate about specific items that might or might not smoothly translate from magic to psionics. It is worth noting that this should go the other way as well, some psionic item effects are suitable to be applied to casters, and some aren't. How far you wish to take item transparency is a DMs decision and an important one. Prestige Classes - Specifically generic spellcasting increase prestige classes like the eberron campaign setting's Heir of Siberys or Draconomicon's Dragon Slayer don't, according to a customer service ruling, provide increased manifester level, power points, and powers known to psionic characters that take them, but it is not a far stretch to allow them too assuming the psion can attain the requirements. Similarly psionic prestige classes like the Illithid Slayer that don't require manifesting the enter could provide bonuses to casters who take them up. Similarities between casters and manifesters is sufficient in many cases for this not to be problematic (beyond problems that would have been caused by the class without psionics involved), the official ruling is that they don't overlap however, and ocasionally class abilities do not translate well. Skills - Many DMs when using psionics-magic transparency collapse spellcraft and psicraft into a single skill, as well as collapsing use magic device and use psionic device, each of which is reasonably mechanically sound. Counterspelling - As the RAW stands, psions can neither counterspell, nor be counterspelled. Many choose to allow counterspelling between psionics and magic under transparency, though it is specifically impossible by RAW. Psionics are Different: To put it simply, psionics are different means more work for the DM. To maintain a reasonably balanced game environment under psionics are different means introducing psionics fully into the game world. Unbalanced situations arise frequently for new psionics users when a player uses a psionic character and the DM encorperates none but uses psionics are different. This character becomes a unique and nigh unstoppable force many times because the DM has not incorperated the defenses and countermeasures to psionics in the XPH into his material, as he only allowed psionics to let his player use them. If this is the situation, use transparency!. If the DM is fully willing to encorperate psionics and psionic characters throughout his or her campaign world, then psionics are different is a solid option. But be aware before using it that it indeed requires the DM to use specific solutions to a psionic character as regularly as they would use specific solutions to another caster. Further, the DM needs to be sure that creatures fortified against magic are equally fortified against psionics to keep difficult encounters from being breezed through by a psion who bypasses some well laid caster defenses. Some of the most dangerous characters in this case are psychic warrior or illithid slayer gish builds, whose buff powers will not be held in check by dispel magic, and will have a lot easier time with many of the casting monsters in the three monster manuals. Eberron-Specific Incorporation Campaign Incorporation, by FabulousRex- The new Eberron Campaign is perhaps the most Psionic-friendly Campaign in DnD, right behind Dark Sun. The Kalashtar in particular are fantastic Psionic PCs, representing all that is good in the world, and making powerfully noble sacrificing heros. To fully incorporate Psionics into Eberron shouldn't be too hard. One of the major things for a DM to worry about is the Dreaming Dark. The Dreaming Dark is an excellent evil organization that makes an incredibly rich Nemesis to your gaming group. With the power of Dreams and Nightmares, they can harass and oppose your PCs at anytime, and even the most unrelated adventures can be tied into the Dreaming Dark's wide-reaching and insidious plans with some clever plot hooks. Because the organization is so subtle, saying that they've been there all along is an easy way to introduce the Dreaming Dark into your world. The Kalashtar are the primary PC option to adding Psionics, and a wonderfully flavorful race. Simply opening up this option can add a ready-made culture and Psionic-Friendly backstory into your world. Since Kalashtar are a tightly-knit race, adding a Kalashtar player or NPC can create a ready fall-back and plot-hook town in the Kalashtar enclave in Sharn. If you are allowing Kalashtar PCs, be mindful of their dual spirit nature, and strange connection to Dreams and Nightmares. Occasional encounters with Dream-like creatures or in a Dreamscape entirely can add some strong flavor to your world. Gameplay Incorporation, by FabulousRex- One of the easiest ways to ease in Psionics is getting the Races of Eberron, one of the best Psionic supporting supplements out there. Since Eberron is Psionic-Friendly, it shouldn't be to stressful to add in some of the gameplay material from that book. Kalashtar in particular get plenty of Racial feats, Substitution Levels, and Psionic PrCs. The Kalashtar specialty of Telepathy gets some interesting Substitution levels, while Kalashtar Soulknives in particular enjoy alot of features, including the only Soulknife-specific PrC to date, the Atavist. It takes some heavy RP to do well, but the Atavist can be terrificly flavourful and useful to a party. The Quori Nightmare makes a great BBEG PrC for the Dreaming Dark, as well as a great 'non-standard' Kalashtar PC option. Changelings and Shifters get some Psionic material as well, with racial Substitution levels in Psion (Egoist) and Wilder, respectively. The Changeling options promote a flowing bodily form and changing Psycrystal, which is great for RP'ing a Changeling Reality Seeker. The Shifter Wilder Substitution levels deserve special mention, primarily by making Egoist Disciplne powers available for your standard Wilder powers! Combined with a physically attacking Shifter, you can make a very different and powerful type of Wilder adept at tearing foes apart bare-handed, and a great flavorful entry into the Slayer PrC.
FabulousRex 08-19-05, 05:37 PM	Beginning DM Concerns DM DISCOURSE, by Tempest Stormwind By the way, there is also a rule in the DMG that many, many DMs just ignore, but without it, psionics appears broken. Mind you, any caster appears broken if you disregard this rule, but they just do it less impressively than a psion. That is, on average, a campaign should have four encounters of CR equal to the party's average level per day. That is not the same as having a lot of no-expense roleplay followed by a BBEG fight. The easiest way to control this, in my experience (as a neophyte DM but a psionics veteran), is to remember three things: 1) An encounter isn't always a fight. Perhaps your players need to Time Hop a door that they just can't pick, or the only way to solve a given mystery involves using Clairsentience powers. Congratulations, that just cost the party some resources that they could have used to go nova in the next encounter. Little things like this also help keep the reins on spellcasters, so if you have experience controlling wizards, you shouldn't have a problem. 2) Aptly named, It's All In Their Heads. That is, it's not the actual imminent threat, it's the percieved imminent threat. If the characters EXPECT another encounter, they will not expend all their resources in the current one. 3) Rest isn't best. You don't need to penalize resting, but it should be realistic. Don't expect your psions to be able to lie down for a few hours between every fight without consequence. They may not be attacked every night, but put it this way -- if they decide to rest, there could be plot repurcussions. The assassin makes his way deeper into the Queen's Court, the princess' kidnappers make it further away, or they gain a reputation for laziness. Things like this also stop Rope Tricking wizards, by the way. Keep that in mind when setting the pace for a psionic game and you may find that you're having more fun than you've had in years. Beginnig Player Concerns On Multi-Classing in Psionic Classes, by Tempest Stormwind- As promised, though, here's the Psionic Multiclassing FAQ. These are written from the perspective of Torrigan, an example character who is an Elan level 5 psion (Egoist) / level 2 Psychic Warrior, with intelligence 15 and wisdom 13. He's taken the Psionic Talent feat twice, and has Overchannel. Q: How many power points does Torrigan have? A: The most common question. The answer is easy: power points are always pooled, no matter the source, and can be spent on either class' powers. So, the answer is: RACE: 2. Elans are naturally psionic, and add 2 power points to their reserve. PSION: 25 base power points, +5 due to a 15 Intelligence at psion level 5. [On a side note, I LOVE the bonus PP formula -- halve the ability bonus, multiply by ML (up to 20). VERY easy to figure out, unlike bonus spells.] PSYCHIC WARRIOR: 1 base power point, +1 due to a 13 Wisdom at psywar level 2. FEATS: 2 for the first Psionic Talent, 2+1=3 for the second, for a total of 5 more power points. GRAND TOTAL: 2+25+5+1+1+5 = 39 power points. Q: What's Torrigan's manifester level? A: This very common question is actually a loaded question, as it assumes there's just one answer. The real answer is twofold -- he has a psion (egoist) ML of 5, a psywar ML of 2. This means he can spend up to 5 power points of his 39 total on any single manifestation of a power he learned as an egoist, and up to 2 on any he learned as a psychic warrior. For powers that appear on both lists, like Torrigan's Force Screen power (Psion/Wilder 1, Psywar 1), you should record which class he learned it from (that is, what class he leveled up in when he took that power), since it matters for manifestation purposes. Some powers -- notably Evade Burst and Body Adjustment, or in Torrigan's case, Hustle -- show up on multiple lists but at different levels. If this is the case, you must manifest it as the class you learned it. Torrigan has to spend 5 power points to Hustle, since that's how much egoists pay to use that power, despite it costing psychic warriors only 3 points. (Advanced players, pay heed: You can bypass this with Expanded Knowledge. If he had taken Expanded Knowledge as his 5th level Egoist feat, he could have chosen Hustle off of the psychic warrior list, which means he could use it at the cost of only 3 power points. He'd use it as an ML 5 character, too (as EK adds to your current class' list, which is Egoist here), although in this particular case it won't matter since Hustle can't be augmented and has no level-dependant characteristics. Note that most experienced players do not consider a feat to be worth a minor reduction in cost, except in extreme healing cases with Body Adjustment, or characters that absolutely must use Evade Burst on the cheap.) Q: What about Overchannel? A: He can use the feat to increase either class' ML by 1 at the cost of 1d8 damage. Q: And Wild Surge? A: Although he doesn't have it, it's worth mentioning that a multiclass Wilder can use Wild Surge to raise any of her MLs. If Torrigan took a level of Wilder in there, he could use Wild Surge to increase his Egoist, Psychic Warrior OR Wilder ML by 1. This also doesn't cost any extra PP, due to the way Wild Surge works. Choosing Powers, by FabulousRex- A common misconception I fell prey too when planning out a new Psion was choosing too many 'duplicate' powers. See, when a Wiz/Sor chooses spells, it's usually good to choose a couple different types of offensive and defensive spells. This is because different spells have different effects, and less usage for low-level attack spells at higher levels. Psions/Wilders on the other hand have a TON of flexibility in regards to their offense/defense powers. All the Energy-Powers are basically the same, thanks to Augmentation. The only real choice is the shape/effect of the Energy power in question. Defensive powers like Inertial Armor or Defensive Precognition likewise remain potent as you level up, so it's not required to take multiples of either, just the ones you like. Especially because you essentailly choose powers like a Sorceror, you need flexibility in your powers, which many already have built-in. So in short, offensive and defensive powers in moderation, as one good power can serve you well your entire career. Going Nova!! Disposable Hero's Guide to Novas, both from a Player's and DM's standpoint. Novas- A Guide (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=476377) Quick concerns about going Nova, by FabulousRex Disposable Hero does a great job describing the in's and out's of Psionic Novas, but I feel a short blurb is good for 'quick reads'. Going Nova is a massive expenditure of power points (PPs) in short amount of time, usually one or two rounds. The results are impressive, on the order of scads of damage dice, tons of combat buffs instantly, and/or multiple fully augmented Astral Contructs, all in one round. Of course this sounds bad for a DM, but there are ways to regulate this. First off is enforce the 3-5 encounter a day as per the DMG. A Psion who blows away everything his first encounter will be sadly lacking if another (perhaps tougher) encounter or 3 comes their way before resting. For big boss encounters, misdirection is useful, blowing away illusions will quickly teach the itchy-trigger-finger-Psion a lesson in careful restraint. As a player, keep in mind massive power is available if you wish it, but know that at best it is a last-ditch resort if everything is totally FUBAR. Nothing will mess up the balance of your sessions like you instantly wrecking every first encounter of the day, then being deadweight later. So use Novas with extreme caution, and only if you absolutely need to do so.
Tempest Stormwind 08-19-05, 10:13 PM	Basic Mechanics: The psionics rules for D&D 3.5 are remarkably easy to learn, if you have a handle on how magic works. The psion, fundamentally, works like a spontaneous spellcaster (sorceror, bard, etc) that does not suffer from arcane spell failure, nor has any need for components. They recover their power points (which are similar to spells per day) after 8 hours of rest, just like an arcane spellcaster, although it only takes a single full-round action to recover them all instead of an hour's concentration (like a sorceror or a bard). Manifesting a power is fundamentally like casting a spell for a spontaneous caster, in that it functions under exactly the same rules (spend power points/spell slot, provokes attack of opportunity, may require concentration, etc), except where metapsionic feats are used (see below for details). If you are comfortable running sorcerors, then you shouldn't have any problem with this aspect of psionics. The differences, however, are the two key rules to the Expanded Psionics Handbook, and without them, the system seems terribly broken. 1 -- AUGMENTATION Psionic powers can often 'augment' -- manifest themselves at a stronger power level by expending more power points. This is similar to spell scaling (i.e. Fireball: 1d6 per caster level) except that, unlike magic, it is not free. Psionic manifesters must spend power points to accomplish this feat, and they are subject to a special limit. This limit is the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT RULE IN THE EXPANDED PSIONICS HANDBOOK: You may not spend more power points than your manifester level on a single manifestation. That is, a 4th level psion can only spend 4 power points on any given psionic manifestation. He could spend fewer, if he wishes, but not more than 4 -- augmentation and metapsionic feats included. (The Overchannel feat and the Wild Surge class feature can allow a manifester to temporarily treat his manifester level as higher than normal for a single manifestation, at the cost of damage or a risk of dazing and loss of a LOT of PP. He still has to pay for the extra boost if he uses Overchannel, though.) This brings us nicely into the second key rule: 2 -- PSIONIC FOCUS Psionic Focus is, essentially, a state that you can be in that serves as a balancing factor. It's described under the Concentration skill in the XPH, although any book that uses psionic material includes its rules in a sidebar. Basically, you can take a full-round action (provoking attacks of opportunity) to make a DC20 Concentration check to become 'psionically focused' -- a state that indicates you are ready to use certain feats. Psionic focus has NOTHING to do with manifesting powers, nor does it do anything by itself. In fact, without special class features or psionic/metapsionic feats, you can only use it on one thing -- you can expend it (lose your 'focused' state) to 'take 15' on a single Concentration check. Things get more interesting, however, when you have psionic feats. Many psionic feats (i.e. 90%+) relate to focus in some way or another. Some require you to be psionically focused -- for instance, Speed of Thought adds a +10 Insight bonus to your speed when you are psionically focused. If you lose your focus in any way (expending it or being forced to lose it), you also lose this speed bonus, although it returns when you restore your focus. Other feats require you to expend your focus, essentially trading your 'focused' state for a special, powerful, one-time effect that's like a minor spell or power -- for instance, Psionic Weapon adds +2d6 damage to a melee attack, but requires you to expend your psionic focus to trigger it. Most notable of the 'expend-focus' feats are every last Metapsionic feat. That's right, in order to use any metapsionic feat, you must expend your psionic focus. This prevents, normally, the use of more than one metapsi feat on any one manifestation. Since it takes a full-round to recover, it's similar to (but inferior to) the Sorceror's use of metamagic, although you can use that prep round in advance. Unlike sorcerors, though, use of metapsionics does not alter the time to manifest the power itself, so Quicken Power can be used. Psionic Focus is a powerful balance tool, and many metapsi feats cost slightly less than their metamagic equivalents. You automatically lose your psionic focus if you fall unconcious or hit zero power points. You can be forced to lose it via the Psionic Hole feat or a creature like a gray glutton. The feats Psicrystal Affinity and Psicrystal Containment allow your psicrystal to become psionically focused, which is similar to your own focus (although being unfocused, with a focused psicrystal, is not enough to count as 'being psionically focused' for things like your feats), and you can even expend both to power two expend feats at once (like Greater Psionic Weapon and Deep Impact). Finally, the feat Psionic Meditation can speed up the focus process, to a move action. Considering how focus is used to power other feats, relying of focus stunts like this can be very, very feat-intensive. A lot of writing for something that, fundamentally, is very simple, but I wanted to cover all the bases. With these two rules in mind, you will notice that psionics is a very good system -- adaptable, flexible, easy to learn, and above all else, balanced with core material. And no, I don't mean the Cleric or Druid. CoDzilla can stay asleep in Tokyo harbor while Akira the Wilder has his heyday. PLAYER NOTES: LEARNING POWERS AS A PSION A fair bit of confusion has arisen here, mostly due to the overuse of the word "discipline." "Discipline" is the rough equivalent of "school of magic." It is also the subtype of psion (Egoist, nomad, kineticist, shaper, seer, telepath), and the special list of powers only available to those characters (the 'discipline powers' -- a special addition similar to, but not quite like, a domain. If you are familiar with the Arcane Disciple feat, it is somewhat like that.). So, in an effort to dispel confusion, I'll try to clarify what, exactly, a psion's discipline (subtype) means for your power selection. Wilders can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list. Egoists can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Egoist (Psychometabolism) list. Nomads can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Nomad (Psychoportation) list. Kineticists can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Kineticist (Psychokinesis) list. Shapers can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Shaper (Metacreativity) list. Seers can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Seer (Clairsentience) list. Telepaths can take any power off the Psion/Wilder list, plus any power off of the Telepath (Telepathy) list. Psychic Warriors can take any power off the Psychic Warrior list. They do not automatically learn their discipline powers, nor can they learn any power that is not on the lists mentioned above (without the use of the Expanded Knowledge feat). DM DISCOURSE: As above, but with a special addition. By the way, there is also a rule in the DMG that many, many DMs just ignore, but without it, psionics appears broken. Mind you, any caster appears broken if you disregard this rule, but they just do it less impressively than a psion. That is, on average, a campaign should have four encounters of CR equal to the party's average level per day. That is not the same as having a lot of no-expense roleplay followed by a BBEG fight. The easiest way to control this, in my experience (as a neophyte DM but a psionics veteran), is to remember three things: 1) An encounter isn't always a fight. Perhaps your players need to Time Hop a door that they just can't pick, or the only way to solve a given mystery involves using Clairsentience powers. Congratulations, that just cost the party some resources that they could have used to go nova in the next encounter. Little things like this also help keep the reins on spellcasters, so if you have experience controlling wizards, you shouldn't have a problem. 2) Aptly named, It's All In Their Heads. That is, it's not the actual imminent threat, it's the percieved imminent threat. If the characters EXPECT another encounter, they will not expend all their resources in the current one. 3) Rest isn't best. You don't need to penalize resting, but it should be realistic. Don't expect your psions to be able to lie down for a few hours between every fight without consequence. They may not be attacked every night, but put it this way -- if they decide to rest, there could be plot repurcussions. The assassin makes his way deeper into the Queen's Court, the princess' kidnappers make it further away, or they gain a reputation for laziness. Things like this also stop Rope Tricking wizards, by the way. Keep that in mind when setting the pace for a psionic game and you may find that you're having more fun than you've had in years. By the way, I'd also like to bring up a few psionics-born terms: 'Going Nova' -- spending a lot of power points in a relatively short span of time to accomplish something spectacular... often followed by being a crossbow-armed commoner for the rest of the day, though. (Originator: Tempest Stormwind, from astronomical novas, and an Ender's Game maneuver that was spectacular, but left the commander without his teammates and completely defenseless upon completion) 'MRAOW! *kaboom*' -- Uttered whenever we see yet another thread that screams about psionic brokenness without proper research. This has been mercifully rare of late, but still occasionally shows up. (Originator: RadicalTaoist and Reinforcements, from the "Every time you [make a thread like that], God kills a kitten" style remarks.) 'The Psionic X' -- tacking 'psionic' on something with little regard to flavor in an attempt to make it 'better' or 'cooler'; also used to describe an ability given to psionics that doesn't regard psionic flavor. Example: Any attempt at a psionic lich, and many of the 3.0 Mind's Eye classes that were cookie-cutters of their arcane/divine counterparts (Shadow Mind, Arch Psion) or just plain weird (Dread Champion, Grim Psion). Most often found in unifying psionics and undead (Psianimate Dead). (Originator: Tempest Stormwind, based off a logic statement : "For every X, some uncreative schmuck will try to make a psionic X.") 'Multiple foci' -- Sometimes, we talk about psionic foci as if they were a quantifiable thing, like spells per day. This is just shorthand -- it's a state of being. You expend multiple foci if more than one focused entity loses its focus to power an effect -- for instance, you and your psicrystal. (Originator: Pretty much all of us. Don't be confused with our shorthand. You can only ever hold a single psionic focus, and a feat allows your psicrystal to be focused as well). I'd keep on going, but I have to dash. Be back later with an FAQ on psionic multiclassing.
FabulousRex 08-19-05, 10:35 PM	Exceptional work, Tempest! I'll be along later to 'cut up' some of your points into the various sections, so as to make this easier to cut-n-paste. I'll add some newbie Psionic Player tips as well, as it's pretty much the only section I can reasonably contribute to. :(
Tempest Stormwind 08-19-05, 11:54 PM	Thanks! (Feel free to add formatting, too. Keep the stuff I've added, but if you want to, say, restyle the headings or whatnot, go right ahead) By the way, I forgot to mention, and you can quote me: A great analogy on expending psionic focus for newcomers is a thrown weapon. Imagine a melee character who spends a huge chunk of money on the most uber sword you can possibly imagine... and then takes a feat that lets him deal double damage with it if he throws it. Yes, it's spectacular -- but you've gotta go get the weapon afterward. Your feat selection involves cleverly disarming yourself. This same problem shows up with newcomers who take feats with big numbers (Greater Psionic Weapon) and impressive effects (Deep Impact), neglecting the huge focus requirement. Relying on expending your focus is very much like relying on throwing your primary weapon. You'd better have a good contingency plan, or have invested resources in getting it back easier. I just noticed the same questions coming up again and again and again, so I just compiled all of our answers into one For Dummies style text block, deliberately avoiding SRD text since, for all I know, they just don't understand the rules as written due to language (a common point on Psionic Focus, I find). As promised, though, here's the Psionic Multiclassing FAQ. If you cut/paste it, delete anything in [braces], as it is just my commentary to explain what I'm thinking, and it's not newcomer-friendly. These are written from the perspective of Torrigan, an example character who is an Elan level 5 psion (Egoist) / level 2 Psychic Warrior, with intelligence 15 and wisdom 13. [From my experienced optimizer eye, Torrigan is not likely to take more levels in psychic warrior, and probably just took the two levels for the feats and proficiencies. This is not pertinent to the FAQ, although it helps to size up characters like that for intention. Plus, characters like this aren't too uncommon among newcomers.] He's taken the Psionic Talent feat twice [A common recommendation from experienced psywar players is that Psionic Body + Lots of Psionic Talent feats makes a good, rounded psywar build. You can always Psychic Reformation them later], and has Overchannel. Q: How many power points does Torrigan have? A: The most common question. The answer is easy: power points are always pooled, no matter the source, and can be spent on either class' powers. So, the answer is: RACE: 2. Elans are naturally psionic, and add 2 power points to their reserve. PSION: 25 base power points, +5 due to a 15 Intelligence at psion level 5. [On a side note, I LOVE the bonus PP formula -- halve the ability bonus, multiply by ML (up to 20). VERY easy to figure out, unlike bonus spells.] PSYCHIC WARRIOR: 1 base power point, +1 due to a 13 Wisdom at psywar level 2. FEATS: 2 for the first Psionic Talent, 2+1=3 for the second, for a total of 5 more power points. GRAND TOTAL: 2+25+5+1+1+5 = 39 power points. Q: What's Torrigan's manifester level? A: This very common question is actually a loaded question, as it assumes there's just one answer. The real answer is twofold -- he has a psion (egoist) ML of 5, a psywar ML of 2. This means he can spend up to 5 power points of his 39 total on any single manifestation of a power he learned as an egoist, and up to 2 on any he learned as a psychic warrior. For powers that appear on both lists, like Torrigan's Force Screen power (Psion/Wilder 1, Psywar 1), you should record which class he learned it from (that is, what class he leveled up in when he took that power), since it matters for manifestation purposes. Some powers -- notably Evade Burst and Body Adjustment, or in Torrigan's case, Hustle -- show up on multiple lists but at different levels. If this is the case, you must manifest it as the class you learned it. Torrigan has to spend 5 power points to Hustle, since that's how much egoists pay to use that power, despite it costing psychic warriors only 3 points. (Advanced players, pay heed: You can bypass this with Expanded Knowledge. If he had taken Expanded Knowledge as his 5th level Egoist feat, he could have chosen Hustle off of the psychic warrior list, which means he could use it at the cost of only 3 power points. He'd use it as an ML 5 character, too (as EK adds to your current class' list, which is Egoist here), although in this particular case it won't matter since Hustle can't be augmented and has no level-dependant characteristics. Note that most experienced players do not consider a feat to be worth a minor reduction in cost, except in extreme healing cases with Body Adjustment, or characters that absolutely must use Evade Burst on the cheap.) Q: What about Overchannel? A: He can use the feat to increase either class' ML by 1 at the cost of 1d8 damage. Q: And Wild Surge? A: Although he doesn't have it, it's worth mentioning that a multiclass Wilder can use Wild Surge to raise any of her MLs. If Torrigan took a level of Wilder in there, he could use Wild Surge to increase his Egoist, Psychic Warrior OR Wilder ML by 1. This also doesn't cost any extra PP, due to the way Wild Surge works. Q: Thanks. Will you father my children? A: All right, wise guys, which of you in the audience used Attraction?
carnivore 08-20-05, 04:38 PM	excellent job Tempest Stormwind,....also thank you FabulousRex for creating this excellent resource...i will try to add something meaningfull later..till then: :tiphat: :tiphat: :tiphat: :tiphat: well done :D
DisposableHero_ 08-20-05, 06:28 PM	Great work guys :clap: keep it coming. A few attempts at this have died off before reaching the status of a solid guide, and I'm glad to see this one well on its way. Thanks for linking my nova guide ;) glad I could contribute something
DisposableHero_ 08-20-05, 07:12 PM	Transparency: The other frequently asked question/frequently encountered mistake The default rules in the XPH use something called Psionics-Magic Transparency, outlined in its SRD version here: Psionics–Magic Transparency: Though not explicitly called out in the spell descriptions or magic item descriptions, spells, spell-like abilities, and magic items that could potentially affect psionics do affect psionics. When the rule about psionics–magic transparency is in effect, it has the following ramifications. Spell resistance is effective against powers, using the same mechanics. Likewise, power resistance is effective against spells, using the same mechanics as spell resistance. If a creature has one kind of resistance, it is assumed to have the other. (The effects have similar ends despite having been brought about by different means.) All spells that dispel magic have equal effect against powers of the same level using the same mechanics, and vice versa. The spell detect magic detects powers, their number, and their strength and location within 3 rounds (though a Psicraft check is necessary to identify the discipline of the psionic aura). The XPH also provides the logical opposite to this rule, Psionics are different. As a DM your decisions about these two rule sets and which to use in your campaign may be the most critical to smoothly encorperating psionics into your game. Flavor Concerns: Many DMs I have spoken too, both online and in person have told me that one of the most important aspects to building a magical fantasy world is to understand how and why magic works. As a fundamental element that divides the world we live in from the world our characters do, magic, and by extension psionics need to be understood in the context of the world by the DM to decide how the world reacts to them, how common they are, and any number of other factors. A good example of this is Eberron, which has a very scientific and technological outlook on magic. Magic is considered a tool, it is both common and commonly harnessed, its abilities are available to anyone who can study them, and thus is present in almost every aspect of life on eberron. Transparency: From a flavor perspective, transparency very much mirrors the eberron perspective of magic in psionics. Energy is energy no matter its source, and thus psionics and magic interact as if they were the same being powered by a different souce. Transparency is most thematically appropriate in settings where magic and psionics can be expected to occur in similar frequencies. In such a world, the line between psionics and magic is blurred, and only the learned on the subjects would really realize the differences. A psion and a wizard would be treated as very much the same in terms of profession and ability. Psionics are Different: More appropriate in settings where one form, magic or psionics, is much more common than the other. Many have suggested on this board that the thematically sensible extension of psionics are different is to also differentiate arcane and divine magic in the same way, that all three major casting disciplines are affected only by themselves. Mechanical Concerns: The long and the short of the mechanical debate is that tranparency comes with less rules baggage and generally less work on the part of the DM than the psionics are different variant. Under transparency psionics are mechanically balanced by the same factors. Spell resistence, dispelling, magic and psionic defenses like spell turning or thought shield automatically provide protection against similar attacks from other sources. Transparency: The extent to which one applies transparency can sometimes be a hang up where the rules are concerned. Common extensions of the transparency under DM discression are as follows: Items - ...and magic items that could potentially affect psionics do affect psionics... This statement is highly ambiguous and certainly cause for some debate about specific items that might or might not smoothly translate from magic to psionics. It is worth noting that this should go the other way as well, some psionic item effects are suitable to be applied to casters, and some aren't. How far you wish to take item transparency is a DMs decision and an important one. Prestige Classes - Specifically generic spellcasting increase prestige classes like the eberron campaign setting's Heir of Siberys or Draconomicon's Dragon Slayer don't, according to a customer service ruling, provide increased manifester level, power points, and powers known to psionic characters that take them, but it is not a far stretch to allow them too assuming the psion can attain the requirements. Similarly psionic prestige classes like the Illithid Slayer that don't require manifesting the enter could provide bonuses to casters who take them up. Similarities between casters and manifesters is sufficient in many cases for this not to be problematic (beyond problems that would have been caused by the class without psionics involved), the official ruling is that they don't overlap however, and ocasionally class abilities do not translate well. Skills - Many DMs when using psionics-magic transparency collapse spellcraft and psicraft into a single skill, as well as collapsing use magic device and use psionic device, each of which is reasonably mechanically sound. Counterspelling - As the RAW stands, psions can neither counterspell, nor be counterspelled. Many choose to allow counterspelling between psionics and magic under transparency, though it is specifically impossible by RAW. Psionics are Different: To put it simply, psionics are different means more work for the DM. To maintain a reasonably balanced game environment under psionics are different means introducing psionics fully into the game world. Unbalanced situations arise frequently for new psionics users when a player uses a psionic character and the DM encorperates none but uses psionics are different. This character becomes a unique and nigh unstoppable force many times because the DM has not incorperated the defenses and countermeasures to psionics in the XPH into his material, as he only allowed psionics to let his player use them. If this is the situation, use transparency!. If the DM is fully willing to encorperate psionics and psionic characters throughout his or her campaign world, then psionics are different is a solid option. But be aware before using it that it indeed requires the DM to use specific solutions to a psionic character as regularly as they would use specific solutions to another caster. Further, the DM needs to be sure that creatures fortified against magic are equally fortified against psionics to keep difficult encounters from being breezed through by a psion who bypasses some well laid caster defenses. Some of the most dangerous characters in this case are psychic warrior or illithid slayer gish builds, whose buff powers will not be held in check by dispel magic, and will have a lot easier time with many of the casting monsters in the three monster manuals. Hope some of this helps :D
FabulousRex 08-20-05, 08:07 PM	Absolutely, Disposable Hero! Anything anyone cares to contribute would be great, and filed into the appropriate sections. We still need some stuff on Soulknives, Wilders, and Eberron-Specific integration. I'm gonna take a shot at some of it, but I have little experience with Wilders especially...
Tempest Stormwind 08-21-05, 12:16 AM	Thanks for the inclusion... but... ummm.... three things. First: If you're copy/pasting, always use the Quote button to grab a selection of text first. This way, you preserve all the formatting we used to make it easy to read. Second: I asked for anything in my Multiclassing section in [Braces] to be deleted, as they were just my musing as an optimizer. They're still there. Third: An overwhelming majority of us consider the XPH soulknife poorly implemented and weak. Most of those people use a fix for the class, with the most popular (and IMHO best) being BlaineTog's Soulknife Fix (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=310984). It turns the class from a 4/10 to a 7/10 right off, without making it overpowered (it mostly affects skills, grants a few bonus feats, and streamlines how the mind blade improves. It also adds a level 20 ability to make it actually worth sticking around for 20 levels in (instead of making it an average choice you're stuck with since it's about as multiclass-friendly as an artificer). The HD is lower, though, but still manageable.)
FabulousRex 08-21-05, 12:29 AM	Already working on it, thanks for the help thus far.
FabulousRex 08-26-05, 03:29 PM	Sorry for not updating much on this, been busy lately. Anyone care to help write blurbs for the PsyWarrior and Wilder? I have no experience at all with them, and some help would be nice (*cough* cvazi?*cough*).
cvazi 08-29-05, 02:19 PM	Playing an effective single class Wilder for 20 straight levels is almost impossible. The Wilder lies in an uncomfortable middle ground between the caster-type and warrior-type. The Wilder does not have the versitility of the Psion, nor does the Wilder have the martial proficiencies of the Psi-warrior. To continue this path is to continue on a path of follies. The power of the Wilder lies in selecting one of these paths and playing to his strength. The Wilder has a psion's power points, but only gains 11 powers known. Chose them well, and you will never be lacking. The Wilder has 4+int skill points and the class skills of bluff, intimidate and sense motive; The Wilder's manifesting key modifier is Charisma- you are very useful outside of combat. The nature of psionics allows the Wilder to manifest while in heavy armor- a well planned level dip or PrC will give the Wilder that- and martial weapon proficiencies to compliment to his innate 3/4 BAB and d6 HD. Finally his signature move, The Wild Surge allows him to last longer and hit harder than a psion of equal level- at a cost of course. The key to the Wilder is focus. Know what you want to do, and you can do it better than almost everyone else.
FabulousRex 08-29-05, 06:12 PM	Much appreciated, cvazi! Doesn't look like there's much more to add, but if anyone feels the need, post something and I'll add it in later.
catharz 11-20-05, 09:57 PM	This, from all of the psionic prestige classes in the SRD that have their own PP progressions: "Bonus power points from having a high ability score can be gained only for the character’s highest psionic class." I'm not sure if that applies only to PrCs, but its language seems to indicate that it applies to any psionic multiclass. This means that "Torrigan" would have a total of 38 PP, not 39. Please correct me if I'm wrong, or if this isn't the place to post such things.
Tempest Stormwind 11-20-05, 10:07 PM	This, from all of the psionic prestige classes in the SRD that have their own PP progressions: "Bonus power points from having a high ability score can be gained only for the character’s highest psionic class." I'm not sure if that applies only to PrCs, but its language seems to indicate that it applies to any psionic multiclass. This means that "Torrigan" would have a total of 38 PP, not 39. Please correct me if I'm wrong, or if this isn't the place to post such things. That's the ONLY reference to it anywhere, and it contradicts the SRD passage on Multiclass Psionic Characters and Determining Power Points. It, like the section on PrCs mentioning "Psicrystal special abilities" as if psicrystals were class features or even dependent specifically on psion levels (instead of total psionic levels -- including Soulknife, oddly enough, though they must multiclass to get one) is an artifact from some earlier step in the revision, and should be ignored. For reference: The Power Point Reserve Psionic characters fuel their abilities through a pool, or reserve, of power points. Your power point reserve is equal to your base power points gained from your class, bonus power points from a high key ability score (see Abilities and Manifesters, below), and any additional bonus power points from sources such as your character race and feat selections. Multiclass Psionic Characters If you have levels in more than one psionic class, you combine your power points from each class to make up your reserve. You can use these power points to manifest powers from any psionic class you have. While you maintain a single reserve of power points from your class, race, and feat selections, you are still limited by the manifester level you have achieved with each power you know. Conclusion from the bolded bits: Torrigan's got the correct number of PP. By the way, a cookie to anyone who can tell me where I stole his name from. :) (NOTE: Has no reference at all to the character in the Guide, which was just a quick example. The name "Torrigan" was just on the tip of my tongue.)
Scion of Coldshard 11-20-05, 10:10 PM	"Bonus power points from having a high ability score can be gained only for the character’s highest psionic class." I believe that this is an error in that it doesnt exist anywhere else in the rules. It also wouldnt make any sense at all.. it isnt like other casters are limited in any fashion such as that. If it is true it is simply crazy.. I prefer to look at it as a very odd typo.
Pyrrix 11-24-05, 12:21 AM	I believe that this is an error in that it doesnt exist anywhere else in the rules. It also wouldnt make any sense at all.. it isnt like other casters are limited in any fashion such as that. If it is true it is simply crazy.. I prefer to look at it as a very odd typo. Except that your pool is one single pool, no matter the origin of the points (as was pointed out somewhere in here already). So that is keeping you from sort of double dipping with the bonus PP. And other casters don't have that but you can't mix wizard spells into sorcerer spells per day. So, while I'm not sure I explained it well, it does make sense to me. Your ML in each class still limits the number of PP you can spend at one time on that class's powers, but with the combined pool, a double set of bonus PP wouldn't stack it seems to me since you could use even the PP from psion all on wilder powers. Still probably didn't explain it well. :/
Scion of Coldshard 11-24-05, 07:29 AM	Except that your pool is one single pool, no matter the origin of the points (as was pointed out somewhere in here already). So that is keeping you from sort of double dipping with the bonus PP. I am afraid that this explanation just doesnt hold any water. To help show why lets take two characters. The first is a 20th level psion. He gets his 20 levels all with bonus. Now we take a 15th level psion/5 level prc with full progression (hypothetical of course). He gets 15 levels of bonus pp, but his secondary ones are drowned out for whatever reason. He is behind in bonus pp, but for no apparent reason. In a similar fashion, although not exactly the same due to the lack of similar pool, if a character has levels in wizard and in cleric do you only get bonus spell slots for whichever class is higher? There is no double dip for psionics, the multiplier is a scalar so 15 levels of bonus +5 levels of bonus (assuming the equal stats) gives 20 levels of bonus. So no, I see it as a typo because it simply doesnt make sense plus it ignores other parts of the rule set.
Pyrrix 11-25-05, 12:48 AM	I am afraid that this explanation just doesnt hold any water. To help show why lets take two characters. The first is a 20th level psion. He gets his 20 levels all with bonus. Now we take a 15th level psion/5 level prc with full progression (hypothetical of course). He gets 15 levels of bonus pp, but his secondary ones are drowned out for whatever reason. He is behind in bonus pp, but for no apparent reason. In a similar fashion, although not exactly the same due to the lack of similar pool, if a character has levels in wizard and in cleric do you only get bonus spell slots for whichever class is higher? There is no double dip for psionics, the multiplier is a scalar so 15 levels of bonus +5 levels of bonus (assuming the equal stats) gives 20 levels of bonus. So no, I see it as a typo because it simply doesnt make sense plus it ignores other parts of the rule set. First, I would point out that you still haven't addressed the fact that while a wizard/cleric gets bonus slots for both, you can't use your wizard slots to cast cleric spells. But you can mix your power source for two psionic base classes, which has no basis anywhere else either. So maybe if you seperated the PP from each class, then you could call for consistancy with the rules for other casters. I do however give you the point that it should not apply to PrCs and I never thought that it did. I assume that by "+1 to existing etc., etc." would include bonus PP since they are listed under the section about a class's powers. EDIT: FabulousRex: Sorry, it seemed a reasonable thing to discuss here.
FabulousRex 11-25-05, 03:08 AM	Not to be a Jackamo or anything, but could this discussion be continued someplace else? Try not to post something here unless it has something to do with the OP. NOTE: I'll give this thread an overhaul after Complete Psionics comes out, as there are bound to be plenty more options available.
BlaineTog 12-23-05, 08:32 PM	Just a suggestion: a "Powers to Look Out For" section, perhaps, to give DMs and players the heads-up on the few overpowered powers (I'm looking at you, Ego Whip), and the more-common underpowerd powers (Shatter Mind Blank, for example) as well as a few fix suggestions.
FriendlyBiscuit 04-05-06, 05:39 AM	Crazy-awesome thread. Very helpful information and tips. I think I'm almost ready to un-ban psionics from my campaigns. Unfortunately, my players who want to be psions also tend to be the ones that cheat here and there. As a DM, it's harder to keep track of spent PP than to keep track of spent spell slots to keep 'em honest.
Scion of Coldshard 04-05-06, 12:03 PM	just ask how many pp they are expending each time they manifest a power and keep a tally. When the tally equals the amount they should have then they are done. Should be even easier than keeping track of slots! ;)
(Psi)SeveredHead 04-28-06, 10:43 PM	I don't know if there was a note about the power point limit. If there is, please bold it and put it in red. Also, make the text obnoxiously big. There should be a note about "powers to watch out for". These powers are not necessarily broken, but might like broken, or can ruin an adventure if a DM is not very familiar with them. I would put things like Fission and Schism to the list. Someone can complete the list later - I'm actually supposed to be gaming right now and shouldn't be on the computer! :D Also, possible typos like the scaling of Dispel Psionics and Energy Stun should be discussed, IMO.
Tempest Stormwind 06-30-06, 01:21 AM	Giving this a bump since Surgo finally gave us a problematic powers discussion (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=657631). And it's been months and I keep referencing this thread anyway.
zipdrive 10-25-06, 04:42 AM	Any chance of additions due to Complete Psionic?
johnkretzer 10-25-06, 05:10 AM	Another way to stop nova is not strictly following the 4 encounter a day rule. To me the best way to stop people to doing it is to throw multi encounters at them once in a while. In other words you don't have to do 4 encounters a day every day. Just do it enough to keep the the players honest. Also it is not a bad policy to hit them after they go nova in a encounter, If you become predicable the player will always be able to tee off on you encounters. As for a big boss fight it always a good idea to throw atleast two moderate challenges at the PCs before hand. Or to put enough powered enough oppoents in the field that it is tough to who is the big boss. One last advice to protect you big boss fight is that a first level power is still a first level power. So someone doing 100d6(proably a extreme example) with a couple of energy ray(a 1st level power) would be stopped by a simple Minor Globe of Invulnerabilty. I don't know if this what you are looking for this thread?
Tempest Stormwind 10-25-06, 09:52 AM	I already mentioned that, and it's in the first post. Search for "It's all in their heads", and then search for the Globe.
Tempest Stormwind 02-09-07, 12:19 AM	We cite this thread far too much to lose it to the abyss of board pruning. I'm not above remaking this one as a general-purpose account, though.
bertman4 03-08-07, 12:40 PM	Any chance of expanding on the Psionics is Different option? I run an Eberron campaign and decided to use the Psionics is Different, Diminished Effect rules. The reason I did this was to make the Inspired scary but not unbeatable since they were going to be major villains. Detect Psionics would be a higher spell level than Detect Magic. Same with Dispel. So a spellcaster is going to have a harder time opposing psionics than a manifester opposing spells. Even though Dispel Magic will cost more PP than Dispel Psionics, I think the way PP work, it's more advantageous than the spellslot mechanics. Anyway, I'm running into a few weird things. For example, what to do about Golems? They are immune to magic. Essentailly, they have unbeatable SR. But then, what about powers under the diminished effect option? Diminished effect says that PR=SR-10. What happens when SR=infinity? I would rule this as an anti-magic field. In the diminished effect entry, powers have a 50% chance (essentially random chance) of working in an anti-magic field. So powers have 50% chance to work on creatures with total immunity to magic, and spells have 50% chance to work on creatures with total immunity to powers. Bertman
mercbear 10-21-07, 01:05 AM	I'm a dungeon master and player, I have lost my copy of the psionics handbook and have many questions. Where can I pick up these books and read up on one of my favorite classes? mercbear
InkBlot 10-21-07, 01:31 AM	You could try Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Expanded-Psionics-Handbook-Roleplaying-Supplement/dp/0786933011/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-7435318-0312731?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192944653&sr=8-1)