Playing as a Psicrystal [Archive] - Wizards Community

Playing as a Psicrystal [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Toxic_Shaman
04-23-07, 12:57 PM I'm about to be in a PBEM where the DM is looking for unusual characters. I'm thinking of playing some sort of awakened Construct, possibly a Psicrystal.

I've read the "Big Guy is with Me" thread, and while I think that concept is cool, I'd like to try something a bit different. The idea I have in mind is a Psicrystal that somehow became independent when the Psion that had him died.

I was thinking of making it a Psion(Telepath)/Thrallherd, and having a Psion or Psychic Warrior as his Thrall so that he could pretend that the Thrall is the one running the show. The stumbling block I see is how to make the Psi-crystal exist as an independent entity. I thought of using the Incarnate Construct template from Savage Species, but the loss of special abilities would be pretty ugly, as the self-propulsion and sighted abilities are special abilities of a Psicrystal. The Psi-crystals also lack of a humanoid body, which the template requires.

Anyone have an idea of how to make a Psi-crystal as a viable character independent from the Masnifester that had him originally?
Scion of Coldshard
04-23-07, 01:24 PM I have some prc's in my sig that allow the psion to move his consciousness into his psicrystal, in case that will help with what you want.

Otherwise, I would suggest the original psion to come back as a modified ghost. Basically unable to leave a certain radius of the psicrystal and be unable to effect the material world except through the psicrystal. He would be able to speak with it and activate its abilities but little else. All of the roleplaying would be done by the psicrystal unless someone went out of their way to actually be able to converse directly with the ghost.

It would present some odd situations that the dm would have to work through but it would also get you most of the way there without losing too much. Perhaps over time the ghost would actually fade into the crystal, they were basically the same person anyway after all ;)

I would give normal exp for a character of the appropriate level while forcing the ghost to use all newly aquired feats to get improved psicrystal to move more of its personality over.

Failing all of that, the dm has power over everything. Psion dies, the link is gone, but somehow that bit of the psions soul sticks around and leaves the psicrystal an independent entity.

I would take the basic psicrystal stats, make a few modificiations, and treat it as a normal creature. Likely I would give it a couple of construct hd to avoid having to have a level adjustment and then advance it as a normal character but with some restrictions to keep it from being overpowered.

If that seems like a good idea I can do a writeup later ;)
Rageheart
04-23-07, 02:04 PM I'm trying to find the section that states a Psicrystal has hardness am I just missing it or was that the 3.0 version of Psicrystals?
Scion of Coldshard
04-23-07, 02:21 PM I'm trying to find the section that states a Psicrystal has hardness am I just missing it or was that the 3.0 version of Psicrystals?

It is in its stat block (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/monsters/psicrystal.htm).
Rageheart
04-23-07, 02:56 PM I just didn't spot it, thanx!

(I'm trying to get PCGen Psionics working properly, including Psicrystals with actual HD, and feats... Expanded Knowledge support is on it's way too :D )
Toxic_Shaman
04-24-07, 12:30 PM Scion: Thanks for the feedback. I like your prestige class and your Psicrystal thread. Unfortunately I'm looking for something that's already been published by WOTC. I can probably bend the existing rules, but the DM will likely balk at house rules.
Bacris
04-24-07, 12:52 PM You won't find anything WotC-published for such a thing.
Scion of Coldshard
04-24-07, 12:53 PM Scion: Thanks for the feedback. I like your prestige class and your Psicrystal thread. Unfortunately I'm looking for something that's already been published by WOTC. I can probably bend the existing rules, but the DM will likely balk at house rules.

Glad to help ;)

I do not know of anything in the various books that I have that would help with this.. Making the arguement that the psicrystal somehow retained its bit of personality and was able to continue on seems the best way to go. But psicrystals are not listed with an LA nor do they have hd of their own.

I would suggest bending the rules far enough that each day after your psicrystals master died the psicrystal lost one of its hd. It felt its mind and abilities slipping away slowly and there was nothing it could do about it.

Desperately searching for anyone who might help it reached the last of its days.. only 1 hd left and it remembered when it first existed and it felt the same as now... the next day came and.... the last hd had remained.

Then it started its search more carefully. What was it? How did this happen?

Psicrystal
HD: 1 (construct)
all of the other abilities the same as though it had a 1st level master somehow.

Give it an LA of +2 and have it continue on its merry way with its abilities that need to be activated either continuously active or able to activate by itself.

That is effectively bending the rules and stepping into an area that is undefined by the rules. Maybe it will be sufficient for the dm. After all, the dm is forced to house rule gray areas when they pop up right? ;)

Sorry to not be more helpful :(
Feeb
04-24-07, 01:38 PM The most recent Dragon had an "Ecology of.." of article that featured the Maedar. The maedar do have the ability to transfer their essence to a semi-precious stone, and the resulting creature is called a glyptar. I know this goes back to at least the 2nd ed [i]Monstrous Compendium/i] (either vol. 1 or vol. 3, can't recall which one.), so perhaps you can parley this angle into something that your DM would accept.
Boondoggle
04-24-07, 05:05 PM You could also play an unbodied who happens to enjoy pretending he is his psicrystal.
Millenia
04-24-07, 07:50 PM Although I can't help with making up reasons as to why a Psicrystal would still exist after its creator died, there is an item in Untapped Potential that allows a Psicrystal to basically control a construct from the inside. That might be worth looking into, if you want to be able to throw punches around when in fights.
Toxic_Shaman
04-25-07, 01:40 PM Thanks all for the suggestions. I talked to my DM, and he liked the concept enough to allow me to use house rules. We're in the process of negotiating the LA for it at the moment.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Toxic_Shaman 04-23-07, 12:57 PM	I'm about to be in a PBEM where the DM is looking for unusual characters. I'm thinking of playing some sort of awakened Construct, possibly a Psicrystal. I've read the "Big Guy is with Me" thread, and while I think that concept is cool, I'd like to try something a bit different. The idea I have in mind is a Psicrystal that somehow became independent when the Psion that had him died. I was thinking of making it a Psion(Telepath)/Thrallherd, and having a Psion or Psychic Warrior as his Thrall so that he could pretend that the Thrall is the one running the show. The stumbling block I see is how to make the Psi-crystal exist as an independent entity. I thought of using the Incarnate Construct template from Savage Species, but the loss of special abilities would be pretty ugly, as the self-propulsion and sighted abilities are special abilities of a Psicrystal. The Psi-crystals also lack of a humanoid body, which the template requires. Anyone have an idea of how to make a Psi-crystal as a viable character independent from the Masnifester that had him originally?
Scion of Coldshard 04-23-07, 01:24 PM	I have some prc's in my sig that allow the psion to move his consciousness into his psicrystal, in case that will help with what you want. Otherwise, I would suggest the original psion to come back as a modified ghost. Basically unable to leave a certain radius of the psicrystal and be unable to effect the material world except through the psicrystal. He would be able to speak with it and activate its abilities but little else. All of the roleplaying would be done by the psicrystal unless someone went out of their way to actually be able to converse directly with the ghost. It would present some odd situations that the dm would have to work through but it would also get you most of the way there without losing too much. Perhaps over time the ghost would actually fade into the crystal, they were basically the same person anyway after all ;) I would give normal exp for a character of the appropriate level while forcing the ghost to use all newly aquired feats to get improved psicrystal to move more of its personality over. Failing all of that, the dm has power over everything. Psion dies, the link is gone, but somehow that bit of the psions soul sticks around and leaves the psicrystal an independent entity. I would take the basic psicrystal stats, make a few modificiations, and treat it as a normal creature. Likely I would give it a couple of construct hd to avoid having to have a level adjustment and then advance it as a normal character but with some restrictions to keep it from being overpowered. If that seems like a good idea I can do a writeup later ;)
Rageheart 04-23-07, 02:04 PM	I'm trying to find the section that states a Psicrystal has hardness am I just missing it or was that the 3.0 version of Psicrystals?
Scion of Coldshard 04-23-07, 02:21 PM	I'm trying to find the section that states a Psicrystal has hardness am I just missing it or was that the 3.0 version of Psicrystals? It is in its stat block (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/monsters/psicrystal.htm).
Rageheart 04-23-07, 02:56 PM	I just didn't spot it, thanx! (I'm trying to get PCGen Psionics working properly, including Psicrystals with actual HD, and feats... Expanded Knowledge support is on it's way too :D )
Toxic_Shaman 04-24-07, 12:30 PM	Scion: Thanks for the feedback. I like your prestige class and your Psicrystal thread. Unfortunately I'm looking for something that's already been published by WOTC. I can probably bend the existing rules, but the DM will likely balk at house rules.
Bacris 04-24-07, 12:52 PM	You won't find anything WotC-published for such a thing.
Scion of Coldshard 04-24-07, 12:53 PM	Scion: Thanks for the feedback. I like your prestige class and your Psicrystal thread. Unfortunately I'm looking for something that's already been published by WOTC. I can probably bend the existing rules, but the DM will likely balk at house rules. Glad to help ;) I do not know of anything in the various books that I have that would help with this.. Making the arguement that the psicrystal somehow retained its bit of personality and was able to continue on seems the best way to go. But psicrystals are not listed with an LA nor do they have hd of their own. I would suggest bending the rules far enough that each day after your psicrystals master died the psicrystal lost one of its hd. It felt its mind and abilities slipping away slowly and there was nothing it could do about it. Desperately searching for anyone who might help it reached the last of its days.. only 1 hd left and it remembered when it first existed and it felt the same as now... the next day came and.... the last hd had remained. Then it started its search more carefully. What was it? How did this happen? Psicrystal HD: 1 (construct) all of the other abilities the same as though it had a 1st level master somehow. Give it an LA of +2 and have it continue on its merry way with its abilities that need to be activated either continuously active or able to activate by itself. That is effectively bending the rules and stepping into an area that is undefined by the rules. Maybe it will be sufficient for the dm. After all, the dm is forced to house rule gray areas when they pop up right? ;) Sorry to not be more helpful :(
Feeb 04-24-07, 01:38 PM	The most recent Dragon had an "Ecology of.." of article that featured the Maedar. The maedar do have the ability to transfer their essence to a semi-precious stone, and the resulting creature is called a glyptar. I know this goes back to at least the 2nd ed [i]Monstrous Compendium/i] (either vol. 1 or vol. 3, can't recall which one.), so perhaps you can parley this angle into something that your DM would accept.
Boondoggle 04-24-07, 05:05 PM	You could also play an unbodied who happens to enjoy pretending he is his psicrystal.
Millenia 04-24-07, 07:50 PM	Although I can't help with making up reasons as to why a Psicrystal would still exist after its creator died, there is an item in Untapped Potential that allows a Psicrystal to basically control a construct from the inside. That might be worth looking into, if you want to be able to throw punches around when in fights.
Toxic_Shaman 04-25-07, 01:40 PM	Thanks all for the suggestions. I talked to my DM, and he liked the concept enough to allow me to use house rules. We're in the process of negotiating the LA for it at the moment.