| Thanks for the extremely useful feedback. I've already swapped the Psionics skill out and have been debating back and forth between a few existing knowledge skills to use instead.
As I hadn't played a Wizard until I had finished the first few levels I had a hard time conceptualizing a few things, in particular area range. I need to go back and shrink down a number of the early powers. I also had issues with damage, as I oscillated several times between wanting the Psion to better at damage but worse at control and vica-versa, and in the end left the class a little overpowered. These things can be easily tweaked.
While I don't like the idea of "rituals" per se, there are simply a ton of great, classic psionic powers that fit the ritual mechanic to a tee. I thought about renaming them but wondered if it was necessary to create a mechanic that were essentially rituals in name only but only available to psionic characters. Similar to the "psionics vs arcana skill" debate. Haven't quite figured out what I wanted to do with it yet.
I've debated talent focus a great deal, and I will likely change it entirely or at least make the costs greater (make it a stanrdard action cost an action point, for instance). While at early levels I didn't see it as being too unbalancing I can easily see at higher levels how much of an impact it can have. I will definitely mull over it.
Clairaudience and probably Create Object are likely to become a ritual (or whatever it ends up being called). I did want Telekinesis to be better than Mage Hand, as it's one of the psion's most basic abilities. Added "willing creature" to Send Thoughts, and some more clarifyng text to Telekinesis.
The problem with making a controller is there's no way of being certain what the "controller feature" is. Defenders mark, leaders heal and strikers hurt, but what defines the controller? I ultimately decided to go with implement mastery. The flavor doesn't really feel off for me, though I am definitely considering going back and changing up some the benefits they confer. Mechanically however, the psion will simply lag behind if they can't gain the benefits to hit and damage from some form of magic equipment that every other class on the block gets, so I can't really think of a reason to not give them implements.
The text on disciplines came from an earlier version in which there were disciplines with a mechanical effect similar to the Warlock's pact boons but which I ultimately decided I didn't want to go with. I forgot to remove that text and have since done so.
As far as other major changes, I've removed the dorje focus requirement for the Psychic Killer paragon path and given it benefits that apply to any implement, so psicrown telepaths aren't forced to start tinkering with ectoplasm when they hit 11th level if they don't want to. Beyond that it's just tweaking powers to make them better balanced. |