A Warlock-Like Psionicist

Kaodi · Jan 16, 2007

I think Telekinetic Push is far too powerful without some sort of Strength check to resist, and should be a Lesser Talent.

Nifft · Jan 16, 2007

Kaodi said:
I think Telekinetic Push is far too powerful without some sort of Strength check to resist, and should be a Lesser Talent.

EDIT: Yeah, I just re-read energy push, and I think you're right.

How about this: Your target must make a Strength check or be pushed back 5 ft. per 5 points of damage taken. The Str check DC is equal to the DC of your power (10 + 1/2 level + Cha bonus), and the target gains +4 to its check for every size category it is larger that you.

Whaddya think? -- N

nobodez · Feb 6, 2007

i think we need to make the psilock's telekinetic strike a ML dependent effect, rather than a class level dependent effect. That way they can overchannel, as well as use practiced manifester.

Though, you may want to make the mind strike least strike augmentation talent d8's, rather than d10's, as save for half is still fairly powerful, and makes a 1st level psilock not quite as über compared to a 1st level telepath with mind thrust.

Also, make a note that the mindlink talent qualifies the psilock for thrallherd.

Nifft · Feb 7, 2007

nobodez said:
i think we need to make the psilock's telekinetic strike a ML dependent effect, rather than a class level dependent effect. That way they can overchannel, as well as use practiced manifester.

I don't want them to be able to Overchannel! They have no power points, what would it even do?

What would Practiced Manifeter do? (What does Practiced Spellcaster do for a Warlock, for that matter? I haven't seen them interact.)

nobodez said:
Though, you may want to make the mind strike least strike augmentation talent d8's, rather than d10's, as save for half is still fairly powerful, and makes a 1st level psilock not quite as über compared to a 1st level telepath with mind thrust.

Well, the thing is, it's [Mind-Affecting] and also a Ray attack. So all the usual ways of avoiding a Ray attack work against this, but would not work against mind thrust proper (e.g. mirror image foils this effect, but not mind thrust).

At higher levels, all sorts of things are immune to mind-affecting effects.
And at all levels after first, his dice are half what a Psion could throw (and that's before the Psion uses Overchannel).

nobodez said:
Also, make a note that the mindlink talent qualifies the psilock for thrallherd.

Allowing such access was certainly my intent! I'll add a note.

Thanks, -- N

nobodez · Feb 7, 2007

Nifft said:
I don't want them to be able to Overchannel! They have no power points, what would it even do?

What would Practiced Manifeter do? (What does Practiced Spellcaster do for a Warlock, for that matter? I haven't seen them interact.)

Well, if we went with a TK blast dependent on ML rather than based off the table (as a way to be different, and as a nod to the way the Ardent works), then overchannel would be great for a psilock, as would PM. OC would allow you to possibly get that extra d6, and PM would allow you to multi-class and still keep up your TK blast, which is one of the worst things about how a warlock works, as PS doesn't help them like it does wizards/sorcs. It would fix one of the deficiencies I find with the warlock, that it doesn't benefit from PS.

Nifft · Feb 8, 2007

nobodez said:
Well, if we went with a TK blast dependent on ML rather than based off the table (as a way to be different, and as a nod to the way the Ardent works), then overchannel would be great for a psilock, as would PM. OC would allow you to possibly get that extra d6, and PM would allow you to multi-class and still keep up your TK blast, which is one of the worst things about how a warlock works, as PS doesn't help them like it does wizards/sorcs. It would fix one of the deficiencies I find with the warlock, that it doesn't benefit from PS.

Nah, I think it's good as-is. A spellcaster is usually screwed by taking too many non-caster levels; this is not a terrible thing IMHO. It's also my opinion that the Warlock is very well done, and where I've deviated from its format, I've done so for what I think are good (balance) reasons.

Allowing more powerful multiclassing is not what I consider a good balance reason.

If there's a specific class-pair combo that's underpowered and that I wish to encourage, I'll make a class-pair combo feat which explicitly boosts TS and one ability of the other class. Like a Rogue / Psilock feat which granted some extra Sneak Attack and some extra TS, or allowed you some special benefit when you did a Sneak Attack with your TS, or something like that. Or a Soulknife / Psilock feat that allowed you to "charge" your Mindblade with your TS.

And again, since Overchannel usually taxes two resources, I just don't see how it's fair to have it benefit a class that doesn't use one of those resources. See what I'm saying?

Cheers, -- N

Nyeshet · Feb 10, 2007

You said that the Psilock's TK strike is less potent than the warlock's similar eldritch blast. What if the Psilock's TK strike dealt damage more readily to objects than a warlock's strike? Perhaps a Least or Lesser Talent might allow it to ignore hardness equal to the Psilock's class level? Or perhaps that could be a normal part of the strike itself, not requiring a talent to be taken for it?

Nifft · Feb 10, 2007

Nyeshet said:
You said that the Psilock's TK strike is less potent than the warlock's similar eldritch blast. What if the Psilock's TK strike dealt damage more readily to objects than a warlock's strike?

The secondary effect augments are less powerful, but I think it's balanced out by the better direct damage augments. The Sonic one, for example, will be stopped by very little -- and sonic damage ignores hardness, so you could use that to damage objects if you wished.

Cheers, -- N