Is the Psion class balanced?

[cwhs01]

Probably a question that's been asked before, but anyways...

Is the XPH Psion class balanced or is it broken compared to wizard and sorcerors. I haven't had a chance to actually see the Psion in play, but a number of powers seem better than wizard equivalents (eg. all the energysomething powers). It also seems that the psion has a lot more versatility than the sorceror (and possibly a wizard), and still being able to cast more spells than a wizard. A 10th lvl Psion would have around 100 PP i think, 21powers including up to 4 5th lvl powers. This means he could cast any 1st lvl spell 100 times. Or use 11 5th level powers. It sounds pretty uber to me, but it might not be in actual play. So

What are your observations about the class in actual play. Have anyone used the class in a "standard" fantasy campaign alongside conventional arcane clases? Is it balanced, broken or underpowered?

 

[Rystil Arden]

The Psion class is basically balanced, although others might say it is not. However, just like the Wizard, there are some psionic powers that can be problematic (some of which may be typos, like the DCs scaling too fast on a few of the powers).

 

[Storyteller01]

Overpowered in a one-on-one basis, IMHO. All energy types are available without feats, they gain the ability to augment a power without feats, and some powers allow you to up the save DC via the augmentation (as far as I've read). If they gain initiative or survive an inital assault, said sorcerer/wizard gets nailed by an impromtu power augmented with 100 or so points.

 

[Dinkeldog]

I have a psion in the campaign I'm playing with that includes a sorcerer. I might be slightly more effective, but I spent the feat for the psicrystal and the sorcerer has yet to summon a familiar. This is at a low-level yet, however.

 

[the_mighty_agrippa]

Story arleady in progress...

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=154334

 

[Rystil Arden]

Overpowered in a one-on-one basis, IMHO. All energy types are available without feats, they gain the ability to augment a power without feats, and some powers allow you to up the save DC via the augmentation (as far as I've read). If they gain initiative or survive an inital assault, said sorcerer/wizard gets nailed by an impromtu power augmented with 100 or so points.

100 points? Huh? You can only augment up to your caster level in points. The Wizard would probably, but not definitely, win in one on one, but it depends highly on what the Psion does, not that one-on-one battle between the classes matters too much for an analysis. Many of the best Psionic attack spells are augmented low-level spells, so if the Psion is using this strategy, the Wizard can Globe of Invulnerability them all away.

 

[Dinkeldog]

Every wizard I've played has carried around multiple scrolls of every spell he (I don't cross gender) has in his spellbooks. For the same ability, a psion has to expend a feat. The wizard also gets the familiar for free, whereas the psion has to expend yet another feat. That puts the wizard two feats up by comparison.

Still, I like the feel of the psion.

 

[Psion]

Overpowered in a one-on-one basis, IMHO. All energy types are available without feats, they gain the ability to augment a power without feats, and some powers allow you to up the save DC via the augmentation (as far as I've read).

Right, but they are paying the spell level equivalent premium of a higher level spell, without getting all the benefits of a higher level spell. That said, some augments are too good (energy missile needs house rules AFAIAC).

I think psions are strong compared to sorcerers, but I think that is more the sorcerer's problem. The sorcerer not getting class abilities other than spellcasting is a persistant problem that also pokes its head up when you consider prestige classes, since they have no class abilities to give up. Sorcerers usually benefit from prestige classes significantly, UNLESS the prestige class has a tradeoff of caster levels (which the sorcerer really cannot afford).

I think that the sorcerer variant in Hamunaptra is a nice fix for this.

Wizards, OTOH, have plenty on psions.

 

[Dinkeldog]

Right, but they are paying the spell level equivalent premium of a higher level spell, without getting all the benefits of a higher level spell. That said, some augments are too good (energy missile needs house rules AFAIAC).

How about as a "house rule" that only one type of psion can take it without a feat? And that one type can't take Astral Construct, or Fly, or Metamorphosis without a feat.

 

[Rystil Arden]

How about as a "house rule" that only one type of psion can take it without a feat? And that one type can't take Astral Construct, or Fly, or Metamorphosis without a feat.

I think he means that the DC should increase by 1 for every 2 PP spent instead of 1 for 1. I still maintain that this is a mistake that they haven't bothered to change yet, as it just doesn't fit.