New psionic power- Astral Servant

[Someone]

I´ve edited this first post to include only the latest proposal:

Astral Servant
Metacreativity (Creation)
Level: Shaper 1
Display: Visual; see text
Manifesting Time: 1 round
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect: One created astral servant
Duration: 10 minutes/level (D)
Saving Throw: None
Power Resistance: No
Power Points: 1

This power creates one 2nd level astral servant of solidified ectoplasm. It appears where you designate and acts immediately, on your turn. It performs any single task you command it to do at the best of it´s ability (follow me, clean the room, carry this, etc); if you cease to give them instructions, they continue performing their last task. Directing the astral servant is a mental free action, but you need line of sight with the servant to give him new instructions.

Astral servants can also be directed to obey the verbal commands of a particular character, and if used as mounts when the Four Legged option is chosen they´ll obey his rider as if it were a normal animal trained for war.

Astral servants are not summoned; they are created on the plane you inhabit (using ectoplasm drawn from the Astral Plane). Thus, they are not subject to effects that hedge out or otherwise affect outsiders; they are constructs, not outsiders.

Astral servants have the same stats as a astral construct of the same level, except that they have no attack modes and can´t attack except by indirect ways, have half their natural armor bonus, rounding down, and their total hit points is 5 + your manifester level, or the Construct´s hit points, whichever is lower. Astral servants don´t have the same menu options as astral constructs and have instead their own list.

Augments:

For every 2 additional power points you spend, the level of the astral servant increases by one.

For every additional power point you spend, the duration is increased by 1 hour.

For every 6 additional power points you spend, you can trade one menu option for one choice in a menu one letter higher.


Astral servant menu options:
Chosing menu option for astral servants follow the same rules as for astral constructs. The Boost Construct feat benefits Astral Servants the same way as Astral Constructs.

Menu A:

Extra speed: The servant gains +10 to one land, swim or flying existing speed mode. This choice stacks with itself.

Four legged: The servant becomes a quadruped. This increases carrying capacity accordingly and makes it be usable as a mount.

Run: The servant gains the Run feat.

Tool limb: The servant comes with a hardened limb shaped in the form of one tool of your choice: axe (1d6 damage), hammer (1d4 damage), shovel, or saw (for wood). The servant is still unable to attack creatures, but the tools can be used to damage unattended objects; for that purposes, all servants regardless of level have 1 attack with a +0 total attack bonus. The same Servant can´t have both Tool limb and Four Legged options.

Swim: The servant gains a swim speed of 30.

Menu B:

Muscle: The construct´s Strenght increases by 6.

Skilled: The servant has a number of skill ranks in a Craft skill equal to your own, to a maximum of 6. The servant spends your craft points when crafting.

Watcher: The servant has a number of skill points in Spot and Listen equal to it´s level plus three, and emits a high-pitched scream (Listen DC: -5) when he perceives any creature of Small size or bigger. You can direct the construct to not react to any number of individual creatures or races. The construct can be fooled normally by illusions or shape-altering effects.

Menu C:

Flight: The servant has wings and a Fly speed of 40 (average).

Tunneling: The servant gains a Burrow speed of 10. The Servant can leave a usable tunnel behind, but that reduces it´s speed to 5 feet as a full round action.

Very Skilled: The servant has a number of skill ranks in a Craft skill equal to your own, to a maximum of 12. The servant spends your craft points when crafting.

 

[Rystil Arden]

So we have two construct shapers, eh? I'd say you'd be better off creating a new power for the manual labourer constructs "Summon Astral Servant" and then just take the Twin Power metapsionic feat to summon two constructs.

 

[IcyCool]

I'm with Rystil on the Twin Power suggestion. However, I think there is a use for this feat. I've got three suggestions:

1. Change the feat from [Psionic] to [Metapsionic]. It involves directly manipulating a power and that power's effects. I'd say it definitely falls into [Metapsionic] there. Yes, that means you don't get extras from feats like Psionic Body.

2. Remove the +3 extra construct modification. This is what Twin Power is for. (And is, in fact, better than twin power)

3. With the two changes above, you have a feat that gives you a useful beast of burden construct. Yes, this could be proposed as an entirely new power, but I think it could be within the realm of a [Metapsionic] feat. With that in mind, I think you could add a list of other augmentations. Maybe allow an alternate menu for a beast of burden giving it different movement modes or speed augmentations?

 

[Rystil Arden]

I'm with Rystil on the Twin Power suggestion. However, I think there is a use for this feat. I've got three suggestions:

1. Change the feat from [Psionic] to [Metapsionic]. It involves directly manipulating a power and that power's effects. I'd say it definitely falls into [Metapsionic] there. Yes, that means you don't get extras from feats like Psionic Body.

2. Remove the +3 extra construct modification. This is what Twin Power is for. (And is, in fact, better than twin power)

3. With the two changes above, you have a feat that gives you a useful beast of burden construct. Yes, this could be proposed as an entirely new power, but I think it could be within the realm of a [Metapsionic] feat. With that in mind, I think you could add a list of other augmentations. Maybe allow an alternate menu for a beast of burden giving it different movement modes or speed augmentations?

Ah, but if you create a power that does this, then you are already automatically creating a feat that does it too--Expanded Knowledge(Astral Servant)

 

[Someone]

I'm with Rystil on the Twin Power suggestion. However, I think there is a use for this feat. I've got three suggestions:

1. Change the feat from [Psionic] to [Metapsionic]. It involves directly manipulating a power and that power's effects. I'd say it definitely falls into [Metapsionic] there. Yes, that means you don't get extras from feats like Psionic Body.

I can see that; its difficult to classify, but it doesn´t work like other metapsionics feats, and Boost Construct is similar, altering a specific power you have.

2. Remove the +3 extra construct modification. This is what Twin Power is for. (And is, in fact, better than twin power)

It´s better because nobody in his right mind would ever use Twin Power on Astral Construct, and the feat is specific for Astral Construct. By taking Twin Power you can Twin many powers, not only AC.

3. With the two changes above, you have a feat that gives you a useful beast of burden construct. Yes, this could be proposed as an entirely new power, but I think it could be within the realm of a [Metapsionic] feat. With that in mind, I think you could add a list of other augmentations. Maybe allow an alternate menu for a beast of burden giving it different movement modes or speed augmentations?

Ok, I´ll try with the Astral Servant power, so you can choose your favorite:

Astral Servant
Metacreativity (Creation)
Level: Shaper 1
Display: Visual; see text
Manifesting Time: 1 round
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect: One created astral servant
Duration: 1 hour/level (D)
Saving Throw: None
Power Resistance: No
Power Points: 1

This power creates one 2nd level astral servant of solidified ectoplasm. It appears where you designate and acts immediately, on your turn. It performs any single task you command it to do at the best of it´s ability (follow me, clean the room, carry this, etc); if you cease to give them instructions, they continue performing their last task. Directing the astral servant is a mental free action, but you need line of sight with the servant to give him new instructions.

Astral servants can also be directed to obey the verbal commands of a particular character, and if used as mounts they´ll obey his rider as if it were a normal animal trained for war.

Astral servants are not summoned; they are created on the plane you inhabit (using ectoplasm drawn from the Astral Plane). Thus, they are not subject to effects that hedge out or otherwise affect outsiders; they are constructs, not outsiders.

Astral servants have the same stats as a astral construct of the same level, except that they have no attack modes and can´t attack except by indirect ways. Astral servants don´t have the same menu options as astral constructs and have instead their own list.

Augments

For every 2 additional power points you spend, the level of the astral servant increases by one.

For every 6 additional power points you spend, you can trade one menu option for one choice in a menu one letter higher note: this allows Medium constructs to choose the Very Skilled menu option, as you may not want a big construct in your workshop


Astral servant menu options:
Chosing menu option for astral servants follow the same rules as for astral constructs.

Menu A:

Extra speed: The servant gains +10 to one speed mode. This choice stacks with itself.

Four legged: The servant becomes a quadruped. This increases carrying capacity accordingly and makes it be usable as a mount.

Run: The servant gains the Run feat.

Tool limb: The servant comes with a limb shaped in the form of one tool: axe (1d6 damage), hammer (1d4 damage), shovel, or saw (for wood). The servant is still unable to attack creatures. The same Servant can´t have both Tool limb and Four Legged options.

Swim: The servant gains a swim speed of 30.

Menu B:

Burrow: The servant gains a Burrow speed of 10. It leaves a usable tunnel behind.

Muscle: The construct´s Strenght increases by 6.

Skilled: The servant has a number of skill ranks in a Craft skill equal to your own, to a maximum of 6. The servant can spend your craft points when crafting.

Watcher: The servant has a number of skill points in Spot and Listen equal to it´s level plus three, and screams very loud when he perceives any creature of Small size or bigger. You can direct the construct to not react to any number of individual creatures o races. The construct can be fooled normally by illusions or shape-altering spells.

Menu C:

Very Skilled: The servant has a number of skill ranks in a Craft skill equal to your own, to a maximum of 12. The servant can spend your craft points when crafting.

Edit: removed Flight options, as they could be unbalancing, added Swim and Watcher, added new augmentation, added Tool Limb

 

[Rystil Arden]

This looks mostly cool, but I would eliminate the first Flight power and instead give Swim and/or Climb. Otherwise, this will allow a level 2 Shaper to create a flying mount for a halfling gnome or katara that lasts for hours. At level 2, if the character flying is a ranged combat specialist, they can totally ream most encounters by flying around.

EDIT: You removed it already while I was typing this. Great minds think alike, eh?

 

[Patlin]

This proposal is starting to get interesting. I'm still thinking, but I wanted to offer that encouragement, for now. Good work so far!

 

[Someone]

Any suggestions? I´m running out of Creativity Points and don´t know how the power can be improved.

Notice by the way that servants start right now at 2nd level, instead of 1st. This allows starting psions a stonger servant -since a main use of them is as beasts of burden, it would cripple the power at low levels to make them Small constructs- and makes large (Horse-sized) servants available at a lower level. I don´t think it´s unbalancing in any way, but I´d like to hear opinions.

 

[Jdvn1]

Versatile ectoplasm crafting [Psionic]
Your mastery at shaping ectoplasm allows you to have a wider array of options when manifesting astral construct
Requisites: Must know the Astral Construct power.
Benefits: This feat gives you three different benefits:

- You have a +2 competence bonus on Craft (sculpting) checks to modify the appearance of constructs

What concerns me is how this feat compares in power to feats that give +2 to two skills. You have a +2 to one skill, then two much better benefits--does that balance with the fact that this feat has prereq's? I'm not sure.

 

[Someone]

What concerns me is how this feat compares in power to feats that give +2 to two skills. You have a +2 to one skill, then two much better benefits--does that balance with the fact that this feat has prereq's? I'm not sure.

Right now seems that the power is more popular, but anyway, the +2 to Craft(sculpting) checks is a very minor benefit. It works for a very unused skill, Craft (sculpting), and also in a very limited circumstance (only when you modify a construct´s appearance). Modifying an astral construct´s appearance it mostly a flavour thing, since the rules say that no matter how well sculpted they are the continue to be recognizable as astral constructs, so you can´t use them to impersonate someone, for example. The benefit can be added or taken from the feat without altering the feat´s general power, since a psion with a +8 to sculpt constructs isn´t less powerful at all than a psion with +10 to sculpt constructs.