New psionic power- Astral Servant

[Patlin]

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: 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 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, and have half their natural armor bonus, rounding down. 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.


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:

Tunneling: 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 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 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.

Flight: The servant has wings and a Fly speed of 40 (average). Choosing this option reduces the power´s duration to 10 minutes/level.

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 construct
Duration: 1 round/level (D)
Saving Throw: None
Power Resistance: No
Power Points: 1

This power creates one 1st-level astral construct of solidified ectoplasm that attacks your enemies. It appears where you designate and acts immediately, on your turn. It attacks your opponents to the best of its ability. As a free action, you can mentally direct it not to attack, to attack particular enemies, or to perform other actions. The astral construct acts normally on the last round of the power’s duration and dissipates at the end of its turn.

Astral constructs 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.

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

Comparing the two, I think more tinkering is necessary. It's a bit unbalanced, in my opinion, to base the servant on a second level astral construct and have it be a first level power. Instead, I suggest the following:

"An Astral Servant has the the same attributes as an Astral Construct of the same level, except as follows: It's Strength is two points greater, it has no slam attack, it's natural armor is 4 points less, and it's hit points are equal to 5 plus the casters manifester level. It must make its special ability menu choices from the Astral Servant lists, and may not make choices from the Astral Construct menu lists."

With these changes, I think it is more clearly a non-combat servant. As such it's more mount/phantom steed like than Summon Monster like, and the extended duration makes more sense.

I'm pretty sure it doesn't compete with Phantom Steed in terms of shere mount speed, even fully augmentes, but its utility more than makes up for that.

 

[Velmont]

That´s a valid option, though I don´t want to overcomplicate the power, and flight is a difficult to balance ability. I have another idea:

(part of Menu C)

Flight: The construct has wings and can fly at a speed of 40 with average maneuverability. Since it must be lighter and less compact than other servants, it degrades quicker and power duration is reduced to 10 minutes/level.

The reduced duration would make it worse than flight powers and spells, while at the same time being useful. Thoughts?

As part of the menu C, it means you need to use 13PP to haev access to it, which mean you need to be 13th level to gain access to it, as you can't use power with a cost over your level (except with overchannel or for Wilder, but even then, i doubt you could access it before level 9th). So I am not sure to understand the point of Rystil on that to see a 2nd level Psion able to cast that. Where did I miss the point?

 

[Rystil Arden]

I'm pretty sure it doesn't compete with Phantom Steed in terms of shere mount speed, even fully augmentes, but its utility more than makes up for that.

Yup, I checked and you get 150 move speed with a x5 run if you pick Quadruped, Run, and then all Extra Speed with Boost Construct.

 

[Rystil Arden]

As part of the menu C, it means you need to use 13PP to haev access to it, which mean you need to be 13th level to gain access to it, as you can't use power with a cost over your level (except with overchannel or for Wilder, but even then, i doubt you could access it before level 9th). So I am not sure to understand the point of Rystil on that to see a 2nd level Psion able to cast that. Where did I miss the point?

You missed it because my post came back when Flight used to be in Menu A--His last edit is two days after that post

 

[Someone]

Maximum would be a 9th level servant (total of 3 menu C options); one C for Flight, that makes 8 A menu choices. Two for Four Legged and one for Run, that makes +60 speed, for a total of Fly 100 (average). If the construct runs that makes 5000 feet / minute: about 90 km/hr, or somewhat less than 55 miles/hour.

You can pull this trick at 13th level using Overchannel. At this point a wizard can almost conjure a flying phantom steed, with ludicrous speed, for hours at a time, so I don´t think it makes it overpowered.

It´d make idiotic though, if not overpowered, for the Tunneling option: the servant would be able to burrow so fast that a horse would have problems keeping pace. I´ll fix that.

 

[Patlin]

It´d make idiotic though, if not overpowered, for the Tunneling option: the servant would be able to burrow so fast that a horse would have problems keeping pace. I´ll fix that.

Good catch!

 

[Someone]

"An Astral Servant has the the same attributes as an Astral Construct of the same level, except as follows: It's Strength is two points greater, it has no slam attack, it's natural armor is 4 points less, and it's hit points are equal to 5 plus the casters manifester level. It must make its special ability menu choices from the Astral Servant lists, and may not make choices from the Astral Construct menu lists."

It already has no attacks and reduced armor bonus (to 1/2). I was reluctant to reduce hit points because they are part of the construct nature, but you may be right about that point.

The reason behind making it a second level construct is to make bigger constucts available sooner. As it´s now, a 1st level psion would be able to create a medium sized construct instead of a small one (which have reduced carrying capacity). Also, it makes Large constructs available at 7th level (6th level using Overchannel), at the point where IMO normal warhorses start kicking the bucket faster than you can buy them.

 

[Rystil Arden]

Maximum would be a 9th level servant (total of 3 menu C options); one C for Flight, that makes 8 A menu choices. Two for Four Legged and one for Run, that makes +60 speed, for a total of Fly 100 (average). If the construct runs that makes 5000 feet / minute: about 90 km/hr, or somewhat less than 55 miles/hour.

You can pull this trick at 13th level using Overchannel. At this point a wizard can almost conjure a flying phantom steed, with ludicrous speed, for hours at a time, so I don´t think it makes it overpowered.

It´d make idiotic though, if not overpowered, for the Tunneling option: the servant would be able to burrow so fast that a horse would have problems keeping pace. I´ll fix that.

I was thinking you wouldn't even need to take Flight and could just go on land at 160 speed. Keep in mind, also, that the Phantom Steed dies in one hit and can't carry most fighters in heavy armour (weight of the actual person plus up to 10 lbs of gear per level).

 

[Someone]

I was thinking you wouldn't even need to take Flight and could just go on land at 160 speed.

It´s a cool thing to do when you´re high-level, creating a couple astral servants to pull your Fabricated chariot at 150 km/hr.

Keep in mind, also, that the Phantom Steed dies in one hit and can't carry most fighters in heavy armour (weight of the actual person plus up to 10 lbs of gear per level).

Good reason to reduce the servant´s hit points, as Patlin suggested. I´ll change it.

 

[Rystil Arden]

It´s a cool thing to do when you´re high-level, creating a couple astral servants to pull your Fabricated chariot at 150 km/hr.



Good reason to reduce the servant´s hit points, as Patlin suggested. I´ll change it.

Man, think even bigger--these things are huge, right? Have four that are glommed together and supporting a mobile HQ on top (works best if you allow a recasting of the spell to also refresh the time remaining on a pre-existing construct instead of only summon a new one). Of course, with low HP that would be dangerous