A technical question about psions....

[Grumbar Dorunn]

Hello fellow gamers!

One short but how important question:

If the spell "magic jar" is used against a psion, will his mind be still able to cast psionic powers (since with it's psi-cristal it can see and feel it's surrounding...)?

Please help me on this one!!!!

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

If you are a 15th-level psion with the Channel Power ability, then yes, you should be able to do so.

Re-read Magic Jar and see if it allows the trapped victim to use spell-like abilities.

 

[Grumbar Dorunn]

The magic jar spell does not specify that...

My problem is that I want to know if a psion could still use it's powers if it is trapped in an object. Since it is not necessary on many case to use verbal or somatic components to use psi powers, I was wondering if it could cast when trapped in an object...

Is the mind still aware of it's environment? Is the trapped creature still living?

 

[Crothian]

Well, your Str, Dex and Con would all be considered zero, so all those powers are out. There is no normal way to be aware of your surroundings, but if the pdion had a way to do it, I'd allow him to. Good question though. I'd allow a PC to try to do it he thought of it, anything to promot character creativity.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

I'd rule that a psion trapped in an object doesn't have line-of-effect. Unless he can channel powers (as (Psi)Severed-Head pointed out,) his psicrystal is meaningless.

Note that a psicrystal can see and feel its surroundings, but it does not give this information to the psion, any more than a wizard can see through the eyes of his familiar. And neither wizard nor psion can use his dependant creature's senses instead of his own. A blind wizard is still blind, and a trapped-in-a-magic-jar psion is still cut off from the rest of the world.

 

[Grumbar Dorunn]

Thanks for the very good advices!
Now it's time to trapped that damn psion!

 

[Zhure]

The psion will still be able to manifest on himself, as he will have line-of-effect on the gem used in the Magic Jar.

Only personal spells will probably be useful (I'm thinking specifically of Feel Light being very helpful, as well as Metamorphasis).

Greg

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Metamorphosis is a good idea; too bad you can only morph into something one size larger than the gem You can use physical stat powers, but they're all based on Charisma (so if Cha is your dump stat, you're kind of screwed).
Your psicrystal can provide sight link (at high level), and I see no reason why there would be no line of effect from the gem. Your main problem is seeing the world, not affecting it.
Note that a Seer would be really dangerous in the gem; they can use powers like Ubiquitous Vision (or some egoist powers, like See Sound or Feel Light) to see out, then manifest Recall Agony on the bastard who stuck you in the gem.
The new Empowered Psicrystal feat enables you to turn your psicrystal into a flying creature with a reasonable AC and a tail that can deliver touch powers for you, like Dissolving Touch!

Trapping a high-level psion in a gem can be a very bad idea. Especially if they also know Mind Switch. You could end up with a mind-switching battle. Better hope that psion doesn't have Body Fuel.

 

[Grumbar Dorunn]

Ok...
Here is the situation:

One of my player is a psion-telepath, and the encounter I have planned for him is a Shadow demon (form the creature catalog) which has the supernatural ability to make a magic jar spell.

That psion is a 14th-level character, with the mind switch power.

If trapped in a gem or other object, will he be able to act? Will he be able to swicth mind with an other npc (not the demon...)?

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Well, it seems like several others believe differently than I do. Since this is really not a rule question, but a matter of how a particular DM would adjudicate it, I'll make a last comment, then let the others discuss the finer points of the opposing view.

I still stand by the view that a trapped psion does not have the capability to affect the outside world with his psionic powers. He's not trapped in his own psicrystal but rather a spell focus, so his psicrystal's powers and abilities (and the psion's own feats such as Improved Psicrystal) are moot. And even if he were trapped in his own psicrystal, being Magic Jar'd isn't the same as having his mind simply put in a box. I liken it to being placed in a bag of holding. The spirit is present, but has no connection to the surrounding world. As such, it can't simply start firing off psionic powers blindly, any more than a wizard could use a silent dimension door to move the crystal he's trapped in.

But that's all IMO, of course. Having said that, I'll take my leave.