Anyone play a PSI-warrior?

[arwink]

Keep in mind also that the cool feats that require pp are also the equivelent of 1st level arcane spells most of the time, which helps take the sting out.

One thing that can come in very handy is a psi-war with a spiked chain specialisation and the Stand Still feat and combat reflexes. It great for becoming the front line, lets you cover a great deal of distance, and can keep creatures from getting through to your wizards.

 

[Apok]

Get yourself a Mind Feeder enchanted weapon (preferably one w/ a good threat range) and you won't be worrying about Power Points for very long. Psywars are, as others have already stated, slow to start but pick up around 5th to 6th level just like a Monk. True, there are many similarities to Clerics but I think that a Psywars power list is more suited to combat than a Clerics. Remember, a Cleric is expected to not only kick butt himself but also buff his alies and heal them if necessary. Psywars, OTOH, have no such expectations so they can afford to be selfish with the powers. Granted those kinds of differences only come into play based on the behavior of the player, but it's kinda hard to be the only cleric in the party and blow all your spells on yourself. If you aren't doing at least some healing or buffing then your comerades are going to wonder if you're worth keeping around.

As an aside, Psywars can make for great "special ops" units, especially when grouped with Monks & Rogues. I always tend to get the Cosmopolitan feat (choose any two classes and they become Class skills) for my Psywars to get Hide & MS as class skills. With their range of capabilities, there's almost no situation they can't handle. The only downside is that they can be stat intensive since their best powers are spread throughout the six disciplines at varying levels.

 

[megamania]

I'm having a blast with Vander whom is a fighter/psy warrior feat machine. So far, my only complaint is the psy warrior is extremely vulnible to mental attacks. They don't get a good save and lose the non-psychic buffer. Beyond that, this multi-class is fun

 

[DustTC]

I'm not sure why you'd want to compare a PsiWar to a Cleric, but they are a very good class in their own right.

I have a PsiWar 7/Monk 1/Diamond Warrior 3 in my campaign and he's pretty tough. Power points aren't really a problem at all (crystal capacitors!) and the way he moves is just scary.

Burst+couple of Speed of Thought+Skate+Dodge+Mobility+Spring Attack+high Tumble means he can attack anything that's not 20 ft. off the ground (uses Expansion too) and retreat to safety. His only weakness seems to be Will saves, though if he keeps going with Diamond Warrior levels that won't be a problem much longer (they get monk saves).

He's also an enormous threat to spellcasters, as he can just ignore any tactical defences and get to them anyway. I shudder to think what he will be capable of when he gets Power Attack (next level) and the melee version of Deep Impact (forgot the name).

So no, they're definitly not useless but you're probably best to stick with a mobility theme. Also, if you let experienced players make PsiWars I think 9 times out of 10 they will come up with the same power selection (it's pretty obvious which are the good ones).

 

[LostSoul]

You can go a bunch of different routes with a psi-warrior.

You can take an archer; fell shot (or whatever the touch attack one is) will help.

You can take a mobility freak. With the Speed of Thought chain, and Mental Leap, you can pretty much get out of any encounter.

Or you could combine the two above and have an archer who can maneuver to anywhere on the battlefield.

Then you can go the tank route. With Animal Affinity (Con) you can boost your hit points to the Fighter's level or more, and Animal Affinity (Str) can help you lay the smack down. Don't forget the Deep Impact; it's like letting you Power Attack for as much as your BAB.

If you build your character well, you can be more effective than a Fighter. Just watch out for Dispel Magic and Psionic Combat.

 

[KnowTheToe]

This is so much better feedback than I thought I would receive, thanks. I made the Psi-warrior character for RttToEE, which I think is why I am frustrated. The temple requires power and with all of the character deaths, flavor seems a little wasted. Our wizards misses every third game or so and he is our only arcane caster, every time he misses a game, we have character deaths.