Artificers and Psionics

Kabol · Jul 10, 2004

Ok, One my players brought this up, and I have to say I never thought about it till now. Can Artificers Make Items (wand/scroll/armor) that use the Psionic -spells- ?

UltimaGabe · Jul 10, 2004

Well, I don't know much about Psionics, but it really has to do with the distinction between Psionics and Magic. First off, as far as I know, the only Psionic item creation feats are actual Item Creation Feats (such as Craft Psionic Arms & Armor). The Artificer never gets these feats, and thus would need to take them separately in order to begin to even think about making them. Second, is there a such thing as a Psionic Wand or Scroll (or corresponding Psionic item)? If so, can a non-Psion use them by making some sort of skill check (just as Use Magic Device can be used to employ a Scroll of Fireball or Wand of Light)? If another skill is needed, such as Use Psionic Item or something, then an Artificer would not, because he does not get Use Magic Device as a class skill, nor does the class specifically allow him to use Use Psionic Item to duplicate Powers. If Use Magic Device can be used to activate a Psionic item, then I'd say an Artificer could replicate them for purposes of item creation, but only if he acquires the requisite feats (such as Craft Psionic Arms & Armor). If there's no way to use Psionic items without being a Psion (i.e., no Use Psionic Item skill, or anything like that), then I'd say no.

Scion · Jul 10, 2004

in a magic/psionic transparency setting I would allow it pretty freely, as it seems to fall pretty much within the bounds of what they should be doing

mmm.. scroll of 'psionic power xxxx'

Kabol · Jul 10, 2004

Well I know they can make Wand-ish things called Dorje - they act exactly like a wand

But You must use the " Use Psionic Device" Skill for Such things. I was just wondering if an Artificer got the Feats and used this Skill, Coudl he use his UPD skill in place of his UMD for imprinting powers onto Psionic items.

UltimaGabe · Jul 10, 2004

I'd allow them to choose one or the other (Magic or Psionics), but I'd be a bit wary of allowing them to access ALL of them. It's simply because if there's two different skills and feat chains for them, and the Artificer only gets one, I don't think it would be in line with the idea to let them have everything.

Scion · Jul 10, 2004

That sort of reasoning would make me think you would also seperate arcane and divine.. since there are 3 different kinds of magic, each as different from the other as the first.

If he can already do two of the types of magic, and, with magic/psionic transparency, there is just one type left, but it is no more different than arcane and divine.

still, according to the base rules (which I believe do not let umd and usd to stack) I think that it would not be allowed.

Of course, I would still allow it

DreamChaser · Jul 10, 2004

Scion said:
still, according to the base rules (which I believe do not let umd and usd to stack) I think that it would not be allowed.

Of course, I would still allow it

One of my great pet peeves in the "transparency" thing. They say that the default is complete transparency but then they create 2 new skills (psicraft and use psionic device) that do that same thing as the existing skills but only work for psionic things. Thus indicating that they are not completely transparent.

I personally am tempted to just ditch spellcraft and psicraft and have a single "mystic craft" skill and do the same with the use _ device (use mystical device)

Thus, an artificer would be just as capable of using/making psionic items as magical.

DC

Scion · Jul 10, 2004

I also allow psicraft/spellcraft to stack (ie it is effectively one skill, not two). Also, I dont like the feats being seperate either (meta and creation), so I have been toying with how to fix that as well.

Staffan · Jul 10, 2004

Keith weighed in on the issue in the Keith Baker Q&A thread in General. Basically, he didn't think it'd be balanced to let the artificer do both magic and psionics, but a psi-only artificer would be OK - swap the feats for their psionic counterparts, and replace UMD with Use Psionic Device, Spellcraft with Psicraft, and Knowledge (Arcana) with Knowledge (Psionics). The Augmentation infusions would use psionic weapon/armor abilities rather than magic ones, and so on.

DreamChaser · Jul 10, 2004

Staffan said:
Keith weighed in on the issue in the Keith Baker Q&A thread in General. Basically, he didn't think it'd be balanced to let the artificer do both magic and psionics, but a psi-only artificer would be OK - swap the feats for their psionic counterparts, and replace UMD with Use Psionic Device, Spellcraft with Psicraft, and Knowledge (Arcana) with Knowledge (Psionics). The Augmentation infusions would use psionic weapon/armor abilities rather than magic ones, and so on.

Hmmm. This doesn't really make any sense to me. Either psionics are integrated into a system and are therefore essentially the same as magic (which is the base rule in the XPH) or they are not.

For every psionic thing that a artificer chose to use his craft reserve/exp on, that would be a magical thing he would be chosing not to do. Just like every cure potion he chose to make would reduce the number of attack scrolls he could scribe. The fact that he has to "buy" everything he does makes expanding his repertoire not really unbalancing in the least.

I guess I look at it differently.

DC