Balance - Psionic warrior

[Dimensional]

Hi - I've been reading the conmtinuing threads on Psions with intrest, as I'm possibly ruinning a game with Psionics in the next little while, and have drawn my own conclusions.

Now how abaout some comments on the Psionic Warrior. Where do posple stand.

Is it overpowred/ Undrepowered?

Any particulary broken Combo's or powers compared to the Psion?

Thanks a lot

Jeremy

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

I've seen a couple of them played in games I've run. Used a few as NPC bad guys... It's all about the buffing!

My gut reaction is that they are 'more powerful' than a fighter under certain situations, weaker in others.

They're at their best when they have their optimal amount of time to prepare and buff up... and also when the game does not have many encounters between rest stops.

At higher levels, they can augment a lot of their powers to instantly activate them... which means they can fight and buff at the same time - this is a powerful ability, but burns through their power points at a very rapid pace!

Once the points are gone (often enough a fight or two), they are a somewhat weak combatant, although not completely useless...


Some strong combinations:

Use feats that require you to discard the psionic focus. There is another feat which lets you regain this as a move action. There is a 2nd level power called hustle which lets you get an extra move action.

There are also some nasty things you can do with the Lions Pounce power - which lets you full attack on a charge...

IME, both are good, but certainly not gamebreakingly so.

 

[HellHound]

I've had no balance problems with them. They are more potent than fighters on their first attack, typically, and then less potent afterwards. They also tend to make better agility fighters, because a lot of the psionic feats are very agility based.

 

[Someone]

I have limited experience with psiwarriors. I´m playing one in a pbem, he´s 3rd level and built for mobility (speed of thought, mobility, up the walls...) He´s fun to play, going where no fighter has going before, and has a quite good AC with Force Shield and Thicken Skin, but when the dwarven fighter reaches the front line he drops twice as many enemies as does he. I could have chosen weapon focus and offensive prescience and offensive precognition, and I would be as effective as the dwarf, but only after spending the time buffing.

In another game, I pitted a psiwarrior (and more enemies) against my 13th level party. He was designed to stand enough time to give the villain an opportunity to steal something very important -had a large number of defensive buffs active; indeed, IIRC, he spent morethan half of his power points buffing- The paladin critted him with a smite evil, and dropped the poor guy in a round. Then I had a epiphany: Divine feats are more powerful than psionic ones.

 

[Andor]

Psi Warriors are great, if you know the fight is comming, and can prep. Caught with their pants down, they are in dire straits.

The soulknife is lord of the alpha strike, and then strictly nebish. I really think they need a full BAB progression. (Not that you asked about the soul knife, but what the hell.)