Fighter/Psion

[Caeleddin]

Ok. This is the character I sent him:


Marcus Julianus
Human Male (Chaotic Good)
Age: 24, Eyes and Hair: Dark, Skin: Fair, Height: 6'0, Weight: 145lb
Ftr/Psi 2/10
HP: 80
PP: 110

Str 9
Con 14
Dex 12
Int 18
Wis 12
Cha 8

Skills: Concentration (15+Con) 17, Handle Animal (5+Cha) 4, Heal (cc) (7+Wis) 8, Jump (5+Str) 4, Knowledge Nature (5+Int) 9, Knowledge Psi (5+Int) 9, Prof Herbalism (10+Wis) 11, Ride (5+Dex+syn) 8, Psicraft (10+Int+syn) 16, Spot (cc) (3+Wis) 4, Swim (5+Str) 4.

Feats:
Human: Wild Talent (General)
Char1: Psionic Body (Psionic)
Ftr1: Improved Initiative (Fighter Bonus)
Ftr2: Point Blank Shot (Fighter Bonus)
Char3: Overchannel (Psionic)
Psion1: Talented (Psionic)
Char6: Lightning Reflexes (General)
Psion5: Empower Power (Metapsionic)
Char9: Expanded Knowledge (Psionic)
Char12: Expanded Knoweledge (Psionic)
Psion10: Expanded Knoweledge (Psionic)

Powers:
Level 1: Vigor, Energy Ray, Crystal Shard, Skate, Grease, Force Shield, Entangling Ectoplasm + EK: Thicken Skin
Level 2: Energy Missile, Knock, Levitate
Level 3: Dispel Psionics, Telekinetic Force, Energy Wall + EK: Greater Concealing Amorpha, Ectoplasmic Cocoon
Level 4: Energy Ball, Inertial Barrier, Energy Adaption, Freedom of Movement, Dimension Door, Telekinetic Maneuvre
Level 5: True Seeing, Plane Shift
Powers = 21 + 3 EK


Notes:
He will be known as Marcus. He sees no reason to reveal his last name willy-nilly. Also, he will be working as a doctor/fighter. He will NOT reveal he is a Psion. It is not anyone else's business. In a fight, funny things will happen. Energy balls going off seemingly randomly, enemies going "Unf!" and fold over for no apparent reason. In other words, he will always suppress ALL displays (by making Concentration rolls at all times) that will tie a psionic manifestation to him.

Characteristics:
Marcus is an ascerbic, sarcastic fellow. Tall and skinny, his appearance is oftimes unkept, with a stubble and short, wild, curly hair. He seems to have a knack for herbs and often doubles as a doctor. Almost obssessive in his need to cure his patients, he has little patience for diplomacy, preferring instead to cut to the chase. This has endeared him to those that can stand his "uncouth" ways and irritated those that think he is an arrogant bastard. Either way, it does not bother him much. He simply does not care enough to be ruffled.


Notes to DM:
He is presenting himself as a FIGHTER. Treat him as such in assigning weapons and armour. He will typically wield a longbow, but if pressed, he will use a greatsword. Neither need to be magical or particularly well-made, just functional. For armour, he will probably be in the heaviest that he can use (does not have to be light load only as his low Str will mean he will be over the light load limit anyway). Full plate, if possible. Mithril is preferred (DUH!! ). His armour will definitely be magical.

Other than that, he'll probably have skins or the Power storage crystals. It will be doubtful if he'll carry dorjes (the equivalent of wands) or have tattoos on him (the equivalent of scrolls). Powerstones is debatable. If it is re-usable, then he will have them (ie., cast a spell into them and bring the spell back out later). Otherwise, he won't usually bother. Rings, cloaks, amulets and the like is as per normal for any character.

He is a travelling doctor type, and so re-usable items would be preferred. Things with charges (especially single charges) will take up too much space and weight (for "spares") for him to bother with usually (of course, if he had the chance, he won't turn down a wand or stone of Wishes, would he??). Just use common sense, I guess.









This is his reply:

Damn those psionic powers look good!!! I commend your well selected spell selection, you seem to cover all bases and then some, must have taken a while.

Only one thing that might make you consider changing your mind no spell selection:
It will cost 250xp per casting of True seeing. Same goes for any power which duplicates (or effectivly duplicates) a spell and excludes material components of significant value (not that you have taken any more of them - eg restoration).

They look seriosly broken overall but i am hoping the fact that the effective significant number less spells castable per day will balance things up a bit. Fingers crossed.

I am particulary dubiuos about Freedom of movement, Energy Wall and Telekinetic Maneuvre - not because they seem too powerful on thier own its just in combination with other factors they are a bit...dodgy. But we will see how things go.

If things don't seem to work, which i doubt, I'll probably have to drop all psions.

I'm not sure where plane shift came from...maybe an extention of dimention door, but i like the fact someone in the party has a get the entire party out of dodge spell. And of course it just begs high level story ideas.

I don't mind you not telling anyone about your powers, but i think they will probably figure it out pretty quick, they are all pretty cleaver. Even the barbarian had 10 inteligence. Also the citys representives would know as there is no way you could have hidden those powers with your rather limited subterfuge skills. I'll redo you gear, i hadn't really finished it anyway so no biggie. Just so you know chances are you have never meet a Psion ever, at least not a human, maybe an illithid if you have been unluckly so any rumours of your powers if witnessed would put you as a sorceror or wizard not a psion. .

........



He wants to convert the TS gp cost of the Wiz version (250gp) to an XP cost of 250gp. I basically told him that a 1 to 1 conversion is a bit stupid.

Told him that without Psionic Meditation, I am already WORSE than the party's Sorceror and I don't even have half his equivalent PP and spells known. Dared him to neuter me even more.

I also asked him to justify how anyone knew Marcus can do psionics if he doesn't do them as a general rule.


Hell, if the DM is being a donkey, be difficult in return.

 

[green slime]

In Auckland? There has to be in a city that big.

I started playing DnD at a boarding school in Pukekohoe, for goodness sake.

 

[Staffan]

He wants to convert the TS gp cost of the Wiz version (250gp) to an XP cost of 250gp. I basically told him that a 1 to 1 conversion is a bit stupid.

You might want to point out that Psionic true seeing is a bit more limited than the magic version, since it can't be cast on others.

 

[KarinsDad]

It would help if your DM learned how to spell.

 

[Diirk]

He wants to convert the TS gp cost of the Wiz version (250gp) to an XP cost of 250gp. I basically told him that a 1 to 1 conversion is a bit stupid.

Could be worse, I present the archmage !

Spell-Like Ability: An archmage who selects this type of high arcana can use one of her arcane spell slots (other than a slot expended to learn this or any other type of high arcana) to permanently prepare one of her arcane spells as a spell-like ability that can be used twice per day. The archmage does not use any components when casting the spell, although a spell that costs XP to cast still does so and a spell with a costly material component instead costs her 10 times that amount in XP.

2500xp per true seeing. Ouch !

 

[Jack Simth]

Well, if you don't like the taste of his modified True Seeing, and don't feel like debating the issue with him, perhaps go with Touchsight (Psion/Wilder 3) - it has many of the same effects (see in darkness, see invisible stuff) but not all (can't see etherial creatures, for example) and has a few features that True Seeing doesn't have (don't need to roll to spot something that's hiding in range, but do need line of effect to stuff to discern it). Even better, as there's no magical equivalent, he can't ruin it with the same rule.

 

[Caeleddin]

Jack - I already told him that I'd take Touchsight in the place of TS. Thanks for the suggestion.


Diirk - That is a stupid rule, IMHO. You get literally thousands upon millions of gps. You don't get that much XP. Even Item Creation, which creates a PERMANENT item, only cost you 8% XP to gp.


KarinsDad - It's an ongoing joke. He refuses to change.


Staffan - I tried that. I point you to the reply I got from him a couple of pages ago.


Green Slime - I tried the NZ RP website to look for players. Nothing there. There is AMERICA, the Auckland Uni RP club, but they are on Tuesdays and its kinda hard to get from Albany to the CBD within the hour after work. And being in a boarding school gives you an unfair advantage, you sheep chaser!

 

[Diirk]

Diirk - That is a stupid rule, IMHO. You get literally thousands upon millions of gps. You don't get that much XP. Even Item Creation, which creates a PERMANENT item, only cost you 8% XP to gp.

Don't worry, I think so too. For example, take the costs for paying spellcasters to cast a spell for you:

The cost given is for a spell with no cost for a material component or focus component and no XP cost. If the spell includes a material component, add the cost of that component to the cost of the spell. If the spell has a focus component (other than a divine focus), add 1/10 the cost of that focus to the cost of the spell. If the spell has an XP cost, add 5 gp per XP lost.

So for said archmage who decided he needed truesight as a spell-like ability, if we wanted to hire him to use it for us, it would cost him 2500 xp to use it, and we would have to pay him 12500 gp for his sacrifice (caster level x spell level x 10 isn't even included in that number). For a 250 gp spell. Hmm, somethings a little off here....

If we're paying someone else 5gp per xp they spend, its pretty safe to assume that each point of xp isn't worth quite 4 gp.. but then I don't think 10 xp is only worth 1 gp either. You could go by the 'raw materials = half market price' example and say 2.5gp per xp, or you could say that as you hit 20th level you will have 190k accumulated xp, and the standard treasure for 20th is 760k... this puts it at 4gp per xp.

Regardless, psionic true seeing shouldn't cost any xp, that's just dumb ;p

 

[Caeleddin]

Diirk - He thinks it will "balance" the party. After he ripped the heart out of the Psion by banning Psionic Meditation, and then nerfed it even more by banning a whole host of powers. And he still thinks Psions are too powerful.....

If there is anything I hate more than idiots that claim then know everything when it is plain they don't, it is munchkins that dare call others munchkins (regardless of the truth) and dislike them for it. Unfortunately for me, this DM is both.

Gods, if only New Hicksville is as good as the Hicks think it is, this would be a happening place. Unfortunately.....!

 

[green slime]

Green Slime - I tried the NZ RP website to look for players. Nothing there. There is AMERICA, the Auckland Uni RP club, but they are on Tuesdays and its kinda hard to get from Albany to the CBD within the hour after work. And being in a boarding school gives you an unfair advantage, you sheep chaser!

No longer there, now I'm sitting on Persian rugs in Persia. This time tomorrow, however, I'll be fending off rabid customs officers in Scandinavia.

I'd suggest hanging out in a shop which sells the gaming books, and see if you can't make any new acquaintances that way. I've met gamers all over the world that way. Another method would be to see if the have any gaming conventions in Auckland? Probably again on the varsity campus, but more likely to be on weekends.