General Psion question

[LadyDM]

I have a player that wants to play a psion. I am not very familiar with the class and have had limited experience with other PC psions. A former DM had a psion bad guy that took control of my barbarian and had him walk right into a trap that killed him. I wasn't happy, but.. the DM said it could be done. Then I got a hold of the Psionics handbook and found on pg. 42 that "nonpsionic characters and creatures enjoy mental protection due to their thick-headedness."

I need some input on how to manage a psion character with a party of nonpsions. I obviously don't want to make the same mistake my former DM made, but I want to make sure everyone has fun and is challenged.

 

[Voadam]

The revised xph/srd3.5 versions of psions are very reasonable. They are essentially sorcerers with a domain, specific class spell list, and spell points instead of slots. There should be little problem balance wise with allowing one into your non-psion party if you are OK story wise with allowing psionics in general in your world.

 

[Piratecat]

I think the quote you're referring to is in regards to the (badly flawed) psionic combat in the original Psionics Handbook, and not a psionic power like dominate or charm. Which book are you using? The Expanded Psionics Handbook (XPH) is much better than the original Psionics Handbook.

In general, I've found that psionic characters integrate normally with other PCs. Certain types of psions can be good at controlling enemies with low will saves, but that's more of a fun feature than a flaw. I've found that psions are more powerful if you have only one or two encounters a day, and less powerful if you have multiple encounters (as in a typical dungeon.)

 

[EricNoah]

Then I got a hold of the Psionics handbook and found on pg. 42 that "nonpsionic characters and creatures enjoy mental protection due to their thick-headedness."

This is probably from the 3.0 PsiHB, and it only really pertains to psionic combat (where psionic characters use attack modes like Ego Whip or defense modes like Thought Shield to attack each other). The idea was that non-psionic creatures attacked with attack modes were not as vulnerable as psionic characters. Psionic combat as such is gone in the Expanded PsiHB.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

I've found that psions are more powerful if you have only one or two encounters a day, and less powerful if you have multiple encounters (as in a typical dungeon.)

Just wondering: wouldn't this be the same for any other spellcaster? Heck, with two encounters the barbarian could be on perma-rage. Or is there some kind of extra psion-wackiness that comes into play?

 

[drothgery]

Just wondering: wouldn't this be the same for any other spellcaster? Heck, with two encounters the barbarian could be on perma-rage. Or is there some kind of extra psion-wackiness that comes into play?

A lot of powers in the XPH are augmentable; you can spend more power points to get a bigger effect (more damage, more targets, longer duration, etc.) within certain limits. And there's nothing keeping you from spending all you power points on your highest-level powers or fully-augmented lower-level powers (this is usually the most effective thing to do, in fact). So even more than wizards and sorcerers, the fewer serious encounters per day, the more deadly they are.

I'm running a kineticist (tk-specialist psion) right now; he's the most effective character in the party in dealing out damage... until he runs out of power points, and is stuck relying on items (a few well-chosen power stones [psionic scrolls] or dorjes [psionic wands] can help a lot).

 

[EricNoah]

Yep, agreed. I played a 16th level psion in a recent one-shot; I thought, "man, 250+ power points, I can augment everything until it's the equivalent of a 7th or 8th level power and never run out of power points." Wrong. Those power points disappear very very quickly when you need them for healing, defense, mobility, ranged attacks, area attacks, saving throw boosts, power resistance, etc.

 

[Belen]

Anyone else thought the capital P meant she was summoning Psion?

 

[Nuclear Platypus]

Anyone else thought the capital P meant she was summoning Psion?

Did he get promoted to General too?

 

[Flyspeck23]

And there's nothing keeping you from spending all you power points on your highest-level powers or fully-augmented lower-level powers (this is usually the most effective thing to do, in fact).

Nothing but the power point limit