Help me build a psion?

[Thanee]

Psionic Body sounds pretty good, actually. With the bonus feats, you'll get quite a few hps out of that one.

And you can expect to pick up at least a couple psionic feats, anyways.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Darklone]

Hmm, isn't Improved Toughness better?

 

[uzagi_akimbo]

Hmm, isn't Improved Toughness better?

hehe, Darklone beat me to it. Improved Toughness is definitely better HP-wise than Psionic Body, unless you find a way to leech a psionic feat out of nowhere every second level

 

[Thanee]

Yeah, depends on how many psionic feats you plan to pick up. But you can take it at first level for +4 hps already (together with the first level bonus feat) or even +6, if you are human. Improved Toughness is available at 6th level first for a standard Psion.

But Improved Toughness is a fighter bonus feat... Toughness is not... Hmm...

Bye
Thanee

 

[green slime]

5th level Psychokineticist (28 point buy) might look like this:

Str: 8
Dex: 10
Con: 14
Int: 19 (18 + 1 level)
Wis: 10
Cha: 10

Feats:
Psionic Meditation (1st)
Overchannel (human)
Psycrystal Affinity (bonus)
Talented (3rd)
Maximize Power(5th)

Skill:
Autohypnosis:
Concentration: MAX
Disable Device:
Intimidate:
Knowledge (dwarftossing):
Psicraft:

Power Points:25+10

Powers:
Control Object (1st)
Detect Psionics (1st)
Empty Mind (1st)
Energy Ray (1st)
Vigor (1st)
Control Air (2nd)
Ego Whip (2nd)
Energy Adaptation, Specified (2nd)
Energy Missile (2nd)
Dispel Psionics (3rd)
Energy Cone (3rd)

 

[uzagi_akimbo]

Yeah, depends on how many psionic feats you plan to pick up. But you can take it at first level for +4 hps already (together with the first level bonus feat) or even +6, if you are human. Improved Toughness is available at 6th level first for a standard Psion.

But Improved Toughness is a fighter bonus feat... Toughness is not... Hmm...

Bye
Thanee

First off, Improved Toughness is a general feat that _may_ be taken as a fighter Bonus Feat. And no-one ever picks up Toughness around here anyhow. We actually replaced it campaign-wide with improved toughness, monsters and all. Noone has complained since

Generally , Psionic Body forces/encourages you to take Psionic feats, of which, overall, there aren't all that many great ones you would like to have before other, more useful, general feats, so, IMHO, it becomes a dead-end choice very quickly in comparison to Improved Toughness.

 

[Big Jake]

Improved Toughness is good, but like Thanee said, a Psion can't take it until 6th level. Psionic body is available up front.

Psionic Body is a good way to "front load" hp. If a human psion were to take Psionic Body and two other psionic feats (Psicrystal Affinity and Narrow Mind, for example), even with a 10 Con, he starts out with 10 hp.

Plus, while Improved Toughness does provide a hp with each level, for +20 hp at 20th level, it doesn't enhance any other concept of the psion.

If you select ONLY psionic feats (which is possible, see below), at 20th level, a human psion has 13 feats for +26 hp, plus the added psionic benifits of each feat. For non-humans, they still get 12 feats, for a possible +24 hp.

So, Improved Toughness is definately a better feat when looked at one-for-one, but Psionic Body could out-class it in certain situations.

As for what psionic feats to take, make a list of which ones you really want. If none of them require you to expend your psionic focus, then you won't really need Narrow Mind or Psionic Meditation.

You could instead focus on Expanded Knowledge to take some powers not normally available, then add Boost Construct or Metamorphic Transfer (although that would be at a higher level).

If you do plan on using feats that require you to expend your psionic focus (like Power Penetration or Psionic Endowment), then it's even easier to fill out 13 psionic feats.

Here's an example list:
1st level: Psionic Body, Psicrstal Affinity, Psionic Talent (+2 pp)
3rd level: Psionic Talent (+3 pp)
5th level: Power Penetration
6th level: Psionic Meditation
9th level: Expanded Knowledge (bonus 4th level power: Schism)
10th level: Psionic Talent (+4 pp)
12th level: Psionic Endowment
15th level: Greater Psionic Endowment, Expanded Knowledge (bonus 7th level power: Fate of One)
18th level: Psionic Talent (+5 pp)
20th level: Psionic Talent (+6 pp)

Using these (with the notable absence of Combat Manifestation and Narrow Mind), you'd need to make sure you keep your Concentration skills maxed out, and you end up with +26 hp, +20 power points, the ability to manifest two powers a round, and (with Fate of One... you'll be glad you have it if you really need it) a free re-roll here and there.

 

[green slime]

I never understood the need to reign in Psionic Talent. The 3.0 version "Inner Strength" was errated to 1 +2pp per previous feat. Which makes more sense to me. even after 5 feats spent, (2+3+4+5+6) = 20 power points. Not much considering the major investment.

(1+3+5+7+9) = 25 power points is more "logical" in that it fits better with the "Extra Slot" feat from Tome and Blood.