Originally posted by Taren Seeker
A Living Campaign (run through the RPGA) is an International level campaign where all players go by a codified set of rules, so arguing ain't gonna help me much 
I know, but it seemed strange when you said PsiHB was included... didn't think that was allowed under the normal Living City rules. So, I figured it was more that your DM was using the LC rules as a baseline and adding psionics. It's been a while since I was involved in any of that.
It's going to hurt you in the long run to take a psionic class, then; while everyone else is taking all those really cool PrCs that increase spellcasting, you'll be picking between Slayer and Soulknife... *yawn*. Or, taking a PrC with no psionic abilities.
re: Deep Impact, Psionic Weapon...did you find the PP costs for these feats worth it? Those powers only work for a single attack and are pretty pricy, esp for a psywar who has limited PP's. Did you take the Inner Strength feats?
No, I didn't take Inner Strength; now, THAT is a waste of a Feat. Deep Impact isn't the sort of thing you use on a normal attack or an AoO; it's just too expensive for that. But, there are times when you absolutely, positively need to hit that bad guy NOW. It's especially nice against Dragons. Deep Impact, charge up the Psionic Weapon, Power Attack for everything you can, and give 'em one really good whack.
For most classes this would still be a problem, but Psywars get enough bonus Feats to spend two for those limited occasions. It's great watching the Fighter types go "oh great, what do I do now?" while you still have options.
Speed of Thought/Psionic Charge is another one of those fun combos, but you might not use it very often.
Psionic Weapon's 1pp per use adds up fast, so I won't use it on normal attacks, but if there's an enemy I need to drop FAST it really helps. Definitely not a low-level Feat, though.
Mind Feeder weapons help make up for the draw in pp, but then you have to make sure you have a good crit range, which means Keen and/or Improved Critical... it gets complicated.
Stand Still is very cool though, especially with a reach weapon.
It is. You still have problems with Tumble, Spring Attack, ranged attacks, etc., but sometimes it works wonders. A horde of bad guys charge at us, I stand in front of the casters, and next thing you know half a dozen bad guys are frozen in place in front of me. One Chain Lightning later...
Even in non-ideal circumstances, it's good; the saving throw is really hard to make, and losing their movement action often leaves them with no options.
I was considering a 1 Monk/x Psywar using Inertial Armor, the Up the Walls Chain along with Claws of the Bear followed by Claws of the Vampire. Vampire combined with a high Str and Biofeedback seems pretty powerful.
Is it worth it to go Monk first? Also, Up the Walls is very cool but i'm worried that by that point PC's will be flying and the ability to walk on walls will be passe. Spider Climb kinda makes me irrelevant as well.
In my experience, the Monk/Psywar thing isn't worth it unless you DO allow the Mind's Eye stuff. First, for the Metaphysical Body line of powers, then the Run on Air feat, then for the PrCs (Diamond Warrior and Mindknight). Here's why.
Character A: WIS 16, Monk 1/Psywar 12 with Inertial Armor, attacks using his claw powers (let's say 1d12 per)
Character B: Psywar 13, wearing a +4 chain shirt and using a +3 greatsword (2d6+3, plus 1.5*STR bonus, at a +3 attack bonus)
Character C: Psywar 13, wearing a +6 equivalent (let's say +4 with +2 in other stuff) chain shirt and using the claw powers to attack.
All have the same AC. After all, Psionics doesn't have any drawback to casting in armor, so it's cheaper to just buy a chain shirt than it is to get Inertial Armor. Besides, WIS bonus isn't that great for a Psywar, they don't get many good WIS powers beyond rank 2 (when they get the extraordinarily good Vigilance)
A spent a extra Feat (thanks to Inertial Armor), and B and C will get the next bonus Feat one level sooner. The costs of the items are typical for that level. In fact, you'd be more likely to see the Monk/Psywar invest in Bracers of Armor than Inertial Armor. Save the Feat, spend the cash.
A, on the other hand, has Evasion.
A and C have a hard time getting through Damage Reduction, and their attack bonus is lower.
In my opinion, the claw powers act as a nice secondary attack, but nothing more. It's about never being unarmed. Personally, I prefer Call Weaponry for those situations, but Claws of the Vampire has a certain appeal too.
Now, if you then want to use all those Duodimensional Hand-type powers, they get better. But if you want to do unarmed combat you really NEED the Metaphysical Body powers, just for the enhancement bonus.
Biofeedback is good, but consider replacing it with the post-errata Vigor and waiting for Improved Biofeedback (3). One thing that really started annoying me was how many short-duration powers I just HAD to cast each combat. Combat Prescience, Displacement, Inertial Barrier, Vigor, Improved Biofeedback... anything that substantially extends the durations really helps, because otherwise you'll never get all of them up before combat starts.
Just my opinions, of course, but if you want to be a Psywar, go straight-class. Don't bother mixing with a Monk. (Barbarian, on the other hand, might be a better one-level mix.)
