Help with an Ardent build

[Draz]

I posted this at my usual stomping ground over at GitP ... and found that it wasn't a popular topic of conversation. (Nobody has replied with 5 days and a bump to help the thread out.) Maybe here will be more condusive?

OK, I'm doing another theoretical build character, and I wanted to make sure I'm not missing anything obviously awesome for him to take. Particularly since I don't have Complete Psionic.

Class: Ardent

Rules: 28-point buy; no multiclassing or PrCs; can use setting-neutral 3.5 splatbooks, except for BoED or UA, but no web content (e.g. Mind's Eye); should be viable at every level, 1-20.

Character Concept: This guy is supposed to be a lot like the classic Cleric -- a strong (but not "Zilla" strong) backup melee warrior, buffer/support caster, and healer, with heavy armor and sword-n-board. He should also be a decent utility caster, focusing on divination powers and travel powers.

An Ardent healer is actually pretty tough to make effectively. The Life Mantle is supposed to make it easy, but its Mantle Power sucks, and its low-level healing power, Touch of Health, sucks too (or so I've heard; again, I don't actually have CPsi). At Level 11, the Mend Wounds power apparently makes things a lot more viable; but that's pretty far into the game.

I figured I'd rely a fair amount on Healing Belts and Wands of Lesser Vigor, not to mention the party Factotum's Opportunistic Piety, but none of that helps at Level 1. So the solution I came up with is to be an Azurin and use my bonus racial feat for Shape Soulmeld (Lifebond Vestment). Then, with the Vigor Power, I can damage my own Temporary HP to heal others 5 HP/hour (which is not too bad at Levels 1-2). I know this probably isn't the most efficient strategy, but is there any reason it's not feasible at all?

Beyond that, here's the build I've drafted.

Race: Azurin
Starting abilities: STR 12, DEX 10, CON 14, INT 10, WIS 16, CHA 12
Skills: Concentration maxed; UPD almost-maxed; Autohypnosis 1 rank; Profession (philosopher) 1 rank

Mantles
L1: Physical Power, Freedom
L2: Magic
L5: Fate*
L10: Mental Power
L15: The Planes

*At Level 15, this replaces Physical Power as a primary mantle.

Feats
L1: Shape Soulmeld (Lifebond Vestment), Linked Power
L3: Expanded Knowledge
L6: Psionic Meditation
L9: Tap Mantle (Life)
L12: Expanded Knowledge
L15: Martial Study (Insightful Strike)
L18: Expanded Knowledge

Powers
L1: Dimension Hop, Vigor
L2: Adrenaline Boost
L3: Animal Affinity, (EK)Prevenom Weapon
L4: Metaphysical Weapon
L5: Clairvoyant Sense
L6: Hustle
L7: Psionic Fly
L8: Defensive Precognition
L9: Psionic Teleport
L10: Stygian Ward
L11: Mend Wounds
L12: Dispel Psionics, (EK)Schism
L13: Psionic Freedom of Movement
L14: Offensive Precognition
L15: Psionic Plane Shift
L16: Hypercognition
L17: Psionic Restoration
L18: Psionic Dimensional Anchor, (EK)Planar Embrace
L19: Power Resistance
L20: Greater Precognition

Anything here seem like a particularly great or bad choice?

This guy is supposed to buff himself a lot, but does he need it too much? He knows 14 combat "buffs," and all but 3 of them (Metaphysical Weapon, Stygian Ward, and Power Resistance) are self-only. Hopefully he'll be able to buff himself a lot without missing too many rounds of attacking, though, by using Linked Power and later Schism.

Any easy way to improve his melee damage a lot? I tried including Prevenom Weapon and Martial Study (insightful strike) for this reason, but it still seems like he'll spend a lot of rounds doing a mere 5-10 damage at mid-levels or 10-20 damage even at high levels. Hopefully he can afford a Corrosive Wounding morningstar fairly early on, or something.

Is Planar Embrace really worth it for my final Expanded Knowledge-accessed power? I don't know how good it really is, or how long its duration is, or whether it would actually give me some raise dead-type ability (through the Resurrection SLA). So I've also been thinking of Reddopsi, or a few other ideas, in place of this.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[moritheil]

Welcome! I'm not really familiar with psionic healers outside of egoists, but . . . where's your dispelling buffer? For a character that depends on self-buffs, that power is essential.

 

[Draz]

It sure is a nice power. But the only way I can get it as an Ardent is if *it* is the object of my Level 18 Expanded Knowledge.

Other than EK, Ardents can only get powers on their Mantle lists. I don't think any Mantle includes Dispelling Buffer. (Actually, I'm pretty sure.)

Is Dispelling Buffer worth taking instead of Planar Embrace or Reddopsi?

(Mind Blank would be high on the list of considerations, too, but I can't take it unless I have a 9th-level power. And there aren't very many 9th-level powers, especially good ones, on my Mantles Lists. Although I guess I could go for Metafaculty.)

If you need to know what powers are available through mantles, they're listed http://realmshelps.dandello.net/cgi-bin/mantleform.pl. You'll have to click on the individual mantles yourself, though.

Edit: Thanks for responding in any case, Moritheil!

 

[bigbaddragon]

Since you don't have any particularly good healing powers perhaps a good thing would be to get Damp Power (Guardian Mantle). Its an immediate action to use and it minimizes the effects of spells, spell like abilities, powers and psi like abilities that strike you. For example if a wizard strikes you with 22d6 damage disintegrate you would suffer minimum damage i.e. 22. This can also be augmented to affect your allies (within 20 ft from you IIRC) as well. The problem is that it also minimizes beneficial effects and it lasts for one round.