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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Spatula" data-source="post: 2980876" data-attributes="member: 2198">Psions are more akin to sorcerers than wizards.  Their capabilities largely depend on their primary discipline (each discipline has a list of powers that only the specialists can access, although such powers can be learned by others through feats).  A kineticist has access to all of the energy powers (the psionic equivalents of fireball, etc.) which is what the debates generally center around.Contentious issue #1: Psions can effectively use their highest-level powers more times per day than a sorcerer or wizard, at the expense of being able to do much of anything afterwards.  This can make them more effective than arcane casters if they are allowed to 'blow their wad' and then retreat to rest and regain their power points.Contentious issue #2: The psionic energy powers all come with Energy Substitution built-in at no extra cost.  A psion with the energy ball power can choose when he uses it to have it deal fire, cold, electricity, or sonic damage.  Additionally, each energy type has different side effects (fire & cold get +1 damage per die, cold uses a fort save instead of reflex and thus negates evasion, electricity increases the save DC, sonic does less damage but has obvious advantanges vs objects or most planar creatures).Contentious issue #3: Many powers (including all of the aforemented energy ones) come with Heighten Spell built-in as well.  As you spend more power points, not only do you increase the strength of the power (more damage, duration, etc.), but the DC goes up as well.Contentious issue #4: Some of the powers in the XPH are hotly debated as to whether or not they're overpowered.  Energy missile foremost among them.Contentious issue #5: While they are close in nature to sorcerers, psions can make use of the psionic version of Quicken Spell (whereas sorcerers cannot).Aside from that, there are some notable differences between psions and arcane casters.  Psionic powers are very selfish, in that they are good for enhancing the psion but not very useful to the rest of the party.  There's a lot of powers that are the rough equivalent of spells with range Touch, except that the psionic versions are range Personal.  Psions don't use material components, and so powers that would normally require them instead have an XP cost.  Also, because of the psionic focus mechanic, a high-level psion can't stack different metamagic effects onto a single power (however, since many powers have built-in metamagic effects, this isn't a huge blow).</blockquote>

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