How to make a Psionic Archer

[Jeph]

The point of posting this was not to create a thread where people would repetitively say that the classes focused on killing things are good at killing things. Thank you.

The beauty of the psion-archer is quite simple: If the mood befits you, just slam up your enemies with True Concussion, Detonation, and Fireafall today. If you feel like taking down a dragon from 1000 feet, use your bow. If you really want, stop time and set a teleport trigger on an enemy to shoot them strait to the center of the earth then wait for time to boot up again.

This guy is just a normal psion, being a truly badass archer is just a side benefit.

Okay, so maybe it's the other way 'round.

And in my oppinion, the psion archer should under no conditions take levels of a warrior class, because

a) they don't need armor, it just limits their dex,
b) it makes it take longer to get Temporal Velocity and Acceleration, and
c) it means they have less power points which means they can't use Fell shot as often.

 

[Mistwell]

IIRC Golden Haired Halfling, from KOK Player's Guide, has Psion as their favored class. However, their stat adjustments are +2 Int, +2 Wis, and -2 Str, and they do not get a bonus to thrown weapons (I think).

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

The beauty of the psion-archer is quite simple: If the mood befits you, just slam up your enemies with True Concussion, Detonation, and Fireafall today.

If you use ITCK, this is quite possible. Without it, no normal Nomad has the ability to manifest True Concussion or Detonation, since they won't have a Con of 19.

If you feel like taking down a dragon from 1000 feet, use your bow.

Yup. Make sure you get a Haste spell, so you can outfly the dragon.

If you really want, stop time and set a teleport trigger on an enemy to shoot them strait to the center of the earth then wait for time to boot up again.

Not possible. IMC I allow Teleport Other as a 7th-level power (it's effectively save-or-die; Dimensional Anchor instead of Death Ward is the appropriate defense). You can't use Teleport Trigger on someone else.

 

[Jeph]

Not possible. IMC I allow Teleport Other as a 7th-level power (it's effectively save-or-die; Dimensional Anchor instead of Death Ward is the appropriate defense). You can't use Teleport Trigger on someone else.

Works the same then. Especially since you can cast 6 or 7 Telepor Others durring the stopped time period, forcing them to make 6 or 7 saves. Heh heh heh.

And corlon said that Temporal Velocity was underpowered today. Boy was that foolish.

6 or 7 saves. heh.

heh heh.

 

[Bloodstone]

-18 actually 10 increaments -2 per increment past the first.

my bad...thanks for catching that.

I don't think the acid, fire, ... stacks for bows and arrows so free up some space on the bow and get Mind feeder.

This has actually never come up in one of our games... Do Flaming Bow + Flaming arrow (and similar combinations) stack? I wouldn't think so, but normal enhancement bonuses from projectile weapons and their ammo do....

I know that you cannot have Flaming Burst and Flaming on the same projectile wepon, but I have no clue if there is a rule about stacking arrows and bow's like that...Anyone know for sure how that would work?

Also, isn't Mindfeeder a melee weapon only psionic enhancement?

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

In our "Powergamer" FR Campaign we have an Elven Wizard (actually Cleric1/Wizardx/SpellfireWielder3) who is quite dangerous with his Bow. (His first level was Cleric for getting the Elf and Luck Domain)
Using Cat's Grace, Haste, True Strike, Greater Magic Weapon, Rapid Shot and a Holy Bow, he can become the Bane of many targets. Sometimes he even uses Tenser's Transformation, and spells like Endurance or False Life are used to get his HP up. (And I won't speak about his Armor Class...)
(Don't forget: This wizard can still cast powerful and deadly spells and even throw spellfire, if neccessary. Having the Cleric Spell List for Wands isn`t useless, either.)

I think you can do the same - or even better - with a Psionic Archer.

Mustrum Ridcully

 

[Henry]

Has anybody thought of this yet? The idea of a psion-archer, like a cleric-archer? Here's how to make one. Keep in mind, the most important selection is of the correct feat: You NEED Fell Shot. (SNIP)

Jeph, it's scary. You just described a psionic archer I managed to get to 8th level in a recent campaign.

The reason I did not take fell shot, however, was that it seemed to cost too many power points per shot.

That character was fun, because in one session we found a cache of "dead" ioun stones. Just before major combat, I activated them all and had them spinning. As I shot, I drew on them for power for my psionic shots. The image of an archer who just kept shooting as a little "pigpen-like" dust cloud formed around me was very funny to the group. I'm just glad they didn't start calling the character "pigpen."

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

This has actually never come up in one of our games... Do Flaming Bow + Flaming arrow (and similar combinations) stack? I wouldn't think so, but normal enhancement bonuses from projectile weapons and their ammo do....

Acfcording to Sean K Reynolds, they do stack. I don't allow them to do so in my campaign; they're so popular. If everyone takes them, maybe they're just a bit too powerful.

SKR also designed a cool "TriArc" weapon (3 damage, 1 from each of 3 different elemental types).

I know that you cannot have Flaming Burst and Flaming on the same projectile wepon, but I have no clue if there is a rule about stacking arrows and bow's like that...Anyone know for sure how that would work?

Flaming Burst is an "upgrade" to Flaming, just like Vorpal is an upgrade to Keen. In a way, you already have Flaming

They do stack, according to Sean K Reynolds. I believe the Sage said the same thing, but I can't recall the email perfectly.

Also, isn't Mindfeeder a melee weapon only psionic enhancement?

Yup. How often would a nomad crit, anyway?

 

[Arnix]

Actually, a Nomad could crit quite frequently. Scimitar (or the like), keen, mindfeeder, and improved crit if high enough level (16th I believe). That give you a 12+ crit range. With a touch attack you will crit about 45% of the time. Mindfeeder will allow you to maintaint he PP needed to use your touch attack feat since you will crit about better than 1 out of 3 attacks (barring bad dice rolls). Assuming that you have modified damage you will get those 15 points back on the crit.


See Sultan's of Smack thread for more on this.

 

[Adokas Loreweaver]

Now with 3.5...

Since they upgraded to 3.5 with The expanded psionic handbook, how would you change this character feat and power wise? A lot of these powers are gone, like finger of flame and temporal velocity (although my group kept that one for fun), as well as the fact that their are no longer lvl 0 psionic powers.