How to Solve the Fighter/Psion...suggestions welcome!

[Ridley's Cohort]

As a DM, I understand the dislike of running multiple encounters. It can be time consuming and turns the game session into a dice fest. The solution is tactics and strategy.

If you are running 3-5 encounters per day, the majority of them are going to be EL equivalent to party level. PCs tend to walk all over such opposition.

Nonetheless, these relatively easy encounters keep Wizards, Psions, and Psychic Warriors honest because you never really know how tough the enemy is until the first round is over. That complicates the calculus of how much to buff up immensely, and puts the talents of Fighters and the like more in the spotlight.

That does not make for a dice fest in my book, but different strokes for different folks. I do understand where you are coming from. Many DMs like to lean towards lots of roleplaying, and resort to battles at dramatic plot points.

Good points about illusions, kigmatzomat.

 

[kigmatzomat]

Ridley I am a combat-friendly DM. I don't run them every session (player choice) but when I hit the combat phase of a story line it tends to be intensive, pervasive, and persistent. I'm completely comfortable running combats and have figured out things that work in my group that lets it be fairly speedy.

However I have been in other DMs' games who are.....less adept at managing combat. Practice may make perfect, but a DM who knows they have a weakness in combats isn't inclined to run a lot of extra combats. (Not suggesting that's the case with Mishima, speaking generally here) Telling that DM "run more combats to defeat a rules combo" isn't going to give them a warm fuzzy.

The non-combat encounters I mentioned were originally flavor text or as part of normal "sneaky bugger" tactics that had greater impact than I had expected. They don't require much to prepare but do great things for setting mood, creating tension (a wizard who's last buff is about to expire is tense.), and showing the limits of several classes. And, they don't require a lot of die rolling.

 

[RigaMortus2]

I cringe a bit when someone's reflexive answer is golems, though Arabesu does have a point. Personally, before resorting to that, I'd just have someone hit the Elan with a couple of (or one Sudden Maximized) enervations during the first fight of the day, and timing the remaining encounters so that the Elan gets to suffer through the other fights that day.

I should point out that the Elan was said to have a high AC for its level, so you might not want to full power attack . . .

You mean the Player gets to suffer through them, right? What you propose here seems like you are setting out to purposely screw the player. I don't think the intention of D&D is supposed to be "the DM vs Players".

I understand the OP is asking for advice to deal with the Psion, but I think there are other ways to do that then totally making him useless in combat for an entire day. I played an Elan Psion (Telepath) up to level 11, and I can tell you my biggest weakness was multiple encounters in one day. At least this way, you give the player the option to either blow through their PP in one fight, or to use it sparingly in the even that you may run into multiple encounters.