Is this a gamebreaker?

[Testament]

OK, here's a very simple example: If a 10th-level Psion with 20 Int (113 PP) wants to do lots of 10d6 damage blasts, he can throw out 11 of them and be left with enough PP to cast 1 additional level 2 power. A 10th-level Sorcerer with 20 Charisma can shoot off 7 3rd-level 10d6 damage spells and 4 4th-level 10d6 damage spells, leaving herself with 2 4th-level spells, all 4 of her 5th-level spells, all 7 2nd-level spells, all 8 1st-level spells, and the 6 cantrips.

And let's not forget sweet sweet metamagic. The Sorceror should have picked up a Lesser Rod of Empower by this point, and should also have learned some other Meta feats. You wanna see scary? Watch Empowered Maxmised Scorching Rays go off.

A Psion can't keep up with that without overchanneling, blowing multiple focuses (which takes two feats, plus another if they want to quickly regain it), and burning the metacap again and again. Plus, a Kineticist is woefully limited in what they can do. Buff someone who isn't them? Never. Fly? Nup. Teleport? Not until the 8th level or so powers are flying. Dispel? Nullify Psionics is front loaded in a big way, it falls WAY behind after a few levels. Plus, Psions can't unlearn powers like a Sorc.

Psions are amazingly good in their specialty. Go outside it and the options vanish.

 

[Eldragon]

While buff time is important for all spellcasters, it is probably least important for the Fighter-mage. Why? Invisibility. The good old 2nd level standby. When the enemy has the drop on the party so badly that the fighter-mage is utterly useless, he can simply go Invisible, walk 60 ft. away from combat, and start buffing.

Of course, the fighter-mage can't buff too long, or the battle will be over by the time he is ready. But 3 rounds is all a Fighter-Mage would need to get back into the fray. Walk away from combat, polymorph into a Treant, cast stoneskin, then re-enter the battle with Glitterdust or Slow.

 

[Fieari]

My players are exceptionally good at finding places to rest and hide, and they're quite good at setting watches and not disturbing the spellcasters' rest. Unless I throw MAJOR encounters at them EVERY NIGHT, something I can't justify, my players would be able to stomp through everything if they had psionics. Being able to blow all your power in a single round is far too useful a skill in the games I run.

Not that my players are allowed to have psionics. All the psionisists in my campaign world belong to a cult bent on the distruction of the world... but that's besides the point.

As for gamebreaking... a well constructed level 9 HH build could probably still manage a thousand or so d6 in damage. The REAL game breakers... the ones so nasty that they were banned from last december's WotC character optimization contest, known as "The Wish and the Word" aren't available at level 9, so no comparison there. (The Wish requires Gate, and The Word requires a thought bottle, which I think is too pricy for a level 9 character. I'm still waiting for errata on Complete Arcane that reads: "Thought Bottle no longer exists")

 

[Lord Pendragon]

While buff time is important for all spellcasters, it is probably least important for the Fighter-mage. Why? Invisibility. The good old 2nd level standby. When the enemy has the drop on the party so badly that the fighter-mage is utterly useless, he can simply go Invisible, walk 60 ft. away from combat, and start buffing.

Of course, the fighter-mage can't buff too long, or the battle will be over by the time he is ready. But 3 rounds is all a Fighter-Mage would need to get back into the fray.

You think that if the enemy has the drop on the party so badly that the fighter-mage is utterly useless, they have three rounds for him to bring up his defenses?!

 

[Liquidsabre]

It is interesting to see this build though. Previously I hadn't really considered fighter-mages all that viable, instead I always viewed them as rather fragile and not very useful to the party, individual Fighter and Wizard characters pulling their weight signifcantly better.

 

[Eldragon]

You think that if the enemy has the drop on the party so badly that the fighter-mage is utterly useless, they have three rounds for him to bring up his defenses?!

If the party is unable to survive 3 rounds of combat 1 man short, its going to be a TPK anyway. It does not take much of an ambush to render the fighter-mage useless... Basically any time he has not had 3 rounds to buff himself up. The rest of the party can hold their own for a bit.

Fighter-mages are all about increasing martial prowess as the sacrifice of endurance. A fighter is ready for battle at all times, a Fighter-mage is ready for battle only on his terms. However, when a fighter-mage has time to get ready before running into battle, look out.

 

[Hypersmurf]

I'm still waiting for errata on Complete Arcane that reads: "Thought Bottle no longer exists"

Is that from spending 500XP to store your XP total, blowing 10k XP on crafting or Wish spells or Permanencies, then restoring your total?

Or has it been ruled that Thought Bottle can only restore you if you actually lose a level? (Which wouldn't actually stop you... given a supply of 5000gp diamonds, you could kill yourself, have your Cleric cohort Raise you, lose a level, spend some more XP, then Restore with the bottle...)

I've seen a reference to 'Thought Bottle abuse', but I'm not sure what people have come up with...

-Hyp.

 

[Shin Okada]

3 rounds of buffing? Unheard of in my campaigns. My PCs tend to have 10+ encounters (not including traps) per day in dungeon. And most combats do not last for more than 3 rounds.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

If the party is unable to survive 3 rounds of combat 1 man short, its going to be a TPK anyway.

Not necessarily a TPK, but very possibly lethal for one or more PCs. It's not other PC's roles to stick it out one man short while the fighter-mage spends 3 rounds buffing, any more than it's the party's role to stick it out one man short while the cleric spends 3 rounds buffing, or the druid, etc. The fighter-mage could spend those 3 rounds actually helping keep his party alive.

It does not take much of an ambush to render the fighter-mage useless...

I disagree. A fighter-mage isn't at his peak without buffing, but he's certainly not useless.

Basically any time he has not had 3 rounds to buff himself up. The rest of the party can hold their own for a bit.

If the fighter-mage needs 3 rounds to be willing to fight in any combat, it's time to pick up a real party member.

Fighter-mages are all about increasing martial prowess as the sacrifice of endurance. A fighter is ready for battle at all times, a Fighter-mage is ready for battle only on his terms. However, when a fighter-mage has time to get ready before running into battle, look out.

I disagree. Having played a fighter-mage for over a year, my experience has been that a fighter-mage is all about versatility. If the fighter needs front-line backup, the fighter-mage can be there. If the party faces an enemy that's more vulnerable to magical attack, the fighter-mage can back up the wizard. The fighter-mage can also handle some or all of his own buffing needs.

But a fighter-mage who plans to try and outfight the fighter by spending three rounds every combat getting ready isn't anything but a liability.

 

[kenobi65]

3 rounds of buffing? Unheard of in my campaigns. My PCs tend to have 10+ encounters (not including traps) per day in dungeon. And most combats do not last for more than 3 rounds.

Yikes! Sounds like the most-heard quote in your game must be "Elf is about to die!" (
"Gauntlet" reference, for you younguns...)