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Message: <blockquote data-quote="(Psi)SeveredHead" data-source="post: 705885" data-attributes="member: 1165">Alright, and my Mind Insurgency argument imploded as well.I'll try one last time, and then I'll give up <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />Suppose a savant (and his friends) are facing off against a mind flayer and some grimlock thralls.They are within 60 ft., and the savant is standing right behind the fighter (so the mind flayer can't rush him and attack with a tentacle, a very unlikely scenario - but the main reason is to get a cover bonus against ranged attacks made by the grimlocks).The Mindscape is the Plains. The savant gets Initiative. The mind flayer chooses Mind Insurgency. The savant now has to choose... should he take a Plains mode, or maybe boost his Will save with Indomitable Will, or maybe choose Body Tank, since that has the best modifier. So, he chooses ... er ... Body Tank to take the edge off of the soon-to-be-unleashed Mind Blast...To my mind, if a psion always chooses the same mode, then they won't have as much fun, and using the best option is, IMO, using tactics.A 9 point difference isn't insurmountable, so it isn't a guaranteed loss, but a taking a large negative modifier is an unpopular decision to make IME - after all, people are motivated to avoid losing a contest and (often) to avoid risk.Using stat mods is not in itself abusive, but it does open itself to abuse. There was a similar topic at Monte Cook's forum about a feat called (IIRC) Two-Handed Power Strike from one of the Mongoose Publishing books, which let a fighter use double his Strength modifier instead of 1.5 times his Strength modifier when making a full-round attack with a two-handed weapon.There was a huge debate about that, and I didn't play a big part in it. I did say that it didn't look overpowered, but that it could be abused. Someone replied that if something could be abused, then it is broken.</blockquote>

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