New PH3 Class....The Psion!

[Cadfan]

Anyone have an idea on how multiclassing or hybrid classing could work with a Psion (or anyone using power points?) Would they just trade out an At-Will, or maybe lose a number of power points? Both? What about multiclassing in?

I don't know how it WILL be done, but I know how it COULD be done.

A power augmented to its maximum is apparently the equivalent of an encounter power. Trade out one of your encounter powers, and gain the ability to use an augmentable power of equal or lower level once per encounter at its maximum augmentation.

 

[Sir Brennen]

SO , you think martial classes needed a mana bar that refresshed per encounter, call it rage or energy. Wow.

Actually, one of the MMORPG's I play has such a mechanic, though it's a bit reversed from a PP system. It's called Adrenaline, and the more times you hit and are hit, Adrenaline goes up to fuel the really big attack powers/skills. Something similar could be worked out for 4E (like the Iron Heroes Token system). So it'd work backwards from a PP system, with the pool of points increasing throughout the encounter rather than subtracting from a static starting number. It's also add to the different feel of martial characters. So, it's not an impossible idea.

Or, we could assume that's exactly what's going on already with martial encounter/daily powers, and why they aren't repeatable in a given encounter.

 

[coyote6]

Actually, one of the MMORPG's I play has such a mechanic, though it's a bit reversed from a PP system. It's called Adrenaline, and the more times you hit and are hit, Adrenaline goes up to fuel the really big attack powers/skills. Something similar could be worked out for 4E (like the Iron Heroes Token system).

That's more-or-less the WoW warrior's Rage mechanic, in a nutshell. IIRC, Iron Heroes had a class or two that used a similar mechanic -- they gained tokens by being beat on.

Of course, IIRC, most of IH's "martial" classes used the basic "start at zero and build up" mechanic, though the methods used to build tokens varied from class to class.

 

[gribble]

Anyone have an idea on how multiclassing or hybrid classing could work with a Psion (or anyone using power points?) Would they just trade out an At-Will, or maybe lose a number of power points? Both? What about multiclassing in?

I posted my thoughts upthread...

 

[gribble]

Is this a playtest version of the class, or is it set in stone? If it's a playtest version, maybe you can e-mail them and then can correct it by crippling Mind Thrust.

Quoting from this month's Ampersand article:

This debut content, taken from Player's Handbook 3 (release date: March 2010), is fully designed, developed, and edited. It's ready for publication

So no, there isn't a chance to provide feedback and get it "crippled". I agree with the person who said upthread that this is the kind of thing that really *should* be playtested. We've already seen changes resulting from playtest feedback on more standard classes, which goes to prove that WotC's designers, developers and internal playtesters don't know it all. It's a shame they haven't learned their lesson...

 

[Destil]

Yeah, the unaugmented epic level at wills look pretty pathetic, too, as was said upthread. So far it looks like psionic classes are the only ones who really run the risk of running out of juice after 21st, and that's a shame. Why can't the 23rd/27th level at wills do 2 dice of damage when not augmented? Feels like once you've burnt out your power points you just can't do much.

Likewise a lot of the augments are conditionally better only when your ability score is low/high... a lot of these don't look all that good at every level, and sadly some of the low level ones look better than some of the high level ones at high level...

 

[Shroomy]

Quoting from this month's Ampersand article:

So no, there isn't a chance to provide feedback and get it "crippled". I agree with the person who said upthread that this is the kind of thing that really *should* be playtested. We've already seen changes resulting from playtest feedback on more standard classes, which goes to prove that WotC's designers, developers and internal playtesters don't know it all. It's a shame they haven't learned their lesson...

Its not like they haven't made changes to existing material...

 

[Hawke]

Its not like they haven't made changes to existing material...

I think this will be an interesting errata test... being the class that is furthest away from initial rules I think it is entirely reasonable it'll need more tweak once it's really tested out. Makes me wonder when the first 4E Psion saw play and how many hours have been since then.

I don't want to speculate that it is in fact worse, as several mechanics I've seen in some playtest articles have an initial "omg, that wont work!" but in play it turns out a good deal of playtesting validated that power/feature/etc... just curious as I think this is the biggest test so far.

And still waiting to see if other psionic classes will not have encounters.

 

[Zexsudel]

I know it was mentioned a few pages back but I think there is one flaw in the abilities scores used.
Kalashtar from EPG don't get a INT bonus, and if there is a race that screams psion it is them. As it is they are "ok" from a min/max point. Of course I will recongize this is a min/max issue.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Kalashtar from EPG don't get a INT bonus, and if there is a race that screams psion it is them. As it is they are "ok" from a min/max point. Of course I will recongize this is a min/max issue.

I had that same thought initially, but then it occurred to me... We don't know what the other psionic classes are going to look like. If (just for instance) the psionic leader turns out to be more in line with the kalashtar, that'd be just fine. I think they need to be "aimed" at a psionic class of some sort, but it doesn't necessarily need to be the psion itself.