Please Critique My Psionic Feats

[Angel Tarragon]

Psispell [Metamagic, Psionic]
You are able to cast memorized spells without losing them.
Prerequisite: Must be able to cast prepared arcane or divine spells, access to 1st level Psionic powers.
Benefit: You are able to expend a number of psionic power points equal to the level of the spell you are casting to retain it for future use.

Psionic Sustenance [Psionic]
You provide your body nourishment by sacrificing power points.
Prerequisite: Mind Over Body, Psionic Body
Benefit: By sacrificing one power point per class level you have, you do not need to eat or drink for one full day.

Telepathic Communication [Psionic]
You are able to communicate between minds.
Prerequisite: Power point reserve
Benefit: You are able to communicate verbally, without the need to speak, to anything with a brain and an intelligence of 3 or greater.
Special: This does not allow the being receiving your words to understand what you are saying or communicate telepathically back to you. In order to understand what you are saying the creature(s) must be able to communicate in the language you are speaking in. In order for any creature to communicate telepathically it must have this feat.

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What do you think?

 

[SteelDraco]

Psispell [Metamagic, Psionic]
You are able to cast memorized spells without losing them.
Prerequisite: Must be able to cast prepared arcane or divine spells, access to 1st level Psionic powers.
Benefit: You are able to expend a number of psionic power points equal to the level of the spell you are casting to retain it for future use.

This is Cerebremancer territory, melding normal spellcasting with psionic manifestation. I certainly wouldn't allow it as written, and probably not with normal power point progression (a 1st level power costs 1, a 2nd 3 pp, and so on, as in the XPH). I'm doubtful about anything less than power cost progression + 6, and even then, it seems better as a PrC ability than a feat.

Psionic Sustenance [Psionic]
You provide your body nourishment by sacrificing power points.
Prerequisite: Mind Over Body, Psionic Body
Benefit: By sacrificing one power point per class level you have, you do not need to eat or drink for one full day.

Why does this get more difficult as you get more experienced? I'd put this at a fixed cost, probably 5 pp. At that point, it's fine - not very powerful, since food and water is a non-issue in most games, but flavorful.

Telepathic Communication [Psionic]
You are able to communicate between minds.
Prerequisite: Power point reserve
Benefit: You are able to communicate verbally, without the need to speak, to anything with a brain and an intelligence of 3 or greater.
Special: This does not allow the being receiving your words to understand what you are saying or communicate telepathically back to you. In order to understand what you are saying the creature(s) must be able to communicate in the language you are speaking in. In order for any creature to communicate telepathically it must have this feat.

*shrugs* I don't really see any problems with this one. It's the psionic power Missive at will, essentially. No power cost, but it's not really any more effective than just being able to talk. Does it take an action of any kind to 'speak' to someone in this way? Can you do anything over this link other than communicate? Is it selective (that is, can you talk to just that guy over there, and not all his friends?) Do people you talk to in this way know where the voice is coming from? How far can you project your thoughts? These are all questions that need answered regarding the feat. I'd probably add the Missive power to the list of prerequisites, but I'm a completist.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Telepathic Communication [Psionic] - Revised
You are able to communicate between minds.
Prerequisite: Any psionic core class, access to Missive
Benefit: This feat only allows you to communicate verbally, without the need to speak, to anything with a brain and an intelligence of 3 or greater. This can be used as a free action and is usable at will. You can 'converse' with a number of creatures equal to your psionic level plus one per point of intelligence bonus.
Special: This does not allow the being receiving your words to understand what you are saying or communicate telepathically back to you. In order to understand what you are saying the creature(s) must be able to communicate in the language you are speaking in. In order for any creature to communicate telepathically it must have this feat. When you 'speak' to any creature(s), they must be aware of your presence and know where you are.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Psispell [Metamagic, Psionic] - Revised
You are able to cast memorized spells without losing them.
Prerequisite: Must be able to cast prepared arcane or divine spells of 2nd level, access to 2nd level Psionic powers.
Benefit: You are able to expend a number of psionic power points equal to the level of the spell you are casting to retain it for future use.

This is going to be a prerequisite for a PrC I am designing that allows the character the progression of the Cerebramanner, but with some ohter Special abilities added. I was going to make it a 15 level PrC, but with the revsion of this feat, I'll have to tone it down to a 12 or 14 level PrC.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Why does this get more difficult as you get more experienced? I'd put this at a fixed cost, probably 5 pp.

A good point. Here is the revision:

Psionic Sustenance [Psionic]
You provide your body nourishment by sacrificing power points.
Prerequisite: Mind Over Body, Psionic Body
Benefit: By sacrificing six power points your body has no need for food or water for one full day.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Thanks for the advice SteelDraco!

 

[Ferret]

I just want to back the above thoughts. Except my feeling is thatthe last power is a tad abusable. Gaged, bound, you can talk. Inventive DMs can over come this e.g. they're bound somewhere foreign or in the middle of nowhere. So I don't know if my gut reaction is right; it's overpowered, or just a novelty.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

I only have one race in my campaign that can use Psionics right now - my Snakefolk of a part of the world that is known of, just geographically isolated from the characters, this feat would not automatically slip into the hands of any character. It is going to be a good three or four hundred campaign years, till psionics are commonly available to PCs. I'm using the Snakefolk only as NPCs.

However, based on what you are saying, I just thought of a new Psionic Power called Brainlock; it effectively shuts off your psionic abilities and prevents incoming or outgoing powers, including telepathy. Probably appropriate as a 9th level power. I'm thinking a duration of 1 day per manifester level.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Thanks for your input Ferret!

 

[Yair]

Psionic Sustenance [Psionic]
You provide your body nourishment by sacrificing power points.
Prerequisite: Mind Over Body, Psionic Body
Benefit: By sacrificing six power points your body has no need for food or water for one full day.

Am I missing something? This is essentially the sustenance power, only at a higher cost. I would just throw away the feat and take Expanded Knowledge (or just pick the power).

Psispell [Metamagic, Psionic] - Revised
You are able to cast memorized spells without losing them.
Prerequisite: Must be able to cast prepared arcane or divine spells of 2nd level, access to 2nd level Psionic powers.
Benefit: You are able to expend a number of psionic power points equal to the level of the spell you are casting to retain it for future use.

I strongly disagree on the price; the price must at the very least match the cost of manifesting an equal-level power. Otherwise, the character gets to effectively cast an X level spell at a "lower cost" then it would cost to manifest a power with the same effect. Even then, it is a powerful ability and I'll be tempted to impose a penalty of 2 or 4 power points. Flexibility must come at some price!

Telepathic Communication [Psionic] - Revised
You are able to communicate between minds.
Prerequisite: Any psionic core class, access to Missive
Benefit: This feat only allows you to communicate verbally, without the need to speak, to anything with a brain and an intelligence of 3 or greater. This can be used as a free action and is usable at will. You can 'converse' with a number of creatures equal to your psionic level plus one per point of intelligence bonus.
Special: This does not allow the being receiving your words to understand what you are saying or communicate telepathically back to you. In order to understand what you are saying the creature(s) must be able to communicate in the language you are speaking in. In order for any creature to communicate telepathically it must have this feat. When you 'speak' to any creature(s), they must be aware of your presence and know where you are.

I see no problem with this feat.

 

[genjitsugaming]

Suggestions

I was going to suggest a power in place of the Psionic Nourishment feat, but the last fellow correctly pointed out that one already exists.

Psispell [Psionic]
Preerequisites: Ability to prepare spells, ability to manifest powers, Psicraft 8 ranks, Spellcraft 8 ranks, psionic focus.
Benefit: Whenever you cast a prepared spell, [if you have the ability to manifest powers using the same key ability score that governs the spell being cast,] you can expend your psionic focus to fuel the spell with power points, so that you do not lose the prepared spell. You must spend at least two power points per level of the spell being manifested, and you cannot spend more points on a spell than your caster level for the spell being cast. The spell takes effect with a caster level equal to the number of power points you spent to cast the spell, but normal caps on maximum effective level do not apply; for instance, if you spend 12 points when casting a fireball, it deals 12d6 damage, even though fireball normally deals a maximum of 10d6 damage.

The section in [braces] is optional, but I like the bit of flavor that it adds, and it implies that the spellcasting and psionic ability need to flow through the same channels inside you for this ability to work.

You may want to consider making this a class ability of a prestige class; it's kind of esoteric and bends the rules more that a lot of feats do.

NF

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Psionic Sustenance [Psionic] - Version 3.0
You provide your body nourishment by sacrificing power points.
Prerequisite: Mind Over Body, Psionic Body, access to the Sustenance power
Benefit: By sacrificing six power points your body has no need for food or water for a number of days equal to your psionic character level.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Psispell [Metamagic, Psionic] - Version 3.0
You are able to cast memorized spells without losing them.
Prerequisite: Ability to prepare spells, ability to manifest powers, Psicraft 8 ranks, Spellcraft 8 ranks
Benefit: You are able to expend a number of psionic power points equal to twice the level of the spell plus two to retain it for future use.

This feat is to be a prerequisite for a PrC I am designing called the Psiorcerer.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

bump.

 

[Yair]

Psionic Sustenance [Psionic] - Version 3.0
You provide your body nourishment by sacrificing power points.
Prerequisite: Mind Over Body, Psionic Body, access to the Sustenance power
Benefit: By sacrificing six power points your body has no need for food or water for a number of days equal to your psionic character level.

This is a costly feat. There is strictly speaking no "psionic character level", but it's pretty clear what you mean. Sustanence is available from level 3 at 3 power points per day, so the feat is cost effective, but I find the mechanics strange. Its weird - you can use the power points on day 1, and then have your full PP allotment on days 2 through 6, which may very well be the days you need them at... Those 6 PP also mean much less at higher levels, where the feat's effect also becomes much stronger by itself...

I would change the cost to 1 PP and have the power work for 1 day. This way you're better off then using the power, but not by much, which is a good way to handle a prerequisite feat for a PrC.

 

[Xaos_Bob]

Nothing like being late to the party, but, as I have a psionic PC in the game I'm currently running, here's my take on psionic sustenance.

Rather than having it cost x number of power points, make it so the character has to have x number of power points in reserve, and never has to eat, as long as this reserve is maintained. Dipping below the required number immediately cancels the benefit, and the character must eat normally until the reserve is replenished.

And personally, since I like the Dark Sun campaign and the Sandstorm environment book, I would shy away from removing the need for water if the power point reserve was used, or require a 'deeper' reserve to cover the need for water as well.

As an aside, if the character is currently suffering from dehydration or starvation (or compulsive hunger, say from a particularly nasty spell) when this power is activated/activates, does it immediately nullify ill effects of said deprivation, or does it restore some of the damage caused incrementally? Might be something to think of, as far as clarification goes.

 

[Nifft]

Power point reserves died with the original PsiHB. Now those feats use Psi Focus insead.

Psi Focus is not appropriate for this.

How about just 1 pp per day? That's what Elan pay.

-- N

 

[Xaos_Bob]

The loss of the power point reserve was something that I disagreed with so much I had entirely forgotten it happened. Thank you for reminding me. I agree that psionic focus would be inappropriate for this feat, but just because they scrapped the reserves for the psi feats in the XPH doesn't mean they have to disappear entirely.

The reserve in this case would indicate (depending on your perspective) psionic 'bleed' or mental entropy being re-harnessed by the psionic character for different use, the subconscious level of tranquility needed to subvert unconscious physical processes or a simple reserve of energy that is self-stable enough for the character to cannibalize in nonmeasurably minute amounts.

However, at second blush, perhaps another interpretation of the feat could require the character not to expend their psionic focus at all in a day when the sustenance applies. If you expend your focus (after initializing it at the day's beginning), you lose the benefits of the feat for that day and have to eat (and drink, if appropriate) as usual. You can then focus at the beginning of the next day and try again.