Please Critique My Psionic Feats

[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.