Power points for non-psionic pcs?

[candidus_cogitens]

In Eberron, the Kalashtar race gets psionic power points even if they don't take a level in any psionic class. What advantages or uses might this have? If there's anything cool I could do with it, I might just decide to play a Kalashtar.

 

[reiella]

In Eberron, the Kalashtar race gets psionic power points even if they don't take a level in any psionic class. What advantages or uses might this have? If there's anything cool I could do with it, I might just decide to play a Kalashtar.

It qualifies you for many Psionic Prestige Classes easily (such as Pyrokinetic). It also labels you as Psionic (for better or worse) in terms of benefits from feats and certain psionic items.

 

[candidus_cogitens]

It qualifies you for many Psionic Prestige Classes easily (such as Pyrokinetic). It also labels you as Psionic (for better or worse) in terms of benefits from feats and certain psionic items.

I probably should have clarified that I know very little about psionics, beyond the general concept.

Could you give an example of some feats and/or items that I would be able to use without the ability to manifest?

 

[HeyLookItsMe]

Psionics

While I have not read the Eberron setting, and know nothing about the race you are speaking of, I do know that the 3.0 psionics handbook had lots of great feats that required that you keep a reserve of power points on hand to make use of the abilities. For example, Force Armor was a feat that did somthing like give you a +4 armor bonus as long as you has at least 5 or so power points left. Thus a character with no psionic powers to manifest could still make good use of these types of feats. I couldn't tell you if the Expanded Psionics Handbook has anything similar.

 

[Plane Sailing]

There are a bunch of psionic feats that require you to either maintain (easy) or expend your psionic focus. Regaining your psionic focus is normally a standard action which provokes opportunity (although there are other feats that can help with that)

Example psionic feats include

PSIONIC WEAPON [PSIONIC]
You can charge your melee weapon with additional damage potential.
Prerequisite: Str 13.
Benefit: To use this feat, you must expend your psionic focus.
Your attack with a melee weapon deals an extra 2d6 points of damage. You must decide whether or not to use this feat prior to making an attack. If your attack misses, you still expend your psionic focus.

SPEED OF THOUGHT [PSIONIC]
The energy of your mind energizes the alacrity of your body.
Prerequisite: Wis 13.
Benefit: As long as you are psionically focused and not wearing heavy armor, you gain an insight bonus to your speed of 10 feet.

UNAVOIDABLE STRIKE [PSIONIC]
You can make an unarmed strike or use a natural weapon against your foe as if delivering a touch attack.
Prerequisite: Str 13, Psionic Fist, base attack bonus +5.
Benefit: To use this feat, you must expend your psionic focus. You can resolve your unarmed strike or attack with a natural weapon as a touch attack.
You must decide whether or not to use this feat prior to making an attack. If your attack misses, you still expend your psionic focus.

MENTAL LEAP [PSIONIC]
You can make amazing jumps.
Prerequisite: Str 13, Jump 5 ranks.
Benefit: To use this feat, you must expend your psionic focus. You gain a +10 bonus on a Jump check.

INQUISITOR [PSIONIC]
You know when others lie.
Prerequisite: Wis 13.
Benefit: To use this feat, you must expend your psionic focus.
You gain a +10 bonus on a Sense Motive check to oppose a Bluff check.
You must decide whether or not to use this feat prior to making a Sense Motive check. If your check fails, or if the opponent isn’t lying, you still expend your psionic focus.

 

[Teslacoil1138]

There is also a new material in the XPH called deep crystal, which allows you to channel (as a free action) 2 power points into a weapon to add 2d6 damage to your next attack.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

There are a bunch of psionic feats

This is the meat of it. As a PC with power points, you have access to psionic feats, without having to actually pick up a level in a psionic class. So you could be a full monk and eventually pick up Up The Walls (assuming it's still around in 3.5 ), or a ranger and pick up Speed of Thought.

 

[Spatula]

Most of the psionic feats require you to hold or expend your psionic focus. In order to become psionically focussed, you need to have at least 1 power point and succeed a DC 20 Concentration check. A kalashtar fighter could pick up Psionic Weapon at first level and either Greater Psionic Weapon (+4d6) or Deep Impact (melee attack becomes touch attack) at 6th level, but for the most part he'll only be able to use those abilities once per combat because his Concentration bonus will not be very good (since it's a cross-class skill).

So if you're looking at taking psionic feats but not any psionic class levels, you get more synergy with classes that have Concentration as a class skill (ranger, cleric, monk, etc.).

 

[Someone]

As previously said, if you have power points (and you´re using the expanded psionics hadbook) then you can become focused. Even if you don´t have psionic feats, you can expend the focus to automatically roll a 15 in a concentration roll. Very handy to spellcasters.

 

[Saeviomagy]

A wizard with a power point can hold it all day, and then expend it to get a 15 on a tricky concentration check.

Other people can pick up nifty psionic-only feats and autohypnosis