[Psi] Is Psychic Meditation Broken?

[NCSUCodeMonkey]

The feat Psychic Meditation on the Wizards website seemed innocent enough at first, but I'm beginning to have my doubts.

Psychic Meditation [Psionic]

You allow your mind to rest and go quiet for a period of time, which allows the psionic energy in your body to grant you several psychic benefits.

Benefit: When you take this feat, you are granted access to one of the seven psychic energy centers. You can gain access to each only once. You can take this feat multiple times and must select a psychic energy center that you do not already know. When you meditate for at least 10 minutes, you activate all psychic energy centers for which you have taken the feat. You can activate this feat only once per day. You gain the benefits of the feat(s) for 1 hour.

Table 1-1: Psychic Meditation Bonuses

Psychic Energy Center
Associated Bonus
Crown
+3 natural armor bonus to AC
Third Eye
1 temporary power point per manifester level
Throat
+2 enhancement bonus to Int, Wis, and Cha
Heart
3 temporary hit points per manifester level (maximum 42 hit points). These hit points do not stack with temporary hit points from other sources
Solar Plexus
+2 to saving throw of choice, +1 to remaining two
Base
+2 enhancement bonus to Str, Dex, and Con
SacraL
+3 to DC for powers in primary discipline; +1 to all other powers

Seemed innocent enough at first, but then I tried out the Third-Eye selection. It seems really powerful for a Psychic Warriror (who gets so many feats anyway) to be able to get a bonus that big! For example, a 7th level Psy Warrior, who meditates first thing in the morning, has 23 power points! Now what player isn't going to use those temporary points to cast Animal Affinity or any other long duration power? Buffing 3 stats puts him at 14 points for the remainder of the day. That's plenty of enlargements, vigors, etc to keep him going for a long time.

This just seems a little out of balance in comparison to feats like Inner Strength. What's the drawback to this feat? You have to spend 10 minutes meditating? Oh no!

NCSUCodeMonkey

 

[Vecna]

Your are right.

Psychic Meditation, Third Eye is just cool

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

To use the feat, you must meditate for 10 minutes, then fight within the hour. You can only use it once per day.

Besides, psychic warriors like more power points. It's annoying spending points on buffing, and then losing a bunch on Deep Impact use, thus losing your reserve power point feats.

I don't know how long Expansion lasts, but Vigor only lasts 1 minute/level, and extending or even Persisting it is a waste of power points.

 

[Vecna]

To use the feat, you must meditate for 10 minutes, then fight within the hour. You can only use it once per day.

Besides, psychic warriors like more power points. It's annoying spending points on buffing, and then losing a bunch on Deep Impact use, thus losing your reserve power point feats.

I don't know how long Expansion lasts, but Vigor only lasts 1 minute/level, and extending or even Persisting it is a waste of power points.

I TOTALLY disagree!
Try polymorph self into a stone giant, get expansion, improved psychofeedback, animal affinity and so on.

If you can, extend or make the powers persistent.

The +1 PP/manifester level is really cool

(even more if you use ITCK...)


My last PC was a psychic warrior, and was a force of nature (well, it was, before he failed a will save, but this is a totally different problem...)

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Sorry, I meant Persistent Vigor only.

Persistent Displacement, on the other hand, is very cool!

 

[James McMurray]

The 10 minutes of meditation is most definitely a drawback. Unless your DM is not up to snuff, there will be times when you don't have the luxury of ten minutes of meditation.

That aside though, the feat seems decent to me. Its only with long duration powers that the +1/level PPs become an issue. When the psychic warrior gets hit with a dispel magic, he'll wish he was a fighter instead.

NOTE: That last bit was a joke, I thoroughly enjoy Psychic Warriors, and plan to play one if given the chance in a campaign. Unfortunately I only ever get to run characters. If we start over though, my next DMPC may be a psychic warrior.

 

[Vecna]

Sorry, I meant Persistent Vigor only.

Persistent Displacement, on the other hand, is very cool!

Yes, it has a personal range for psions and touch for spellcasters!

 

[NCSUCodeMonkey]

Nice, but not too overpowering.

Well, just to try it out I made up a psy warrior with the feat last night. Assuming that he gets 10 minutes to buff every morning (which is a big if in our games, since we're on the planes) he can do some pretty cool stuff.

I gave him a level of monk, just for coolness factor, so at 7th level (mnk 1/psy war 6) he gets 6 points from the meditation feat. Using trigger power with Animal Affinity, he has a pretty good chance of buffing 2-3 stats without touching his normal daily allotment of power points. He has a +3 bonus to strength and using Bio-Booster (wizards site) he get's a +4 to his first AA attempt. That is, of course, to boost strength so that the rest of his checks are at least +5. He can then throw on claws of the bear and whatever else he wants. It is powerful, but not broken for my game. Especially since the only magic item he gets is going towards bypassing damage reduction.

Of course, when you throw in creature capacitor...

When the psychic warrior gets hit with a dispel magic, he'll wish he was a fighter instead.

And normally I would agree with this totally, but that is part of what this feat does! If anything gets dispelled, you probably still have lots of power points (not bonus ones, just regular). For example, several times last night I was able to buff 3 scores, then manifest combat precognition and claws of the bear with 10 (regular) power points left. Not too shabby.

NCSUCodeMonkey

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Especially since the only magic item he gets is going towards bypassing damage reduction.


What item is that? I'd really like one for my egoist...

 

[Garmorn]

Especially since the only magic item he gets is going towards bypassing damage reduction.


What item is that? I'd really like one for my egoist...

Just take metaphysical weapon. Magic weapons will by pass damage reduction and metaphysical weapon gives you a nice +3 enhancement to the weapon of your choice.

Pyschic warriors are the altimate fighter/mage.