[Psi] Psionic Combat Variant

[RHM]

[edit: see below]

 

[RHM]

Another stab at psionic combat

I've been doing some more thinking and I've come up with another idea that almost totally ignores what is written in the PsiHB. I've basically broken Psionic Combat into two areas: a Psionic Combat skill and psionic combat feats.

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The following new skill is a class skill for psions and a cross class skill for psychic warriors.

PSIONIC COMBAT (CHA; TRAINED ONLY; PSION, PSYCHIC WARRIOR ONLY)
Use this skill to attack the mind of others or better defend yourself against such attacks.
Check: When a psionic character manifests a psionic combat feat against another’s mind, she uses this skill to set the base DC of the target’s Will save versus the attack. If the target of this attack also has ranks in Psionic Combat, and he is not flat-footed or out of power points, he also makes a check to determine the bonus he receives to his Will save.

Result__DC__Save Bonus
Up to 5__10____+1
6–15____15____+2
16–25___20____+3
26–35___25____+4
36+_____30____+5

Retry: None.
Special: You cannot take 10 on this skill. A character with 5 or more ranks in Autohypnosis gains a +2 synergy bonus to his Psionic Combat check when defending against mental attacks and determining his save bonus.

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Psionic Combat feats will roughly look something like this...

Mind Blast [Psionic Combat] (or possibly just [Psionic])
Prerequisites: 10 ranks of Psionic Combat (or something like that)
Benefit: As a standard action, you may spend 9 PP to emit a wave of psychic energy. All those within a 60' cone must make a Will save vs. a DC set by your Psionic Combat check or be stunned for 3d4 rounds. etc. etc.

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I'm going to alter the psion's class abilities to reflect the addition of this new group of feats, i.e bonus feats.

 

[RHM]

Some fleshed-out feats...

Mind Blast [Psionic]
You can unleash a cone of psychic energy, assaulting the minds of all creatures within range.
Prerequisites: Psionic Combat skill.
Benefit: You can emit a 60-foot cone of psychic force as a standard action for 9 power points. The air around the area of Mind Blast’s effect ripples with psionic energy. The save DC of this mental attack is determined by a Psionic Combat check. All creatures within range must succeed at a Will save or be stunned for 3d4 rounds. A successful save negates the attack.
Mind Blast is considered a spell-like ability. It ignores power resistance.

Tower of Iron Will [Psionic]
You can use your psionic energies to protect the minds of others.
Prerequisites: Psionic Combat skill.
Benefit: You can help others avoid the effects of a psionic attack. By spending 5 power points as a free action and regardless of your order in the initiative, you confer the resulting save bonus from your Psionic Combat check to all those within a 10-foot radius emanation centered on you. Save bonuses from separate emanations stack.
For example, a creature uses Mind Blast to attack a pair of psions standing side by side each other. Both psions possess the Tower of Iron Will feat and both spend 5 power points to raise this defense versus the attack. The first psion rolls a 13 on his Psionic Combat check for a +2 save bonus. The second psion rolls a 27 on his Psionic Combat check for a +4 save bonus. Because the emanations of their defenses overlap, the two psions both enjoy a +6 bonus to their Will saves from the use of this feat.