Psionic Focus

[Zaebos]

Quick question...

If a psychic warrior has these feats
Psycrystal Affinity
Psycrstal Containment
Deep Impact
Improved Psionic Weapon

Can the psychic warrior spend the crystals focus and his own on the same turn, using Improved Psionic Weapon and Deep Impact at the same time?

I would rule no since it says it says in Psycrystal Containment "At any time when you need to expend your psionic focus, you can expend your psicrystal's psionic focus instead..."

They key word here is instead. By spending your crystals focus, you are opting not to spend yours.

Just wondering about it since it is going to come up in my campaign... I can feel it.

 

[Thanee]

I don't see why not, actually.

You activate the first feat and have to spend your Psionic Focus, but instead you spend the one from your Psicrystal. Therefore you still have your Psionic Focus.

You activate the second feat and spend your Psionic Focus.

You attack.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Zaebos]

I don't see why not, actually.

You activate the first feat and have to spend your Psionic Focus, but instead you spend the one from your Psicrystal. Therefore you still have your Psionic Focus.

You activate the second feat and spend your Psionic Focus.

You attack.

Bye
Thanee

I can accept that. It is a valid point for sure. I can see that both points will come up at my table in the very near future.

Another concern is that can you activate multiple feats as part of a single action? The rules are ambigious on this point. All it says is, "When you expend your psionic focus, it applies only to the action for which you expended it." This leaves some room for maneuver within the rules.

 

[Staffan]

Another concern is that can you activate multiple feats as part of a single action? The rules are ambigious on this point. All it says is, "When you expend your psionic focus, it applies only to the action for which you expended it." This leaves some room for maneuver within the rules.

I don't see how that would be more problematic than, say, using Expertise and Power Attack simultaneously (assuming you have two foci to spend, that is).

 

[Zaebos]

I don't see how that would be more problematic than, say, using Expertise and Power Attack simultaneously (assuming you have two foci to spend, that is).

True, true, I suppose I will allow it in my game, given that your arguements have merit and logic.

Thanks again.

 

[moritheil]

I can accept that. It is a valid point for sure. I can see that both points will come up at my table in the very near future.

Another concern is that can you activate multiple feats as part of a single action? The rules are ambigious on this point. All it says is, "When you expend your psionic focus, it applies only to the action for which you expended it." This leaves some room for maneuver within the rules.

I'm now curious about this. Don't you expend your foci when you make the attack, and not as part of some other, separate action?

Thus, you would say "I spend the focus in my psicrystal on Deep Impact, and I spend my focus on Psionic Weapon, to attack (x monster)."

 

[Dakkareth]

Another concern is that can you activate multiple feats as part of a single action? The rules are ambigious on this point. All it says is, "When you expend your psionic focus, it applies only to the action for which you expended it." This leaves some room for maneuver within the rules.

The intention is, that you can only power one feat at a time by expending your psionic focus. In order to use one psionic focus (without crystal containment), you need one of the epic feats given in the XPH.

 

[Jack Simth]

Of course, you know what's REALLY fun with PsiCrystal Containment? Double Dimension Door and some Maximized attack power; you need:
Psicrystal Affinity
Psicrystal Containment
Quicken Power
Maximize Power
Psion Dimension Door or Dimension Slide
some attack power
(and lots of power points to play around with and a decent manifester level of course, as well as being both Psionically Focused and having your Psicrystal Focused)
1: Manifest Dimension Door/Dimension Slide, Augmented so that it is a Move Action (13 or 9 power points).
2: Manifest Maximized Attack Power at your opponent (use Psicrystal Focus, spend +4 power points due to Maximize)
3: Manifest Quickened Dimesion Door/Dimension Slide (use your Focus, spend 13/11 power points due to Quicken).
So theoretically, a Psion with 5 different feats (needs one to get Dimension Slide) could pull this off at level 11, and hit a bunch of foes for, say, 28 points of unavoidable damage each with Swarm of Crystals (9th, with Overchannel if the Psi is willing to take some damage in the process).
Can't pull it often (requires two Full-Round actions to focus you and your psicrystal after pulling it off, not to mention the 26/20 + attack cost on the Power Points), but it's a fun trick to pull - imagine the visual effect: Pop in, blast away, and pop back out before anyone without a readied action can react.

However, there are some problems - namely, anyone with Divert Teleport (Psion/Wilder 7) can do nasty things to you - mostly sending you 400+40 ft/level underground..... or straight up into the air......

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

Of course, you know what's REALLY fun with PsiCrystal Containment? Double Dimension Door and some Maximized attack power; you need:
Psicrystal Affinity
Psicrystal Containment
Quicken Power
Maximize Power
Psion Dimension Door or Dimension Slide
some attack power
(and lots of power points to play around with and a decent manifester level of course, as well as being both Psionically Focused and having your Psicrystal Focused)
1: Manifest Dimension Door/Dimension Slide, Augmented so that it is a Move Action (13 or 9 power points).
2: Manifest Maximized Attack Power at your opponent (use Psicrystal Focus, spend +4 power points due to Maximize)
3: Manifest Quickened Dimesion Door/Dimension Slide (use your Focus, spend 13/11 power points due to Quicken).
So theoretically, a Psion with 5 different feats (needs one to get Dimension Slide) could pull this off at level 11, and hit a bunch of foes for, say, 28 points of unavoidable damage each with Swarm of Crystals (9th, with Overchannel if the Psi is willing to take some damage in the process).
Can't pull it often (requires two Full-Round actions to focus you and your psicrystal after pulling it off, not to mention the 26/20 + attack cost on the Power Points), but it's a fun trick to pull - imagine the visual effect: Pop in, blast away, and pop back out before anyone without a readied action can react.

However, there are some problems - namely, anyone with Divert Teleport (Psion/Wilder 7) can do nasty things to you - mostly sending you 400+40 ft/level underground..... or straight up into the air......

Someone with Anticipate Teleport (Sor/Wiz 4, CA) could also move out of the way and have an Evard's Black Tentacles waiting for you when you arrive.

 

[Hypersmurf]

1: Manifest Dimension Door/Dimension Slide, Augmented so that it is a Move Action (13 or 9 power points).
2: Manifest Maximized Attack Power at your opponent (use Psicrystal Focus, spend +4 power points due to Maximize)
3: Manifest Quickened Dimesion Door/Dimension Slide (use your Focus, spend 13/11 power points due to Quicken).

Works with Dimension Slide, but not with Dimension Door.

"After using this spell, you can’t take any other actions until your next turn."

As soon as you finish step 1 with Dimension Door, that's the end of your turn. No more actions for you.

-Hyp.