Psions and Psychic Warriors

[VictorC]

If you have Complete Psion I would suggest Kalashtar monkfor the first six or so levels, then take Zerth Cenobite. You won't be very psionic until you take the PrC, however once you do you'll enjoy all the goodness of psychic warrior powers, with a lot of extra goodness.

 

[Ion]

I'm a big fan of the cool things one can do with psionic feats (ie. running on the wall crazy jumping matrix type stuff!)

On the other hand, being able to bill yourself as Selkhad the Seer, or Nevitash the Nomad sets a nice base to start roleplaying from. (not to mention all the cool powers!)

 

[WarlockLord]

Here are some of my fav powers:

1st-
Entangling Ectoplasm
Mind Thrust
Energy Ray
Mindlink
Vigor
Psionic Charm

(my telepaths usually take Hidden Talen, Psionic Prodigy, and something else at 1st level. Now I'm thinking Psionic Shot with the energy ray...)

2-
psi suggestion
energy stun
id insinuation
read thoughts (again, telepath. Coolest specialty)

3- dispel psi
psionic blast (mind flayeresque stun!)
energy wall
time hop

4-schism
psi dimension door

 

[Nifft]

For the record, though. At 6th level and up, you're better with a straight Mind Thrust.

[Mind-Affecting]? Will negates? No thanks. Will Half would have been a reasonable anti-Rogue power, but as-is it's just too lame. And it gets LESS useful as you level up! I'd much rather have Psi Suggestion or Mind Lock as my Will save targeting power.

I'll take my Iron Golem killer combo. You can keep Mind Thrust.

-- N

PS: At 10th level, you can take Greater Psionic Shot! 5d6 for one PP! Yay!

 

[paradox42]

One thing about Crystal Shard- as of Complete Psionic, it now allows Power Resistance to affect it. Seems the designers caught on to this being a little too good somehow.

But it's a shame for your character he didn't get much of a chance to use Touchsight; both of the Psions in my games have had field days with it- and it can break old-school modules wide open. Example: when I sent the party with the Telepath through the Tomb of Horrors, the recent WotC revision of it, thanks to the Psion (who also had maxed-out ranks in Search and a very high INT thanks to careful choice of race, good stat rolls, and a Headband) the party managed to avoid all of the pit traps and didn't bother exploring past the archways of mist. Secret doors? Take out the "secret" part.

But what really makes the Psion into the ultimate ultility character, I've found, is Psychic Reformation. If the party has 10 minutes and a few XP to burn, any character can be recustomized to any situation at will. Forget the character rebuilding rules from PHB2, this power lets you repick everything but race and class (well, technically it doesn't say it lets you repick spells learned at level-up, but since it does let psionicists repick learned powers it's reasonable to conclude that spellcasters should get the same option).

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I'd actually have to go with an enlarging PsyWar over the Wilder in melee combat...depending upon PC concept, power/feat selection and sourcebook availability.

Yes, "going big" is something of a 1 trick pony build, but like Rage, its a gooooooood trick.

My githzerai Monk/Psywar was equipped with a reach polearm. The Feats from Dragon Compendium v1 include many polearm feats, including one that let the PC use the polearm as a monk weapon. His high dex and Combat Reflexes gave him many AoOs and a high AC. His Enlarge power meant he was controlling a huge area with a weapon capable of doing a LOT of damage with those AoOs and the possibility of a flurry with the same.

Or consider a shifter Psywar with INA and that doubling enlarge...

Or, for that matter, a Psywar Warforged with Mithril or Adamantine body, INA, and that doubling enlarge...

Or a raging enlarged Barb/Psywar...

etc.

Lots & lots of damage...

 

[Plane Sailing]

FWIW, Eberron mythology says that Kalashtar warriors are typically soulknives or monks, rather than Psychic Warriors or Fighters; Kalashtar psychic warriors are usually "orphans" who grew up apart from Kalashtar society.

I never liked that slant on the race (wasn't it introduced in Races of Eberron?)

Kalashtar psychic warriors are great, because the extra pp are *sorely* needed by the psywar. Soulknives are such a 'meh' class that I wouldn't want to lumber anybody with them.

Kalashtar Monks can work moderately well, in that they get access to useful psionic feats, although ideally you'd want some self-buffing powers too. I've had great fun with a (human) Psywar/Monk, since Wisdom is an important ability for both classes.

 

[Aaron L]

I never liked that slant on the race (wasn't it introduced in Races of Eberron?)

Kalashtar psychic warriors are great, because the extra pp are *sorely* needed by the psywar. Soulknives are such a 'meh' class that I wouldn't want to lumber anybody with them.

Kalashtar Monks can work moderately well, in that they get access to useful psionic feats, although ideally you'd want some self-buffing powers too. I've had great fun with a (human) Psywar/Monk, since Wisdom is an important ability for both classes.

Listen to this man. He speaks wisdom.

 

[lukelightning]

Kalashtar make great psychic warriors; the +1 pp/level a they get isn't much for a psion, but significant for a psychic warrior. A psion is more likely to have a higher casting stat than a psychic warrior (who need str and con and dex, while a psion can just focus on int)

 

[Henry]

Quick note about some of the Powers mentioned, in particular the "Crystal" powers (crystal shard, etc.) -- the book Complete Psionic revised these powers so that Damage reduction worked against them. Your DM may or may not use this errata/revision.