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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jessica" data-source="post: 6702450" data-attributes="member: 6796107">Triumph of Thought: Daily PowersAs a controller you need to pick your daily powers with care. Ideally they multitarget (burst or blast, the bigger the better) and provide sustainable or save ends action denial. In other words, they make fights easier for your party by disabling multiple enemies for one or more rounds.<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/" target="_blank">Level 1</a>[sblock]Only two powers with any decent control at this level, so if you want to do your job right the choice ain’t hard. If you’re looking for a bit more damage instead, you have some mediocre options.Living Missile: PsP. Look at the control on this one! Immobilize or slow for action denial, slide 10 for massive forced movement and prone as icing on a sweet, sweet cake. You can easily take one or two melee targets out of the fight so long as the primary target doesn’t save. This power is absolutely worth getting save penalties like Crushing Turmoil or Ego Whip for so you can also sustain this on elites and solo’s. Don’t forget that you can also slide the enemy into dangerous terrain instead of into his buddy. This power gets bonus points for great top-down design.Hand of Caution: PHB3. Annoying the hell out of one enemy by pushing him around is a lot of fun. Unfortunately that's the only control this power offers.Summon Thought Servant: PsP. Summon a speedy ally that can attack and put dying allies back on their feet, or at least stabilize them. Too bad it costs you a power point to really make this summon do something worthwhile, which isn't something you can easily afford at this level. Also has no control effect besides putting another guy on the battlefield. Mental Trauma: PHB3. Damage and vulnerability at level 1 can quickly get rid of one enemy. But unless it’s a solo or dangerous elite and your partymembers also do psychic damage, there are better powers out there.Psychic Dissolution: PsP. The power effectively gives your defender and other allies adjacent to the target concealment against it. Interesting but not worthy of a daily power.Telepathic Projection: PsP. On each of your turns, the target is hit with an unaugmented Betrayal as long as it doesn’t make its save. Depending on the target’s damage and reach, this could be fun. Unfortunately you don't get a secondary effect at all if the target makes its first save. The miss effect is also annoying, if not outright dangerous to your partymembers. The control this power offers depends entirely on the effects of the target's MBA, so practically none. Telekinetic Anchor: PHB3. This unfriendly area burst 1 offers some soft control, but not enough to raise any eyebrows.Ravening Thought: PHB3. This would’ve been much more elegant as an area burst 1. It still wouldn’t be good, but it would be elegant.[/sblock]<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/" target="_blank">Level 5</a>[sblock]Fortunately you get a much better selection here than at level 1. Almost every flavor of control is present: prone, grab, immobilize, slow, daze and forced movement are all available, and every effect has a good power.Force Spheres: PsP. Although knocking enemies prone isn’t the most amazing of control effects, it’s far from the worst. Now imagine getting that ability as a minor action, four times per encounter, at range 20 with good damage attached. We'll also throw in a free untyped +2 bonus to all defenses. Too bad it's a do-nothing standard action to activate. You want to use this round one but that's the round you should throw your best control effect at 'em. And a single target prone shouldn't be that effect. Summon Ebony Stinger: PsP. A summon that grabs, now that’s interesting! You always augment it of course, since escape checks against its Fortitude are laughably easy otherwise. Try to grab weak-looking targets (preferably ranged attackers) who don’t have Athletics trained to ensure the grab is sustained. An opportunity attack that inflicts ongoing damage is a nice bonus.Inflicted Mindscape: PsP. A friendly area burst 1 save ends immobilize is a great thing to have, especially when it leaves a slowing zone behind. Be aware that the zone slows until the end of the enemy’s next turn instead of yours, so the enemy doesn’t start its next turn slowed when it saves against the immobilize.Hypnotic Pulse: PHB3. BAM, you’re dazed! Fortunately this is enemies only. Too bad the miss effect doesn’t do half damage.Crisis of Identity: PHB3. Unaugmented Betrayal with damage stapled onto it. If you make the target attack itself, this power does some very nice damage. Telekinetic Maul: PHB3. If you really can’t wait until level 7 to get your hands on Dread Spiral, I guess there’s always this. You do get to use the coolest dice though, three of them no less.Thunderous Exit: PsP. An interesting escape power in a huge area. Unfortunately it's unfriendly, so you're bound to include some allies in the attack. Better for Shapers/Dreamwalkers who can use their conjuration to pick the most ideal spot for the burst. Shredding Ribbons: PHB3. An unfriendly zone that does negligible damage once per turn, and you need a minor action to sustain it? No thank you.[/sblock]<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/" target="_blank">Level 9</a>[sblock]Like level 1, there is only one good choice at this level. You might look back to level 5 if you don’t like Mind Blast, but I have no idea why you wouldn’t.Mind Blast: PHB3. No damage, but stunned save ends (dazed until end of next turn on a miss) in a close blast 5 is ridiculously powerful. This allows you to simply shut down one encounter per day, no questions asked. No other power at this level even comes close. Unfriendly, so wait until your allies have left the blast area before you unleash it. Even better for Shapers and Dreamwalkers. Clear the Slate: PHB3. Instead of stunning enemies from up close, you can slide them from a distance. Not quite the same effect, but Wis-Psions could get some serious mileage out of this by laying down an augment 4 Cerulean Cage and action point with this to add around 30 extra damage to each target hit. Or before level 17, just throw them off a cliff.Inflict Pain: PsP. The guy who named this power should take another long look at what “pain” constitutes at level 9, because 2d6+Int and ongoing 5 damage isn’t it. Sure, it’s an area burst 2 that slows, but nothing to go wild over.Sensory Onslaught: PHB3. A single target debuff with attack penalties is nice against annoying solos. If you face a lot of those, you might consider taking this.Summon Phantasmal Killer: PsP. Putting another body on the field is usually pretty good, but if that body unsummons itself once its target is gone, not so good. The control is decent enough to keep this above red though: -2 attack penalty save ends and psychic damage (so Psychic Lock) shuts one enemy down pretty effectively. Echoing Boom: PsP. This gives you something to with your minor and immediate action. Not much, mind you, but adding a Mark of Storm effect to one attack per round is still something.Malicious Lightning: PsP. So much has to go right for this power to reach its potential (which is just dealing some extra damage), and it’s simply not worth the effort. You might try it with Mark of Storm, but I wouldn’t bother. A little better if your defender locks down enemies around him. Mind Cannon: PHB3. A weird not-area-burst attack that pushes one target one square and deafens it? No. Thank. You.[/sblock]<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/" target="_blank">Level 15</a>[sblock]Most Psions upgrade Living Missile or their level 5 power to Living Barrage here and call it a day. If you’re going for forced movement optimization you could take Imprison, but after that the well runs dry.Living Barrage: PsP. Seriously, the amount of fun you can have with this power is almost criminal. Area burst 1 immobilize is already good, but then throwing everyone around the battlefield for multiple rounds leaves you in total control. If your party times their initiative right (between the enemies and you), the immobilized/slowed/prone foes will never get a chance to attack in melee. Oh, and for Dreamwalkers this is just ridonkulous. Imprison: PHB3. Like the level 9 power Clear the Slate, but this trades one square of forced movement for immobilized save ends. Trading up, I’d say. Like Clear the Slate, this is also good with Cerulean Cage.Dominate: PHB3. Dominate is still a rare ability at this point of the game, and making it save ends is sweet. Too bad it’s single target, and that the miss effect doesn’t also dominate, but it's rare enough to still earn a good rating. Psychofeedback: PHB3. You daze two targets at range, which is useful at the start of combat. They also give you temp HP if they don’t attack you, which is a nice bonus I guess. Would be better if it did anything besides damage on a miss.Summon Thought Warrior: PsP. This power lets you act as a proxy defender, which is nice if you absoposilutely need one. If you stick this to an annoying artillery or skirmisher, it's gonna have a hard time getting away from it. Still costs you your standard action to keep up the mark though. Forced Serenity: PsP. This power masquerades as a soft control power (don’t attack or take 10 damage!), but seriously, what are they going to do, not attack until they save? You use this power when you face a group of multi-atttackers or creatures who use bursts and blasts. When your DM is partial to dragons, you could do worse than this. Thoughts of Unmaking: PsP. A lot of ongoing damage that could get out of hand quickly if you and your allies manage to bloody the target. It’s should be most effective against targets with a lot of HP like elites and solos, but unfortunately they get bonuses to saving throws, making them actually the worst targets. Since standard monsters die too quickly, this power is something you should skip unless you deal in saving throw penalties.Crushing Bludgeon: PHB3. A single target implement attack vs. AC. That slows. But wait, it deals 4d10 damage! 4d10!!!Luckily there’s no rating lower than red, because this waste of space would’ve gotten it.[/sblock]<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/" target="_blank">Level 19</a>[sblock]No stand-outs at this level, but it’s not so bad that you have to look back to earlier levels for a good choice. Another decent summon(s), mass restrain, forced movement and removing enemies from play makes for a nice set of powers.Summon Mind Weirds: PsP. This puts three Phantasmal Killers on the battlefield, which is quite the wall of fur (scales? ectoplasm? whatever). Too bad they unsummon after their prey dies, but getting three standard actions for the price of one and a bunch of opportunity attacks is good enough. The augment 1 is a pretty useless bonus, although you can afford the power point by now.Flowing Terrain: PsP. You bind a bunch of enemies to the ground, literally. This friendly close blast 5 sets up a much safer battlefield for your allies to fight on.Shred Reality: PHB3. Your allies should grit their teeth when you use this because they’re going to get hit by it, but the effect is worthwhile: you rearrange a huge area to your own liking, and remove the most dangerous target from play for a round. As always, don’t forget you can teleport vertically for 1d10 falling damage and prone.Force Cube: PsP. This obviously top-down designed power lets you take one enemy out of play for a round, hit or not. His buddies can start hammering the Cube to free him, so it’s perfectly possible you never get to make the secondary attack. But hey, in that case it deals some extra damage and it has absorbed a couple of attacks which otherwise would’ve gone to your party, so that’s also good.Psychic Leech: PHB3. A double-hitter that lets you gain a power point and some temp HP. This would’ve been good at lower levels, but at this stage one power point won’t make much of a difference.Cerebral Phantasm: PsP. Some forced movement and something to do with your immediate action as long as the target doesn’t save. Nothing truly bad about this power, but there are just so many superior options available at this point.Psychic Crush: PHB3. If you want to daze in an area burst 1, just pick up the level 5 power Hypnotic Pulse. The ongoing damage isn’t worth the unreliability.Crisis of Breath: PHB3. Single target ongoing damage, that’s all. No control and no area effect relegates this power to the realms of red.[/sblock]<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/" target="_blank">Level 25</a>[sblock]Not a bad level! You finally get a large controlling zone, another dominate (save ends this time), another good summon, and a power that quickly becomes one-shot-one-kill if you have a hard-hitting striker in your party.Far Realm’s Embrace: PHB3. This is the face of true control. It’s a wordy power, so lemme summarize it for you: 7x7x7 burst which deals psychic damage+ongoing, restrains, and leaves behind a sustainable zone that deals damage, immobilizes and pulls targets as an opportunity attack. Unless you’re fighting a group of teleporters, it’s unimaginable that this doesn’t simply win you the encounter.Thrall: PHB3. If you hit with this, the target can look forward to spending at least a couple of turns under your control. So make it do running charges across the map to its allies, drawing as many opportunity attacks as you can. A good power power to add to what by now can be a robust arsenal of dominate powers.Summon Emerald Terror: PsP. You summon a large dude that gives everyone adjacent to it a -2 to hit and has a sweet attack. Repeatable Kinetic Bursts which prone are awesome, and could very well be worth spending your standard action on over the course of multiple rounds. The augment has the strange effect that it makes the Emerald Terror give out saving throw penalties when it hits with a melee attack, which is useful if you’re into that sort of thing.Mind Switch: PHB3. Stun save ends is always handy to have around in a fight, even if you get repeatable stun two levels later. This power mostly suffers from the fact that you also get access to Thrall, since dominate >> stun.Recall Agony: PsP. Getting an immediate attack as a Psion is already good, since you rarely have use for your immediate action. If you want this power depends entirely on your party. If you have a couple of wimpy strikers or blasters, the ongoing damage won’t be impressive. However, if you have a Barbarian that regularly uncorks daily powers that deal over 200 damage on one hit, this becomes a quick death sentence for all but the toughest solos. You should know when you want this.Forest of Exclusion: PHB3. Another emergency red-button power that keeps enemies off you and gets better when you’re a Shaper/Dreamwalker. I suppose the zone is meant to keep enemies from approaching you, but the penalty for entering it is negligible. Although combat advantage is always nice to have.Thought Hammer: PHB3. Although prone is a lame status effect, being able to shoot three flyers out of the sky can come in handy occasionally. Plus, d12s!Telekinetic Bombard: PHB3. This power is unimpressive by itself. When you take into account the fact that Summon Emerald Terror does the same but with many more benefits attached, there is no reason to take this power.[/sblock]<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/" target="_blank">Level 29</a>[sblock]No standouts at this level, and you could be forgiven for looking back to earlier levels for a better choice. That said, you do get a ginormous zone here, which should be your signature move as a controller. Ravenous Singularity: PsP. It seems only fitting that as your capstone daily power, you get the ability to summon a friggin’ black hole onto the battlefield. The area of effect is HUGE (11x11x11), and although it doesn’t deal damage it’s difficult to escape since it immobilizes or slows. If you have any saving throw penalties in your arsenal, now would be the time to apply them: any creature that fails its save against the immobilize/slow is eaten by the black hole, removing it from play. Unfriendly and a little unreliable, but still the top pick at this level.Hurl into Heaven: PsP. Hit or miss, you pick up your enemies for a turn, leave them restrained in mid-air, and smash them back to the ground at the start of your next turn. Nice to clear up a cluttered battlefield for a turn. This power is a little confusing against flying enemies, but you should consult your DM when that becomes relevant.Soul Break: PHB3. Another single target save ends dominate power. This is actually much worse than the level 25 Thrall power, since you don’t want to give enemies a choice of taking damage or becoming stunned (guess what they’ll pick?). So if you don't have Thrall yet, pick that power over this one. If you do, and you want another dominate power, you could do far worse than this one.Clasp of the Psion: PHB3. This power is decent enough on its own, and one of the few reasons to get some force powers in your arsenal since you can keep enemies immobilized for a good long time. Too bad it’s overshadowed by Ravenous Singularity.Microcosm: PHB3. I appreciate the flavor behind this power. That said, this should just stun the target and get it over with. Applying three different save ends effects, of which only one is relevant, is just annoying and unnecessary.Consuming Psychosis: PsP. This power could be decent in theory, but unless your partymembers GTFO, they run the risk of taking a free attack to the face at the start of the targets’ turns. Not exactly what I call good control.Tear the World: PHB3. Damage+ongoing in an unfriendly close blast 5, with some forced movement when they save. That just doesn’t get my engine started.Summon Thought Champion: PsP. This large summon turns you into a lazylord by spending your standard action to use one of your allies’ at-wills. Unfortunately you don't get added benefits like curse damage or cold vulnerability, so they won't be quite as effective as they are for your allies, making this a trap choice. [/sblock]</blockquote>

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