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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jessica" data-source="post: 6702454" data-attributes="member: 6796107">Memories of the Past: Themes and BackgroundsLet’s get one thing straight about themes: Escaped Thrall and Noble Adept are head and shoulders above the rest because they give you a free power point, which translates into half an encounter power. Especially during heroic tier, this gives you a lot more staying power. So those two themes are recommended above all other ones.If you don’t want the extra power point for some reason (like when you’re playing paragon or epic and that one power point doesn’t matter much), there are plenty of themes that offer other options for your character. Themes that are purple or worse are not included, unless they're crucial to a certain build. Especially stealth-builds should check out what the other themes have to offer them.A great comprehensive collection of all themes can be found in Mommy_was_an_Orc's <a href="http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/28914029/Variation_on_Themes:_A_Theme_Handbook" target="_blank">Variation on Theme's: a Theme Handbook</a>.<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/" target="_blank">Themes</a>[sblock]Noble Adept: DSCS. The absolute best theme for you. You get an extra power point, an awesome encounter power, some nice utilities and even a couple of daily powers that are competitive with your own (although that says more about the general quality of Psion dailies than the ones of this theme). Illegal for LFR though, since it’s a Dark Sun theme.Escaped Thrall: DSH. Although this grants a small power bonus to Will, Noble Adept offers much, much more. It has one advantage over Noble Adept though: the ability for Dreamwalkers to conjure their dream form as a minor action with the level 2 utility power. So take this if you're a Dreamwalker or otherwise can't take Noble Adept for some reason (like LFR).Bloodsworn: DSH. An encounter reroll for at-will powers while you’re bloodied and a power bonus to initiative at level 10 make this a fine theme for Psions.Cipher: DR414. A theme that gives you a power bonus to initiative as its starting feature is very nice for the lower levels, where your initiative is still crap. The level 5 and 10 features are decent, as are the powers, but when your initiative is high enough this quickly drops in quality and becomes retraining material. Fey Beast Tamer: HoF. The extra body can protect you from charging foes, but the real value of this theme is the level 5 feature that grants you combat advantage against all targets adjacent to your companion. As for what companion to take, the Young Owlbear is head and shoulders above the rest because the aura actually works for you too.Halaster’s Clone: DR409. The movement powers this theme offers can help you and your party get into position quickly. If you’re optimizing around initiative, the huge power bonus at level 10 clinches it.Harper: NCS. Adding 1d6 to one attack roll each combat is pretty good, as is rerolling a missed saving throw.Order Adept: DR399. The encounter power is pretty bleh, but the level 5 and 10 features are sweet. The best Wizard utility powers to pick are Shield, Moonstride and Mystical Debris for easy combat advantage with the Terrain Advantage feat. Don't take them over Intellect Fortress though if you're a Cha-Psion. Rather wait until level 6 to select the utility power, since that level offers very little for you.Underdark Outcast: DSH. Since you’ll probably stand far from your allies in melee, you can easily meet the requirement for the encounter power. That means a +2 bonus to attacks and defenses for a full two turns for a minor action, which is awesome. The level 10 utility power is also a very good defensive interrupt against close and area attacks.Beguiler: DR420. Having a minor action slide 3 at your disposal is easily underrated. A timely slide can put another target in your area bursts, for example. The level 10 utility power is a nice defense one, and getting a bonus to Arcana checks is always good. Bregan D’aerthe Spy: NCS, Drow only. The levitation power gets you out of the reach of most foes during heroic, and not granting a +2 to enemy attack rolls while being flanked can mean the difference between life and death sometimes.Devil’s Pawn: NCS. Giving everything in a close burst 2 a penalty to attacks and defenses is risky unless you’re a Shaper or Dreamwalker. In that case you just let your conjuration move into melee and burst into flame for you.Infernal Slave: BoVD. The encounter power is decent for the large slide it tacks onto your attack. Especially good if you’ve optimized around the Cerulean Cage at-will power for a lot of zone autodamage. Illegal for LFR.Knight Hospitaler: DR399. If you want to help keep your teammates on their feet, Shield of Devotion goes a long way. Either your Wisdom or Charisma will be pretty high, so you restore a decent amount of hit points. It also gives you something to do with your immediate action. Ooze Master: DR413, Drow only. You take this for the minor action area burst 1 slow attack. At level 10, it even makes the targets of this and Ectoplasmic Servant grant combat advantage. Scholar: DR399. As a Int/Wis class your knowledge skills should be up to snuff, so you should be able to use Use Vulnerability succesfully. Whether you want to is another question, though. The defense and damage bonus is nice, but I always get extremely annoyed when combat slows down to a crawl because someone wants to make a knowledge check and the DM starts dwelling on a monster’s preferred food and habitat.Seeker of Illefarn: DR402, Eladrin, Elves, and Half-elves only. Rerolling any 1’s during combat is a good thing to have in your back pocket. Add to that the U6 for a +2 power bonus to attack rolls, and you have a decent theme.Sentinel Marshal: DR407. Immobilizing one enemy per fight with any attack you make is great control. Marking them is also good if you make sure they can’t reach you. Just be careful they don't come after you or start firing ranged attacks.Spellscarred Harbinger: NCS. Becoming invisible as a minor action is a useful thing to have, especially for Gnomes, Wood-Elves and Shades. Otherwise, rerolling a saving throw isn’t a bad alternative.Trapsmith: DSH. Don’t take this any sooner than level 11. Once you’ve reached this level, you have a good defensive encounter immediate action attack that dazes anyone that moves next to you, thereby ending their turn. It’s not the most accurate attack, but it’s useful enough.Windlord: HoEC. I’m really tempted to give this a blue rating since I have such great experiences with the encounter power (granted, on a Swordmage). Fly your speed+1, make an attack and slide the target all with one standard action. The level 10 utility power is also nice if you have no other way to change your movement mode.Wizard’s Apprentice: DR399. Color Orb is pretty good early in your career, and getting a free level 6 common item at level 5 is great. The Noble theme also nets you a free item, but I consider this theme to be much better for Psions. Consider retraining it later in your career though.Elemental Initiate: HoEC. The encounter power (which actually works for you even when you have an empty hand) and the power bonus to Will are nice, but you take this theme for the ki focus proficiency if you don't want to waste a feat or your multiclass on it. Gnomes, Wood Elves and Shades want a Shadow Master Ki Focus to seriously increase their damage. Other builds that have their hands full with cheap items like Defensive Staff and Rhythm Blade might want to use a ki focus as their main implement because it’s slotless. And lastly, there are a couple of superior ki foci that combine the right attack and damage bonuses: Serene for psychic attacks against Will, and Inexorable for force attacks against Fortitude. Although Crystal Orb carries the same properties as a Serene Ki Focus, the Ki Focus Expertise feat can be better for some psychic builds than Orb Expertise.Haunted Blade: DR416. I feel weird listing this one, since the theme is centered around using weapon attacks. On the other hand, the level 5 feature of rolling twice for Intimidate is nice, but level 10 is where it's at. From then on, you can use your Charisma instead of your Dexterity for determining initiative. Halaster's Clone is usually better when you want to raise our initiative since the powers on that one actually do something, but there are situations when you don't want a power bonus (when a Warlord already gives it, for example). Then this theme can be nice.Infernal Prince: DR406. If you’ve taken the Firestarter paragon path, there’s no reason to retrain your theme to this for an additional bonus to your attack rolls. Be aware that the theme is illegal for LFR though.Sidhe Lord: HoF, fey or Half-elf only. If you multiclass Invoker for the Flame of Hope paragon path, the level 2 utility power of this theme becomes a crucial part of your party’s success, especially if you have a way to spend more than one action point per encounter. Everyone else should avoid this theme.Wilder: DSCS. If you’re looking for critical hit optimization, Resurgent Wilder is one of the best paragon paths available. Illegal for LFR though.[/sblock]Most backgrounds just grant you access or a bonus to specific skills, so if you’re looking for an easy way to get a skill that’s not in your list of class skills, this is the way to do it. I’m not going to list them, since they’re pretty numerous. Gnomes and Wood Elves get their Stealth training here. There are a few backgrounds that every Psion should consider though. <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/" target="_blank">Backgrounds</a>[sblock]Auspicious Birth (DR366), Born Under a Bad Sign (DR366), Thay (FRPG). These backgrounds all let you substitute your Intelligence for Constitution to determine your starting hit points. You don’t have a lot of hit points and not much other reason to invest in Constitution, so this can easily raise your hit points by 5-10. For some perspective, that’s the amount the Toughness feat adds.Dalelands (FRPG), Officer Who Came Out of Retirement (DR366), Trained from Birth for a Specific Prophecy (DR366), Vilhon Wilds (FRPG). Initiative is always important, and these backgrounds give yours a small boost.Adventurer’s Scion (DR371), Monster Hunter (DR366). If you’re into monster knowledge checks, these two backgrounds will help you out with them.[/sblock]</blockquote>

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