The Quintessential Psychic Warrior by Sam Witt
(Published by Mongoose Publishing)
Right from the start, the Quintessential Psychic Warrior opens the doors to a world whose surface until now has been barely scratched by players and DMs alike. Since the re-release of the Psionic Handbook for 3rd edition, more psionic books have been produced, but to this date none has covered the psychic warrior class in so much detail, nor even developed it within a volume of its own. Mongoose Publishing has grabbed the opportunity and volume 9 of their Collector Series expands the class over 128 pages in a way rarely imagined before. Though not as powerful as pure fighters or psions, those hybrid combatants combine the best of both worlds to become a force to be reckoned with. But power does not come without a cost.
The Quintessential Psychic Warrior possesses the typical chapter structure of the other books of the series. It provides ample details for character concepts, darker or grittier heroes, born from experiments and misfortunes. Those powerful misfits redefine the idea of "adventurer". Some may socially mix better than others like the Mindchard or the Failed Psion, but there are others who will find adventuring parties more like a commodity to use abuse and dispose of, such as the Seekers. These well-depicted concepts support the fact that not all is black and white and that heroes too linger between hues of grey, and this refreshing change will appeal to many players.
The chapter on prestige classes follow closely behind though not as well thought of as the concepts mentioned above. However, one or two prestige classes are worth mentioning like the Mind Sniper and the Power Fighter. The Mind Sniper is extremely efficient in the use of the Bolt power and its derivatives, Multiple Burst, Bolt Burst, etc. The Power Fighter is perhaps the most "macho" class of all as he relies heavily on physical and psychic brute strength. His psychic abilities are devoted to bring him that extra edge needed to overcome a tougher enemy though a lot of psionic power points will be drained through combat. Players must be ready to bet all in the first few rounds. Potentially, the Power Fighter is a good melee class that do not need to be all muscles.
Though imbued with psionic powers, psychic warriors do not possess the psion's vast array of mental skills. However the book does provide efficient and powerful expansions to Wizards of the Coast’s Psionic Handbook through the use of a full range of new powers and feats. These are both psionic and metapsionic, and demonstrate all their potency with a new attack tactic specific to the class: the Hybrid Psionic Combat system. For the powers, it would have been useful to include a list by order of level starting at 0, easier for a visual reference and clearer for the player.
In the mind of most adventurers lays the hope of discovering a magical item that will favour them. Psychic warriors dream the same, but instead of magic they are driven to those items that bear the psionic mark. In the Tools of the Trade chapter, instead of simply expanding on existing equipment from the Psionic Handbook, the author introduces better class-suited items such as Gliss (used for armour and weapons). There are also details on how to construct this new equipment, and this is well documented inside tables, although the cost for the psychic warrior is great. Access to them is restricted to "experienced" or older characters unless they just happen to fall down a hole onto a treasure trove. In general as well presented as the equipment is, players will be aware that it can also be harmful to the user, like the Psychoactives later described in the chapter. Being a psychic warrior may not be an idyllic life and the Quintessential Psychic Warrior makes a good point at not hiding what's in store for them and delivers in depth development for notable characters, NPCs, or despicable villains.
The Weapon Meditations are powerful abilities in the hands of their practitioners, and the relationship between the psychic warrior and her weapon resembles the dedication of the martial artist toward her art. In this chapter, weapons act like a catalyst, triggering different abilities depending on the type of weapon used. For example Weapon Climbing with tiny and small weapons or Mounted Fighting with medium bladed weapons. Previously we discovered that power came at a price, but with the Weapon Meditations we now know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. This chapter is more light-hearted than the rest of the book and shows that the psychic warrior can be an excellent class - well done Sam. Browsing through the meditation aspects, they all possess potential for the creation of interesting prestige classes. One mistake is the part concerning missile weapons. There is no mention of it in the category listing so it comes a bit as a surprise.
The Battle Trance and Psychic Cannibalism chapters can be read as more extended abilities or tools available to the class. The Battle Trance's only difference compared to powers, is that it is inherently available at any level. One of the major themes presented in the book concerns Psychic Cannibalism. This topic has its own chapter and is expanded within the Tools of the Trade and Prestige Classes sections. The subject is treated as a useful source of information without being an excuse to narrate cheap tales of horror.
Fortresses of the Mind is one of the most interesting chapters and presents what a psychic warrior can hope to accomplish: Managing a "Fortress" of their own. This part of the sourcebook is a good resource for developing character background, one-off game sessions, whole scenarios and campaign settings although it would have been nice to include a sample map of a fortress.
Conclusion:
The Quintessential Psychic Warrior contains a lot of facts and their presentation can make for a dull read at times. Artwork ranges from poor to good. However, chapters like Tricks of the Trade and Fortresses of the Mind are well written. Although this book is perhaps better suited to players who know the class well, there are plenty of ideas for fledgling warriors to experiment with. Recommended.
Bonus: 4 pages psychic warrior character sheet and easy to use summary tables.
(Published by Mongoose Publishing)
Right from the start, the Quintessential Psychic Warrior opens the doors to a world whose surface until now has been barely scratched by players and DMs alike. Since the re-release of the Psionic Handbook for 3rd edition, more psionic books have been produced, but to this date none has covered the psychic warrior class in so much detail, nor even developed it within a volume of its own. Mongoose Publishing has grabbed the opportunity and volume 9 of their Collector Series expands the class over 128 pages in a way rarely imagined before. Though not as powerful as pure fighters or psions, those hybrid combatants combine the best of both worlds to become a force to be reckoned with. But power does not come without a cost.
The Quintessential Psychic Warrior possesses the typical chapter structure of the other books of the series. It provides ample details for character concepts, darker or grittier heroes, born from experiments and misfortunes. Those powerful misfits redefine the idea of "adventurer". Some may socially mix better than others like the Mindchard or the Failed Psion, but there are others who will find adventuring parties more like a commodity to use abuse and dispose of, such as the Seekers. These well-depicted concepts support the fact that not all is black and white and that heroes too linger between hues of grey, and this refreshing change will appeal to many players.
The chapter on prestige classes follow closely behind though not as well thought of as the concepts mentioned above. However, one or two prestige classes are worth mentioning like the Mind Sniper and the Power Fighter. The Mind Sniper is extremely efficient in the use of the Bolt power and its derivatives, Multiple Burst, Bolt Burst, etc. The Power Fighter is perhaps the most "macho" class of all as he relies heavily on physical and psychic brute strength. His psychic abilities are devoted to bring him that extra edge needed to overcome a tougher enemy though a lot of psionic power points will be drained through combat. Players must be ready to bet all in the first few rounds. Potentially, the Power Fighter is a good melee class that do not need to be all muscles.
Though imbued with psionic powers, psychic warriors do not possess the psion's vast array of mental skills. However the book does provide efficient and powerful expansions to Wizards of the Coast’s Psionic Handbook through the use of a full range of new powers and feats. These are both psionic and metapsionic, and demonstrate all their potency with a new attack tactic specific to the class: the Hybrid Psionic Combat system. For the powers, it would have been useful to include a list by order of level starting at 0, easier for a visual reference and clearer for the player.
In the mind of most adventurers lays the hope of discovering a magical item that will favour them. Psychic warriors dream the same, but instead of magic they are driven to those items that bear the psionic mark. In the Tools of the Trade chapter, instead of simply expanding on existing equipment from the Psionic Handbook, the author introduces better class-suited items such as Gliss (used for armour and weapons). There are also details on how to construct this new equipment, and this is well documented inside tables, although the cost for the psychic warrior is great. Access to them is restricted to "experienced" or older characters unless they just happen to fall down a hole onto a treasure trove. In general as well presented as the equipment is, players will be aware that it can also be harmful to the user, like the Psychoactives later described in the chapter. Being a psychic warrior may not be an idyllic life and the Quintessential Psychic Warrior makes a good point at not hiding what's in store for them and delivers in depth development for notable characters, NPCs, or despicable villains.
The Weapon Meditations are powerful abilities in the hands of their practitioners, and the relationship between the psychic warrior and her weapon resembles the dedication of the martial artist toward her art. In this chapter, weapons act like a catalyst, triggering different abilities depending on the type of weapon used. For example Weapon Climbing with tiny and small weapons or Mounted Fighting with medium bladed weapons. Previously we discovered that power came at a price, but with the Weapon Meditations we now know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. This chapter is more light-hearted than the rest of the book and shows that the psychic warrior can be an excellent class - well done Sam. Browsing through the meditation aspects, they all possess potential for the creation of interesting prestige classes. One mistake is the part concerning missile weapons. There is no mention of it in the category listing so it comes a bit as a surprise.
The Battle Trance and Psychic Cannibalism chapters can be read as more extended abilities or tools available to the class. The Battle Trance's only difference compared to powers, is that it is inherently available at any level. One of the major themes presented in the book concerns Psychic Cannibalism. This topic has its own chapter and is expanded within the Tools of the Trade and Prestige Classes sections. The subject is treated as a useful source of information without being an excuse to narrate cheap tales of horror.
Fortresses of the Mind is one of the most interesting chapters and presents what a psychic warrior can hope to accomplish: Managing a "Fortress" of their own. This part of the sourcebook is a good resource for developing character background, one-off game sessions, whole scenarios and campaign settings although it would have been nice to include a sample map of a fortress.
Conclusion:
The Quintessential Psychic Warrior contains a lot of facts and their presentation can make for a dull read at times. Artwork ranges from poor to good. However, chapters like Tricks of the Trade and Fortresses of the Mind are well written. Although this book is perhaps better suited to players who know the class well, there are plenty of ideas for fledgling warriors to experiment with. Recommended.
Bonus: 4 pages psychic warrior character sheet and easy to use summary tables.
