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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nonlethal Force" data-source="post: 3534266" data-attributes="member: 35788">Add to that one of the easiest ones possible, and one that nearly every psion is likely to have ... Synergy: Knowledge(psionics).So, let's take my earlier numbers, using a 9th level psion:Begining INT: 16 (+3), boosted to 18 (+4) by the 4th and 8th character level bumps.Psicraft Ranks: +12Skill Focus (Psicraft): +3Psionic Affinity: +2Headband of Intellect +4: +2Synergy - Knowledge (Psionics): +2For a psion with the ability to use this feat to gain powers, all of this stuff would be reasonably standard.  As the prior poster said, take Craft Wonderous Item for the ability to make your own shards, and this is powerful.The numbers above indicate a psicraft check of +25 if I've added correctly.  So, we're not even talking about a +10 shard to guarantee success.  We're talking about a +5 shard!  After all, DC for a 5th level power would be 30.  If we are going for a true numbers argument, then that psion starts with an 18 INT and now we're talking about a mere +4 shard!Throw in a character who can aid another (leadership feat, anyone?), and those shards drop to a +3 and +2 with the respective starting INT scores.  At that rate, the chance of success is really so great that with a simple aid another action we're talking about an 85% chance of success without even needing a shard!  And I'm sure I left off some things above that could be helpful.The interesting thing is that as the character grows, chances of success are even better.  At level 16 the character can benefit from another point to their ability mod from character level advancement, another point from a more powerful headband, and 7 more ranks in psicraft.  That puts a character with a starting INT of 16 (average for a psion) at a psicraft check of +34 using my above numbers.  A psion with a starting INT of 18 would be up to a +35.What that implies is that at 16th level, this psion auto-succeeds with the "very difficult" skill check for any power of 9th level or less!  A psion with a starting INT of 18 auto-succeeds with room to spare for a power of level 9!  [Granted, they can only take what they can use, so they still can't grab the 9th level power, although by the numebrs they would auto-succeed).  What this implies is that by level 16 this character is guaranteed to learn any power that comes his way via the enemy - without even needing a shard!  The only balancing factor by this point is that the DM has to be careful at what the psion faces.  That's not balance, Vorpal Tribble, that's called handcuffing the DM.  I've said it before, and it's now my mantra in this thread.  Balance is not acheived in campaign design.  Balance is found in mechanics.  This feat shows no mechanical balance at all.No way is the skill check even remotely close to balancing this feat.  Hands down, this feat is broken unless the DM makes his/her campaign design balance it so that the feat can't be used that often.  From a game mechanics design, it is a poorly written feat that needs campaign design to balance it.</blockquote>

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