[XPH] Powers for a 6:th level Psion

[Psionicist]

Hello folks!

I am currently building our campaigns very first Psion (discipline not deciced yet), but I'm having some trouble choosing powers. I know there are a few possibly unbalanced powers (Energy Missile, perhaps) and I'd rather not accidently ruin the game with a broken character. I figured the best idea was to ask here.

I am pretty sure there are a few must-haves, such as Crystal Shards and Dispel Psionics. Unfortunately, these are the only two generally useful powers I know of. As our gaming group is rather small (3-4 players) it is important the character is versatile.

Rules as follows: 6th level Psion, Human, Forgotten Realms, psionics is not different (dispel magic dispells psionics and vice versa).

Insight appreciated.

 

[Urbanmech]

Can you share what disipline you are leaning toward? I would make different suggestions based on disipline. Though there are a few powers no psion should go without. 1st: Vigor, Inertial Armor or Force Screen, 2nd: Concussion Blast (force damage is good to have vs those nasty incorporeal foes), 3rd: Time Hop (useful for offensive and utility purposes, enemy fighter charging you? Time Hop, Door in the way? Time Hop)

 

[Scion]

I have been wanting to run a control freak kineticist lately myself

1st: control object, control flames, matter agitation
2nd: control air, control sound, knock, energy stun
3rd: energy retort, energy wall, eradicate invisibility, time hop
4th: control body, freedom of movement

(the last happens at 7th of course)


Or, another good way to go is constructor.

 

[Thanee]

Entangling Ectoplasm is probably quite useful.

Inertial Armor, Force Screen and Defensive Precognition seem to be the best defensive (AC) powers.

Yes, Energy Missile (or Energy Stun) seems a bit too much, but Energy Ray, for example, is also very good and is more reasonable.

Detect Psionics is also useful, I'm sure.

Vigor is very good.

There are really a lot of good powers, those are just some 1st level ones. A discipline is pretty important to choose, because that will also quite likely influence the choices you make from the general power list.

Bye
Thanee

P.S. And you definitely need to house rule Dispel Psionics! One of the more fair solutions, which is also precedented with Metamorphosis, would be to split it up into a standard (3rd) and a greater (6th) version, which scale to 10 and 20 respectively.

 

[Scion]

Or, for dispel psionics, you can assume that they assumed the reader would understand it is changing the maximum bonus and not the actual bonus you are applying.

 

[Thanee]

Hey, if they want the reader to understand what they mean, they should write what they mean...

Besides, that would still be too good, as it would make psions better at dispelling magic than wizards, which just doesn't sit right. They should be the same, really.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Scion]

Greater dispel is still much, much better than an augmented psionic dispel. Along with the psionic version costing more pp then the equivalent greater dispel.


Also, it does say, 'to a maximum of +20' which could easily be read to mean that the maximum bonus is +20, which was earlier defined to be +10

 

[Evilhalfling]

R Matey.
The first level spells suggested are good,
I would recomend
1st
Telempathic Projection - I was going to recomend this but it makes the caster too obvious, with a visual display.
2nd
Recall Agony - 2d6 dmg at medium range Augment 1 for 1
and Energy Sun - 5' burst close range 2 effects
- assuming no Energy Missle which is pretty clearly broken.
over concussion or energy push
3rd
Dispell Psionics - with houserule.
Energy wall -
E. Bolt if you really need more firepower -
Hustle if you are using a psionic focus build,
Ectoplasmic Caccon, Empathic transfer, hostile and energy cone are lovely depending on specialty. If your party lacks a summoner you might look into the Astral constructs route, with the Boost feat of course.

There ar a number of decent builds, but I find the 2nd lvl powers better than the third,

 

[Thanee]

@Scion: It's no question, that the "as is" version is completely unreasonable, but it's likewise completely unreasonable to say, that it doesn't state it, when it reads:

For every additional power point you spend, the bonus on your dispel check increases by 2

There is not really much to understand different here...

You can read that any way you want, but it's still a (much needed) house rule.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Scion]

::shrugs::

we have

SRD:
You make a dispel check (1d20 + your manifester level, maximum +10)

and

For every additional power point you spend, the bonus on your dispel check increases by 2 (to a maximum bonus of +20 for a 5-point expenditure).

If we read it the way you have said it doesnt really make much sense, especially with the part in quotes there to help.

The part in quotes helps explain which bonus they were talking about, the maximum bonus. If the part in quotes wasnt there then it could be read a number of different ways, but with it there there is really only the one way to read it, which is pretty well balanced (although I would have prefered it to state it in the main body of the sentence and not had a cap at all personally).