[XPH] Psiwarriors and maintaining focus

[Piratecat]

Question: if you are hit while refocusing, do you need to make a concentration check to avoid bungling your focus?

Having played my converted 8th lvl psychic warrior last night, I was curious whether taking hustle and psionic meditation was going to make the character too powerful. You know the drill; full attack the foe (expending psionic focus to get an extra +2d6), manifest hustle as a swift action to get an extra move equivalent action, and spend it refocusing. Wash, rinse, repeat.

I had forgotten something. Psionic meditation may change it from a full round to a move equivalent action, but it sure doesn't stop it from drawing an AoO. Worse, in 3.5 you can draw multiple AoO's from the same person for different triggering actions! We're mostly still playing 3.0, but my turn went like this.

Pcat: "I full attack and power attack for 5, expending my psionic focus. Hit, hit, 34 points of damage. Then I manifest hustle defensively as a swift action and refocus."

KidC (DM): "Concentration check DC 18 to manifest defensively."

Pcat: "Made it."

KidC: "Okay, but your refocus triggers an attack of opportunity, and the snake-covered moose abomination hits you easily. You're gored."

Pcat: "Damn!"

For me at least, triggering those AoOs in the heart of combat is going to be a tactical consideration for when I refocus. Even so, it basically means spending 3 pp each round to do +2d6 damage, and that's balanced with 2nd level spells.

 

[drnuncheon]

I had forgotten something. Psionic meditation may change it from a full round to a move equivalent action, but it sure doesn't stop it from drawing an AoO.

Can you refocus defensively? If not, spring attack may be in your future.

Alternately, the judicious use of 5' steps could help:

Full attack, 5' step back (assuming the opponent doesn't have reach), hustle & refocus - no need to hustle defensively. Opponent presumably closes the distance and attacks you. Full attack, 5' step, hustle & refocus.

Repeat until you run out of room, power points, or opponent.

J

 

[Piratecat]

You can't refocus defensively -- and in this case, the opponent had reach. Stupid Mormo-bred viper-covered moose abomination! Be less snakey.

Your point's good, though. A 5' step prevents any other movement, but it doesn't prevent a move equivalent action.

Another lesson learned from last night: hostile empathic transfer is really effective when you have a poor AC and can't make a reflex save worth a damn. I pumped 60 points from my own damage into the villain, healing 30 as I did 30 to her (she made her will save). This power can trigger a massive damage save, too, and that doesn't suck.

Another lesson learned from last night: learn to pace yourself. Almost all powers now are one minute per lvl, and I used 90% of my PP in readying for this one fight. That's a shame, as more monsters are coming and my durations are about to expire.

 

[The Souljourner]

How do you like the new Psychic Warrior so far? I'm contemplating starting one, but I'm not sure how they've fared. I didn't see a lot of really powerful stuff in their list of powers, but I've only read about the first half of the alphabet.

-The Souljourner

 

[reiella]

You can't refocus defensively -- and in this case, the opponent had reach. Stupid Mormo-bred viper-covered moose abomination! Be less snakey.

Eh, why can't you Refocus Defensively?

Special: You can use Concentration to cast a spell, use a spell-like ability, or use a skill defensively, so as to avoid attacks of opportunity altogether.

Just DC 15 too, which is ironically easier than the DC 20 to regain focus.

[ Add ]

Check: You must make a Concentration check whenever you might potentially be distracted (by taking damage, by harsh weather, and so on) while engaged in some action that requires your full attention. Such actions include casting a spell, concentrating on an active spell, directing a spell, using a spell-like ability, or using a skill that would provoke an attack of opportunity. In general, if an action wouldn’t normally provoke an attack of opportunity, you need not make a Concentration check to avoid being distracted.

If the Concentration check succeeds, you may continue with the action as normal. If the check fails, the action automatically fails and is wasted. If you were in the process of casting a spell, the spell is lost. If you were concentrating on an active spell, the spell ends as if you had ceased concentrating on it. If you were directing a spell, the direction fails but the spell remains active. If you were using a spell-like ability, that use of the ability is lost. A skill use also fails, and in some cases a failed skill check may have other ramifications as well.

So yes, the action would require a Concentration roll, and if that is failed, you do 'waste the action'.

 

[Piratecat]

Thanks for the rules clarification, Reiella!

As for defensive refocusing, can you get up from a trip defensively by making a concentration check? Some actions just invoke AoOs - and SHOULD in my opinon, for balance reasons. Allowing someone to refocus defensively seems unbalancing to me, because they'd already have their concentration high enough that they'd always succeed. Allow this, and you're effectively saying that refocusing doesn't ever incur an AoO! Heck, I'd just say that if I was tempted to allow defensive refocusing; it would have the same effect, and require fewer dice rolls.

 

[Plane Sailing]

For me at least, triggering those AoOs in the heart of combat is going to be a tactical consideration for when I refocus. Even so, it basically means spending 3 pp each round to do +2d6 damage, and that's balanced with 2nd level spells.

This seems to be the key balancing element to me... the potential of getting +2d6 damage for 3pp at the risk of:
a) missing your attack and wasting it
b) incurring damage from the refocus attempt
c) incurred damage aborting the focus action

seems to be a reasonable trade-off.

Cheers

 

[James McMurray]

Piratecat: per the RAW you can refocus defensively. The reason you can't stand from prone defensively (or any of a huge number of other AoO provoking activities) is because concentration skill only applies to "spell, use a spell-like ability, or use a skill defensively". Standing up isn't a skill check.

That said though, in my mind its a rules loophole that was not meant to be, because if you can make the DC20 refocus check, you can easily make the DC 15 defensive check.

 

[Piratecat]

James, what does RAW stand for?

 

[Spatula]

Rules As Written, I would imagine.