Your Exp with Psi-Chars

[green slime]

Psions require careful planning and need to be well thought out to be an effective force in the party. More than any other character class. It can be done though.

Psychic Warriors on the other hand, are just too cool.

There are a few powers which need to be handled carefully. As a DM, you need to also ensure that they encounter Psionic adversaries.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

I haven't played them, but my impression is that a PsyWarrior can be disproportionately powerful if the campaign is low in combat -- a PsyWarrior who can burn PPs with abandon is more powerful than any Fighter or Barbarian.

 

[Deset Gled]

IM(limited)E, I have found Psionic characters are often better than normal casters in the case of multiclassing. There a a number of different reasons for this, among them being the fact that a psion can use any ability for the base of their power, the way the power point system lets allows greater use of a psions higher level powers, and psionic feats. Psionic characters can also often benefit more from being a non-standard race.

 

[Nifft]

I haven't played them, but my impression is that a PsyWarrior can be disproportionately powerful if the campaign is low in combat -- a PsyWarrior who can burn PPs with abandon is more powerful than any Fighter or Barbarian.

The same goes for Clerics -- or any other spellcaster.

I've actually played with PsiWars (on both sides of the DM's Screen), and they're just fine in my experience.

-- N

 

[ciaran00]

Lots of replies. Wow.

So, my advice is: nix Psi-Combat, and use my house rules, which I'll post in House Rules upon request.
-- N

Please post them. What does everyone think of these house rules based on your experience with psionics?
* Get rid of multiple ability dependency and make psionic effectiveness depend on Int or Wis (probably Wis).
* Make bonus PPs depend on Con.
* Remove psi attacks and use Mindscapes, slightly modified.
* Use the PP progression from Mindscapes for the Psion.
* Use the known powers progression from Mindscapes for the Psion.
* Use the "psionics is different" caveat.

Am I setting myself up for a game-breaking character?

ciaran

 

[Nifft]

* Get rid of multiple ability dependency and make psionic effectiveness depend on Int or Wis (probably Wis).
* Make bonus PPs depend on Con.
* Remove psi attacks and use Mindscapes, slightly modified.
* Use the PP progression from Mindscapes for the Psion.
* Use the known powers progression from Mindscapes for the Psion.
* Use the "psionics is different" caveat.

Am I setting myself up for a game-breaking character?

Yes. Wis and Con are two very strong stats. It's insanely strong to base both HP and PP off of a single stat.

Here's what I do (my House Rules for my Psionics Is Different campaign setting):

ALL Disciplines are based off of Mental stats. Specifically:
* Psychometabolism: Charisma (was Str)
* Psychokinesis: Wisdom (was Con)
* Psychoportation: Intelligence (was Dex)
* Metacreation: Intelligence
* Clairsentience: Wisdom
* Telepathy: Charisma

Thus, each Mental ability has two Disciplines. You still choose a Discipline as normal, and you are still subject to MAD, but it's not nearly as bad as in the Core rules. Also, Polymorph Self is no longer game-breaking.

I also only allow Animal Affinity to boost Physical stats (Str, Dex, Con), and I've banned Mental stat-boost spells like Fox's Cunning & Eagle's Splendor. They make Spell & Power DCs a pain in the butt, and it's balanced by the bad guys not getting those effects either. (Mental stat items DO exist, but they're double price.)

I've nixed Psi Combat, but I would allow Mindscapes in if any player wanted to master the system... as in, tell me what the effects were or keep the table open in front of him. Otherwise, it's just too much of a slow-down in combat.

Mindscape Psion are the version I use, except no Secondary Disciplines... each Discipline already has a "secondary" built in to its key ability, and the others aren't too hard to get.

NO MINDFEEDER WEAPONS! I'd allow a Willfeeder that deals 1 point of Wisdom damage and gives the Psion 1 temporary Power Point (lasts 10 minutes) with each hit, priced at +3.

-- N

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

The same goes for Clerics -- or any other spellcaster.

I've actually played with PsiWars (on both sides of the DM's Screen), and they're just fine in my experience.

-- N

True, but the PsiWarrior can invoke a number of powers as free actions so you will more easily see superstacking.

 

[Calico_Jack73]

Psionic Characters kind of fit into the "Bonus" character of the party. You know, the ones like the Monk & Bard. Nice to have but not until someone is playing a Fighter, Wizard, Rogue, and Cleric. There effectiveness really depends on the creativity of the player. The individual Psionic powers of the Psychic Warrior are a good example. When the rules first came out my group was playing through a High Level 2E adventure "A Paladin in Hell" that my DM had converted. One of the PC's was a Psychic Warrior. Individually his powers were not that great until we saw him combining them to great effect. He used Graft Weapon to make his normal longsword become part of his arm. He then used both Greater Metaphysical Weapon and Disolving Touch on the sword. The sword (being part of his body) could then benefit from Disolving Touch. He'd then use the Deep Impact feat to bypass his target's armor. I don't remember the actual amount but the damage he could dish out in a single attack was staggering and to think he started out with a plain non-magical longsword. The Psychic Feats alone make it almost worth playing. The only real downside to the Psychic Warrior is that they have a d8 for hitpoints and their attack bonus follows the cleric track. A true blue fighter would probably have a good chance at beating them. A Psion is simply another form of Sorcerer... plain and simple. The only difference is that the DC to save against their powers is variable. They gain new powers at the same rate (slower than Wizards) but their Power Point potential puts them in the same rate of use as a Sorcerer. The only real benefit is that you can have a Psion with a 18 Dex and gain bonus power points from that stat (or any other high stat you have).

 

[Nifft]

True, but the PsiWarrior can invoke a number of powers as free actions so you will more easily see superstacking.

I guess so -- the only "Free Action" powers that I've seen used are Burst, Catfall, and Reach. Reach lasts 1 round/level, and the other two last less.

Clerical buffs seem to last for minutes per level.

-- N

 

[Spatzimaus]

Well, I've played three Psions and a Psychic Warrior, so here's my views:

PSYCHIC WARRIOR
Very strong class. Superior to the core Fighter class in almost every way once you're buffed up; until 10th level the two have the same number of Feats, and the lost HP and BAB are made up for by all those spells.
They get a nice spell selection, substantially better than a Ranger or Paladin gets. It's not quite up to the Bard selection, but on the other hand the PW is much stronger in combat than a Bard.
A Psychic Warrior can also be a replacement for a Monk. By using the various Psionic feats and his powers, a PW can duplicate most of the Monk's good abilities and then some. And, unlike a Monk, he can multiclass REALLY well. In a campaign with psionics available, practically any melee type would benefit to take two levels of PW unless the DM plans on throwing that stupid Psychic Combat at them.
Their powers include a few PW-only ones, many of which are nice. My favorite is Vigilance (30' darkvision, 10' even in magical darkness or dust/fog, lasts 1 hour per level).

PSION
They kinda suck if you only use the core book. If you add Mindscapes they're balanced with the other core classes. If you use the Mind's Eye (WotC website) as a substitute for their nonexistent splatbook, then they're actually really good. Their biggest advantage is that you can pick whatever key stat you want, so playing a +CON race isn't just for the bonus HP any more. Their biggest disadvantage is the inability to use powers from more than one or two disciplines at high level, but Mindscapes gets around this.
Psions, unlike Sorcerers and Wizards, multiclass well. After all, they can cast in armor, have interesting class skill lists, and don't have to mess around with components or gestures. They also don't need to keep useless mental stats high at the expense of the physical. Both "almost pure" Psions I played were multiclassed (the Aristocrat 1/Shaper/Constructor was my favorite), and when I played a Giant Owl in a high-ECL campaign he had a half-dozen Egoist levels too.
Psionics in general isn't good if you like making things go boom. The damage powers stink. On the other hand, they get lots of divinations, can do some basic healing, and get a bunch of great utility spells and nondamaging attacks. For example:
> the psionic Fabricate is only a 4th-level power and affects a greater volume than the 5th-level spell. Don't underrate this, defining the enemy's door as "raw materials" makes it like a low-end 3E Disintegrate.
> Identify has no material component for Psions.
> Mass Cocoon is like Forcecage but better, with no expensive component. A no-save, no-SR spell that immobilizes anyone within a 10'x10'x10' area and prevents them from casting most spells?
> Astral Construct vs. Summon Monster is a debate we get into pretty often. Once you add in the Mind's Eye feats that lead to the Constructor class, it's pretty clear which is superior.