Min/Max Boards

5) Urban adventures. If magic isn't trusted and mages are feared, the PCs will have to be careful what they do in public. Urban adventures make sure they're in public most of the time.

Uh... The only people getting burned at the stake are non-casters that people have been led to believe are casters. The reason why this is? If it really WAS a spellcaster past level 2, those people in that mob are probably not going to walk out of there alive.

Also, again, low-magic just makes the spellcasters much much much more powerful by comparison, crafting or no.

Something that's always worked pretty well for my games in a "low magic" feel is banning item creation feats & removing magic item marts. Full spellcasters still run the same (and are still gods), but players have to wait for, or better yet quest for their hyper specific +3 Speed Returning Hammer, and Staff a Twenty-Million Fireballs. Basic magic items are available for sale & the rest is loot or special order.

That punishes mundanes and makes casters even better by comparison.

Fisty Mcfighter NEEDS that cloak of flying, uber weapon, and armor of awesome to function. Mr. McWizard just needs to cast Polymorph. Or summon something to do it for him.

Also, if nobody can craft, where do magic items come from?

Okay, so I know that 'vs' threads are bad, but I went through the effort of making this build stub, and everyone else wanted to see it, so I'm posting it here anyway. So n'yah.

I found a few issues when I posted this in that other thread over on the other boards, which I have now cleared up. Feel free to look it over and tell me how you think it stacks up vs Endarire's fighter.

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I'm going to assume that only effects that last 24 hours or more are in effect, which basically means that only Midnight Augmentation has actually been activated. I have a few options for 9-hour powers, but I don't really need them.

Okay, 42 point buy, two flaws (really doesn't matter which ones, as they won't affect anything either way -- Noncombatant and Vulnerable?), no traits.

Human shaper 5/constructor 5 (used Favored Contact from Cityscape, then retrained it away once I got into constructor and had enough skill ranks to sustain it).

90 pp
85.5 average hp

Str - 8
Dex - 8
Con - 18 (+2 item) = 20
Int - 16 (+2 item) = 18
Wis - 16 (+2 item) 18
Cha - 14

FEATS:
Flaw 1 - Psicrystal Affinity (Single-Minded)
Flaw 1 - Linked Power
Racial - Overchannel
HD 1 - Midnight Augmentation
Psion 1 - Boost Construct
HD 3 - Psicrystal Containment
Psion 5 - Metamorphic Transfer
HD 6 - Psionic Meditation
HD 9 - Expanded Knowledge (Metamorphosis)
Constructor 9 - Boost Construct (2)

PSICRYSTAL FEATS
HD 1 - Hidden Talent (Precognition, Seer 1)
HD 3 - Twin Power
HD 6 - Practiced Manifester
HD 9 - Protection Devotion

Items:
Torc of power preservation (MIC, 4,000 gp)
Bead of karma (DMG, 20,000 gp)
+10 skill shard (UMD, XPH, 1,000 gp)
Synaptic Mask (Hyperconscious, 3,000 gp, not relevant to this game, but an awesome item anyway)
Lesser rod of Extend (DMG 3,000 gp, totally not necessary, but still nice)
+2 Con item (4,000 gp)
+2 Int item (4,000 gp)
+2 Wis item (4,000 gp)
Psionic Crawling Tattoo of Expansion (ML 7) (1,400 gp)

TOTAL SPENT: 44,400 gp

RELEVANT POWERS
1. Astral Construct
1. Ecto Protection
1. Psionic Minor Creation
1. Vigor
1. Synchronicity
1. Hammer
1. (Seer) Precognition (Hidden Talent)
2. Share Pain
4. Dimension Door, Psionic

SKILLS:
Full ranks in: UMD (Cross-Class, 6 ranks), Concentration

Tactics:

   
The astral construct has the following stats, and PROBABLY beats the fighter on initiative, due to my delaying. Also, I forwent the augmented stats under Expansion for the actual sizing rules in the SRD here and here (except for the Dex and Str mods); otherwise it's extremely confusing:


It takes half-damage on a hit, and is wielding a Psionic Minor Creation-fashioned ironwood guisarme that doubles its reach to 60' and deals 6d6+30 damage (though it takes a -4 to hit on a flat-footed-due-to-invisibility attack). It uses its slams if the fighter gets within 30', and attempts to grapple.

The psion Metamorphosises into something difficult to hit (like a Superior Invisibility'd pixie), and hides under the AC, using it as cover.