Class Features & Optimization Potential
Requirements
Feats: 2 spi-spell feats
Spells: Ability cast 3rd level spells
Powers: Ability to manifest 2nd level powers
Class Features
HD: d4
Skills (2 + int modifier): Autohypnosis, Concentration, Craft, Knowledge (all), Psi-craft, Spellcraft, any 2 skills from base psionic class
Spells/Level increase: 1, 3, 5-10th level
Powers/Level increase: 2, 4 ,5-10th level
Misprint (Text-Trumps-Table): The Dragon Magazine text lists Twin Wells as the 5th level class feature, and Focus of Discipline as the 7th level class feature. The table has this reversed.
Psionic Components(Ex): Substitute PP for verbal, somatic or inexpensive material components. Silent, Still and/or Eschew Materials on the fly at the cost of PP. Nice in a pinch.
Compensation(Ex): Pay for metamagic spell slot increase with PP, or pay for metapsionic PP cost with spell slots. Does not allow one to cast effective higher level slot spell + metamagic, as one might do with Divine Metamagic. However, it can increase the potency of mid to lower level spell slots and preserve higher level slots, or preserve PP costs on metapsionics.
Psionic Reinforcement: Bonus spell DC for maintaining a PP reserve.
Force Touch(Su): Deliver Touch attack as a ranged touch attack spell spell when manifesting concussion. Force Touch will only apply the spell component to one target of a multi-target concussion. Target of the spell component must be within line of sight & effect. Decent double nuke action economy.
Twin Wells(Su): Add Mind Mage class level to either caster level or manifester level.
Magical Reinforcement(Su): 1/day heighten power +1. This doesn’t exist in 3.5 psionics. RAI 3.5, simply treat it as a +1 DC to a manifested power 1/day.
Focus of Discipline(Ex): Lower spell level and slot by expending PP, or lower power level and pp cost by expending spell slots; DC is lowered accordingly. This is useful for casting normally uncastable / prepareable higher level spells in lower level spell slots. A prepared caster (wizard) or spontaneous known spells list (warmage / dread necro) could conceivably prepare and cast spells ahead of their progression. Ultimately, the Wizard / Psion Early Entry build below, could prepare 9th level spells from his spellbook, in his 8th level spell slots using Focus of Discipline.
Painful Premonition(Su): ability-mod#/day. Deliver additional nonlethal damage equal to damage of spell, and -2 saves. Will negate. Another nuke booster, on a different save than usual fort/reflex nukes. Situational, but has its uses.
Twin Wells Same Source: Add Mind Mage class level to both caster level or manifester level. Add together key ability modifiers for psionic and arcane classes for psi-spell abilities.
Optimization Potential
The class can lend itself well to combo battlefield control-blasting. Massive ML/CL boosts, as well as adding battlefield control and debuff properties through prerequisite Psi-Spell feats, and action efficient damage buffing with Force Touch or Painful Premonition. DC boosts on spells via Psionic Reinforcement, DC boosts on Psi-Spell effects with Twin Wells: Same Source, and DC boosts via augmenting powers with a massive ML.
3.5 Psionics was designed fairly conservatively as to manifester level boosting, in at least tying it to overchannel/wild surge/etc and usually a psionic focus expenditure. Due to this, Mind Mage is most appropriate in high power campaign that would allow other classes such as optimized Red Wizards and Shadowcraft Mages. The class isn’t any more broken than other such caster builds, it’s simply more self-contained, and less externally or DM reliant.
Additionally, the Mind Mage has superb action economy within its own class feature set. The class features require no additional action time for the most part, with one of the major caveats being unable to use psi-spell feats in conjunction with compensation. If the class were designed in 3.5, it may have tied some of the capabilities to a swift action, or expending psionic focus.