Author Topic: Psion build needed (Read 10163 times)

Rokugan · « **on:** May 29, 2012, 06:40:28 AM »

Hello everybody.

I'm about to start a new campaign and I need to build my new character.
I'd like to play a Psion. I already looked at the handbook for general guidelines.
So i came up with the idea of doing an Elan psion.
Basically what i want to do is some sort of investigator psion, taking Clairsentiece as a discipline.
I'll be honest, our group is made of pretty new player, 2 guys that never played before, and me and one other that only played a very short campaign.
So the party setup is very poor, mostly cause everybody just play whatever he likes. In the long run this may result in a mass death, but nvm.
Most of my doubts came with the feats choice and the PrCs. I really don't know what would fit well with the kind of play i have in mind.
The only thing that i don't like about my choice is -2 cha of the elan (still i have a 14, pretty high rolls), cause i'll be the face of the party for sure.
I really need good advices on how can i build this kind of psion.
I don't mind if this is not the best way to play a psion or it's not optimised, i just want to play this way cause it seems fun to me ^^
Everything from the 3.5 is allowed (except leadership feat and Thrallherd prc).
I have 82 total point to spend in ability scores.

Thanks everybody in advance for your help (Forgive me if i did some mistakes in the writing but english is not my main language

)

P.S: we will start at lvl 1

Summerstorm · « **Reply #1 on:** May 29, 2012, 11:25:58 AM »

(except leadership feat and Thrallherd prc)

Eh... i was going to say exactly that "Take Thrallherd" so you can have "Watson" and a tightknit group of informers *g* (If it is a city-campaign)

Well. maybe take "Inquisitor" feat, which is requisite for Thrallherd anyway. For a +10 Sense Motive check for expending your focus. So you can "investigate statements" without rummeging around in your victims brains.

But overall: Display of powers can be dampened by a concentration-check so charm, read thoughts etc. away...

I myself play an Elan psion (Telepath), having much fun with him. My route was: Int maximized, high Cha, Wis. ok Constitution (You can always use resilience or some (Share Pain + Vigor Psicrystal combo (note: Take a Psicrystal)) to take damage and dump dex and str (Unless you want to hit with rays and such) But everything has it's ups and downs. (I was taken down by a single Ray of Enfeeblement... couldn't carry my own equipment anymore *g)
Oh, also i am playing an OLD Elan (flavourful because at least 500 years old, but also better "brains")

Oh and also the Psion Handbook in the Handbook section was updated just now, i think.

Rokugan · « **Reply #2 on:** June 01, 2012, 05:19:31 AM »

Thanks for your reply.
I didn't considered taking inquisitor feats alone but written that way it may be interesting.
For ability stats I dumpened str and wis, taking ok con and dex and high cha and int.
And yes i took the psicrystal

I was thinking about the crystal master as prc (after taking 1 level of anarchic initiate

)
But i'm wondering if the bonus of embedded gem still apply while you hold the focus in the crystal. That would be amazing.
I know that the crystal master lose 2 manifester levels but i don't really like any other prc that i've seen.

phaedrusxy · « **Reply #3 on:** June 01, 2012, 10:14:27 PM »

Then don't take one. Psion 20 is perfectly respectable. Unlike arcane PrCs, you really have to consider whether the psionic ones are worth it, as they almost all lose at least one ML.

Mnemnosyne · « **Reply #4 on:** June 02, 2012, 11:28:40 AM »

From what I recall, clairsentience is not a particularly good psionic discipline; both in terms of power throughout the majority of the career, and in terms of flavor, especially at high levels. At low levels, your discipline powers are weak and of little usefulness, and not all that flavorful either. At high levels, you get Hypercognition and Metafaculty. These are actually pretty strong, but they are also really boring powers to roleplay, because Hypercognition basically amounts to 'the DM tells you the answer' while Metafaculty is even more significant that way - nothing can hide from you and you instantly solve almost any mystery just by manifesting it on your victim and suspects.

Outside of that comment, make sure to grab your level of Mindbender at 6 for Mindsight. Beyond that, I would just take Anarchic Initiate all the way to 10 - it's almost certainly better than a few bonus feats, and it is one of the few psionic prestige classes that does not lose a manifested level, so it's pretty much all upside.

mthor · « **Reply #5 on:** June 02, 2012, 02:06:05 PM »

I would consider takeing 10 levels of slayer. You do loose 1 manifester level but practiced manifester could fix that and as a psion this effects you a little less then most casters (augmentation). You gain full BAB, which means you are petty decent in combat if you buff up. By the 9th level you gain immunity to any mind effecting spells and powers as well as things that detect where you are. These are pretty fun and considering the lack of other choices on psionic PrC It's kinda worth it.

Rokugan · « **Reply #6 on:** June 02, 2012, 05:30:32 PM »

@Mnemnosyne: Bad luck that we just started yesterday and i don't think my DM will let me change my discipline. But, we have a very bad party composition so if i day i may consider to came back with another psion, what do you suggest?
And what break point is the best? lvl 5?

@mthor
Where can i check out more about the slayer?

mthor · « **Reply #7 on:** June 02, 2012, 06:19:59 PM »

Illithid Slayer: Expanded Psionic handbook p146-147
Also if you do die and have to rebuild, consider going erudite. If one of three options are met, then it will be awesome.
1. There are lots of manifesters in the campaign who you can get powers off of.
2. You can swing spell to power erudite, which is generally considered OP as fuck. ( you want to be able to cast any spell from any class ever? sure)
3. You can get your dm to play ball and let you go on "side quests" to get good powers

The reason erudite is good is you can get almost any power meaning that you don't have to choose between flavorful telepathic or clairvoyance powers and then metamorph or astral construct.

Side Note: What ever manifester you go with then I would consider getting Crystal Shard. It's damage is ok but no saves and no SR makes it an awesome power to whip out against anything that would usually be hard to hit with anything else.

phaedrusxy · « **Reply #8 on:** June 03, 2012, 05:00:40 PM »

I disagree that Clairsentience is a bad discipline choice. Psions do the whole "Oracle" thing a lot better than even divine or arcanes do in many ways. Compare Clairvoyance/Clairsentience spell with the Clairvoyant Sense power, for example. The power is better in so many ways it isn't even funny... Likewise, Object Reading is an amazing power that isn't easily duplicated via magic (of course it is also available via a cheap magic item).

When playing psions, discipline choice isn't even that important, anyway. I usually base my decision on which powers I want to pick up as early as possible, and if I really want any of the class skills. Seer gets awesome discipline-specific class skills, and you can pick up plenty of non-discipline powers to round out your character, as well as any "must have" powers from other disciplines via Expanded Knowledge. So I wouldn't worry too much about your discipline choice.

Rokugan · « **Reply #9 on:** June 04, 2012, 08:20:54 AM »

Mhh, after getting your opinions on the "oracle" abilities of the clairsentience discipline i talked to my DM asking if i can switch discipline (we just started out).
Mostly cause i have fun finding stuff by investigating and having a spell that can tell me everything is not what i want.
I was thinking to switching choosing the Shaper.
What do you guys suggest/think?

phaedrusxy · « **Reply #10 on:** June 04, 2012, 09:32:15 AM »

Shapers are awesome, but especially if you're a warforged, as you can repair yourself and your psicrystal equally with a single manifestation of Psionic Repair Damage, and you're immune to poison (which you can create by the bucketful with Psionic Minor Creation). Here are some notes and warforged shaper builds I've used.

WarlockLord · « **Reply #11 on:** June 04, 2012, 11:35:31 AM »

Anarchic Inititate is the only Psionic PrC I know of which does not lose a manifester level. It's in Complete Fail (Complete Psionic).

That said,

a)It doesn't fit investigator very well

b)The book is full of stupid and poorly thought out nerfs which may come back to bite you.

Rokugan · « **Reply #12 on:** June 04, 2012, 01:17:48 PM »

@Pha Unfortunately i cannot switch race. ^^

@Warlock we are playing with cpsi nerf. As i said, i'm going to switch discipline to shaper or whatever so the investigator role is not mine anymore.

mthor · « **Reply #13 on:** June 05, 2012, 01:12:50 AM »

@warlocklord I have always viewed slayer as the best psionic prc what with its build in immunity to mind effecting abilities and with its full bab. It really does make the gish option open to psionic characters. My question to you is this, do you think losing the full bab and nice abilities is worth the extra manifesting level. Especially considering how you can regain it with a feat and you will be taking overchannel because you like being awesome.

@rokugan: I feel like I should mention the good things about being stuck with elan. They have very nice tanky abilites. +4 to saves as an immediate action is just dandy and negating an uncapped amount of damage is really expensive but worth it due to the not dying part. Also they are abominations so break out the wand of alter self and start laughing uncontrollably.

Soundwave · « **Reply #14 on:** June 05, 2012, 01:28:41 AM »

I personally love telepathy. Even with mindblank screwing you and a significant portion of your power list reading peoples minds and the things you can do with memory are just too much fun to pass up.

mthor · « **Reply #15 on:** June 05, 2012, 01:33:13 AM »

@soundwave. That is the reason I love erudites. They can do almost anything the want.

Soundwave · « **Reply #16 on:** June 05, 2012, 11:23:04 AM »

The flexibility is quite nice

mthor · « **Reply #17 on:** June 05, 2012, 02:50:40 PM »

@soundwave. Flexibility is always nice.

awaken_D_M_golem · « **Reply #18 on:** June 05, 2012, 03:03:27 PM »

Quote from: Rokugan on May 29, 2012, 06:40:28 AM

Everything from the 3.5 is allowed (except leadership feat and Thrallherd prc).

I have 82 total point to spend in ability scores.

82 point buy means what ?!
Not sure what exactly you mean here.
You probably are not using the PHB style point buy
... because that would be outrageously awesome.

Ranger 1 / Psion 5 or 6 / SRD Slayer 9 (not 10) / Psion +X ... is another possibility.
Slayer is the Illithid slayer but you pick a different race.
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/prestigeClasses/slayer.htm
Throw in a little bit of a Carnivore ranged archer build.

Rokugan · « **Reply #19 on:** June 05, 2012, 04:07:37 PM »

@awaken

I actually rolled that with the PHB method x)

The build you suggested can be nice but is not what i had in mind. Tbh i'm quite of a new player ^^ so it will be better to stick to simple things.

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Author Topic: Psion build needed (Read 10163 times)