Sell me on the Shaper power Throw Ectoform (Hyperconscious)

[Endarire]

Throw ectoform (Hyperconscious 110) is similar to mirror image, though the duration is 1 round/level (boo!) and I can order my "construct" selves to do more than surround me, mirror image-style.

Thankfully, in our game, there is no XP cost (yay!) but there is one by default (boo!).  How does the XP cost change this power's worth?

I already have astral construct for scouting and such.  My constructs last 10 minutes because of the feat Durable Construct (Hyperconscious 40) and I have plenty of HP via vigor, share pain, and a psicrystal.

I'm going for a somewhat melee build via astral construct power armor with the option to stand back and be a disabler.

All 3.5 source material is allowed, pending DM approval.

Throw Ectoform Full Text

Metacreativity
Level: Shaper 2
Display: Visual (see text)
Manifestation Time: One standard action
Range: Personal (see text)
Target: You
Saving Throw: Will(partial; see text
Duration: 1 round/level
Power Points: 3, XP Cost (see text)

You create ectoplasmic duplicates of yourself each round, confusing enemies and creating weak assistants called ectoforms.

While the duration lasts, you throw off one ectoform per round (but see below). The ectoforms seem to fission seamlessly from your own form or from an earlier generated ectoform, and they initially appear in any clear space you designate that is adjacent to you or adjacent to one of your earlier ectoforms (if the earlier ectoform is adjacent to you). “Throwing” occurs automatically at the beginning of each round and requires no action on your part. The power is suppressed if you are in a space with no physical room to allow you to spawn additional ectoforms or if you have a number of ectoforms equal to your manifester level already in existence from previous rounds of using this power. The power begins to function again when space permits or when one or more of your previously thrown ectoforms is destroyed. When the duration elapses, all surviving ectoforms dissipate. (Nothing can prevent this, although the Astral Zealot prestige class abilities may extend the duration as noted in Chapter Eight.) If you manifest this power a second time while the first is still active, the first power lapses and the second takes its place.

Ectoforms possess a thin semblance of your personality, but none of your powers or abilities (treat them as constructs); if interacted with outside of melee, they are instantly recognizable as shams. Your ectoforms pop like balloons, dissipating, if they are successfully attacked or targeted by any melee, ranged, power, or spell attack, or if they otherwise take damage, no matter how slight. An ectoform’s Armor Class is 10 + size modifier + your Dexterity modifier. An ectoform is weak, and it can directly accomplish anything you could accomplish with the far hand power, but no more. It can speak, sounding like you, but its memories are vague and shadowy—obviously fabricated and incomplete.

An ectoform is partially independent, though it acts on your wishes when first thrown, since it is a reflection of you. Thereafter you cannot mentally command it or verbally direct it. For instance, you may have intended for the ectoform formed in the first round to run west for 500 feet then report back, while the ectoforms of the next round can be directed to run interference between you and a foe. You do not gain any special means of communication with your ectoform.

As a special function of the power, you can instantaneously and secretly exchange places with an ectoform as it is thrown into an adjacent space so that you can further confuse enemies. (You can do this only as you throw an ectoform, not with a previously thrown one.) Enemies attempting to attack you or manifest powers at you must select from among indistinguishable targets. On each round you generate an ectoform that you change places with (and remain adjacent to for that round), attackers must succeed at a Will saving throw to determine which figure is really you. They gain a cumulative –2 circumstance penalty on their Will save for each ectoform adjacent to you beyond the first. True seeing and psionic true seeing, of course, reveal the real you.

Note: This power is psychophilosophically incompatible with the arcane spell mirror image; if both are attempted, the one manifest (or cast) first is the effect that occurs; the other effect is nullified.

XP Cost: Each time you manifest throw ectoform, you pay 1 XP (1 XP per manifestation, not 1 XP per ectoform).

[Phoenix00]

It can replicate extremely well the Shadow Clone Technique ( Kage Bunshin no Jutsu )

http://naruto.wikia.com/wiki/Shadow_Clone_Technique

[Endarire]

It can make for an interesting show, I know.

I'm seeking practical D&D applications, however.

[Garryl]

I don't know why they even bothered with the 1 xp cost. Even if you manifest only Throw Ectoform with all your PP every day, you still won't manage to fall behind more than one equal level encounter's worth of xp, assuming 4 encounters/day. Like all small xp costs, it either costs you nothing (since you never fall into the small xp point where your allies level but you don't) or you're behind for one encounter and get net more xp because xp is a river. The only way to make it more than a rounding error is by slowing your game down terribly (to 1 encounter/more than one day) or by spamming it with a recharge loop.

Numbers:

Psion 3 has about 18 PP (11 base, 6 Int, 1 race or higher than 18 Int or whatever), 6 xp spent/day. Each encounter gives 900/4 xp = 225 xp, so it takes 37 days of spamming this to cost an encounter.

Psion 10 has about 140 PP (88 base, 40 Int, 12 race or higher than 26 Int or whatever), 46 xp spent/day. Each encounter gives 3000/4 xp = 750 xp, so it takes 16.3 days of spamming this to cost an encounter.

Psion 20 has about 500 PP (343 base, 120 Int, 37 from items or rounding or higher than 34 Int or whatever), 183 xp spent/day. Each encounter gives 6000/4 xp = 1500 xp, so it takes 8.2 days of spamming this to cost an encounter.

On a side note, you get about 40-50% of an encounter's xp extra for being down a level, if I remember correctly.

Other than that, it's a short-duration Mirror Image. It's great if you can buff up beforehand and walk in with a dozen clones. It's less impressive if you have to use it in combat. On the upside, Extend Power plays really nicely with Throw Ectoform. I'm sure there are other shenanigans you can play, but I'm not the most creative person.

[Catty Nebulart]

Throw Ectoform + temporal reiteration (aka powers last one round longer) + recharge/action loop? 1 xp for a number of copies equal to ML which replace themselves at 1 per round, and if you pop one you can spawn a new one and teleport to that location.

If you go for full on abuse it seems like a nice power, but otherwise

I forget is there some way to persist psionic powers? It might be worth it then.

[Endarire]

I've heard that temporal reiteration (Complete Psionic 104) can make powers permanent by manifesting temporal reiteration (if only Linked) on the last round of the power to keep active.

[Nanshork]

Throw Ectoform + temporal reiteration (aka powers last one round longer) + recharge/action loop? 1 xp for a number of copies equal to ML which replace themselves at 1 per round, and if you pop one you can spawn a new one and teleport to that location.

If you go for full on abuse it seems like a nice power, but otherwise

I forget is there some way to persist psionic powers? It might be worth it then.

Hyperconcious has a feat for that IIRC.

[Endarire]

Hyperconscious 43 has Persistent Power.  So long as you're psionically focused, you can spend +12 PP to persist a power.  Otherwise works as Persistent Spell.

[Prime32]

The XP cost is there so that you can remove it with astral zealot. Which is an interesting PrC...

[Nunkuruji]

So...

Astral Zealot Conjoin Ectoform + Persistent Power: Thow Ectoform = DR/number of rounds you bother to persist for

?

[Phoenix00]

If you are going to persist the throw ectoform make sure you use power link shards to triple your manifester level and thus have 3 times as much shadow clones or three times as much damage reduction.

[Nunkuruji]

If you are going to persist the throw ectoform make sure you use power link shards to triple your manifester level and thus have 3 times as much shadow clones or three times as much damage reduction.

Ah yea, just found the phrase where it limits the clones to ML

[snakeman830]

If you are going to persist the throw ectoform make sure you use power link shards to triple your manifester level and thus have 3 times as much shadow clones or three times as much damage reduction.

Manifester level remains the same, you can just spend 3 times as namy PP on it as normal (shard provides some).