We need a Psychic Warrior Handbook

[Dictum Mortuum]

I don't get it, why do you have to expend your focus to manifest hustle :S ?

[Dictum Mortuum]

Thoughts:

It just occured to me that fighting with natural weapons doesn't give any bonus attacks due to BAB, but you do make a single attack with each one of them (with a penalty, but that's not that important). So, using powers like claws of the beast, metamorphosis, etc that give you multiple natural attacks can even provide you with more attacks per round than a full BAB class.

Due to the above, you don't have to keep a primary melee weapon, thus you can spend some money on defenses/utility items or on a ranged weapon.

[Samb]

I don't get it, why do you have to expend your focus to manifest hustle :S ?

Brainpeircing's suggestion is to use the Incarnum trick to manisfest everything, that includes hustle.  But to use the incarnum trick you need to expend your focus.  With his build he will be heavily dependent on PP storage items since he will be without his bonus PP and psywar has terrible PP pool to begin with.

[Dictum Mortuum]

Aha, now i get it. I am not that familiar with incarnum. Can't you manifest hustle without using the trick?

[Brainpiercing]

I don't get it, why do you have to expend your focus to manifest hustle :S ?

Brainpeircing's suggestion is to use the Incarnum trick to manisfest everything, that includes hustle.  But to use the incarnum trick you need to expend your focus.  With his build he will be heavily dependent on PP storage items since he will be without his bonus PP and psywar has terrible PP pool to begin with.

All I need is one point. Well, then you're right, I need 14 Wis to begin with, or else it doesn't work at level 1.

Now I grant you that unfortunately there is no clause that says you CAN use just the bonus PPs Midnight Talent on a power, but it's one of those undefined things. So provided that you always keep one PP left over you can always do this. (It'll work  fine at level2.) A Cognizance Crystal for that one point costs 1000gp, just as much as your Deep Crystal weapon. As soon as you have the crystal you can definitely always do it.

I would not use this method for combat manifestation, although even that is viable, but for pre-buffing continuously. (It does get a bit hard on the move to have to stop for several full-round actions every minute or few minutes at least to become focused, but... you can't have everything.)

So to get this straight:

I don't need a lot of bonus PPs, because I want to manifest longer-running buffs primarily from bonus PPs from Psycarnum Infusion. This doesn't LOCK UP my focus, in fact I can have it held most of the time, until I find out what I need it for. I can also make full use of the Cognizance crystals, by making sure that any crystal I may hold is definitely always full.
I don't need linked power to buff myself, because most likely, when combat starts, I'm already buffed. With a 50gp item I can take 10 to aquire focus as many times as I like while out of combat, and hence manifest any long-running buffs. At the start of combat, I may still want to manifest one rd/level buff, and at the lower levels, that's all I'm likely going to need, or even have.

This frees up the need for High Wiz and a psionic race at low levels to even manifest at level 1. At low levels a Psywar suffers from quite a bit of MAD, because he's basically a Fighter without BAB. I got rid of that MAD quite nicely, now.

Now don't get me wrong: As soon as I CAN'T use the Incarnum cheat I would NEVER use a Wiz penalized race for a PsyWar. But WITH IT, there is not much reason not to, if you can get good benefits from it.

YES, at higher levels, with the availability of Metamorphosis, I'm likely not going to need those physical stats anymore. But that is what, at level 10! I'm not talking about those levels. As usually, if you want a boost later you usually have to sacrifice something now, and vice versa. I'm trying to make a powerful level 1 PsyWar.

I don't get it, why do you have to expend your focus to manifest hustle :S ?

Brainpeircing's suggestion is to use the Incarnum trick to manisfest everything, that includes hustle.  But to use the incarnum trick you need to expend your focus.  With his build he will be heavily dependent on PP storage items since he will be without his bonus PP and psywar has terrible PP pool to begin with.

What I'm saying is: At level 5 I can get Psionic Meditation to gain focus as a move action. At level 6 I can therefore expend focus to gain 6PPs via Psycarnum Infusion, manifest hustle for 3PPs, regain focus, and then I still have 3PPs left over and a standard and a move action. I made a mistake there, earlier, it does actually need level 6 to do this.

And by way of further explanation: I'm building this character for an E6 game. I won't ever get Metamorphosis. But at level 6 I can get Midnight Augmentation, too. I'll have two points of Essentia, and I can then manifest an 8PP augmented Animal Affinity for 6 PPs, for +4 to two different stats. I'll also be able to manifest  +4-5 augmented first level powers for free, or +2-3 augmented second level powers for free, all day. Or stuff those entire 6PPs into the Deep Crystal weapon. (In any case I think a deep crystal weapon is a horrible waste of PPs for an already PP-strapped PsyWar.)

Is that balanced? I don't know. Likely not. But what is?

[Samb]

I get what you are saying brainpriecing, but psywar doesn't have DMM to ensure that buffs stay up. And at lower levels the duration is painfully short even with overchannel maybe you can use the same buff for 2 encounters but it is doubtful it will last all day. Or if you use extend power on something like claws of the beast, then they may last all day but be significantly weaker.

Linked power with syncronicity is still the fastest and most flexible way to buff and that requires PP and focus. Both of which would be lacking in a water Orc.  While I concede, a water orc's physical stats are great, and I have made one for arena tourneys (lvl1) but the advantages in attack and damage are easily negated with an augmented metaphysical weapon or offensive precog. And in early levels you fcus isn't that easy to get although your shard idea was a good one. I'm not sure about the endurance of it though.

[Samb]

Just to clarify, can you use the PP in a storeage item to manifest two powers?  I could have sworn you it has be the same power, or was it you can only use one source to manifest one power?

[snakeman830]

Just to clarify, can you use the PP in a storeage item to manifest two powers?  I could have sworn you it has be the same power, or was it you can only use one source to manifest one power?

You can only use one source per power.  You don't need to spend all the stored pp on one power.

[Brainpiercing]

I get what you are saying brainpriecing, but psywar doesn't have DMM to ensure that buffs stay up. And at lower levels the duration is painfully short even with overchannel maybe you can use the same buff for 2 encounters but it is doubtful it will last all day. Or if you use extend power on something like claws of the beast, then they may last all day but be significantly weaker.

Linked power with syncronicity is still the fastest and most flexible way to buff and that requires PP and focus. Both of which would be lacking in a water Orc.  While I concede, a water orc's physical stats are great, and I have made one for arena tourneys (lvl1) but the advantages in attack and damage are easily negated with an augmented metaphysical weapon or offensive precog. And in early levels you fcus isn't that easy to get although your shard idea was a good one. I'm not sure about the endurance of it though.

Oh, a minute per level buff can be up most of the time as long as you keep casting it every minute. At level 3 I can use 10min/level expansion, which is sufficient for basically all day long, because I can recast at will, possibly in addition to 1hour/level 1d6 (1d8 when large) claws. I need two rounds to do this out of combat. (18Con +4 ranks +2competence means I can take 10 to gain focus out of combat, at level 1.) I need one more round at the start of combat to manifest a combat buff, like prescience - of course then I don't have my focus, but I don't have any feats to take advantage of it, anyways - yet.

I would really only ever take the Water Orc with the recharge mechanism.

[Samb]

Manifesting a buff every minute is...... Tedious and untealistic. I guess you could do but I really don't think any reasonable DM would allow it. I suppose for a under 6 level build it's not too bad, but at higher levels this leaves a lot to be desired as not having linked power or deep impact will be noticable and the metamorphosis will negate all the early benefits while still having all the drawbacks.

[carnivore]

a lot of PW ideas seem to arise from assumptions of very generous DMs who give PP sources to players(allow Unbalanced use of Bestow Power) at early levels and allow a lot of other Cheese .... i have never played with this type of DM.

it would be better to make suggestions assuming very Strict DMs ... who allow little and require a lot of RP from characters..... this way you will be better prepared for whatever you are faced with.


Many DMs dont have access to a lot of material(3.5 that is, and especially Psionic stuff) ..... thus giving generic suggestions based on SRD would be more reasonable, if you want to add how other sources of material will further boost a build .... fine , but offer the Baseline info first.

just my opinion

 

[snakeman830]

Many DMs dont have access to a lot of material(3.5 that is, and especially Psionic stuff) ..... thus giving generic suggestions based on SRD would be more reasonable, if you want to add how other sources of material will further boost a build .... fine , but offer the Baseline info first.

just my opinion

 

There really isn't much psionic material outside of the SRD anyway.

Besides, this is the CharOp boards.  We assume, especially for things like Handbooks, that all sources are open unless stated otherwise.

[carnivore]

still better to show Baseline info first.... then show how additional info will help

exa: feed children milk and soft foods before solid foods, solid food is for those who can digest it


 

[awaken DM golem]

But I want Milk and Cookies 

**

Don't forget the 1 pp Cognizance Crystal for the Azure + PI feats.
You need 1 pp "available" to regain psi-focus (as the book says),
and the Azure + PI feats only give bonus pp, which are used up ?whenever? relative to normal pp.

Pick a different feat for 2nd level, retrain it for 3rd level.
Pick Craft Cognizance Crystal at 3rd level, retrain it for 4th level.
Down 500 gp but problem(s) solved.

[GawainBS]

I agree with carnivore: provide a basic example, and then move on to more obscure sources.

[mans0011]

Have you conferred with Lycanthromancer, yet? He's pretty much the bees knees when it comes to psionics and psy warriors.

[Brainpiercing]

But I want Milk and Cookies 

**

Don't forget the 1 pp Cognizance Crystal for the Azure + PI feats.
You need 1 pp "available" to regain psi-focus (as the book says),
and the Azure + PI feats only give bonus pp, which are used up ?whenever? relative to normal pp.

Pick a different feat for 2nd level, retrain it for 3rd level.
Pick Craft Cognizance Crystal at 3rd level, retrain it for 4th level.
Down 500 gp but problem(s) solved.

Right, I have the Crystal, no problem. It's the better way to go about it.

Btw. my basic E6 build now is:

Dragonborn Water Orc
1) Azure Talent b)Psycarnum Inf PW) UP the Walls (Everyone in the campaign gets an bonus feat at L1)
2) PW) Battle Jump
3) Improved Essentia Cap
5) PW) Psionic Meditation
6) Midnight Augmentation(Animal Affinity), although this is still a convenience choice, I might take something else.

Powers:
1) Force Screen, Expansion, Metaphysical Weapon or prescience Off; 2)Animal Affinity, Hustle, Lion's Charge or something else


Now, on the DM restrictions, I don't think that the AT/PI trick unbalances the game in great ways:

1) You spend a fullround action before level 5, and the number of PPs gained is quite limited.
2) PsyWars are otherwise very balanced; I would not even say they jump a Tier. They merely move to high tier 3.
3) There are other, completely undisputable recharge mechanisms available, but these only come at higher levels, whereas the low levels is where the PsyWar needs a PP boost, IMHO.

Other Psionic classes benefit less from the Incarnum trick, because their PP costs rise much quicker. The maximum you can get outside of Gestalt is 10PPs at level 16. Certainly enough to recharge Cog Crystals, but with them you can only Augment to 17PPs.
While there

The other Incarnum trick (Torc+Midnight Augment + Bestow Power; spend 3, gain 4) works rather better at higher levels, and is also entirely undisputable. Your DM actually has to be a dick to disallow it. Oh, and PsyWars can't do it, at least not out of the box, so you would have to spend yet another feat to make it work, and either be an Incarnum Race or spend yet another feat to get the necessary 2 essentia.

I think as long as a player doesn't use grossly exaggerated schemes none of these things break the game.

[Samb]

The incarnum trick is strictly inferior to the "real" recharge because it requires expending focus and the max it can go is 17 PP. It could go higher but you would need the make a soulmeld (I think) that will allow you invest more than 8 essentia.

The real trick is metapower a level 1 power with linked power combined with wild surge or something that reduces cost. Wild surge provides at least one free PP beyond the intial cost (for augmentation and metapsionics) while metapower provides 2.  So you spend 1 PP and gain 2PP.

In fact wilders can do this even without linked power before level 9, or up to level 18 with ennervation tolerance. If you can't get wild surge then you will need one more way to lower costs and it can't be earth power (unless you're an ardent) because that requires you maintain focus.

[Daedalus]

Can't you just take Metapower (Bestow Power) & Metapower (Vigor) or something so you get to manifest Linked Vigor + Bestow Power for 0?

[GawainBS]

Can someone please explain the recharge-trick, step by step? I'm not getting it... If possible, with the least amount of books. Thanks in advance!