[3.5] The Psychic Warrior Handbook

[zugschef]

There are a few Psychic Warrior powers from the Mind's eye web articles. Most of them can be foundon that page, all though there are a couple others elsewhere (there's a complete listing in the Guide to Free D&D, sorted by class and level on page 6).

Reach (2nd level) is a useful one to have. It's a swift action to manifest, lasts for 1 round/level (or 1 minute/level with the augment) and it increases your reach by 5 feet, stacking with size increases from Expansion. Expansion will mostly do the same job, and often better, but this is a little bit extra and benefits from the free quickening. Change Fate (5th level) is another useful one. It costs 500 xp to use, but being able to guarantee a natural 20 on a given saving throw can be a life saver. Given the lack of amazing 5th level powers, it's worth a look.

this power got updated in complete psionics and lasts only 1 round and can be augmented to last another round, thus not worth mentioning. call item and change fate absolutely are worth mentioning, though. thanks! =)

Opinion on the primordial giant template as applied to half-giants?

i didn't know that one, i'll include it, of course!

You have inconstant location marked as "instant location".

oh, thanks, i'll correct this immediatly.

Nice formatting, by the way. I have some psicrystal advice in my mount handbook.

i'll read through it and at least link to it. =)

as said, more advice is always welcome.

[snakeman830]

Note on Dissolving Weapon: This is a buff that you can manifest weeks ahead of time if necessary.  It's an instantaneous power, but it also specifies that the acid damage is dealt on the next successful attack.  Manifest this on your weapon before you go to bed.  Got an archer buddy?  Charge up his arrows with acid damage.  This is really great if you're not forseeing any combat for a couple of days and also a good way to use up a few power points at the end of the day.

[zugschef]

Note on Dissolving Weapon: This is a buff that you can manifest weeks ahead of time if necessary.  It's an instantaneous power, but it also specifies that the acid damage is dealt on the next successful attack.  Manifest this on your weapon before you go to bed.  Got an archer buddy?  Charge up his arrows with acid damage.  This is really great if you're not forseeing any combat for a couple of days and also a good way to use up a few power points at the end of the day.

oh, how could i miss that? thanks! =)

[InnaBinder]

Thoughts on dipping Incarnum with PsyWar?  It seems like a couple levels of Totemist would be fairly useful for a Psychic Warrior, especially games where Secrets of Sarlonna is off the table.  Girallon Arms and/or Sphinx Claws is nice for the grapplers, while Manticore Belt is a stylish and powerful choice for the archer/throwers. 

[zugschef]

Thoughts on dipping Incarnum with PsyWar?  It seems like a couple levels of Totemist would be fairly useful for a Psychic Warrior, especially games where Secrets of Sarlonna is off the table.  Girallon Arms and/or Sphinx Claws is nice for the grapplers, while Manticore Belt is a stylish and powerful choice for the archer/throwers. 

I'll include this in my to do list (I'm not very familiar with MoI, though). Thanks! =)

[Arz]

Might also want to check out Daelkyr Halfblood from MoE. They are aberations that can acquire a whip that can take AoO. Also you can do more vigor+share pain chicanery and psychic chirurgy with them. The whip also gives faux Imp Trip and Disarm. Certainly not for every build but a step over synad imo. Takes a little looking over the ECS and MoE symbionts to grasp the potential.

[Zemyla]

You forgot the main reason psychic warriors make the best grapplers:

Expanded Knowledge (dispel psionics).  Since most people with Freedom of Movement have it from a ring, which has CL 7, that's the target to beat.

[Lycanthromancer]

You really need a section regarding pulling powers from other lists. If you're using a race that's immune to poison, such as warforged or necropolitan, grabbing psionic minor creation for gallons of black lotus extract is an incredibly pp-efficient way of getting poison on all of your attacks, for hours at a time. Every time your sword, maul, guisarme, armor spikes, bite, claw, or slam attack hits, or any time you grapple, your target has to make a Fort save or be screwed. Likewise, you can get metamorphosis through a mantle, a feat, some XP, or by spending money, and you end up with an incredibly powerful and versatile combatant, especially given that you can have a li'l pet rock that can kick as much ass as you do. Psychic reformation is also a stupifyingly amazing way to ensure that you have whatever you need, whenever you need it, and with Linked Power it's only a round away.

You also need to mention ways of conserving power points and gaining extras. Race has been mentioned, but you need to go into some depth regarding how to best use your resources, and to expand on them. Using long-term buffs, low-level powers that are still incredibly potent with minimal augments (such as expansion, psionic minor creation, strength of my enemy, and so on), psionic feats instead of powers, expendibles (like power stones and dorjes, which are a resource fighters don't have and can't use), reusable psionic items that the psywar himself can make (like psychoactive skins), feats , items, and class features that lower pp-costs (the torc of power preservation, for instance, or the Earth Power and Midnight Augmentation feats), recharge mechanics, and items that grant additional power points (such as cognizance crystals, pearls of power, and manifesting weapons -- especially arrows, which are 1/50 the cost, are a free action to draw, and still grant 5 pp each).

I want to point out that psychic warriors make excellent mounted charger builds. They get lots of feats, a hardy crystal buddy they can ride that scales with level, the wherewithal to get tons of natural attacks, the ability to dual-wield two-handed through various means, and pounce. For instance, a psychic warrior 20 with metamorphosis, expansion, and psionic lion's charge can turn himself into a girallon and his psicrystal into a hydra. He can then take Spirited charge, which means he gets to pounce with three lances with three attacks (each) at triple damage due to having a dancing weapon, four tentacle attacks at double damage due to the Illithid Grapple feat, a bite attack at double-damage, and 12 hydra bites, and can do this every round so long as he has inconstant location.

And as for metamorphosis? Making a psychoactive skin of proteus is worth it by the time he reaches 10th level (the earliest he can take it), and it lets him fill various skill-based roles by itself, even without any real ranks. It means that the mental stats are now much more important than the physical ones, and changes the way a psywar is played overall.

While they may not make good debuffers usually, Expanded Knowledge and good choices in items can help with this considerably. Psionic grease and entangling ectoplasm are prime, cheap sources for debuffing, and suppression weapons are excellent constantly-active sources of dispelling for the discerning psywar. Good stuff.

Just some food for thought.

[zugschef]

thank you all for your replies. i'll see what i can do, to include all of your suggestions.

@lycanthromancer
some of your info is already included, especially info on powers from other lists (but i'll add psychic reformation and minor creation, which are not) and items (i'll add the arrow trick), but thanks for sharing your combos. =)

[Lycanthromancer]

Is it my imagination, or did you skip strength of my enemy? It's a great debuff power, especially for archers (nab a dragonbone bow to auto-adjust your bow's Strength rating), and grants you enhancement bonuses (and it IS 'bonuses', NOT 'boni') you wouldn't otherwise be able to receive until epic levels. Especially good with Persistent Power, from Hyperconscious.

I'd mark this one in blue.

And really, metamorphosis kind of deserves its own section, since it goes beyond blue and into ultraviolet.

[Silent Wayfarer]

If you can snag Psionic Repair Damage somehow, a psiforged suddenly becomes insanely rock-hard. 3d8+1/ML damage, with Share Pain, shared with your psicrystal if some extra damage breaks your Vigor THP buff.

[zugschef]

Is it my imagination, or did you skip strength of my enemy? It's a great debuff power, especially for archers (nab a dragonbone bow to auto-adjust your bow's Strength rating), and grants you enhancement bonuses (and it IS 'bonuses', NOT 'boni') you wouldn't otherwise be able to receive until epic levels. Especially good with Persistent Power, from Hyperconscious.

I'd mark this one in blue.

yes definititely blue. thanks for pointing that out. i've completely forgotten that power.

And really, metamorphosis kind of deserves its own section, since it goes beyond blue and into ultraviolet.

every guide about a class which has access to at least alter self would have to write a novel on this spell/power alone. i'm not really sure, if i want to spend my time on metamorphosis, it's a neverending story... i'll link to some of the relevant threads (The Complete Polymorph Thread 3.5 by MegaPlex for example). [edit]i know that metamorphosis is a little different than polymorph.

If you can snag Psionic Repair Damage somehow, a psiforged suddenly becomes insanely rock-hard. 3d8+1/ML damage, with Share Pain, shared with your psicrystal if some extra damage breaks your Vigor THP buff.

thanks for sharing that combo.

[Ivory Knight]

Where are you guys getting, that a bone obe from Frostburn/, or a Dragonbone Bow(from Draconomicon?) are outo-adjusting to your current Str-rating?
Both Weapons spell out, they work like Composite Bows, which must be crafted for a particular Str and don't adjust for changes.

Just in case I'm right: Bow of Elvenkind(CC), Bow of the Wintermoon(Relic, CD) and Hank's Energy Bow(from the animated Series) adjust for changes in your Str.
The first one has additional properties, if wielded by an Elf
The second one demands, that you worship Corellon Larethian and eihter be a divine spellcaster, or blow a feat on True Believer
The third one is insanely good for various reasons(incorporeal foes, only 3 completely immune Monsters, I know off, can use 2d6 force arrows or any projectiles, you provided), but from a very exotic source(stats are on the WotC-Homepage, if needed) and it's not entirely clear, if anyone or just Hank can use the Powershot-feature of the bow.

[zugschef]

Where are you guys getting, that a bone obe from Frostburn/, or a Dragonbone Bow(from Draconomicon?) are outo-adjusting to your current Str-rating?
Both Weapons spell out, they work like Composite Bows, which must be crafted for a particular Str and don't adjust for changes.

Just in case I'm right: Bow of Elvenkind(CC), Bow of the Wintermoon(Relic, CD) and Hank's Energy Bow(from the animated Series) adjust for changes in your Str.
The first one has additional properties, if wielded by an Elf
The second one demands, that you worship Corellon Larethian and eihter be a divine spellcaster, or blow a feat on True Believer
The third one is insanely good for various reasons(incorporeal foes, only 3 completely immune Monsters, I know off, can use 2d6 force arrows or any projectiles, you provided), but from a very exotic source(stats are on the WotC-Homepage, if needed) and it's not entirely clear, if anyone or just Hank can use the Powershot-feature of the bow.

sorry i got that from the archery handbook. thanks for pointing out this mistake! =)

[Prime32]

and it's not entirely clear, if anyone or just Hank can use the Powershot-feature of the bow.

Change your name to Hank. Problem solved.

(Seriously, one of the requirements for cursed items is "Character must change her name to a specific name. (The item only works for characters of that name.)")

[Clennan]

Great job! 

[awaken DM golem]

Soulbound Weapon upgrade in Mind's Eye ... has a weird possibility.

If you take one of the crazy CL builds floating around here,
and manage to pin into it somehow PsyWar 2,
Spell Focus + Psiotheurgist(teleport/psychoport) = really high ML
And the really high ML gets you lots of Weapon Enhancement options.

If CL+ML=50+ !! ,
you can get +10 weapon abilities.

Does this do anything?
is a very different question than:
Can you do this?

[jolt]

I wasn't really a big fan of psychic warriors, but that was because I didn't really read up on them. So I wanted to use it in a gestalt build with wildshape ranger/momf on the other side and I must say, it absolutely rocks! Not only the powers, but the feats ... It's just way more fun. Your guide was really helpful in creating my character and chosing between all the things available! It's very easy to read.

[fuinjutsu]

Soulbound Weapon upgrade in Mind's Eye ... has a weird possibility.

If you take one of the crazy CL builds floating around here,
and manage to pin into it somehow PsyWar 2,
Spell Focus + Psiotheurgist(teleport/psychoport) = really high ML
And the really high ML gets you lots of Weapon Enhancement options.

If CL+ML=50+ !! ,
you can get +10 weapon abilities.

Does this do anything?
is a very different question than:
Can you do this?

Yeah, you can theoretically get Epic Weapon Enhancements.

How does ML = 50 work?

[Azoriel]

I must say, I love this thread; never have I seen such a complete layout of the options for psychic warrior (nor did I see one that took Tome of Battle into account).  A few things I need to point out, though:

(1) You missed a couple psychic warrior powers from the Expanded Psionics Handbook, in particular Dimension Slide (PWR 3) and Inertial Barrier (PWR 4).  Also, in your analysis of Dimension Door, you failed to note the fact that, once you've used the power, you can't take anymore actions for the rest of the round.  (Thus, while you could still use hustle and dimension door to teleport in as a swift action at the start of the round, you'll only be wasting your power points, as well as the rest of your turn.)

(2) A single level dip into swordsage won't net you +2d6 sneak attack; that's a 3rd level stance, and each of the three base classes require that your starting stance be a 1st level one, regardless of starting initiator level.  ("Stances Known: You begin play with knowledge of one 1st-level stance...") 

(3) Profession should not be listed in red if Craft is not red as well; if anything, Profession is the better of the two as it's wisdom-based, whereas Craft is int-based (a dump stat).  Most everything you can do with Craft you can arguably do with Profession as well; while (Poisonmaking) might be a Craft skill, (Apothecary) or (Herbalist) or even (Poisoner) would be a Profession.  Also, a single point (or even half a point) in Profession (Executioner) will allow you to coup de grace off of someone else's pin in a grapple.  (If you don't believe me, read the rules for executions in Book of Vile Darkness.)

I'd also like to point to Races of Destiny and Races of Stone as potential resources.  Races of Destiny has the Illumian race, which, if you pick the right racial options, allows you to use your strength score for determining bonus spells.  If the DM allows this to cross over to psionic powers, then it becomes one of the better options for anyone thinking about playing a psychic warrior.  Races of Stone has the Deflective Armor feat, which lets you apply your armor bonus to touch attacks so long as you wear heavy armor and maintain psionic focus.  (It also has a 10 level prestige class for defense-minded psychic warriors, albeit a mediocre one.)

But, yeah, great stuff!