Omegonthesane
2009-09-07, 02:57 PM
The Metamind sucks. It doesn't fulfil its stated flavour objective of letting you spam at the expense of your manifester level. Like, at all. You end up weaker and with less power points. Here is a basic draft of how I think it could be made better:
Metamind Fix v1.2
Hit Die: d4.
Requirements
Skills: Knowledge (psionics) 8 ranks, Psicraft 4 ranks.
Feat: Psicrystal Affinity.
Psionics: Manifester level 4th.
Class Skills
The metamind’s class skills are Autohypnosis (Wis), Concentration* (Con), Craft (any) (Int), Knowledge (psionics), and Psicraft (Int).
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Table: The Metamind
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Powers|Bonus Power Points
1st|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+2|Bonus power points, efficient manifesting 1, cognizance psicrystal 5 points, font of power 1/day|--|9
2nd|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+3|Cognizance psicrystal 10 points, Improved Psicrystal|+1 level of existing manifesting class|19
3rd|
+1|
+1|
+1|
+3|Efficient manifesting 2, cognizance psicrystal 15 points, font of power 2/day|--|30
4th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4|Cognizance psicrystal 20 points, Improved Psicrystal|+1 level of existing manifesting class|42
5th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4|Efficient manifesting 3, cognizance psicrystal 25 points, font of power 3/day|--|55
6th|
+3|
+2|
+2|
+5|Cognizance psicrystal 30 points, Improved Psicrystal|+1 level of existing manifesting class|68
7th|
+3|
+2|
+2|
+5|Efficient manifesting 4, cognizance psicrystal 35 points, font of power 4/day|--|83
8th|
+4|
+2|
+2|
+6|Cognizance psicrystal 40 points, Improved Psicrystal|+1 level of existing manifesting class|98
9th|
+4|
+3|
+3|
+6|Efficient manifesting 5, cognizance psicrystal 45 points, font of power 5/day|--|114
10th|
+5|
+3|
+3|
+7|Cognizance psicrystal 50 points,Improved Psicrystal, power unbound|+1 level of existing manifesting class|130[/table]
Class Features
All the following are class features of the metamind prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Metaminds gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.
Powers Known
At every even-numbered level, a metamind gains additional power points per day and access to new powers as if she had also gained a level in whatever manifesting class he belonged to before she added the prestige class. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (bonus feats, metapsionic or item creation feats, and so on). This essentially means that she adds the level of metamind to the level of whatever manifesting class the character has, then determines power points per day, powers known, and manifester level accordingly.
If a character had more than one manifesting class before he became a metamind, he must decide to which class he adds the new level of metamind for the purpose of determining power points per day, powers known, and manifester level.
Bonus Power Points (Ex)
A metamind gains additional power points, on top of those gained from her base manifesting class, according to her metamind class level. The number of bonus power points at each class level is shown on Table: The Metamind.
Efficient Manifesting (Su)
When a metamind manifests a psionic power, she automatically deducts one point from the cost of the power, to a minimum of 1. This reduction in cost increases by 1 point every odd-numbered metamind level, to a maximum of 5 at 9th level. The actual cost of a power (after making this deduction) is limited by the metamind's manifester level. For example, a Psion 5/Metamind 3 would have a manifester level of 6, and therefore could only spend 6 points on a single power. However, she would also have Efficient Manifesting 2, and therefore would automatically deduct 2 power points from the total cost of a power before working out if its cost was low enough for her to manifest it.
Cognizance Psicrystal (Ex)
At 1st level, a metamind masters the trick of storing excess power points in a psicrystal. The psicrystal is now treated as a cognizance crystal capable of storing 5 power points, in addition to its psicrystal abilities. At every class level, a metamind becomes able to store an additional 5 power points in his psicrystal, to a maximum of 50 power points at 10th level.
Font of Power (Ps)
A metamind can act as a living cognizance crystal, producing seemingly endless power points for up to 1 minute. Her eyes shine like tiny stars, and faint illumination seems to beam out of her mouth and the end of each of her fingers. While so empowered, she can manifest any of her powers without drawing from her power point reserve. She finds the power points she needs welling up within her own body. A metamind can do this once at 1st level, and once more at every odd-numbered class level, to a maximum of 5 times per day at 9th level.
If a metamind using this ability enters a metaconcert (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/metaconcert.htm), her power point reserve is accessed normally for the purpose of her contributing to the pool.
Improved Psicrystal
Being filled with psionic energy, a psicrystal begins to develop a full personality of its own. At every even-numbered class level, a metamind gains Improved Psicrystal as a bonus feat.
Power Unbound (Ps)
A 10th level metamind has broken the normal limits of psionics with her focus on pure power. She can expend her psionic focus to use one power with an actual cost (after applying Efficient Manifesting) up to twice her manifester level, without paying this cost. Doing so uses up one of her uses of Font of Power for the day.
((Designer's notes:
Reworked the cognizance psicrystal to just be a flat 5 points per level deal. You can't actually drain it of more than 15 points per power as a 10 Psion/10 Metamind
There are circumstances under which taking this class sucks, and it becomes a lot better in Epic where psions have no other means of getting extra power points. These were problems with the original Metamind however, and at least this one is worth taking pre-Epic.
Nerfed Efficient Manifesting as I realised that making it equal to the class level allowed a Metamind to outstrip single-class psions with the same power, not merely to match them. Also, increased the minimum cost of all powers to 1.
Replaced Life for Power with a new capstone, Power Unbound.))
Metamind Fix v1.2
Hit Die: d4.
Requirements
Skills: Knowledge (psionics) 8 ranks, Psicraft 4 ranks.
Feat: Psicrystal Affinity.
Psionics: Manifester level 4th.
Class Skills
The metamind’s class skills are Autohypnosis (Wis), Concentration* (Con), Craft (any) (Int), Knowledge (psionics), and Psicraft (Int).
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Table: The Metamind
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Powers|Bonus Power Points
1st|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+2|Bonus power points, efficient manifesting 1, cognizance psicrystal 5 points, font of power 1/day|--|9
2nd|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+3|Cognizance psicrystal 10 points, Improved Psicrystal|+1 level of existing manifesting class|19
3rd|
+1|
+1|
+1|
+3|Efficient manifesting 2, cognizance psicrystal 15 points, font of power 2/day|--|30
4th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4|Cognizance psicrystal 20 points, Improved Psicrystal|+1 level of existing manifesting class|42
5th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4|Efficient manifesting 3, cognizance psicrystal 25 points, font of power 3/day|--|55
6th|
+3|
+2|
+2|
+5|Cognizance psicrystal 30 points, Improved Psicrystal|+1 level of existing manifesting class|68
7th|
+3|
+2|
+2|
+5|Efficient manifesting 4, cognizance psicrystal 35 points, font of power 4/day|--|83
8th|
+4|
+2|
+2|
+6|Cognizance psicrystal 40 points, Improved Psicrystal|+1 level of existing manifesting class|98
9th|
+4|
+3|
+3|
+6|Efficient manifesting 5, cognizance psicrystal 45 points, font of power 5/day|--|114
10th|
+5|
+3|
+3|
+7|Cognizance psicrystal 50 points,Improved Psicrystal, power unbound|+1 level of existing manifesting class|130[/table]
Class Features
All the following are class features of the metamind prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Metaminds gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.
Powers Known
At every even-numbered level, a metamind gains additional power points per day and access to new powers as if she had also gained a level in whatever manifesting class he belonged to before she added the prestige class. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (bonus feats, metapsionic or item creation feats, and so on). This essentially means that she adds the level of metamind to the level of whatever manifesting class the character has, then determines power points per day, powers known, and manifester level accordingly.
If a character had more than one manifesting class before he became a metamind, he must decide to which class he adds the new level of metamind for the purpose of determining power points per day, powers known, and manifester level.
Bonus Power Points (Ex)
A metamind gains additional power points, on top of those gained from her base manifesting class, according to her metamind class level. The number of bonus power points at each class level is shown on Table: The Metamind.
Efficient Manifesting (Su)
When a metamind manifests a psionic power, she automatically deducts one point from the cost of the power, to a minimum of 1. This reduction in cost increases by 1 point every odd-numbered metamind level, to a maximum of 5 at 9th level. The actual cost of a power (after making this deduction) is limited by the metamind's manifester level. For example, a Psion 5/Metamind 3 would have a manifester level of 6, and therefore could only spend 6 points on a single power. However, she would also have Efficient Manifesting 2, and therefore would automatically deduct 2 power points from the total cost of a power before working out if its cost was low enough for her to manifest it.
Cognizance Psicrystal (Ex)
At 1st level, a metamind masters the trick of storing excess power points in a psicrystal. The psicrystal is now treated as a cognizance crystal capable of storing 5 power points, in addition to its psicrystal abilities. At every class level, a metamind becomes able to store an additional 5 power points in his psicrystal, to a maximum of 50 power points at 10th level.
Font of Power (Ps)
A metamind can act as a living cognizance crystal, producing seemingly endless power points for up to 1 minute. Her eyes shine like tiny stars, and faint illumination seems to beam out of her mouth and the end of each of her fingers. While so empowered, she can manifest any of her powers without drawing from her power point reserve. She finds the power points she needs welling up within her own body. A metamind can do this once at 1st level, and once more at every odd-numbered class level, to a maximum of 5 times per day at 9th level.
If a metamind using this ability enters a metaconcert (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/metaconcert.htm), her power point reserve is accessed normally for the purpose of her contributing to the pool.
Improved Psicrystal
Being filled with psionic energy, a psicrystal begins to develop a full personality of its own. At every even-numbered class level, a metamind gains Improved Psicrystal as a bonus feat.
Power Unbound (Ps)
A 10th level metamind has broken the normal limits of psionics with her focus on pure power. She can expend her psionic focus to use one power with an actual cost (after applying Efficient Manifesting) up to twice her manifester level, without paying this cost. Doing so uses up one of her uses of Font of Power for the day.
((Designer's notes:
Reworked the cognizance psicrystal to just be a flat 5 points per level deal. You can't actually drain it of more than 15 points per power as a 10 Psion/10 Metamind
There are circumstances under which taking this class sucks, and it becomes a lot better in Epic where psions have no other means of getting extra power points. These were problems with the original Metamind however, and at least this one is worth taking pre-Epic.
Nerfed Efficient Manifesting as I realised that making it equal to the class level allowed a Metamind to outstrip single-class psions with the same power, not merely to match them. Also, increased the minimum cost of all powers to 1.
Replaced Life for Power with a new capstone, Power Unbound.))