PDA

View Full Version : "Also, I can kill you with my brain." Psion build [3.5]



Darius Rae
2010-04-27, 06:59 PM
What would the best path to go down if I wanted a psion who focused on ability damage and save or die powers? I know that popular psion builds include the Egoest and thralherd, but I want a character more focused on doing the killing and while still human (or any other non metamorphosed state) I like powers such as crisis of life for the flavor and crystal storm for the dual threat of hp and con damage. I am also very fond of the Telepath, but I am open to suggestions.

Specific feats and any PrCs would be appreciated, as long as the manafester level loss can be overcome with practiced manafester.

Edit: DnD 3.5

Lycanthromancer
2010-04-27, 07:08 PM
Most psionic save or dies are telepathy, meaning telepath. If you want to kill indirectly, shaper works (astral constructs and plant-based poisons). If you want to tear them a new one with your own hands, egoist. If you want to enable your friends to kill, nomad. If you wanna blast 'em to death, kineticist. If you wanna go scry'n'die, seer.

Ego whip deals Charisma damage. Psionic minor creation can deal plant-based poison-based damage. Prevenom, prevenom weapon, truevenom, and truevenom weapon deal Con damage. Astral constructs can deal Con damage. And egoists can use metamorphosis to deal various kinds of ability damage and drain via the forms they pick up (see: roper and dire weasel).

You might have to narrow your focus a bit. How, exactly, do you want to go about causing death and devastation? Unlike wizards, you have to pick a specialization.

Darius Rae
2010-04-27, 07:14 PM
From what you just described and based on the powers that I have read so far, I would say telepath.

Lycanthromancer
2010-04-27, 07:24 PM
From what you just described and based on the powers that I have read so far, I would say telepath.There are some issues with the telepath, mostly due to the fact that every single power is [mind-affecting], they're PR: yes, and all of the offensive ones are based on Will saves (most are Will negates).

You'll definitely want to have some non-telepathy powers; astral construct is especially good for this, as you'll pretty much never find a time when it's not useful, and it's great to use against pretty much anything your [mind-affecting] powers aren't.

Since DCs are so important to you, I'd suggest bulking up on your Int score, grabbing a psioniatrix of telepathy, and taking feats that boost your DCs (Greater/Psionic Endowment, Illithid Heritage to qualify for Illithid Compulsion, Overchannel, Earth Power for raising your manifester level to add more points for your DCs, Shape Soulmeld: Charming Veil (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20060217a), and several of the other psionic feats in Magic of Incarnum).

See if you can't get access to a psionic version of mind fog (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/mindfog.htm).

Hell, become a spell-to-power erudite (see The Mind's Eye and Complete Psionic), and you can get those telepath powers and all of the save-or-die spells you want.

Optimystik
2010-04-27, 08:13 PM
Nomads have their fair share of Save-or-Xes. Disintegrate, Decerebrate, Plane Shift, Dimension Twister, Baleful Teleport, Deceleration, Ethereal Abduction, etc. You can target all three saves, none are mind-affecting, and you get a lot of utility besides.

Lycanthromancer
2010-04-27, 08:15 PM
Nomads have their fair share of Save-or-Xes. Disintegrate, Decerebrate, Plane Shift, Dimension Twister, Baleful Teleport, Deceleration, Ethereal Abduction, etc. You can target all three saves, none are mind-affecting, and you get a lot of utility besides.Most aren't discipline-specific, however.

Samb
2010-04-27, 08:58 PM
Hmmm for the most part, the best save or lose/die/suck are not really disipline specific but telepathy does have great ones like dominate, crisis of life and even the lowly charm can take opponents out of fights. Since metamorhosis isn't your thing, having schism is great too. Intellect bomb (you will need EK to get it since it is only on destruction mantle) is my personal favorite save or die. Will save negate which at high levels is the weakest one. If the target fails their head explodes, the remains of your victim's brain and skull deals xd6 (x= INT score of victim) damage to those within 20' AND dazed them if they fail the reflex save to half the damage. Talk about multitasking.

For dealing damage, you don't really need that many powers since you can change you elements when you manifest.
1) touch attack: crystal shard or energy ray. I would go with crystal shard since it works attacking into AMFs. Later you can get disintgrate which can double as a fort save or die as well.
2) reflex: energy missile and later energy barrage. Barrage can be overlapped and each barrage forces a reflex save. Very nice. Most powers with "energy" are either reflex or fort anyway.
3) will: mind thrust. Easy to use, easy to boost DC.
4) fort: disintigrate. Since this forces a save or die and great utility this gets the nod.

Math_Mage
2010-04-27, 09:27 PM
Hmmm...are we statting up River Tam, or just the "kill you with my brain" part? :smalltongue:

deuxhero
2010-04-27, 09:28 PM
I think we're stating out Raz ("That shooting things is fun and useful").

Darius Rae
2010-04-27, 09:54 PM
River was the initial inspiration, but only the killing with the brain part, not the psychic ninja stuff.

Edit: Are there any PrCs that are not thrallherd that are worth taking? Crystal Master looks cool, and with practiced manafester I will not miss out on to much especially because we are playing to about level 30.

Optimystik
2010-04-28, 06:07 AM
River was the initial inspiration, but only the killing with the brain part, not the psychic ninja stuff.

Edit: Are there any PrCs that are not thrallherd that are worth taking? Crystal Master looks cool, and with practiced manafester I will not miss out on to much especially because we are playing to about level 30.

Anarchic Initiate, Slayer, Constructor, Sanctified Mind and Meditant round out the WotC choices.

Hyperconscious and Untapped Potential are 3rd party, but are well-known and have some excellent ones.