ThatLovin'Elan
2011-10-15, 10:19 AM
I'm going to slowly post a review of Psionics Expanded (http://paizo.com/store/games/roleplayingGames/p/pathfinderRPG/dreamscarredPress/v5748btpy8krr/discuss) from the POV of someone who's pre-ordered. Even before I begin, let me say: I very much enjoy the new classes, feats, and Archetypes, and would recommend pre-ordering. Even what is up now is well-worth $10, and they've only released 3 out of 6 installments.
I'll be posting 6 times. Format will probably be:
1. Intro and Vitalist
2. Mind over Body
3. Marksman
4. Find the Mark
5. Aegis
6. Unlimited Possibilities
For now I will be talking in generalities: What a DM/Player should expect from the class, comparisons with existing classes, and so on. Once it's officially out and posted on the SRD I might update with more specifics.
I'll go ahead and link the Dreamscarred Press (http://dreamscarredpress.com/dragonfly/ForumsPro/viewforum/f=2.html) forums for people who want to Beta test some of the upcoming content.
I'm DMing a campaign in which a Blue Psion is using some of the feats and alternate racial features; I'm also throwing these guys at my PCs as enemies. I'll try to include my personal experience as much as I can.
1. Vitalist
TL;DR: The Vitalist is a powerful option for a player or NPC who wants or needs to be a healer, but doesn't want to be a Cleric.
First of all, here is a preview of the Vitalist (http://watermark.rpgnow.com/pdf_previews/91622-sample.pdf).
The Vitalist is a healing psionic class. It is also, to a certain extent, a Pathfinder update of the Worldthought Medic (http://dsp-d20-srd.wikidot.com/worldthought-medic), a 3.5 DPS offering. Instead of just slapping a "Cure X Wounds" power and calling it a day, DSP came up with an interesting system where the Vitalist creates a "network" that can share wounds and healing. the Vitalist can manifest a healing power on himself, and then spread the benefit to members of his collective. The size, versatility, and power of this network increase as the Vitalist levels. A number of powers can be manifested on members of the collective outside of the normal range of the power.
I need to slap a big warning sign on the class right here though: The Vitalist is a Tier 1-2 class. Allow me to quote:
A vitalist never needs to prepare powers ahead of time; he draws them from his mind when needed. When a Vitalist recovers his daily power points after resting, he may choose to rotate one or more powers he knows for new ones. These powers must always be chosen from the vitalist power list, and the maximum number of powers the vitalist may know at any one time in this fashion is listed on Table: The Vitalist. If a vitalist learns a power through other means, such as the Expanded Knowledge feat or psychic chirurgery, this power is known in addition to his normal powers. He may never exchange it for another power from the Vitalist list when he chooses his powers known, and it doesn’t count against his limit of powers known at any one time.
The Vitalist is a spontaneous manifester with a divine spellcasting-like ability to rotate their powers known. By definition, having access to their entire power list, with powers up to 9th level known, they would be a tier 1 class, but I could see a viable argument for them being very high tier 2 because they don't have the best power list. The point remains: In a campaign with a Psion, Wizard, Oracle, and Witch, a Vitalist will be right at home. In a campaign with a Monk, Fighter, Cavalier, and Gunslinger, the Vitalist will have unprecedented power and versatility over them.
Beyond manifesting, the Vitalist gains excellent class features, being able to drain health from opponents (including a save or die class feature), monitor his collective from range, and their choice of three "Methods," akin to Psion Disciplines. The Guardian can buff his allies defenses (AC, saves, PR, resistances, DR), the Mender restores his allies (getting better HP healing and status effect removal), and the Soulthief, who enhances his ability to drain opponents' lives to fuel his collective.
I'll be posting 6 times. Format will probably be:
1. Intro and Vitalist
2. Mind over Body
3. Marksman
4. Find the Mark
5. Aegis
6. Unlimited Possibilities
For now I will be talking in generalities: What a DM/Player should expect from the class, comparisons with existing classes, and so on. Once it's officially out and posted on the SRD I might update with more specifics.
I'll go ahead and link the Dreamscarred Press (http://dreamscarredpress.com/dragonfly/ForumsPro/viewforum/f=2.html) forums for people who want to Beta test some of the upcoming content.
I'm DMing a campaign in which a Blue Psion is using some of the feats and alternate racial features; I'm also throwing these guys at my PCs as enemies. I'll try to include my personal experience as much as I can.
1. Vitalist
TL;DR: The Vitalist is a powerful option for a player or NPC who wants or needs to be a healer, but doesn't want to be a Cleric.
First of all, here is a preview of the Vitalist (http://watermark.rpgnow.com/pdf_previews/91622-sample.pdf).
The Vitalist is a healing psionic class. It is also, to a certain extent, a Pathfinder update of the Worldthought Medic (http://dsp-d20-srd.wikidot.com/worldthought-medic), a 3.5 DPS offering. Instead of just slapping a "Cure X Wounds" power and calling it a day, DSP came up with an interesting system where the Vitalist creates a "network" that can share wounds and healing. the Vitalist can manifest a healing power on himself, and then spread the benefit to members of his collective. The size, versatility, and power of this network increase as the Vitalist levels. A number of powers can be manifested on members of the collective outside of the normal range of the power.
I need to slap a big warning sign on the class right here though: The Vitalist is a Tier 1-2 class. Allow me to quote:
A vitalist never needs to prepare powers ahead of time; he draws them from his mind when needed. When a Vitalist recovers his daily power points after resting, he may choose to rotate one or more powers he knows for new ones. These powers must always be chosen from the vitalist power list, and the maximum number of powers the vitalist may know at any one time in this fashion is listed on Table: The Vitalist. If a vitalist learns a power through other means, such as the Expanded Knowledge feat or psychic chirurgery, this power is known in addition to his normal powers. He may never exchange it for another power from the Vitalist list when he chooses his powers known, and it doesn’t count against his limit of powers known at any one time.
The Vitalist is a spontaneous manifester with a divine spellcasting-like ability to rotate their powers known. By definition, having access to their entire power list, with powers up to 9th level known, they would be a tier 1 class, but I could see a viable argument for them being very high tier 2 because they don't have the best power list. The point remains: In a campaign with a Psion, Wizard, Oracle, and Witch, a Vitalist will be right at home. In a campaign with a Monk, Fighter, Cavalier, and Gunslinger, the Vitalist will have unprecedented power and versatility over them.
Beyond manifesting, the Vitalist gains excellent class features, being able to drain health from opponents (including a save or die class feature), monitor his collective from range, and their choice of three "Methods," akin to Psion Disciplines. The Guardian can buff his allies defenses (AC, saves, PR, resistances, DR), the Mender restores his allies (getting better HP healing and status effect removal), and the Soulthief, who enhances his ability to drain opponents' lives to fuel his collective.