New player is new!

[Vixsor Lumin]

Hello Playgrounders! I'm playing in my first real campaign, and just would like some help. I have played some one shots, and I enjoy roleplaying. I'm playing a lvl 1 shaper(build is in my sig) and I got approved for the astral construct power armor (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=10279.0) trick. I'm going to use it to buff once I can get my durations to a couple rounds, and I challenged myself to use as few direct damage abilities as possible. I'm looking into the Constructor PrC, to help. Is this a good idea? Also since PbP games have a habit of dissapearing I want to stay as relevent and useful as possible, so I was going to take Practiced Manifesterfor the 1st level of Constructor. Would this give me new power levels? Or just let me augment my existing powers?

[ZeroSpace9000]

To be perfectly honest, I would advise against taking the Constructor class. Mainly because it requires the use of Complete Psionic, which nerfs several things for psionics, including your Astral Construct power. All that Constructor does, if memory serves, is to give you back what CP took away.

In response to your second question, all Practiced Manifester would do is increase the PP-spending cap, as well as affect things like range and duration.

If you want to ask some other questions regarding your future levels, please do so.

[Vixsor Lumin]

Ok thanks! The main reason I wanted to go constuctor was for the extended construct ability. Is there anyway I can get an extended duration on my constructs? Were not using the Complete Psioncs book. Also I guess since I'm not taking a hit in ML I won't be taking practiced manifestor haha

[Roaan]

This is pretty cheesy so your DM might not go for it but try this one on for size.

Innate Spell (http://dndtools.eu/feats/forgotten-realms-campaign-setting--19/innate-spell--1650/)

If your DM will let you have a psionic version that means you can get Astral Constructs (a 1st level power) by sacrificing a 9th level power slot. now since you dont have power slots you have power POINTS you would need to sacrifice 17 power points. See where I'm going? A full caster with a decent caster modifier could have 17 power points by level 3. IN THEORY this means you could sacrifice 17 of your power points forever and gain astral constructs at-will. As a bonus, all Psi-Like Abilities are always augmented to maximum thus leveling your constructs up with you as you go.

Its a tough sell but perhaps you can get away with it. Perhaps not, i personally would rule that you need to be able to manifest a power of 9th level before you can sacrifice the 17 points, but thats ENTIRELY up to your DM.

[Vixsor Lumin]

Wow I smell some serious cheese there haha, did I mention its a very unoptimized game? That's a really neat trick though and ill save that for another campaign :smallwink: what book are the psion ACF's in? I've looked through the XPH but haven't found them there, or the SRD :smallannoyed: the game is more roleplay than rollplay, but I want to be relevent in combat and out.

[Litenup]

kalishtar shaper 5, constructor 3. summon lvl 9 construct with 3 class c abilities. this is why the limitation on number at a time, if I've read everything correctly anyway.

over channel
boost construct
practiced manifester
craft universal item (for Quori shard x7 power link)

over channel for 2 lvls, practiced manifester makes up the lost lvl from constructor 1, that's 10 pts. shards for 7. 17 points.1 to start lvl 1. 16 pts ups him to lvl 9. taking just the smite, 19d10 nuke for 17pp just to start.

someone tell me I'm doing something wrong.

[TuggyNE]

kalishtar shaper 5, constructor 3. summon lvl 9 construct with 3 class c abilities. this is why the limitation on number at a time, if I've read everything correctly anyway.

over channel
boost construct
practiced manifester
craft universal item (for Quori shard x7 power link)

over channel for 2 lvls, practiced manifester makes up the lost lvl from constructor 1, that's 10 pts. shards for 7. 17 points.1 to start lvl 1. 16 pts ups him to lvl 9. taking just the smite, 19d10 nuke for 17pp just to start.

someone tell me I'm doing something wrong.

I'm pretty sure a) the limitation on power points at a time applies to all power points spent, and therefore you're limited to the usual max of 8 points, or 10 with overchannel; b) you can only use one source to manifest a given power, so you can't add in the shards.

So yes, you're doing something wrong. :smalltongue:

[Litenup]

I'm pretty sure a) the limitation on power points at a time applies to all power points spent, and therefore you're limited to the usual max of 8 points, or 10 with overchannel; b) you can only use one source to manifest a given power, so you can't add in the shards.

So yes, you're doing something wrong. :smalltongue:

The shards have aspecific wording saying they can increase past your normal limit.
Shards don't manifest my power, I do? Same for the feat? I'm asuming I'm having a terminoligy malfunction

[Litenup]

I'm pretty sure a) the limitation on power points at a time applies to all power points spent, and therefore you're limited to the usual max of 8 points, or 10 with overchannel; b) you can only use one source to manifest a given power, so you can't add in the shards.

So yes, you're doing something wrong. :smalltongue:

The shards have aspecific wording saying they can increase past your normal limit.
Shards don't manifest my power, I do? Same for the feat? I'm asuming I'm having a terminoligy malfunction

[Rubik]

To be perfectly honest, I would advise against taking the Constructor class. Mainly because it requires the use of Complete Psionic, which nerfs several things for psionics, including your Astral Construct power. All that Constructor does, if memory serves, is to give you back what CP took away.

In response to your second question, all Practiced Manifester would do is increase the PP-spending cap, as well as affect things like range and duration.

If you want to ask some other questions regarding your future levels, please do so.You're thinking of another PrC. The one he's talking about is in the Mind's Eye articles here. (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040625b)

Ask your DM and see if he'll kill the nerfs in Complete Psionic. Constructor specifically allows you multiple constructs in one manifestation, but there's absolutely no reason why those nerfs should exist (especially since magic doesn't have them).

But I love shaper/constructors; they're awesome. See if you can use the Favored feat from Cityscape to enter after psion 5 (use it to get a bonus skill rank in your Craft skill). And I wouldn't worry TOO much about losing a single manifester level; just don't bother with level 10 in the PrC, since the Linked Power feat (from CPsi) is better.

Also look in the Magic Item Compendium; the arcanist's gloves (assuming you can use them as a manifester for your powers) let you boost your ML by 2 for low-level powers a few times per day. The chronocharm of the uncaring archmage (from the same book) lets you manifest a power with a round-long manifesting time as a standard action.

And if you can use Hyperconscious (3rd party, but written by Bruce Cordell, who wrote the XPH and the better parts of CPsi, so it's awesome), there's a feat that you can grab at level 3 that makes your constructs last a flat 10 minutes (20 if extended). PsyRef it away once you have the Extended Construct ability out of constructor.

Then see if you can get into the astral zealot PrC afterwards (also from Hyperconscious). It's awesome. If you don't want to try the early-entry trick for constructor, go shaper 5/astral zealot 1/constructor 9/astral zealot the rest of the way.

Just make sure you think outside the box with your powers. Low level manifestations are great for shapers, since you can do so much for only a few pp. A 1 pp Psionic Minor Creation can solve all sorts of problems (especially if the manifesting time is reduced via Linked Power), a 5 pp Time Hop can solve many others, and Astral Construct can solve 75% of all the remaining ones. Using duration-based powers to alter the world around you can definitely help save you pp in the long run, especially if you're clever in how you use them.

[edit] Also, avoid ectopic forms and the PrC based on them. They SUCK!

[Vixsor Lumin]

There is absolutely nothing from CPsi in the game. I don't get any of the good, bad, or ugly from it. So if that's the case, is constructor a good PrC? And if not, how else can I extend the duration of my constructs so they are useful out side of combat as transportation, or in combat as power armor?

[Flickerdart]

I'm pretty sure a) the limitation on power points at a time applies to all power points spent, and therefore you're limited to the usual max of 8 points, or 10 with overchannel; b) you can only use one source to manifest a given power, so you can't add in the shards.

So yes, you're doing something wrong. :smalltongue:
No, he's right. The shards allow you to draw on multiples at a time, each one giving 2 free PP that break the cap, like a Wild Surge would. So yes, you could spend your race, all your feats, 1/3 of your wealth, a hearty helping of XP, non-negligible damage whenever you use the power, and a serious drain on your PP to pop a construct that, hey, is only 1 2 CR above your own.

[TuggyNE]

No, he's right. The shards allow you to draw on multiples at a time, each one giving 2 free PP that break the cap, like a Wild Surge would. So yes, you could spend your race, all your feats, 1/3 of your wealth, a hearty helping of XP, non-negligible damage whenever you use the power, and a serious drain on your PP to pop a construct that, hey, is only 1 CR above your own.

Ah, OK. I wasn't familiar with those specific shards.

But good to know.