Is the 10th Constructor level worth it?

[Mithril Leaf]

I'm playing a primordial half-giant shaper in my current campaign and I'm going to be entering the Constructor PrC from Mind's Eye.
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040625b
I was wondering whether or not the last level is worth taking. Yes, quicken construct is a handy ability, but is it really worth the loss of a manifester level?
I'm playing in Athas, using standard 3.5 plus a few homebrew and Dragon Magazine rules (getting my DM drunk did indeed let me take Faerie Mystery Initiate). He said that I can get a few manifestations of Psychic Chirurgery in place of cash rewards because its largely psionic. Additionally, the nerf from Complete Psion is in place (although I can bypass some of those problems, the class features are mostly intact), and practiced manifester does indeed give me bonus PP.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

No, absolutely not, because you can get the Personal Construct (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070411a) ACF and get it at Psion 5 for the cost of a bonus feat.

[Mithril Leaf]

Yeah, pretty much what I expected. Figured I might have been missing some awesome perk to it.

[Rubik]

No. Easily replaceable (and more!) with Linked Power, from CPsi.

Also, talk to your DM about the stupid nerf. There's no reason whatsoever to exist, since A.) magic doesn't suffer the same issues, B.) it doesn't fix what it was supposed to fix (ie, wilders using wild surge to make a big construct), C.) it was only put in to make one of the PrCs even vaguely usable (the ectopic adept), and D.) whoever decided it was a good idea deserves to be shot. With a sufficiently high-velocity explosive half-velociraptor halfing.

[Answerer]

CPsi is a terrible, terrible book. I suggest using the Ardent, the Soulbow (both available online IIRC), and Practiced Manifester, and more-or-less nothing else.

[Rubik]

CPsi is a terrible, terrible book. I suggest using the Ardent, the Soulbow (both available online IIRC), and Practiced Manifester, and more-or-less nothing else.I used Illithid Heritage and Illithid Grapple one time. It was for a ghost that possessed monsters and made them explode in face-eating tentacles.

[Psyren]

CPsi is a terrible, terrible book. I suggest using the Ardent, the Soulbow (both available online IIRC), and Practiced Manifester, and more-or-less nothing else.

Soulbow is online but not Ardent.

Synad and some feats/powers are good too.

[The Glyphstone]

Also, the Energy Missile nerf was necessary.

Most of the book is a waste of space and paper.

[Corwin_of_Amber]

I've heard good things about the Erudite, as well. :smallbiggrin:

I also suggest that you disregard the sidebar that makes all of the SR:no crystal powers worthless. It makes DR apply to them, so basically everything important resists them.

[Rubik]

I've heard good things about the Erudite, as well. :smallbiggrin:

I also suggest that you disregard the sidebar that makes all of the SR:no crystal powers worthless. It makes DR apply to them, so basically everything important resists them.Yeah, that nerf was horrible. The powers are balanced without it, generally by requiring attack rolls and allowing saves both.

[Psyren]

I've heard good things about the Erudite, as well. :smallbiggrin:

You don't need the book for them either though, they're online. (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20060406b&page=1)


Yeah, that nerf was horrible. The powers are balanced without it, generally by requiring attack rolls and allowing saves both.

To be fair, DR is typically what, 10 points of damage? You can easily overwhelm it even without metapsionics.

And how many monsters have immunity to every element you can use AND DR?

Also, there's at least one power (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/swarmofCrystals.htm) that requires neither.

[Rubik]

To be fair, DR is typically what, 10 points of damage? You can easily overwhelm it even without metapsionics.Tell that to Swarm of Crystals, which gets 1d4 per pp you spend. That's 4 pp used just to overcome the DR.

[Psyren]

Tell that to Swarm of Crystals, which gets 1d4 per pp you spend. That's 4 pp used just to overcome the DR.

And? It makes sense to me that something resistant to slashing can resist "thousands of tiny crystal shards". If it's that big a problem, you can always use a different power.

[Zaq]

Most of the book is a waste of space and paper.

Most of most books are no better.

CPsi has its problems, but honestly, it gets a way, way worse rap than it deserves. There's enough good stuff in there to put it at least on par with the rest of the Completes. 3.5 just doesn't have books that are pure gold start to finish, at least from a mechanical perspective. We can only fairly judge books by the good stuff they bring to the table, not by the crap that we ignore (or feed into Iron Chef competitions), and CPsi brings enough to the table that all the hate it gets just comes off as, frankly, whining. (Not saying anyone here is whining—just saying that the "down with CPsi" bandwagon [for bandwagon it is] comes off as such.)

[eggs]

CPsi brings enough to the table that all the hate it gets just comes off as, frankly, whining.
There were a couple good ideas, but about half the book was very clearly hacked out in the last weekend before the deadline - just look at the sheer number of reprinted materials, the pages and pages of filler (including errata masquerading as content), the dozens of "[Spell/Feat], Psionic" (sometimes hidden under a different title), untested mechanics (it's not hard to make a prestige classed ardent that just doesn't have any powers available to select at a new level), and the incomprehensibility of the new content that was proposed (Erudite's UPPD).

There are materials that can be useful, and ideas that aren't awful, but the book as a product is downright shameful. That's not to say that a couple of the other completes weren't also really bad, but CPsi's hate is not undeserved.

[Answerer]

I have to agree. I think Zaq may be comparing Complete Psionics as a whole against the Truenaming section of Tome of Magic – while CPsi isn't as bad as that, Tome of Magic has two other well done sections (even Shadowcasting is OK, if a bit underwhelming; Ari Marmell at least tested the thing). CPsi has numerous crimes against Psionic fluff (including the aforementioned Illithid feats, which make no sense), enormous numbers of poorly considered and executed mechanics, and almost all Psionic exploits come straight from CPsi.