New Psionic Power - Skill Leech

[pwykersotz]

So my GM asked me to come up with a way to steal skills via a psionic power. Below is my attempt. Let me know what you think, I'm especially waffling about how many additional power points it takes to make the power permanent. I based the power largely off of Feat Leech (some of the text is copied/pasted), though since skills are less used in battle, I extended the duration to allow the manifester to get use out of it.

Skill Leech

Clairsentience
Level: Psion/wilder 2, psychic warrior 2
Display: Mental and visual
Manifesting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: 10 min./level
Saving Throw: Will negates; see text
Power Resistance: Yes
Power Points: 3


You can use another’s skills for yourself. You make a melee touch attack against a target. If successful, you immediately are familiar with the target’s skills, if any, and you can choose a number of these skills to “leech” equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum one).
While the power lasts, you are treated as if you possessed the stolen skills. During this same period, the target can make no use of the stolen skills. When the power’s duration expires, you lose access to the skills, and the target gains immediate use of them. This transfer occurs regardless of the distance between you and the target.
If the duration of skill leech is extended by the use of a metapsionic feat, the target gains a Will saving throw every 10 minutes beyond the normal duration. If this save succeeds, the power’s duration ends. If the target is killed before the duration expires, the power ends.
This power only steals ranks in skills, not any associated bonuses. Any synergies, ability enhancements or other increases are not taken along with the ranks. This may mean that the target retains use of the skill to a certain degree if it is usable untrained. Any feats which are dependant upon a number of ranks are unavailable for use until the skills are returned.
In addition, the manifester uses his own ability scores, synergies, and other bonuses to determine his total skill. Multiple uses of this skill overlap, they do not stack. If five ranks of the Jump skill are taken from one person and then ten ranks are taken from another, the manifester has ten ranks.
Skills can be stolen, even if the manifester has more ranks than the target. Since they overlap however, this means that the manifester gains no benefit, merely that the target loses access to the skills taken for the normal duration.

Augment
If you spend 14 additional power points on this power, you can make the normal duration permanent. The target gets no additional saving throws. If the target gains a level and thus new skill points, he may spend them as normal, up to his ordinary maximum ranks. If at a later point the power is dispelled and the skill points return, the target regains the ranks up to his current maximum, and any additional points are lost.
At the time of permanency, the GM rolls secret percentile dice to determine the lifespan of the creature if not otherwise accounted for. A 1-25 indicates the creature dies within a month. 26-50 indicates it dies in a year. 51-75 indicates it survives one further age category. 75-90 indicates it survives two further age categories. 91-100 indicates it survives the rest of its natural life. If any roll would take the creature to the end of its natural life anyway, the creature dies as normal.

Special
This power can be reversed through Skill Leech used against the manifester, or by a properly worded Reality Revision, Wish, or Miracle.

[TuggyNE]

Clairsentience

I can't figure out why this (and feat leech) aren't [mind-affecting]. Ah well.


If the target is killed before the duration expires, you immediately lose the benefit of the stolen skills.

I would clarify this to say that the power ends if the target is killed.


Any class features or feats which are dependant upon a number of ranks may (at GM discretion) be unavailable for use until the skills are returned.

There's no need to waffle here; they should simply be unavailable, period. (A DM is of course within their rights to override this, as with any rule, but the usual case seems quite clear.)


Augment
If you spend 14 additional power points on this power, you can make the normal duration permanent. The target gets no additional saving throws. If the target gains a level and thus new skill points, he may spend them as normal, up to his ordinary maximum ranks. If at a later point the power is dispelled and the skill points return, the target regains the ranks up to his current maximum, and any additional points are lost.

This is kind of awkward, but if it's to be made permanent the clunkiness can't really be helped. I'm unsure how many pp should be required for this; at least 10, and no more than 16, I think.


Special
This power can be reversed through a Dispel Psionics, Psychic Chirurgery, or Skill Leech used against the manifester, or by a properly worded Reality Revision, Wish, or Miracle.

It's not clear whether skill leech is the only one that needs to target the original manifester to remove this, or whether they all do. Also, any permanent effect can be dispelled or removed with psychic chirurgery already, so no specific wording is needed here. (Similarly, reality revision, wish, and miracle can generally perform these sorts of operations, although a specific note is more useful here to indicate that it's on the safe list.)

[pwykersotz]

All good catches, I'll update my post. Any other thoughts on balance for the permanency? Or anything else?

Hmm...maybe instead of an augment, it should be added to the Incarnate list and given an xp cost.

[Waargh!]

The permanent effect is impossible to manage. You steal skills from a monster and you scare it off. How would you know when it dies? You are climbing the castle of the evil wizard to save the world. On an unrelated note, a random hunter shoots down a dire ape.

You should clarify more about class features as technically PrC have a skill rank entry and I guess you don't intend to block everything.

[pwykersotz]

I have made an attempt to deal with both issues. I removed the line affecting class features as that does seem overmuch. Feats are easier to track, so I left that in.

I also created an option for luck on how long the creature will live if random monster A is released back into the woods. Let me know what you think.

[TuggyNE]

I also created an option for luck on how long the creature will live if random monster A is released back into the woods. Let me know what you think.

Honestly, inventing a whole little subsystem for one power seems excessive. Just take out the permanency; it's still a good power.

(However, you should add in a DC increase augment either way: 2pp for every +1 DC.)

[pwykersotz]

Sigh...you're probably right...and that was my favorite part of the concept too. Oh well, the rest is workable. Thanks guys.

[Blue1005]

Why not just have it permanent, almost like you removed that part of the brain, psychic surgery, but that should be only able to be done at highest level power point manifestations. Overall i like it, but i would want you to clarify skills, do you mean appraise and bluff or do you mean feat like power attack and all that too?

Just reread it, why not add a skill to steal knowledge of feats too for an augment of say 9? it is a good idea that can be used to really decrease an enemy if you can do multiple augments and uses for it.