-Psion Shaper Build-

[Bulix]

Hi,
I'm playing a Shaper (Metacreativity) Elan, starting at level 4.
I want him to be the best it can be, the scores are 16, 14, 13, 12, 11 and 10.
1.- What are the best feats that are in one of the books?
2.- Which powers? (I want to focus on the Astral Construct, Utility/Buff, few good Attacks, and cool powers, they don't have to be that good, just fun.)
3.- Any items? Max. Starting Gold.
4.- Skills and Tricks.

Thank you very much. :smallbiggrin:

[eggs]

You'll probably want Boost Construct, Overchannel and Linked Power from CPsi (link AC to Entangling Exhalation Ectoplasm, and you can effectively manifest it as a standard action for +1 PP while also tossing a decent no-save debuff around), and a Torc of Power Preservation from the MIC.

For powers, you'll probably want a good save-or-X power targeting each save, a good blasting power and dispel, with the rest filled in with whatever utility and defensive powers you're into.

Some craft ranks for Constructor (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040625b) are probably also a good idea. If you're hitting ECL 15, you'll probably need to talk to the group about how its level 9 ability works with CPsi's AC nerf.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

The Personal Construct (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070411a) ACF lets you make it as a Swift Action instead of manifesting until the start of your next turn.

In the lower levels, Ectopic Form: Emerald Gyre in Complete Psionic can be useful. Even the level 1 version has Improved Grab, which is a Menu B ability. With Boost Construct you can give it an extra Menu B ability, or two Menu A abilities, even on a 1st level construct. Later on when the Emerald Gyre isn't as useful you can manifest Psychic Reformation to replace it with something more useful. As soon as you get 4th level powers you can pick Psychic Reformation, repick whatever skills/feats/powers you want, and get a new 4th level power in place of it! This works at any level after that when you gain a new power known, too.

Psicrystal Affinity, share Vigor with it, manifest Share Pain on it every day and remember that its Hardness 8 will reduce any damage it receives. You now take half damage from all sources and you can get a huge HP cushion with Vigor. Keep it in a compartment on your person so that opponents won't have line of sight/effect to it, so it cannot be attacked directly and it won't get hit by area effects.

Pick up enough Anarchic Initiate to get Wild Surge, use the feat Quick Recovery (LoM) to reduce Psychic Enervation to only costing you a move action. The last line of Wild Surge: "In all cases, the wild surge effectively pays the extra power point cost that is normally required to augment the power; only the unaugmented power point cost is subtracted from the wilder’s power point reserve." You'll need Overchannel to qualify, but once you have three+ levels in it you can use Psychic Reformation to replace that since the class will qualify you for itself.

[danzibr]

I'm actually making a pretty detailed AC-happy Psion at the moment. I can't help with much at the moment, but here's some stuff:

For items, (assuming transparency), Orange Ioun Stone and Gloves of Ecto Manipulation. The first is in the SRD and the second in the Mind's Eye web enhancement stuff.

For skill tricks, Collector of Stories, Swift Concentration.

For traits, Spellgifted (again, transparency).

For feats, Augment Construct, Advanced Construct, Ecto Manipulation, Extended Construction, Enhanced Construction, Infused Construction, Boost Construct, Psicrystal Affinity, Improved Psicrystal, Overchannel, Psicrystal Containment, Psionic Meditation, Psionic Mastery, Linked Power, Transcend Limits and Midnight Augmentation might be worth looking into. Other than the last two they either come from the SRD, Complete Psionic, or the Mind's Eye stuff (but be wary, some is 3.0 and included in the Constructor PrC, also Mind's Eye). Transcend Limits is from a 3rd party book, Hyperconsciousness, and Midnight Augmentation is from Magic of Incarnum.

Beyond that, there's another Mind's Eye article which has an ACF for Shaper's, a really good one. Lose your level 5 feat, get a free quicken for your favorite AC.

Relevant (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040625b) sites (http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070411a).

EDIT: Ugh, got Swordsaged hard, my bad for leaving the browser open. Biffoniacus_Furiou has great advice.

In any case, with Spellgifted, Orange Ioun Stone and Transcend Limits you can get ML 17 with your AC at level 12. Pretty cool. Maybe sooner, but I'm not sure how it interacts with the PrC Biffoniacus_Furiou mentioned. Without Transcend Limits level 13, still respectable. A Wilder can do better, but not by much (and by better I mean sooner, not necessarily an overall better build).

[Endarire]

By RAW, an Anarchic Initiate's Wild Surge only affects you if you're a Wilder. It references the Wilder's Wild Surge, which applies to Wilders.

If you dip (Cloistered) Cleric1, you can nab the Artifice and Creation domains (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/divine/domains.htm). That's +3 CL/ML for (Creation) abilities.

Also, by RAW, Spellgifted doesn't apply to transparency (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicPowersOverview.htm#psionicsMagicTransparenc y) since it's a trait.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

By RAW, an Anarchic Initiate's Wild Surge only affects you if you're a Wilder. It references the Wilder's Wild Surge, which applies to Wilders.

"If you do not already have the wild surge ability, you gain it at 3rd level. This ability functions as the wilder class feature (EPH 31)." RAW, Anarchic Initiate's Wild Surge affects you regardless of class.

[Mithril Leaf]

1. Pick up psionic minor creation at level 1.
2. Read this handbook (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=2714).
3. ???
4. Profit.

[danzibr]

If you dip (Cloistered) Cleric1, you can nab the Artifice and Creation domains (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/divine/domains.htm). That's +3 CL/ML for (Creation) abilities.
HOW DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS? Thanks.

Also, by RAW, Spellgifted doesn't apply to transparency (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicPowersOverview.htm#psionicsMagicTransparenc y) since it's a trait.
Yeah, I just learned this recently... a shame. I'd allow it as a DM. Hopefully the next one I play under will too :P

[Psyren]

If you dip (Cloistered) Cleric1, you can nab the Artifice and Creation domains (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/divine/domains.htm). That's +3 CL/ML for (Creation) abilities.

That won't work either. Transparency applies to:

- Spells (e.g. Consumptive Field.)
- SLAs
- Magic Items
- SR/PR
- Detection
- Dispels
- Dead Magic/AMF

The granted abilities of domains are none of these things (unless specifically stated otherwise.)

[Dusk Eclipse]

Would the Ardents's Magic Mantle work?

[Psyren]

Would the Ardents's Magic Mantle work?

By RAW yes. Clearly the intent was to allow Magic Ardents access to transparency in settings where psionics and magic are segregated (as the parenthetical indicates.) However, the way they actually worded it basically makes it "super-transparency."

Keep in mind that this is generally viewed as cheesy and unlikely to fly at most tables. Allowing Magic Mantle to supersede normal transparency leads to all kinds of madness - Supernatural Transformation, Metamagic feats (and therefore rods) working on powers, being able to take magic PrCs etc.

[Dusk Eclipse]

Oh I agree that in general it is ripe for abuse; but in this particular case I don't think that a +3CL bonus is too much. At low levels it will sap the Ardents PP pool if he is constantly augmenting the power past the intended cap.