githyanki silver swords vs. psionics

[leegi0n]

So, what's the deal about a githyanki's silver sword and how it affects psionic characters? How does it work and what does it do, exactly?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

A quick google search came up with this (http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/nj-pathfinder/items/githyanki-silver-swords), but I'm not sure how accurate/official that is. The greatest benefit has always been the ability of those swords to sever the silver cords created by Astral Projection (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/astralProjection.htm).

[Psyren]

A quick google search came up with this (http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/nj-pathfinder/items/githyanki-silver-swords), but I'm not sure how accurate/official that is. The greatest benefit has always been the ability of those swords to sever the silver cords created by Astral Projection (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/astralProjection.htm).

It's official - that line about the fort save is straight out of XPH pg. 167.

[Kelb_Panthera]

So, what's the deal about a githyanki's silver sword and how it affects psionic characters? How does it work and what does it do, exactly?

The psionic character struck by the silver sword must make a fort save or be unable to manifest powers, activate psi-like abilities, or expend (possibly even maintain) his psionic focus for 1d4 rounds.

It's a bad place to be if you can't make that fort save reliably.

[LTwerewolf]

The psionic character struck by the silver sword must make a fort save or be unable to manifest powers, activate psi-like abilities, or expend (possibly even maintain) his psionic focus for 1d4 rounds.

It's a bad place to be if you can't make that fort save reliably.

Understatement bolded for emphasis.

[ThiagoMartell]

A quick google search came up with this (http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/nj-pathfinder/items/githyanki-silver-swords), but I'm not sure how accurate/official that is. The greatest benefit has always been the ability of those swords to sever the silver cords created by Astral Projection (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/astralProjection.htm).

You know, I always wondered how Astral Projection was the go-to thing for optimized spellcasters if it made you so vulnerable to silver swords.

[Psyren]

You know, I always wondered how Astral Projection was the go-to thing for optimized spellcasters if it made you so vulnerable to silver swords.

They have to be within 5 feet of you though - any caster who can't prevent that from being a problem doesn't deserve 9ths.

Contingency to end the spell if anything threatens the cord is a simple enough precaution, and since you auto-detect threats without fail, it's an observable condition.

[Kelb_Panthera]

They have to be within 5 feet of you though - any caster who can't prevent that from being a problem doesn't deserve 9ths.

Contingency to end the spell if anything threatens the cord is a simple enough precaution, and since you auto-detect threats without fail, it's an observable condition.

Nevermind the rarity of silver swords.

They're a +2 weapon that's produced by only one race in all the multiverse, and outside the astral they need the ghost touch property to not have a 50% miss chance against the cord, which is now invisible and incorporeal.

[Psyren]

Making them actually isn't that hard; the prereqs are in MotP. Dominate one and cooperate with him, or shapeshift into one yourself.

[Hirax]

It's worth pointing out that in MotP where it describes silver swords severing cords in the Githyanki monster entry, it indicates that silver swords are only able to do so while on the astral plane. They wouldn't specifically call out the astral plane if they wanted silver swords to be able to sever cords everywhere, I don't think. You never know with WotC's editing standards. Assuming silver swords only function on the astral plane, that precludes anyone that can't do polymorph-or-similar (to turn into an astral dreadnought, which can also attack silver cords) or planar bubble-or-similar (and that's native to the astral plane, so as to generate a bubble of astral plane around them) from damaging cords, unless they somehow transport their target and them self to the astral plane.

[ThiagoMartell]

They have to be within 5 feet of you though - any caster who can't prevent that from being a problem doesn't deserve 9ths.

Contingency to end the spell if anything threatens the cord is a simple enough precaution, and since you auto-detect threats without fail, it's an observable condition.

Ah, that's a fine contingency indeed (yet another reason why Craft Contingent Spell is broken). Getting withing 5 feet is not a problem, though - gishes did give birth to gishes, after all.

[Bakkan]

There's always the "Cast Astral Construct Twice" trick, though I'm not sure on the RAW-watertightness of that one.