Building an Iron Mind Blaster [3.5 FR]

[Tokuhara]

I found Dragon 350 and came across Azerblood, the children of Azers and Shield Dwarves. I'm actually impressed with the race and decided to Lesser them and saw them as a possible Psionic class using Iron Mind from Races of Stone.

Looking around, I've yet to see anyone even MENTION the Iron Mind PrC, let alone attempt to get the most out of it.

So my goal is to be a Psionic Tank (more mechanized infantry vehicle, less aggro control wall) who wears heavy armor, big shield, and uses psionic powers to make the bad people fall down in a big mushroom cloud.

So any ideas???

[Psyren]

I actually read up on Iron Mind awhile back (for my Psionic PrC handbook, which has taken a back burner to so many others... anyway, I digress.)

There's really not much to the class - you lose 2 CL for some minor defenses. The save bonuses are welcome, but also typed (morale, which most parties have access to, from a bard or heroism etc.) The DR stacks with any untyped, so feel free to manifest Biofeedback or Inertial Barrier. The "Will Evasion" is nice but chances to use it are rare. Boosting an ally's save is good though.

One weird trick - Invest Armor (the feat you need for entry) is oddly written. RAW it has no duration, so it seems like you could expend focus once and have buffed armor forever. The intent was probably to make it last for one round, or even just one attack, but in typical WotC fashion their editor was off surfing or coloring or something.

[Tokuhara]

I actually read up on Iron Mind awhile back (for my Psionic PrC handbook, which has taken a back burner to so many others... anyway, I digress.)

There's really not much to the class - you lose 2 CL for some minor defenses. The save bonuses are welcome, but also typed (morale, which most parties have access to, from a bard or heroism etc.) The DR stacks with any untyped, so feel free to manifest Biofeedback or Inertial Barrier. The "Will Evasion" is nice but chances to use it are rare. Boosting an ally's save is good though.

One weird trick - Invest Armor (the feat you need for entry) is oddly written. RAW it has no duration, so it seems like you could expend focus once and have buffed armor forever. The intent was probably to make it last for one round, or even just one attack, but in typical WotC fashion their editor was off surfing or coloring or something.

Well, let me give you the party make-up:

Snow Elf Swordsage acting in a quick-strike role
Human Cleric heading to a FR-ized RSoP
Half-Ogre Fighter focused on thrown Weapons
Goliath Barbarian focused on Rage+Damage=Win
Homebrew 0LA Half-Fey Druid acting in a secondary healer/buffer capacity
Human Rogue as a skillmonkey/guy-who-gets-pwned-by-traps
Me

And the idea is that I'm a no-longer squishy caster who be able to drop a nuke on any poor mortal who stands before me and my party

[Psyren]

If you like Iron Mind, by all means take it, it won't hurt too much. But I guess what I'm saying is that, very little in the class actually helps you drop nukes. For one, your manifesting is weaker due to the lost CL, and for two, the class boosts your will saves and DR - whereas most blasting is based on reflex and ignores DR. So there's not a whole lot of synergy there. It seems more meant for gishes and RP.

[Tokuhara]

If you like Iron Mind, by all means take it, it won't hurt too much. But I guess what I'm saying is that, very little in the class actually helps you drop nukes. For one, your manifesting is weaker due to the lost CL, and for two, the class boosts your will saves and DR - whereas most blasting is based on reflex and ignores DR. So there's not a whole lot of synergy there. It seems more meant for gishes and RP.

However, doing this with an Ardent X/Something with Heavy Armor Prof. 1/Iron Mind 10/Something Blast-y Y could work quite well as a form of heavily armored mobile artillery

[Tokuhara]

Well, I have decided to ask y'all what my best choice for Azerblood is in a blast-y sense. I definitely want the dwarven fluff as the cornerstone, but Sorcerer seems too cliche (even though Dwarf Sorcerer Racial Sub is pretty nice)