Changing Targets with Linked Power?

[Zombulian]

So there's this metapsionic, Linked Power, general lowdown is that it's pretty great because it speeds up actions and can basically be a 2 for one power with a bunch of PP reducers, but the issue is that the linked power must be focused on the same place as the last one. In the Ardent Handbook it lightly touches on you being able to use Synchronicity to switch targets midway through, but it is very vague, and looking at Synchronicity too long makes my head hurt.

Anyone got any answers for me?

[Rubik]

The only way (other than Synchronicity) to change targets with the powers you choose is if they literally cannot target the same thing. If the first power you manifest is Energy Ball WAAAAY over there, and the second is the Hammer power (Stop! Hammer-time!), then you literally can't target anything but a creature within reach with it, so it goes off and targets you or a creature you touch (which then gets the +1d8 damage for one round).

The way the Synchronicity trick works is that you manifest the power you want this round, Linked with a next-round Synchronicity. Then you use the extra standard action you gained to manifest whatever it is you want next round. Usually you would have to spend a standard action readying an action later, but since you spent LAST round's action manifesting the power that lets you ready an action, THIS round's standard action is still usable -- in addition to the readied action.

So, let's say you manifest Hammer this round, and want to manifest Energy Ball next round, but you don't want to blast yourself. You manifest Hammer Linked to Synchronicity. This round, Hammer goes off, then you move or whatever. Next round, Synchronicity fires off, giving you a readied standard action for manifesting Energy Ball. But you still have your turn to use, to do whatever you want with, since you haven't used any of this round's actions.

Not too hard, right?

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

Another nice thing about linked synchronicity is that it's easier to augment the powers you intend to link. If you just link energy ball to another energy ball, the max PP you can spend on the sum of both powers is your ML. With energy ball linked to synchronicity, and then another energy ball, you can spend ML-1 on the first energy ball, and full ML on the next-round energy ball. You can burn a lot of PP in this fashion; beware.

If your DM doesn't like the "if you can't target things then just target yourself" thing, you can also just link synchronicity to synchronicity and use both your readied actions doing the things you actually wanted to do. It gets kinda confusing to explain either way.

[Zombulian]

Another nice thing about linked synchronicity is that it's easier to augment the powers you intend to link. If you just link energy ball to another energy ball, the max PP you can spend on the sum of both powers is your ML. With energy ball linked to synchronicity, and then another energy ball, you can spend ML-1 on the first energy ball, and full ML on the next-round energy ball. You can burn a lot of PP in this fashion; beware.

If your DM doesn't like the "if you can't target things then just target yourself" thing, you can also just link synchronicity to synchronicity and use both your readied actions doing the things you actually wanted to do. It gets kinda confusing to explain either way.

Egh. That power. Was not thought out well.


The only way (other than Synchronicity) to change targets with the powers you choose is if they literally cannot target the same thing. If the first power you manifest is Energy Ball WAAAAY over there, and the second is the Hammer power (Stop! Hammer-time!), then you literally can't target anything but a creature within reach with it, so it goes off and targets you or a creature you touch (which then gets the +1d8 damage for one round).

The way the Synchronicity trick works is that you manifest the power you want this round, Linked with a next-round Synchronicity. Then you use the extra standard action you gained to manifest whatever it is you want next round. Usually you would have to spend a standard action readying an action later, but since you spent LAST round's action manifesting the power that lets you ready an action, THIS round's standard action is still usable -- in addition to the readied action.

So, let's say you manifest Hammer this round, and want to manifest Energy Ball next round, but you don't want to blast yourself. You manifest Hammer Linked to Synchronicity. This round, Hammer goes off, then you move or whatever. Next round, Synchronicity fires off, giving you a readied standard action for manifesting Energy Ball. But you still have your turn to use, to do whatever you want with, since you haven't used any of this round's actions.

Not too hard, right?

Yea that's very helpful actually. Thanks.

[TuggyNE]

Egh. That power. Was not thought out well.

Neither synchronicity nor Linked Power were well-designed, and together they're awful. I'd personally suggest rewriting Linked Power to be a bit more sensible, and just banning synchronicity outright; I can't remember any really good use for it that isn't cheesy.

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

Neither synchronicity nor Linked Power were well-designed, and together they're awful. I'd personally suggest rewriting Linked Power to be a bit more sensible, and just banning synchronicity outright; I can't remember any really good use for it that isn't cheesy.Without metapsionic adjustment, synchronicity works pretty much as intended. You pay PP for flexibility (and potential interrupting) during the round, without granting yourself extra actions. If you wanted to "fix" the power the simplest way would be to say you can't modify it with metapsionics.

[TuggyNE]

Without metapsionic adjustment, synchronicity works pretty much as intended. You pay PP for flexibility (and potential interrupting) during the round, without granting yourself extra actions. If you wanted to "fix" the power the simplest way would be to say you can't modify it with metapsionics.

What I've never quite figured out (despite asking others to explain it to me) is why you would spend pp and a power known on something that is scarcely better than just readying an action. It seems, in short, brokenly weak if you use it in the naive way, and brokenly strong if you optimize it at all in just about any way.

[Renen]

Yo dawg, I heard you like synchronicity so I linked synchronicity to synchronicity so you can synchronize while you synchronize

[Zombulian]

Yo dawg, I heard you like synchronicity so I linked synchronicity to synchronicity so you can synchronize while you synchronize

Agreed. /thread

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

What I've never quite figured out (despite asking others to explain it to me) is why you would spend pp and a power known on something that is scarcely better than just readying an action. It seems, in short, brokenly weak if you use it in the naive way, and brokenly strong if you optimize it at all in just about any way.It's only "scarcely better" if the player can see into the future as well. 1 PP to use your power (or other action) at any time you want during the round is plenty worthwhile. At later levels, augmenting for the flexibility to use your standard action on anything for any reason is wonderful.