Psionic character

[Nightgaun7]

Just started a thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=15105690#post15105690) for a new campaign. Now I have to make a character for it. I don't know much about psionics at all, so I'm looking for ideas! Class, race, whatever you got.

Relevant info reposted below:
Other party members include thrallherd and incantatrix
Starting somewhere between 4-6
32 point buy for tiers 1&2, 38 points for 3 or lower
two free feats at first level
Fractional BAB
LA buyoff
Full WBL

[RunicLGB]

Psioics are nearly as versatil as the core system. Bout the only thing they can have slightly more problem with is healing.

What do you want your role to be?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Whisper Gnome, Spellthief 1/ Psion 4/ Psychic Assassin (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040723d) 6/ Slayer 9, Practiced Manifester with your Psion 1 bonus feat to qualify. Possibly remove the Death Attack class feature in exchange for dropping the alignment and special prerequisites.

Use those two bonus feats to get Extra Silence and Silencing Strike and be able to neutralize enemy spellcasters in a single hit. Take TWF at 1st and Weapon Finesse at 3rd and you'll be amazing.

Definitely get the powers Share Pain and Vigor, with a Psicrystal (Hero). Keep the psicrystal in a compartment on your person so opponents will never have line of sight/effect to it and cannot target it directly, plus it won't get hit by area effects. Give it a Healing Belt (MIC) which it can use on you during combat. Keep Share Pain active on it so you take half damage from all sources, its Hardness 8 will reduce the damage it takes from Share Pain by as much regardless of the original attack's damage type. Vigor can be shared with the psicrystal just like any other buff.

With (Improved/Greater) TWF and Mind Cripple from Psychic Assassin you'll be able to take down the biggest opponents in a single full attack, regardless of their HP. You can use wands of any Wizard spells that a Spellthief would get access to (Wraithstrike), so put a Wand Chamber in each of your weapons.

[DMVerdandi]

Just started a thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=15105690#post15105690) for a new campaign. Now I have to make a character for it. I don't know much about psionics at all, so I'm looking for ideas! Class, race, whatever you got.

Relevant info reposted below:
Other party members include thrallherd and incantatrix
Starting somewhere between 4-6
32 point buy for tiers 1&2, 38 points for 3 or lower
two free feats at first level
Fractional BAB
LA buyoff
Full WBL

Spell to power erudite from Complete Psionics.
It allows you to spend experience to learn spells as powers.

To balance it ask the DM to have the unique powers per level be 1 per level, and replace psionic powers as your base list for the wizard list.

[Mnemnosyne]

Psioics are nearly as versatil as the core system. Bout the only thing they can have slightly more problem with is healing.
And illusions/invisibility. I don't think psionics can do illusions at all, at least I can't recall any powers that do them offhand, and the power that does invisibility is weird; you become invisible to one person only, so you'd have to manifest it once for each person you're trying to sneak past.

It's a relatively minor limitation, but a noticeable one.

[Vaz]

There is Mass Cloud Mind, a 6th level power. By 11th level, though it is a little late. It is More Powerful, though.

My favourite Psionic Character has to be an Ardent. It is the equivalent of an UrPriest; by 10th level, it can manifest 9th level powers (Practised Spellcaster and Overchannel), provided you have 14 HD. Problem is low powers known (10, with Expanded Knowledge), but Dominant Mantle is a brilliant method of power.

It allows abuse of the Action Economy, but depending on what you do with it, you are not too broken (MAD and limited powers known). Still, you can start every encounter at full PP and HP eventually.

It is less flexible when built, but it can be built to adopt to ANY situation the party calls upon.

[mangosta71]

Psions are lots of fun. "I can kill you with my brain."

I'm partial to the Telepath discipline - aside from the charm and dominate powers, you get save-or-die effects starting at level 5 (Crisis of Breath). If your DM allows Thrallherd, I believe it's mandatory to cackle like a lunatic.

[RunicLGB]

I enjoy Psychic Warrior personally. I know its not as powerful but there is something satisfying about playing a Halfgiant PsyWar with Greater Psionic Strike, Deep Impact, Psicrystal Containment and a Deep Crystal Large Greatsword manifesting Expansion and swinging a touch attack for 9d6 + 150% strength bonus.

[Rubik]

I absolutely adore shapers. Especially when combined with Linked Power (for 1-round manifestations of powers such as Psionic Minor Creation) and the constructor prestige class. (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040625b)

I love thinking outside the box. Having all those metacreativity powers available is just begging for all sorts of off-the-wall shenanigans.

[Psyren]

I'm not sure I have a favorite discipline. I love the Egoist's mastery of his personal form, the Shaper's power of expression, the Seer's ability to read reality without a deity's help, the Kineticist's versatility of energy. I guess Telepath would be my least favorite since I'd rather it be on a sneakier chassis, but it too serves a purpose - an easy-to-counter discipline for the psionics-wary DM.

Nomad holds particular appeal for me - an untethered planeswalker for whom time and space are suggestions rather than laws. Particularly combined with Elocater and a cool fighting style, or Chronorebel and a blue police box.

[Nightgaun7]

OK, a bit more info here: the rest of the party is largely planning to make relatively squishy characters. Also I enjoy killing things to death. I was also thinking about utilizing ToB, perhaps a swordsage dip. And I have been informed that classes can be adapted to use psionics instead of magic.

Does this spark any ideas?

[classy one]

Society mind in the untapped potential/DSP SRD is a great party buffer and healer. An ardent with life mantle is good too but it's talents are wasted as a healer.
You want to hit things hard with some powers to back you up then psywar is the way to go. If you want to Gish then ardent and wilder are for you.

A psion with monk dip can take tashalora and monestary training feats and be can progress as a psion with monk unarmed damage and flurry progression. You're BAB will suffer though so you will need a way to buff it. Should be doable with linked power.

If you want a soulknife for the lulz, consider using the DSP version and the associated mind blade feats.

[Nightgaun7]

How would having Hyperconciousness and Untapped Potential available change things?

[Psyren]

Untapped Potential lets you play a decent healer, and has some really nice racial ACFs for the standard psionic races.

Hyperconscious meanwhile has really nice feats and PrCs.

The UTP stuff is mostly online. (http://dsp-d20-srd.wikidot.com/)

[Mnemnosyne]

For psionic melee I like psychic warriors and ardents to some degree. Ardent is especially compatible with dipping, since its unusual method of gaining powers means that with practiced manifester, you don't lose as much when popping out for a level or four.

I'd stick with Ardent through level 10 just to get Dominant Ideal though. Find a really good mantle, or make one with substitute powers, then apply Dominant Ideal to it, which allows all sorts of stuff. You can use this to moderately improve your character, or you can use it to completely break the action economy in half if you want to, depending on the desired level of cheese and universe-breakage in the game.

Since you say your DM will approve a psionic adaptation, you can then take two levels of either Crusader or Warblade (or one of each, if you prefer) and then go into Jade Phoenix Mage. With practiced manifester: Ardent, the four lost caster levels are made up...and more importantly, the ardent gets to learn new powers of the highest level she can manifest. Which means that although you lose 4 levels of new powers obtained and power point increases, you remain totally current as far as your highest level powers.

I'd go Ardent 10/Crusader 1/Warblade 1/Jade Phoenix Mage 8. You take Aura of Perfect Order as your Crusader stance, you pick up Iron Heart Surge as a warblade. At that point you're pretty much all set, you keep leveling Jade Phoenix Mage and advancing manifester levels as well as initiator level. You wind up with a total IL of 14 for both Crusader and Warblade maneuvers, as well as a manifester level of 20 for Ardent.

You probably want to take White Raven Tactics as a crusader. You can do the Idiot Crusader trick by applying maneuvers known to Warblade, while applying maneuvers readied to Crusader. You take the Extra Granted Maneuver feat, then you apply both of the extra readied maneuvers that Jade Phoenix Mage gets during 8 levels to Crusader. At level 18 you have 5 manuevers known and 5 maneuvers granted each round, so your now refresh maneuvers every round. Since you've got White Raven Tactics as one of your 5 maneuvers known, you can use it every round, to give someone (or yourself) a second turn every round.

[classy one]

Untapped Potential lets you play a decent healer, and has some really nice racial ACFs for the standard psionic races.

Hyperconscious meanwhile has really nice feats and PrCs.

The UTP stuff is mostly online. (http://dsp-d20-srd.wikidot.com/)

Yeah I already mentioned society mind. The domite society mind gives you hive mind as well.

[Psyren]

Yeah I already mentioned society mind. The domite society mind gives you hive mind as well.

My post was directed at Nightgaun's question