What's the minimum PP/??? recharge combo

[Komatik]

What the topic says. What are the most compact combos you can get to recharge limited resources like a Psion's PP? MidnighT Augmentation + Psycarnum Infusion apparently work for getting some temp PP, at least? I guess you need something to store them into or Bestow Power to "wash" them into permanent PP? Are there any better tricks than those?

[Psyren]

There's a lot of them.

Wild Surge + Bestow Power
Torc of PP + Earth Power + Bestow Power
Midnight Augmentation (+ Psycarnum Infusion) + Bestow Power
Affinity Field + Bestow Power
Mental Pinnacle + Bestow Power

There are a couple of others (check the tricks handbook in my sig for more.)

Midnight Augmentation (using the favorable interpretation) is probably the earliest if you have flaws. MA + PI + ESC = spend 5 PP to get back 6, can be done by level 5. Use Psicrystal Affinity + Containment for second focus. It's also possible using the unfavorable interpretation, but then you need a third focus (i.e. Schism) and a Torc to pull it off, pushing it up to 7th at the earliest.

[Humble Master]

Torc of Power Preservation + Linked Power + Metapower + Bestow power is another one.

[Komatik]

ESC?
10chars

[Psyren]

ESC?
10chars

Oops, sorry. I meant IEC. (Improved Essentia Capacity.) Here's how it works:

1) Favorable Interpretation:

Under the favorable interpretation of Midnight Augmentation, the reduction is applied to the augment cost of the power, i.e. each augmentation. Thus, 2 essentia in MA means it will only cost you 1 PP to augment Bestow Power, and therefore, you will break even after 1 augment (3 PP + 1 = 4 PP cost, for 4 PP gained) and every augment after that will grant PP. (3 + 1 + 1 = 5 PP cost, for 6 PP returned, and so on.)

2) Unfavorable Interpretation:

Under the unfavorable interpretation, the reduction is only applied to the total augmented cost of the manifestation as a whole. Thus you still break even at 2 (3 PP + 3 PP [- 2] = 4PP cost for 4 PP gained) but further increases will hurt you. Thus you need one more reduction to gain net PP, either from a Torc, Earth Power etc.


Both of these can be done by Psion 5 (or Ardent 5 with mantle substitution), but the former costs much less in terms of feats or gp.

[Need_A_Life]

Well, I suppose that would be level 4 (or level 3 if you ignore WBL).

Human Wilder 4 [Wild Surge +2], with Earth Sense and Earth Power and Psicrystal Affinity gets a 3-point discount on an augmented Bestow Power [6pp for 4pp => 3pp for 4pp).

Ignoring WBL, you could have a a Torc of Power Preservation, Earth Sense, Earth Power and Psicrystal affinity at level 3 (3pp for 2pp => 1pp for 2pp).

[Psyren]

Whoops, dunno why I thought Bestow Power was 3rd-level. So yeah, a Psion can indeed do this by level 3 with flaws, as can a Wilder who breaks WBL. (10 ft. ladders -> 2 10ft. poles should do the trick.)