3.5e Help making a Quadriplegic Psionic Character

[elegantsin]

Hello, everyone!

We will be joining our friends' 3.5e D&D game soon, and my husband wants to create a PC who is a human quadriplegic. We figured out that psionic is probably the way to go for his class, since everything else would be just about impossible.

Neither of us have every played a class with psionic abilities, so we aren't sure where to start here. Do you have any suggestions, tips, comments, etc. for us?

Thank you for any help you may be able to provide! :smallbiggrin:

[rockdeworld]

It sounds like he wants to play something like this (http://www.goblinscomic.org/12062011/) (quoted mainly for the floating psion in the last panel).

D&D doesn't really do quadriplegia well. Characters are assumed to be able to move their legs to walk and run, and their arms/hands to attack, point spells and magic items, and manipulate objects (like door handles, weapons, and treasure chests). Being paralyzed (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/conditionSummary.htm#paralyzed) is a bad condition, and trying to DM a character already mostly paralyzed presents the same difficulties as DMing a character who's undead (difficult enough that it took a long time for the Necropolitan template to come out). Since it's your friend DMing, he might not want to put up with the headache.

As a DM for a character like this, the questions you've gotta answer are: is the character considered helpless? What are his STR/DEX scores? How can this character be playable?

This is basically homebrew territory, but I think you can pull it off. The good news is that you're right on with psionics - you don't need to be able to move to be a psion. Here are my suggestions:

1. Check D20srd (http://www.d20srd.org/index.htm) to learn about psionics if you haven't already. It's a good resource, and psionics are easy to learn - it's basically magic with MP instead of spell slots, and every spell automatically has Still Spell applied. There's also few oddities with feats that you'll figure out quickly.

2. Create a reasonable psion quadriplegic template that both your husband and DM agree on. I'd go with something like this:

Speed
A quadriplegic loses all modes of movement and his speed becomes 0.

Psi-Like Abilities (Ps): 3/day: Open/Close (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/openClose.htm), Mage Hand (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/mageHand.htm) (yes those are spells you're getting as Psi-Like Abilities). "Caster" level equal to your hit dice. Saving throw equal to 10 + 1/2 your hit dice + your Cha modifier.

Special Qualities
Quadriplegia (Ex): A quadriplegic can't move from his neck down. This prevents him from moving normally, holding anything, interacting with objects, or attacking (unless he takes Improved Unarmed Strike, has a bite attack, or has a tentacle attack from his face like an Illithid). He can speak and move his head. He is otherwise considered to have a Dex score of 0 (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#nonabilities) (and is helpless), but see below.

Psionic Adaptation (Ps): A quadriplegic can spend 1 power point to levitate 1 foot off the ground for 8 hours. He can use this ability to move horizontally as much as 20 feet each round; doing so is a move action. He can not use this ability to move vertically. If he uses the Levitate power or spell, this ability is suppressed for the duration of the other ability. While this power is active, he is not considered helpless, but still has a Dex score of 0.

Abilities
Dex -

Level Adjustment
+0

3. Play a psion, and of the psions, play a Shaper or Egoist. Raise your int score. Stay out of melee.

Have fun!

[olentu]

What level are you starting at. It is is high enough you could use the elocater prestige class and have the character just float around everywhere.

[Vaz]

You open all doors with Time Hop.

And yes, Elocator is a perfect fit.

[Ignominia]

Mindquad!!!!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeuRXO18G4Y

In all seriousness though, I had a character (a Warforged Juggernaut that had been permanently enlarged) who had a Psion Goblin (another PC) riding around in a backpack.

Eventually we ended up getting a custom magic saddle (Im not sure exactly what it was, the Goblin ended up purchasing it, although Im reasonably sure it was from the MIC) that made it impossible for him to be dismounted.

He took the mounted combat feat, which worked out quite well. The ability to negate a single attack each round was phenomenal! Definitely an ability the dm would have to approve though.

[Ettina]

In all seriousness though, I had a character (a Warforged Juggernaut that had been permanently enlarged) who had a Psion Goblin (another PC) riding around in a backpack.

Reminds me of Bran and Hodor from Game of Thrones.

Which reminds me - if he'd be willing to play a paraplegic instead of a quadriplegic, he could be a spellcaster instead. I'm pretty sure the somatic components of spells are all done with the hands.

[Slithery D]

And yes, Elocator is a perfect fit.
For the quadriplegic who obtained the dodge, mobility, and spring attack feats.

:smallfrown:

[Segev]

Another question you'll want to answer: What happens if he magically/psionically changes his form?

Say he's subjected to Baleful Polymorph; is the puppy also paralyzed?

What if he uses Control Body (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/controlBody.htm) on himself?

What if he goes wizard, instead, and uses Alter Self, or his friendly party wizard Polymorphs him?


From a mechanical standpoint, do you just want the fluff, or is there a specific set of limitations with which you want the character saddled? Are there specific challenges you want him to have to deal with?

If not, plan to go into Elocater (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/prestigeClasses/elocater.htm), and before getting in there claim he's paralyzed from the neck down, but use normal human statistics fluffed such that he's levitating a few inches off the ground, and using short-range TK (which just so happens to match his Str score). Maybe take a pair of feats that let him substitute Int for Str and Dex to represent that it's all TK.

Those two feats might even come with Str -- and Dex -- as part of them, and make his use of Int to replace them a (Su) ability that is shut down in a null psionics/dead magic zone. More stringent requirements might be that he can only use the latter when he's Psionically Focused; beware of this one, though, as while it's flavorful, that can sharply limit his ability to use other psionic feats. Especially metapsionics.

[Vaz]

For the quadriplegic who obtained the dodge, mobility, and spring attack feats.

:smallfrown:

Fluff it how you want. The beginnings of being able to move your body telepathically.

[Red Fel]

Have you considered the Psion Uncarnate class?

Sure, it's not a stellar PrC, and it only gives you 6/10 ML progression, but the big thing is the fluff. You are a Psion who is slowly abandoning his meat form and becoming a being of pure mind. At 2nd level, you gain the ability to become incorporeal and fly; at capstone, you become permanently incorporeal. For obvious reasons, that's both a pro and a con, but for fluff reasons, it's awesome.

Imagine the mentality of a person entombed inside of a crippled form, able to leave his body and become a free being of pure ether. Who isn't David Lo Pan. It's exactly the kind of desire for absolute freedom that makes sense.

[Extra Anchovies]

Have you considered the Psion Uncarnate class?

Sure, it's not a stellar PrC, and it only gives you 6/10 ML progression, but the big thing is the fluff. You are a Psion who is slowly abandoning his meat form and becoming a being of pure mind. At 2nd level, you gain the ability to become incorporeal and fly; at capstone, you become permanently incorporeal. For obvious reasons, that's both a pro and a con, but for fluff reasons, it's awesome.

Imagine the mentality of a person entombed inside of a crippled form, able to leave his body and become a free being of pure ether. Who isn't David Lo Pan. It's exactly the kind of desire for absolute freedom that makes sense.

I totally second the Psion Uncarnate idea; it's not the most powerful PrC a psion could take, but it's still able to hold up in a mid/low-op game. Plus it's got flavor oozing out of its (incorporeal) ears even without the extra roleplaying awesomeness presented by a nearly-paralyzed character working to shed his/her crippled form.

Also, thank you so very, very much for the Big Trouble in Little China reference. It's reassuring to know that I'm not the only one who's seen that movie :smalltongue:

[Red Fel]

I totally second the Psion Uncarnate idea; it's not the most powerful PrC a psion could take, but it's still able to hold up in a mid/low-op game. Plus it's got flavor oozing out of its (incorporeal) ears even without the extra roleplaying awesomeness presented by a nearly-paralyzed character working to shed his/her crippled form.

Also, thank you so very, very much for the Big Trouble in Little China reference. It's reassuring to know that I'm not the only one who's seen that movie :smalltongue:

Indeed! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDzdM53j41E) Extra text.

[Rubik]

I think a refluffed ghost savage progression (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040117a) is much better than psion uncarnate, especially with LA buyoff. The first two levels of ghost give you everything important from P.U. (which is a perfect acronym for it, incidentally (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=PU)), and since you only ever get 1 LA from a level at a time, it's easy to buy off immediately, so long as you're a minimum of level 3.

[Jeff the Green]

I totally second the Psion Uncarnate idea; it's not the most powerful PrC a psion could take, but it's still able to hold up in a mid/low-op game. Plus it's got flavor oozing out of its (incorporeal) ears even without the extra roleplaying awesomeness presented by a nearly-paralyzed character working to shed his/her crippled form.

Also, thank you so very, very much for the Big Trouble in Little China reference. It's reassuring to know that I'm not the only one who's seen that movie :smalltongue:

I'd consider the Pathfinder version, which I'm not linking to because stupid phone. While it's still 6/10 manifesting, its features are actually worth it.