Need help with an Ardent

[marinecomm]

So, I created an 8th level ardent for an online PbP campaign. Due to my lack of knowledge of the class and not reading what I was doing properly, I would up gimping my character. He has no attack capability other than being able to create constructs. His other powers are pretty much useless utility powers. We are in a campaign right now and I can't redo my character until we are finished. I'm looking for advice on what mantles to take that will give him some offensive power. Right now he has the Life and Good mantle at 1st level and I chose the Death and Mental mantles for his other two. The problem is that these mantles really don't have good offensive powers early on I've noticed. Unless I am missing something. When I reach level 9 I can choose Celestial Conduit and finally have another avenue of attacking the opponent but I am still left with all these utility powers. Also, as far as I understand it, I have to have more powers in my initial mantles than I have in the other mantles. Another reason to choose my mantles wisely. If anyone has really played an Ardent and can give me some useful advice I would much appreciate it. I dread playing my character at the moment because of this issue.

[Flickerdart]

There are two powers that will help you, but not to cast. If you find a psion capable of manifesting either psychic reformation or psychic chirurgery, you can correct some of your mistakes. Reformation notably lets you trade out old feats for new ones, so take Expanded Knowledge and snag a cool attack power like Energy Stun. Chirurgery will straight up edit a power the manifester knows into your mind, but the cost is great - 1000XP per level of the power implanted. You can take half, but you'd have to pay the manifester for the other half, in addition to the cost for manifesting psychic chirurgery.

[marinecomm]

Once per month real time we are allowed to rebuild our character so once we are done with this campaign then I can change him and set him up with better powers without cost. I'm still curious as to what mantles one would suggest starting out with.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Scroll down to Substitute Powers (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070629a).