[PF] Schism and Fission interaction

[Stux]

Hello!

I was trying to get my head around how these two powers work, especially once you throw in some metapsionics.

So, if you are a level 17 Psion/Wilder with the Crystal Shard, Schism, and Fission powers (having gotten any you wouldn't have access to via Expanded Knowledge), as well as the feats:

Psicrystal Affinity
Psicrystal Containment
Quicken Power
Hustle Power

Is this valid:

Assume you have Fission active and both versions of you have also used Schism.

You:
Manifest Crystal Shard for 17d6 as a standard action
Manifest Crystal Shard as a move action using Hustle Power, expending your psionic focus for 13d6
Manifest Crystal Shard as a swift action using Quicken Power, expending your psicrystal's psionic focus for 11d6
Manifest Crystal Shard through your schism for 11d6

Fission copy:
Manifest Crystal Shard for 15d6
Manifest Crystal Shard as a move action using Hustle Power, expending its psionic focus for 11d6
Manifest Crystal Shard though its schism for 9d6

This gives a total damage of 87d6 in one turn, or 304.5 average damage.

Now this seems pretty good, but it is level 17 so there are obviously things you could be doing other than raw damage, not to mention it costs over half the PP for the day. Plus you have to factor in the couple of turns it takes to get Fission and Schisms online (though they will continue to give you benefits past this turn of course). But still this seems like a pretty impressive alpha strike.

Have I worked this out correctly? If not what am I missing?

[Psyren]

Well, you wrote "in one turn" but the way you have it set up takes more than one turn (because you have to Schism and Fission etc.) So you're really doing a maximum of 152 damage per round to get all that going, not 305.

By taking a slight cut in the overall damage, you can get it down to one round easily - just use Temporal Acceleration. However, your duplicate will unfortunately have to do the same on its turn - when it comes into being it will not gain a copy of your schism nor of your TA.

One thing you missed is that your duplicate should have its own Psicrystal. "Your duplicate has all your abilities" - that includes feats. It should also have Psicrystal Meditation and Containment if you have them. It will have to focus these itself, but that again is what Temporal Acceleration is for. That will allow your Schism to use both Quicken and Hustle Power like you just did.

Here's how it could look:

Combat starts. Let's say you win initiative. You start with two foci (primary mind and psicrystal.)

Round 1

Swift: Manifest TA (augment 1: 2 rounds). (15 PP)
- TA 1 Starts -
Move Action (Fast Time): Reposition (this is the safest time to move - you cannot be AoOed while inside the TA. Move somewhere you would like your twin to appear, as it will likely show up next to you.)
Standard (Fast Time): Manifest Fission. PP are split here.
Swift Action (Fast Time): Quicken Schism.
Note: If you don't need to move at the start of the fight, Fission first and then Hustle Schism to save PP. Then use your swift on something else.
- TA 1 ends -
- TA 2 Starts -
Note: Your Schism is now active (it's "next round"), but it cannot act during the TA.
Swift Action (Fast Time): Any (Another quickened or swift Buff can go here)
Move Action (Fast Time): Regain Focus spent on Quickened/Hustled Schism
Standard (Fast Time): Any buff/Regain other Focus if spent.
- TA 2 ends -
Standard (Regular Time): Crystal Shard 17d6.
Move (Regular Time): Crystal Shard 13d6. (Hustle Power)
Schism: Crystal Shard 11d6.

Twin acts (Still Round 1):

Swift: Manifest TA (Augment 1)
- TA 1 Starts -
Standard (Fast Time): Manifest Schism
Move Action (Fast Time): Gain Focus (Primary Mind)
Swift Action (Fast Time): Any
- TA 1 Ends -
- TA 2 Starts -
(Schism active, cannot use until TA ends)
Standard: Any
Move: Gain Focus (Psicrystal)
Swift: Any
- TA 2 Ends -
Standard (Regular Time): Crystal Shard 15d6.
Move (Regular Time): Crystal Shard 11d6. (Hustle Power)
Schism: Crystal Shard 9d6.

Total damage in Round 1: 78d6 (273 avg.)

The total damage is lower than your figure, but the DPR is significantly higher. Note also that you have 1 focus left over on yourself and on your twin to add another metapsionic like Empower Power or Maximize Power to each primary mind's shot. If you do so, replace (15d6) with (13d6*1.5) or (72) on you, and the correspondingly lower figures on the twin.

You can increase the damage further depending on the buffs you added above. For instance, Offensive Prescience can be added in during either the Swift or Standard buff phases of each step. You can also increase your chances to hit with swift buffs like Compression or Inevitable Strike.


The cost is high but you should have a decent amount of ammunition. Realistically you're looking at 355 PP total (250 base + 85 bonus + 17 FC bonus + 3 racial) assuming you have 30 Int (20 base + 4 levels + 6 headband). That'll give you and your twin 163 each to play with (355 - 15 (TA) - 13 for Fission = 327, divided by 2.)

[Stux]

Very nice.

Hadn't even looked at Temporal Acceleration, new to Psionics so still getting my head around all the powers. Thats crazy, like a Time Stop with loads more utility which you can start using in its basic form at level 11...

[Psyren]

Swift action Time Stop at that :smallsmile: though its 9th-level version is only 3 rounds as opposed to the magical version's 4, the fact that it's a Swift means you get your basic round back, so I think it evens out.

[Stux]

Yes, that too!

Working on a build now (not just focused on this damage combo, there are so many other things Psions can do. Nice to know its possible in a pinch though!).

Are there any other feats than the ones mentioned that you would deem useful, or even mandatory? Going Egoist at the moment, with a bunch of feat slots used to get certain powers from other lists using Expanded Knowledge, but with all the bonus feats too I still have a fair few slots free...