Augmenting a spell to power?

[flamewolf393]

How would this work? Most psionic powers have an ability to be more effective by spending additional power points. How would this work when you turn an arcane spell into a power? Specifically I am doing a psionic magic missile build and want to know what the augment effect would be for it.

[Jurai]

Augmenting is to Psionics as Caster Level is to Spells. Therefore, we look at our friend, the Magic Missile.


A missile of magical energy darts forth from your fingertip and strikes its target, dealing 1d4+1 points of force damage.
The missile strikes unerringly, even if the target is in melee combat or has less than total cover or total concealment. Specific parts of a creature can't be singled out. Inanimate objects are not damaged by the spell.

For every two caster levels beyond 1st, you gain an additional missile—two at 3rd level, three at 5th, four at 7th, and the maximum of five missiles at 9th level or higher. If you shoot multiple missiles, you can have them strike a single creature or several creatures. A single missile can strike only one creature. You must designate targets before you check for spell resistance or roll damage.

Therefore, taking the first part of my post into account, we can reasonably assume that the Augment would be 2 Power Points for an extra missile, to a maximum of five missiles for nine power points.

[tyckspoon]

How would this work? Most psionic powers have an ability to be more effective by spending additional power points. How would this work when you turn an arcane spell into a power? Specifically I am doing a psionic magic missile build and want to know what the augment effect would be for it.

Most spells-converted-to-powers do not have augments; they do the same thing as powers that they did as spells. Just sub in 'manifester level' for 'caster level' for anything relevant (ranges/durations/etc).

Damage-dealing spells have a specific exception - if the spell operates in a dice-per-caster-level fashion (Fireball, Lighting Bolt, Cone of Cold, Magic Missile, etc) then you have to augment it to get the full effect. They deal damage as if they were manifested at minimum caster level, and they augment at a rate of 1 additional PP = 1 additional caster level for purposes of damage.

[Captnq]

They don't.

Take magic missile. You'd just convert it over. No need to augment it at all because as you go up in manifester level, it automatically upgrades.

Jurai misunderstands the point of augmenting totally.

When a wizard wants to cast a magic missile with 5 missiles, does it take up a 5th level slot? Making magic missile cost 9 PP would be like turning magic missile into a 5th level spell. It's not. It's a 1st level spell.

If you convert a spell to psionics (I recommend against it, as it will open up all sorts of combos you did not expect), just change spell for power, caster for manifester, and ignore foci, gestures, incantations, and any material component that costs less then 100 gp. Anything more then that, divide by 5 and thats how much it costs in XP to manifest as a power.

Add the additional XP cost to any XP cost the spell already had.

[IAmTehDave]

They don't.

Take magic missile. You'd just convert it over. No need to augment it at all because as you go up in manifester level, it automatically upgrades.

Jurai misunderstands the point of augmenting totally.

When a wizard wants to cast a magic missile with 5 missiles, does it take up a 5th level slot? Making magic missile cost 9 PP would be like turning magic missile into a 5th level spell. It's not. It's a 1st level spell.

If you convert a spell to psionics (I recommend against it, as it will open up all sorts of combos you did not expect), just change spell for power, caster for manifester, and ignore foci, gestures, incantations, and any material component that costs less then 100 gp. Anything more then that, divide by 5 and thats how much it costs in XP to manifest as a power.

Add the additional XP cost to any XP cost the spell already had.

Wrong. From the Mind's Eye article: (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070629a)

The erudite uses her manifester level for determining the effects of the spell being manifested, with one significant exception. Spells that deal a number of dice of damage based on caster level (such as magic missile,searing light, or lightning bolt) deal damage as if cast by a character of the minimum level of the class capable of casting the spell. Spells whose damage is partially based on caster level, but that don't deal a number of dice of damage based on caster level (such as produce flame or an inflict spell) use the erudite's normal manifester level to determine damage. Use the erudite's normal manifester level for all other effects, including range and duration.

For example, a fireball deals a number of dice of damage based on the erudite's manifester level, so when manifested it deals 5d6 points of damage (as if cast by a 5th-level wizard, which is the minimum level of wizard capable of casting fireball).

An erudite can pay additional power points to augment the dice of damage dealt by a spell. Every 1 extra power point spent at the time of manifesting increases the spell's effective caster level by 1 for purposes of dealing damage. The damage-dealing spell's caster level cannot be increased above the erudite's manifester level, or above the normal maximum allowed by the spell.

So you get Psionic style scaling and augmentation for damage dealing spell-to-power powers.

All other effects are equivalent to the base spell.