Psionic Weapons

[CGDG]

I was looking at building a melee character that didn't not already have access to a power point reserve. I like the damage bonus and think it's a viable option.

Without power points already, I would need to take a feat to become psionically focuses. This is how I understand it. Is this true? If I have to take a feat to become psionically focused, is it worth the investment?

[Flickerdart]

Yes, in order to take [Psionic] feats and have psionic focus, you need a power point reserve, which can be accomplished by taking Wild Talent or Hidden Talent.

If you make this investment you'll need another feat - Psychic Meditation - to recover focus as a move action, instead of a full round action. Thereafter, you will need to pump Concentration in order to regain focus reliably.

Three feats and a skill dedicated to +2d6 damage per round as a move action is not, generally speaking, viable, specially not when you get multiple attacks per round (which can be as early as level 1).

[Kalaska'Agathas]

In order to become Psionically Focused, you need to have at least one power point and pass a DC 20 Concentration check. If you do not have a power point reserve native to your build, you would have to take a feat (or levels in most any psionic class, or possibly some other means of which I am not aware). Whether this is worth the investment depends on what benefit it would bring, whether or not you have any feats available, if there might be a better way to achieve the same end or ends, and your personal taste. For example, if you're looking for a bit of extra damage, and have the skill points to make use of it, Knowledge Devotion (Complete Champion, page 60) might be a better option.

The trouble with Psionic Weapon (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicFeats.htm#psionicWeapon) is that you have to expend your Psionic Focus to use it, and if you miss, you still blow your Focus. And it's all for an average of 7 damage (minimum 2, maximum 12), and only to one attack, and which does not get multiplied on a crit (being bonus dice). So unless you're averaging less than 7 damage per attack, you're almost always better off with a full attack anyway. And then you have to use an action (a move action with Psionic Meditation (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicFeats.htm#psionicMeditation), a full-round action (which provokes AoOs) normally) to get it back. Knowledge Devotion, on the other hand, provides a fixed bonus to attack and damage (so it gets multiplied on a crit), for the cost of making one Knowledge check that you were probably going to make anyway. That's up to a +5 to hit and damage per attack, for a whole encounter (and since pumping skill checks is easy, you'll probably be maxing it out most of the time). And since it's giving you a bonus to hit, you can afford to power attack more (if that's part of what you're doing), so it can be more like +15 damage per strike. And that's per attack, so you can full attack with it. All in all, a better choice, if you've got the knowledge skills for it, and some money to spend on boosting the relevant creature-knowledges.

But, to give a more tailored suggestion, it would be helpful to know the particulars of your build and any house-rules which are in play.

[CGDG]

Thanks for the feedback. I did not believe it would be worth the feat cost. You proved it to me beyond a shadow of a doubt.

[Psyren]

Yes, in order to take [Psionic] feats and have psionic focus, you need a power point reserve, which can be accomplished by taking Wild Talent or Hidden Talent.

If you make this investment you'll need another feat - Psychic Meditation - to recover focus as a move action, instead of a full round action. Thereafter, you will need to pump Concentration in order to regain focus reliably.

Three feats and a skill dedicated to +2d6 damage per round as a move action is not, generally speaking, viable, specially not when you get multiple attacks per round (which can be as early as level 1).

Psionic Meditation (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicFeats.htm#psionicMeditation) actually - Psychic Meditation (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040827b) is a totally different feat.

And agreed, psionic feats are best used in this way by psionic races (if not classes.)