Fighting Psicrystal

[kulosle]

Is there a way to make a psicrystal capable of holding it's own in a fight at low levels? Campaign starts at 5 and should go to about 10. I don't want to just take improved psicrystal, cause i would actually like to be able to do stuff. I've seen the feat elemental envoy and that seems okay, but i'm not sure if it still gets boosted by things that boos my psicrystal. Like if I take psicrystal containment could my elemental steward focus for me, could it still be awaken? Then it might be useful. Thanks for you help in advance. All books and dragon magazines are available, and so is pathfinder if it's easy to convert.

[Feint's End]

Pretty much the only way to do it is via sharing 3.5 metamorphosis (this work fine though). Other than that psi crystals aren't there for fighting.

[kulosle]

okay, thats fine and doable. what about feats that help your psicrystal, would they work on the elemental steward? just so i know.

[Feint's End]

okay, thats fine and doable. what about feats that help your psicrystal, would they work on the elemental steward? just so i know.

Yes you can share Metamorphosis with them too. If I were you I'd pick a Geodite simply because you get Power Attack and Improved Natural Attack right away which are both perfect feats for natural weapon fighters. Depending on your preferences for other shapes Tempestan is nice too because you get flyby attack (if you transform into flying creatures often for example).

edit: Now that I think about it ... Tempestan is probably your best bet for overall flexibility. Good feats (Improved Initiative, Flyby Attack and Improved Natural Attack) + natural fly speed. What do you want more?

[aleucard]

If you must turn your Psicrystal into a melee threat, then one of your best options would be to get a Psychic Warrior to give it at least somewhat respectable HP and BAB. If it helps, think of it like you'd think of a Wizard's Familiar, or in the case of my suggestion one of the Gish base classes getting the Attain Familiar feat. A lot of the tactics that work for them work for Psicrystals, though the only ones that'll be able to use the spells in question are StP Erudites.

[Rubik]

If you must turn your Psicrystal into a melee threat, then one of your best options would be to get a Psychic Warrior to give it at least somewhat respectable HP and BAB.Psicrystals get medium BAB no matter what, since their HD are construct HD equal to their master's HD, unlike familiars, which don't.

And I wouldn't go with an elemental steward, since they don't progress like a psicrystal does.

And don't forget that psicrystals gain feats and ability boosts due to HD, just like any other creature with an Int score. Despite what some people try to argue, this is RAW. Whether they should according to RAI is up in the air, but RAW is indisputable.

[Amphetryon]

scion_of_coldshard posted on this concept on the WotC forums in '06, off a 36-point buy base:

Human Psion 1
Medium humanoid
Str: 8
Dex: 12
Con: 18
Int: 18
Wis: 8
Cha: 8

HD: 1d4+4 (8 hp)
Ini: +1
Speed: 30'
AC: 15 = 10 (base) +4 (scale mail armor) +2 (heavy wooden shield) +1 (dex)
Armor Check Penalty: -6 (the penalty that applies to Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Sleight of Hand, and Tumble checks, basically all dex and str based checks, double for swimming)
BAB/Grapple: +0/-1
Attack: -7 (dagger, d4 19-20/x2), -5 (light crossbow, d8 19-20/x2)
Saves: F: +4=+0 (base) +4 (stat), R: +1=+0 (base) +1 (stat), W: +1= +2 (base) -1 (stat)
Skills: 36 skill points off of psion list, not sure which psion
Feats: Psicrystal affinity, Improved psicrystal, Improved psicrystal
PP: 4 = 2 (base) + 2 (stat)
Manifestor level: 1
Powers: 1st: ??? 3 known, not sure what would help the psicrystal attack while leaving the psion free to not get his hands dirty
Special: Benefits of the psicrystal and its 3 traits

Psicrystal
Diminutive Construct
HD: 1
HP: 4
Ini: +2
Speed: 30', climb 20' *
AC: 17 = +4 (size modifier) +2 (Dex*) +1 (natural armor)
BAB/Grapple: +0/–17
Attack: — (diminutive gives +4 to attack)
Full Attack: —
Space/Reach: 1 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: —
Special Qualities: Construct traits, hardness 8, psicrystal granted abilities (alertness to master, improved evasion, personality, self-propulsion, share powers, sighted, telepathic link, deliver touch powers)
Saves: As master’s saves
Abilities: Str 1*, Dex 15*, Con —, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 10
Skills: Climb +14*, Listen +6, Move Silently +6, Search +2, Spot +6, + masters skills
Feats: Alertness

[Rubik]

scion_of_coldshard posted on this concept on the WotC forums in '06, off a 36-point buy base:Wouldn't it be better to take Psionic Body for extra hp for the psicrystal than an extra iteration of Improved Psicrystal? It's not like I.P. grants the psicrystal that much extra at this level. Faerie Mysteries Initiate would be a good feat for both the psicrystal and the psion, especially with some Int-boosting effects.

[kulosle]

scion_of_coldshard posted on this concept on the WotC forums in '06, off a 36-point buy base:

Yeah I read that, and I also read that the character will basically become rather useless. I'm more interested in a guy who's super obsessed with team work and expects everyone to pull his own. He plans on scolding any familiars that are in the group. It might be easier to do this with a familiar but i think if i did it with a psicrystal it would show just how crazy this guy is about teamwork.

The elementals have their own progression that seems to be just as good if not better. Is there any particular reason why the psicrystals is better? Also, is there a way to give a psicrystal hands permanently?

[mabriss lethe]

If teamwork is a big deal for the character, then why not snag the draconic aura feat on the psicrystal at level 3? It still contributes to the party just by being there and you don't have to risk it in combat. (If it's going to be a long campaign, snag dragontouched as well, so that the aura will scale with level.)

[Rubik]

The elementals have their own progression that seems to be just as good if not better. Is there any particular reason why the psicrystals is better?Elemental envoys, better? Hardly. EEs do not increase in HD (even effective HD), HP, saves, or skills. Nor do they gain feats or ability score increases based on their masters' levels. Nor do they count as psicrystals for psicrystal feats, PrCs, or similar.

Psicrystals do for all of those.


Also, is there a way to give a psicrystal hands permanently?The hands of man, from Savage Species. There's also a set of yuan ti arms that could work, and warforged mighty arms grafts.

[kulosle]

oh your right, i missed the fact that they don't get HD. okay so psicrystal definitely better based solely on that.

[WhamBamSam]

Since Metamorphosis is basically how you get this done, you may want to go for the Changeling Egoist sub-levels, which let you get/manifest Metamorphosis earlier than normal, as well as a nice minor ability related to your Psicrystal.

If you do use changeling, and don't mind setting several feats on fire, then using said fire to melt some cheese, you could potentially gain a familiar as well. With Racial Emulation you can take the Draconic Rite of Passage to get a 1st level Sorc spell as a SLA with a CL equal to your character level. SLAs default to their Sor/Wiz versions, which probably means that caster level is arcane and qualifies you for Obtain Familiar. Default transparency isn't enough to share powers with a familiar through share spells, but if you can get the Magic Mantle granted power, it'll let you treat magic and psionics as identical.

[kulosle]

Oh thanks, I wasn't sure how much transparency affected that. Umm, is there a way of getting a mantle without taking a level of a class?

[malonkey1]

Oh thanks, I wasn't sure how much transparency affected that. Umm, is there a way of getting a mantle without taking a level of a class?

Don and Tap Mantle No, wai,t that requires you to already have Mantle access. That said, PsyWars can get a mantle too, with the Mantled Warrior ACF.

[WhamBamSam]

I had thought that you could do it with feats, but on closer inspection Tap Mantle requires that you already have access to a psionic mantle. So if you're a Psion, like a Changeling Egoist, you might need a dip. A one level dip in Ardent or or a two level dip in Mantled Warrior PsyWar or Mantled Wilder (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070214a) would do it.