Fun things to do with Psionic Focus?

[justiceforall]

Hi Playground,

I'm slowly building up a backup idea for my current character (a shadow paladin) for when he inevitably dies. One of the ideas I was toying with I created a thread about a while ago - I really like the Deflective Armour feat, and I have a general style preference for Full Plate anyway. We tend to play at low to mid levels, so armour generally remains relevant over the course of our campaigns.

So the general idea I was working with the Full Plate and the minor Psionic tricks as central to the characters theme, and I would start at 1st level without the ability to use Deflective Armour and I would like to keep the theme going throughout the character. I'd looked at starting with the Psionic Weapon feat to gain some early use out of Psionic Focus and have done a little hunting around for other ways to use it but haven't come up with a great deal.

The catch - I can't use psionic powers. The GM has pretty much flat banned psionics from his games, but he's told me my idea is fine so long as I don't use psionic powers.

So what, if any, fun stuff can one do with Psionic Focus? Is it possible to build a character who makes reasonable use out of Focus if that character isn't also a psion of some sort?

[Blackhawk748]

Well right there you found my favorite Psionic Focus trick, combined with Shield Ward your very difficult to hit. I believe there is a feat that lets you heal some HP when you expend your focus...

[EugeneVoid]

Psycarnum Infusion.

Its difficult to explain, and I haven't used it before, but it basically lets you "persist" cheap powers.

DisposableHero_ (from the old Wizard Boards) invented it (I'm fairly certain).

Here's a link (http://community.wizards.com/content/forum-topic/3541096) to read into it.

It does use Incarnum along with Psionics, so your average joe DM probably won't let it fly, but its unquestionably awesome. Highly recommended reading.

Edit: Psycarnum Infusion + Midnight Augmentation + Azure Talent, coolio

[Dimers]

Take a ToB class or Martial Study and use the Psychic Renewal feat to refresh a used maneuver.

[justiceforall]

I've seen the psycarnum warrior page when I was hunting around for stuff to do with focus, but unfortunately it would not fly with my GM as it uses actual psionics rules.

The idea I'm kind of leaning towards at the moment goes wild talent > psionic weapon > heavy armour opt > deflective armour > deep impact > psionic meditation. I like Speed of Thought, but I don't think there's any way to get around the restriction on heavy armour and still use deflective armour is there?

One of the interactions that looked amusing for later if the character lived that long was deep impact + power attack + decisive strike + another full BAB class as the chassis. Touch attack with +4 damage per point of power attack used seems like it would hurt.

[LooseCannoneer]

Try soulknife.

[justiceforall]

Try soulknife.

Heh, I did run up a quick Soulknife build with one level of Fighter to see what it would be like... geez that class is so cool but its SO bad! Even the optimisation books for it can't really seem to salvage much out of it?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Go for more effects that are active while you're psionically focused, so their usefulness isn't diminished when you take Deflective Armor. Feats like Up The Walls (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicFeats.htm#upTheWalls), Focused Shield, Psionic Dodge, Ghost Attack, etc. I would get Up The Walls for sure, and Focused Shield if you're going sword-and-board, especially considering Shield Ward in PH2.

If you're interested in Soulknife, maybe something like Soulknife 2/ Fighter 2/ (full BAB class) 1/ Soulbow (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20060403a&page=2) 4/ whatever, with Zen Archery to use Wis for your ranged attack rolls instead of Dex. There would be no drawback to using heavy armor and having a low Dex, and you can use a shield since it only takes one hand to fire mind arrows (but you could also TWF with them). With your only important stats being Wis and Con, and without them really coming into play until 6th level, you wouldn't be very strong starting out. I would actually make the build Dragonfire Adept 1/ Fighter 2/ Soulknife 2/ Soulbow, and get Entanglign Exhalation and Endure Exposure at 1st level. Buff your whole party with Endure Exposure and then equip your armor and tower shield, and spend every fight spamming your entangling breath attacks. At 1st level you won't even be proficient with the armor or shield, but you won't be making any attack rolls or risking arcane spell failure.

[Rakoa]

Up The Walls becomes especially fun when you realize that ceilings are horizontal surfaces..... :smallbiggrin:

[justiceforall]

Up The Walls becomes especially fun when you realize that ceilings are horizontal surfaces..... :smallbiggrin:

Isn't Up The Walls going to be rather mediocre given my character will only be able to use it for 10ft per round (due to heavy armour)?

[Rakoa]

Isn't Up The Walls going to be rather mediocre given my character will only be able to use it for 10ft per round (due to heavy armour)?

Heavy armour should only reduce your moment speed to 20 feet, which should be manageable enough to get some use out of the feat. Most walls aren't 20 feet high, at least indoors.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

If movement speed is going to be a problem, consider the Quick trait (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/characterTraits.htm#quick) (and possibly Improved Toughness to balance out the drawback). There are also bufs (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/longstrider.htm) and items (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#bootsofStridingandSpringing) that improve your movement speed.

A custom item (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/creatingMagicItems.htm) of continuous Expeditious Retreat (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/expeditiousRetreat.htm) at the minimum caster level (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/magicItemBasics.htm#casterLevel) for a wondrous item (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#craftWondrousItem) would be 12,000 gp and add +30 ft. to your land speed. With the quick trait and heavy armor, that will give you a speed of 60 ft.

[Blackhawk748]

If movement speed is going to be a problem, consider the Quick trait (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/characterTraits.htm#quick) (and possibly Improved Toughness to balance out the drawback). There are also bufs (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/longstrider.htm) and items (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#bootsofStridingandSpringing) that improve your movement speed.

A custom item (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/creatingMagicItems.htm) of continuous Expeditious Retreat (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/expeditiousRetreat.htm) at the minimum caster level (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/magicItemBasics.htm#casterLevel) for a wondrous item (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#craftWondrousItem) would be 12,000 gp and add +30 ft. to your land speed. With the quick trait and heavy armor, that will give you a speed of 60 ft.

The cheaper version is the Boots of Striding and Springing, +10 ft movement speed and a +5 on Jump checks for 4.5K. I love those boots.

[justiceforall]

The cheaper version is the Boots of Striding and Springing, +10 ft movement speed and a +5 on Jump checks for 4.5K. I love those boots.

I had a second look at using Up The Walls, and came past an old suggestion in my previous characters thread about using the Knight Unburdened spell. So I had a look at building this character into a Pious Templar (since they get paladin spells). It also looks like the Pious Templar smite would work with decisive strike which seems interesting as well.

Only major drawback I've identified is it forces me to spend my level 3 feat on True Believer instead of a psionic feat.

[LooseCannoneer]

Heh, I did run up a quick Soulknife build with one level of Fighter to see what it would be like... geez that class is so cool but its SO bad! Even the optimisation books for it can't really seem to salvage much out of it?

I never said it was good, I was just pointing out that it fit your requirements.

[justiceforall]

How would Sanctified Mind work with no-psionic powers? Does the transparency rule help at all?

[justiceforall]

Well looks like noone answered the last one.

So allow me to try a different but related question. I just stumbled across the PsiRogue they put up in the Mind's Eye articles. Very interesting concept. Was there ever a PsiFighter equivalent? I noted in my readthrough of the Psionics on the SRD as well as the bits and pieces I've seen in XPH and such, there doesn't seem to be any base psionic classes that have full BAB?