Character concept help: Psionics and the abyss

[Xuldarinar]

To the point: Lets say you wanted to create a psionic character who's abilities reflected the abyss, such as emulating demons or summoning them, how would you approach it?





Something that might prove useful:

Independent Research: A psion also can research a power independently, duplicating an existing power or creating an entirely new one. If characters are allowed to develop new powers, use these guidelines to handle the situation.

Any kind of manifester can create a new power. The research involved requires access to a retreat conducive to uninterrupted meditation. Research involves an expenditure of 1,000 gp per week and takes one week per level of the power. At the end of that time, the character makes a Spellcraft check (DC 10 + spell level). If that check succeeds, the character learns the new power if her research produced a viable power. If the check fails, the character must go through the research process again if she wants to keep trying. powers learned through independent research still count against the manifester’s powers known.



It should be noted, this is purely academic. If I have a chance, i'd bring this to the table, but.. for now it is little more than a point of curiosity.

[Psyren]

"Emulating demons" is the easier approach using psionics. Summoning and Calling isn't really meant to be their thing, though they can do it in very limited ways. In addition to simple metamorphosis, check out the "Planar X" powers (Embrace, Champion, Apotheosis) in CPsi for inspiration.

[Xuldarinar]

Very well. Thank you.


To a differing theme, though slightly:

Im aware there are examples of people drawing power from being possessed, including the aptly named Possessed Oracle archetype.

What about something to represent a character possessed by a Cerebrilith?

[Psyren]

There are rules for demonic possession in FC1. You can add the possession ability to any demon with 4+ HD (thus a Cerebrelith qualifies) and doing so increases its CR by 2. It can activate its possession ability to turn incorporeal and then attempt to enter a nearby target's body. This forces a will save; the target takes a -2 penalty if it is evil, and an additional -4 penalty if it is in the process of committing an evil act when the demon makes its attempt. Once inside, there are various roles the demon can play - assuming direct control, acting as ally (profane bonus to ability score), as an enemy (profane penalty), simply riding along sneakily, or even attempting to transform the victim's physical form entirely.

[Xuldarinar]

Thank you, I appreciate the input a great deal, though I must ask can one come up with a strictly pathfinder approach? 3.5 has a lot of great things, but if it can be done strictly out of pathfinder then that would be preferred I think.

[Feralventas]

A few things come to mind. There are several fiends and demons that use Telepathy as part of their methods, particularly the corruptive sorts. There are plenty of ways to go about using mental influences to follow through on an abyssal agenda. Mindbender PrC or variant Telepath options are a good place to look for this.

Psychic Warriors do alright in making themselves seem beastial if they so want, and growing acidic claws or simply using Form of Doom to shape-shift into something awful is certainly an option.

A Shaper channeling demonic forms and ideals, perhaps calling up proto-demon entities instead of properly conjuring fully formed ones via Astral Construct manifestations.

Don't forget that there are outright demonic psychic entities both in various publications about demons and in the Expanded Psionic Handbook. Acting as an agent for one of them or an apprentice to one of them the same way that there are dragon-related PrCs and character options for those learning from them. Cerebreliths in the EPH are noted to love hunting intelligent foes to challenge themselves. What better way than to cultivate mortal psionic talents and create one's own scenarios in which to both test its psionic powers and ensure its opportunities to learn new tricks from innovative mortal minds and slay them once they begin to look like a real threat.

[Psyren]

Thank you, I appreciate the input a great deal, though I must ask can one come up with a strictly pathfinder approach? 3.5 has a lot of great things, but if it can be done strictly out of pathfinder then that would be preferred I think.

Oh I didn't realize it was strictly PF - usually if people are willing to go to third-party for things like psionics, they're okay porting in 3.5 stuff if it helps their concept.

Unfortunately, 3.5 psionics was really the only one to delve into the "angels and demons" thing, because CPsi added the Ardent and Divine Mind. None of that really made it over to DSP. In addition, PF Metamorphosis is very different from 3.5 - you can't really turn into a Cerebrilith anymore, though you could turn into... something... that has several traits in common with one.

[Xuldarinar]

Well, it isn't strictly but I would have liked to have seen a strictly PF solution, both for academic curiosity and also should I bring it to the table ever, I'd like to have options as some DMs can have odd rules.


It is a shame the Divine mind never made it over, not because I liked it (I cringed the first time I actually read the class over) but because its flavor would be suitable and I would have liked to have seen a version of it that could hold its own. Same really goes with the rest of that book. It was largely garbage, but there are gems and it was at times... flavorful garbage.