[3.5] Question From Psionics Noob

[Thurbane]

Hey all,

For the sake of argument, say I'm running a Half-Giant (or have one as an NPC). I get 2 power points as a racial ability.

What's a good way to utilize these without taking psionic classes (assume all classes are locked into other things)? Something feat based would be ideal.

Cheers - T

[Uncle Pine]

You can use them to manifest a power obtained with Hidden Talent. Having at least 1 power point also means that you can gain a psionic focus and use feats like Up the Walls, (Greater) Psionic Weapon, etc.

[Fouredged Sword]

Basically that. You can also charge a Cognizance crystal for someone else to use. If you are in the party with a Psion you can charge a crystal that they can use to manifest powers with. This is a good way to encourage them to be more free to spread party buffs around.

[Thurbane]

Up the Walls could be a good option. What are some of the stronger feats he could pick up and use? And how exactly does psionic focus work? I'm extremely unknowledgable about all things psionic.

He won't be adventuring with any Psions or similar.

[ZamielVanWeber]

Up the Walls could be a good option. What are some of the stronger feats he could pick up and use? And how exactly does psionic focus work? I'm extremely unknowledgable about all things psionic.

He won't be adventuring with any Psions or similar.


Gain Psionic Focus
Merely holding a reservoir of psionic power points in mind gives psionic characters a special energy. Psionic characters can put that energy to work without actually paying a power point cost—they can become psionically focused as a special use of the Concentration skill.

If you have 1 or more power points available, you can meditate to attempt to become psionically focused. The DC to become psionically focused is 20. Meditating is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity. When you are psionically focused, you can expend your focus on any single Concentration check you make thereafter. When you expend your focus in this manner, your Concentration check is treated as if you rolled a 15. It’s like taking 10, except that the number you add to your Concentration modifier is 15. You can also expend your focus to gain the benefit of a psionic feat—many psionic feats are activated in this way.

Once you are psionically focused, you remain focused until you expend your focus, become unconscious, or go to sleep (or enter a meditative trance, in the case of elans), or until your power point reserve drops to 0.

Note: if not im combat you can take 10 gain focus. Focus is normally a pain to use unless you take the Psionic Meditation feat. As for Psionic feats I love Deep Impact and its ilk. A touch attack in an emergency is a great thing.

[Red Fel]

Up the Walls could be a good option. What are some of the stronger feats he could pick up and use? And how exactly does psionic focus work? I'm extremely unknowledgable about all things psionic.

He won't be adventuring with any Psions or similar.

Psionic Focus (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/skills/concentration.htm#gainPsionicFocus):
Merely holding a reservoir of psionic power points in mind gives psionic characters a special energy. Psionic characters can put that energy to work without actually paying a power point cost—they can become psionically focused as a special use of the Concentration skill.

If you have 1 or more power points available, you can meditate to attempt to become psionically focused. The DC to become psionically focused is 20. Meditating is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity. When you are psionically focused, you can expend your focus on any single Concentration check you make thereafter. When you expend your focus in this manner, your Concentration check is treated as if you rolled a 15. It’s like taking 10, except that the number you add to your Concentration modifier is 15. You can also expend your focus to gain the benefit of a psionic feat—many psionic feats are activated in this way.

Once you are psionically focused, you remain focused until you expend your focus, become unconscious, or go to sleep (or enter a meditative trance, in the case of elans), or until your power point reserve drops to 0.

Basically, you make a skill check to become focused. You keep your focus until you expend it, pass out, or go to sleep. Expending it is a free action, and can either let you take 15 on a Concentration check or use it to fuel a feat or ability.

A quick list of potentially useful feats (http://www.d20srd.org/indexes/psionicFeats.htm):
Aligned Attack (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicFeats.htm#alignedAttack): Expend your focus to align your attack for purposes of overcoming DR.
Focused Sunder (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicFeats.htm#focusedSunder): Expend your focus to ignore half of an item's total hardness, including magical hardness, while sundering.
Ghost Attack (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicFeats.htm#ghostAttack): While focused, you may roll twice to overcome incorporeal miss chance. Your weapon is treated as Ghost Touch if it hits.
Psionic Dodge (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicFeats.htm#psionicDodge): While focused, gain +1 Dodge bonus to AC.
Psionic Fist (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicFeats.htm#psionicFist): Expend focus to add +2d6 to an unarmed strike or natural weapon.
Psionic Shot (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicFeats.htm#psionicShot): As Psionic Fist, but for ranged weapons.
Psionic Weapon (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicFeats.htm#psionicWeapon): As Psionic Fist and Psionic Shot, but for melee weapons.
Deep Impact (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicFeats.htm#deepImpact), Fell Shot (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicFeats.htm#fellShot), Unavoidable Strike (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicFeats.htm#unavoidableStrike): Expend focus to turn a melee weapon attack, ranged attack, or unarmed strike/natural weapon attack (respectively) into a touch attack.
Speed of Thought (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicFeats.htm#speedOfThought): While focused and not wearing heavy armor, gain a 10' insight bonus to speed.
Up the Walls: You've heard this one already.
Wounding Attack (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicFeats.htm#woundingAttack): Expend focus to deal an additional 1 Con damage with an attack.

[Flickerdart]

The cheapest thing would be to get a deep crystal weapon. 1/day you would be able to add 2d6 damage to the weapon.

[Rubik]

Dig through the list of level 1 psionic powers and choose one that works well at manifester level 1, like Psionic Minor Creation (see: crafting poison). Then take Hidden Talent for +2 pp and one level 1 power of your choice. It doesn't count as manifesting for prereqs or whatever, but it does give you a level 1 power 4/day.

Combine Psionic Minor Creation with Master of Poisons for best effect.

[mabriss lethe]

Dig through the list of level 1 psionic powers and choose one that works well at manifester level 1, like Psionic Minor Creation (see: crafting poison). Then take Hidden Talent for +2 pp and one level 1 power of your choice. It doesn't count as manifesting for prereqs or whatever, but it does give you a level 1 power 4/day.

Combine Psionic Minor Creation with Master of Poisons for best effect.

I'll second Hidden Talent, for fun and profit

While it's true that hidden talent doesn't give you a proper manifester level to play with, it *DOES* bind to any existing ML you possess, including the ML granted by racial PLAs. (half giants get stomp at 1/2 their HD.) So a half giant can get good mileage out of level 1 powers that have some augmentation potential, or scaling benefits. "But what about Power Points?" you ask... funny thing, once you possess a manifester level and can manifest a power, you gain bonus PP based on your manifesting ability score. It won't be a lot, but it will be enough to squeeze a bit more out of the power. Half giants are also one of only two races that can take a feat to boost their racial ML to their full HD, gaining both a better ML and extra PP from the deal. (Kalashtar is the other)

[Qwertystop]

If you use the rules for complex psionic tattoos, you can put points into one every day to charge it slowly, roughly equivalent to an item that manifests a power or chain of powers with a cooldown of several days (time depending on what exactly you set up). Useful for an emergency button or niche power, and you get some use out of your points beyond just the ability to focus.

[Chronos]

Note that Hidden Talent is expressly listed as a variant available only at the DM's discretion, if he wants a more heavily psionic campaign. The standard version of the feat, Wild Talent, just gives you two power points and nothing else, which is useful only for qualifying a character for all of the things you already qualify for anyway.

[Essence_of_War]

Hey all,

For the sake of argument, say I'm running a Half-Giant (or have one as an NPC). I get 2 power points as a racial ability.

What's a good way to utilize these without taking psionic classes (assume all classes are locked into other things)? Something feat based would be ideal.

Cheers - T

Concurring with the suggestions of Hidden Talent variant of Wild Talent if you have it available.

Expansion is a straightforward power that plays well with Half-Giant combat builds.

What class/level is Half-Giant in question, and what do they do, or want to be able to do, well?

[Thurbane]

Probably a skill monkey/melee based build.

As a side question, are there any official (or unofficial) non-psionic half giant variants?

[Flickerdart]

If you're the DM, then you can judge the following exploit:

The 9th level power psychic chirurgery allows its manifester to impart knowledge of a power into any psionic character's mind, so long as it's of a level that the character can manifest. Hidden Talent gives you a power that is explicitly a power you know and can manifest. Thus, a character with Hidden Talent can pay off high-level manifesters with stacks of gold pieces to essentially buy knowledge of any 1st level powers he wants.

[Chronos]

As a side question, are there any official (or unofficial) non-psionic half giant variants?
None called "half-giant", but there's a race called (iirc) "Enkinu" that's basically the same thing.

[Rubik]

None called "half-giant", but there's a race called (iirc) "Enkinu" that's basically the same thing.And goliaths. They're similar.

[Manly Man]

Actually, probably the best bet would be a half-giant Swordsage. Go with Diamond Mind, Setting Sun, and Stone Dragon maneuvers, maybe a bit of Shadow Hand if you want. Bust into a lot of the better psionic feats, like Deep Impact (oh my freaking GAWD, Diamond Nightmare Blade + Deep Impact is so damn delicious), or maybe take Psychic Renewal.

[Rubik]

Actually, probably the best bet would be a half-giant Swordsage. Go with Diamond Mind, Setting Sun, and Stone Dragon maneuvers, maybe a bit of Shadow Hand if you want. Bust into a lot of the better psionic feats, like Deep Impact (oh my freaking GAWD, Diamond Nightmare Blade + Deep Impact is so damn delicious), or maybe take Psychic Renewal.

Don't forget full Power Attack with a two-hander. Four times normal damage with that will be pretty nasty.

[The Viscount]

Chronos was recalling the Eneko from Secrets of Sarlona. They're half-giants interbred with ogres, and are a bit different. They're still LA +1 Medium Giants with Powerful build, but they also have darkvision and free proficiency with longbow. Instead of +2 Con, +2 Str, -2 Dex, they are +2 Con, +2 Str, -2 Dex, -2 Cha. Instead of psionics they have endure elements and pass without trace 1/day. They make a decent basis for primordial giant if you want that.

[Curmudgeon]

None called "half-giant", but there's a race called (iirc) "Enkinu" that's basically the same thing.
Eneko (Secrets of Sarlona, page 109) is a LA +1 Medium size creature of Giant type, with Powerful Build. In addition to the charactistics The Viscount listed, their favored class is Ranger. That's going to be more useful in a non-psionic campaign than the Half-Giants' Psychic Warrior FC.

[Thurbane]

OK, thanks everyone.

I wasn't really looking for another race entirely, but was hoping WotC might have tucked away an actual non-psionic Half-giant somewhere (like they did for some of the other psionic races).

I might use Half-Ogre or Eneko instead, although I was hoping for a race without a Cha penalty (without using templates). Goliath is another good idea.

[The Viscount]

Any of the giants with the Primordial Giant template from Secrets of Xendrik will end up with a net Cha bonus because the template is so good. It takes from the physical stats instead, so it depends on what you're using it for, but I think Half Ogre with Primordial Giant results in a pretty good stat distribution (+2 str -2 dex +2 int +2 cha) with a free SLA from a short list at will (probably invisibility).