Psionics Questions

[SangoProduction]

So, if you boost your key casting ability, do you boost your Power Points? Say, if you're a psion with Headband of Intellect. What all do the Enhancement bonuses do?

Also, how do you handle a multiclass psionic character? Like Psy Warrior + Psion. Do they both get their ability's bonus Power Points? What is the "manifester level" for them?

[edwin1993]

not sure on the ability enhancement but if your multiclassing you add the 2 total base power points from classes together then add bonus power points from high stat

[SangoProduction]

not sure on the ability enhancement but if your multiclassing you add the 2 total base power points from classes together then add bonus power points from high stat

Thanks. That's what I assumed.

Hmm. I should probably ask about Manifester Level for multiclass stuff.

[Necroticplague]

Yes. If your a level 5 psion and you put on a headband that increases your int from 16 to 18, you'd gain there power points. There's a table determining bonus power points based on a mental ability and level, enhancement bonuses increase the mental stat you use.

If you have multiple psionic classes, you combine their PP into one pool, but not their ML.

Both of these pieces f information are found here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/classes/).

[Cwymbran-San]

If you have multiple psionic classes, you combine their PP into one pool, but not their ML.

And that is a good thing, making the PsyWar less powerpoint-starved. If you have a decent CHA or INT, multiclassing PsyWar with Wilder/Psion solves a lot of "stamina" issues.

Edited for quoting issues.

[sleepyphoenixx]

ML is always seperate for every base class, as are powers known. PP are all added together.
So a Psion 5/PsyWar 3 manifests powers he learned as a psion at ML 5 and PsyWar powers at level 3.

Calculating pp is pretty simple. Just take your ML in that class, multiply by the relevant ability mod and halve that to get the bonus PP (ML x ability x1/2), which you add to those you get from class levels.
Do that for every manifesting class you have, add the results and you get your PP pool.


And that is a good thing, making the PsyWar less powerpoint-starved. If you have a decent CHA or INT, multiclassing PsyWar with Wilder/Psion solves a lot of "stamina" issues.

Edited for quoting issues.

Not really. To really get a noticable pp boost from the base class you need to take a lot of Psion levels, to the point where your manifesting suffers too much to make it worthwhile.
As for bonus pp, unless your Cha or Int is higher than your Wis (and why would it be when you're a PsyWar?) you get more out of simply taking more PsyWar levels.

So before you go and turn yourself into a hybrid of a crappy Psion and a crappy PsyWar you should pick a race that gets bonus pp, buy a Cognizance Crystal or Manifester weapon, etc.
Pretty much everything but sacrificing your manifesting for a few pp and barely useful secondary manifesting.

[drake_vampiel]

personally with psionic characters I like using soulknife and giving them VoP from book of Exhalted Deeds because the "magic" weapon they create technically doesn't violate the VoP rule of owning magic weapons because it is part of them not an item, with VoP you gain AC that helps keep you protected and all kinds of great bonuses. As for the other Psionic classes there are feats that help give more power to the abilities.

[SangoProduction]

personally with psionic characters I like using soulknife and giving them VoP from book of Exhalted Deeds because the "magic" weapon they create technically doesn't violate the VoP rule of owning magic weapons because it is part of them not an item, with VoP you gain AC that helps keep you protected and all kinds of great bonuses. As for the other Psionic classes there are feats that help give more power to the abilities.

Not really a helpful comment, considering what was being asked.
And as a side note: Soulknife does horrendously, compared to just getting an actual weapon enchanted when you've got expected wealth by level. Everything VoP does can similarly be outclassed by just getting magic items.


Yes. If your a level 5 psion and you put on a headband that increases your int from 16 to 18, you'd gain there power points. There's a table determining bonus power points based on a mental ability and level, enhancement bonuses increase the mental stat you use.

If you have multiple psionic classes, you combine their PP into one pool, but not their ML.

Both of these pieces f information are found here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/classes/).

thanks. for the information.

[Tulya]

Even if your secondary manifesting modifier were higher, you'd only be getting 1/2 the difference in modifiers extra. That is, a +4 modifier gives an extra 2 pp per level, while a +2 modifier gives an extra 1 pp each, netting you a mere 1 extra pp per level taken from the +4 modifier class.

Since base PP progression grows nonlinearly, you actually end up behind from taking 10 or less levels in a full manifesting class. PsyWar 11-20 gives you an extra +100 base PP, while 10 levels in a full manifester only gets 88. Beyond that point, you're more of a full manifester splashing Psychic Warrior rather than the reverse. Your power progression will end up so severely stunted, you might be better off going full Psion or Wilder and splashing the useful powers from Expanded Knowledge.

[SangoProduction]

Is there a way to boost the effective manifesting level of a psionic class that you multiclassed out of (or dipped in to)? Kinda like that practiced spell caster one which gives +3 caster level, if I remember correctly.

[Flickerdart]

Is there a way to boost the effective manifesting level of a psionic class that you multiclassed out of (or dipped in to)? Kinda like that practiced spell caster one which gives +3 caster level, if I remember correctly.
Practiced Manifester - CPsi, +4 CL to one manifesting class you have, capped by level. Practiced Spellcaster is also +4.

[SangoProduction]

Practiced Manifester - CPsi, +4 CL to one manifesting class you have, capped by level. Practiced Spellcaster is also +4.

cool. I assume this is a particular feat that's not meant to be magic-psionics transpency'd?

[Flickerdart]

cool. I assume this is a particular feat that's not meant to be magic-psionics transpency'd?
Magic-psionic transparency never applies to feats. This is the entirety of its ramifications, taken from the SRD:



Though not explicitly called out in the spell descriptions or magic item descriptions, spells, spell-like abilities, and magic items that could potentially affect psionics do affect psionics.
Spell resistance is effective against powers, using the same mechanics. Likewise, power resistance is effective against spells, using the same mechanics as spell resistance.
All spells that dispel magic have equal effect against powers of the same level using the same mechanics, and vice versa.
The spell detect magic detects powers, their number, and their strength and location within 3 rounds (though a Psicraft check is necessary to identify the discipline of the psionic aura).
Dead magic areas are also dead psionics areas.



Skills and feats are often wrongly assumed to be covered by transparency, but they are not.

[SangoProduction]

Magic-psionic transparency never applies to feats. This is the entirety of its ramifications, taken from the SRD:

Skills and feats are often wrongly assumed to be covered by transparency, but they are not.

Hmm. OK

The feats: Antipsionic Magic, Chaotic Mind, Closed Mind, Force Of Will, Hostile Mind, Mental Resistance, and so on all say

"The benefit of this feat applies only to psionic powers and psi-like abilities. This is an exception to the psionics-magic transparency rule."
So that's probably a pretty good reason many people assume that feats are covered by transparency...because there must be a rule covering feats, if they are exceptions to it.

Thanks for letting me know.

[Flickerdart]

I don't know about "and so on" - while there might be more, the only material I can find that references psionic-magic transparency are the six feats you listed and the improved version of Hostile Mind (which was clearly a copy-paste job from the original).

But this is not the first time the designers didn't know how their own game worked. Given that both that rule and those six feats appear in XPH, it's possible that the transparency rule was changed before publication, but the 3e psionics-magic transparency rules also don't cover feats so it's more likely that one of Bruce Cordell's co-writers messed it up.