Expanded Psionic Classes Pt. 4

[Illiterate Scribe]

I was just looking through the Wizards' site, when I found this -


Convert Spell to Power

Your training has included basic magical theory as well as the usual psionic training.

Replaces: You lose your 1st-level bonus feat.

Benefit: You add Spellcraft to your class skill list, which allows you to attempt to convert an arcane spell into a power you can add to your repertoire. You treat the spell as a discipline power for the basis of learning it, and you must first succeed on a Spellcraft check (DC 15 + the spell's level) and then a Psicraft check as per the normal rules of learning a discipline power (see page 154 of Complete Psionic).

Each spell costs a certain number of power points to manifest. The higher the level of the spell, the more power points it costs. The table below describes each spell's cost.

Oh dear. Just when we thought psionics was balanced, Jindra and co. come along and make this. Erudites with any >8th level arcane spell? Oh noes!

[Fax Celestis]

Erudites were broken anyway.

The alternate Lurks and Ardents are neat though.

[CockroachTeaParty]

I started a thread about this stuff yesterday, but it would seem not too many people really cared, despite the horrid implications of the new erudite variant. But hey, a DM doesn't have to use it, so no real worries there. I find the new Lurk stuff the best, with the new Ardent options a fine addition as well. The poor Divine Mind didn't get anything noteworthy, and aside from that spell to power nonsense, the Erudite's new options aren't terribly exciting.
Still, hooray for Lurks.

[Alleine]

I'm still not even sure how the erudite's unique powers work, so this just makes them more confusing.

[Illiterate Scribe]

Basically, by making a psicraft check, and giving up a little XP, they can absorb someone elses psionic powers, or -1 level if it's a discipline or psychic warrior power. They can now do the same for arcane spells.

[Alleine]

Yeah, I got that, I meant how they use them.

My poor DM. He nearly went mad when I told him about this.

[CockroachTeaParty]

I think that an erudite can only manifest the number of unique powers stated every day, regardless of what level the powers are. The confusion usually begins when people think that an erudite has unique powers for each level of powers available to him. For instance, at level 20 it says an erudite can manifest 12 (?) unique powers a day, and it means exactly that. 12 powers, of any level, that he knows in his repertoire, and no more. If it were 12 powers of every level, from 1 to 9, that would give him so many options that there would be no point in limiting the his unique powers in the first place.

Now, what makes things interesting with the convert spell to power variant, is that an erudite can now learn just about anything, including spells such as shadow conjuration, which would expand the number of unique effects available to him. Also, considering his powers and spells known are simply known, there's no need to keep track of a spellbook. You don't even need a spell component pouch, or even bother with expensive components and focuses, because apparently a couple extra PP spent makes up for this. Broken, stupid, stupid, stupid, and completely anti-psionic. There was a reason the cerebramancer prestige class existed. We don't need a base class that essentially was ripped straight out of unearthed arcana. It's all a load of failure.

[Fizban]

On the contrary, I think it's a great idea. I think that there should be an arcane caster that just knows his spells, and can learn as many as he wants, and cast them spontaneously. The erudite can do this with psionics, so why not with spells? Well, apparently the writers of that column think that it's okay, though the way of dealing with material components is quite borked.

The Erudite is a good compromise between knowing everything and casting it all spontaneously, and I don't see why that mechanic can't be applied to any spell. It's not a substitute for the cerebremancer, as the psion and the wizard both fill the same role of high level spell/power win button. The cerebremancer trades high level spells and powers for effectively double those of a couple levels lower. Allowing access to both strings in one build merely adds more versatility which must be payed for with xp instead of gold. Sure it's a power boost, but eventually adding more options doesn't matter. I see this variant as essentially allowing an arcane version of the erudite. I'd flat out drop the psionic powers and just play an arcanist.

Edit: oh, and as for the spell point system from UA, which is what I assume you're referring to, it blows. It follows a simple progression until level ten when it starts arbitrarily losing power points. The sorcerer has barely one more highest level spell per day, and prepared casters effectively become spontaneous casters with a larger spell list than the sorcerer which they can change each day.