Wilder/(Other Manifester)-- does this work? (Also, godDAMN Psychic Scimitar!)

[Grod_The_Giant]

I was playing around with some psionic recharge stuff this morning, looking for straightforward low-level ways to get it working, and I noticed something: the Wilder's Wild Surge ability doesn't specify that it only works with Wilder powers. Am I missing something, or could I go Wilder 1/Psion 5 (say) and Wild Surge on my Psion powers?


Wild Surge (Su): A wilder can let her passion and emotion rise to the surface in a wild surge when she manifests a power. During a wild surge, a wilder gains phenomenal psionic strength, but may harm herself by the reckless use of her power (see Psychic Enervation, below).

A wilder can choose to invoke a wild surge whenever she manifests a power. When she does so, she gains +1 to her manifester level with that manifestation of the power. The manifester level boost gives her the ability to augment her powers to a higher degree than she otherwise could; however, she pays no extra power point for this wild surge. Instead, the additional 1 power point that would normally be required to augment the power is effectively supplied by the wild surge.

Level-dependent power effects are also improved, depending on the power a wilder manifests with her wild surge.

This improvement in manifester level does not grant her any other benefits (psicrystal abilities do not advance, she does not gain higher-level class abilities, and so on).

She cannot use the Overchannel psionic feat and invoke her wild surge at the same time.

At 3rd level, a wilder can choose to boost her manifester level by two instead of one. At 7th level, she can boost her manifester level by up to three; at 11th level, by up to four; at 15th level, by up to five; and at 19th level, by up to six.

In all cases, the wild surge effectively pays the extra power point cost that is normally required to augment the power; only the unaugmented power point cost is subtracted from the wilder's power point reserve.

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As an unrelated note, why don't we talk about Psychic Scimitar (Sandstorm) more? It's a 2nd level power that, if I'm reading it right, lets you make melee touch attacks which count "normally as an attack" for a minute/level, and deliver touch spells in the process. Scimitars are one-handed weapons; can you say "power attack," anyone? It's like Wraithstrike on crack.

[ExLibrisMortis]

Uh, I suppose you could. A decent way to avoid losing PP from enervation; you only lose 0.05 PP per use, on average.

Psychic scimitar is nice for delivering touch attacks at Medium range, but I'm not sure Power Attack works with it, as it's implied that it's making incorporeal touch attacks (the blade is incorporeal, and it's making melee touch attacks). It's a psionic version of spectral hand.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Psychic scimitar is nice for delivering touch attacks at Medium range, but I'm not sure Power Attack works with it, as it's implied that it's making incorporeal touch attacks (the blade is incorporeal, and it's making melee touch attacks). It's a psionic version of spectral hand.
The pertinent section, I think:

Attacks with a psychic scimitar are melee touch attacks that deal 1d6 points of damage. Since the blade is immaterial, your Strength modifier does not apply to the damage even if you wield the blade in your hand. If you wield the scimitar in your hand, you are treated as proficient even if you ordinarily lack proficiency with the scimitar. Other creatures cannot wield a psychic scimitar. The power gives you a +2 bonus on your melee touch attack roll, and attacking with a psychic scimitar counts normally as an attack.
It's the "counts normally as an attack" bit that's the real kicker, I think-- it says to me that it works like a normal melee attack except as mentioned. One of which is that Strength doesn't apply, but that says nothing about, say, Sneak Attack damage. Or a maneuver. Or Power Attack.

[ExLibrisMortis]

The pertinent section, I think:

It's the "counts normally as an attack" bit that's the real kicker, I think-- it says to me that it works like a normal melee attack except as mentioned. One of which is that Strength doesn't apply, but that says nothing about, say, Sneak Attack damage. Or a maneuver. Or Power Attack.
Well, incorporeal touch attacks count as attacks normally, too (and maybe melee attacks?). At least one sample ghost in LM gets iteratives, too. That they're attacks means you can enhance them with things that affect attacks, and makes them break invisibility and stuff. But whether you can PA with incorporeal touch attacks, I don't know.

If you wield the scimitar, I can see PA working by RAW, but when it's off by its own, I would find that very odd. Maybe RAW, but very odd.

I think some of the sentences may be intended to apply to psychic scimitars just flying around, and some to psychic scimitars held in-hand. It would be really nice if the description had spelled out the two possibilities separately.

[daremetoidareyo]

Dragonblood sorcerer 1, with draconic claw and caltrops+ standard action 1st level spells. Throw some wilder 3 in there to get the psychic scimitar, get persist power and a 1 level warbler dip. And then you can psychic scimitar all day and use battle aptitude to replace a claw attack as a swift action after a spell to a scimitar attack. Add some more sorcerer and cerebremance away.

[ExLibrisMortis]

Dragonblood sorcerer 1, with draconic claw and caltrops+ standard action 1st level spells. Throw some wilder 3 in there to get the psychic scimitar, get persist power and a 1 level warbler dip. And then you can psychic scimitar all day and use battle aptitude to replace a claw attack as a swift action after a spell to a scimitar attack. Add some more sorcerer and cerebremance away.
Draconic Claw isn't a feat that applies only to one specific weapon. Warblade won't let you use your psychic scimitar to make the bonus attack. Apart from that, Draconic Claw requires that you threaten, which rules out psychic scimitar from range.