[Guide] Astral Construct Resources

[Endarire]

Preamble
Greetings, all!

Since I found this in an old post that I seemingly never made a separate thread, enjoy!

Intro
Done correctly, you can get a L9 astral construct much sooner than level 17.

Manifester Level Boosts
-Orange Ioun Stone (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#iounStones) (30K)

-Practiced Manifester (Complete Psionic 57), combined with the Spellgifted Trait (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/characterTraits.htm#spellgifted)

-Overchannel Feat (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicFeats.htm#overchannel). Talented Feat (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicFeats.htm#talented) recommented, especially with the feat Transcend Limits (Hyperconscious 44).

-Linked Power Feat (Complete Psionic 62) + Metapower Feat (Complete Psionic 63)

-Midnight Augmentation Feat (Magic of Incarnum 38)

Other Astral Construct Goodness
-Anarchic Initiate's Chaotic Surge (Complete Psionic 18): May boost your construct's abilities that deal or heal variable damage like concussion bladt (Menu C option). Ask your GM.

-Construct Feats and Items (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/pse/20020727c): More astral construct menu options, many of which were included in 3.5. Ask your GM which menu options require the Advanced Construction feat listed there.

Also contains new feats for more or longer constructs, and items to grant such feats.

Durable Construct Feat (Hyperconscious 40): Requires manifester level 3 and Boost Construct (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicFeats.htm#boostConstruct), but makes your astral constructs last 10 minutes. Woo!

Expand Your Mind (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20020426b): Augment Construction Feat for +1 hit point per Hit Die and a +1 competence bonus on attack and damage rolls.

Personal Construct - Psion (Shaper) Alternative Class Feature (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070411a): Debatable whether the Quickening is free, or the whole construct is. (I view it as 1 free construct at a time, like an animal companion.)

Psionic Potporri (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20030829a): More astral construct menu options.

Subpsionics (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/pse/20021025a): Astral construct menu options for fear and 'taint.' Doesn't seem worth it.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

The MIC gives rules for both making psionic versions of magic items and for combining different magical item effects into a single item. You can use this to make psionic arcanist gloves for +2 MLs 2/day to 1st level powers. You can also use it for metapsionic rods; Extend is especially good for astral constructs, which stacks with the actual Extend Power feat. Now add the rod effect to the arcanist gloves and bind them to your hands chakra. Now you've got +3 MLs to add to your total (+2 for the gloves 2/day, and +1 when using the chakra-bound Extend effect).

Also, a psionic version of the MIC's chronocharm of the uncaring archmage allows you to manifest astral construct as a standard action, without the need for Linked Power to do it for you, albeit a limited number of times per day. The easiest way to get more charges is to use the MIC's combine item rules to add more instances of the chronocharm. (This also works for the bound rod-gloves above.)

[ShurikVch]

There are some more stuff:

Constructor (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040625b) PrC. (Also, Ectopic Adept, if DM allow to ignore that stupid number restriction)

Astral Surge (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20020127a).

Astral Taskers (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/pse/20020727b) (not exactly the Astral Construct, but still worth mentioning)

Astral Vambraces (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20060217a) soulmeld allow to benefit from one special ability of your choice in the Astral Construct Menu A.

Dual‐Plane Summons feat (Dragon #313) Summoned creatures have the astral construct power applied to it

Extra Arms feat (Dragon #327) - since Astral Construct is Construct, and you're creating it, it should work

Little trick: manifest the Astral Construct around your body, and pretend to be a mecha pilot :smallamused:

EDIT:
http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/images/cpsi_gallery/96374.jpgConsidering the form of Agile Loper looks suitable to ride on, you may take 4-levels dip (to negate ML loss with Practiced Manifester) in Windrider PrC, and choose your Astral Construct as the Chosen Mount. It will give +2 Str, +6 natural AC, +4 HD (which will give further +1 ability score), and Empathic Link (Su)

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Constructor (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040625b) PrC. (Also, Ectopic Adept, if DM allow to ignore that stupid number restriction)This is my favorite psionic PrC. Why did I forget about it?


Extra Arms feat (Dragon #327) - since Astral Construct is Construct, and you're creating it, it should workI had no idea this existed. It's beautiful.


Little trick: manifest the Astral Construct around your body, and pretend to be a mecha pilot :smallamused:Mechanically, you'd be riding it, but I don't see why you couldn't fluff it like that, otherwise.


EDIT:
http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/images/cpsi_gallery/96374.jpgConsidering the form of Agile Loper looks suitable to ride on, you may take 4-levels dip (to negate ML loss with Practiced Manifester) in Windrider PrC, and choose your Astral Construct as the Chosen Mount. It will give +2 Str, +6 natural AC, +4 HD (which will give further +1 ability score), and Empathic Link (Su)But then you'd have to use Complete Psionic's *urk* astral construct rules.

[ShurikVch]

Mechanically, you'd be riding it, but I don't see why you couldn't fluff it like that, otherwise.Except you will have Total Cover... :smallwink:
(Or, at the very least, Total Concealment)


But then you'd have to use Complete Psionic's *urk* astral construct rules.You're right.
OK, if we will switch Agile Loper to Anathemic Carapace (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20060403a&page=5), we will be able to use online Excerpts (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20060403a&page=3) and get what we need while avoiding aforementioned astral construct rules
EDIT: Actually, lenient DM may rule "basic" Astral Construct suitable as a mount, which will spare us a feat, and save us from the "Complete Psionic's *urk* astral construct rules" :smallamused:

[Zombulian]

Looking at the Anarchic Initiate's Chaotic Surge ability, I don't see how that affects manifester level.

[Ramza00]

Do not forget Power Linked Shards. For 3,000 GP (or 1,5000 GP if you craft your own), forcing you to be the race Kalashtar, and 1 HP you gain 3 times a day boost your manifester level by 2 for a power and you get 2 free power points, so effectively 6 pp a day and 3 times a day boost your ML by 2. Activating a power linked shard is a free action

Furthermore you can have as many power linked shards as your HD, and these shards stack so you can use multiple shards to boost your ML by 2 x times the number of shards you activate.

At Character Level 5 you can boost your manifester level to 15 aka Astral Construct 8 / VIII, but merely boosting your ML it to 13 (Astral Construct 7 / VII) gives you an astral construct with the following stats

Concussion Blast 7 ML as a free action. (Using a Menu C Ability to get this)
Grapple at a +25
Meat Shield with 101 Hit Points
One Free Menu C Ability if you use the feat Boost Construct (which you really should take, it is so worth a feat slot)

At Character Level 6 you can boost your manifester level to 18, aka Astral Construct 9 / IX now your AC can do

Concussion Blast 7 ML as a free action. (Using a Menu C Ability to get this)
Grapple at a +38
Meat Shield with 144 Hit Points
Two Free Menu C Ability if you use the feat Boost Construct (which you really should take, it is so worth a feat slot)

[Zombulian]

Do not forget Power Linked Shards. For 3,000 GP (or 1,5000 GP if you craft your own), forcing you to be the race Kalashtar, and 1 HP you gain 3 times a day boost your manifester level by 2 for a power and you get 2 free power points, so effectively 6 pp a day and 3 times a day boost your ML by 2. Activating a power linked shard is a free action

Furthermore you can have as many power linked shards as your HD, and these shards stack so you can use multiple shards to boost your ML by 2 x times the number of shards you activate.

At Character Level 5 you can boost your manifester level to 15 aka Astral Construct 8 / VIII, but merely boosting your ML it to 13 (Astral Construct 7 / VII) gives you an astral construct with the following stats

Concussion Blast 7 ML as a free action. (Using a Menu C Ability to get this)
Grapple at a +25
Meat Shield with 101 Hit Points
One Free Menu C Ability if you use the feat Boost Construct (which you really should take, it is so worth a feat slot)

At Character Level 6 you can boost your manifester level to 18, aka Astral Construct 9 / IX now your AC can do

Concussion Blast 7 ML as a free action. (Using a Menu C Ability to get this)
Grapple at a +38
Meat Shield with 144 Hit Points
Two Free Menu C Ability if you use the feat Boost Construct (which you really should take, it is so worth a feat slot)

Power Linked Shards were a mistake...
They're so nutty.

[Ramza00]

Power Linked Shards were a mistake...
They're so nutty.

If you remove the ability for power link shards to stack with other power link shards, while still allowing a person to have multiple power link shards, well then you have items that are balanced generally with 90 to 95% of the other items that are made in 3.5 and the varous supplements.

Thinking about it for a second with power link shards all you done is created an item version of overchannel / wild surge that mixes the traits of the feat and the class features. Simply remove the ability to have the power link shards stack with themselves, the feat, and the class feature and the items are perfectly fine for actual play use.

The stacking is the problem.

[Zombulian]

If you remove the ability for power link shards to stack with other power link shards, while still allowing a person to have multiple power link shards, well then you have items that are balanced generally with 90 to 95% of the other items that are made in 3.5 and the varous supplements.

Thinking about it for a second with power link shards all you done is created an item version of overchannel / wild surge that mixes the traits of the feat and the class features. Simply remove the ability to have the power link shards stack with themselves, the feat, and the class feature and the items are perfectly fine for actual play use.

The stacking is the problem.

I agree, but the item allows stacking, which is why they were a mistake :smalltongue:


they are balanced by losing you 1 hp for every shard

I can't tell if you're joking.

[Ramza00]

they are balanced by losing you 1 hp for every shard

8th level spell effects at level 5 is not balanced by losing 5 hitpoints, and 7,500 gp wealth if you craft your own even though at 5th level you are only supposed to have 9,000 gp so really we are talking 7th level spell effects)

9th level spell effects at level 6 is not balanced by losing 6 hitpoints.

Furthermore you get to do this 3 times a day! Summoning those massive astral constructs I was talking about, 1 per encounter, 3 encounters per day. Not balanced at all. We are talking about a single party member (not a party of 4) being able to defeat CR encounters that are +4 your level, when a normal CR at your level is supposed to be challenging to your entire party of 4 people and take 25% of your resources.

---

It is okay to have effects via items, feats, prestige classes, etc that surpass your spell level by +1 (so for a 5th level character doing 4th level spell effects), it is still okay to have effects effects that are +2 your spell level at the relevant character level. It breaks down completely when you are doing +3 spell level effects let alone +5 level spell effects.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Are there any cheap ways to give an anathemic carapace (explodey astral construct from Complete Psionic) lots of extra HD? If so, you might have a relatively inexpensive way to make animated explosives. There's the bardy way, of course, of Inspire Greatness, but that requires said bard to overcome its mindlessness somehow, and it's only +2 HD. Giving it lycanthropy for elephantitis or something would also be an option if you could somehow make it a humanoid or giant. Giving it a psychoactive skin of proteus would allow it to become a humanoid which would solve both problems (kinda), but A.) it's a lot of steps to gain some extra damage (which would pale in comparison to the damage it could do otherwise, if only due to the fact that it's got numerous rounds to attack stuff normally), and B.) it would likely destroy the skin.

Any other ideas? Also, I can't really think of anything that would make the combo worthwile, considering a regular A.C. is still better in practically every way, since the anathemic carapace's menu abilities are already pre-chosen. Maybe manifesting a ton of 1st level ones with tons of bonus HD for cheap, then using them as suicide bombers?

[DrMartin]

Earth Power (races of stone I think, away from books at the moment) it´s another indirect +1 to augmenting cap

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Instead of taking Metapower (Linked Power + astral construct), I think using that combo on synchronicity is a much more flexible way to grant a +1 pp boost to anything it's paired with, including astral construct. It always gives you an extra standard action to use on whatever you want, while allowing the next power (including astral construct) to come online next round with an extra pp's worth of augmentation to use for free. Whereas the former combo is much more limited in scope, overall.

Also, if you use Linked Power (ecto protection + astral construct), you get to manifest buffed constructs as a swift action. Grip of iron and it's an immediate action.

[Endarire]

Catfall (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/catfall.htm) also likely works for immediate action Linked Power and is native to Psion, Wilder, and PsyWar.