Life Leech/Sadist Vitalist feats?

[Dr_Dinosaur]

I’m getting ready for my first game as a psionic character, a Vitalist since the other players are mostly unable to heal and spreading the damage across a whole crew seems useful. Most of it is clear enough but it just doesn’t seem like I have enough feats to take all the “must have 100%” options scattered through most handbooks and threads on Vitalists

We’re starting at level 5 in a largely seafaring/coastal campaign. I want to focus on mitigating and redistributing damage and ailments (playing a 3.5 Warforged so some I can just negate), pulling enemies into the collective as batteries and damage/condition sinks.

The “need this” feats for Vitalist I’ve seen listed are: Psicrystal Affinity, Psicrystal Containment, Deep Focus, Cushion the Blow, Psionic Meditation, Hustle Power, Expanded Collective, Quicken Power, and Expanded Knowledge (Dispel Psionics, Schism, Astral Construct, Expansion, and Dimension Swap).

That’s more feats than I can ever actually take so idk what to get first or even what I should be taking?

[Lotheb]

Well you definitely only need Deep Focus OR Psicrystal Containment, since Deep Focus explicitly doesnt work if Psicrystal containment is active. Deep focus is a little better since psicrystal containment only works if your psicrystal is within 5 feet of you, but it has psionic body as a requirement which is decidedly meh

[Dr_Dinosaur]

Well you definitely only need Deep Focus OR Psicrystal Containment, since Deep Focus explicitly doesnt work if Psicrystal containment is active. Deep focus is a little better since psicrystal containment only works if your psicrystal is within 5 feet of you, but it has psionic body as a requirement which is decidedly meh

I definitely want to Vigor+Share Pain with a psicrystal (my DM often has smart enemies target healers), so I guess that knocks Deep Focus and Psionic Body off the list. Except maybe for my psicrystal to take?

I just discovered Psicrystals gaining feats is a debated issue, so let it be known that my DM is allowing it and suggestions for those are welcome too

[ATalsen]

Because of the way that Vitalist healing becomes more powerful with more members in your collective (literally more healing exists if you spend Power Points correctly), the most bang for buck is getting your Psycrystal.

For What its Worth, I never assume or play with Psycrystals getting feats; still best and most important choice.


When playing my Life Leach/Sadist Vitalist I found that Enlarged Collective was very helpful as it really made it so I didn't worry about distance away from my friends - or enemies.

Expanded Knowledge [Astral Construct] gives you strong offense, and it has a wisdom score so it can be part of your collective (again, more people = better healing). If a construct is in your collective and dies.... well free power points via Sadist.

I picked up the Advanced Constructs [Psionic] feat to use the 1hr/lvl option - always have one with you, use it as a mount if you like once you get to Large size. Ya, if you get into combat it resets to 1rnd/lvl, but its a round you aren't spending calling one at the start of every combat.

I picked up Shared Power [Metapsionic] to allow casting buffs on other party members.

Psionic Meditation [Psionic] and Psicrystal Containment [Psionic] are great in combo with various class abilities
and/or metaspionic feats.


Oh, and take the Sympathetic Drain power (From Psionics Augmented - Wilders: Sacrifice 1/2 your HP to do that damage to another target, no save), since you will have plenty of healing, and eventually when you take damage you will be able to pass it off to someone else... maybe even the initial target of Drain if they are forced into your collective. ;)


>We’re starting at level 5 in a largely seafaring/coastal campaign.

It might be worth picking up the Float talent (You buoy yourself in water or other liquid) using a Mind Stone (Mind Stone, Lvl 1(Psi Augmented, Vol 1, pg 59) 2000gp. EDIT: Hmm, that my not work if its not part of the Vitalist set to begin with... Not sure its worth a feat though. Maybe just have Body Equilibrium memorized at all times.


If you start most combat with a 'mass' Vigor on the party, then you will be able to take more time being offensive, which as a Sadist/Life Leach you want to be. At that point you less need things like Cushion the blow or Quicken power, etc.

[TiaC]

I'd go with some form of improved focus. If your DM allows, you might be able to have your psicrystal take Wild Talent while you take Psicrystal Affinity and Psicrystal Containment and have it focus itself. If not, Psicrystal Reservoir, from Psionics Augmented: Psicrystals Expanded explicitly does this, and is better than taking Psionic Meditation.

Cushion the Blow isn't very good. You have other uses for your swift actions, and flat damage generally matters more than the dice.

Expanded Collective might be useful at low levels, but your Wisdom should rise fast enough that you should be able to retrain it before long. (Also, there's a refinement charm for this in Steelforge which is very cheap.)

Hustle Power and Quicken Power are both nice, and you'll likely want one of them eventually, but they are too PP-heavy to really use before 10th.

Expanded Knowledge can be nice, but you need to consider if you'll really use the power enough to justify it. I'll look at the five you mentioned. Dispel Psionics is probably not worth it if you have other casters who can dispel. Schism is very nice, but learning it would probably be instead of Hustle or Quicken. Astral Construct is an amazing power, but do you really need to be a summoner, or are you going to be too busy healing and buffing in combat? Expansion is one of the nicest buffs that you don't already know, but consider how much your party needs it and if it's really that much better than your other buffs. Dimension Swap isn't anything special, because half of its use (getting an ally out of a tight spot) can be handled by healing instead.

The only feat that you didn't mention which stands out is Shared Power, which can give the [Network] descriptor to powers.

At 11th level, the Soulthief gets Soulthief's expertise, which is amazing with two powers on the vitalist list. First, Empathic Feedback, which, when augmented reflects all damage at attackers who fail a Will save, thereby healing you for half the damage they do while taking full themselves. Second, Sympathetic Drain from Psionics Augmented: Wilders (or Psionics Augmented: Compilation 2) which lets you spend up to half of your max health to deal that much to an enemy, no save. However, if you use a wild surge in manifesting it, it deals twice as much as you spent. So, get a surge crystal, and spend 3 PP to deal your max health to a single target with no save.

[Dr_Dinosaur]

My party is myself, a Samurai, and a Spheres of Power Elementalist. So I’m pretty much the only potential dispeller or summoner

[TiaC]

My party is myself, a Samurai, and a Spheres of Power Elementalist. So I’m pretty much the only potential dispeller or summoner

That does make things harder. The small party size means that you won't need Expanded Collective.

The Ioun stone, green and white, is 12,000 for an extra power known. You also get Expanded Knowledge as a bonus feat at 9th, which you could use to take Dispel psionics. The elementalist could also take Counterspell.