heavyfuel
2019-06-03, 11:28 AM
The Mental Mist psionic power was released in Psionics Augmented Compilation II and I have some a question regarding it's Area line and the usage of the word "target"
Discipline Telepathy [mind-affecting]; Level dread 2, highlord 2, psion/wilder2, tactician 2, vitalist 2
Display Mental
Manifesting Time 1 standard action
Range Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Area 20 ft radius
Duration 1 minute/level
Saving Throw Will negates; Power Resistance Yes
Power Points 3
You reach into the minds of your targets and cloud them, making them think they are deep inside an overwhelming mist or fog. These who fail their Will saves are affected as follows: The mental mist obscures all sight, including darkvision, beyond 5 feet. A creature within 5 feet has concealment (attacks have a 20% miss chance). Creatures farther away have total concealment (50% miss chance, and the attacker can’t use sight to locate the target).
Augment: This power can be augmented in one or more of the following ways.
If you spend 4 additional power points, all targets that fail their saves are mentally drained, move at half their normal speed and take a -2 penalty on all attack rolls and melee damage rolls and cannot take a 5-foot-step while inside.
If you spend 4 additional power points, all targets that failed their Will save also take 1d6 points of damage at the start of your turn, beginning with the turn you manifest the mental mist.
If you spend 6 additional power points, all targets must make a Fortitude save at the beginning of their turn or be overwhelmed by horrid mental images tearing them apart, taking 1d4 points of Wisdom damage. If they succeed on this save, they take half damage.
If you expend your psionic focus, you can exclude yourself from all effects while inside the area.
Basically, the Area line (emboldened) doesn't say if the power is a burst, a spread, or an emanation. In case it's an emanation, the power is next to useless as anyone can walk out of the area and be free of the power's effect. Unlike Fog Cloud, the magical equivalent, it doesn't actually block vision, so you can't use it for cover against far away enemies.
The first augment and the psionic focus improvement seem to indicate it's an Emanation, that is, while within the area, the creature suffers the effects. But how many Saving throws does each creature make? One for the entire spell? Or one each time they enter the area?
Also, AFAIK, Emanations don't have targets. In fact, the power does not have a "target" line. Still, it repeatedly mentions the targets of the spell (underlined), akin to the Confusion spell, which does have a "target" line, and affects creatures in a Burst.
So, if it's a Burst or a Spread, all the creatures who fail their save are affected for the entire duration, which is... Probably too powerful. It becomes an AoE SoD for a second level power. Sure, its DC doesn't scale, which means it's going to be sub-optimal when you start fighting tougher creatures, but still.
With this in mind, how would you personally rule this power in the following questions: Does it stop affecting creatures once they leave the area? If yes, do creatures that re-enter the area need to make another saving throw?
Thanks!
Discipline Telepathy [mind-affecting]; Level dread 2, highlord 2, psion/wilder2, tactician 2, vitalist 2
Display Mental
Manifesting Time 1 standard action
Range Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Area 20 ft radius
Duration 1 minute/level
Saving Throw Will negates; Power Resistance Yes
Power Points 3
You reach into the minds of your targets and cloud them, making them think they are deep inside an overwhelming mist or fog. These who fail their Will saves are affected as follows: The mental mist obscures all sight, including darkvision, beyond 5 feet. A creature within 5 feet has concealment (attacks have a 20% miss chance). Creatures farther away have total concealment (50% miss chance, and the attacker can’t use sight to locate the target).
Augment: This power can be augmented in one or more of the following ways.
If you spend 4 additional power points, all targets that fail their saves are mentally drained, move at half their normal speed and take a -2 penalty on all attack rolls and melee damage rolls and cannot take a 5-foot-step while inside.
If you spend 4 additional power points, all targets that failed their Will save also take 1d6 points of damage at the start of your turn, beginning with the turn you manifest the mental mist.
If you spend 6 additional power points, all targets must make a Fortitude save at the beginning of their turn or be overwhelmed by horrid mental images tearing them apart, taking 1d4 points of Wisdom damage. If they succeed on this save, they take half damage.
If you expend your psionic focus, you can exclude yourself from all effects while inside the area.
Basically, the Area line (emboldened) doesn't say if the power is a burst, a spread, or an emanation. In case it's an emanation, the power is next to useless as anyone can walk out of the area and be free of the power's effect. Unlike Fog Cloud, the magical equivalent, it doesn't actually block vision, so you can't use it for cover against far away enemies.
The first augment and the psionic focus improvement seem to indicate it's an Emanation, that is, while within the area, the creature suffers the effects. But how many Saving throws does each creature make? One for the entire spell? Or one each time they enter the area?
Also, AFAIK, Emanations don't have targets. In fact, the power does not have a "target" line. Still, it repeatedly mentions the targets of the spell (underlined), akin to the Confusion spell, which does have a "target" line, and affects creatures in a Burst.
So, if it's a Burst or a Spread, all the creatures who fail their save are affected for the entire duration, which is... Probably too powerful. It becomes an AoE SoD for a second level power. Sure, its DC doesn't scale, which means it's going to be sub-optimal when you start fighting tougher creatures, but still.
With this in mind, how would you personally rule this power in the following questions: Does it stop affecting creatures once they leave the area? If yes, do creatures that re-enter the area need to make another saving throw?
Thanks!