Why No Love For Favored Discipline Erudite?

[Benoojian]

People go crazy for CStP Erudite and mention Mantled As a great second choice. Favored Discipline puts all powers of that Discipline on your list to learn as general powers regardless of class. That means Psywar(which are occasionally a level lower), Lurk, and mantle exclusive powers. A lot of mantles are strongly tilted toward a single discipline anyway.
And unlike CStP it doesn't need any new rules, it functions fine under normal manifesting rules.

Edit: In a series of articles, WOTC added alternate class features to a number of classes. For the Erudite, every single one (https://web.archive.org/web/20190127204642/http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070629a) was based on expanding the Erudite's ability to learn powers by giving up the bonus first level feat.

[RSGA]

Pretty much because while FD Erudite is good, StP Erudite is so much better that it got all the attention. Although it is one of a few things I'd thought about trying to put together into an Overlooked Portions handbook if I ever really wanted to try my hand at such a thing.

[False God]

Because all a "Discipline" is is the Egoist/Kineticist/Nomad/etc... that shows up under the regular psion class. While the text makes it sound like there are others, I suspect that was simply written in case WotC ever did make others. The Erudite can already learn Discipline powers, it just costs them time and exp and a little roleplay that they interacted with someone or something that had the power. If you're really hankering for some specific Discipline powers and you're worried your DM won't include a way for you to do this, then yeah Discipline Erudite might be a great option.

But... if you're really looking to get some cool powers, you're better off going StP, because an Erudite can still use the regular power-research rules (higher exp cost, more time) to "invent" powers that are really just clones of existing powers(instead of "Metamorphosis" we'll call it "Kafka's Transformation"). AND you still get your 1st level feat, or a spot to grab StP where you can steal spells. Things you can't get on the psion power list any other way.

Discipline Erudite is fine and good if you're worried your DM won't provide reliable access to cool new psionic abilities, or won't give you downtime. But it's basically just the regular Psion sthick. It doesn't add entire class spell lists or anything else particularly exciting.

***at least this is how I've always read and used it, if I'm wrong, someone please correct me.

[Benoojian]

Because all a "Discipline" is is the Egoist/Kineticist/Nomad/etc... that shows up under the regular psion class. While the text makes it sound like there are others, I suspect that was simply written in case WotC ever did make others. ...
***at least this is how I've always read and used it, if I'm wrong, someone please correct me.

No, the exact quote is "all powers of that discipline, no matter what class list they are on", and every power has a discipline. Psychometabolism is a discipline, Egoists are psions that specialize in that discipline.
And this misreading may be exactly why it was overlooked. This page (http://mnemnosyne.com/D&D%20Stuff/Psionic%20Powers%20by%20Discipline.htm) sorts all First Party powers by discipline and then by the level a vanilla Erudite gets them. A Discipline Erudite also gets the - powers and Psychic Warrior, Lurk, and mantle powers at the lower level. AND can pick them on level up since they count as general psion/wilder powers.
Granted, if like most people you pretend Complete Psionic doesn't exist you only gain a few powers in each discipline over a Vanilla Erudite. (With Telepathy being the absolute loser with 0 Psychic Warrior exclusive powers outside Complete Psionic)

[Psyren]

People go crazy for CStP Erudite and mention Mantled As a great second choice.

I would say Mantled Erudite is actually the weakest of the three. Favored Discipline allows you to learn 9th-level discipline powers pre-epic - this includes very powerful ones like Greater Metamorphosis, Time Regression, Psychic Chirurgery and Metafaculty depending on the discipline you choose. It also means you get discipline-specific powers at the same time that psion would, rather than two levels later.

Mantled Erudite meanwhile (as written) doesn't get to patch up the holes in their mantles the way a Substitute Powers Ardent does. Without that, even the best mantles usually have at least some dead air.

[Nifft]

Every time I've introduced it, it faces the same criticism as Wilder: too few things to do every day.

Unless you're playing it like an Artificer (in which case you could have just been an Artificer), Erudite seems to feel like a weak and restrictive class in play, and the StP desperation move to make it relevant overshoots, leaving the damned thing both broken AND annoyingly restrictive in play.

The class's idea is interesting, but the class itself needs a re-write.

[Psyren]

We just replace the Unique Powers Per Day table (which follows Wilder powers known progression) with the numbers from the Ardent Powers Known table. That makes it more restrictive than a Psion, but you still have enough UPPD to do more than one thing at low levels.

The RAW alternatives are to get around your UPD with things like Metaconcert and Soul Crystal, but that only works in campaigns that start at high levels.

[Endarire]

@psyren
And Linked Power!

[Nifft]

We just replace the Unique Powers Per Day table (which follows Wilder powers known progression) with the numbers from the Ardent Powers Known table. That makes it more restrictive than a Psion, but you still have enough UPPD to do more than one thing at low levels.

The RAW alternatives are to get around your UPD with things like Metaconcert and Soul Crystal, but that only works in campaigns that start at high levels. Neat, let me try that.


@psyren
And Linked Power!

"... and receive a book-to-the-head as a Free action."

[nijineko]

My DM ruled that both powers of the linked power feat still counts against the UPPD limit, even if the cost for manifesting the one is converted to metaspionic. So, I was bummed about that.

On the other hand, the psicrystal feat text in the Erudite entry clearly states that it is a bonus feat, and it is gained at 1st level, so that allows one to take two ACFs for Erudite... technically.

[Psyren]

On the other hand, the psicrystal feat text in the Erudite entry clearly states that it is a bonus feat, and it is gained at 1st level, so that allows one to take two ACFs for Erudite... technically.

It does, and you can always take Psicrystal Affinity later if you want one.