So, uh... how do you stat out a high level psionic character for space-based combat?

[Gavinfoxx]

So how do you stat out a high level psionic manifester for space based combat, adventuring, utility, mobility, and so forth?

Especially if you are unsure about the *exact* specific nature (and size!) of 'space' in a given adventuring setting? Or will be traveling to different planes where there are varied rules for the sorts of 'space-like' areas?

Most D&D powers are... extremely short ranged. And movement modes are VERY slow. This seems like an environment where this would be an issue! How can this be mitigated?

3.pf, basically, 'mostly 3.5, but a few pf things and some dsp stuff can be imported'.

[Gavinfoxx]

OP here, adding this!

So here are some issues I've identified!

* You'll probably need Sustenance

* You'll probably need Body Adaptation, possibly also Extend Power. Planar Adaptation or Environmental Adaptation would be helpful as well. A way to permanently turn into a Construct or undead similar would also be useful.

* You'll need a way to get extreme long distance visual capabilities, especially the sort that can be scanned around and isn't associated with a specific small region. Some sort of telescopic vision power of some sort? Also, other vision modes that are not influenced by range would be EXTREMELY useful.

* Alternately, you'd need really good divination powers that would tell you WHERE to look in the first place!

* You'll need something like psionic overland flight. It'd probably only give you basic maneuverability, though.

* Being ageless/immortal is a plus

* You'll need a very high quality long range teleport power that functions with line of sight

* Radiation is treated in D20 Modern as disease, but to be safe, you'd probably want to be immune to disease, poison, and ability score damage/drain/etc

* Wall of Ectoplasm can make a little sphere, so that might be useful. There are some ectoplasm powers that create mist, so that could be useful as well. Anything like psionic minor creation would be good too; there are plenty of useful plant-based materials that can be used to make lots of different things.

* A Decanter of Endless Water can probably be used for thrust, but it'd be hard as heck to control.

* In order to unambiguously have telekenesis that can push 'off of nothing', to be able to get constant delta v and unambiguously unlock your maximum relative velocity, ie, where you are for sure applying thrust to *yourself*, you might actually need to get four levels into Master of the Unseen Hand (ugh!), and the various psionic telekenesis powers that support entry into it.

* You'd need a telepathy power that can transmit and receive at any distance on the same plane, ideally to someone whose name you do not know. not sure what this is off the top of my head. Otherwise, you'd have to use some light/color/visual illusion based power for signalling.

[icefractal]

With most movement so insufficient, teleportation might be the way to go. Look around for a promising destination, Greater Psionic Teleport as many light years as you want that way, repeat. And if your navigation fails and you get lost, you can still get home.

I do like the "acceleration via TK" that Gavinfoxx mentioned, but it's a fairly slow acceleration rate - roughly 2 meters/second at full power (ie. spending two move actions a round on it, which seems comparable to hustling in terms of effort). After eight hours, you're up to 58 kmps, but that's still a fraction of what you need.

To reach 0.99C, assuming that the acceleration stacked linearly (which I think it won't once you get close to light speed, but maybe it will since it's an amount of movement independent of mass?), it would take 14 years (at eight hours a day). So as little as 4.7 years if you don't need to sleep and are mentally able to do nothing but telekinetically accelerate yourself. At which point you still have the travel time.

[Gavinfoxx]

Let's assume that you're mostly in one solar system, and if you are teleporting to stand on a large object, the various better Teleportation powers match your relative velocity to the object in question. Having TK-based delta v would be primarily for when you CAN'T get the Teleport to get you the sort of relative velocity you need, so you can do it the hard way; like if you need to intercept a creature or a small rock that's zipping by somewhere.

[Jack_Simth]

Ring of Sustenance.
Necklace of Adaptation.
Third Eye Sense.

Oh yes, you also want Greater Teleport and some flight for local manuevering.

[Gavinfoxx]

Isn't there a spell that gives you infinite range darkvision? I wonder what that would do... I suppose going for the various 'superior low light vision' types of sight, to do generic light amplification, might help... but I don't know of any psionic based ways to get either of those. Metamorphosis, maybe? Most of the vision modes are quite range limited. Is there anything that isn't? The various eagle eye sorts of spells that give bonuses to spot and have flavor of telescopic vision seem to be spells, I don't know if there are any psionic equivalents.

[Jack_Simth]

Isn't there a spell that gives you infinite range darkvision? I wonder what that would do... I suppose going for the various 'superior low light vision' types of sight, to do generic light amplification, might help... but I don't know of any psionic based ways to get either of those. Metamorphosis, maybe? Most of the vision modes are quite range limited. Is there anything that isn't? The various eagle eye sorts of spells that give bonuses to spot and have flavor of telescopic vision seem to be spells, I don't know if there are any psionic equivalents.

Vision:
That's why the Third Eye Sense. At will standard action drop a scrying sensor in a location that's known or obvious. You can examine any unwarded thing you like in as much detail as you'd like to within your time constraints.

You will also want Darkvision... but you'll want it as a racial trait for 3rd eye sense compatibility.

Then of course a relatively standard combat loadout of spells. You can extend range for a considerable distance if you consider your psicrystal disposable - one mile range.

Also note that the unlimited range Remote Viewing power has an option for being a manifestation conduit, although it costs extra power points.

[Gavinfoxx]

Yea, anything that doesn't work with under 100,000 miles range is probably useless for long term information gathering, and anything that doesn't work out to at least 25 miles is probably not good for an immediate, 'close' combat scenario if we're talking in space...

Any way to get Darkvision out to infinite distance?

[Anthrowhale]

Any way to get Darkvision out to infinite distance?

Unapproachable East has the spell 'Superior Darkvision'. Maybe a custom magic item?

[Xanyo]

Tactical Flight
You need something that works in a vacuum and is fast, so you can take advantage of the giant wide open space. If you can afford it, you'll probably want custom magic items of various relevant spells. Master Air might work (90' good), as it says the wings are insubstantial so they're clearly not beating against an atmosphere to provide lift. Otherwise, just use Fly. I've been calculating prices of various custom magic items. Among them are Winglace, which is a lace cloak that's a Master Air version of Wings of Flying, priced at 48k, and Tailfeathers, a belt that duplicates Wings of Swift Flying and Wings of Air to improve the fly speed of magical flight by 30' and the maneuverability by one step. I priced that at 15,500 gp? I don't remember my exact pricing methods, but mostly I was sticking to the costs for continuous spell effect. You could also throw Cloud Wings into the mix for an extra +30', since these are untyped. That results in 150' (perfect) and still leaves room for an enhancement bonus.

Vision
While the darkvision it grants does have limited range (albeit 10' per CL), the spell Dragonsight gives that, superior low-light vision, blindsense 5' per CL, and halves the distance penalty for spot checks. Ebon Eyes is a 1st level spell that grants "the ability to see normally in natural and magical darkness". No range restriction mentioned. If you turn yourself into a construct or undead to help survive the vacuum of space, that opens up the Lifesense feat which would be quite good at literally highlighting living creatures to make their position obvious against the void of space.

Long Range Spells/Powers
Yeah. You want to take advantage of the huge field of operation for any encounters in the void. Dimension Door (or maybe even an item of it) to move far whenever needed, while using your longest range attacks. Pick up Enlarge Power to outrange your enemies.

Other
Dunno how likely it is, but you might want to find a way to protect yourself from a tiny space rock going straight through your skull at a couple hundred thousand miles per hour. I suggest a Starmantle Cloak, both because it's just a very good item and because I love the aesthetic.

It's probably advisable to have a vehicle of some sort, a safe zone. All sorts of magic item stuff you could do with it. Maybe use some Stronghold Builder's Guidebook stuff (like making it airtight), find a way to move it, maybe a Planar Bubble effect or something to make it habitable.

P.S. If you're high enough level to lose a few manifesting levels (at least 3) and have access to Dragon Magazine, I recommend Mind Mage. Arcane/psionic theurge, lots of very neat abilities, big CL and/or ML boost, metamagic/metapsionics fun, spend a couple power points to ignore verbal, somatic, or cheap material components (good if you're gonna be casting spells without an atmosphere), the arcane side of things is really good for your daily buffs. If you take a metapsionic feat as a bonus psion feat, and grab Sanctum Spell by 3rd level, you can go Psion 2/Wizard 1/Cerebremancer 2/Mind Mage, then once you finish Mind Mage you can top it off with more Cerebremancer.

I was gonna have more to say but it's late now and my brain has declined.

[Jack_Simth]

Yea, anything that doesn't work with under 100,000 miles range is probably useless for long term information gathering,
The Third Eye Sense (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/items/universalItems.htm#sense) specifically lets you use Clairvoyant Sense (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/clairvoyantSense.htm) at will, which has no range limit.

and anything that doesn't work out to at least 25 miles is probably not good for an immediate, 'close' combat scenario if we're talking in space...
Your opponents - unless they're handwaived (or Starfinder, which doesn't actually specify combat distances in real-world units, which means they're handwaived too) - are suffering the same problems. You Greater Teleport (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/teleportPsionicGreater.htm) to the range of your attacks, whatever that happens to be.



Any way to get Darkvision out to infinite distance?

A couple of ways. You don't actually need it, though. Starlight qualifies as dim light, not darkness. You just need low-light vision. Elfsight (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/elfsight.htm) will get you that if you don't have it naturally.

[Gavinfoxx]

Would Breath Barrier (RotD) contain air in a sphere while in vacuum?

[Endarire]

Energy resistance and immunity are still helpful because you might be dealing with being in 0G and near solar flares or in intense heat or cold. Plus endure elements or similar.

[Gruftzwerg]

So how do you stat out a high level psionic manifester for space based combat, adventuring, utility, mobility, and so forth?


Does it has to be a psionic manifester for some reason? Because imho there are much better solutions here. (Note, I have no D20 modern experience, just talking about normal 3.5).

Have you noticed my BORG Queen (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?643998-quot-I-am-the-BORG-quot-the-BORG-Queen) build?

Via "Hivemind" you get access to epic Spellcasting + epic skill ranks + epic feats.
With that, you solve most if not all of your above mentioned problems. (e.g Distant Shot for epic ray spells for space combat).

You are basically immortal since your persona is basically uploaded into the "collective". To be safe, you can still abuse double Magic Jar to switch your main body if you want.

Craft your own BORG Cubes/Spheres/Pyramids and conquer the multiverse. Assimilate anything that's worth it.