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Uncle Festy
2008-02-15, 12:59 PM
Just had an idea. This is my first real homebrew, so I expect to have messed up horribly. Please try and be gentle.

Mental Mastery [Psionic]

You have mastered attacking your foes' minds with psionics, and have even learned to focus your power through it.

Prerequisites: Knowledge of three or more powers of third level or higher that require a will save.
Benefit: You may have any power that requires a saving throw and is not harmless cost two less power points then normal. In addition, all your powers that normally require a will save get a +1 bonus to that save. However, since all of your powers work through your foe's mind, it allows them an additional chance to avoid their effects. Whenever you use a power that requires a saving throw and is not harmless, each target may choose to make a will save. If the save is successful (against the power's normal saving throw bonus, and including the +1 bonus from this feat if it normally requires a will save), the spell is entirely negated for that target.


There would be a similar feat to this for both Fort and Ref saves: Physical Mastery and Reflexive Mastery.

Thoughts?

Psionic Dog
2008-02-15, 01:52 PM
It might work as an epic feat, in fact it's about equal to the srd epic psionic feat Improved MetaPsionics (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/feats.htm#improvedMetapsionics)

A feat that gives a +1 to saves from a specific discipline (Telepathy, Psychoportation, ect) -OR- allowed a power from a specific discipline to use one fewer power point by expending their psionic focus would probably be in line with the other feats.

magic_unlocked
2008-02-15, 02:02 PM
I agree withg the Psionic Dog. Though, I don't fully understand Psionics in general.

Uncle Festy
2008-02-15, 02:13 PM
I think you're missing the point of the feat. You get the bonus of paying two less PP on the power in exchange for allowing your foe to negate the power entirely with a successful will save. The idea for the feat has nothing to do with psionic focus or disciplines.

magic_unlocked
2008-02-15, 02:16 PM
Lemme get this straight. You pay 2 less Power Points to use the feat. The feat only applies to abilities that have a will save. If the target saves, the spell is negated, right?

But, isn't it like that already? I mean, going by spells, anything that has a will save tends to say "will negates".

Shishnarfne
2008-02-15, 02:30 PM
Lemme get this straight. You pay 2 less Power Points to use the feat. The feat only applies to abilities that have a will save. If the target saves, the spell is negated, right?

But, isn't it like that already? I mean, going by spells, anything that has a will save tends to say "will negates".

Actually, there are a few blaster-style psionic powers that feature will saves for half:

Mind thrust
Ego whip (Cha damage!)

...two examples

Those come to mind off the top of my head...
Let's see, this feat looks like it'd be taken about level 6, and basically allows for slightly cheaper powers in exchange for no effect on a successful save...
It's an interesting idea, primarily used to try to maintain effectiveness over time against low Will-save foes... But I'm a little worried about 1 pp Ego whips Daze-locking a foe...

Another way to make the feat taken by more people (as its prereqs seems a little specific) might be to require a telepathy (or 3) of the given level. That might be more immediately clear what qualifies you for the feat...

Clarification question: Would this allow you to still spend the normal maximum number of power points on a power? (Example: At level 9, could you spend 9 power points on a Mind Thrust, declare that you are reducing the cost from 11, and get 11d10 damage on a failed save? Or could you only use the feat to dish out 9d10 for 7pp?) If so, I wouldn't go for it...

You might want to add some sort of clarification about the impact of this feat on Powers that already feature Save: Will negates (e.g. Psionic Dominate).

magic_unlocked
2008-02-15, 02:35 PM
Yes, more clarification us indeed needed. But, like i mentioned in an earlier post, I don't really know about psionics. I'm more in-tuned with arcane casters.

Uncle Festy
2008-02-15, 03:52 PM
I think you guys have missed where this is going. First of all, the +1 on powers that normally require a will save is a bit confusing, as it implies that the entire feat only works for such powers. The feat forces an additional save, beyond any that the power normally requires - for any power that you use, not just ones that normally require a will save. If they fail that save, the power continues to work as normal, including requiring any normal saves.
Shishnarfne: Yeah, it allows you to spend more PP. That's what makes the feat so powerful, which is why it needs such a stringent drawback.

magic_unlocked
2008-02-15, 03:59 PM
OK, let me get this straight. there are 2 saves. 1 to negate the power entirely, then, another save for the standard effect? So, if they succeed the first save, they don't need to make the second save? Or, is it the other way around? o_O

Uncle Festy
2008-02-15, 04:19 PM
You got it right the first time. Too weak?

magic_unlocked
2008-02-15, 06:04 PM
Ah, ok. Hmm... I don't think it's too powerful, but then again, I'm not familiar with any of the psionic classes or psionics in general. And i don't allow them in any of my games because i don't understand them. Me and psionics is to high fantasy and real-world realism. We just don't mix. Weird, huh?

Psionic Dog
2008-02-15, 08:23 PM
Ah. The whole second save to negate anything part wasn't clear. You may wish to reword the feat description to make it so.

With that draw back it's tough to say if it's balanced: does the PP drop apply only to powers that normally have a will save?

There are two problems with it now that I re-evaluate: First that L2 powers that now cost only a single PP can be effectively spammed (or worse as the wording currently remains unaugmented L1 powers can be cast for free), second the creatures most likely to take this feat would have some way to minimize the penalty and be using this feat in conjunction with something else to squeeze unforeseen cheese out.

A feat that is half too weak and half too strong would probably require play-testing, both normal and power-game, to determine balance.

magic_unlocked
2008-02-15, 09:26 PM
Ah. The whole second save to negate anything part wasn't clear. You may wish to reword the feat description to make it so.

With that draw back it's tough to say if it's balanced: does the PP drop apply only to powers that normally have a will save?

There are two problems with it now that I re-evaluate: First that L2 powers that now cost only a single PP can be effectively spammed (or worse as the wording currently remains unaugmented L1 powers can be cast for free), second the creatures most likely to take this feat would have some way to minimize the penalty and be using this feat in conjunction with something else to squeeze unforeseen cheese out.

A feat that is half too weak and half too strong would probably require play-testing, both normal and power-game, to determine balance.

I whole-heartedly agree with the playtesting of this to find balance.

Uncle Festy
2008-02-16, 06:11 PM
Both drawback and advantage apply to all powers. The last bonus was to represent mastery of will attacking powers, and could be dropped. This definitely should say minimum 1 power point. I'm trying to word it so that it only affects offensive powers. Any suggestions on how to ensure that?