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Draz74
2008-05-24, 10:40 PM
OK, I'm doing another theoretical build character, and I wanted to make sure I'm not missing anything obviously awesome for him to take. Particularly since I don't have Complete Psionic.

Class: Ardent

Rules: 28-point buy; no multiclassing or PrCs; can use setting-neutral 3.5 splatbooks, except for BoED or UA, but no web content (e.g. Mind's Eye); should be viable at every level, 1-20.

Character Concept: This guy is supposed to be a lot like the classic Cleric -- a strong (but not "Zilla" strong) backup melee warrior, buffer/support caster, and healer, with heavy armor and sword-n-board. He should also be a decent utility caster, focusing on divination powers and travel powers.

An Ardent healer is actually pretty tough to make effectively. The Life Mantle is supposed to make it easy, but its Mantle Power sucks, and its low-level healing power, Touch of Health, sucks too (or so I've heard; again, I don't actually have CPsi). At Level 11, the Mend Wounds power apparently makes things a lot more viable; but that's pretty far into the game.

I figured I'd rely a fair amount on Healing Belts and Wands of Lesser Vigor, not to mention the party Factotum's Opportunistic Piety, but none of that helps at Level 1. So the solution I came up with is to be an Azurin and use my bonus racial feat for Shape Soulmeld (Lifebond Vestment). Then, with the Vigor Power, I can damage my own Temporary HP to heal others 5 HP/hour (which is not too bad at Levels 1-2). I know this probably isn't the most efficient strategy, but is there any reason it's not feasible at all?

Beyond that, here's the build I've drafted.

Race: Azurin
Starting abilities: STR 12, DEX 10, CON 14, INT 10, WIS 16, CHA 12
Skills: Concentration maxed; UPD almost-maxed; Autohypnosis 1 rank; Profession (philosopher) 1 rank

Mantles
L1: Physical Power, Freedom
L2: Magic
L5: Fate*
L10: Mental Power
L15: The Planes

*At Level 15, this replaces Physical Power as a primary mantle.

Feats
L1: Shape Soulmeld (Lifebond Vestment), Linked Power
L3: Expanded Knowledge
L6: Psionic Meditation
L9: Tap Mantle (Life)
L12: Expanded Knowledge
L15: Martial Study (Insightful Strike)
L18: Expanded Knowledge

Powers
L1: Dimension Hop, Vigor
L2: Adrenaline Boost
L3: Animal Affinity, (EK)Prevenom Weapon
L4: Metaphysical Weapon
L5: Clairvoyant Sense
L6: Hustle
L7: Psionic Fly
L8: Defensive Precognition
L9: Psionic Teleport
L10: Stygian Ward
L11: Mend Wounds
L12: Dispel Psionics, (EK)Schism
L13: Psionic Freedom of Movement
L14: Offensive Precognition
L15: Psionic Plane Shift
L16: Hypercognition
L17: Psionic Restoration
L18: Psionic Dimensional Anchor, (EK)Planar Embrace
L19: Power Resistance
L20: Greater Precognition

Anything here seem like a particularly great or bad choice?

This guy is supposed to buff himself a lot, but does he need it too much? He knows 14 combat "buffs," and all but 3 of them (Metaphysical Weapon, Stygian Ward, and Power Resistance) are self-only. Hopefully he'll be able to buff himself a lot without missing too many rounds of attacking, though, by using Linked Power and later Schism.

Any easy way to improve his melee damage a lot? I tried including Prevenom Weapon and Martial Study (insightful strike) for this reason, but it still seems like he'll spend a lot of rounds doing a mere 5-10 damage at mid-levels or 10-20 damage even at high levels. Hopefully he can afford a Corrosive Wounding morningstar fairly early on, or something.

Is Planar Embrace really worth it for my final Expanded Knowledge-accessed power? I don't know how good it really is, or how long its duration is, or whether it would actually give me some raise dead-type ability (through the Resurrection SLA). So I've also been thinking of Reddopsi, or a few other ideas, in place of this.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Draz74
2008-05-26, 09:30 AM
*bump*

Hmmm, apparently it's a lot harder to get optimization advice on an Ardent than on a Wizard, or ToB melee character, or even a Monk. :smallannoyed:

Draz74
2008-06-05, 12:42 PM
OK, I've made some progress on this build, but it's still incredibly feat-starved and I could use some advice about which feats to select.

I really want the following feats:


Shape Soulmeld (lifebond vestment) - because I need healing at Level 1, and the Touch of Health power is just too crappy. Lifebond Vestment (with 1 racial essentia invested) and Vigor actually make for very efficient out-of-combat healing at very low levels.
Hidden Talent - because having only 3 PP/day, even at Level 1, is pretty limiting; +2 PP is always nice, and this feat also saves me the need to pick up another Expanded Knowledge later on. I was thinking of getting Prevenom Weapon with this feat, because it's an easy way to make a melee character do a lot of damage without ToB maneuvers or Power Attacking cheese.
Linked Power - This metapsionic feat is gold for buffing one's self mid-combat without spending any standard actions on the buffs. (E.g., manifest Adrenaline Boost as a swift action, with another buff Linked.)
Psionic Meditation - Obvious. This character will be expending his psionic focus a lot, to use his Mantle abilities or to use Linked Power or for whatever other reasons. Combine with Hustle to regain Psionic Focus as a swift action (for the cost of 3 PP).
Psycarnum Infusion (http://realmshelps.dandello.net/cgi-bin/feats.pl?Psycarnum_Infusion,MoI) - my latest discovery. If I can fit this feat in, it singlehandedly makes my Lifebond Vestment scale decently with level. Suddenly my feat that was great at low levels, but pretty useless as the game goes on, stays reasonably useful.
Tap Mantle (life) - I don't want to give up any of my other Mantles (Freedom, Physical Power, Fate, The Planes, Mental Power), and I need at least a couple powers from this Mantle, so I can do some in-combat healing and heal ability damage and negative levels and so on.
Martial Study (insightful strike) - seems like an easy way to make an Ardent suddenly a lot scarier in melee, right? And I'd like to have just a pinch of Tome of Battle in this build just for aesthetics. But is this feat really worth it when it only deals [Concentration check] damage, and only 1/encounter?
Expanded Knowledge (schism) - Bufftastic.
Expanded Knowledge (dispelling buffer) - covers a major weakness of the character, and his party won't mind it either.
Expanded Knowledge (planar embrace) - really worth it? Maybe those spell-like abilities really aren't so impressive.
Expanded Knowledge (reddopsi)
Expanded Knowledge (psionic mind blank)
... as many other Expanded Knowledge feats as possible :smallsmile:


But I only get 8 feats. How do I choose!?!

SamTheCleric
2008-06-05, 01:08 PM
Man, I'd love to help you out... but you're using both psionics AND incarnum... that's like... my weak spot. You have found my kryptonite.

Innis Cabal
2008-06-05, 01:11 PM
Wel with all the restrictions, and the class's at play...your S.O.L i think buddy. Sorry. I dont think either are all togather well made, togather.....eesh

Draz74
2008-06-05, 01:11 PM
Man, I'd love to help you out... but you're using both psionics AND incarnum... that's like... my weak spot. You have found my kryptonite.

Heh. :smallcool: Yeah, that's probably why I'm not getting too much help.

Though both Psionics and Incarnum fit this character concept so well, I'm happy they're the sources I'm finding that work mechanically, too.

But Sam, if you're ever going to play some serious 3.5 again, I really recommend looking into Psionics. They're in the SRD, and they're the best-designed system 3e ever had -- even better designed than ToB, IMHO.