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sonofzeal
2008-05-25, 08:55 PM
So, I'm pretty pro when it comes to outfiting martial characters, but my experience with full casters/manifesters is limited, and I'm really not sure what to pack them at character creation. Specifically, I have a lvl12 Grey Elf Kineticist I'm working on who needs a gear loadout.

Feats: Overchannel, Talented, Psicrystal, Expanded Knowledge (Astral Construct), Expanded Knowledge (Mindlink), Psionic Body, Craft Cognizance Crystal, Boost Construct

I see no reason not to go with Full Plate and try to get my AC compeditive. A Headband of Intelligence +6 is a given as well. A party member (Warlock) can craft any Wondrous item I might need for 70% base price. So, what sort of things should I be looking for?

In general, how do you spend your gold on caster-types?

KillianHawkeye
2008-05-25, 09:01 PM
Armor is expensive, and not very useful when you can really crank up your inertial armor at that level. Combined with a ring of deflection and/or amulet of natural armor.

Personally, I usually outfit any character with as many items that grant unusual abilities as I can. There's a lot of great stuff in the MIC for that.

Jack_Simth
2008-05-25, 09:12 PM
So, I'm pretty pro when it comes to outfiting martial characters, but my experience with full casters/manifesters is limited, and I'm really not sure what to pack them at character creation. Specifically, I have a lvl12 Grey Elf Kineticist I'm working on who needs a gear loadout.

Feats: Overchannel, Talented, Psicrystal, Expanded Knowledge (Astral Construct), Expanded Knowledge (Mindlink), Psionic Body, Craft Cognizance Crystal, Boost Construct

I see no reason not to go with Full Plate and try to get my AC compeditive. A Headband of Intelligence +6 is a given as well. A party member (Warlock) can craft any Wondrous item I might need for 70% base price. So, what sort of things should I be looking for?

In general, how do you spend your gold on caster-types?

At 12th, you don't want the Full Plate. With Talented and Overchannel, you can put 13 power points into Inertial Armor for an armor bonus of +10, with no ACP. That's the equivalent of Fullplate+2. Save the cash, get something else - like, say, a Torc of Power Preservation, or a +X Tower Shield (while you can duplicate that with a power, the duration of minutes means you'll usually want the real thing).

One of the Psion's big issues is power points. You'll run through them very, very quickly. So you want ways to reduce costs (Torc of Power Preservation) or increase your reserves (under transparency, Pearls of Power act as self-recharging power point stores - get some, based on your manifester level - they're cheaper than any of the alternatives).

sonofzeal
2008-05-25, 09:12 PM
Armor is expensive, and not very useful when you can really crank up your inertial armor at that level. Combined with a ring of deflection and/or amulet of natural armor.

Personally, I usually outfit any character with as many items that grant unusual abilities as I can. There's a lot of great stuff in the MIC for that.
Well, the thing is I don't really lose anything important from wearing Fullplate, and a suit of +1 Fullplate saves me 22 pp a day for the same protection, and only costs 2,500 gp. That seems like a good deal to me.

I'll try to get my hands on a MIC; anything in particular you've enjoyed having in the mean time?

Aquillion
2008-05-25, 09:15 PM
(under transparency, Pearls of Power act as self-recharging power point stores - get some, based on your manifester level - they're cheaper than any of the alternatives).Where does it say that? It's not in the basic psionics-magic transparency rules:

When the rule about psionics-magic transparency is in effect, it has the following ramifications.

Spell resistance is effective against powers, using the same mechanics. Likewise, power resistance is effective against spells, using the same mechanics as spell resistance. If a creature has one kind of resistance, it is assumed to have the other. (The effects have similar ends despite having been brought about by different means.)

All spells that dispel magic have equal effect against powers of the same level using the same mechanics, and vice versa.

The spell detect magic detects powers, their number, and their strength and location within 3 rounds (though a Psicraft check is necessary to identify the discipline of the psionic aura).

Dead magic areas are also dead psionics areas.

Jack_Simth
2008-05-25, 09:29 PM
Where does it say that? It's not in the basic psionics-magic transparency rules:

You're looking in the wrong spot; it's a note on a table:


Pearl of power Treat in all ways as a cognizance crystal with power point capacity appropriate to the equivalent power level

... ah, nevermind - unlike when used by a Wizard, it doesn't regenerate when used by a Psion. Odd.

sonofzeal
2008-05-25, 09:41 PM
Hence my "Craft Cognizance Crystal" feat. Although... if a Pearl of Power acts like one, I can get them from my Warlock buddy and save myself that feat. Any suggestions what to replace it with?

Jack_Simth
2008-05-25, 09:47 PM
Hence my "Craft Cognizance Crystal" feat. Although... if a Pearl of Power acts like one, I can get them from my Warlock buddy and save myself that feat. Any suggestions what to replace it with?
Psionic Meditation or possibly Psycristal Containment.

The first lets you replace your Psionic Focus as a move action, rather than a full-round; the second lets you keep a second focus in your Psicrystal.

sonofzeal
2008-05-25, 10:10 PM
Psionic Meditation or possibly Psycristal Containment.

The first lets you replace your Psionic Focus as a move action, rather than a full-round; the second lets you keep a second focus in your Psicrystal.
If I was going into Metapsi feats, that would help, but as it stands I don't really have any important use for my one Focus, so I don't think a second focus is really worth the feat. Insightful Reflexes or Keen Intellect maybe.

Anyway, I think I can manage defensive gear (pretty much the same as martial characters for the most part). That plus a Torc of Power Preservation (thank you Jack_Simth) and some Cognizance Crystals / Pearls of Power should just about cover me... unless there's anything awesome I'm forgetting?

Jack_Simth
2008-05-25, 10:14 PM
If I was going into Metapsi feats, that would help, but as it stands I don't really have any important use for my one Focus, so I don't think a second focus is really worth the feat. Insightful Reflexes or Keen Intellect maybe.

Anyway, I think I can manage defensive gear (pretty much the same as martial characters for the most part). That plus a Torc of Power Preservation (thank you Jack_Simth) and some Cognizance Crystals / Pearls of Power should just about cover me... unless there's anything awesome I'm forgetting?
The awsome stuff you're forgetting is mostly stuff that has effects that you don't have by way of powers known. Without the Powers Known list, we can't really help beyond the "all psions want this stuff" list.

NEO|Phyte
2008-05-25, 10:17 PM
If you plan on wearing fullplate, don't rely on touch attacks of any form, your armor check penalty will be applying to them, unless you have some way of gaining proficiency.

Iku Rex
2008-05-25, 10:17 PM
Books available?

sonofzeal
2008-05-25, 10:24 PM
The awsome stuff you're forgetting is mostly stuff that has effects that you don't have by way of powers known. Without the Powers Known list, we can't really help beyond the "all psions want this stuff" list.
That's because I haven't made the list yet :smallwink:. But yes, I do plan on picking up dorjes for a few 1st/2nd level non-augmenting powers to expand my reportoir.


If you plan on wearing fullplate, don't rely on touch attacks of any form, your armor check penalty will be applying to them, unless you have some way of gaining proficiency.
Indeed. There's not very many in that category though, so I should be okay. Not having to worry about ASF is a lifesaver.


Books available?
All except Dragon mag.

FlyMolo
2008-05-25, 10:27 PM
Remember to grab some tats. Psionic tattoos are just ridiculously convenient.

Especially crawling ones. Grab the feat and cover your party in them. Hungry touch is a good one, as is entangling ectoplasm. Put all your buff spells in tats and leave them with someone like the bard with standards to burn. (Psicrystal Affinity and Elemental Envoy. The envoy itself? not so good. scales like awful. It's standards to activate your buffs? Good.) It's quicker that way. Each person can hold up to 20 tats, and you can transfer them between people.

Body adjustment, augmented and scribed is like a CLW or maybe CMW pot that can run around and drink itself for you.

Up the Walls and Speed of thought. Mobility is your friend. (not the feat, the concept). In fact with hustle and speed of thought, you can climb 70' cliffs in a single round, then mind thrust the peeps at the top.

I have a borken Thri-kreen build designed to abuse Up the Walls and Leap attack with Lion totem pounce and multiweapon fighting.

D Knight
2008-05-26, 08:22 AM
i have a question and it has just naged at my mind the entire time i have read this post. any way here it is. How do you plan on wearing full plate when both wizard and psion say that you can not were it?
also to all in the playground is there a item that you can channel PP into at the end of the day and still have acess to them at a moment notice?

kamikasei
2008-05-26, 08:46 AM
i have a question and it has just naged at my mind the entire time i have read this post. any way here it is. How do you plan on wearing full plate when both wizard and psion say that you can not were it?

Psions and wizards both lack proficiency with armour. That doesn't mean they can't wear it; they will, however, take its armour check penalty on a bunch of things (attack rolls and all STR- and DEX-based skill, at least).

However, the real issue is that wizards in full plate suffer crippling arcane spell failure, risking losing far too many of their spells mid-cast for the armour bonus to be worthwhile. Psions don't suffer arcane spell failure, so it's more like, say, a cloistered cleric wearing full plate. If he avoids powers requiring attack rolls, and doesn't have much cause to make athletic skill checks, it might be a suboptimal choice but not an actively penalizing one.

sonofzeal
2008-05-26, 09:39 AM
i have a question and it has just naged at my mind the entire time i have read this post. any way here it is. How do you plan on wearing full plate when both wizard and psion say that you can not were it?
also to all in the playground is there a item that you can channel PP into at the end of the day and still have acess to them at a moment notice?
Kamikasei nailed it. "Not proficient" is a long way away from "can't use", it just applies certain penalties that, really, aren't much of a concern for most casters anyway:


A character who wears armor and/or uses a shield with which he or she is not proficient takes the armor’s (and/or shield’s) armor check penalty on attack rolls and on all Strength-based and Dexterity-based ability and skill checks.

That said, wizards get screwed by the ASF (which is why Mithril Twilight Chain Shirts are so popular), but Psions can get away with whatever they want. And, in my opinion, Full Plate is incredibly cost-effective if you want high AC, and allows you to reach that "haha nobody can hit me" zone without totally breaking your budget.



Current Equip List ("[5,600 gp]" means it got crafted for a discount; we use those rules that that let you sacrifice 5gp to reduce xp cost for crafting by 1)

Fortified Fullplate +2 9,500 gp
Tower Shield +2 4,030 gp
Amulet of NA +2 [5,600 gp]
Ring of Protect +1 2,000 gp
Cloak of Displace [16,800 gp]
Headband of Int +6 [25,200 gp]
3x Pearl of Power 1 [2,100 gp]
2x Pearl of Power 2 [5,600 gp]
Dorje Allowance 10,000 gp
Crawling Tattoos 5,000 gp

spare gp: 1170
Unbuffed AC: 30


"Torc of Power Preservation" just doesn't fit into this budget, at this level. It's next on the shopping list though, along with a Psionatrix of Psychokinesis.

MorkaisChosen
2008-05-26, 10:15 AM
If you can fit it, take that 1st-level power that does 1d10 per PP used on it with a will save. No attack roll, so the armour won't bother you, and it's made of win.

sonofzeal
2008-05-26, 10:58 AM
If you can fit it, take that 1st-level power that does 1d10 per PP used on it with a will save. No attack roll, so the armour won't bother you, and it's made of win.
Already done. :smallcool: Mind Thrust is nice, although I prefer Energy Missile as a mainstay because it's more customizable, still does half damage on a passed save, and can target Reflex (and I'm seriously lacking in Ref save effects). Here's my just-completed power list...


POWERS - 180 pp

LVL1 - 1 pp, DC 20
Astral Construct
Mindlink
Control Object
Vigor (5 temp hp per pp; 12 min)
Mind Thrust (Will negate; 1d10 per pp)
Precog Defence (+x AC/saves; 12 min)

LVL2 - 3 pp, DC 21
Energy Missile (Ref/Fort half; 1d6 +/- 1 per pp)
Share Pain (12 hour)
Ego Whip (Will half; 1d4 Cha damage + stun; +4 pp = +2 DC, +1d4 Cha dam)
Concealing Amorpha (20% miss; 12 min)

LVL3 - 5 pp, DC 22
Touchsight
Dispel Psionis (SRD)
Body Adjustment (cure 1d12; +2 pp = +1d12 cured)
Body Purification (restore 2 ability damage; +1 pp = +1 restored)

LVL4 - 7 pp, DC 23
Control Body (Fort negates; 12 min concentration)
Death Urge (Will Negates; 1 round; 11 pp = DC 25, 2 round)
Freedom of Movement (120 min)
Wall of Ectoplasm (120 square foot wall or 12' radius ball; 12 min)

LVL5 - 9 pp, DC 24
Fiery Discorporation (Will DC 5+damage = deus ex, 24 hour)
Power Resistance (SR/PR 24, 12 min)
Major Creation
Plane Shift

LVL6 - 11 pp, DC 25
Overland Flight (speed 40; 12 hours)
Temporal Accelleration (Time Stop for 1 bonus round; 15 pp = 2 rounds)
Contingency (75 gp; 12 days)
Cloud Mind, Mass (12 targets; 12 min)



Dorjes - Call to Mind, Float, Grease, Create Sound, Conceal Thoughts, Tongues

sonofzeal
2008-05-27, 09:37 AM
Added "Entangling Ectoplasm" to my Dorje list; I was going to make it a Crawling Tattoo or ten, but a Dorje is cheaper in the long run and more reliable.

Crawling Tattoos - "Body Adjustment" for me; "Body Adjustment" + 10 "Entangling Ectoplasm" + 5 "Precog Defence" + 5 "Prescience Offence" for Warlock buddy (there's only the two of us).

Any other gear that's good?