THE KING OF SMACK.
Hey, Frenzied Berserker, you want a piece of this?
Fixed versions of the build - edited 6/06/2004
Code:
Here are some fixed versions of the build:
Race: Elan (half-dragon, among others, also works)
Damage scaling (per claw):
5d6 base for medium-size claws
6d6 improved natural attack
8d6 expansion 1
12d6 expansion 2
16d6 morphic weapons (if warshaper is included)
24d6?? if the ring that improves natural attacks from Dragon Mag is included
32d6?? if you metamorphose into a larger size (ie, firbolg)
Psywar20 build (simplest)
Feats
1 Overchannel
1 Talented
2 Dodge
3 Combat Expertise
5 Karmic Strike
6 Improved Natural Attack (claw)
8 Combat Reflexes
9 Metamorphic Transfer
11 Expanded Knowledge or free feat
12 Weapon Focus (claw)
14 Rapidstrike (claw)
15 Improved Critical (claw)
17 Expanded Knowledge (Metamorphosis)
18 Expanded Knowledge or free feat
20 Improved Rapidstrike (claw)
Take a level of warshaper at level 21, then continue with epic psywar.
Psywar+IS build (quickest to improved rapidstrike)
1 Psw1 Track, Overchannel
2 Psw2 Talented
3 Psw3 Combat Expertise
4 Psw4
5 Psw5 Dodge
6 Psw6 Improved Natural Attack (claw)
7 Psw7
8 Psw8 Metamorphic Transfer
9 IS1* Karmic Strike
10 IS2
11 IS3
12 IS4 Rapidstrike (claw)
13 IS5
14 IS6
15 IS7 Expanded Knowledge (Metamorphosis)
16 IS8
17 IS9
18 IS10 Improved Rapidstrike (claw)
19 Wsh1** Morphic Immunities, Morphic Weapons
20 Wsh2 Morphic Body
Psion/Egoist build (most powerful in the long run IMO)
1 Rgr1 Track, Overchannel
2 Ego1 Dodge
3 Ego2 Combat Expertise
4 Ego3
5 Ego4
6 Ego5 Expanded Knowledge (Claws of the Beast), Karmic Strike
7 Ego6
8 IS1
9 IS2 Improved Natural Attack (claw)
10 IS3
11 IS4
12 IS5 Expanded Knowledge (Claws of the Vampire)
13 IS6
14 IS7
15 IS8 Rapidstrike (claw)
16 IS9
17 IS10
18 Ego7 Metamorphic Transfer
19 Ego8
20 Wsh1
21 ??? Improved Rapidstrike (claw)
If expecting to hit epic levels, you can go Wsh3 pre-epic to get the +16 BAB and then continue with Egoist levels.
Note that this final build gives access to 9th level psionic powers. Epic Expanded Knowledge is your friend.
----original post----
I didn't do much with 3.0 psionics, but I am very pleased with the XPH. I admit I don't have a good frame of reference to understand those that claim the XPH Psychic Warrior has been horribly nerfed because I don't know what the original one was like. I do think, however, that the new Psywar can hang just fine in an adventuring party. I do agree with those that think the Elan is undercosted at LA+0, however. There are a number of reasons for this, one of which will become apparent below.
The key to the new psywar is careful use of the claw powers, IMO. Claws of the Beast and Claws of the Vampire are especially strong. The other claws are neat, but in general, I don't think they are worth spending a round to use. A normal, medium-sized psywar20 can use claws of the beast to do 8d6 damage twice per round (5d6 base, +2 size enhancements from expansion). This is pretty impressive. However, it must be possible to really minmax this, right?
Of course. The two keys to this build are 1) the warshaper PrC and 2) the awesome Rapidstrike feat from Draconomicon. To my knowledge, nobody has attempted to use either of these in a fighting psywar build. Warshaper requires your DM to allow metamorphosis to count for the polymorph requirement of Warshaper, which I think is reasonable. Rapidstrike is normally unavailable to normal characters, but CREATURES OF THE ABERRATION TYPE CAN TAKE IT. (omg) You see, now, why the type-aberration Elan is undercosted at LA+0?
The following build is an attempt at a truly hardcore, minmaxed psychic warrior. I use the Elan race from XPH, which has psionicist as a favored class.
Assumptions made for this build:
25 pt buy (str 14, dex 13, con 14, int 12, wis 14, cha 6, after modifiers)
you can meet and kill an illithid by level 8
your DM lets metamorphosis count as the "polymorph" requirement for Warshaper. (reasonable IMO)
Code:
1 Psw1 Improved Natural Attack (claw), Overchannel
2 Psw2 Psionic Meditation***
3 Psw3 Combat Reflexes
4 Psw4
5 Psw5 Dodge
6 Psw6 WF (claw)***
7 Psw7
8 Psw8 Metamorphic Transfer
9 IS1* Karmic Strike
10 IS2
11 IS3
12 IS4 Rapidstrike (claw)
13 IS5
14 IS6
15 IS7 Expanded Knowledge (Metamorphosis)
16 IS8
17 IS9
18 IS10 Improved Rapidstrike (claw)
19 Wsh1** Morphic Immunities, Morphic Weapons
20 Wsh2 Morphic Body
*IS - Illithid Slayer.
**Wsh - warshaper.
***Note that I included Psionic Meditation in the build even though there isn't any feat that uses psionic focus. You can easily replace
An alternate build uses Ranger1/Egoist6/IS10/Wsh1/PrC2, where PrC is anything that grants manifester levels. I haven't fully thought this build out, though, and have a feeling there might not be enough feats (you need to use expanded knowledge to get claws of the beast and vampire, but otherwise the build is strong... many more PSPs to work with).
WF (claw) at level 6 with any other feat you like, such as a metapsionic feat or other combat feat, that does require psionic meditation.
What you do with Psimed/WF doesn't really matter to the build - use these feats to tailor your character to your tastes.
Other useful feats: WF (claw), improved crit (claw), mage slayer, sidestep (if you can meet the tumble requirements), expanded knowledge (schism, teleport, any energy power), psionic fist (although I don't think +2d6 once/round is worth it when you are already doing so much damage), unavoidable power (this is more useful than psifist), extend power (never worry about claws or armor turning off), quicken power (if you want to use a lot of claws), talented, up the walls (this is just cool).
As for general combat feats, I feel that power attack is fairly useless since you are already doing so much damage. Cleave could be useful, but with 6 attacks/round, I don't think it's necessary, and definitely not worth the wasted feat in power attack. Important powers: claws of the beast, claws of the vampire, vigor, inertial armor, biofeedback, hustle, form of doom, bite of the wolf, any healing power, any movement power.
Analysis
--------
This character finishes with a base attack of +18 and a manifester level of 17. With overchannel you get to 20. This is enough to get you to 5d6 claws, attacking at +18/+18. Now, add in expansion +2 (6d6, 8d6) and morphic weapons (12d6). Then add in rapidstrike and improved rapidstrike: 6 claws at 12d6 each, +18/+18/+13/+8/+8/+8. Rapidstrike gives you 1 extra natural attack at -5, improved rapidstrike (my interpretation) gives you up to 3 more, each at a further -5. Now add in claws of the vampire, and you have...
THE KING OF SMACK.
Capable of dishing out 72d6 in a single round, and healing half of that back. Use karmic strike with impunity because you are healing 6d6 hp for each hit you score, further cranking up your damage total.
Further abuse: I heard there is an item that increases your natural attacks one step. I don't know what 12d6 increases to, but I imagine it will make your DM cry. Add in an amulet of natural attacks to get whatever additional bonuses you want (+s to hit, energy damage, keen, etc... saves you rounds and PSPs otherwise spent manifesting additional claw powers). To borrow from CompleteSatori's FB build, take an item of sadism to crank your luck bonuses through the roof.
Even more abuse: This build takes advantage of every broken trick you can use with the Elan. With aberration+metamorphosis+metamorphic transfer, you can do a lot of other useful things, such as turning into a beholder or a choker... or a SHARN. Sharns are aberrations, and get 2 standard actions and (with hustle) 2 move actions in a round. They also have 9 arms. Now add in Form of Doom, Bite of the Wolf, and Rapidstrike, and you have a WHOLE LOTTA DAMAGE.
Assuming a strength of 33 (14 base, +4 morphic body, +6 item, +4 huge size from expansion, +5 inherent), a total str mod of +11.
13 claws +29/+29/+29/+29/+29/+29/+29/+29/+29/+24/+19/+19/+19 - 12d6+11 (x13), half returned as healing
1 bite +24 - 4d6+4d8+5
4 tentacles +24/+24/+24/+24 - 4d8+5 (x4)
for fullround damage of 156d6+20d8+168 = 804 damage.
Now assume 2 standard actions + 2 move actions = 2 fullround actions.
1608 damage. Now add in sadism... you get the idea.
THE KING OF SMACK.
Even without the Sharn/sadism abuse (which no sane DM would allow), the psiwar is still hitting pretty hard at 12d6 x6. The best thing about the character is that he's an Elan, and consequently extremely hard to kill. This guy is the ultimate in self-reliance, and a DM's nightmare, even without the damage. Even stripped naked in the middle of the desert, he'll survive. That's the beauty of psionics - psionicists don't need any gear, any spell components, or any other crutches. It doesn't matter if the Weave collapses or my god dies - with a thought, I can move mountains, travel through time, and bend the very fabric of reality. I AM a god. Elans don't even need food. He needs 1 round to set up his inertial armor and his claws, and he's ready to rock. Think about this:
* He can't starve to death.
* He's immortal, so he won't die of old age.
* He's only vulnerable for 4 hours a night, and even that is a trance, not sleep.
* Spot and Listen are class skills for the Illithid Slayer, so he is hard to surprise.
* His saves are decent, and he can add +4 on a critical save anytime.
* He's immune to scrying, so consequently almost impossible to ambush.
* He's immune to mind-affecting effects.
* If you want to kill him, you basically have to do it in one round - if you give him an action, he's going to heal all his damage back
with claws of the vampire. The problem is that you have to do a TON of damage. Anything that gets through his base HP and vigor HP can still be soaked with Elan's racial ability. If he has even 1 HP left, he's going to drain 36d6 from somebody next round. I have a mental image of a giant bashing this guy down to 1 hp with a critical hit - and then next round, this dude leaping at the giant, stabbing into his stomach with his claw, and then climbing his way up the giant's body by sinking his claws into the flesh, draining life all the way.
His only real weakness is death-type effects, and Elan's save bonus helps to deal with that. If you have a choice of magical items, get as much stuff as you can to improve defense and mobility - you have plenty of offense with the claws alone. Also get anything you can to increase your PSPs, as they are the core of your strength. This character is easily powerful enough to solo - he can tank, heal himself, and even blast (with expanded knowledge). Stealth can be a problem, but starting with a ranger level helps (but also gives you an XP penalty). If you get caught in an antimagic zone, well, you still have d8 hit dice and +18 attack bonus, so you can pick up any other good weapon and start bashing people with it.
Now who thinks the Frenzied Berserker has anything on this dude?