trapfinding for a psion

[alisbin]

hey mates,
my PC is gonna get a cohort soon and i'd like it to cover for the fact that we don't have a trapfinder type in our party. so i'm looking for a couple feats that would let me build the cohort with full psion levels (its starting out at 5 and i REALLY want 3rd lvl powers) and still get spot, search as class skills and be able to find traps of over dc 20 (the cohort is a kineticist so it already gets disable device as a class skill).

[Greenish]

Thrallherd.

[alisbin]

my character is a thrallherd, for fluff reasons i can only get pure caster psion's as my thralls, so i need some way to make my psychokinesis thrall be able to cover for trapfinding.

[Eloel]

You could try Rogue 1/Ardent 4, with Practiced Manifester. It gains 3rd level spells AND trapfinding.

[alisbin]

i would go rogue, but as i said, fluff reasons (and DM fiat) require that my thralls be pure psions.

[Greenish]

I can't think of any way for a pure psion to get Trapfinding as such, but maybe Control Object/Psionic Dominate and having something or someone act as a "trapfinder" of sorts, by walking into the traps. You could push an inamiate object with Skate manifested on it around with a long pole, to set up some types of traps.

Something like that.

[Cyclocone]

If you're a Thrallherd, just have your minions scout ahead and locate all the traps the old-fashioned way; it's practically what they're there for anyway.

[Greenish]

If you're a Thrallherd, just have your minions scout ahead and locate all the traps the old-fashioned way; it's practically what they're there for anyway.

The trouble is that he might not even have any believers unless he has high charisma, and even then he'd run out off them quite fast.

[Edit]: His thrall is going to be level 5, so I assume he's psion 5/thrallherd 1. That means he needs +3 cha modifier to get even 5 believers per day.

[alisbin]

no can do on sending minions to death, i'm gonna be using them for a different purpose, they won't actually travel with the party. the campaign has a major social aspect so i'm going to be using them to infiltrate various political/business organizations for various purposes. plus i'm not evil... and i'm pretty sure my DM (and party) would object.
are there any feats that would make search and spot class skills? i might be able to convince my DM to allow a homebrew feat that gets what i want, but i'd rather use something published if possible.

edit: yeah i only have a 14 charisma, so no believers immediately anyway

[Cyclocone]

The trouble is that he might not even have any believers unless he has high charisma, and even then he'd run out off them quite fast.

Actually, its pretty hard not to end up with a maxed-out Leadership score, given that:

A thrallherd’s Leadership score is equal to her character level + her Cha modifier + her thrallherd level. (Note that her thrallherd level is counted twice.)

Oh, and remember that:

[...]lost thralls and believers are replaced within 24 hours.

EDIT: Well okay, if you don't have a good enough Leadership score, then obviosly you'll need a temporary trap-slave. (but I still maintain that you should switch to minion-sacrifice later on, it's much more amusing).

[Greenish]

are there any feats that would make search and spot class skills?

Criminal Background, I think.

[alisbin]

what book is that in?

[Sinfire Titan]

Trapfinding itself is two feats according to WotC. Shape Soulmeld (Theft Gloves) and Open Least Chakra. You can't benefit from Gloves, but oh well.


A feat in CAdv lets you use Int instead of Dex on Disable Device (or was it the other way around?).


Getting Search as a class skill is harder, so you may have to make due with CC ranks and a couple of items to boost your check's results.

[Greenish]

what book is that in?

One of the Eberron Books, I think City of Stormreach.

[Human Paragon 3]

You can't take a Psychic Rogue? Or a lurk?

[alisbin]

i originally wanted my first thrall to be a psychic rogue and the second be a psychic warrior (or maybe vice versa), but my DM isn't that comfortable with psionics so he decided that i could only make psion cohorts so he wasn't hit by too many variant rules from one player.

[Sinfire Titan]

i originally wanted my first thrall to be a psychic rogue and the second be a psychic warrior (or maybe vice versa), but my DM isn't that comfortable with psionics so he decided that i could only make psion cohorts so he wasn't hit by too many variant rules from one player.

The PsiRogue is the biggest variation. The PsiWar follows the same rules as a normal Psion. I'm not following his logic there. He probably needs to read the book a little closer.

[Dacia Brabant]

Instead of Kineticist go with Shaper since they get Use Psionic Device as a class skill (presumably you're using the Magic-Psionics Transparency rule) and buy a Wand of Find Traps (or get the party Cleric to use it). And Shapers get a better list of powers, too.

[alisbin]

we're only using partial transparency, spell resistance translates to power resistance, but thats pretty much it. also, its a fairly low magic campaign, we're 4th level now (i'm planning ahead) and we have about 1k gold and 1 minor magic item each. alas, no magic marts so item dependency is out. i know, not exactly a perfect situation, i was just hoping there was some feat lurking out there that gave what i wanted.
thanks for the thoughts mates

[Sinfire Titan]

we're only using partial transparency, spell resistance translates to power resistance, but thats pretty much it. also, its a fairly low magic campaign, we're 4th level now (i'm planning ahead) and we have about 1k gold and 1 minor magic item each. alas, no magic marts so item dependency is out. i know, not exactly a perfect situation, i was just hoping there was some feat lurking out there that gave what i wanted.
thanks for the thoughts mates

I told you: Shape Soulmeld and Open Least Chakra. Use Psychic Reformation to get the first, and then just take the second.

[alisbin]

as far as i know noone in the group has magic of incarnum or i'd probably use those feats. i'll double check though.

[Eldariel]

Planar Touchstone-feat [PlH] can be taken by level 6 for every character with Knowledge (The Planes) in class (acquirable if not by default, through feats such as Educated). Bind to Catalogues of Enlightement [PlH], which grants you one Domain Granted Power of your choice.

Choose Kobold Domain for Trapfinding. You could, with some sweettalk also get Search and Disable Device in class through this (by default they only add to your Cleric skills, but as you gain the Domain Power on another class, it's reasonable enough to ask them in class for that class).


Though additional feats can gain Search in class too. Keen Intellect [DR318] would also derive your Spot off Int, useful for Int-SAD.

[Draz74]

Trapfinding itself is two feats according to WotC. Shape Soulmeld (Theft Gloves) and Open Least Chakra. You can't benefit from Gloves, but oh well.

How about:

• Shape Soulmeld (Theft Gloves)
• Psycarnum Infusion
• the Psionic Open Chakra power

There, now you're still spending two feats (and also a power known and 7 PP/day), but you get Trapfinding, and you can expend your Psionic Focus anytime to treat any Soulmeld as being full of Essentia for one round. So your Theft Gloves actually become (very) useful.

This combo is only really cool if you have other feats to blow on more Soulmelds, I admit. (And if the OP doesn't have access to MoI, it won't help him anyway.)

But yeah. Psycarnum Infusion is way underrated.

[Sinfire Titan]

How about:

• Shape Soulmeld (Theft Gloves)
• Psycarnum Infusion
• the Psionic Open Chakra power

There, now you're still spending two feats (and also a power known and 7 PP/day), but you get Trapfinding, and you can expend your Psionic Focus anytime to treat any Soulmeld as being full of Essentia for one round. So your Theft Gloves actually become (very) useful.

This combo is only really cool if you have other feats to blow on more Soulmelds, I admit. (And if the OP doesn't have access to MoI, it won't help him anyway.)

But yeah. Psycarnum Infusion is way underrated.

It gets plenty of use, we just don't mention it enough. If he can't spare a feat, the Essentia Helm in the MiC can be reslotted.