[3.5] Psychic warrior/warblade help

[SPoilaaja]

Hello!

I'm working on a psychic warrior/warblade build for a game that starts on the fifth level. Currently what I have is Psychic warrior 4/warblade 1.

without further a do to the build:

Jens Stahl

True Neutral
Elan
Psychic warrior 4/Warblade 1

str 16
dex 12
con 14
int 14
wis 16
cha 7

skills:
Autohypnosis 7, Concentration 8, Knowledge (psionics) 5, Balance 5, Knowledge (local) 2, knowledge (history) 1
Tricks: Nimble Charge

ACF: Mantled Warrior - Freedom Mantle.

Feats: Speed of Thought, Power attack, Cleave

Bab +4

Power points: 14

Powers known:
1 Dimension Hop
2 Skate
3 Vigor
4 Psionic Fly (From mantle, if I understood it correctly)

F R W
+8 +3 +4 (has modifiers counted in)

Special: Battle clarity, weapon aptitude, Elan racial abilities

Maneuvers known: Leading the Attack, Battle Leader's Charge, Steel wind

Stances: Punishing Stance


Items: +1 Mihtral Chain,+1 Deep crystal Falchion

Handy Haversack - 2000

Antitoxin x4 - 200 gp --
Bitterleaf Oil (RotD p.122) - 25gp --
Chaos flask x3 (Planar HB p.76) - 300 gp -1,5
Earplugs(arms & equipment p. 22), +1 vs. deaf & sonic - 0,3 sp --
Flint and steel - 1gp --
Hammer - 0,5gp --
Hearthfire (RoS p.160) - 10gp -2,0
Hearthfire Lantern (RoS p.160) - 7gp -2,0
Magnet (Dungeonscape p.32) - 20gp -2,0
Masterwork Manacles - 50gp -2,0
Needle - 0,5 gp --
Oil - 0,1gp -1,0
Hand Periscope (Dungeonscape p.32) - 50 gp -2,0
Silk rope 50' - 10gp -5,0
Sack x3 - 0,3gp -1,5
Shapesand (Sandstorm p. 102) - 100gp -12,0
Tarpaulin Honey Leather(Big) (RotW p. 170) - 40gp -1,0
Torch Bug Paste (CompSc p. 120) x4 - 100 gp --
Waterskin - 1gp -4,0


Masterwork potion belt (For Real Camp set p. 97) - 60 gp -1,0
potions of:
Protection from evil x2 -100gp
Cure Light wounds x6 - 300 gp
Fist of Stone x2 - 100gp

Has anyone any suggestions on the choises I have made? The current build focuses on powerful charges in combat and uses it's speed to getaway if needed. My main point is to have fun, not prove that "Hey I have an optimized character".... BUT it would be nice to see the character live through a few sessions :D.

No official sources are banned, but no homebrew. The GM checks the sheets before accepting the characters. Thanks in advance.

[Snake-Aes]

You don't qualify for Fly yet, it's a level 4 power, which you get at a much later level(psychic warrior 10).
Do you have a specific reason to pick warblade?

[SPoilaaja]

Don't I get it from the mantle? Can't I pick mantle powers as soon as I have enough pps to cast them or something? No apparent reason for the warblade, but I've been itching to try tome of battle and psionics for a while, so I decided to put them in one character.


Edit - Reading through the mantle powers, I guess you're right. Would be nasty to get greater teleport on level 8.

[Person_Man]

Psionic classes (just like full casters) multi-class very poorly in most cases. While it might work ok at that particular ECL, every level of something other then Psychic Warrior or a psionic PrC that progresses it nerfs your manifester level, pool of power points, and access to higher level powers.

Also, Power Attack is a poor choice for a non-full BAB class, Cleave is a garbage feat, and Speed of Thought prevents you from wearing heavy armor - and speed can be buffed by magic items and psionic powers, and in general is a non-issue after the first round of combat.

So I would go with Psychic Warrior 5 or Warblade 5 instead, and pick new feats.

[Tokuhara]

I actually have a good idea:

Unarmed Swordsage 10/Fist of Zuoken 10

Think "Hong Kong Kung-Fu Movie Hero." While yes, you are "TECHNICALLY" worse than a Psion/Ardent/ect., you are a better monk than monk would ever be.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Maybe consider something like Warblade 4/ Sanctified Mind 1/ War Mind 10/ Sanctified Mind 5 instead. You won't lose a single point of BAB, you'll get much better class features than what Psychic Warrior grants, and with Practiced Manifester your manifester level will only be behind by one. You'd need to pick up proficiency in martial ranged weapons to qualify, so an elf or outsider race will be necessary.

[SurlySeraph]

Also, Power Attack is a poor choice for a non-full BAB class, Cleave is a garbage feat, and Speed of Thought prevents you from wearing heavy armor - and speed can be buffed by magic items and psionic powers, and in general is a non-issue after the first round of combat.

Warblades only get medium armor, though, so speed of Thought isn't a terrible choice. Agreed on the rest.

I'd take Psionic Meditation and Psionic Weapon; take Greater Psionic Weapon or Deep Impact when you qualify. Spending your move action gaining psionic focus and your standard action on a strike is a good approach since you don't have multiple attacks yet.

Have you considered using a Kalashtar instead of an Elan? They get bonus PP equal to their character level, which can be quite handy. Aberration type and the Elan racial abilities may be better for you depending on the game, though; if you're going to use Metamorphosis a lot aberration type tends to be awesome.

Psywar/ Warblade isn't unworkable, though it's of course not the most optimized approach. I'd recommend alternating 2 levels of Psywar with 1 level of Warblade as you go up, to keep a good balance and so you get access to the next level of maneuvers each time you take a Warblade level.

For your powers, focus on pre-battle buffing and non-standard-action powers. I'd swap out Skate for something else, maybe Prevenom Weapon.

[Greenish]

Warblades only get medium armor, though, so speed of Thought isn't a terrible choice.

But psywarr grants heavy.

[Mongoose87]

Ask your DM if you can re-make the Jade Phoenix Mage as a psionic class.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

I'd usually prefer Up the Walls over Speed of Thought, but both are great to have. The fact that it grants an Insight bonus rather than an Enhancement bonus means it will stack with pretty much anything else that increases your movement rate. Your Dex is a bit low to not wear heavy armor, but if you want a mobile character then Speed of Thought is one of the best choices. You should trade Ride for Tumble as a class skill so you can stay mobile without provoking AoOs. You can pick up Absolute Steel Stance at 8th with your current build to have a 50 ft. land speed, so getting Expeditious Dodge and Psionic Dodge wouldn't be a bad idea. Consider taking Mobility and Spring Attack to get Elocater, or pick up Track to go into Slayer.

[strider24seven]

If you are looking for a mobility fighting-type, which is what your build looks like, then I would suggest one of the following:

1) Making Psychic Warrior a dip for feats/utility powers and going mostly Warblade, focusing on Tiger Claw and Diamond Mind. Jump around like crazy and bash things in the head.

2) Go PsyWar 16/Swordsage 4, focusing on Shadow Hand, Desert Wind, and Diamond Mind. Doesn't get full BAB, but you're a better caster and you have mobility from the Shadow Hand teleports.

3) Go PsyWar 5/Slayer 9/Sanctified Mind 6. Lose 2 manifester levels for Slayer and SM awesomesauce.

4) Go pure Psychic Warrior. Really.

5) Reflavor Jade Phoenix Mage or use this homebrew:

Psionics and ToB really don't mix well outside of gestalt. You need to pick one and make the other a dip.

[SPoilaaja]

Thanks for the great suggestions. I'll ponder on the build tomorrow at work :).

[Pechvarry]

I'd also suggest Diamond Mind as a discipline to focus on for a psionic ToB character. The Concentration synergy can be pretty fun. This can be something very simple, such as discharging psionic focus to "take 15" on the concentration check required for a Diamond Mind maneuver such as the Nightmare Blades or Insightful Strike line.

You can also, with a pretty hefty feat investment, get a psicrystal holding an extra psionic focus for you. I believe when I looked into this, I was unable to find a restriction on how easily you can grab and expend your crystal's focus for your own purposes. This results in stuff like Deep Impact to make a touch attack, Ruby Nightmare Blade for double damage with max power attack, and an extra focus expenditure for the "take 15". All said, I don't even want to calculate how many feats that combo would take just to deal a good chunk of damage to an opponent your DM probably didn't want you hurting.

Other good synergies:
-making saves you really have no business making (take 15 on a concentration check for your save).
-if you make it to 7th level maneuvers (yikes), Quicksilver Motion's free move action saves you on PP for Hustle.

Might be nice to see if your DM will allow a feat to make all Warblade Int-based class features Wis-based instead.

[SurlySeraph]

But psywarr grants heavy.

...aaaaand that's why I should re-read the psionic classes more often. Thanks for pointing that out.

[SPoilaaja]

In ToB on p. 39 it says that most prestige classes are considered to give full initiator level progression. So would a psy war 4/warblade 1/slayer X be more "acceptable" build then? I could pick some levels in warblade between slayer levels or just take martial study feats. And yes, I should take Diamond mind maneuvers.

Edit - Or maybe something like Psion 2/Warblade 3/Slayer X.

[Dr Gunsforhands]

Psionic Warriors benefit the most of any psionic class from Psionic Body. It's a feat that lets you gain two hit points for every psionic feat you take. It doesn't seem like much, but it really starts to add up if you focus on taking all psionic feats.

[Greenish]

In ToB on p. 39 it says that most prestige classes are considered to give full initiator level progression.

It only refers to the ToB PrCs that actually give new maneuvers.

[Snake-Aes]

Psionic Warriors benefit the most of any psionic class from Psionic Body. It's a feat that lets you gain two hit points for every psionic feat you take. It doesn't seem like much, but it really starts to add up if you focus on taking all psionic feats.

Psychic wawrriors don't have enough feats to overcome the sheer number of feats necessary for psionic body to defeat Improved Toughness's hp gain.
And Improved Toughness is bad.


tl;dr: psionic body sucks

[2xMachina]

I prefer Ardent. Powers are better IMO. But yeah, feat starved.

[Person_Man]

In ToB on p. 39 it says that most prestige classes are considered to give full initiator level progression. So would a psy war 4/warblade 1/slayer X be more "acceptable" build then? I could pick some levels in warblade between slayer levels or just take martial study feats. And yes, I should take Diamond mind maneuvers.

Edit - Or maybe something like Psion 2/Warblade 3/Slayer X.

IMO that's better, but still a bit of a jumbled mish mash.

What exactly do you want to do? Are there specific maneuvers, stances, or powers you want to be able to use? Because they might be duplicated more efficiently via other builds and/or with psionic and/or magic items and/or feats.

From your initial post, it seemed like you wanted a mobile tank. If that's the case then strait Psychic Warrior, Warblade, Crusader, Incarnate, Totemist, Binder, Wildshape Ranger, or CoDzilla (or Base Class 5/Prestige Class X) would work fine.