[Feat] This is usually the part where people start screaming...

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Because I can see how things work. What makes things... tick. Like you.


Sylar's Study [Psionic]
You can see how the mind works.
Prerequisites: Heal 12 ranks, Psicraft 12 ranks
Benefit: You may attempt to examine the brain of a fallen psionic creature. The target's head and brain must be intact and be no more than 1 hour since its death. If the brain is killed, such as by mind thrust and psychic crush, then it is not considered intact. Spells such as Gentle Repose or a mindflayer's brain canister can prolong the brain's usability, though must be removed from it's suspended state to examine. To recognize a psionic power the being knew, you must be able to examine the brain and succeed on a Psicraft check, DC 25 + power level. Studying a single power or psi-like ability requires 10 minutes of concentration +1 minute per level of the power. Once you have determined the power or psi-like ability the being possessed you can learn it and add it to your list of powers known as long as its no higher a level than you can normally manifest. To learn additional powers requires another session of concentration. Out of these powers learned only 1 may be kept permanently from each brain. You retain knowledge of the remaining powers and the ability to manifest them for 24 hours or until you sleep, whichever comes first.
Special: This counts as the brain being eaten for the purposes of an illithid slayer's Brain Nausea class feature.

[RationalGoblin]

Awesome!

I don't use psionics, but still awesome!

Any Heroes reference is automatically on my "made of win" list.

And it looks rather balanced, too.

[Icewalker]

Looks fun, but I don't fully understand psionics, so I won't use it

Nevertheless, quite creepy. Very similar to Illithidness.

[Caewil]

Sylar rocks, but perhaps it should be a background feat? As in can only be taken at first level.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

You folks really need to learn psionics, they are much easier than magic. I got the XPH and the PHB at the same time. Learned psionics no problemo, the magic system took me much, much longer to comprehend.

Sylar rocks, but perhaps it should be a background feat? As in can only be taken at first level.

Whats a 'background feat'?

Anyways, I purposely made it high level so that it would not be broken. You have to spend alot of skill points on heal which only an Egoist has as a class skill, meaning this feat is limited to that discipline or you have to multiclass. Also, its high level because flavor-wise you have to be able to know what it is you are looking for, hence high skill ranks.

Secondly, no 1st leveler could make the DC until higher levels.

Just don't see the point of making it 1st level.

[ghost_warlock]

So, is there a limit to the number of new powers a character with this feat can learn? If not, it can effectively give an egoist of 9th-level or higher the main effect of the Expanded Knowledge feat an unlimited number of times.

Step 1) Reach 9th-level.
Step 2) Take this feat.
Step 3) Begin harvesting brains.
Step 4) Learn every single psionic power.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

So, is there a limit to the number of new powers a character with this feat can learn? If not, it can effectively give an egoist of 9th-level or higher the main effect of the Expanded Knowledge feat an unlimited number of times.

Step 1) Reach 9th-level.
Step 2) Take this feat.
Step 3) Begin harvesting brains.
Step 4) Learn every single psionic power.

#1. Gotta find this psionic person.
#2. Have to kill them.
#3. Have to make a DC 26 psicraft check for a level 1 power. Maxing out on psicraft ranks and with, say, an intelligence of 21, you still can only learn it half the time.

Also, heal is only an Egoist power. So you'd be limited to that one discipline or multiclass.

OR... you could just take the Psychic Reformation power and learn any ability you wished.

As well, we are assuming the psionic creature you examine has abilities you don't already possess. Even Expanded Knowledge at leasts lets you choose the power you learn.

I thought of making it only 1 power per dead person, but would anyone still take the feat?

[brian c]

You folks really need to learn psionics, they are much easier than magic. I got the XPH and the PHB at the same time. Learned psionics no problemo, the magic system took me much, much longer to comprehend.



Whats a 'background feat'?

Anyways, I purposely made it high level so that it would not be broken. You have to spend alot of skill points on heal which only an Egoist has as a class skill, meaning this feat is limited to that discipline or you have to multiclass. Also, its high level because flavor-wise you have to be able to know what it is you are looking for, hence high skill ranks.

Secondly, no 1st leveler could make the DC until higher levels.

Just don't see the point of making it 1st level.

Background feats are feats that can only be taken at level 1. They're supposed to represent something about your pre-adventuring days, either character traits or birthrights or things like that. I don't watch Heroes, but I gather that this is one of the powers of a guy on that show. Since it's something inherent in him, assuming he didn't teach himself how to do this, then it would make sense for it to be a background feat. I'm sure it took him a while to learn how to use this ability properly, just as a level 1 character couldn't use this properly yet.

[AmberVael]

I wouldn't say one per creature- that makes it very unenticing.
Mayhaps you could do it a number of times equal to the bonus of the creature's relevant mental score?

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Background feats are feats that can only be taken at level 1. They're supposed to represent something about your pre-adventuring days, either character traits or birthrights or things like that. I don't watch Heroes, but I gather that this is one of the powers of a guy on that show. Since it's something inherent in him, assuming he didn't teach himself how to do this, then it would make sense for it to be a background feat. I'm sure it took him a while to learn how to use this ability properly, just as a level 1 character couldn't use this properly yet.

Well, yeah, but on Heroes they are more like spontaneous psi-like abilities. Had to adjust this to be more D&D friendly.


I have also just specified a bit that everyone seems to be missing. The brain cannot be dead for more than an hour. It takes 11 minutes to study a single 1st level power. Therefore if you kill it and the very next round cut out the brain you can still only learn around 5 powers before it is too degraded to learn any more.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Alright, have elaborated a great deal more and adjusted it so that though you can learn any power it has, you cannot retain more than 1 power permanently from any given brain.

[Emperor Tippy]

Seems good and balanced. I'll most likely allow it to be taken in my games from now on.