Ask a Simple Question 24: We Can Work It Night By Night

[Gnomeo]

Q 175 If a Psion has the feat Midnight Augmentation and at least 2 essentia, can they invest 2 essentia in Bestow Power, then use it on themselves repeatedly to regain as many PP as they want?  Or is there something I'm missing?

A175 You would need a way to reduce the power point cost of Bestow Power (like a Torc of Power Preservation) to get a net gain.

By itself the cost of Bestow Power (2nd level power) is 3 power points, and the augmentation cost is 3 power points.  So without Midnight Augmentation Bestow Power costs 6 power points to bestow 4 power points to the target.  Investing 2 essentia (the maximum allowed for a 2nd level power) in Midnight Augmentation reduces the augmentation cost by 2 power points; for a total cost of 4 power points to bestow 4 power points.  

Assuming you were at least a 5th level manifester could you augment it twice paying 5 power points and gaining 6 power points?

If you read "cost to augment that power" as each individual augmentation and not the total cost of augmentation.

Meaning if Midnight Augmentation reduces the individual cost of augmentation from 3 power points to 1 power point it works, but if if reduces the total cost of augmentation by 2 it won't because augmenting it twice would cost (3+3-2) 5 power points to augment it.  I haven't seen a rule saying whether augmentation cost is the individual listed cost or the total cost.

Well, if the DM rules the feat reduces "Cost per augmentation," then two Essentia and at least two augmentations generates a gain.  If it's reducing "total augmentation cost," then you'd need to invest 5 essentia and augment twice (6-5=1) to get a gain overall on each use.  But it seems doable either way.

You can't invest more than 2 essentia into Midnight Augmentation for Bestow Power as the feat limits the essentia invested to the level of the power (in this case 2).

[Tr011]

Ways to be able to always take 10? (Q182: on spellcraft checks, would be a way to kinda Uber-Blaster, Q183: on caster-level checks, would enhance that Uber-Blaster)
and Q184: Ways to regenerate Ability Damage (i only know the Demon Binder for 1 per round, improving this would be amazing)

[Agita]

Ways to be able to always take 10? (Q182: on spellcraft checks, would be a way to kinda Uber-Blaster, Q183: on caster-level checks, would enhance that Uber-Blaster)
and Q184: Ways to regenerate Ability Damage (i only know the Demon Binder for 1 per round, improving this would be amazing)

A 183

Arcane Mastery, CArc 73, allows you to take 10 on caster level checks. Errata clarifies that the feat can be used even under stress.

[Zebu]

A 184 It'd be obscenely expensive, but getting an item of Restoration (Lesser, normal, or Greater) would work.

[b100d_arrowz]

Q 185 If I wanted to use the awaken spell on a Hydra, would I need to use it once for each head, thereby allowing each head to take class levels, or would I only cast it once for the entire monster?

[Gnomeo]

Q 185 If I wanted to use the awaken spell on a Hydra, would I need to use it once for each head, thereby allowing each head to take class levels, or would I only cast it once for the entire monster?

A 185 A hydra is not a valid target for Awaken, since it is neither an animal nor a tree.

[zook1shoe]

Q 185 If I wanted to use the awaken spell on a Hydra, would I need to use it once for each head, thereby allowing each head to take class levels, or would I only cast it once for the entire monster?

A 185 A hydra is not a valid target for Awaken, since it is neither an animal or a tree.

not normal Awaken, but i believe an older Dragon magazine has an Awaken Magical Beast spell

EDIT:

Q186a: can a Changeling with Racial Emulation qualify for the Beholder Mage PrC if he takes the form of an Medium-size Incarnate Construct Half-Golem Beholder, since it would be a humanoid?

Q186b: would the same work for other weird PrCs that require some super hard to get to race?

[DrPhro]

A 184b: The strong heart vest soulmeld can be used to reduce the amount of ability damage you take like DR.

[Tr011]

Thanks for your answers. The item should do it if it's healing ability damage per round (price doesn't really matter), but I can't find it.

Anyone got an idea to take 10 on spellcraft checks? I kinda need it for unlimited uses of a spell...

[Zebu]

Q186a: can a Changeling with Racial Emulation qualify for the Beholder Mage PrC if he takes the form of an Medium-size Incarnate Construct Half-Golem Beholder, since it would be a humanoid?

A 186a

[zook1shoe]

thanks. and i guess that goes for the same for other non-humanoid forms.

Q186c: what about if it were a Half-Farspawn Changeling?

[jeffrie]

q187 What's the difference between Practiced Spellcaster and Spell Penetration? Is  SP only for Spell Resistance? Do they stack?

Then what? Effects of the spell include the PS bonus but not the SP bonus? Do i have it?

[zook1shoe]

a187 Practiced Spellcaster is used to increase your overall caster level in a class due to lost spellcasting levels from PrCs or other classes. Spell Penetration is on top of your caster level towards CL checks vs SR.

say with the Practiced Spellcaster and some levels your overall caster level is 10. Spell Penetration gives you an extra +4 towards CL checks vs SR for a total of 14 vs SR, but only 10 for actual spell effects based of CL.

[jeffrie]

a187 Practiced Spellcaster is used to increase your overall caster level in a class due to lost spellcasting levels from PrCs or other classes. Spell Penetration is on top of your caster level towards CL checks vs SR.

say with the Practiced Spellcaster and some levels your overall caster level is 10. Spell Penetration gives you an extra +4 towards CL checks vs SR for a total of 14 vs SR, but only 10 for actual spell effects based of CL.

thanks. So often i piece it together just as i'm asking the question, but like to confirm my understanding, i guess.

[McPoyo]

Thanks for your answers. The item should do it if it's healing ability damage per round (price doesn't really matter), but I can't find it.

Anyone got an idea to take 10 on spellcraft checks? I kinda need it for unlimited uses of a spell...

Bind Naberius for ability healing

[lianightdemon]

Repost

Q169

How can I (as a psion shaper/constructor) make my astral constructs overcome damage reduction? Such as alignment based, cold iron, silver, epic, magic, and adamantite?

[Tr011]

Fling Enemy + Magic Weapon Spell...
Sorry for Spam xD but srsly I don't know.

[snakeman830]

What?  No you don't.  You just need to be a Changeling.  That's it.

However, the Minor Change Shape does not say you can take the form of a templated creature, although since it's superficial only (normally), there's not much reason to say otherwise.

[zook1shoe]

What?  No you don't.  You just need to be a Changeling.  That's it.

However, the Minor Change Shape does not say you can take the form of a templated creature, although since it's superficial only (normally), there's not much reason to say otherwise.

what about an Changeling that has transformed into an Aberration? or Undead?

[CrimsonDeath]

Q186a: can a Changeling with Racial Emulation qualify for the Beholder Mage PrC if he takes the form of an Medium-size Incarnate Construct Half-Golem Beholder, since it would be a humanoid?

A 186a

No, Minor Change Shape is based on Disguise Self, which is a lot more lenient-- you don't necessarily even have to look like something that exists.  However, there's the question of whether... whatever that thing is actually counts as a "True Beholder".  (I imagine most Beholders would say not.)  There's also the question of whether it has the same "body type" as a changeling-- in this case, two legs, a torso, a head, and some number of pairs of arms.  (I'm not familiar with all those templates, but I'm guessing not.)

Repost

Q169

How can I (as a psion shaper/constructor) make my astral constructs overcome damage reduction? Such as alignment based, cold iron, silver, epic, magic, and adamantite?

A169: I don't think there's a way to make their natural weapons overcome DR, but there are a couple of menu options that let your constructs manifest psi-like abilities, such as Concussion Blast, and one that causes their natural weapons to do energy damage.  Those would ignore DR.