First of all, I refuse to pay heed to Sir Giacomo's value judgements as far as 'superiority' and 'imagination' where the builds are concerned. Anyone who looks will see that my build is clearly more effective in the vast majority of areas than Carnivore's fighter build (though I respect Carnivore a great deal, and this fact is due mostly to what each side had to work with at the time, frankly; fighters aren't exactly conducive to builds that are both powerful and flexible, after all), and so I'll let that speak for itself.
This seems to be about the only thing in this post I can say wholeheartedly that just about everyone will agree with.
I used the 88,000 gp available to me to craft psionic items and psionic versions of regular items, using crafting feats, crafting cost reducers, and psionic powers that are virtually identical to their magical counterparts (or in some cases, even more fitting for the item made) to produce otherwise identical items to grant identical effects (such as Animal Affinity for stat-boosters, Psionic Darkvision to make goggles of night, and Sustenance to make a ring of sustenance). There is a psionic ring in the XPH, and it uses the Craft Universal Item feat, which is also used for the psionic versions of the wondrous items (as it's pretty much analogous). I spent the feats, the XP, and the GP, and had access to powers that gave me appropriate benefits, so I should
rape reap what I sow.
Additionally, the DMG recommends to only devote 25% (p.199) or at most 50% (p. 42) of the wbl to a single item, whereas the psychic warrior wields items like the amulet and the skin which are close in value to what the total wbl of a 12th level character is.
Note that the build spent 31,500 gp (and some XP) on the psychoactive skin of proteus, which is the most valuable item he owns. This is 35% of its total WBL of 88,000, which is hardly something to complain about, really.
Whose fault is it that neither the monk nor the fighter can craft magical and psionic gear? Certainly not mine, and it isn't the psywar's fault either.
Finally, a DM would have every right when faced with such an item creation abuse to adjust down the wbl appropriate for a level 11 character, since that is what this psychic warrior is after spending so much XP. (Grabbing way more items than usually allowed also btw illustrates imo how unsure apparently Lycanthromancer is about how powerful the psychic warrior class abilities really are)
One of the psychic warrior's abilities is to be able to craft psionic items. This can stretch out its WBL by ludicrous amounts.
Don't complain when I use an ability the fighter and monk can't use to prove that the psywar is better than the fighter and monk. That's part of why it's better than they are, after all, and it just makes you look bad.
This, too, is something that is a potential psywar gain. If you don't like it, tough. After all, the DM could disallow all of the additional books you and Carnivore used as well, since all that's actually needed is Core + the XPH for my build (other than a few niggling bits which aren't actually essential to the build at all).
Hey, I'm not begrudging your use of an item familiar, though it has nothing to do with the monk and is something the psychic warrior could use just as well (and better, even, since he can use that XP for crafting if he likes).
There are plenty of forms out there capable of wielding weapons and using armor, and also note that I can use two forms at once, given that I have a psicrystal capable of changing as well. A girallon four-handing a staff of dispelling from atop an 11-headed hydra? Yummy.
Also, I noted what my primary means of attack would be in various situations. Just because I have a hugely powerful multipurpose tool doesn't make my regular arsenal any weaker, and that seems to be what you're saying here. Is a psychic warrior with Metamorphosis weaker than one without it? I doubt it.
For now, though, it can be said easily: advantage for my monk build since it needs much, much less DM approval and tolerance (even when using the extremely powerful item familiar feat).
Rule zero can happen anywhere. I merely used the rules to my advantage. Just because it allowed me to make a powerful character that can be zeroed out doesn't mean it's any less powerful.
On the power research: see my comments avove. Psychic reformation to swap out the item creation feats is a good idea, but ever since PHB II open to all classes via retraining (and without XP cost there).
The number of feats of monk and psychic warrior is quite close (both get bonus feats, although the psychic warrior is one ahead).
The psywar can also swap his out with one round's notice if he chooses to spend some XP and his psionic focus for Linked Power. Even if the monk had access to Psychic Reformation he couldn't swap his feats out nearly as well for nearly as many different types of feats. And he doesn't have access to PR anyway, so the psywar is WAAAY ahead here.
Also, retraining is optional I believe, and isn't that one thing you were complaining about?
In the skill point and skill range area, though, the psychic warrior is vastly inferior. The vital concentration skill stands out as quite low to manifest defensively, or in a grapple, for instance (which can happen quite often for a melee-oriented psychic warrior such as this one).
My build also doesn't need skills nearly as much. Instead of ranks in Swim, grab a swim speed. Instead of ranks in Climb, grab a climb speed or flight. Instead of being forced to find ways to pump up his ranks in Hide and Move Silently, he can grab Fine sized forms or simply go invisible. Instead of Search, he could potentially nab Touchsight via Expanded Knowledge or let his psicrystal do its thing with its almost-blindsense.
And that's not including Metamorphosis's ability score augmentations, Strength of My Enemy, and so on.
How many ways does your monk have to deal with skills beyond mere skill points? And since my psywar doesn't need physical ability scores much, he can have higher ranks in Int and Wis than your monk, so he's likely to have higher ranks in the skills he DOES toss ranks into than your monk does.
He can shapeshift at will, remember, and so he can experiment with the forms of the monsters he comes across as he goes. Plus, he has reasonable Int and Wis, and so he'll likely know that 'smaller is harder to see,' and 'bigger things with higher Strength hit harder'. If all else fails, he'll go look things up about monsters at the local library.
Granted, he could use some Knowledge skills instead, but Metamorphosis doesn't require you to know anything about a creature to turn into it. Anything else is a house rule.
Also, a big problem with the psychic warrior build starts to be revealed: it is extremely weak at low levels, before its big tricks of item creation and metamorphosis came into action.
My monk build, conversely, gets his stun, trick and double damage action from level 1. More on this below.
Remember, my psywar used Psychic Reformation. Twice. Feats aren't the only things he can change out.
He's also capable of grabbing other powers, feats, and skills, and so he could take Hidden Talent at 1st level and use Psionic Minor Creation for all sorts of stuff (like poison), and Compression or Chameleon to gain a bonus to Hide. Look! He's suddenly a psionic assassin!
His build changes fluidly after he grabs PR, and so whatever he had before that is suddenly irrelevant afterwards.
Again, advantage monk.
No.
The psicrystal has access to all the forms he has, and fighting two highly-intelligent 11-headed hydras that can buff the hell out of themselves and have nearly a quarter of a million gp in magic items is a terrifying prospect for even high level characters. Especially if one of those two hydras can suddenly become a beholder and nullify all the magic you have in a single turn.
As far as destroying the psicrystal? Depending on what form it's in, it could have any number of immunities. And beyond that, the psywar build has Share Pain going at all times (so both he and his psicrystal take half damage whenever one gets hit), and lots of temporary hit points through Vigor (which absorb all the actual damage they both take), AND they can heal themselves at will by using Metamorphosis, Claws of the Vampire, and so on. You'll need to use Save or Dies to kill them, and they both have decent saving throws (and lots and lots of potential immunities). And most Save or Dies are targeted, meaning that you can use them since Full Concealment means No Targeting.
The official answer is, 'he gets another one'. And in fact, since he still has the feat and nothing says otherwise, he should get another one immediately, as soon as it dies.
Not that psicrystals are easy to kill, by any means, if you prepare well.
The human form of this psychic warrior is an absolute non-contender vs my monk.
And when would this EVER come up? He's never in human form when he's out and about. In fact, unless there's a dead magic/psionics area, he'll never ever stay in his human form, and dead magic will screw the monk over as well.
At least my psywar has a bow to use. What about your monk?
He can poison people at level 1, if he wants. Lots of doses from lots of potential plants.
And the 2d6 damage comes from the deep crystal weapon he's got (it's a special material in the XPH that deals 2d6 damage for 2 pp).
Metamorphic Transfer allows 1 supernatural ability 3/day, and it can be any Su ability of the form you happen to be in. Which 3 you pick can vary from day to day. It's not like Assume Supernatural Ability, where you must choose one ability and stick with it.
And considering the breadth and depth of the Su abilities out there, this is a HUGE boost to his power.
Seriously, reread the feat.
2. Indeed the psionic metamorphosis was spared the general polymorph errata to boost hp with a higher CON value. But are DMs really going to let this through due to an editing limitation? Well, possibly they might (it does not matter that much, this psychic warrior is going to need all the hp it can, more on this below).
It's not based on Alter Self, nor is it based on any of the Polymorph spells, nor is it based on errata.
It's RAW here, and RAW makes no mention of restricting hp from Con here. Not to mention that he also has at-will healing through Metamorphosis, in-battle healing via Claws of the Vampire, half damage from Share Pain, and tons of temporary hp through Vigor (effectively 10 hp per pp through Share Pain). He also has a nice miss chance due to full concealment, and tons of potential immunities as he needs them.
Metamorphosis also explicitly grants all of the natural attacks of whatever form he's in, which overrides the no-extra-attacks portion of the power. Thus, it only prevents you from wielding additional manufactured weapons that you couldn't wield while in your normal form.
Thus, an 11 headed hydra psywar gains 11 bite attacks, usable as a standard action. It's explicit in the wording of the power.
4. The psychic warrior when morphing loses of course his racial abilities, meaning here his human bonus feat (probably darkstalker or improved initative, since losing able learner would completely mess up his skills), and his bonus skill points. This is a disadvantage of morphing buffs that often gets overlooked.
Fair enough, I suppose. So take Able Learner off, since it only works when you level up anyway, and take skill points out of skills you're not using at the moment (like Sense Motive, maybe?).
Ooh. That's horrible.
5. To also correct something in favour of the psychic warrior: the pixie also gets weapon finesse as a racial feat.
Nice catch. Thanks. It's not in my copy of the MM, so I didn't know about it.
6. Most forms will not be able to use claws of the beast, since they have no hands (such as the swarm).
I wouldn't say 'most'. Anything with forelimbs will work, if magic item slots are anything to go by. Though, yes, swarms would likely lose the claws, but it's a good thing he can't take swarm form, then, eh? The shimmerling form is an individual shimmerling, not a swarm. I removed the swarm template from it and then used its stats.
7. Most forms will not be able to use humanoid-based items (such as in the case of the swarm and the +6 WIS/CON amulet. Also the AMF-using beholder form is a problem here- so watch out)
Anything with a body part that could use the item would work. In the case of the beholder, I do believe Lords of Madness mentions that they can use such items around their eye-stalks.
8. As such, for instance, while the swarm is a very interesting form to take, it has big disadvantages since it has much less hp, lower saves and can no longer hit incorporal creatures or overcome DR/magic.
Except it's not a shimmerling swarm, and is, instead, just a shimmerling.
Or a swift action, if Linked.
And don't forget the shimmerling. Plus, you also have 7 headed hydras, and any number of other nasty little creatures.
Also, pixies, manticores, and cloakers can all be pretty devastating if used correctly. Never underestimate a creature based on its original CR if you have massive buffs and intelligent tactics hiding inside that body. Remember that pixies have LA for a reason (which my build doesn't have to deal with). Plus, the forms can be tailored to the encounter at hand, and my build can have two different ones at once (thanks to the psicrystal), AND he'll get the drop on damned near everything due to being an awesome sneak.
Tons of advantages here.
That's a reasonable assessment, except that even with a lowish DC, it's still Hold Person at will. And what happens if you place yourself somewhere that nobody can get to you (such as inside of a cage made from your psicrystal), and moan at them until they fail? Nice to do in the middle of a huge battle (along with some way to amplify your voice) so your allies can kill all the ones you've just taken out.
It's not the size of your Cha score, but how you use it.
I don't have time to get to the rest of what you've written, so I'll have to get to it later.
