Author Topic: Psion/Constructor Power Selection  (Read 7810 times)

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Havok4

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Psion/Constructor Power Selection
« on: May 08, 2009, 07:57:47 PM »
Hello, I am currently playing a Warforged Psion going into the Constructor prestige class. He is specializing in Astral Constructs for offense and various creation powers for utility. The party is currently at level 5 but my DM is allowing me to choose my powers again. I am looking for help choosing a good selection of powers.
The character is as follows.
[spoiler]The current build is as follows any criticism is welcome. I will likely be starting at level 4
Warforged NG
STR 11 DEX 14 CON 18 INT 19 WIS 13 CHA 11
Shaper 5
1. Psicrystal Affinity, Boost Construct
3. Overchannal
5. Traded for Personal Construct ACF (It provides free quickening for a specific build of Astral Construct).

The final character will be Shaper 6/ Constructor 9/ Shaper 5

6. Practiced Manifester
9. Talented
12. Psionic Meditation
15. Psicrystal Containment
18. Extend power
19. (I have no Idea for this one)[/spoiler]

The power selection I had before but have not yet gotten a chance to use is as follows.

[spoiler]
1. Astral Construct, Minor Creation, Ecto Protection, Energy Ray, Vigor
2. Share Pain, Repair Damage, Crystal Storm, Energy Adaptation (specified).
3. Time Hop, Dispel Psionics
[/spoiler]

I am having been thinking of switching Share Pain for energy stun and energy ray for detect psionics (as we do not have a wizard and my character would have the highest psi/spellcraft). What I should get for future levels is something I am having a hard time choosing. Any advice would be welcome.
« Last Edit: May 08, 2009, 08:13:30 PM by Havok4 »

PhaedrusXY

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Re: Psion/Constructor Power Selection
« Reply #1 on: May 08, 2009, 08:13:39 PM »
I wouldn't get rid of Share Pain... That + Vigor and a psicrystal will let you take a crazy beating and walk away. If your DM is kind of combat light, and you don't expect it to be hard to survive, you might drop it... but mine are usually the polar opposite of that. :P

Swapping Crystal Storm for Energy Stun might be ok, and Energy Ray for Detect Psionics (especially if the DM will let you use an Artificer's Monocle with this).
[spoiler]
A couple of water benders, a dike, a flaming arrow, and a few barrels of blasting jelly?

Sounds like the makings of a gay porn film.
...thanks
[/spoiler]

Havok4

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Re: Psion/Constructor Power Selection
« Reply #2 on: May 08, 2009, 08:24:28 PM »
That seems like it would work very well. I am having special trouble selecting my 3rd level powers, I can pick two more at 6th level but I cannot choose among Ectoplasmic cocoon, Greater Concealing Amorpha, Touchsight, Ego Whip and Energy Wall.

PhaedrusXY

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Re: Psion/Constructor Power Selection
« Reply #3 on: May 08, 2009, 08:41:36 PM »
Ego Whip is 2nd level, actually. But I can see why you'd pick it instead of a 3rd level power. :D

I don't think Psionic Meditation is going to be as good for you as you think, unless you also take Expanded Knowledge: Hustle. Manifesting an Astral Construct is a full round action, and so you won't have a Move to refocus while doing that. I guess you could toss out a construct, then manifest something else next round and refocus. I usually found that just having Psicrystal Containment was plenty good on my Shaper, though. I rarely needed more than two focuses per encounter.

And what makes the Vigor/Psicrystal/Share Pain combo so delicious is that the Psicrystal gets the same temporary hit points that you do from Vigor for free via Share Powers. So once you have Share Pain going, you basically get 10 temporary hit points for every power point you pump into Vigor. And if you don't get Vigor up in time, you basically get double healing via Share Powers + Psionic Repair Damage. Warforged shapers are awesome...

I'd probably skip Greater Concealing Amorpha, if you go with the Vigor/Share Pain combo. I dislike the short duration, and you're not going to want to waste many actions buffing in combat. Linked Power can help out greatly with that, but I'm not sure what you'd replace with it, and you'd wind up burning through your focus a lot more with that (and need Hustle + Psionic Meditation even more).
[spoiler]
A couple of water benders, a dike, a flaming arrow, and a few barrels of blasting jelly?

Sounds like the makings of a gay porn film.
...thanks
[/spoiler]

Havok4

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Re: Psion/Constructor Power Selection
« Reply #4 on: May 08, 2009, 09:00:19 PM »
The thing I like about Greater Concealing Amorpha is the fact that due to it being total concealment I cannot be targeted at all, with could be helpful when dealing with casters. But you do have a point and I am stretched for powers there. Would switching crystal storm for ego whip be a good idea? I also just realized that Touchsight may be slightly redundant as I plan to have my psi crystal pick up the Mindsight Feat which would do pretty much the same thing.
« Last Edit: May 08, 2009, 09:05:34 PM by Havok4 »

PhaedrusXY

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Re: Psion/Constructor Power Selection
« Reply #5 on: May 08, 2009, 09:30:46 PM »
I'd run that no targeting thing by your DM before banking on it. I'd guess most will say you are still targetable, as with the Displacement spell (which is very similar, but GCA is not an illusion, and so is actually better).

I'm not as sold on Ego Whip as some people. It is a good power, but it usually takes multiple applications of it to incapacitate a lot of things without metapsionics. I might do that, though.

Unless your psicrystal has some way of making invisible enemies visible, it having Mindsight might not help you out with targetting invisible enemies. Now... I do think you have a point, and I would make a point of giving it something to make enemies become visible. Hmm... is there a psionic equivalent to Faerie Fire? I know in some of the books like Secrets of Sarlona, they listed some spells that have psionic equivalents, and I think that might have been one of them. Give it a Dorje of that, and that Mindsight will be quite handy. :p
[spoiler]
A couple of water benders, a dike, a flaming arrow, and a few barrels of blasting jelly?

Sounds like the makings of a gay porn film.
...thanks
[/spoiler]

Omen of Peace

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Re: Psion/Constructor Power Selection
« Reply #6 on: May 08, 2009, 11:00:15 PM »
Phaedrus gives sound advice for once. ;)
Except that I don't see why DMs would change GCA - the rules are clear and it has some limitations compared to Displacement (Personal range, on the Shape exclusive list).

I'd personally go with Energy Wall and (Cocoon or Touchsight), but then I'm obsessed with control-oriented powers. :)
I'd also drop Energy Ray for Detect Psionics and Crystalstorm for Energy Stun, but I believe you ruled ES out in the previous thread.
If you're up against a caster... Cocoon him instead of using GCA.
The Malazan Book of the Fallen, Steven Erikson

Samb

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Re: Psion/Constructor Power Selection
« Reply #7 on: May 08, 2009, 11:22:41 PM »
You'll want linked power in there so you don't need to spend a whole turn manifesting astral construct. But as been said before you will need hustle.  Metapower link power with astral construct for free unaugmented (with 1 PSP to spare).  Remember, you could always take flaws to get two extra feats if your DM allows. 

Also will need a EK for schism in the future. For a 3rd level power, I favor energy wall for control. 
« Last Edit: May 08, 2009, 11:34:19 PM by Samb »

Havok4

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Re: Psion/Constructor Power Selection
« Reply #8 on: May 09, 2009, 01:11:22 AM »
Okay energy wall it is then, I was wanting to get that one anyway. I also think the switching for crystal storm to energy stun and energy ray to detect psionics will be what I do. And I think that the mental connection between me and my psicrytal would be enough for it to tell me what square the enemy is in and energy stun or energy wall or my construct should be enough to cause them difficulties. Also I can already manifest the astral construct as a swift action for a specific construct due to the Personal Construct ACF. I cannot really take flaws as my DM has not allowed anyone else to take them and asking for them would make me seem somewhat rude as he already had to bend his story a significant amount to allow this character to get in. So I do not want to press for many optional rules. I will probably take ectoplasmic cocoon as my fourth 3rd level power. I will loose a manifester level due to the Constructor prestige class so I will not get fourth level powers until level 8, and then I will likely get fabricate and psychic reformation,  followed by divination and wall of ectoplasm, but because of psychic reformation I can pretty much alter what powers I select so my initial choice means less. 

Samb

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Re: Psion/Constructor Power Selection
« Reply #9 on: May 09, 2009, 11:44:00 AM »
There is always research for new powers too. Still linked power will make creation powers viable during combat.  Make organic poisons on the spot, cage opponents in a sphere of wood, the possibilities are endless.

Linked power will also save time on genisis when it comes to that. In short, linked power is just more useful than personal construct.

woodenbandman

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Re: Psion/Constructor Power Selection
« Reply #10 on: May 09, 2009, 11:52:17 AM »
Maximized augmented Ego Whip will take down most wizards that fail the save, and if they pass, they are weak to another one.

Samb

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Re: Psion/Constructor Power Selection
« Reply #11 on: May 09, 2009, 12:25:28 PM »
I don't know about other psionic classes, but a psion can research all his powers instead of using EK so power selection is meaningless for the most part. I'm guessing he will be capping his psicraft, and getting all the powers he wants by trading some XP. So in all likihood he will be researching schism, hustle, metamorphoisis, and whatever else that strikes his fancy.

I'm not convinced of ego whip's usefulness either. A good charm works a lot better one the first failed save while ego whip would need at least 2 failed saves and maximized.

Havok4

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Re: Psion/Constructor Power Selection
« Reply #12 on: May 09, 2009, 12:41:18 PM »
There is always research for new powers too. Still linked power will make creation powers viable during combat.  Make organic poisons on the spot, cage opponents in a sphere of wood, the possibilities are endless.

Linked power will also save time on genesis when it comes to that. In short, linked power is just more useful than personal construct.
The problem I have with linked power is that it seems like it is extremely expensive. Most higher level powers would eat up so many power points that it seems almost not worth it.

Also I was wondering, is there any way to increase the speed of the Genesis spread to something faster than one foot a day so it takes a half year to complete.

Samb

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Re: Psion/Constructor Power Selection
« Reply #13 on: May 09, 2009, 12:49:49 PM »
That's why you use metapower and/or start with a cheap lvl 1 power. I personally use synchronicity metapowered with linked power. You acually come up one PP ahead, which indirectly gives you a +1 ML.

Synchronicity will the you a radied action so you come up even on actions as well. Of course if you see yourself using a lot of metapsionics, improved metapsionics might be better. I personally would get both. 
« Last Edit: May 09, 2009, 01:19:25 PM by Samb »

Omen of Peace

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Re: Psion/Constructor Power Selection
« Reply #14 on: May 09, 2009, 04:01:11 PM »
If you go with Linked Power*, explain to your DM how you intend to use it because that's the kind of trick some frown upon. Even more so with Metapower to reduce the PP cost.

* it's one of the badly-written parts of CPsi - it's pretty dumb that the manifesting time of the linked/second power has no influence at all on the manifesting of the first power.
But it's not terrible if you don't go out of your way to abuse it. As for Synchronicity... *shudders*
The Malazan Book of the Fallen, Steven Erikson

Havok4

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Re: Psion/Constructor Power Selection
« Reply #15 on: May 09, 2009, 04:39:15 PM »
That is one reason I do not want to bother with linked power as it is somewhat confusing and badly written, and if I really need it for something I can use Psychic Reformation to get it, for example when casting genesis. The quickened astral constructs are cheaper and a lot less hassle.

Also I was wondering something, if you make food with minor creation than someone eats it, then you dismiss the spell 8 hours later or so what happens to the digested food? If you get the duration long enough could you get some serious internal damage on the other person because the fake food was metabolized?
« Last Edit: May 09, 2009, 04:51:27 PM by Havok4 »

Omen of Peace

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Re: Psion/Constructor Power Selection
« Reply #16 on: May 09, 2009, 05:43:07 PM »
Up to the DM... And no rule says people in D&D world have cells to metabolize the food - maybe they are nanobot-powered. :D
The Malazan Book of the Fallen, Steven Erikson

Samb

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Re: Psion/Constructor Power Selection
« Reply #17 on: May 09, 2009, 05:45:14 PM »
It's not poorly written, you pay the PP cost of both powers on the first round, the first power manifests followed by the second. Synchroniicity has been around snce races of stone, it was simplily reprinted in CPsi.

If you want the most min/maxed build then metapower sync+link is the way to go. If this was the pseudo min/max forums then I would suggest something more tame.

Havok4

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Re: Psion/Constructor Power Selection
« Reply #18 on: May 09, 2009, 06:25:20 PM »
It's not poorly written, you pay the PP cost of both powers on the first round, the first power manifests followed by the second. Synchroniicity has been around snce races of stone, it was simplily reprinted in CPsi.

If you want the most min/maxed build then metapower sync+link is the way to go. If this was the pseudo min/max forums then I would suggest something more tame.

You have a point there it is written just fine, I meant that the way's it can be used tend to be a bit odd in terms of usage. The main reason I do not want to use linked power is it's cost which keeps me from manifesting the best Astral Constructs I can, they would always be at least a level behind what I am capable of unless I took the whole metapower route which would eat up feats I do not have. It is good advice, just not what I want for my character.

Samb

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Re: Psion/Constructor Power Selection
« Reply #19 on: May 09, 2009, 07:28:10 PM »
Well for one feat you get to spend an extra PP on the power that you built your PC around. Most people would think that would be worth it but I guess you need it for talented.