Author Topic: Psicrystals gain feats. Now what?  (Read 6905 times)

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bearsarebrown

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Psicrystals gain feats. Now what?
« on: September 29, 2009, 02:53:53 AM »
16th level gestalt game, I'm going the Psion/Wizard/Factotum route, an obvious focus on my Intelligence. I've pretty much got the character completely done except for the Psicrystal.

What the hell should he take? There was talk in another thread of Soulmelds but they don't have the Con for it... any ideas?

House Rules to note:
-Immune to antimagic and dispel
-magic/psionic transparency
-Double power known
-Clearsight with 1 mile range (which is why I don't have Mindsight)

PhaedrusXY

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Re: Psicrystals gain feats. Now what?
« Reply #1 on: September 29, 2009, 03:02:15 AM »
16th level gestalt game, I'm going the Psion/Wizard/Factotum route, an obvious focus on my Intelligence. I've pretty much got the character completely done except for the Psicrystal.

What the hell should he take? There was talk in another thread of Soulmelds but they don't have the Con for it... any ideas?

House Rules to note:
-Immune to antimagic and dispel
-magic/psionic transparency
-Double power known
-Clearsight with 1 mile range (which is why I don't have Mindsight)
Jesus Christ, you're a demigod?

How about: Hidden Talent, Practiced Manifester, and Metamorphic Transfer? Then you can Polymorph it into things and it can gain their Supernatural abilities. (I think that works, but check to make sure. I don't remember what the ML is for Hidden Talent.) Feats that add Psi-like abilities are also good (there are some in Complete Psi).
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Sounds like the makings of a gay porn film.
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skydragonknight

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Re: Psicrystals gain feats. Now what?
« Reply #2 on: September 29, 2009, 03:07:14 AM »
Psionic feats are a priority. Feat Leech them whenever you'd like an extra feat or three. :D
It always seems like the barrels around here have something in them.

bearsarebrown

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Re: Psicrystals gain feats. Now what?
« Reply #3 on: September 29, 2009, 03:08:36 AM »
Well, fallen god.  :smirk

And honestly, I just don't like Polymorph. Or Shapechange or Metamorphosis. They're a bit too silly for me, and a pain in the ass in the book keeping. Especially in PbP... But I do like the thought there. Hidden Talent and Practiced Manifester was a route I was thinking of heading down, but then what? hmmm

Feat Leech is genius!  :banghead why didn't I think of that!? To bad the character has a shitty Wisdom... why is that the only psionic power based on Wisdom?
« Last Edit: September 29, 2009, 03:10:30 AM by bearsarebrown »

Anklebite

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Re: Psicrystals gain feats. Now what?
« Reply #4 on: September 29, 2009, 03:20:56 AM »
psywars are also wis-based.  :P
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bearsarebrown

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Re: Psicrystals gain feats. Now what?
« Reply #5 on: September 29, 2009, 03:23:55 AM »
Yeah yeah that's fair. I only ever go Psion...

Negative Zero

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Re: Psicrystals gain feats. Now what?
« Reply #6 on: September 29, 2009, 03:24:54 AM »
Correct me if I'm wrong, but couldn't a Psicrystal take Hidden Talent, then Practiced Manifester to get ML 5, and then take Expanded Knowledge (whatever), allowing you to Leech it for whatever power you may need?

ReaderOfPosts

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Re: Psicrystals gain feats. Now what?
« Reply #7 on: September 29, 2009, 03:29:52 AM »
Darkstalker, if you have the ranks in Hide and Move Silently, lets you sneak it forward and start channeling powers through it all day from a mile away, keeping you far off the front lines. If you can give it items, a collar of umbral metamorphisis would be a must.

Bind Vestige: Focalor is a nice debuff, if mind-affecting still has a chance of working, but others can be somewhat useful. Combine above to get a sad-ninja-pet-rock.

Mounted Combat: If you're willing to be the mount, suddenly a bunch of initiative pumping tricks (not to mention the ride check to negate attacks) work.

Blowing two feats to get white raven tactics isn't horrible either. And by not horrible I mean, get a free turn 1/encounter. Fun stuff.


PhaedrusXY

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Re: Psicrystals gain feats. Now what?
« Reply #8 on: September 29, 2009, 11:35:12 AM »
Correct me if I'm wrong, but couldn't a Psicrystal take Hidden Talent, then Practiced Manifester to get ML 5, and then take Expanded Knowledge (whatever), allowing you to Leech it for whatever power you may need?
No, because Expanded Knowledge lets you learn a power 1 level lower than your maximum, and there are no 0 level psionic powers.
[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]

woodenbandman

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Re: Psicrystals gain feats. Now what?
« Reply #9 on: September 29, 2009, 11:39:17 AM »
^I think the idea is "Maximum you can manifest" and with ML 5 you can manifest 3rd level powers.

Prime32

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Re: Psicrystals gain feats. Now what?
« Reply #10 on: September 29, 2009, 11:39:33 AM »
Hidden Talent still allows a psicrystal to give you its focus if you have Psicrystal Containment.
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snakeman830

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Re: Psicrystals gain feats. Now what?
« Reply #11 on: September 29, 2009, 11:40:31 AM »
Correct me if I'm wrong, but couldn't a Psicrystal take Hidden Talent, then Practiced Manifester to get ML 5, and then take Expanded Knowledge (whatever), allowing you to Leech it for whatever power you may need?
No, because Expanded Knowledge lets you learn a power 1 level lower than your maximum, and there are no 0 level psionic powers.
With enough Improved Psicrystals on the master beforehand (1 if you're at level 20), you can use EK to get any power of 7th level or lower.  Remember that a manifester level of 21 grants the psicrystal a single power known and power points to manifest that power equal to 1 less than the highest level it's master can use.
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PhaedrusXY

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Re: Psicrystals gain feats. Now what?
« Reply #12 on: September 29, 2009, 11:44:36 AM »
^I think the idea is "Maximum you can manifest" and with ML 5 you can manifest 3rd level powers.
No you can't (Unless you're an Ardent).
[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]

awaken DM golem

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Re: Psicrystals gain feats. Now what?
« Reply #13 on: September 30, 2009, 06:25:58 PM »
Need a Wis of 13, for a Psicrystal to have Metamorphic Transfer, but that is within reach.

I like Reach Spell metamagic adapted, but basically that's two houserules in one, although somewhat reasonable.
I also like using Feat Leech, but only on feats that can be taken more that once, and have no prereqs.

iirc - there were maybe 4 builds at most, that popped up over the years. Maybe Scion's psicrystal guide on the psi-board is still around.
I think a couple were in there.

Snake8 - that's interesting.
Using the Big Guy approach to get to the 21st level psicrystal ability. Minor Problem, the psion can't give the psicrystal a higher level power than he already has. If capped at 5th level powers, that's all the psicrystal can get. Ways around would be: (1) ... gaining temporary knowledge of a higher level power on your list, via the Powerstone nerf near the back of CPsi ; or (2) ... Psicrystal 21st level+ feat takes one of the epic feats that lets you pick up to whatever power level you want to. Tricky. Might need some focus work to get it to work right.

Also works with whatever 21st level feat it can get there. Epic feat early, but not for the psicrystal to use, for the Psion to use. Nice. That's an Epic feat sometime around 12th level, just for the length of the Feat Leech. Still, good stuff.

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Re: Psicrystals gain feats. Now what?
« Reply #14 on: September 30, 2009, 06:43:39 PM »
Quote
Bind Vestige: Focalor is a nice debuff, if mind-affecting still has a chance of working, but others can be somewhat useful. Combine above to get a sad-ninja-pet-rock.

I don't think Bind Vestige get's Focalor's aura of discord ability...


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Phaenix

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Re: Psicrystals gain feats. Now what?
« Reply #15 on: September 30, 2009, 07:36:20 PM »
You need Bind Vestige, Improved to bind Focalor, but it does give you the Aura of Sadness. Pretty sweet on a Hexblade/Paladin of Tyranny debuffer.

Anklebite

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Re: Psicrystals gain feats. Now what?
« Reply #16 on: September 30, 2009, 09:04:18 PM »
why not grab a few binder levels anyway, get to 5(I think) and you can bind BOTH -2 save aura vestiges.
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snakeman830

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Re: Psicrystals gain feats. Now what?
« Reply #17 on: September 30, 2009, 10:34:05 PM »
Because psicrystals can't take class levels.  Only feats.
I am constantly amazed by how many DM's ban Tomb of Battle.  The book doesn't even exist!

Quotes:[spoiler]
By yes, she means no.
That explains so much about my life.
hiicantcomeupwithacharacterthatisntaghostwhyisthatamijustretardedorsomething
Why would you even do this? It hurts my eyes and looks like you ate your keyboard before suffering an attack of explosive diarrhea.
[/spoiler]

If using Genesis to hide your phylactry, set it at -300 degrees farenheit.  See how do-gooders fare with a liquid atmosphere.

Anklebite

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Re: Psicrystals gain feats. Now what?
« Reply #18 on: September 30, 2009, 10:47:23 PM »
was refering to the hexblade/paladin of tyranny tangent.
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ReaderOfPosts

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Re: Psicrystals gain feats. Now what?
« Reply #19 on: September 30, 2009, 11:20:39 PM »
You need Bind Vestige, Improved to bind Focalor, but it does give you the Aura of Sadness. Pretty sweet on a Hexblade/Paladin of Tyranny debuffer.

Yeah. If you're willing to implement it (I would only do so with dark stalker as well, and a hefty hide/ms bonus+collar of umbral metamorphosis or other way of hiding in plain sight), two feats for a mobile 5ft radius of -2 on saves, skills, and attack rolls isn't bad, at least as far as psicrystal feats go.