Optimize This Ardent!

[KellKheraptis]

Here's the vitals :

Kalashtar Ardent 10/Mindbender 1/Slayer 9

Mantles : Freedom, Time, Conflict, Magic

Feats :
1)Track, Educated
2)Weapon Focus (Spiked Chain) from Conflict Mantle
3)Linked Power
6)Psicrystal Affinity
9)Knowledge Devotion
12)Mindsight
15)Power Attack
18)Improved Initiative

Assume :
-Access to all books, etc.
-Dominant Ideal and Substitute Powers ACF's in place
-Bestow Power is on one of these mantles (more about this below in goals)
-Mirror move's feats may be reset by a psionic tattoo, even if they only last as long as the power does.

Goals
-Achieve BAB 16 by 20, done
-Achieve recharge method, done
-Good damage and chance to hit anyone and anything, with reach (can get better I'm sure)
-Optimal feat choices
-Strong defensive capability, especially vs casters (getting there, but can also be better)
-Versatility (between the tattoo and mirror move, this one is covered, I think)

Needs
-Ideas on feats, if applicable
-Ideas on Psicrystal Feats, notably can the crystal itself take Psicrystal Containment?
-MOAR POWAH!
-Maximum of action abusing powers, though I'd keep the infinite loops to a minimum...I wanna actually use this one

Have at it!  

~Kell

EDIT : And after looking over the ACF, would it be worth dropping a couple of Slayer levels (or one slayer level and mindbender) for PsyWar two and the Soulknife ACF (basically gives enhancement based on CL)?  This would add one more degree of versatility, as manifesting one single power would give me a custom weapon, basically, for each and every foe I fight.

[telehax]

I assume you put time as your dominant mantle, and substituted synchronicity in.
- No Metapower (Linked Synchronicity)?

[KellKheraptis]

Dominant Ideal gives a free metapower effect.  That's how I'm getting a recharge mechanic.

[telehax]

No, metapower decreases the cost by 2 PP *more*. This would let you greatly reduce the cost of using some of your powers, especially if you make sure to gain powers you can spam repeatedly in a round. Note that this reduction can also be applied to augmentations of the second power, it increases the effectiveness of one of your major tricks.

You could also combine this with the essentia PP tricks, thus giving you an even larger selection of powers which can be manifested at no cost but Psionic Focus, which allows you to use utility powers more effectively out of combat...

Hmm I've got to try a Spell to Power Erudite//Ardent one day....

[KellKheraptis]

No, metapower decreases the cost by 2 PP *more*. This would let you greatly reduce the cost of using some of your powers, especially if you make sure to gain powers you can spam repeatedly in a round. Note that this reduction can also be applied to augmentations of the second power, it increases the effectiveness of one of your major tricks.

You could also combine this with the essentia PP tricks, thus giving you an even larger selection of powers which can be manifested at no cost but Psionic Focus, which allows you to use utility powers more effectively out of combat...

Hmm I've got to try a Spell to Power Erudite//Ardent one day....

Hmm...that sounds downright sexy, if nothing else to triple the output of the recharge.  And yeah, that would let me fling metapowers like a caster, using the bonus pp.  I'm not going with erudite strictly because a spell to power erudite will be a cohort   What would the feat layout look like on that setup, btw?  As is I had to hunt around to find that trick.  And what powers are there that function akin to Orb of Force, assuming I don't outright snag that (give the Erudite a tattoo that's got PsiChir that he can use 1/day or more without burning XP)?

[telehax]

What would the feat layout look like on that setup, btw?  As is I had to hunt around to find that trick.

So the basic feats required for the build would be

Azure Talent Lvl1
Psycarnum Infusion Lvl3
Linked Power Eru5
Metapower (Linked Syncronicity) Eru10

Resulting in an effective limit on power cost of 3+2xEssentia Capacity, or 7 at level 10 or 9 at level 12.

I would then go on to add:
Learn and use the Psionic Open Chakra Power to trigger Azure Talent's bonus ability
Buy a Torc of Power Preservation
Take Improved Essentia Capacity Lvl6

Resulting in a total of of 8+2xEssentia Capacity, this is 14 at level 12.
More than your manifester level!
I guess that means you'll need overchannel! Free powers up to level 7! (You won't know any level 7 powers on the erudite side, but you can manifest your ardent ones)

You'll cap out at -17 at level 18, which means all powers so long as you don't augment. If you want to augment, I suggest playing Azurin and taking Midnight Augmentation, netting a -3 on eacg augmentation cost for a single power, minimum +1. (Note: This interpretation of midnight augmentation is the cheesier of the two)

[bearsarebrown]

Power Link shards. They're in Magic of Eberron I think... 3/day, +2 to your ML... for as many shards as you have, you can have up to your ML. that means, 3 times a day you triple your ML. That means that Inertial Armor grants +30AC, your Precognition, Defensive grants +17 AC and all saves, that Vigor grants 300HP... which you share with your psicrystal and have Share Pain on.

[KellKheraptis]

So the basic feats required for the build would be

Azure Talent Lvl1
Psycarnum Infusion Lvl3
Linked Power Eru5
Metapower (Linked Syncronicity) Eru10

Resulting in an effective limit on power cost of 3+2xEssentia Capacity, or 7 at level 10 or 9 at level 12.

I would then go on to add:
Learn and use the Psionic Open Chakra Power to trigger Azure Talent's bonus ability
Buy a Torc of Power Preservation
Take Improved Essentia Capacity Lvl6

Resulting in a total of of 8+2xEssentia Capacity, this is 14 at level 12.
More than your manifester level!
I guess that means you'll need overchannel! Free powers up to level 7! (You won't know any level 7 powers on the erudite side, but you can manifest your ardent ones)

You'll cap out at -17 at level 18, which means all powers so long as you don't augment. If you want to augment, I suggest playing Azurin and taking Midnight Augmentation, netting a -3 on eacg augmentation cost for a single power, minimum +1. (Note: This interpretation of midnight augmentation is the cheesier of the two)

How many levels of erudite on that one?  I'm thinking I'll go without Erudite myself and just have a dedicated one as a cohort.  "Alfred" at the batcave, so to speak.  If it's vital, though, I can replace a one level dip with the one level dip in mindbender (like I won't have enough telepathy powers anyhow).

Power Link shards. They're in Magic of Eberron I think... 3/day, +2 to your ML... for as many shards as you have, you can have up to your ML. that means, 3 times a day you triple your ML. That means that Inertial Armor grants +30AC, your Precognition, Defensive grants +17 AC and all saves, that Vigor grants 300HP... which you share with your psicrystal and have Share Pain on.

THAT is wicked.  Imagine the poor bastard who's in the way of that psionic disintegrate...or the sheer volume of shit you could create with the psionic fabrication powers.  Are those slotless, or akin to nightsticks, in that they only need to be carried (yay, Diablo II charms!) ?

[bearsarebrown]

They're like grafts, they're attached to your bones. So, slotless.

[KellKheraptis]

Does each one function 3/day, or do they function as a collective?  60 uses/day...that's basically every power o.o

[telehax]

Source is correct, but it's not +2 to ML, it's better. It gives +2 free augmentation which surpasses the normal limit. They can all be used at once in the same action. You lose 1 HP per "graft"
You don't actually need Erudite in there, it's just that the trick only works when you have 0 base PP and have the time to gain and lose psionic focus. Making it less useful in combat but very useful out of combat, thus being most effective with erudite's large pool of utility powers.
Giving this some more thought, I realize that the trick has no use for the standard PP pool. We need ways to use these. The best I can see would be to use third party material, Persistent Power from Hyperconscious combined with the Stable Focus ability of the Mau-Jehe legacy weapon (or better yet, custom legacy item!)

Thus you manifest Synchronicity-Linked-Persistent Powers at a cost of (Power Cost+12-4), until you run out of PP.

: D

[KellKheraptis]

And then afterward just use all that free manifestation to fire off up to 9th level powers for a cost of 0 pp, while inside your psi-shell of raw power, gotcha!  And even without Hyperconcious (which in my games is considered a direct addendum to the SRD), having a more effective recharge/mitigation while also having an ace in the hole (that shardnuke) makes for one survivable Slayer.  Oh, and he'll also be packing the Arcane Hunter ACF.  Gotta love free +6 damage vs. anything with spells/SLA's/more than 8 HD basically, and the plus to Spot that goes with it to spot invisibility is just gravy.  Guessing other than Leadership (which wasn't on the above list), all combat feats and their ilk will be acquired by manifesting psionic mirror move and then psyreffing them into whatever we're wanting to do (yay for insta-chain tripper!).

[rypta]

Don't you have to be an inspired or kalashar to use the power link quori embedded shards?

[KellKheraptis]

Don't you have to be an inspired or kalashar to use the power link quori embedded shards?

Check the first post   Kalashtar for the extra pp!

[rypta]

Don't you have to be an inspired or kalashar to use the power link quori embedded shards?

Check the first post   Kalashtar for the extra pp!

Oops!  Saw some discussion about using Azurin and just thought I'd make sure.

[KellKheraptis]

Ok, looking back at the Hunter-Killer, would the mage-slayer/pierce magical protection/pierce magical concealment line be more effective of a powerup than K.Dev and friends listed?  Furthermore, can those be acquired as fighter/general feats?