Author Topic: Psionics and Arcana: Two casting stats and a modified Cerebremancer  (Read 3372 times)

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Bulwer

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Hey guys,

I'm making a character for a PbP game. There are damn few limits on resources for character building, and homebrew is accepted and encouraged. This will be starting at level 3, but (optimistically) the build should be epic-ready.

I rolled 6d6b3 and got 14/15/15/16/16/17. I wanted to make a caster (and half the scores are odd), so Old age makes sense. With -3 to physical and +2 to mental, plus a little rearranging, I get:

S12
D12
C14
I18
W16
Ch18
That's just calling out for dual progression. I know it's a little suboptimal to not get SAD, but with two 18s, I'm thinking of going Sorcerer/Psion going into Cerebremancer.

I'll be using a homebrew version. the main features are some cool spell\power and metamagic/metapsionic synergies. It starts earlier, focuses on one aspect more than the other, and loses some progression. The capstone, though makes all future manifesting (or spellcasting) classes dual-progression, so it does make up for it quite well.

The build, tentatively, is Sorcerer 1 / Psion 3 / Cerebremancer 10, then 6 levels of some full-progression manifesting PrC. I might also take 2 more levels of Psion for the bonus feat.

Sorcerer 1 gives me a tiny selection of spells that'll be all I have until I'm into Cerebremancer. I also get a familiar!

Psion 1/2 nets me a little more oomph to start out with. 5 powers known, a small number of PP to play with, and a bonus feat.

After that, 1 more level of Psion then 10 levels of Cerebremancer leaves me with 12 levels of Psion progression and 8 levels of Sorcerer progression at level 14. The class comes with a +2 CL and ML bonus, so I'll be ML14 and CL10. Practiced Spellcaster at some point gives me no CL loss.

Flaws are allowed, so my feat progression (assuming Human) is as follows. I've got some ideas, but I'm not married to them.

1:
Flaw: Mother Cyst [LM]
Flaw:
Human:
Psion bonus: Psicrystal Affinity.
3:
6: Practiced Spellcaster
9:
etc

I'm looking for ideas on build, spells, powers, and feats, especially things to help with the action economy problem I run into later on.

EDIT: Initial Spell/Power selection

0: Arcane Mark
0: Prestidigitation
0: Read Magic
0: Detect Magic
1: Silent Image (OR Benign Transposition OR Summon Monster 1: thoughts?)
1: Ray Of Enfeeblement

1: Grease, Psionic
1: Charm, Psionic
1: Mind Thrust
1: Inertial Armor
1: Empathy
« Last Edit: August 13, 2010, 01:25:51 PM by Bulwer »

awaken DM golem

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Re: Psionics and Arcana: Two casting stats and a modified Cerebremancer
« Reply #1 on: August 13, 2010, 06:34:13 PM »
It's always fun to try out homebrew stuff that's weird overpowered and underpowered all at the same time.


1st read/skim of the link ...

Wizard is a better choice than Sorc.
You don't have the powerpoints to massively metapsi/magic all of the Sorc slots.
And Sorc progression leaves you down 1 level of spell access.
Wiz + Psion combo lets you use most of your powerpoints on high Psion powers,
and a little left over to twink the Wiz spell you pulled just for that day.
Psychic Reformation should get you too many Wiz spells ... in a good way.

Carnivore has a Cereb build in the Psion guide.
It's a good start, but rework it a little to fit the homebrew strangeness.
Psi Power selection should NOT be something that's available on the Wiz side.

Necrosnoop110

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Re: Psionics and Arcana: Two casting stats and a modified Cerebremancer
« Reply #2 on: August 14, 2010, 02:35:08 PM »
I rolled 6d6b3
What's the b3 part mean?

Thanks,
Necro

telehax

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awaken DM golem

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Re: Psionics and Arcana: Two casting stats and a modified Cerebremancer
« Reply #4 on: August 14, 2010, 05:43:35 PM »
If you insist on keeping Sorc over Wiz,
ditching 1 slot to keep a Com Champion based endless use thingy going (idk or have Com Champ) ...

carnivore's Psion Shaper build also works here, with your squeezes.
Schism via level 12 feat slot Expanded Knowledge; and that can run the CCh thing above.

Practised Manifester just burns through the powerpoints faster, and reduces the number of Metamagic + powerpoints trick.
Practiced Spellcaster isn't needed with choosier spell and power selection.
That opens up Metamorphic Transfer feat for the Shaper based stuff.


So add it up to
carnivores shaper build through level 6 feat selection, with MT feat at 9 (which he'd take anyways) and EK:Schism feat at 12,
and talk your dm into the CCh thingy.

Sorry i don't have time to dig through the rest of the homebrew thing.
Feats 15 and 18 can be used to fiddle with it.
You'll have enough mojo via fullcasting even down 2 caelic commandments (wink).

Phoenix00

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Re: Psionics and Arcana: Two casting stats and a modified Cerebremancer
« Reply #5 on: August 15, 2010, 02:09:40 AM »
Don't do sorcerer with your above build, this is why
Sorcerer 1/Psion 3/Cerbemancer 10/X 6 (now X 6 progresses arcane and psionic) ends up 14 arcane 18 psionic
Level 1:
2 1st level spells known
Level 5:
2 1st level spells known
Level 7:
3 1st level spells known
Level 8:
3 1st level spells known
1 2nd level spells known
Level 10:
4 1st level spells known
2 2nd level spells known
Level 11:
4 1st level spells known
2 2nd level spells known
1 3rd level spell known

vs
Focused Specialist Wizard 1/Psion 3/Cerbemancer 10/X 6 (now X 6 progresses arcane and psionic), assuming 18 int and you getting a headband of int at levels 7 and 10, and assuming you pick different spells for each slot
Level 1: (18 int)
3 specialist school 1st level, 1 any school=4 total
Level 5: (19 int)
3 specialist school 1st level, 2 any school=5 total
Level 7: (21 int)
3 specialist school 1st level, 3 any school=6 total
3 specialist school 2nd level, 1 any school=4 total
Level 8: (22 int)
3 specialist school 1st level, 4 any school=7 total
3 specialist school 2nd level, 3 any school=6 total
Level 10: (24 int)
3 specialist school 1st level, 4 any school=7 total
3 specialist school 2nd level, 3 any school=6 total
3 specialist school 3rd level, 2 any school=5 total
Level 11: (24 int)
3 specialist school 1st level, 4 any school=7 total
3 specialist school 2nd level, 4 any school=7 total
3 specialist school 3rd level, 3 any school=6 total

Focused Specialist is going to kick your sorcerer ass for variety.  Especially the earlier in the game.  Via being 1 level behind in psion you are 2 powers known behind of the highest level and gaining low level spells known in return (you also lose power points.)  You are actually versatility wise the same or behind till level 7 with sorcerer side base, and even at level 7 all you gain was an additional 1st level spell.  So at level 7 you trade 2 level 4 powers in exchange for 3 level 1 spells.

The wizard option at least makes sense for you are using 1 mental stat, a faster progression, and more variety so at level 7 you traded 2 4th level powers and gain 6 1st level spells and 4 2nd level spells.

If you don't want to play with a spellbook use the dragon variant (can't remember the magazine number) where you memorize spells instead of getting scribe scroll.  You pay for incense to etch those spells into your memory.
----------------------------------------------------------------
I am sorry but sorcerer stinks with this variant cerbemancer, and I even like fax's variant.

Phoenix00

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Re: Psionics and Arcana: Two casting stats and a modified Cerebremancer
« Reply #6 on: August 15, 2010, 03:06:31 AM »
To expanded on why you should do focused specialist instead of sorcerer here is some more detail on what I would do

Assuming Telepath on your Psionic Side
Assuming Focused Specialist Conjuration on your Wizard Side with Enchantment, Abjuration and Enchantment being forbidden schools

Thus you still have
Conjuration (your specialist school and just plain awesome),
Transmutation (the other spell school made of win),
Divination (it isn't bad),
Necromancy (your debuffs) and
Illusion (shoring up the Psion weak ability to do illusions)

You lose
Enchantment (not really a lost since you are a telepath).
Evocation (not really a lost since there are many good kineticist powers that you don't need to be a kineticist to get, this will sub the school well enough).
Abjuration (you can still take dispel psionics so you can make do, you give up magic circle against X but that is what allies and umd is for).

Note this was a quick 20 mins of work and what I would do with spell selection.  It isn't the most optimized list.

Level 1
Summon Monster I
Benign Transposition
Mage Armor (don't waste a power known this way, a power known is much too precious)
Silent Image

Level 5
Summon Monster I
Benign Transposition
Mage Armor
Silent Image
Ray of Enfeeblement

Level 7
Summon Monster I
Benign Transposition
Mage Armor
Silent Image
Ray of Enfeeblement
Nerveskitter
Web
Glitterdust
Dimension Hop
Rope Trick

Level 8
Summon Monster I
Benign Transposition
Mage Armor
Silent Image
Ray of Enfeeblement
Nerveskitter
Grease
Web
Glitterdust
Dimension Hop
Rope Trick
Invisibility
Alter Self

Level 10
Summon Monster I
Benign Transposition
Mage Armor
Silent Image
Ray of Enfeeblement
Nerveskitter
Grease
Web
Glitterdust
Dimension Hop
Rope Trick
Invisibility
Alter Self
Sleet Storm
Dimension Step (allies get to teleport instantly an equal distance to their movement)
Stinking Cloud
Vertigo Field (fort save or naeusate that affects multiple targets)
Haste


Level 11
Summon Monster I
Benign Transposition
Mage Armor
Silent Image
Ray of Enfeeblement
Nerveskitter
Grease
Web
Glitterdust
Dimension Hop
Rope Trick
Invisibility
Create Magic Tattoo
Alter Self
Sleet Storm
Dimension Step (allies get to teleport instantly an equal distance to their movement)
Stinking Cloud
Vertigo Field (fort save or naeusate that affects multiple targets, remember you got will save done due to telepath)
Haste
Caustic Smoke (debuff and you follow up with a multi target acid damage power and they are blinded if they fail a fort save)

Mixster

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Re: Psionics and Arcana: Two casting stats and a modified Cerebremancer
« Reply #7 on: August 15, 2010, 06:49:32 AM »
And it's not like you don't have access to the the sorcerer goodies like wings of flurry or arcane fusion. If you exchange the Psion Levels for Erudite level you can have all that, and more!

Also, with those stats, consider ardent/wizard cerebremancer, that's a twice as fast dual progression IIRC.
Monks are pretty much the best designed class ever.

JaronK

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