Author Topic: Modified "The Big Guy Is With Me" - Build help...  (Read 3669 times)

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sir_argenon

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Modified "The Big Guy Is With Me" - Build help...
« on: November 29, 2010, 05:24:51 PM »
i want to make a "big guy" build.. as a psion shaper, so he can get ranks of upd as a class skill, and also have his astral constructs to fall back on, until the psycrystal can get its own mojo working.

my ideas so far:
[spoiler]needed feats: psionic body, psicrystal affinity, EK: metamorphosis, metamorphic transfer, improved psicrystal (a buncha times), boost construct(?), overchannel, talented.

im thinking human for the extra feat, and i would go psion probably to 10th, and then anarchic initiate. 

the psicrystal's base hp would suck, but he would have liberal usage of the vigor/share pain combo to supplement that.  he would also get a psychoactive skin of proteus for the crystal as soon as possible, along with manifesting metamorphosis on it himself. 

[/spoiler]

i need advice on how to play him, assuming its starting @ lvl 1... also power selection, for the best ways to buff the crystal into a killing machine (besides metamorphosis) and feat selection for him and the crystal.   

Lycanthromancer

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Re: Modified "The Big Guy Is With Me" - Build help...
« Reply #1 on: November 29, 2010, 06:16:34 PM »
You likely won't have a particularly viable means of using your psicrystal in combat until you get access to metamorphosis, which means you'll need to fill that role in some other capacity (such as a riding dog for the first few levels -- let your psicrystal ride it -- then astral construct once the duration on them is higher). However, creating poison via psionic minor creation and dumping it on your itty-bitty psicrystal is a great way to boost its combat-effectiveness, as is dumping it over yourself if you're a warforged.

Vigor + share pain is a great way to boost your buddy, hp-wise, as is summoning a cerebrilith and using the fusion power later on (see if you can grant your pet rock the Outsider type in some way, as there are numerous ways to do so).

The best buffing feat in the game is Linked Power, since you can use it multiple times in one round to double your manifestation output. Remember that you won't need every buff you have to make a viable death-machine, and you also won't need to max-augment every power you throw out. Conserve pp whenever possible, only going all-out when absolutely necessary.

You may also want to take a 2-level dip in totemist, then head toward the soul manifester PrC. Share Soulmeld will grant your psicrystal a huge boost during those early levels, as well as later on.
[spoiler]Masculine men like masculine things. Masculine men are masculine. Therefore, liking masculine men is masculine.

I dare anyone to find a hole in that logic.
______________________________________
[/spoiler]I'm a writer. These are my stories. Some are even SFW! (Warning: Mostly Gay.)
My awesome poster collection. (Warning, some are NSFW.)
Agita's awesome poster collection.
[spoiler]
+1 Lycanthromancer
Which book is Lycanthromancer in?
Lyca ... is in the book. Yes he is.
 :D
shit.. concerning psionics optimization, lycan IS the book
[/spoiler]

PhaedrusXY

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[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: Modified "The Big Guy Is With Me" - Build help...
« Reply #3 on: November 29, 2010, 09:38:10 PM »
Which fragment of your personality is "Probe" ?
 :eh

sir_argenon

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Re: Modified "The Big Guy Is With Me" - Build help...
« Reply #4 on: November 29, 2010, 10:09:35 PM »
AWESOMENESS

nice stuff! wow a psicrystal hydra with girallon arms.. i love it! also..  how would i go about summoning a cerebrilith?

Let me show you the wonders of a Thrallherd/Big Guy/Flying Box build combo. :D

that is a SICK build, i like making it undead so that u boost the hp's.. nice idea!

how many times should i plan on taking improved psicrystal?

PhaedrusXY

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Re: Modified "The Big Guy Is With Me" - Build help...
« Reply #5 on: November 29, 2010, 11:35:42 PM »
that is a SICK build, i like making it undead so that u boost the hp's.. nice idea!

how many times should i plan on taking improved psicrystal?
I took it just enough to be able to manifest through the psicrystal at the level we started at (10th), although this was just because "Eddie" is meant to be permanently stuck inside the ship. So I needed a way to manifest when the party wasn't onboard. Buying a set of Ring Gates (heavily discounted...) let me totally bypass that for the most part, though. Improved Psicrystal isn't that great of a feat unless your DM lets the Psicrystal get hit dice above your character level. Even then, it's just so-so.

Edit: A way to make this playable from level 2 (maybe 1): Go wizard 1 with Precocious Apprentice (Alter Self) starting out (Arcane Mastery is also highly recommended). Animated Objects are Constructs, and retain the hardness of the original material. So turn your psicrystal into an animated adamantine chain.  :D
« Last Edit: November 30, 2010, 12:38:45 AM by PhaedrusXY »
[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]

sir_argenon

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Re: Modified "The Big Guy Is With Me" - Build help...
« Reply #6 on: November 30, 2010, 12:58:35 AM »
@PhaedrusXY: yeah.. i guess youre right.  the more i look at the feats, it seems like psionic body, and improved psycrystal are not really worth it.. even for a build like this.

also, whats this about getting epic bab/feats that i am reading in the original thread on 339?  thats not valid is it?

Lycanthromancer

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Re: Modified "The Big Guy Is With Me" - Build help...
« Reply #7 on: November 30, 2010, 06:02:09 AM »
AWESOMENESS

nice stuff! wow a psicrystal hydra with girallon arms.. i love it! also..  how would i go about summoning a cerebrilith?

Let me show you the wonders of a Thrallherd/Big Guy/Flying Box build combo. :D

that is a SICK build, i like making it undead so that u boost the hp's.. nice idea!

how many times should i plan on taking improved psicrystal?
There's a power (planar champion) in Complete Psionic that'll let you do it.

And taking Improved Psicrystal is worth it if you psychic reformation them out one or two at a time later on, when you don't need them anymore.
[spoiler]Masculine men like masculine things. Masculine men are masculine. Therefore, liking masculine men is masculine.

I dare anyone to find a hole in that logic.
______________________________________
[/spoiler]I'm a writer. These are my stories. Some are even SFW! (Warning: Mostly Gay.)
My awesome poster collection. (Warning, some are NSFW.)
Agita's awesome poster collection.
[spoiler]
+1 Lycanthromancer
Which book is Lycanthromancer in?
Lyca ... is in the book. Yes he is.
 :D
shit.. concerning psionics optimization, lycan IS the book
[/spoiler]

PhaedrusXY

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Re: Modified "The Big Guy Is With Me" - Build help...
« Reply #8 on: November 30, 2010, 02:43:06 PM »
For 1st level, I'd seriously consider the wizard/cerebremancer I suggested above. Precocious Apprentice (Alter Self) + Arcane Mastery (or Versatile Spellcaster, if you go with sorcerer) with a useful race can let you get some decent combat ability, even at 1st level, and you can share this with your Psicrystal and your Familiar. (You probably shouldn't risk the familiar, though, given its fragility and the penalty for its death. You probably want to check with your DM on just what happens if your psicrystal dies, also, and how you replace it.)

At 2nd level, you can pick up the Hammer power. Now normally this is a suboptimal choice, but if you choose an Alter Self form with a bunch of natural attacks, and also turn your psicrystal into something with a bunch of natural attacks, this could get nasty. Notice that Hammer is a swift action power, and that it "charges your attack". To me, it sounds like you could manifest this and then make all of your attacks as touch attacks that do 1d8 damage. Add on Knowledge Devotion, and it's even better.

Add on a bunch of Sassone Leaf Residue (from Minor Creation), and this gets downright insane. Since your type doesn't change with Alter Self, you should still have any racial poison immunity. So a warforged might be the best race for this. Make it a dragonborn to get rid of the stupid composite armor and for an even bigger boost to Con, and to pick up something nifty like a breath weapon or wings.

If your DM uses multiclass XP penalties, this build could be problematic.

Later on, this will turn into more of a typical "Big Guy" build. I'm just focusing on how to make it moderately effective in the early levels. You could leave off the warforged stuff and pick any other race you want, and just sit back and let the psicrystal do the fighting, also. It will take attacks of opportunity due to its lack of reach, but at 1st level most things still probably won't be able to hurt it due to its hardness. :P
« Last Edit: November 30, 2010, 02:46:48 PM by PhaedrusXY »
[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]