10th-level Psion-- Subtlety, power, and survivability. Advice?

[Bulwer]

I'm making a Psion (my first psionic character), starting at level 10. He's a Lesser Tiefling. Here is a link to the sheet.

My vision is that upon entering combat, he immediately stops moving and begins doing large amounts of damage and some amount of battlefield control without any indication as to the source of the effects. The Steady Concentration feat means that he can hit any listed Concentration DC, including those to manifest powers with no visible component.

Since I don't want to be transforming myself or controlling minions of any kind, I chose to be a Nomad, which also gives me a few "outs" in case something gets close, including the ability to fly. I'm not married to the choice, though.

I haven't picked powers yet, so I could use advice there especially. For equipment, I'm leaning toward getting a Torc of Power Preservation, but I'd also like some ability to teleport as (ideally) an immediate action in case of serious emergency.

What advice do you guys have on feats, powers, and equipment? You can heck out the above-linked sheet if you want to see exactly what I'm working with. Thanks!

[awaken DM golem]

Link didn't work.
http://"http//www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=119989%22
That's not the right link format, although I'm not an expert.

Nomad got an ~upgrade at wizards.com Mind's Eye Expanded Classes either #2 or #3.
Carnivore's guide is still available, and is here on the "Child's" sub-board, somewhere.

Not being seen is being Tiny somehow (race works), concealed, hide in plain sight,
Invisible like Pixie ... carnivore's done that too , Cloud Mind is better for assassin ideas.

Fix the link, more books info, there's plenty of help here.

[Omen of Peace]

Hmm, I think I saw that on the GitP board...

What you describe seems more like blasting to me, ergo Kineticist. I've never played a Nomad, but their staple discipline power is Dimension Swap, which is tactical-oriented.
So go Kineticist and pounce on their staple power, Energy Missile. It should be probably your main power. Technically it originates from you, so you can either ask your DM to make it engulf the targets directly (there's no mechanical difference), or you can ask for an adaptation of the Invisible Spell or Deceptive Spell from Cityscape for powers. Then you should get metapsionics to go with (Empower...).

Dimension Door is on the general psion list - it is enough to flee in many situations.

Still, I'll wait to hear what your opinion on Psychokinesis is before going any further.

[veekie]

Psionics tends to be pretty poor at delivering direct damage though, what with the augment costs...

[Bulwer]

edit: disregard

[Omen of Peace]

Psionics tends to be pretty poor at delivering direct damage though, what with the augment costs...

Well, yes, you need to use melee weapons in 3.5 to do great amounts of damage, but Kineticists are among the best of non-meleers. It's true that PPs will drain away quickly.

[jameswilliamogle]

Psionics tends to be pretty poor at delivering direct damage though, what with the augment costs...

Well, yes, you need to use melee weapons in 3.5 to do great amounts of damage, but Kineticists are among the best of non-meleers. It's true that PPs will drain away quickly.

Hmmm... My Kineticists are great meleers...  Control Body on yourself?

[woodenbandman]

Kineticists do pretty well for themselves, but the augment costs do hurt.

[woodenbandman]

Oh hey, ask your DM for Invisible Spell to be made a metapsionic feat. It's a +0 metamagic, and any wizard can choose to prepare all of his spells as invisible spells for no cost. Try to get your DM to allow you to make all your powers invisible.

Invisible Spell is from Cityscape.

[Omen of Peace]

...you can ask for an adaptation of the Invisible Spell or Deceptive Spell from Cityscape for powers...

@jwm: Control Body allows you to be a meleer. Great meleer ? I doubt it. No proficiency, no relevant feats (Power Attack, Shock Trooper)...
Moreover it's not what the OP is interested in.

[woodenbandman]

Well, if you do get invisible power, then you can have Astral Constructs hitting people flat-footed and stuff like that, as well as invisible energy bolts.

Anything mind-effecting would be a great choice.

[jameswilliamogle]

@jwm: Control Body allows you to be a meleer. Great meleer ? I doubt it. No proficiency, no relevant feats (Power Attack, Shock Trooper)...
Moreover it's not what the OP is interested in.

My second build that I put up on 339 to answer a query about VoP:
[spoiler]here's a Gish-like build:
assumptions: you can research cross-disciplinarian powers, you can afford a +5 book at level 17, dragon is allowed, and monk abilities and regular damage stacks when you use Control Body on yourself (fuzzy RAW). Everything here is XPH + BoED + 1 dragon feat (wanted to maximize abilities/minimize books, thus no flaws since they don't add enough).

start as: Venerable Sun Elf, start w/ 23 INT, the rest (who cares? make the wis and con good, the rest crap)

1. Monk-IUS, SF, Kung Fu Genius (dragon 319, p68)
2. Psion (until 9th) Psicrystal Affinity
3. Psicrystal Containment
6. Quicken Power, Psionic Meditation
9. Track
10. Slayer (until 19th)
12. Sacred Vow
15. free feat (might need exp. knowledge: schism, but Insightful Reflexes...)
18. VoP, bonus exalted feat: Touch of Golden Ice
20. Psion, exalted feat: sanctify ki strike

Powers (not all worked out): scism, control body, metamorphosis, fission

So, the whole build revolves around using Control Body on yourself to get Int to damage, Int to AC (twice), and Int + BAB to hit. To this end, Quicken Schism and Quicken Control Body are both doable, even multiple times per day.

Use metamorphosis, sharing it w/ your psicrystal, and fission, sharing it w/ your psicrystal, for 4 beings to control.

At level 16, the character buys a dorje for True Mind Switch to switch into a normal (or insanely powerful) body, then at 17 sells everything he owns to get a book +5 Int.

In the end, this gets a 23 + 5 book + 5 levels + 8 VoP = 41 Int, or +15 to most combat stats, on top of having +14 BAB already + 5 exalted, for +34 to hit when under the influence of control body. Your stunning fist DC is a measly 25. I haven't my BoED w/ me, but the AC bonus from VoP is around 10 + 3 deflection + 2 Natural = +15, I think, for 40 AC under Control Body pre-monk, and AC = 55 b/c Monk AC stacks w/ Control Body.

IF you can flurry while under control body, you really start to see insanity (4 attacks at 32/32/27/22).

You also have Int + exalted damage = +20 damage, with no str modifier.

Plus you can't be affected by mind-affecting abilities (if you're focused), and are proficient with all weapons and armor, have all sorts of damage and energy reduction, true seeing, and +3 to all saves.

There's 2 epic feats which allow you to use reflex saves instead of the others... combine with Insightful Reflexes and you get +14 to each save. saves: F 11 R 11 W 18 before stats; w/ insightful reflexes R = 23.

18 manifester levels, which nets 33 powers, including 9th level, and 415 pp's per day. pretty good, i guess... you can pick up all the neat powers like greater teleport, synchronicity, telekinetic maneuver and stuff (plus, if you have 440000 gp pre-book, that leaves 302500 left, or ~ 50 levels of psychic chirurgery gained powers if you pay someone to give them to you). i still think a straight psion that can just research cross-discipline powers is more interesting and you have less role-playing restrictions, and is more fun, but whatever, this is the next build to beat for a VoP psionic character.[/spoiler]

[Omen of Peace]

@jwm: your build is VoP... from 18 to 20 ! 
It seems to me an Egoist using Metamorphosis will be better for much of his career - but I haven't run the numbers. If you want Monk abilities, dip and then use Tashalatora to let Slayer progress them (I know, you had restricted to a small number of books).

Who will control the 4 creatures ? I think you meant for the fissioned psicrystal(s) to control the two "halves" of the fissioned psion. But it means a psion sharing metamorphosis with his psicrystal fields the same number of combatants. Until he gets Fission and then it's potentially twice as many.

[jameswilliamogle]

@jwm: your build is VoP... from 18 to 20 ! 

The late-entry VoP is way better than the early entry VoP for Psions.  You get everything but the bonus feats.  There's only one thats really worth it, anyways, unless its in some sort of (even more) twinked out build (Touch of Golden Ice).  This way, permanent stat-boosting can occur (tomes, Psychic Chirurgery'd powers, etc).  (That build was right around when ECS came out, so I don't know if it predates Eb stuff or not...  I'm not interested enough to update it.)  I also don't remember if I used Kineticist or Egoist entry... One thing was gained via research, and the other was in class...

Anyways, totally off-topic...

[PhaedrusXY]

I wouldn't consider "doing large amounts of damage" to be subtle... at all. If you said "and then dominates the BBEG, and telepathically tells him to take his minions and leave while we loot his stronghold", that would be subtle.

[Lycanthromancer]

If you want something like this, my powers revision will both increase your utility and blasting prowess (it'll also allow you to blast sneakily, what with the kinetic slide power, and all; energy discorporation is also worth a look).

However, blasting is NOT subtle, by any means. If you want sneaky damage-dealing, however, see if you can get LA buyoff, then have your character be an unbodied.

[Bulwer]

Something that some of you are missing is that blasting is very subtle if no one can tell where it's coming from. The XPH (and SRD) psionic Concentration rules set a 15+power level DC to manifest with no visual component. I can hit that every time, meaning that with the exception of constructs and metamorphasis (which I mentioned in the first post that I didn't want to do), I'm not immediately noticeable as the source of that blasting.

[PhaedrusXY]

Something that some of you are missing is that blasting is very subtle if no one can tell where it's coming from.

I'm not missing anything. I still don't consider that "subtle". A brick to the face is not subtle, even if you don't know who threw it. It might be sneaky, but it's not subtle. Subtle is when I convince you to do something that I want, and you don't even notice you've been manipulated.

[archangel.arcanis]

Something that some of you are missing is that blasting is very subtle if no one can tell where it's coming from. The XPH (and SRD) psionic Concentration rules set a 15+power level DC to manifest with no visual component. I can hit that every time, meaning that with the exception of constructs and metamorphasis (which I mentioned in the first post that I didn't want to do), I'm not immediately noticeable as the source of that blasting.

when i keep getting hit by stuff and see that everyone is running around trying to beat on something with a stick except for one bald guy in the back that looks constipated, i'm going to figure out really quick where that brick came from.

[Omen of Peace]

Note that the Concentration check only allows you to hide the "Display: XXX" part.
If the effect of the power is visible, like "You release a powerful missile of energy of the chosen type at your foe." for Energy Missile, the source (you) is still apparent. Hence the suggestions to adapt Deceptive or Invisible Spell.