Brainstorm for Psionic Tricks, Tactics, and Combos Handbook

[sreservoir]

in any case, metalinked 1st-level powers effectively lower the cost of a 2nd or higher-level power by 1, and also do something else, at the low, low cost of psionic focus and a delaying the effect by a turn.

linked power is also incredible fun on erudites, where it bypasses the entire UPD issue for utility spells.

[Kalaska'Agathas]

Does it, though? You still manifest the power, so I'd think you'd still count it against your unique powers per level per day. Though if I could manifest a hustle linked to something from someone else's repertoire, maybe then...

[sreservoir]

Does it, though? You still manifest the power, so I'd think you'd still count it against your unique powers per level per day. Though if I could manifest a hustle linked to something from someone else's repertoire, maybe then...

eh, you're still getting less PP spent and a free synchronicity or whatever.

incidentally, variation of the suicide variation of Do the Wight Thing: instead of killing your duplicate, kill yourself. then you have that xp available after the duration ends, instead of having to wait 24 hours. if you want, you can wait 24h, get more xp, and cast restoration twice, but just fissioning again is more efficient. did I miss anything?

[Jack_Simth]

incidentally, variation of the suicide variation of Do the Wight Thing: instead of killing your duplicate, kill yourself. then you have that xp available after the duration ends, instead of having to wait 24 hours. if you want, you can wait 24h, get more xp, and cast restoration twice, but just fissioning again is more efficient. did I miss anything?

And it's dismissable, so you can make it work even faster than that if needed. Nifty.

[Psyren]

The way to get around UPD is to have another manifester (preferably a Wilder) pull the utility powers out of your head. This is why if you're the only manifester in the party and you don't have Leadership/Thrallherd, you're probably better off as a Psion.

(If you can be a Thrallherd, be a Wilder; then recruit an Erudite.)

[sreservoir]

The way to get around UPD is to have another manifester (preferably a Wilder) pull the utility powers out of your head. This is why if you're the only manifester in the party and you don't have Leadership/Thrallherd, you're probably better off as a Psion.

(If you can be a Thrallherd, be a Wilder; then recruit an Erudite.)

out of curiousity, why particularly a wilder? I don't see why a wilder would be better at this.

[Jack_Simth]

out of curiousity, why particularly a wilder? I don't see why a wilder would be better at this.

My initial reaction is so that you can use Wild Surge with other people's powers.

[Psyren]

out of curiousity, why particularly a wilder? I don't see why a wilder would be better at this.

They compliment each other nicely - the Wilder has few powers known of his own, but can augment yours for free, saving both of you PP. Furthermore: as you are the Int-based caster, chances are the party has lore covered and will want a "face" instead of another Psion.

[Psyren]

Bump with a trick I wanted to share.

Erudite Concerto

Spoiler

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This trick lets level 11+ Erudites circumvent their UPD limitation.

You will need:
- A Psicrystal with Wild/Hidden Talent, or a psionic cohort
- Metaconcert
- Metamorphosis

Method:
1) The save-game trick reminded me of this caveat: you need to metamorph your psicrystal into somethng that isn't immune to mind-affecting. (While you're at it, you can also make it Fine for the AC boost/portability.)
2) Manifest Metaconcert, targeting yourself and your friend/pet rock.
3) Use the entity created to manifest any utility powers you need.

Because the entity manifests the powers, and knows every power you know, you are able to access your entire library without adding to your UPD count (you are not actually manifesting them yourself.)

It is unclear whether the entity gets its own set of actions or must use those of the conductor. If the latter, simply make your psicrystal the conductor so that you can keep manifesting as needed.

Notes:
1) This can only be done solo if your psicrystal gets feats (they are not psionic by default, but Wild Talent makes them that way.) This is RAW, but some DMs do not like this. Without it, you will need a cohort or party member.
2) This is not always suitable for combat. Metaconcert takes a minute to cast (10 rounds) and only lasts minutes/level, so ideally you will already be in one when a fight starts if you need your repertoire that much.
3) You can get around the movement speed reduction; RAW it only applies "if you move as a group." So tell your psicrystal not to move, put it in your pocket, and move as normal.

EDIT: Forgot an important step (see above.)

[Jack_Simth]

Which One's Mine, again? (AKA, Body-Hopping for keeps)

Spoiler

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Now, this does have a couple of Requirements:

• Ability to manifest Mind Switch (11th level for Telepaths)
• Nothing interferes for the four or more rounds you're doing this.
• You can avoid DM wrath.
• "Original bodies" as listed in the Mind Switch power refers to 'before this manifestation of Mind Switch', rather than 'absolute original'.
• The current inhabitant of a body is considered the participant of the power when a given Mind Switch is dispelled.

Definitions:
BT: Body-Target: Body you want:
MT: Mind-Target: Mind you want to dispose of, that starts out inhabiting BT
BP: Body-Patsy: Body of someone you don't care about.
MP: Mind-Patsy: Mind of someone you don't care about, that starts out inhabiting BP.
BO: Body-Original: Body you start out with.
MO: Mind-Original: Your mind, that starts out inhabiting BO.

Method:
1) Manifest Mind Switch on BT, putting MT in BO, and MO in BT.
2) Manifest Mind Switch on BP, putting MP in BT, and MO in BP
3) Manifest Dispel Psionics on BO, undoing switch one. As currently, MP is in BT, and MT is in BO, that puts MT in BT and MP in BO
4) Manifest Dispel Psionics on BP, undoing switch two. As currently, MO is in BP, and MT is in BT, MO is returned to BT, and MT is 'returned' to BP.

Result: MO (You) are in BT (Body Target). MT (Mind of target) is in BP (Body of Patsy). MP (Mind of Patsy) is in BO (your original body).

Notes: The actual power description does support requirement 3 and 4 somewhat:

If one participant’s body becomes petrified, imprisoned by temporal stasis or imprisonment, or incapacitated in some other way, the other participant will be incapacitated in that way when the power ends.

Additionally, 'breaking' requirement 3 lets you arrange to have multiple people inhabiting the same body simultaneously (Chain Mind Switch, then dispel the most recent), so that's something you probably want to avoid as a DM anyway. 1 and 2 I can't help you with.



As for what to get?
Depends on what you want.

You've got 1/2 BAB still (usually), so you likely don't want a specific combat form. So you likely want defense (DR, Regen, Natural Armor, Ex invisibility, Immunity to Magic, et cetera) or utility abilities (Fly speed, burrow speed, climb speed, racial skill bonuses, et cetera).

A Will O Wisp has Ex invisibility (regular invisibility) at will, Magic Immunity, Fly 50 (Perfect), a really good Dex score (29!), and a +9 Deflection bonus to AC (no source - presumed Ex).
Not a bad choice, generally.

If you're Evil, primarily fighting good-aligned opponents, then a Planetar has SR 30, Regeneration 10 Evil, some minor elemental resistances, and Fly 90 (Good) (A Solar is markedly better, but with 22 hit dice, is harder to get).

If you're Good, primarily fighting evil-aligned opponents, then a Horned Devil has SR 28, Regeneration 5 (Good and Silver weapons, Good Spells), Fly 50 (Average), and a few other nifties (A Pit Fiend is better, although it's CR 20 and has 18 hit dice, so might be out of reach).

[Kalaska'Agathas]

Bump with a trick I wanted to share.

Erudite Concerto

Beautiful. Quite possibly your Magnum Opus, at least in this genera.

Edit: Lycanthromancer recommends linking Metaconcert to something else, to make it practical in combat. Manifest this round, metaconcert next round.

[sreservoir]

Bump with a trick I wanted to share.

Erudite Concerto

Spoiler

Show

This trick lets level 9+ Erudites circumvent their UPD limitation.

You will need:
- A Psicrystal with Wild/Hidden Talent, or a psionic cohort
- Metaconcert
- Metamorphosis

Method:
1) The save-game trick reminded me of this caveat: you need to metamorph your psicrystal into somethng that isn't immune to mind-affecting. (While you're at it, you can also make it Fine for the AC boost/portability.)
2) Manifest Metaconcert, targeting yourself and your friend/pet rock.
3) Use the entity created to manifest any utility powers you need.

Because the entity manifests the powers, and knows every power you know, you are able to access your entire library without adding to your UPD count (you are not actually manifesting them yourself.)

It is unclear whether the entity gets its own set of actions or must use those of the conductor. If the latter, simply make your psicrystal the conductor so that you can keep manifesting as needed.

Notes:
1) This can only be done solo if your psicrystal gets feats (they are not psionic by default, but Wild Talent makes them that way.) This is RAW, but some DMs do not like this. Without it, you will need a cohort or party member.
2) This is not always suitable for combat. Metaconcert takes a minute to cast (10 rounds) and only lasts minutes/level, so ideally you will already be in one when a fight starts if you need your repertoire that much.
3) You can get around the movement speed reduction; RAW it only applies "if you move as a group." So tell your psicrystal not to move, put it in your pocket, and move as normal.

EDIT: Forgot an important step (see above.)

I think you'll need level 11, unless you use favored discipline.

[Analytica]

As for the save game trick, isn't there a slightly simpler version you could do, in the vein of Methods of Rationality?

1 - Tell your pricrystal, or whatever creature, that if, when it emerges into the future, you fail to be there to greet it, something is wrong. If so, it must return to the start of its turn.
2 - Manifest Forced Dream on the probe creature. Decide that you will use strategy A to handle whatever problem you will next embark on, and decide that after you do so, you will make sure to be back in time to greet the probe creature as it emerges. Note that Forced Dream has several turns worth of time remaining.
3 - Ready an action to manifest Mass Time Hop on the probe creature once its turn has started, assuming that Forced Dream, as it should, is still active by that time.
4 - Start of probe creature's turn.
5 - Manifest Mass Time Hop on probe creature if Forced Dream is still active.
6 - Go out adventuring.
7 - Meet up with the probe creature and happily tell it of your successes.
8 - Take probe creature for ice cream.

If adventuring fails, you won't be there to meet the probe creature. This means that it will decide, using a swift action in its turn, to revert to 4, so that at 4, Forced Dream will end. This means that, at 5, you will not manifest Mass Time Hop. Instead you will know that plan A will have failed, or that following plan A, you will not come to hold by your decision to return for the probe creature. You can then start over from 1 again, under plan B instead, and so on, as many times as you can manifest Forced Dream.

Note that Forced Dream recalls restore everything the way it was except for Forced Dream duration and power points. This seems to include memories. So under any scenario, no one will know how plan A failed. However, you can test a variety of plans this way.

It does get slightly problematic though. This means that if Forced Dream fails to terminate early, either you WILL have succeeded, meaning the DM might have to fudge dice rolls to avoid creating a time paradox, or resort to the only other stable sequence of events: something waits for the probe creature and disables it before it can take its swift action to return.

Note also that, under some interpretations, a psicrystal's existence is contingent on yours, so that a time probe psicrystal would deactivate if it emerged into a future where you were not there, and so would be unable to use a swift action to return. Because of this, something other than a psicrystal or an astral construct might be a better choice, perhaps a follower?

I would also point out a semi-dirty trick. Not so much a trick maybe, as a potentially powerful strategy. There is a wondrous item in Lords of Madness called a brain canister. Under MIC creation rules, you can make one as a universal item using psionics, costing some 25000 gp. It stores the brain of a creature, which you kill by removing it, in a canister. Illithids use it to transport dead illithids back to the Elder Brains, for food storage, or for keeping brains close that they can then probe telepathically. The brain is unconscious and passive.

Learn to make this item. Then kill psions, for maximum irony, illithids. Place their brains in canisters. You can then use thieving mindlink on the brains to borrow powers they know. For optimal efficiency, create a greater third eye of powerthieve, with no uses/day limitation. Perhaps limit it for flavour to be useful only against brains in canisters. Keep a library of defeated psionic foes in canisters in a bag of holding. Whenever you need a power, thieving mindlink it for free using the third eye. Bonus points for skull shaped canisters, taking up another skull from the bag, staring into its eyes like Hamlet, prince of Denmark, while your third eye flares, then proceed to make use of the knowledge.

[Jack_Simth]

I would also point out a semi-dirty trick. Not so much a trick maybe, as a potentially powerful strategy. There is a wondrous item in Lords of Madness called a brain canister. Under MIC creation rules, you can make one as a universal item using psionics, costing some 25000 gp. It stores the brain of a creature, which you kill by removing it, in a canister. Illithids use it to transport dead illithids back to the Elder Brains, for food storage, or for keeping brains close that they can then probe telepathically. The brain is unconscious and passive.

Learn to make this item. Then kill psions, for maximum irony, illithids. Place their brains in canisters. You can then use thieving mindlink on the brains to borrow powers they know. For optimal efficiency, create a greater third eye of powerthieve, with no uses/day limitation. Perhaps limit it for flavour to be useful only against brains in canisters. Keep a library of defeated psionic foes in canisters in a bag of holding. Whenever you need a power, thieving mindlink it for free using the third eye. Bonus points for skull shaped canisters, taking up another skull from the bag, staring into its eyes like Hamlet, prince of Denmark, while your third eye flares, then proceed to make use of the knowledge.

The Theiving Mindlink Is Unnecessary. "A psionic character can make contact with only a willing psionic character or creature (unconscious creatures are considered willing, but not psionic characters under the effects of other immobilizing conditions)"

[Psyren]

I think you'll need level 11, unless you use favored discipline.

Good point, Metaconcert is indeed a discipline power; edited.

The Theiving Mindlink Is Unnecessary. "A psionic character can make contact with only a willing psionic character or creature (unconscious creatures are considered willing, but not psionic characters under the effects of other immobilizing conditions)"

While true, there are advantages to using Thieving Mindlink in this situation:

• Mindlink works at range, whereas manifesting from the brains requires physical contact.
• TM requires two standard actions (1 for the mindlink, and 1 to scan the brain for powers.) Addressing the brain(s) requires a full-round action, which combined with (1) prevents you from moving.
• You don't require a psicraft check to understand the powers - you simply become aware of all of them and choose one. You also don't require the second psicraft check to manifest it correctly once learned. On the other hand, however, addressing the brains has no saving throw if they are willing/unconscious.
• Most importantly, TM lacks the clause "if this power isn't on your class list, you automatically fail" - this lets you pull powers from other disciplines, psywar/lurk powers the brains may have acquired via EK etc, so long as they are a level you can manifest.
• You can continue stealing and using powers (using a separate standard action for each theft) for as long as the mindlink lasts (10 min./level). Addressing the brains instead forces you to use a stolen power within 1 round of borrowing it or be unable to borrow it again for the rest of the day; you also require a separate full-round action for each theft. Even manifesting another power instead of the one you stole causes the lockout.

[Analytica]

You can continue stealing and using powers (using a separate standard action for each theft) for as long as the mindlink lasts (10 min./level). Addressing the brains instead forces you to use a stolen power within 1 round of borrowing it or be unable to borrow it again for the rest of the day; you also require a separate full-round action for each theft. Even manifesting another power instead of the one you stole causes the lockout.

This would be the main point: I am inclined to interpret the SRD portion that says:

Upon successfully making contact with another willing psionic character or creature and learning what he can of one power in particular, the character can immediately attempt to manifest that power even if he doesn’t know it (and assuming he has power points left for the day). He can attempt to manifest the power normally on his next turn, and he succeeds if he makes one additional Psicraft check (DC 15 + the power’s level). He retains the ability to manifest the selected power for only 1 round. If he doesn’t manifest the power, fails the Psicraft check, or manifests a different power, he loses his chance to manifest that power for the day.

to mean that you can only borrow a particular power for one use on a given day. This may be an overly conservative reading, however...

[2xMachina]

Hustle linked Hustle, Deep Impact + Power attack + ToB.

Maxed power, Touch attack manuevers!

EDIT: Need Psionic Meditation of course.

EDIT: Hmm, rethinking, not needed. Take Psionic Meditation (either take Hidden talent, or be Psionic race). Move action concentrate, Standard action Strike. With your BAB, Touch attack will hit. Worse come to worse, there are Flat foot manuevers. Touch + flat foot = 10+-Size bonus+Deflection?

[Radar]

Note that Forced Dream recalls restore everything the way it was except for Forced Dream duration and power points. This seems to include memories. So under any scenario, no one will know how plan A failed. However, you can test a variety of plans this way.

Probe creature will retain it's memories, so when it pops up in the future, you can ready an action to establish a Mindlink and do a data dump (talking is a free action). You can also use Modify Memory to dump your own memories directly into the probe creature - first-hand information is allways better.

[Analytica]

Probe creature will retain it's memories

Where does it say that? It does state that all creatures return to their exact original states, but I see no exception for any property of the probe creature except for the Forced Dream duration.

[Radar]

Where does it say that? It does state that all creatures return to their exact original states, but I see no exception for any property of the probe creature except for the Forced Dream duration.

I might be misremembering then, but I've seen a version of the save game trick, where you Time-Hopped personally and recovered your own memories from the day to be from a Thought Bottle left in a proper place by yourself.

The problem is, if it doesn't allow for the probe creature to retain memories of the lost timeline, then the whole time-loop won't be as effective as it is portrayed to be: you can only produce a list of plans and choose one of them depending on the power consumption caused by the save game trick.
First of: you can easily run out of plans. This can lead to a state, where you try out the very same doomed idea (or a couple of them) until you run out of Power Points. If you use Power Point regeneration tricks, then either you run out of time (when using finite methods of gaining PP) or reach infinite PP and create a stable paradoxial time loop. This actually is not a bad outcome if there is a possibility of success - in the infinite repetition of the same events one will encounter this one possibility with probability of 1. The problem is, that if you rely on your save point trick too much, you can easily walk into a situation without a chance of getting out alive. This causes the universe to collapse - only Far Realms survive.

[Jack_Simth]

The problem is, that if you rely on your save point trick too much, you can easily walk into a situation without a chance of getting out alive. This causes the universe to collapse - only Far Realms survive.

Nah.

See, you still need a round of real-time to cast the Time Hop on your probe, possibly a few rounds of real-time to recharge your power points, a round every now and again to put another Forced Dream on your probe, and so on.

So if you meet an impossible situation, you simply waste a few days coming up with plan after plan after plan.

[Psyren]

This would be the main point: I am inclined to interpret the SRD portion that says:
***
to mean that you can only borrow a particular power for one use on a given day. This may be an overly conservative reading, however...

I read it as - you only get the power once if you fail your check or don't use it after extracting it. Otherwise, you can access the mind and use that power again.

Regarding Forced Dream - it is unclear what, if anything, is recalled by the dreamer. I personally would rule that it is hazy recollection (i.e. just like regular dreams, unless the psion has ranks in Lucid Dreaming or the Lucid Dreaming feat.)

The main reason for ruling the PCs remember everything is how difficult it would be to prevent them metagaming the pertinent information anyway - you can potentially enforce the characters forgetting, but not the players. But even if you rule that the characters remember nothing at all, the Psion will still know something went wrong, because the PP he spent to manifest Forced Dream will not be refunded. If he writes a note with what he was planning to do just before manifesting FD, then he will know it failed even if he throws the note away afterward, because time will rewind to when he wrote it.

[Analytica]

Nah.

See, you still need a round of real-time to cast the Time Hop on your probe, possibly a few rounds of real-time to recharge your power points, a round every now and again to put another Forced Dream on your probe, and so on.

So if you meet an impossible situation, you simply waste a few days coming up with plan after plan after plan.

I agree with this. Alternately, you do end up with a situation where something waits to disable the probe (if that is really the only stable solution, eventually the system will get there), or you get tired of playing through similar events over and over again with slightly different plans, all the while trying not to metagame as the characters should act surprised over something you as a player already knows...

Regarding Forced Dream - it is unclear what, if anything, is recalled by the dreamer. I personally would rule that it is hazy recollection (i.e. just like regular dreams, unless the psion has ranks in Lucid Dreaming or the Lucid Dreaming feat.)

The main reason for ruling the PCs remember everything is how difficult it would be to prevent them metagaming the pertinent information anyway - you can potentially enforce the characters forgetting, but not the players. But even if you rule that the characters remember nothing at all, the Psion will still know something went wrong, because the PP he spent to manifest Forced Dream will not be refunded. If he writes a note with what he was planning to do just before manifesting FD, then he will know it failed even if he throws the note away afterward, because time will rewind to when he wrote it.

RAI for the power seems to me something like "for X rounds, if someone rolls badly during a round, you get to reroll that round". From that perspective, there might not be a need for memories. I agree with the note and Forced Dream. The reason you know, though, is not that the power points fail to be refunded, because you lose those points regardless of whether the plan succeeds or fails. Instead you know the plan fails because just as you get ready to cast Time Hop, the duration remaining for Forced Dream suddenly dropped from 10-ish to 0 rounds. At least I think so. Time travel makes everything less easy to visualize...

[Psyren]

The reason you know, though, is not that the power points fail to be refunded, because you lose those points regardless of whether the plan succeeds or fails.

Yes - but logically, if your plan succeeds, you wouldn't be discharging the Dream anyway. So you would know why your PP are lower. Ergo, the only reason you'd be standing there about to manifest Forced Dream and have your PP inexplicably drop would be if the plan on the note in front of you failed.

The ony other scenario is that you succeeded and died anyway, your psicrystal returned to the time stream and then rewound time. Perhaps not ideal from a plot perspective, but at least now you have the chance to try a plan that results in both success and survival. (Or modify the conditions on your crystal.)

[Analytica]

Yes - but logically, if your plan succeeds, you wouldn't be discharging the Dream anyway. So you would know why your PP are lower. Ergo, the only reason you'd be standing there about to manifest Forced Dream and have your PP inexplicably drop would be if the plan on the note in front of you failed.

Not sure I understand you here. The Forced Dream must be in place before the time hop begins. If you manifest Forced Dream, either the probe will return or it will not return. In either case, the power points are spent. If the probe returns, it returns at the start of the turn in which Time Hop was manifested on it. Unless this turn is the same turn as that which Forced Dream was manifested in, Forced Dream was manifested anyway.

Unless you manifest both Forced Dream and Time Hop on the same turn, at least, which might be what you meant. If you do that, then yes, you notice a sudden drop in PPs and nothing else. I guess it amounts to the same thing in the end though.

The ony other scenario is that you succeeded and died anyway, your psicrystal returned to the time stream and then rewound time. Perhaps not ideal from a plot perspective, but at least now you have the chance to try a plan that results in both success and survival. (Or modify the conditions on your crystal.)

True, but there is also the scenario of the probe re-entering time and being instantly destroyed before it can act to rewind. Though that would require the probe destroyer to use an immediate action...

[Jack_Simth]

True, but there is also the scenario of the probe re-entering time and being instantly destroyed before it can act to rewind. Though that would require the probe destroyer to use an immediate action...

Why an Immediate action? A Readied action would do it just fine. Or setting up a hazardous condition that'll kill it before it can take an action once it reappears (AKA, traps).

[Analytica]

Why an Immediate action? A Readied action would do it just fine. Or setting up a hazardous condition that'll kill it before it can take an action once it reappears (AKA, traps).

True. Whatever lets you act on the probe's initiative, but before it rewinds. I think I somehow though readied actions WERE immediate actions, but I am not sure where I got that from...

[Kalaska'Agathas]

Whoah, stuff! I'll get to posting all this when I'm out of my game tonight! And by posting all this, I mean adding it to the OP.

[classy one]

The hustle meditation could be done at level 10 with an ardent and the dominant ideal ACF in freedom mantle.

You can take out the psicrystal affinity and psicrystal containment since hustle is in freedom mantle which no longer expends focus for metapsi feats. It also reduces the cost of the whole trick by 2.

[Meriss]

Can I get a logic check on a couple of things?

1. Reading Animal Affinity, it looks like, if a psychic warrior manifests AA to get 19 DEX (15 base). Does that then mean that if said PW has Combat Reflexes they would then have 6 Attacks of opportunity? Then if I throw in Prowess and 7 PP to Offensive Precognition I'm getting potentially 7+ AoO per round and maxing out at AB +8 (+4BAB +2STR +3 Insight +1 Wep Foc +1 Target Species (From UA Ranger) -2 two wep penalty)?

2. Would someone teleporting into a nearby or my square trigger attacks of opportunity?

3. Is Body Fuel in the Overchannel tree or not? And is the Ability burn to all three abilities (STR, DEX, CON) at once? Also RAW is unclear, is the burn permanent or not?