How many Astral Constructs can a psionic player summon?

[Zombimode]

The white print alone would've sufficed.

Kind of a dumb rule. I shall now actively ignore it, rather than be ignorant of it, in my own games.

Same here

[Psyren]

DSP Psionics has the following sidebar that I recommend in lieu of the CPsi one:

Damage Reduction and Powers

Just like spells, psionic powers and psi-like abilities are not subject to damage reduction.

However, official rulings have been made that spells that deal a type of physical damage (bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing) are subject to damage reduction for the damage dealt of a physical type.

It is important for game balance reasons that in either situation, that the rule be applied uniformly: either spells and powers that deal damage of a physical type are affected by damage reduction, or spells and powers that deal damage of a physical type are not affected by damage reduction. It should not be applied to one and not the other.

Powers affected by this ruling include crystal shard, hail of crystals, and swarm of crystals.

Spells affected by this ruling include ice storm and storm of vengeance.

This is for Pathfinder obviously but it works fine in 3.5. too.

[Telok]

Most of the abuse with that will just be 'normal' action economy abuse - and you're either going to be burning wealth quickly to do it, or you're going to be attaching capacitors and waiting a while for them to charge up between uses... ...What sorts of abuses are you envisioning?

Generally about what you said. XP free reality revisions, time jumps, or easy psychic reformations, three more powers getting used on the first round of combat in addition to the three or four that were already happening at this level of optimization.

[Endarire]

My motto toward Complete Psionic as GM is to ignore its nerfs and generally keep the other material. My groups haven't fretted over it.

Also, Persistent Spell (OGL) is +4 spell slot levels instead of +6 from Complete Arcane.

[Calthropstu]

If the latest rules take effect, then the SRD would trump the complete psionics handbook. The 1 at a time limitation does not exist in the SRD... as such it is superseded.

So it kind of looks like the limitation has been removed.

[Doctor Awkward]

If you think psionics doesn't have nice things, I urge you to look at the material again. As for the DCs scaling with what is effectively caster level, if you can't see how that goes against practically every convention set by the d20 system, then I can't really say much for you.

I'm well aware psionics has nice things. Ardent is one of my favorite 3.5 classes.

And conventions, just like crazy, are still a matter of perspective.

Energy Stun as printed on the SRD is a close range power with a 5-ft. radius burst, a and a few flavorful elemental settings. The biggest selling factor it has is the save DC scaling. Sure at level 9+ it can get out of control, a little earlier if the psion grabs Overchannel + Talented, but otherwise it's just a neat effect that a primary spellcaster can't easily duplicate.

Now compared the CPsi version of the power to Amethyst Burst from Dragon Magic, pg. 75. Amethyst Burst is also a 2nd level Close Range Psion/Wilder power with a typical scaling augment, except it has a 20-ft. radius burst. And it does force damage, so it also works on incorporeal targets.

Without the nerf, any three of these powers could see their way onto the same character's list. With the nerf? There's no reason not to take Amethyst Burst over both of them, unless that book isn't available.

You can argue that only proves that Amethyst Burst is overpowered too (full disclosure: I've played in parties with psions who took that as their only blasting power), but if you are still in line with the relative power of the group then that's all that matters. The DM just puts you up against stronger enemies.

[Inevitability]

Also, Persistent Spell (OGL) is +4 spell slot levels instead of +6 from Complete Arcane.

Complete Arcane is a more recent source, though.

[Particle_Man]

How many Astral Constructs can a psionic player summon?

Zero. Astral Constructs are created, not summoned. [/pedant]

[Zombimode]

but if you are still in line with the relative power of the group then that's all that matters. The DM just puts you up against stronger enemies.

You're making a whole lot of assumptions here, pal. This is not the way I run things, for instance. The challenges in my Settings and adventures are static. It is the Players job AND prerogative to find ways to beat those challenges.

[Doctor Awkward]

You're making a whole lot of assumptions here, pal. This is not the way I run things, for instance. The challenges in my Settings and adventures are static. It is the Players job AND prerogative to find ways to beat those challenges.

If the players are trouncing your enemies with ease and everyone is having fun then there is no problem.

If one player is bored because he spent tons of time building an efficient and effective character and is facing no real challenge, then it's the DM's prerogative to challenge him appropriately. Ditto if the party is bored.

[Nifft]

Also, Persistent Spell (OGL) is +4 spell slot levels instead of +6 from Complete Arcane.

What's the source for "(OGL)"?

The one in the SRD appears to be six levels higher: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/divine/div...ersistentSpell

[Jack_Simth]

What's the source for "(OGL)"?

The one in the SRD appears to be six levels higher: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/divine/div...ersistentSpell

Open Gaming Liscense. The Official source is a set of... was it .doc's or .rtf's... no matter... on WotC's website. Those never got errata, and were just simple documents, so people put them on websites with organization. They then incorporated errata documents and other OGL sources. d20srd.org is one such - it's technically not official WotC, it just gets most the content from there.

[icefractal]

Now compared the CPsi version of the power to Amethyst Burst from Dragon Magic, pg. 75. Amethyst Burst is also a 2nd level Close Range Psion/Wilder power with a typical scaling augment, except it has a 20-ft. radius burst. And it does force damage, so it also works on incorporeal targets.

Amethyst Burst doesn't stun people; of course it's going to better for just dealing damage. Also, Energy Stun either does more damage, has +2 DC/+2 vs SR, or ignores hardness, so against a single target it's sometimes better even for that.

[Doctor Awkward]

Amethyst Burst doesn't stun people;

Neither does Energy Burst(derp) Stun with the CPsi nerf...


Smashing inanimate objects is a waste of power points. You take a Warblade with you for that. Or an Adamantine dagger.

The real problem is that Energy Burst(derp) Stun is strictly worse for all of those functions than Energy Missile. The only reason people would even consider Energy Stun is that Missile is Kineticist only.

And with the nerf there's really no choice to make. I'm not faulting people for wanting to run a game with the nerf. I'm saying it takes away something really nice from psionics that isn't any more overpowered than what primary spellcasters can do, so it's a little silly to use that nerf without also doing something to address primary spellcasters.

[Calthropstu]

Zero. Astral Constructs are created, not summoned. [/pedant]

Well done. Very well done.