New OOTS products from CafePress
New OOTS t-shirts, ornaments, mugs, bags, and more
Results 1 to 9 of 9
  1. - Top - End - #1
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Reptilius's Avatar

    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    In America!
    Gender
    Male

    Default Battle Psychic-Base Class (ToB/Psionics) PEACH

    Battle Psychic
    HD: d6

    ((Inspired by the Blade Scholar and the realization that both psionics and ToB shared the word discipline.))



    Description: A battle psychic is an adherent of the Sublime Way. Although she is a psionic character, she does not manifest powers. Rather, she uses her psychic energy to refresh her maneuvers. She can learn maneuvers from any discipline, but can only dedicate her mind to a few disciplines at a time. She can use the repository of her knowledge to generate lethal weapons out of crystal,and can connect one of her disciplines to a psionic discipline.

    Adventures: Like all adventurers, a battle psychic adventures to increase her personal power. Despite the semi-ascetic nature of the class, many cannot resist the lure of showing off their unique abilities, and use their talents for whatever they wish.

    Alignment: Battle psychics appear on all levels of the good-evil spectrum, as psionics and the Sublime Way are largely unconnected to alignment. Due to the intense focus and grueling training required by the class, most battle psychics are lawful, although many who prefer showboating to meditation are chaotic. Neutral battle psychics are not unheard-of.

    Religion: The battle psychic's devotion to the mastery of her fighting style leaves little time for prayer. Those that do worship a deity tend to let combat serve as their prayers and usually worship a deity of combat, magic, and/or psionics (Such as Kord, Pelor, or Zuoken).

    Background: The main (and largest) order of battle psychics, the Warrior's Collective, began as a splinter group from the Temple of Nine Swords. A young swordsage, his name lost to time, discovered his untapped psychic potential while meditating on the nature of strength. He claimed he could teach his blend of psionics and the Way to others, and accumulated a sizable number of disciples. He was exiled for creating the first discipline crystal, as it was believed it would render traditional, more practical mastery obsolete. Unperturbed, he and his followers established the Collective. The Collective sided with the Shadow Tiger horde, but was betrayed, and most of the small Collective was destroyed. A few of the survivors established small guilds of their own, but most were indigent, taking on an apprentice only rarely.

    Most battle psychics have some natural psionic talents and learned of ways to apply them to physical combat. Many others are students of the Sublime Way that left their teachers for the promise of power. The schism between them Temple and the Collective still reaches into the present, engendering bad blood between battle psychics and other martial adepts.

    Race: The penchant for psionics is equally common in any of the races, and any could conceivably receive training from one of the few battle psychic guilds or wandering masters, but humans and elves are most drawn to the quasi-mystical powers of this class.

    Battle psychics are uncommon among the uncivilized races, as study of the Sublime Way is a key factor. However, there is a fairly large remnant guild composed mainly of blues, who offer to teach any goblinoid the Way.

    Role: A battle psychic is a powerful warrior, whose relatively low hit points and limited armor proficiency make her a poor meat shield. Like swordsages, she is best suited for a maneuverable or tactical role, and her entwine disciplines stance helps in this. Her low health reservoir is somewhat offset by her ability to heal herself in her psychometabolism stance and with Devoted Spirit maneuvers. Her ability to use maneuvers from all disciplines allows her to take almost any combat role, even though she can only use a few at a time. These also make her a valid choice for a "fifth wheel" character.

    Battle Psychic
    {table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Maneuvers Known|Maneuvers Readied|Stances Known|Power Points/Day

    1st|
    +0
    |
    +0
    |
    +0
    |
    +2
    |Discipline Crystal, Focused Discipline, Crystal Blade|4|2|1|2

    2nd|
    +1
    |
    +0
    |
    +0
    |
    +3
    |Precognitive Dodge (Focused)|5|3|1|6

    3rd|
    +2
    |
    +1
    |
    +1
    |
    +3
    |-|6|3|1|11

    4th|
    +3
    |
    +1
    |
    +1
    |
    +4
    |Entwine Disciplines, +1 Crystal Blade|6|3|1|17

    5th|
    +3
    |
    +1
    |
    +1
    |
    +4
    |Precognitive Reflex (Focused) |7|4|1|25

    6th|
    +4
    |
    +2
    |
    +2
    |
    +5
    | Blade Enhancement +1|7|4|1|35

    7th|
    +5
    |
    +2
    |
    +2
    |
    +5
    |-|8|4|3|46

    8th|
    +6/+1
    |
    +2
    |
    +2
    |
    +6
    |+2 Crystal Blade, Precognitive Dodge (Any)|8|4|2|58

    9th|
    +6/+1
    |
    +3
    |
    +3
    |
    +6
    |-|9|5|2|72

    10th|
    +7/+2
    |
    +3
    |
    +3
    |
    +7
    |Fourth Discipline, Blade Enhancement +2|9|5|2|88

    11th|
    +8/+3
    |
    +3
    |
    +3
    |
    +7
    |Precognitive Reflex (Any)|10|5|2|106

    12th|
    +9/+4
    |
    +4
    |
    +4
    |
    +8
    |+3 Crystal Blade, Psychic Recovery|10|5|2|126

    13th|
    +10/+5
    |
    +4
    |
    +4
    |
    +8
    |-|11|6|3|147

    14th|
    +10/+5
    |
    +4
    |
    +4
    |
    +9
    |Blade Enhancement +3|11|6|3|170

    15th|
    +11/+6/+1
    |
    +5
    |
    +5
    |
    +9
    |-|12|6|3|195

    16th|
    +12/+7/+2
    |
    +5
    |
    +5
    |
    +10
    |+4 Crystal Blade|12|6|3|221

    17th|
    +13/+8/+3
    |
    +5
    |
    +5
    |
    +10
    |-|13|7|3|250

    18th|
    +13/+8/+3
    |
    +6
    |
    +6
    |
    +11
    |Blade Enhancement +4|13|7|3|280

    19th|
    +14/+8/+4
    |
    +6
    |
    +6
    |
    +11
    |-|14|7|3|311

    20th|
    +15/+10/+5
    |
    +6
    |
    +6
    |
    +12
    |Fifth Discipline, Double Focus, Crystal Doom 1/day, +5 Crystal Blade|15|8|4|343 [/table]

    Class Skills
    The Battle psychic’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Autohypnosis* (Wis), Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration* (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha) Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (psionics)* (Int), Martial Lore (Int), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex).
    Skill Points at 1st Level
    (6 + Int modifier) ×4.
    Skill Points at Each Additional Level
    6 + Int modifier.

    Special:

    Weapon and Armor Proficiency:
    As a battle psychic, you are proficient in all simple weapons, your crystal blade (regardless of shape), and light armor.

    Maneuvers Known: Unlike a crusader, swordsage, or warblade, you can choose which disciplines to learn maneuvers from, and change your maneuvers known daily (See Discipline Crystal).

    Once you know a maneuver, you must ready it before you can use it (see Maneuvers Readied, below). A maneuver usable by Battle Psychics is considered an extraordinary ability unless otherwise noted in its description. Your maneuvers are not affected by spell resistance, and you do not provoke attacks of opportunity when you initiate one.

    You learn additional maneuvers at higher levels, as shown on the blade psychic table. You must meet a maneuver’s prerequisite to learn it. See Table 3–1, Tome of Battle p. 39, to determine the highest-level maneuvers you can learn. The number on the Battle Psychic table is the number of maneuvers known in each discipline (see Discipline Crystal below)


    Maneuvers Readied: You can ready two of your maneuvers known from your disciplines at 1st level, and as you advance in level and learn more maneuvers, you are able to ready more, but you must still choose which maneuvers to ready. You ready your maneuvers by concentrating on your discipline crystal for at least 5 minutes. You ready your maneuvers known by concentrating for 20 minutes (see Discipline Crystal below). The maneuvers you choose remain readied until you decide to concentrate again and change them. You need not sleep or rest for any long period of time to ready your maneuvers; any time you spend 5 minutes concentrating, you can change your readied maneuvers. You may only change maneuvers known 1/day, when you regain your power points (See Discipline).

    You begin an encounter with all your readied maneuvers unexpended, regardless of how many times you might have already used them since you chose them. When you initiate a maneuver, you expend it for the current encounter, so each of your readied maneuvers can only be used once per encounter (unless you recover them, as described below).

    You can recover an expended maneuver by using a full-round action to burn psychic energy. You expend power points equal to the maneuver’s level in this process. Doing this does not provoke attacks of opportunity. If you complete your meditation, you can choose one expended maneuver to refresh. It is now available for use in a subsequent round. Even though this process involves the expenditure of power points, this is not a supernatural or spell-like ability, and the battle psychic can recover her maneuvers in an antimagic field or a null psionics field.

    Stances Known: You begin play with knowledge of one 1st-level stance from any discipline. At 4th, 10th, and 16th level, you can choose additional stances. Unlike maneuvers, stances are not expended, and you do not have to ready them. Only the stances in your currently readied disciplines are available to you, and you can change the stance you are currently using as a swift action. A stance is an extraordinary ability unless otherwise stated in the stance description.



    Power Points/Day:
    A battle psychic’s ability to manifest powers is limited by the power points she has available. Her base daily allotment of power points is given on the Blade Psychic table. In addition, he receives bonus power points per day if he has a high Wisdom score. Her race may also provide bonus power points per day, as may certain feats and items.

    Discipline Crystal: Every battle psychic bears a discipline crystal from level 1. A discipline crystal can take any shape; an amulet, a thin crystal rod, a lump of rock, etc. Battle psychics take their maneuvers known from any discipline they know. You may only choose maneuvers readied from your currently known maneuvers. You may change your maneuvers known at any point by concentrating on your crystal for 20 minutes.

    At level 1, you may take your maneuvers known from any three disciplines. At level 10, you may take from a fourth discipline and at level 20 you may take from a fifth. You may ready maneuvers from them as normal.

    You begin play with a discipline crystal containing all the maneuvers known of three disciplines. At each battle psychic level marked on the table, you gain new maneuvers and new stances known in each discipline you know of any level or levels that you can initiate (based on your new level) for your discipline crystal.

    When you regain your power points after resting, you may change your maneuvers known. You must choose from those disciplines which you have chosen. The number of maneuvers you may choose to know is on the Battle Psychic table. When choosing maneuvers known, you must fulfill all prerequisites of those maneuvers, just as if you were learning them permanently. You pick your readied maneuvers from your currently known maneuvers.

    The discipline crystal has 30 hit points and hardness 10.

    If you lose possession of your discipline crystal or it becomes destroyed, you cannot change your disciplines until you recover it. You may change your maneuvers readied in those disciplines as normal.

    If your discipline crystal becomes destroyed or lost, you may create a new one by performing a 24-hour psychic meditation ritual. This requires rare incenses and raw, mundane crystals (such as quartz) worth a total of 150 gp/character level and XP equal to your character level times 200. It contains all the maneuvers and stances in each discipline that you used previously. If your discipline crystal still exists, performing this ritual renders it a mere lump of mundane crystal.


    Focused Discipline (Ex):
    Whenever you prepare your maneuvers known, you must designate any one of your disciplines of them as your focused discipline. Whenever you recover a maneuver from your focused discipline, you may expend your psionic focus to recover all readied maneuvers from that discipline instead of expending power points to recover one.
    Your focused discipline also determines the effects of other class abilities.

    Crystal Blade (Su): As a move action, a battle psychic can create a crystalline blade from his discipline crystal. She may not manifest a blade if she does not possess her crystal. The blade is identical in all ways (except visually) to any weapon associated with her focused discipline. For instance, a Medium battle psychic currently focusing on the Shadow Hand discipline can form a Medium short sword that he can wield as a light weapon, and the blade deals 1d6 points of damage (crit 19-20/×2). Battle psychics who are smaller or larger than Medium create crystal blades appropriate for their size, with a corresponding change to the blade’s damage. The crystal blade is extremely light, and has no weight, regardless of shape. The wielder of a crystal blade gains the usual benefits to her attack roll and damage roll from a high Strength bonus. If the battle psychic manifests her crystal blade as an unarmed strike, large crystalline gauntlets form over her hands. Her unarmed strike gains any enhancement bonus and special abilities that her battle psychic levels would confer. When she is wearing these gauntlets, her unarmed strike damage becomes equal to that of a monk of her class level. She is also considered armed. If the battle psychic manifests her crystal blade as a claw, the gauntlets’ fingers become long and pointed. This form is identical to the unarmed strike form, but it deals slashing damage instead of bludgeoning. Any unarmed strike feats she possesses also apply to her claw weapons. Neither the gauntlets or claws interfere with her manual dexterity.

    The blade can be broken (it has hardness 10 and 10 hit points); however, a battle psychic can simply create another on her next move action. The moment she relinquishes her grip on her blade, it shatters into miniscule pieces. A crystal blade is considered a magic weapon for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
    A battle psychic can use feats such as Power Attack or Combat Expertise in conjunction with the crystal blade just as if it were a normal weapon. She cannot choose crystal blade for feats requiring a specific weapon choice, such as Weapon Specialization. Powers or spells that upgrade weapons can be used on a crystal blade.
    A battle psychic’s crystal blade improves as the character gains higher levels. At 4th level and every four levels thereafter, the crystal blade gains a cumulative +1 enhancement bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls (+2 at 8th level, +3 at 12th level, +4 at 16th level, and +5 at 20th level).
    At 5th level, a battle psychic can manifest two crystal blades at once, as long as one or both are one-handed or light. They do not have to be the same weapon, although they must be associated with her currently focused discipline. Their enhancement bonus is one lower than the enhancement bonus would be for a single weapon (Note: Claws and unarmed Strikes keep their full enhancement bonus, since one is formed on each hand anyway.).

    Even in places where psionic effects do not normally function (such as within a null psionics field), a battle psychic’s crystal blade retains its shape. The weapon is created, not maintained, by psionic energy. However, it loses any enhancements or enhancement bonuses it might have. If the battle psychic’s crystal blade has a +1 or higher enhancement, it is treated as a masterwork weapon. The battle psychic may shatter her weapon with a thought as a move action, effectively sheathing it.

    Precognitive Dodge (Su): Starting at 2nd level, a battle psychic can add her Wisdom modifier as a bonus to her armor class as long as she is psionically focused, unencumbered, wearing light armor, and not using a shield. This bonus still applies against touch attacks and when she is flat-footed. She loses this bonus when she is immobilized or helpless.
    At 8th level, she no longer has to be psionically focused to apply her Wisdom modifier to her armor class. She must still be unencumbered, in light armor, and not wielding a shield.

    Entwine Disciplines Stance (Su): At 4th level, while a battle psychic is in a stance of her focused discipline, she can forgo the normal benefit as a swift action to gain the effect of entwine disciplines stance. She may resume the normal benefit of the stance as a swift action.
    When she enters the entwine disciplines stance, the battle psychic chooses on of the psionic disciplines (Clairsentience, Metacreativity, Psychokinesis, Psychometabolism, Psychoportation, or Telepathy). She may not change this discipline while she maintains the stance. If she stops and later resumes the stance, she may pick a new psionic discipline.
    The effects of the stance vary based on the battle psychic’s current focused discipline and chosen psionic disciplines:

    Clairsentience: Whenever the battle psychic performs a strike from her focused discipline, her Wisdom bonus is considered doubled for all skills, rolls, abilities, etc. This lasts a number of rounds equal to her (doubled) Wisdom bonus. Also, whenever she recovers her focused discipline, she gains a number of temporary power points equal to her Wisdom modifier (like temporary hit points, these power points are expended before actual power points).
    Metacreativity: Whenever a battle psychic initiates a strike from her focused discipline, she may create an astral construct under her control within 30 ft.. The astral construct is of a level equal to the initiated maneuver, and remains for an equal number of rounds. It may take the maneuver that was used to summon it as a menu choice of the highest menu it has access to (1-3: Menu A, 4-6: Menu B, 7-9: Menu C). It cannot recover this maneuver.
    Psychokinesis: By performing a telekinetically assisted throw, a battle psychic may perform a ranged attack with her current weapon and have it return to her as a standard action. She adds her Wisdom bonus to her attack and damage rolls. This attack has a range increment of 15 feet. A battle psychic may initiate strikes from her focused discipline with this attack as though it was a melee attack.
    Psychoportation: Immediately after completing a strike from her chosen maneuver, a battle psychic can teleport either herself or her target a number of feet equal to her wisdom bonus times 10 ft. (minimum 10 ft.) as a swift action. If her strike has several targets, she may choose any number of them up to her Wisdom bonus (minimum 1). If there are fewer than that, she may teleport all of them. All targets get a Will save to avoid being moved (DC=10+Wisdom modifier+1/2 class level).
    Psychometabolism: Whenever the battle psychic initiates a maneuver from her focused discipline, she may gain one of the following effects:
    Rejuvenation: Heal damage equal to 3 times the level of the maneuver initiated. (once per encounter).
    Biofeedback: Gain a bonus to Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution equal to the level of the maneuver initiated. This lasts for an equal number of rounds (once per encounter).
    Psychofeedback: Gain a bonus to Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma equal to the level of the maneuver initiated. This lasts for an equal number of rounds (once per encounter).
    Durability: Gain a natural armor bonus to armor class equal to one-and-a-half times the level of the maneuver maneuver initiated. This lasts for a number of rounds equal to the level of the maneuver (once per encounter).
    She may use a full-round action to “recover” one of these effects, so that she may use it later in the same encounter.
    Telepathy: The battle psychic projects a psychic aura, sharing her maneuver knowledge with her allies. Whenever the battle psychic recovers her focused discipline maneuvers, she may choose one of a level equal to or lower than her Wisdom bonus (minimum 1). All allies within 30 ft. can use this maneuver once as long as they stay within 30 ft. She projects the aura for a number of rounds equal to 3+ the battle psychic’s Wisdom modifier. If an ally does not use the maneuver before the aura stops projecting, he loses the knowledge of it. If the ally leaves the area of the aura, they lose knowledge of the maneuver, but if they re-enter the aura, they regain it. This does not give them any further uses of the maneuver. Any allies who enter the aura after it begins projecting may use the maneuver once, and lose it normally when the aura ends.

    Precognitive Reflex (Su): At 5th level, a battle psychic’s future sight becomes sharper. She applies her Wisdom bonus to her Reflex saves as long as she is psionically focused, unencumbered, wearing light armor, and not using a shield. This bonus is still applied even when she is flat-footed.

    At 11th level, she no longer has to be psionically focused to apply her Wisdom modifier to her Reflex saves. She must still be unencumbered, in light armor, and not wielding a shield.

    Blade Enhancement (Su):
    At 6th level, a battle psychic gains the ability to enhance her crystal blade. She can add any one weapon special ability that has an enhancement bonus value of +1.
    At every four levels beyond 6th (10th, 14th, and 18th), the value of the enhancement a battle psychic can add to her weapon improves to +2, +3, and +4, respectively. A battle psychic can choose any combination of weapon special abilities that does not exceed the total allowed by the battle psychic’s level.

    The weapon ability or abilities remain the same every time the battle psychic materializes her crystal blade (unless she decides to reassign its abilities; see below). The ability or abilities apply to any form the crystal blade takes, including the unarmed strike or claw forms.

    A battle psychic can reassign the ability or abilities she has added to her crystal blade. To do so, she must first spend 8 hours in concentration. After that period, the crystal blade materializes with the new ability or abilities selected by the battle psychic.

    If the battle psychic initiates her crystal doom strike, she may assign the ability or abilities of each weapon separately, without any special preparation. After the strike has completed, her crystal blade resumes its previous form and abilities.

    Psychic Recovery (Su): At 12th level, if the blade psychic performs a strike from her focused discipline, she may recover that maneuver instantaneously as a swift action by expending power points equal to its level times 2.

    Double Focus (Ex): When readying her maneuvers known, a 20th level battle psychic may designate a second of her five disciplines as a focused discipline. This second focused discipline has all the benefits of being a focused discipline (quick recovery, crystal blade forms, psychic recovery, and the entwine disciplines stance). Each of the disciplines must be recovered independently. All of these abilities apply equally to both focused disciplines. However, when a battle psychic enters the entwine disciplines stance, she must choose one of her focused disciplines to gain the benefits of the stance. She may only switch the “entwined” discipline if she terminates, then reenters the stance.

    Crystal Doom (Su): A 20th level battle psychic can unlock the true powers of her crystal blade with this strike once per day. In order to initiate it, she must expend the 9th-level maneuvers of both her focused disciplines. These may be recovered as normal. As a full-round action, she may unleash a torrent of vicious attacks upon any target within 30 ft. She makes a melee attack against that target at her highest base attack bonus with each weapon associated with her two focused disciplines (If the two disciplines share an associated weapon, attack with that weapon twice). She applies both her Strength bonus and Wisdom bonus to attack and damage. Damage is always calculated as though each weapon was wielded in two hands (if applicable) (Power Attack can be used in conjunction with this strike). Each of these attacks is with the +5 crystal blade of that weapon. Each of the weapons has a +4 bonus that can be allocated to any ability or abilities; they do not need to all possess the same abilities. The unarmed strike and claw weapons still deal damage as a monk of her class level. Her crystal blade then reappears in her hands in any form and with any abilities that were used with that form during the strike.


    What do you think? I tried to balance things, but I'm worried that the class is overpowered, and toning down the power could remove some of the cornerstones of the class.
    Last edited by Reptilius; 2008-05-15 at 01:56 PM.
    Goblin Shaman by Simius

    Creations:
    The Battle Psychic Martial Adept

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Some kind of hell
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Battle Psychic-Base Class (ToB/Psionics) PEACH

    I had to mull this one over for a bit before I felt qualified to respond.

    Outside of a few glitches in the text (referring to the crystal blade as a mind blade in a few instances), this class seems to be erring a little on the powerful side, but over all, actually pretty good. I like your recovery mechanics, but the few things I'm sketchy on:

    1) The discipline crystal. This really is a big thing, being able to constantly trade out whole disciplines and all of your maneuvers known with little inconvenience. I understand what you're trying to blend together here, but unfortunately this is where you get too strong. My suggestion would be to simply remove that aspect of the discipline crystal. And then instead of maxing out at 4 disciplines at 20th level, increase the discipline progression to 5 disciplines at 20 and allow them to change out maneuvers known in those selected disciplines 1/day when they meditate to regain power points.

    2) I'd consider reducing the power point progression as well, but that's just because it seems like a lot. I'd reduce to something more like Psychic Warrior's power point levels.

    Otherwise I was finding myself really enjoying this. Basically more like what Soulknife should have been. Good work.

    -X
    Chris Bennett
    Author and Lead Developer of Path of War
    Freelancer

    My credits:
    Path of War and Path of War Expanded: An OGL Tome of Battle for the Pathfinder game system, for Dreamscarred Press.
    Psionics Augmented: Psychic Warrior and Psionics Augmented: Soulknife for Dreamscarred Press.

    My extended homebrew signature!

  3. - Top - End - #3
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Reptilius's Avatar

    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    In America!
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Battle Psychic-Base Class (ToB/Psionics) PEACH

    Grrr...I thought I had caught all those little bits .

    1) Yeah, I was afraid of that. At level 20, a battle psychic has almost twice as many maneuvers known as a swordsage (48 vs. 25), and can pretty much change them daily. You say that instead of knowing changeable disciplines with set maneuver lists, they should have a set (and expanding) number of disciplines while having changeable maneuvers. I like your suggestion, and will consider it while I work out a better system.

    2) I was also worried about the psion power point progression, but I remembered that other martial adepts can recover whenever they like, and that battle psychics are limited by their reservoir of PP. Even their ability to recover their focused discipline with their psionic focus means that they need at least one power point left. Then again, recovering a maneuver higher than first level is cheaper than manifesting a power, so that might permit a reduction...I don't know, I'll leave it as is for now.
    Last edited by Reptilius; 2008-05-10 at 03:18 PM.
    Goblin Shaman by Simius

    Creations:
    The Battle Psychic Martial Adept

  4. - Top - End - #4
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Reptilius's Avatar

    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    In America!
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Battle Psychic-Base Class (ToB/Psionics) PEACH

    Alright, I decided to go with ErrantX's idea. It removes the "48 maneuvers" problem, but now they have fewer maneuvers known than any of the other classes. Though I suppose that's evened out by their ability to change them.

    Any other insights?
    Goblin Shaman by Simius

    Creations:
    The Battle Psychic Martial Adept

  5. - Top - End - #5
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Boston, MA

    Default Re: Battle Psychic-Base Class (ToB/Psionics) PEACH

    Quote Originally Posted by Reptilius View Post
    Alright, I decided to go with ErrantX's idea. It removes the "48 maneuvers" problem, but now they have fewer maneuvers known than any of the other classes. Though I suppose that's evened out by their ability to change them.

    Any other insights?
    I'm not sure other than a small amount of flavor that this seems very psychic. One thing I'd suggest that would help with that and also make up for the now small number of maneuvers would be to let them take a few powers. Say pick up every odd level after first a power from either the psion/wilder list or the psychic warrior list. I'd suggest for maximum power levels known- 2nd level kicks in at level 7, 3rd level at level 13, and 4th level at level 17. This gives them a tiny bit of additional power making up for the lack of maneuvers if they plan it well and helps underscore the flavor. However, if you do this than Errant's comment about maybe reducing the pp total becomes more relevant.

    One minor nitpick: you say "The weapon is created, o maintained, by psionic energy" I think you mean "not maintained".

  6. - Top - End - #6
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Reptilius's Avatar

    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    In America!
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Battle Psychic-Base Class (ToB/Psionics) PEACH

    Quote Originally Posted by JoshuaZ View Post
    I'm not sure other than a small amount of flavor that this seems very psychic. One thing I'd suggest that would help with that and also make up for the now small number of maneuvers would be to let them take a few powers. Say pick up every odd level after first a power from either the psion/wilder list or the psychic warrior list. I'd suggest for maximum power levels known- 2nd level kicks in at level 7, 3rd level at level 13, and 4th level at level 17. This gives them a tiny bit of additional power making up for the lack of maneuvers if they plan it well and helps underscore the flavor. However, if you do this than Errant's comment about maybe reducing the pp total becomes more relevant.
    I would disagree with your statement on the psionic fluff (mostly because I made the class, but whatever). The crystal blade ability is almost identical to the mind blade (although, granted, the mind blade is pretty fluffy). The battle psychic can make use of a psionic focus (something only psionic characters can have). Simply having power points (even just one) makes you a psionic character. This class just changes the use of power points. It's still a psionic class; you can take psionic feats, use powers from other classes, and gain a psionic focus.

    I had considered giving them some powers, but It seemed too powerful. Now that they have fewer maneuvers, powers wouldn't really be out of the question. I agree that if they were to have powers, the power points should definitely be reduced, but not to psychic warrior levels. Even though the battle psychic would have fewer (and cheaper) powers, they would have to share those power points with maneuver recovery. I'm sure a happy medium could be worked out, but I'd rather increase the number of maneuvers known instead.

    If powers were to be included, your progression seems good.
    Goblin Shaman by Simius

    Creations:
    The Battle Psychic Martial Adept

  7. - Top - End - #7
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    MonkGuy

    Join Date
    Apr 2008

    Default Re: Battle Psychic-Base Class (ToB/Psionics) PEACH

    First, let me say that I really don't care for Psionics. Though I think the fluff is great something about it just sticks me the wrong way. As it is I like this class a lot based on the flavor value. I do however think you could either give it a full BAB progression, or up the known manuvers to make the crunch match the flavor.

    On a purely flavor note, I love the though of the focus crystal perhaps having been fashioned as an elaborate Bracelet, inset peice of a bracer or into the back of the characters gloves. Then when the blade is needed it can "grow" out of the given item and form the shape becessary. :) Meh, it just sounds cool to me in my head :)
    Crimson Towers Races(Homebrew PEACH stuff)
    Quote Originally Posted by Singhilarity View Post
    "Now, why, specifically, would I need the feats in order to gain this next one in the progression?"

    "Because you need to be able to preform the skills required in order to do it"

    "So, particular names of the skills aside, if I were able to do these things (Rapid Shot + Many Shot) I might be able to pull off a skill exactly the same as Greater Many Shot, even if, say, I called it by it's name in SWAHILI?"

  8. - Top - End - #8
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Reptilius's Avatar

    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    In America!
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Battle Psychic-Base Class (ToB/Psionics) PEACH

    Quote Originally Posted by Aleron View Post
    First, let me say that I really don't care for Psionics. Though I think the fluff is great something about it just sticks me the wrong way. As it is I like this class a lot based on the flavor value. I do however think you could either give it a full BAB progression, or up the known manuvers to make the crunch match the flavor.

    On a purely flavor note, I love the though of the focus crystal perhaps having been fashioned as an elaborate Bracelet, inset peice of a bracer or into the back of the characters gloves. Then when the blade is needed it can "grow" out of the given item and form the shape becessary. :) Meh, it just sounds cool to me in my head :)
    Even though it uses power points, it doesn't use any powers, removing one gripe many people have. But it is still psionic, and thus open to possible breaking. But isn't everything?

    I chose to up the maneuvers. You caught the class in a state of limbo. I had meant to increase them earlier, but things got away from me.

    On the crystal blade: That was exactly my idea.
    Goblin Shaman by Simius

    Creations:
    The Battle Psychic Martial Adept

  9. - Top - End - #9
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Reptilius's Avatar

    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    In America!
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Battle Psychic-Base Class (ToB/Psionics) PEACH

    Alright, I upped the maneuvers known. Any comments.
    Goblin Shaman by Simius

    Creations:
    The Battle Psychic Martial Adept

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •