Psyionics.

[Katdoral]

So, Ty and I have discussed this to some extent already, but I would like some more input before finalizing anything. We basically came to two changes to the current psionics system.

1) Remove the +1/-1 from the elemental damaging powers. For instance: If you choose to use fire as an elemental type, in ever instance it gives 1d6+1. Since all of these powers can be augmented with additional damage dice, we believe that the +1 can be safely removed without damaging the utility of these psionic powers.

2) To remove the augmentation of the DC. This is probably the single most broken aspect of psionics. When an 8th level psion can get their DC's up to 30, there's a problem. I can think of no normal situation in which any other spellcasting class can get to that number at that level.

So, feel free to begin the discussion.

[Sardinal]

I agree with both changes. Removing the extra effects the elemental psionic abilities come with is a must. They're nothing but power creep run amok. Pumpable DC's were a terrible idea. They should be replaced with Psionic Focus feats for the different fields of psionics, much like the Spell Focus feats for magic.

[Thelin]

Agreed. Psionics should not be able to raise the dc's so arbitrarily. as for the +/- 1's they seem like kind of a pittance.

[Katdoral]

Sept 11, 2013 20:11:08 GMT -5 Thelin said:

Agreed. Psionics should not be able to raise the dc's so arbitrarily. as for the +/- 1's they seem like kind of a pittance.

hehe, until you're throwing 15 dice, then that's an extra 15 damage on everything


from Zivix: I agree that the DC bumps are a bit much, there is no way for a wizard to compete with that without taking some feats, so allow the damage to be augmented but the DC to not be.  Very cool.

[Zivix]

There is a change to a psionic feat that I'd like to see.  The Power Penetration and Greater Power Penetration feats both require the expenditure of your psionic focus.  The two similar feats for magic require nothing other than taking the feat and produce the same results.  For a flavor difference, I could see requiring a psion to BE psionically focused to get the benefit of the feat, I don't see how expending it should be required.  The actual metapsionic feats require spending your focus, but they give a significant bump to the power, and to be honest I'm not sure these should require expending focus either, since they still require extra power points to use, thus making them the equivalent of the spell level bump of the magic versions of the feats.  Just my thoughts.

[Katdoral]

Sept 28, 2013 0:14:20 GMT -5 Zivix said:

There is a change to a psionic feat that I'd like to see.  The Power Penetration and Greater Power Penetration feats both require the expenditure of your psionic focus.  The two similar feats for magic require nothing other than taking the feat and produce the same results.  For a flavor difference, I could see requiring a psion to BE psionically focused to get the benefit of the feat, I don't see how expending it should be required.  The actual metapsionic feats require spending your focus, but they give a significant bump to the power, and to be honest I'm not sure these should require expending focus either, since they still require extra power points to use, thus making them the equivalent of the spell level bump of the magic versions of the feats.  Just my thoughts.

Well, the difference being in the bonus they apply. Power penetration increases the caster level check by 4, and Greater Power Penetration increases the caster level check by another 4, whereas Spell Penetration increases the caster level check by 2, and Greater by an additional 2. To call them similair, when one is 100% more effective then the other, is perhaps inaccurate.

That being said, there could be a case made to change power penetration and greater power penetration to offer the same bonus and then not require the expenditure of their psionic focus. However in most of the psionic feats I've read, having a psionic focus is generally a requirement and may also be required to recieve these bonuses.

As for the psionic metamagic feats, Not all require an increase in cost, such as widen power. The rest do seem to, mostly they cost an additional 2, with maximize being an increase in 4. I suspect that the developers realized the amount of increase augmentation can provide and placed this limitation as a means of bringing psionic characters in line with the other core classes.