The Psion v1.0 - the first release version, now with Soul Knifes
Added 2019-03-28 01:46:45 +0000 UTCSorry for the Psion spam - I know that not of all of you are here for the Psion, and I promise we'll see a lot more non-Psion stuff soon :)
But this is the release version of Psion that'll go up on Reddit tomorrow. It mostly has a metric crapton of grammar and spelling fixes (and probably needs more, but I've done my best :) ).
I have also decided to add the Soul Knife, a Monk Archetype, to the document. This was done after some reflection for a few reasons: (a) I think this is something a lot of people will be looking for in a Psion - the Soul Knife has always been one of the most popular archetypes of Psion, (b) I want to show from the start that this is meant as a psionics system, as I think that explains several of the strange choices I've made in making the class. This is like the Wizard for magic - it exists so that we can have psionics, and is the purest expression of psionics, but is far from the extent of psionics. The Soul Knife here is pretty influenced by the 3.5 version, but I think the monk framework is a perfect fit for the thematic concept.
It should be noted that Enhancement can actually be used to make a very strong gish-like character with the right build - that's intentional. It's a support character by default, but with Surging Power (instead of Balance of Power) and Physical Surge you can make a pretty powerful/resilient gish that comes online pretty early, with the temporary hit points covering the weak hit die. This is something psionics have always lended themselves to, the original gish's themselves are psionic. The original build had this as the default route of Enhancement, but I decided to make the support route the more default approach, but this is the sort of flexibility I want to maintain. In contrast, while some could consider a Soulblade a Gish, they excel much more at the psionically assisted stabbing than the actual casting (as they never get Psionic Mastery, their ability to use the Powers effectively is limited, and for a monk in particularly the Enhancing Surge/Surging Power combo is pretty weak as they need the bonus action for their martial arts). They are more likely to get mileage from things like Jump and Shield and eventual Fly, which is why Telekinetics is their default power.
I have added a few more talents, but it's still going to be a bit talent light. I think it's more than enough to get people started though :)
I will add a 4th level Telekinetics (to fill that gap) spell soon, perhaps before tomorrow, but I haven't nailed down what I want. Perusing old 3.5 stuff, but haven't found anything I quite want, I'll probably write something from scratch, but that requires more testing and balance.
I appreciate all your feedback so far, and all the feedback you have going forward. Not all feedback is instantly implemented, but it is all considered and recorded - no feedback is made in vain, and I really appreciate all that have shared their thoughts with me so far! :)
I will continue to tweak fix things until I publish it tomorrow. Some minor things I changed:
-upped the damage die on psionic powers for telepathy and telekinesis.
-tweaked the spell lists.
-fixed a lot of copy/paste errors.
-added Aura Sight, Psionic Weapon, and Phase Shift (the start of translocation powers... expect more of this, probably a whole psionic ability).
-added soul knife
-add psionic feats.
-added another option to Thaumaturgy for Unleashed... it seems classic :)
Moving forward from v1.0, the change log will be kept in the document and it'll be versioned.
Comments
To be fair, a crossbow is better than a cantrip most of the time pre level 5... that said I don't mean to say that it's not a problem to consider what to do about their 1-3 player. 1d4 temp hp is a lot of health at those levels; that could absorb most an entire goblin hit. I will definitely consider what I can do for those early levels. I think making it a Bonus Action is quite good, but I'll give it some thought. I am not on record of being a giant fan of levels before 3, but it doesn't mean I should ignore them :) Appreciate the thoughts!
KibblesTasty
2019-03-31 17:32:18 +0000 UTCOne thing bothering me about Enhancing surge is the lack of focus on its main effect. 1d4 temp and 1d4 damage is okayish but chances are half the effect will be lost on the target before the effect wears off. A trancended will be stuck the first 2 levels of play barely contributing to a fight. When a basic attack with a crossbow is a better choice then you’re main power you got a problem. The power needs to just become a bonus action period without the Surging Power Talent so that it sees any use.
Aron Smith
2019-03-31 12:33:09 +0000 UTCUnder Psionic abilities, it has: "When recreating a spell through a Psionic effect (using a Psionic discipline to cast the spell) the spell has no Material or Verbal components, but always requires Somatic components and causes the Psion to vibrantly glow with the otherworldly psionic energies they are controlling." This is to remove the fact that otherwise Psionics is basically permanent subtle spell if you remove the verbal incantations (which are not thematic for psionics). I think I have fixed Balance of Power, it has a lot of funky wording, would double check to make sure it's correct now. Kinetic Slam should be a ranged attack, good catch. I think Grappler would work with with Mental Might... it's worth nothing that Grappler requires 13 strength. Grappler is also a lot better than I remember it being, interesting. I may just use more grappling than I used to. Psionic weapon is currently terrible, sorry; I think that was a placeholder I had in there and forgot to update. Psionic weapon is something that Psions should be able to do, but I don't think I even went back and figured out what it should be and tuned it properly. Will update that at some point. Appreciate all the thoughts/feedback!
KibblesTasty
2019-03-28 21:03:10 +0000 UTCSome additional notes on the Psionic talents: Controlled Power: You glow when you use psionic powers? I don't remember reading that anywhere, did I miss it? Balance of Power: "you can gather add of the hitpoints granted to a stored pool. " Is this meant to say all? And is this in addition to, rather than instead of granting the temporary hitpoints? Kinetic Slam: For the purposes of advantages, does the attack count as melee or ranged? Mental Might: Does the effects of the grappler feat apply to this? Psionic Weapon: Is there some synergy to this that I'm not seeing? With balance of power, you have a trigger for the extra psychic damage, but you can deal that through other means, and then you're left with spending an action on 1d6 damage, which I can't see how is worth it.
Jakob
2019-03-28 20:56:37 +0000 UTC
