From: jb8n+@andrew.cmu.edu (Joseph E. Beck)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Class' power (was Re: how to imprison a psionicist)
Date: 21 Dec 92 03:30:44 GMT
	<0#r2r4p@rpi.edu>
Organization: Junior, Math/Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA




jelliw@warren1a.its.rpi.edu (William Brian Jellig) writes:
> |> If I make the claim "heavy weight boxing champions are tough
> |> to beat in a fist fight" would you dispute it?  Probably not.  But if
> |> tomorow the heavyweight boxing champion was put in a coma and
> |> permanently paralyzed he certainly would be easy beat.  Yet the claim
> |> is still valid (under most people's hypothesis testing schemes).  If
> |> it makes you happy, I'll restate the psion argument:  with a rational
> |> selection scheme (great...now he's going to make me evaluate all
> |> rational selection schemes...) psionicists as a class are more
> |> powerful than the others.  
> 
> *strikes a match*
Uses metamorphis science to turn into a nonflammable rock.
 
> I don't know about the rest of you, but my psi-head is part of an adventuring
> *PARTY*, where the right selection of spells/skills/powers of each member, 
> when coordinated, results in a successful adventure.  Having your psi choose
> all these powerful abilities, like domination, disintegrate, teleport, etc.
> from the beginning seems kinda wasteful. What kind of enemies do your DMs 
> put your 1-5 level party up against that you feel the need to min-max your 
> power list?  (DM: you see a pack of kobalds. PSI: i dominate the leader, and
> then i disintegrate another)  I find the psionicist's strengths to be much more
> evident in non-combat, problem-solving applications.
Yes.  Reread several of my posts.  I've stated that psis aren't at
their peak in combat, but in missions requiring stealth, maneuvering,
information gathering, and acquiring friends.

> Your thief having trouble
> with that locked door today? 
Who needs a thief with your handy dandy swiss army psi?

> Use molecular agitation and melt it, or that one
> (cant remember name) that secretes acid to dissolve it.
Or use decay matter a few times.  Should do the trick and is very
cheap.  Works on doors, buildings, suits of armor, and that touch to
reach spot just under the nose.

>  When you do get into
> combat, toss a couple of simple ego whips to disorient your foes while the 
> fighter does what he/she does best.  As for teleporting, i'm sure the rest of
> the party is going to be real happy with you for leaving them stranded when
> the battle shifts away from your favor.
But how about using teleport to sneak into a building (who needs those
silly thief abilities).  Is your psi never alone and want to escape
quickly.  How about teleport other as a nasty attack (or abduction)
method?  
 
> If you are content to wander the world, hack-and-slash, and strike fear into
> the hearts of your enemies, or if you are playing solo, with no buddies to 
> back you up in a fight, go ahead and exploit the advantages you have been 
> discussing, and disregard everything i have said. For the rest of you,
> who do things besides fight in your campaigns, what do you think the
> strongest NON-COMBAT psi powers are?
I find your attitude very insulting.  Reread some of my earlier posts
(they're only a few days old, your newsreader should still have them,
if not send mail and I'll forward them...) I've kept stating the a psi
is cool in combat but is much more nasty *out* of combat.  I've
mentioned numerous times that in a political or spy campaign psi are
incredible.  I just can't  understand how you could draw the
conclusion that I was a hack and slash person because I agreed with
someone that psis were too powerful in combat.  Also, being extremely
versatile does not mean that you ignore everyone else in your party,
but it does mean they may wonder why the world isn't overrun with
psions.  But feel free to ignore what I said in my earlier posts and
make up the facts to suit yourself...

About psis being part of a team, as another poster put it they're the
ultimate swiss army character.  Look at Psychometabolism.  With
abilities like Cause Decay they can perform a lot of thief functions
(in a somewhat more traceable manner).  Need someone healed?  There's
cell adjustment.  Want to polymorph into *any* form *roughly* your
size?  That's no problem either.  Wow, wonder what they do at second
level...  The point I'm trying to make is that the psi often removes
the need for other classes (particularly thieves).  Why have this
thief to sneak into a castle and steal a document?  Teleport in and
take a look around.  Or if you don't have teleport dominate someone to
let you in.  Etc.  They're just *too* well rounded.  The only thing
they're missing (someone else mentioned this) is alarm type powers
that someone is sneaking up on them (other than danger sense), and
they're abilities are difficult to maintain while they're asleep (mage
and priest spells don't stop when the caster sleeps).  I don't think
this offsets their extreme versatility.

Powers out of combat?  Well, there's detonate.  What?  That's a combat
power you say.  Actually, it blows away up to 8 cubic feet of material
(the percentage destroyed is your power check * 10%).  Have any nasty
walls or doors you don't want around.  It's ungodly nonsubtle, for
amusing IMO.  But for most noncombat situations the most obvious area
is telepathy.  Combine it with psychic surgery and go wild, if you
can't think of what to do next...  Metamorphis is a good contender
with the ability to polymorph into living and nonliving matter.  It
doesn't specify if you can imitate a specific person or not, but it's
still great for sneaking around or getting away.  And when you stop
thinking of Time Shift as solely a combat ability it starts to look
very useful.  And this is only a (fairly diverse) sample, a lot of the
powers have nonobvious uses.   

	joe
	Who's somewhat disturbed to find out he's a hack and
        slasher...
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd