More for Psions : Psicrystal Substitutions

by Bruce R. Cordell (Dragon #345)

The Expanded Psionics Handbook presents several psicrystal personalities available to a character who chooses the Psicrystal Affinity feat. You can use the following new psicrystal abilities with your DM's permission

Psionic Substitution

A character who possesses a psicrystal might wish to retain its companionship, while at the same time using it to unlock deeper psionic power. By performing a complex ritual that combines meditation and the consumption of special reagents, a character with a psicrystal can enhance its power. This ritual takes one day and consumes gp and XP from the psicrystal's owner. At the end of the ritual, the psicrystal gains a new power usable once per day. Upon reaching the appropriate level (as noted under its description), this ritual can be performed again, at a greater cost, but adding a more powerful ability. The lesser ability must be in place before the greater ability is added. The greater ability can also be used once per day. Triggering a psicrystal ability usually requires a standard action (but see each description below).

All effects are treated as psi-like abilities of a manifester level equal to the character's total psionic class level. Unless otherwise noted, an effect lasts for the remainder of the encounter in which it is activated.

Enhancement	GP Cost	XP Cost
Lesser	300	300
Greater	900	900

Psicrystal Personalities

Each psicrystal personality type offers different substitution abilities.

Artiste

Lesser: Spend a standard action to instantly sculpt a real object from ectoplasm that takes up an empty 10-foot cube anywhere within 30 feet. This block has hardness 5 and a number of hit points equal to 10 times your psionic character level. The block can't be moved, but it can be destroyed. It stops movement and lasts for 1 hour or until the block is destroyed.

Greater (8th): Spend a standard action to instantly sculpt a real object from ectoplasm that creates a wall up to 20 feet tall, 1 foot thick, and up to 20 feet long anywhere within 50 feet. The wall has hardness 10 and a number of hit points equal to 20 times your psionic character level. It stops movement and lasts for 1 hour or until the wall is destroyed.

Bully

Lesser: Spend a standard action to make a ranged bull rush attack against a single foe within 30 feet. To make this attack, first make a ranged touch attack. Next, instead of making a Strength check, you roll 1d20 and add a modifier equal to 15 plus your psionic character level. Your target opposes this roll with a standard Strength check. From here, resolve the bull rush attempt normally. You do not move as a result of the effect. Treat this instantaneous effect as a psionic power with a level equal to your psionic character class level.

Greater (16th): As above, save that you can spend another standard action on the round after you make use of one of these abilities to immediately use it again.

Coward

Lesser: Spend a swift action to gain a +5 bonus on your Hide check (instead of the static +3 normally offered).

Greater (8th): Spend a swift action to gain a +10 bonus on your Hide check (instead of the static +3 normally offered).

Friendly

Lesser: Spend a swift action to gain a +5 bonus on your Diplomacy check (instead of the static +3 normally offered).

Greater (8th): Spend a swift action to gain a +10 bonus on your Diplomacy check (instead of the static +3 normally offered).

Hero

Lesser: Spend an immediate action to gain immunity to poison for 10 rounds.

Greater (8th): Spend an immediate action to gain immunity to death effects for 10 rounds. Death effects include magical or psionic death effects, energy drain, and any negative energy effects (such as from inflict spells or chill touch). This substitution ability doesn't remove negative levels that you have already gained, nor can it affect the saving throw necessary 24 hours after gaining a negative level.

Liar

Lesser: Spend a standard action to form a quasi-real membrane around yourself (as concealing amorpha). You remain visible within the translucent amorphous enclosure. This distortion grants you concealment (opponents have a 20% miss chance), thanks to the rippling membrane encasing your form.

Greater (6th): As above, save you gain total concealment (50% miss chance), as greater concealing amorpha.

Meticulous

Lesser: Spend a swift action to gain a +5 bonus on your Search check (instead of the static +3 normally offered).

Greater (8th): Spend a swift action to gain a +10 bonus on your Search check (instead of the static +3 normally offered).

Nimble

Lesser: Spend an immediate action to reroll initiative (without the +2 bonus normally granted by this psicrystal); keep the second roll even if it is worse than the original.

Greater (8th): Spend an immediate action to reroll initiative (without the +2 bonus normally granted by this psicrystal); keep the better of the two rolls.

Observant

Lesser: Spend a swift action to ignore one target's concealment (20% miss chance), whatever its source, for 10 rounds. If a target has greater than a 20% miss chance, subtract 20% from the higher chance to calculate your miss chance.

Greater (8th): Spend a swift action to ignore one target's concealment (50% miss chance), whatever its source, for 10 rounds.

Poised

Lesser: Spend an immediate action to automatically take only half damage against the full effects of an area effect if you failed your saving throw. Although you dive out of the way of the worst effects of the area effect, you end the action prone.

Greater (11th): If you succeed at a save made against an area effect that deals damage, you may spend an immediate action to take no damage from the effect.

Resolved

Lesser: Spend an immediate action to gain immunity versus a single compulsion effect.

Greater (11th): Spend an immediate action to gain immunity versus all mind-affecting effects for 10 rounds.

Sage

Lesser: Spend a swift action to gain a +5 bonus on your Knowledge check (instead of the static +3 normally offered) in which you have at least 1 rank.

Greater (8th): Spend a swift action to gain a +10 bonus on your Knowledge check (instead of the static +3 normally offered) in which you have at least 4 ranks.

Single-Minded

Lesser: Spend a swift action to attempt to regain your psionic focus on a roll of 11 or better on 1d20.

Greater (8th): Spend a swift action to attempt to regain your psionic focus on a roll of 6 or better on 1d10.

Sneaky

Lesser: Spend an immediate action to reroll your Move Silently check (without the +2 bonus normally granted by this psicrystal); keep the second roll even if it is worse than the original.

Greater (8th): Spend an immediate action to reroll initiative (without the +2 bonus normally granted by this psicrystal); keep the better of the two rolls.

Sympathetic

Lesser: Spend a standard action to instantly sculpt a real object from ectoplasm that takes the shape of a crystal annulus 1 foot in diameter that hovers in the air before you (in your square). The gemstone ring has hardness 8 and 10 hit points and lasts until your psicrystal is reactivated or it is destroyed. While it lasts, any conversation you conduct through the ring with a conversation partner within 10 feet of you grants you a total +5 bonus on any Sense Motive checks you make during the conversation.

Greater (8th): As the lesser ability, but the bonus on Sense Motive checks increases to +10.

[Back]
Classes