Nimble Psion build - looking for input and improvements

[Kachajal]

Here is the build itself, as optimized as I could make it.

The concept behind the build is a self-reliant, agile, generalist psion. I just finished the game on hard with a very similar version, and it was enjoyable, and worked pretty well. I died perhaps around fifteen times in total throughout the playthrough, and many of those would have been erased had that build version taken paranoia sooner.

The character wears a psionic headband, an infused siphoner leather armor, infused siphoner leather tabi boots, and wields boxing gloves (just for the dodge bonus).

Now that I finished the game with it, I wanted to make it as perfect as I could, and this is where I want your input.



1) Any way to better optimize the skills? Right now it hits pretty much all of the thresholds I want with the crafting bench bonus: 170 electronics for energy shield, 158 tailoring/32 mechanics for infused siphoner leather armor, 130 hacking, 110 persuasion with just junkyard surprise and 115 biology.

Ideally, however, it'd hit 115 biology without the crafting bench bonus so that it'd be capable of making the regenerative mixture even in DC, and it'd hit 110 persuasion without needing the junkyard surprise - but I just can't find the points, even taking the 4 points from dodge and evasion pained me greatly.

2) Thoughts about the feats? I tried Yell instead of Evasive Maneuvers (with the appropriate skill reallocation), but it was *very* rarely useful. Power Management has frankly turned out to be bit of an overkill, though perhaps a welcome one. I think I'll also be checking exactly how much Skinner gives me and if it is worth it in comparison to the alternatives.


Really, any and all thoughts are welcome.

[Djpuffnstuff]

you need atleast 32 mechanics for infused siphon leather.

[destroyor]

His build will reach 32 mechanics with junkyard surprise INT+2 and workbenches crafting bonus.

This is an excellent build. I would change one single thing: take out Power Management and take Thermodynamicity. After invoking heat based psi ability you gain thermodynamicity which reduces the action point cost of your next cold based psi ability by 50% and vice versa. You will get the following:

7AP Cryokinesis
0AP Cryostasis (That's right, this is now a free action after a heat attack)
13AP Cryokinetic Orb

5AP Pyrokinetic Stream
13AP Pyrokinesis
5AP Thermodynamic Destabilization

With Blitz, adrenaline, premeditation and tranquility this will pump out crazy damage in one turn.

[hilf]

Drop Neurology.

[Kachajal]

Thanks for the input so far!

As destroyor mentions, the build does reach 32 mechanics with junkyard surprise/crafting benches.  I think it's fine in doing that only that late - getting a perfect infused siphoner leather before that point is possible, but a bit overkill.


Destroyor, I think I'll take you up on that suggestion. Like I said, power management has been a bit overkill - I can only recall two occasions since I took it where I even came close to running out of shield power mid combat, and Thermodynamicity certainly seems powerful. At the very least, I will definitely attempt your version and see how it integrates.

hilf - why drop neurology? I admit part of why I took it simply for the concept, but I've grown to like basically never running out of Psi. 140 Psi with blitz and adrenaline works out very well in terms of what I am able to do in a single turn.

[hilf]

To quote myself:

Neurology is bad. It grants you 15 PSI once per combat. It's good for quick and easy fights but you don't need help in those, you need extra oomph in hard and long ones. And the longer the battle is the worse Neurology becomes.
Fast Metabolism is much better - it grants you up to 25 PSI every 3 turns. You can often gain 15 or more points. And it makes healing stronger so always take FM before Neurology if you have CON for this.
However...
Neurology becomes better once you have Fast Metabolism! With 100 PSI max you almost never get full 25 points from FM, but with max of 115 you do very often.
Meditation is better than Neurology for obvious mathematical reason but also because it almost always grants you more points than single use of FM. But i'd still take FM before Meditation.
Value of Neurology/Meditation can be higher for those crazy maniacs with Psychosis who don't use mufflers.

You can't have Fast Metabolism but even if you could i'd advise against Neurology since you've got Meditation.
You said Neurology helps you doing stuff in one combat turn. Ok, but it helps you only once, during your first turn (most likely). Psikers hardly need to do 'everything' in first turn because they have CC.

Instead Neurology you can take some other feat that can reduce number of spells you need to cast. Overclocking is universal damage boost. Pyromaniac can double your damage and it also fears. Psychostatic works on everything, including robots, and tranq psions can fire Electrokinesis twice per round.

But you already have experience with this build. You can tell if you can spare 2 AP to quaff PSI booster. You can tell if that extra PSI points were used mainly to conserve PSI boosters. Boosters are plentiful, no need to conserve them.
But perhaps you have some specific tactics in mind that require you to have that extra 15 PSI, where quaffing booster wouldn't be enough.

[Kachajal]

Hilf - you make some good points.

If I had the stat points, I'd take fast metabolism in a second. It both fits the concept of a generalist psion and is quite a powerful feat.

The issue with taking stuff like Pyromaniac, Psychostatic Electricity, Thermodynamicity is that, while more powerful, they don't fit the concept as well. They're specialization feats, and the idea behind the build was a jack of all trades of a sort.

(It already pained me to take Force User, but I just found it far too useful. The telekinetic punch boost was certainly nice, but the real amazing thing about it are the four turn forcefields. Being able to retreat for four turns or funnel enemies in a particular way made some otherwise impossible fights quite easy.)

I'd be more interested in Neural Overclocking. However, if my understanding is correct, the average damage increase it grants me without using a crit chance psionic headband or a focus stim is pitiful. Is that the case?

As more of a side note, having a larger Psi pool in prolonged combat isn't as useless as you consider it to be. You'll rarely use your whole pool at once, but on some turns you'll be using more expensive abilities than on others, and having the margin of error of Psi helps. Also, in really tough fights when you hide behind a forcefield to regenerate cooldowns, you also regenerate Psi up to your limit - so having a larger pool won't be helping you just once per combat in that way, either.

Thanks for posting your reasoning. When I was making this build way back when, I considered Neurology a no-brainer, and I continued to do so even when I posted it here on the forum. You're at the very least making me re-assess that, and I'm seriously considering taking it out in spite of it fitting the build concept.

[hilf]

Tchort is Evolution, Kachajal.

You are correct about Overclocking. You can easily have enough Focus Stims to use them in all difficult battles.
If you don't have +crit chance on PSI headband then you have mufflers. In that case you should not have any problems with PSI points. I had Psychosis (+20% cost), PSI shield (-10% cost) and mufflers (my first mufflers had something like -11% cost), max PSI of 100, no Fast Metabolism and was doing rather fine. You don't have PSI shield but you don't have Psychosis either.

Overclocking is less needed if you are running on Trance all the time, but it depends on how eager you are to visit Foundry mines. Focus Stim OTOH almost jumps into your inventory.

Psychostatic Electricity indeed works with selected spells only but it increases crit chance for all of your damaging spells (except pyrostream, it's bugged).
Mental Subversion works with Thought Control only, just like Locus of Control, but reduced resolve helps all of your offensive PSI.
Maybe it can help you with fitting those feats into your build.

You've got a point with hiding behind a wall and regenerating PSI.

It's a pity and a shame that Skinner needs 7 INT. Otherwise You could consider dropping INT to 6, will to 15 and taking FM.
15 PSI regen but FM more than makes up for this,
no Power Management, but it's only used for energy shield and indeed is an overkill for full psion with that much dodge/evasion,
no Neurology, with FM and Meditation you don't need it,
no Clothier, i don't see much value in this but i always raise stealth so maybe those extra stealth points are important (or maybe you have another reason),
with more CON you have more health and it just happens you have better healing from FM to replenish those HP,
you have some spare feats.
Unless you want to sacrifice more power and go 14 will/7 int, then you can keep crafting feats and have FM.
Skinner is good - more dodge, evasion and protection.

Tchort guide You.