Arch Psion (3.5e Prestige Class)

Arch Psion

“	Even the mighty archmage bows to me . . .	”

Many believe that the highest art is magic, and those who do often follow the path of the arcane arts. Others believe that unlocking the mysteries of the mind is truly the highest art. The arch psion is the most advanced practitioner of the psionic arts, and she bends powers in ways unavailable to other manifesters. The arch psion gains the ability to alter powers remarkably, but she sacrifices some of her psionic capability to master these psionic secrets.

Becoming an Arch Psion

The Arch Psion can only be used by Psionic Manifesters, such as the Wilder, Psychic Warrior, and most of all, Psion. The Arch Psion is for any Psionic creature with enough casting ability to reach the requirements.

Requirements

Entry Requirements

Skills:	Knowledge (psionics) 15 Ranks, Psicraft 15 Ranks.
Feats:	Skill Focus (Psicraft), Psionic Meditation.

Table: The Arch Psion

Hit Die: d4

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Power Points Per Day	Special	Powers Known
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	+1 Level Psion	High Psionics	+1 Level Psion
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	+1 Level Psion	High Psionics	+1 Level Psion
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3	+1 Level Psion	High Psionics	+1 Level Psion
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4	+1 Level Psion	High Psionics	+1 Level Psion
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4	+1 Level Psion	High Psionics	+1 Level Psion

Class Skills (2 + Int modifier per level)
Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Knowledge (all skills, chosen individually.) (Int), and Psicraft (Int).

Class Features

For each level an Arch Psion gains, it learns another High Psionics ability, which bend powers in ways that seem unbelievable. All of the following are class features of the Arch Psion.

Power Points/Day: Your ability to manifest powers is limited by the power points you have available. Your base daily allotment of power points is given on Table: The Psion. In addition, you receive bonus power points per day if you have a high Intelligence score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Power Points). Your race may also provide bonus power points per day, as may certain feats and items. Your power points and bonus power points at each level do not increase automatically after 10th level.

Powers Known: Arch psions discover powers each level as though they gained a level of psion. Powers are chosen from the psion power list. Their effective manifester level is increased by one for each level of the prestige class.

High Psionics: The arch psion discovers secrets unknown to lesser psions. She gains the ability to select a special ability from among the following by permanently decreasing her daily power points total. The number of power points that are lost are listed below. For example, a 15th-level psion with a primary attribute score of 18 would normally have 116 power points for the day. A character with 14 levels of psion and a level of arch psion who chooses the psionic reach ability permanently loses 11 power points, leaving her with only 105.

Extra Power: The arch psion can learn one additional power of any level up to one level lower than the highest-level power she can currently manifest. They learn extra powers from their class power list. The arch psion can select this ability more than once. The permanent power point loss for this ability equals the cost to manifest the selected power.

Innate Psionics: The arch psion can select one of her known powers and permanently prepare it as an innate spell-like ability that she can manifest for free twice per day. The arch psion does not need to expend any power points to manifest this power, although a power that costs XP to manifest still does. The arch psion can manifest the power by paying power points as normal.

The arch psion can alter innate powers with the use of metapsionic feats. She must pay the appropriate amount of power points, and the power spent cannot exceed the arch psionic character's metapsionic cap.

The arch psion can select this ability more than once. Each time she selects this ability, she can select a new power or extend the amount of free uses of an existing innate power by two. This ability causes the character to permanently lose 11 power points.

Mastery of Power Negation: An arch psion that knows the negate psionics power can select to alter it so that it can be used to counter spells and powers as dispel magic. When the arch psion successfully counters a spell or power, it is turned back on the caster or manifester as if it were fully affected by spell turning. If the spell or power cannot be affected by spell turning (for example, if it is an area or effect power), then it is merely countered. This ability causes the character to permanently lose 11 power points.

Psionic Energy Discharge (Su): The arch psion gains the ability to channel raw psionic energy into a focused ray. The discharge is treated as a ranged touch attack with long range (400 feet + 40 feet/level of arch psion) and deals 1d4 points of damage per level of arch psion plus 1d4 points of damage for every power point channeled to create the effect. The amount of power points spent cannot exceed your level minus 1. This ability cannot be modified by the use of metapsionic feats. Therefore, a character with 14 levels of psion and a level of arch psion who channels 12 power points into psionic energy discharge deals 13d4 points of damage to the target if it hits. This ability causes the character to permanently lose 15 power points.

Psionic Energy Substitution: The arch psion can alter a power they know when manifesting so that it uses a different type of psionic energy than normal. For example, an arch psion could manifest whitefire and have it deal sonic instead of fire damage. This ability can alter powers with the acid, cold, fire, electricity, or sonic descriptors only. A substituted power works normally in all respects except the type of damage dealt. The manifester decides whether or not to alter a power's energy type and chooses the new energy type when she begins manifesting. This ability costs 11 power points.

Greater Psionic Focus +1: This ability increases the DC for saving throws against the arch psion's powers and manifester level checks for all of her powers to overcome power resistance by +1. This ability can be selected only once, and it stacks with greater psionic focus +2 and greater psionic focus +3, as well as psionic focus and power penetration effects from other sources, such as from the Psionic Focus or Power Penetration feats. This ability causes the character to permanently lose 7 power points.

Greater Psionic Focus +2: As greater psionic focus +1, except the increase is +2 instead of +1. This ability can be selected only once, and it stacks with greater psionic focus +1 and greater psionic focus +3, as well as power focus and power penetration effects from other sources. This ability causes the character to permanently lose 11 power points.

Greater Psionic Focus +3: As greater psionic focus +1, except the increase is +3 instead of +1. This ability can be selected only once, and it stacks with greater psionic focus +1 and greater psionic focus +2, as well as psionic focus and power penetration effects from other sources. This ability causes the character to permanently lose 15 power points.

Psionic Reach: The arch psion can use touch powers on targets up to 30 feet away. If the power requires a touch attack (melee or ranged), the arch psion must make a ranged touch attack. If selected a second time as a special ability, the range increases to 60 feet. This ability causes the character to permanently lose 11 power points.

Sculpt Power: The arch psion can modify an area power by changing the area's shape. The new area must be chosen from the following list: cylinder (10-foot radius, 30 feet high), 40-foot cone, four 10-foot cubes, or a ball (20-foot radius spread). The sculpted power works normally in all respects except for its shape. The arch psion can further alter the shape to create spaces within the power's area of effect that are not subject to the power. The minimum dimension for these spaces is a 5-foot cube. For example, the arch psion could manifest a firefall power whose area is changed to a cone that deals the same amount of damage, but affects a 40-foot cone burst. The arch psion could also leave a hole in the area of the firefall where her ally stands, preventing any damage. This ability causes the character to permanently lose 9 power points.

Organizations

Most major psionic guilds or organizations are run by an Arch Psion, and the larger ones have multiple Arch Psions within the actual organizations running various sectors. Arch Psions are the Archmages of the Psionic world.

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