TEXT:  
  Psionics Handbook FAQ 
  1 
  10/15/02 
  Psionics Handbook 
  Frequently Asked Questions 
  Last Updated 10/15/02 
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  Psionics Handbook FAQ 
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  Does a soulknife’s sneak attack bonuses stack with rogue 
  sneak attack bonuses when using the soulknife class’s 
  mind-blade power? 
   Yes, a soulknife’s special sneak attack power stacks with 
  any other class’s sneak attack ability. The soulknife must use 
  the mind-blade power to make a sneak attack. If the soulknife 
  has the sneak attack ability from another class and does not 
  employ a mind-blade, her soulknife bonuses don’t apply to 
  that sneak attack. For example, if a 10th-level soulknife with 
  3 rogue levels makes a sneak attack with a normal dagger; the 
  sneak attack damage is +2d6. The same soulknife would deal 
  +7d6 on a successful sneak attack using the mind-blade 
  power. 
   
   When a soulknife imbeds a psionic attack in his mind-
  blade, does the attack stun or deal ability damage to 
  nonpsionic characters? 
   The imbedded power works normally in all respects 
  (except for target or area). If the imbedded power normally 
  can affect a nonpsionic subject, it still can if imbedded. If it 
  normally cannot affect a nonpsionic subject, it still cannot 
  when imbedded. 
   In the case of an attack mode, the soulknife must be 4th 
  level or higher. (The imbed power ability, gained at 2nd 
  level, does not work with attack modes, as noted in the ability 
  description.) A nonpsionic target subjected to an imbedded 
  attack mode is allowed a saving throw, but must use the 
  Thought Shield line on Table 4–1 rather than the nonpsionic 
  buffer line. A nonpsionic target is stunned on a failed save 
  and unaffected on a successful save, just as with any other 
  psionic attack against a nonpsionic target. 
   
   Exactly which items from the Psionics Handbook 
  actually require psionic ability to use? For example, can a 
  nonpsionic creature make use of a psychoactive skin? 
  What about a third eye? 
   Items with power triggers require a psionic character with 
  the right power. Items with power reserve requirements also 
  require psionic characters (with sufficient power reserves). 
  Command thought and use items can be used by anyone. 
   A psychoactive skin requires a command thought, so 
  anyone can use it. In some cases, a nonpsionic user can’t 
  benefit from all a psychoactive skin’s functions. For example, 
  most nonpsionic characters won’t get any benefit from the 
  bonus power points that a skin of the psion provides. 
   Third eyes are likewise command-activated items that 
  anyone can use. As with psychoactive skins, some users can’t 
  get the full benefit from the item. A penetrate eye, for 
  example, gives you a bonus on manifester level checks you 
  make to overcome power resistance, which doesn’t do you 
  any good if you don’t have a power to manifest. 
   
   What effect would the soulknife powers sever life and 
  knife to the soul have on nonpsionic creatures? 
   A nonpsionic target is stunned, just as with any other 
  psionic attack against a nonpsionic target (assuming a failed 
  save). A nonpsionic target cannot take permanent ability 
  damage from knife to the soul. 
   
   Can members of the psion (savant) class use the Search 
  and Disable Device skills to find and disable magical or 
  traps the way rogues do? 
   Yes; however, if you’re using the “Psionics are Different” 
  option, a savant can locate and disarm only psionic traps. 
   
  The psychometabolism psionic power animal affinity 
  allows the user to emulate one specific animal to gain its 
  ability score. Is the emulated ability score considered a 
  kind of bonus, which will therefore be subject to the rules 
  for stacking bonuses? If it is, what kind of bonus is it? If it 
  is not, can you stack it with other bonuses? 
   It’s not a bonus; the user’s score changes. Any bonuses the 
  user might have to that score are applied to the altered score. 
   
   Most of the psionic powers and feats that improve the 
  user’s Armor Class seem to create a sort of force field 
  around the user. So, will they afford the user protection 
  from touch attacks or ranged touch attacks? 
   A touch attack or ranged touch attack bypasses any armor 
  bonus or natural armor bonus. Incorporeal touch attacks 
  bypass armor and natural armor bonuses, except for armor 
  bonuses that come from force effects. 
   The Inertial Armor feat and the ectoplasmic armor power 
  do indeed use psychic force. The armor bonuses work against 
  incorporeal touch attacks, but not other touch attacks. (Their 
  descriptions note this fact.) Powers that provide natural armor 
  bonuses, such as lesser natural armor, are not effective 
  against any kind of touch attack. Powers that improve Armor 
  Class, but that do not provide armor bonuses, work against all 
  kinds of touch attacks. For example, the combat precognition 
  power provides a +1 insight bonus to Armor Class, and it is 
  effective against touch attacks of all kinds. 
   
   Does the Inertial Armor feat or the inertial barrier 
  power block the disintegrate spell or disintegrate power? 
  (In earlier editions of the psionics rules, inertial barrier 
  was effective against disintegration.) What about the 
  ectoplasmic armor power? Does it have any effect against 
  the disintegrate spell or disintegrate power? 
   No in all three cases. Both the disintegrate spell and 
  disintegrate power produce rays, which are ranged touch 
  attacks. As noted in the previous question, touch attacks 
  ignore the armor bonuses that the Inertial Armor feat and 
  ectoplasmic armor power provide. 
   An inertial barrier stops blows, cuts, and slashes, but not 
  rays or other touch attacks. The inertial barrier power, 
  however, provides damage reduction of 10/+5. Damage 
  reduction can stop normal or subdual damage from an 
  incorporeal touch attack, but not energy drain or other touch-
  delivered spell-like or supernatural effects. For example, a 
  spectre deals 1d8 points of damage with its incorporeal touch 
  attack. If the spectre touched a character protected by an 
  inertial barrier, the touch would not deal any damage, but the 
  character still would be subject to the spectre’s energy drain 
  ability. 
   
   The description of the Inertial Armor feat says that the 
  armor bonus provided by the feat does not stack with the 
  armor bonus provided by a shield or regular armor. Can 
  a character who takes this feat stack the armor bonus 
  from bracers of armor with Inertial Armor? What about 
  natural armor? What about the ectoplasmic armor 
  
   
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  power? 
   Two armor bonuses don’t stack, except for the armor 
  bonus from one shield and one suit of armor you wear. The 
  Inertial Armor feat, the ectoplasmic armor power, bracers of 
  armor, shields, and suits of armor all provide armor bonuses, 
  so their effects do not stack. Note that the ectoplasmic armor 
  power is something you wear, so it does stack with a shield. 
   Natural armor bonuses do stack with armor bonuses, so the 
  Inertial Armor feat and the lesser natural armor power stack. 
   Armor Class bonuses that are not armor bonuses, such as 
  the insight bonus from the combat precognition power, stack 
  with other armor bonuses, as do deflection bonuses, such as 
  the bonus from a ring of protection. 
   
   Can you spend extra points on the Psionic Fist feat and 
  deal extra damage? Could you, for example, pay 2 power 
  points for an unarmed strike that deals an extra +2d4 
  damage? Also, the feat description says you can hold a 
  “charge” for a maximum of rounds equal to your 
  Strength modifier +1 or until your next attack, whichever 
  comes first. What if you’ve got a negative Strength 
  modifier? 
   The Psionic Fist feat allows you to spend 1 point to gain an 
  extra 1d4 points of damage on your unarmed strikes. You can 
  spend only 1 point on the feat at a time. If you’re holding a 
  charge and you spend another point, the effects don’t stack, 
  but the maximum time you can hold the charge is measured 
  from the time you spent the extra point. 
   The prerequisite for the Psionic Fist feat is a Strength score 
  of 13 or more (Strength modifier +1). If your Strength score 
  ever falls below 13, you can no longer use the feat because 
  you no longer meet the prerequisite. (See page 77 in the 
  Player’s Handbook.) 
   
   Am I right in assuming that with the Combat Reflexes 
  feat, the Stand Still feat can be used multiple times in a 
  round against separate opponents, even when flat-footed? 
   Yes, you can use Stand Still whenever you make an attack 
  of opportunity. The Combat Reflexes feat gives you extra 
  attacks of opportunity each round and lets you make attacks 
  of opportunity even when flat-footed. So if you have that 
  feat, you can use Stand Still when you’re flat- footed. 
   
   Suppose a character has Stand Still, Combat Reflexes, 
  and the Hold the Line feat from Sword and Fist. Hold the 
  Line allows the character to make an attack of 
  opportunity when the character is charged. So, Stand Still 
  can be used to keep the charging attacker in our example 
  from entering the area the character threatens, right? 
  The attacker gets a Fortitude save against the Stand Still 
  effect, but if the attacker fails the save, the attacker has to 
  stop moving and thus loses the charge attack, right? 
   Yes, you can use Stand Still and Hold the Line to stop 
  charge attacks, so long as your opponent doesn’t outreach 
  you. (If your opponent has a longer reach than you do, the 
  opponent can attack you without entering the area you 
  threaten.) 
   
   On page 75 in DRAGON Magazine 281, it says that if you 
  are a nonpsionic character, the only attack you have to 
  fear is the Mind Blast because the Will save DCs for all 
  other attack modes are –8 or –9 against a nonpsionic 
  defender. I cannot find this rule anywhere in the Psionics 
  Handbook. Could you tell me where it states this? 
   Check out Table 4–1 on page 42, specifically the 
  “nonpsionic buffer” line. 
   
   Once a character has used all her power points, can the 
  character use nonpsionic buffer defense if subjected to a 
  psionic attack? What if the character is multiclass and 
  has one or more nonpsionic classes? Can she use a 
  nonpsionic buffer then? 
   No. Only nonpsionic creatures can use the nonpsionic 
  buffer line. If you’re psionic and you fail to mount a defense 
  for any reason, you have to use the “flat-footed or out of 
  power points” line from Table 4–1. 
   
   Suppose a psionic character has power points and has 
  not been caught flat-footed—can he elect not to use a 
  psionic defense against an attack and simply make an 
  unadjusted will save against the attack? Could the 
  character still use the Psychic Bastion feat in this 
  circumstance? 
   As noted before, you have to use the “flat-footed or out of 
  power points” line from Table 4–1 if you don’t mount a 
  defense against a psionic attack. If you’re not flat-footed, you 
  could use the Psychic Bastion feat. If you’re caught flat-
  footed, you can’t mount a defense. 
   You can use the Psychic Bastion feat anytime you’re 
  conscious and have at least 3 power points to spend. 
   
    Since unarmed attacks also count as weapons, the 
  manifester’s body can also be subject to the metaphysical 
  weapon power right? If so, would the entire body of the 
  manifester glow with pale silver radiance? 
   The metaphysical weapon power works on weapons, not 
  creatures. You cannot use the power on a creature to give its 
  unarmed attacks or natural weapons an enhancement bonus. 
  You can, however, use the power on intelligent weapons, 
  which are creatures of the construct type. You cannot use 
  metaphysical weapon on constructs that are not intelligent 
  weapons. If you do use metaphysical weapon on an 
  intelligent weapon, the bonus from the power does not stack 
  with the bonus the weapon already has, or with any other 
  bonus that might be applied to the weapon. 
   
   Is there any limit on how many power points one can 
  spend on the psychofeedback power in a given round? 
  High-level psions can have hundreds of power points and 
  could potentially spend all of them to accomplish some 
  incredible feats or to create some truly terrible save DCs. 
  Is this as it was intended or is there some limit to how 
  high this number can go? 
   There’s no limit on the number of points you can spend on 
  psychofeedback. If you want to blow all your points to get a 
  really big modifier, you can. If you do, you’d better hope you 
  don’t have to deal with any psionic combat while your points 
  are depleted. 
   
   Can the float power be used on the manifester? 
   The power’s target can be any object or creature whose 
  weight does not exceed 300 pounds per caster level. Such a 
  target could be the manifester, provided he doesn’t exceed 
  the weight limit. 
  
   
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   Can you perform psychic chirurgery on yourself? What 
  would the effects be? 
   The power can target any living creature within range If 
  you’re a living creature and you’re capable of manifesting the 
  power, the target can be yourself. You can repair damage to 
  yourself in the same manner as you can repair damage to 
  another creature. 
   Removing a compulsion from yourself can be tricky. Most 
  compulsions, such as a suggestion, confusion, or dominate 
  person, simply force you to obey, and you are powerless to 
  resist so long as the compulsion remains in effect. Some 
  circumstances may allow you a new save against the 
  compulsion. In such cases you make the new save and, if 
  you’re successful, the compulsion is broken, or you fail, and 
  you remain powerless to resist. In either case, psychic 
  chirurgery is irrelevant. 
   Some compulsions have long-term effects that leave you 
  fairly free to act as you wish, such as the quest spell. You can 
  remove such effects by performing psychic chirurgery on 
  yourself. 
   Technically you could choose to use psychic chirurgery on 
  yourself to transfer your own knowledge to yourself. Doing 
  so, however, doesn’t benefit you in any way. Your 
  transferred knowledge doesn’t stack. 
   
   Are the skate, see sound, psychofeedback, and improved 
  vigor powers available to psychic warriors? The first 
  three powers aren’t included on the psychic warrior list, 
  but their descriptions say they’re psychic warrior powers. 
  The improved vigor power is on the psychic warrior list, 
  but psychic warrior isn’t mentioned in the power 
  description. 
   All four of these powers are available to psychic warriors. 
   
   Can you use the Trigger Power feat on a power that 
  has been enhanced with a metapsionic feat? For instance, 
  can you trigger a maximized version of ultrablast? 
   Well, you can’t use Trigger Power on ultrablast because 
  it’s a 7th-level power and you can use the feat only on a 
  power of 3rd-level or less. Otherwise, yes, you can trigger a 
  metapsionicly enhanced power. Your reserve has to match 
  the enhanced power’s increased cost. Note that there is a limit 
  to how much you can enhance a power with a metapsionic 
  feat; the total cost can’t be higher than your psionic character 
  level minus one (see page 23 of the Psionics Handbook). 
  Note that Trigger Power’s limit of 3rd-level powers or less 
  applies only to a power’s normal level and not to its higher 
  metapsionic level (see page 23 of the Psionics Handbook), 
  which is used for items that store powers.  
   
   Some psionic monsters are very powerful psionically, 
  but they don’t use psionic power points. Can these 
  creatures use feats or magic items that require reserve 
  power points? Also, can they use feats or other things that 
  cost power points to use? The monster section in the 
  Psionics Handbook says they use psionic powers and 
  combat modes for free. It doesn’t mention anything else, 
  such as psionic feats. 
   A creature has no psionic power points (reserve or 
  otherwise) unless it also has a psionic character class. This is 
  true even for creatures with the psionic template. 
   A creature always can make use of any feat or power 
  creature’s description says it can use, and if it has the psionic 
  template, it can make use of the psionic abilities mentioned in 
  the template. If the creature’s description gives it access to a 
  psionic feat, it can use the feat, even though it has no reserve 
  points. (It can use the feat even if it does not meet the feat’s 
  prerequisites.) For example, a blue benefits from the Inertial 
  Armor feat even though it has no reserve power points and 
  can freely use the charm person, far hand, and finger of fire 
  powers. It also can use the ego whip, mind thrust, empty 
  mind, and mental barrier psionic combat modes without 
  expending points. The creature, however, cannot use psionic 
  abilities or feats that are not included in its description or in 
  the psionic template because it has no power points. The 
  creature also cannot use magic items that require a power 
  point reserve. 
   
   Table 1–2 in the Psionics Handbook shows bonus points 
  for psions. I created a 10th-level psion who happened to 
  have an 18 in the primary attribute. The table suggests 
  that a 10th-level psion would receive no bonus points; a 
  “—” is shown. This seems unfair, for it would mean the 
  character had to give up 7 bonus points when it moved 
  from 8th to 9th level, for an 8th-level psion with an 18 
  attribute has a “7” shown. Is that the intention of the 
  chart? 
   No, add up everything on the line for the ability score in 
  question (see page 8 in the Psionics Handbook). A psion with 
  a primary attribute of 18 gets 16 bonus power points if the 
  character is 7th-level or higher. 
   
   When using Table 4–43 in the DUNGEON MASTER’s 
  Guide to generate an NPC, how do you determine the 
  highest level psion or psychic warrior? 
   Roll 1d4 + community modifier for either class. 
   
   Do psionic attacks provoke attacks of opportunity? 
  What about defenses? The Psionics Handbook is vague on 
  this point. If they do, how do you determine the DC for 
  Concentration checks that are required when a psionic 
  creature takes damage from an attack of opportunity? 
   Psionic powers and psionic attacks are spell-like abilities 
  and provoke attacks of opportunity just as other spell-like 
  abilities do. Psionic defenses are spell-like but do not 
  provoke attacks of opportunity. 
   To determine the Concentration DC for psionic abilities, 
  use the Concentration skill description from page 19 of the 
  Psionics Handbook. If the power in question is an attack 
  mode and the DC has a level-based component, use the 
  following values, which are derived from the attack modes’ 
  power point costs: mind thrust, 1; ego whip, 2; id insinuation, 
  2; psychic crush, 3; mind blast, 5. 
   For example, a character uses mind blast and provokes an 
  attack of opportunity, which hits and deals 10 points of 
  damage. The Concentration DC is 25 (base of 10, + 10 for the 
  damage dealt, + 5 for mind thrust’s effective level.) 
   
   There are no lists of the powers available to the prestige 
  classes in the Psionics Handbook. Is this an omission or is 
  it assumed that they simply continue to discover powers 
  from their previous list or lists? 
   The prestige classes in the Psionics Handbook use the 
  
   
  Psionics Handbook FAQ 
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  psion power list. 
   
   Most of the prestige classes in the Psionics Handbook 
  have a prerequisite of a certain number of base power 
  points each day, which does not include bonus power 
  points. Do power points from the Inner Strength feat 
  count as bonus power points or base power points? 
   The Inner Strength feat provides bonus power points, not 
  base power points. 
   
   Can a psion or psychic warrior ever drop a power in 
  order to learn a new one? For example, when the 
  character is nearing her next level, can she willingly 
  “unlearn” a power, advance a level and now fill that 
  vacant power slot with a new power? 
   No, you can’t “forget” powers. 
   
   Is a character who has been affected by the 9th-level 
  power apopsi (permanently lose 1d4 psionic powers) now 
  able to learn 1d4 new psionic powers? In other words, 
  does the use of apopsi erase a character’s discovered 
  power slots, free up those power slots, seal off the mind’s 
  access to those powers, or does something else happen? 
  And how does psychic chirurgery restore these powers? 
  Does it reimprint the mind with the erased powers? Does 
  it unseal the mind’s access to the erased powers? Would a 
  psychic chirurgeon need to know the erased powers in 
  order to restore them? 
   The powers and their slots they once occupied become 
  inaccessible to the character. (They’re still there, but they’re 
  useless.) If the character gains a level, the erased powers still 
  count against the total number of powers the character can 
  know. 
   Psychic chirurgery simply restores access to the 
  inaccessible powers; the chirurgeon doesn’t need to know the 
  erased powers to make the repair. 
   
   Page 140 of Psionics Handbook says that because 
  undead have no Constitution scores, they cannot use 
  psychometabolic powers. However, on page 8 it shows 
  that the score tied to psychometabolism is Strength. Is one 
  of these entries an error? Constitution does govern 
  psychokinesis. Are undead creatures banned from both 
  disciplines? 
   Undead creatures cannot use psychometabolic powers; 
  they don’t have any metabolisms. However, an undead 
  creature can use psychokinesis powers despite its lack of 
  Constitution. It uses its Charisma score as the key ability 
  score when manifesting psychokinesis powers. 
   
   Normally a weapon with the psychic property can go 
  up to only a +4 enhancement bonus. If a psionic weapon 
  with a +1 enhancement bonus was also a psychic weapon, 
  would it have a maximum of +5 instead of +4? 
   No, the enhancement bonus from the psychic property does 
  not stack with the weapon’s basic enhancement bonus. Note 
  that the weapon has to have at least a +1 enhancement bonus 
  to receive any special property at all. 
   Although the description of the psychic property might 
  seem to suggest otherwise, a psychic weapon always uses its 
  basic enhancement bonus or the bonus from its psychic 
  property, whichever is greater. If you actually enchant the 
  weapon to +5 in the first place, the weapon has that +5 
  enhancement bonus no matter what the wielder’s power 
  reserves. 
   
  
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