D&D Kobold Psychic Warrior Build. 3.5e
Kobold Psychic Warrior Build, 3.5e.
ALSO IMPORTANT: For this build to work you need to have your DM ignore the Maximum Power and Manifester power mechanics and have your ability to learn powers only based off of your Psychic Warrior level. This will actually save you so much headache.
IMPORTANT: Big heads up, this is a serious guide for a complex class type in the D&D 3.5e SRD, so if big walls of text aren't your thing then don't bother reading this content.
Kind of a Munchkin build, but a normal player can have colossal amounts of fun with this if used correctly. Psychic Warriors of 3.5e bear with them literally hundreds of powers, every level they can pick a new power to manifest and their power points affect how many times they can use their chosen powers, they can even augment their abilities to have bonus passive effects aswell as extraordinary stat boosts and modifiers. If you use this against a DM, it will make him/her cry internally.
Going to split this into two branches, Support and Aggressive
Before I start,
Why a Kobold?
Kobolds gain no intellect or Wisdom penalties, therefore they have the capacity to contract psionic powers.
How does this work?
Kobolds aren't necessarily stupid, they are described as sadistic and cowardly, so therefore from a lore perspective Kobolds can very much use these powers without alignment or racial penalties and still be on the same intellectual level as smarter beings.
Why Psychic?
Because Psionic Kobolds are the next big thing.
ALSO IMPORTANT: For this build to work you need to have your DM ignore the Maximum Power and Manifester power mechanics and have your ability to learn powers only based off of your Psychic Warrior level. This will actually save you so much headache.
IMPORTANT: Big heads up, this is a serious guide for a complex class type in the D&D 3.5e SRD, so if big walls of text aren't your thing then don't bother reading this content.
Kind of a Munchkin build, but a normal player can have colossal amounts of fun with this if used correctly. Psychic Warriors of 3.5e bear with them literally hundreds of powers, every level they can pick a new power to manifest and their power points affect how many times they can use their chosen powers, they can even augment their abilities to have bonus passive effects aswell as extraordinary stat boosts and modifiers. If you use this against a DM, it will make him/her cry internally.
Going to split this into two branches, Support and Aggressive
Before I start,
Why a Kobold?
Kobolds gain no intellect or Wisdom penalties, therefore they have the capacity to contract psionic powers.
How does this work?
Kobolds aren't necessarily stupid, they are described as sadistic and cowardly, so therefore from a lore perspective Kobolds can very much use these powers without alignment or racial penalties and still be on the same intellectual level as smarter beings.
Why Psychic?
Because Psionic Kobolds are the next big thing.
(Enlarge)
Powers and their Augments
Every Psion has the ability to pick a psionic power each level, some powers are limited to only be picked at certain levels. The Psion does not require time to cast these powers, they are instant and become engrained in his mind upon choice. Augments are a sub passive on every power, for example; if a psion uses the required power points for said power, the power is used, but he may use more than the needed power points to trigger the augments effect. Augments ARE limited depended on your Manifest power level which is based on your class level, so if your class level is 2, your manifest power is 2.
>The default saving throw against a psychic power is 10 + the power's level + the psychic warriors wisdom modifier.
>Powerpoints regenerate every night your character has a good rest.
>Psychic Warriors may also take up fighter feats.
This is an IMPORTANT THING to keep note of, every level you gain even more power points depending on your base wisdom, this is a very good thing to keep track of as it allows you to rack up more power points early on and use more powerful abilities really early.
THE AGGRESSIVE PSYCHIC WARRIOR
Level 1
At level one you will want to pick the open minded feat, this will immediately give you +5 skill points to spend, put them all into your wisdom.
For your power pick Stomp, this power costs 1 power point and allows you to trigger a psychokinetic shock wave that knocks all enemies in a 20ft radius who fail a psychic save prone, they also take 1d4 nonlethal damage. AUGMENT: For every additional power point you spend, this powers nonlethal damage increases by 1d4 points. Knocking enemies prone will allow your party and yourself to take opportunity attacks against them.
Level 2
At level two rank open minded up again since it allows you to gain it multiple times, place the bonus skill points into wisdom again. Because of this you will already have +10 to your Base Wisdom purely from this feat.
Your second power should become Prowess, it costs 3 power points but allows you to immediately make another attack of opportunity on a target that you already have, this allows you to make two attacks of opportunity in one round. This power has no augment.
Level 3
Now you gotta wait 2 more levels until you get that extra feat, so the optimal power to pick now is- Mental Barrier, costing 5 points you immediately gain +4 bonus to your AC for one round, you must use this power at the end of your turn. AUGMENT: If you spend an additional 4 power points, the bonus is increased by 1. For every additional power point spent, this powers duration increases by 1 whole round. An extremely effective buffing ability that enables you as a frontline tank against physical attacks, the best part about this is you can effectively cast it, then buff it up to as much round duration as you want.
Level 4
One more level and you get another feat, until then grabbing immovability will help you greatly when fighting around dangerous terrain or near areas where you can fall and die. You mentally attach yourself to the underlying fabric of the plane, this allows you to anchor yourself in place in mid air anything attempting to move you must succeed an opposed strength check, you passively gain a +20 to this check. However you cannot move until you deactivate. For a 7 power point ability, this is fairly strong, but it isn't instant cast and counts as a standard action, however spending 8 additional power points makes it an immediate cast as an Augment and it immediately outclasses feather-fall spells and abilities because of this.
Level 5
For your 5th feat, picking Improved Critical and make the weapon proficiency your current weapon, which should be a sword. This gives you a base attack bonus of +8, doubles your threat range and it can be stacked multiple times.
You have yet another amazing power to add to your arsenal. Adapt Body, allows you to survive in any environment, including underwater, extremely hot, extremely cold, or airless environments. It also works in acid, lava, fire and electricity halving all damage that you take from those hazards. The ability costs 9 power points and only lasts an hour, although it allows you to wrestle with the fire elementals face to face. That's always a plus.
Level 6
Now that you're level six it's time for your ultimate Form of Doom, as quoted from the SRD Wiki-
"You wrench from your subconscious a terrifying visage of deadly hunger and become one with it. You are transformed into a nightmarish version of yourself, complete with an ooze-sleek skin coating, lashing tentacles, and a fright-inducing countenance. You effectively gain a +10 bonus on Disguise checks, though you retain your basic shape and can continue to use your equipment. This power cannot be used to impersonate someone; while horrible, your form is recognizably your own.
You gain the frightful presence extraordinary ability, which takes effect automatically when you charge a foe. Opponents within 30 feet of you that have fewer Hit Dice or levels than you and that witness your charge become shaken for 5d6 rounds if they fail a Will save (DC 16 + your Cha modifier). An opponent that succeeds on the saving throw is immune to your frightful presence for 24 hours. Frightful presence is a mind-affecting fear effect.
Your horrific form grants you a natural armor bonus of +5, damage reduction 5/–, and a +4 bonus to your Strength score. In addition, you gain +10 feet to your land speed as well as a +10 bonus on Climb and Jump checks.
A nest of violently flailing black tentacles sprout from your hair and back. You can make up to four additional attacks with these tentacles in addition to your regular melee attacks in each round that you take a full attack action. You can make tentacle attacks within the space you normally threaten. If you make your tentacle attacks in addition to you regular melee attacks, each tentacle attacks at your highest base attack bonus with a –5 penalty. If you forgo all your other attacks, making only tentacle attacks, you make your tentacle attacks at your highest base attack bonus with no penalty. These tentacles deal 2d8 points of damage plus one-half your Strength bonus on each successful strike. "
This power is just blatantly overpowered, it costs 11 power points and only last one round..but- AUGMENT: For every additional power point spent, this powers duration increases by 2 rounds.
Also you can still use all of your others powers while in this form.
Level 7
Now that your full combo build has been complete, it's time to swoop back down through those leftover powers and grab what else is good. For this level you will want to get expansion, expansion allows you to expand yourself up one size category, this will go hand in hand with your Form of Doom. This power only costs 1 power point to use.
"This power causes instant growth, doubling your height, length, and width and multiplying your weight by 8. This increase changes your size category to the next larger one. You gain a +2 size bonus to Strength, a –2 size penalty to Dexterity (to a minimum effective Dexterity score of 1), a –1 size penalty on attack rolls, and a –1 size penalty to Armor Class due to your increased size.
If your new size is Large or larger, you have a space of at least 10 feet and a natural reach of at least 10 feet. This power doesn’t change your speed. If insufficient room is available for the desired growth, you attain the maximum possible size and can make a Strength check (using your increased Strength score) to burst any enclosures in the process. If you fail, you are constrained without harm by the materials enclosing you—you cannot crush yourself to death by increasing your size.
All your equipment, worn or carried, is similarly expanded by this power. Melee and projectile weapons deal more damage.
Other psionic or magical properties are not affected by this power. Any affected item that leaves your possession (including a projectile or thrown weapon) instantly returns to its normal size. This means that thrown weapons deal their normal damage (projectiles deal damage based on the size of the weapon that fired them). Multiple effects that increase size do not stack, which means (among other things) that you can’t use a second manifestation of this power to further expand yourself."
AUGMENT: This power can be augmented in one or more of the following ways.
1. If you spend 6 additional power points, this power increases your size by two size categories instead of one. You gain a +4 size bonus to Strength, a –4 size penalty to Dexterity (to a minimum effective Dexterity score of 1), a –2 size penalty on attack rolls, and a –2 size penalty to Armor Class due to your increased size.
2. If you spend 6 additional power points, you can manifest this power as a swift action instead of a standard action.
3. If you spend 2 additional power points, this power’s duration is 1 minute 10 minutes per level rather than 1 round per level.
Effectively expansion will allow you to heavily increase your size while in form of doom, this can scale you up to almost colossal proportions to even outmatch a tarrasque at later levels.
Level 8
Time to grab another extra feat, you will want to grab the Run feat, allowing you to run five times your normal speed as opposed to the default four times speed and without a dexterity and AC bonus. This will combo greatly with your Form of Doom, no-one will be able to escape you now.
Clearly you're not fast enough when in Form of Doom, so to remedy that you need to get Burst as your next power. Burst is a 1 power point non augment power that increases your base land speed by 10 feet. Your enemies will know true fear when you slide at the speed of Sanic.
Level 9
For your next power, You will want to grab Hustle, this allows you to gain an additional move action in the current round for only 3 power points. There is no augment for this.
Level 10, FINAL.
This is the final power I'm going to recommend for this build, it is up to the player to make the decisions for their next abilities. The final power I recommend to complete this is Strength of My Enemy, for 3 power points this gives you the ability to siphon your enemies strength and turn it into your own for 1 round. Per enemy you can gain a maximum of +8 base strength.
AUGMENT: You can augment this power in one or both of the following ways.
1. For every 3 additional power points you spend, the maximum enhancement bonus you can add to your Strength increases by 2.
2. If you spend 6 additional power points, you can manifest this power as a swift action.
I conclude my Aggressive build, this build focuses on working as an absolute terror, generally Kobolds are rather small and meagre, considered weak and pathetic. However once you reach level 6, no-one in the party will be able to talk **** to you, you will be able to tackle high CR or Level monsters on your own. The only negative is this build is entirely the opposite of teamplay, you run in, you combo your powers respectively depending on the situation each turn and then you rinse and repeat. If someone is in trouble, none of these powers will effectively help them, the best you can do is try and stomp the enemies face in before your allies die around you.
-LINE BREAK-
THE SUPPORT PSYCHIC WARRIOR
Level 1
At level one you will want to pick the open minded feat, this will immediately give you +5 skill points to spend, put them all into your wisdom.
For your first power, pick Elfsight, for the cost of 1 power point and the duration of 1 hour, this power grants you low light vision as well as a +bonus on Search and Spot Checks. In addition, you gain the ability to automatically notice secret or concealed doors that you pass within 5ft of, making a automatic search check against it as if you were looking for it. This power has no augment.
Level 2
At level two rank open minded up again since it allows you to gain it multiple times, place the bonus skill points into wisdom again. Because of this you will already have +10 to your Base Wisdom purely from this feat.
Dimension Swap is the next power you want, for 3 power points it allows you to instantly swap positions with a party member within a 25ft radius.
AUGMENT: For every 2 additional points you spend, this power can affect a larger size, originally being able to teleport A small or large ally, you will be able to teleport a huge ally and so on and so on for every use of the augment.
Level 3
Your third power should definetly be Danger Sense, costing a hefty 5 power points but giving you a +4 insight bonus against traps for an hour.
AUGMENT: If you spend 3 additional points, this power gives you the rogues uncanny dodge ability; if you spend 6 addtional power points, this power gives you the improved version of uncanny dodge as well.
Level 4
Energy Adaptation is a great power for fighting against the elements, despite being a hefty 7 power points and only lasting 10 minutes duration it allows you to gain resistance 10 against all acid, cold, electricity, fire and sonic attacks and turn it into a 60-foot radius light that illuminates off of you.
AUGMENT: If you spend 4 additional points you can manifest this as an immediate action.
Level 5
Your next feat should be Negotiator, granting you a +2 bonus to diplomacy and sense motive checks. This lets you act as a good diplomatic support, if someone else in the party already has better diplomacy then sense motive is always very good to have.
Your level 5 power should be Catapsi, this allows you to generate psychic static that disrupts other psionic users ability to manifest powers, making them spend 4 extra power points to manifest their powers.The field does not effect you and cannot overlap with other fields. This power costs 9 power points and effects a 30ft radius emanating from you.
AUGMENT: For every 4 additional power points you spend, this powers range and radius in area both increase by 5 feet.
Level 6
For 11 power points and the duration of a whole day, Mind Blank Personal will protect you from all devices, powers and spells that detect, influence and read emotions or thoughts. This power makes you immune to scrying spells and effects as-well as any other psionic ability that affects the mind. There is no augment for this. Mind Blank will allow you to not be interrupted by stuff that could threaten your wisdom, even brain degenerating acids and poisons. This allows you to work at full power in environments or encounters that would otherwise scale down your Wisdom and powers.
Level 7
For Level 7 the power Detect Hostile Intent would be a great addition, allowing you to detect the direction in which there are hostile creatures within a 30 feet radius for 3 power points. This power can penetrate barriers, but 3 feet of stones, 3 inches of common metal, 1 inch of lead or 6 feet of wood or dirt blocks it. There is no augment. While under effect of the power, you can make Sense Motive checks as a free action on anyone detected within the radius.
Level 8
Not really anymore feats that offer good support, so just grab open-minded everytime you get a bonus feat now and flog it all into wisdom.
Steadfast Perception is the 8th power, for 7 power points and a duration of 10 minutes you cannot be distracted or mislead, enemies cannot appear as invisible to you and you also gain a +6 to spot and search checks. This has no augment.
Level 9
A great power to have is Ubiquitous Vision, I will quote this directly from the SRD.
“You have metaphoric “eyes in the back of your head,” and on the sides and top as well, granting you benefits in specific situations. In effect, you have a 360-degree sphere of sight, allowing you a perfect view of creatures that might otherwise flank you. Thus, flanking opponents gain no bonus on their attack rolls, and rogues are denied their sneak attack ability because you do not lose your dexterity bonus (but they may still sneak attack you if you are caught flat-footed. Your Spot and Search checks gain a +4 enhancement bonus. Concurrently, you take a –4 penalty on saves against all gaze attacks during the power’s duration.”
The power uses 5 power points and last 10 minutes, it is great because it allows you to continue a support role without worrying about something sneaking up on you and incapping you.
Level 10
For your final power Float is a good choice allowing you to mentally support yourself in water or similar liquid, alone it lets you swim at a speed of 10 feet. It only costs 1 power point for a 1 round duration.
That's it for the Support build, you mainly want to focus on assisting your allies and using your unique abilities to help give them a better edge in combat. Dimension Swap will allow you to retrieve allies who're in trouble and then swapping with another member who can fight in that allies stead. The build uses a very cautious playstyle, the ability to emit light in dark places, detect threats from afar, foil stealy NPCs or monsters and even allowing you to sense the motives of others. This build offers little survival and aggression but allows the rest of your party members to be more combat statted while you deal with helping them in whatever way you can in a fight.
Hope you enjoyed the guide, if anything is muddled up, double pasted or anything else let me know. On another note this guide will ONLY show up on the channel feed for D&D, I want to keep this one more directed at the D&D content viewers that being said if you thumb it down please PM me what kind of content YOU would like to see. Otherwise thank you for reading.
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