Psionics

[Raptor]

I was looking thru my expanded(3.5) psionics handbook the other day and decided to see how it worked with Dragonmech. There is actually a lot of cool things it can do. The Psychic Warrior class especially has a number powers that would be great for a mech pilot. At 1st lvl you can get Elfsight (low light & spot bonus), Emptymind (+2 immediate will save), Grip of Iron (+4 grapple to fend off boarders), Offensive Precognition (+1 insight to hit), Offensive Prescience (+2 insight to dam), and Systhete (see sound, hear light). there are also plenty of good ones at higher lvls. Anybody got any other cool ideas on how to put the 2 together?

[Ken Hart]

A few other good powers from the Psion class:

Catfall: Handy if you fall or need to jump off a mech quickly. It's also good if you have the advantage of a higher position and you want to jump on top of a passing mech (being insane helps).

Grease, Psionic: Like the spell, useful for dealing with boarders.

Ego Whip: Terrific range -- 100 ft. +10 ft./level, close enough to spot a pilot or gunner in an enemy mech -- and it targets Charisma, probably not a gunner's top attribute.

And from the nomad discipline, there's Dimension Swap -- possibly life-saving if your mech is boarded and you need to switch positions with another crew member.

Even if your mech jockey or gunner is not psionic, they can benefit from psionic items that do the same thing. Psionic tattoos are one-use items (like potions), and psionic landing armor and mindarmor mimic the Catfall and Empty Mind powers, respectively. And the Use Psionic Device skill enables you to use dorjes (psionic wands).

[Raptor]

Some useful feats from the Psionics book are Open Minded(+5 skill points), Focused Sunder(ignore 1/2 hardness), Mental Leap(+10 jump), Psicrystal Affinity(gain psicrystal familiar), Up the Walls(run on walls & ceilings). Except for Open Minded, these are psionic feats and require you to have a power point reserve. Here is a psionic feat I came up with specifically for Dragonmech:

ECTOMECH

Your skill in shaping astral constructs allows you to form them into armor.

Prerequisite: Boost Construct, Craft (sculpting) 8 ranks, ability to creat an astral construct of equal or greater size than you.

Benefit: When creating an astral construct you form them around you. Any costruct formed using this feat has its duration changed to 1min/lvl. If the construct is the same size as you, it forms as armor, add its natural armor bonus as a circumstance bonus to any armor you may be wearing (except hydraulic armor which is too complicated to integrate). You gain DR(construct HD)/mental but any damage resisted is removed form the construct HP. You gain the constructs strength, and the use of its slam attack. You may take any of the bonus abilities(incl. Imp. Natural Attack), except those that give feats. You may seal the armor at will for protection from gases, but then must hold your breath as underwater. If the construct is larger than you it forms a hollow chamber for you to ride in. It is vulnerable to critical hits, but any extra damage from crits hits you. It may use any of the bonus abilities(including feats). You may give it instructions as a free action as normal, or may directly control it. Direct control is a full round action that allows you to replace the constructs base attack with your own, use any of your feats listed under the Mechjockey Skill Transfer ability, and use your ranks in the following skills: Balance, Climb, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, and Tumble.

[MagusRogue]

You could do some kind of prestige class or feat as well that allows you to apply your psionic feats to mechs you pilot. Something like a Mech Fu of Psionics. For one, Deep Impact and the other two feats like that, as well as the Psionic [attack] feats, would be utterly lethal in mech combat. Not sure how you would build it around, and maybe it'll take some modifications to the mech itself (including crystals in its design) to channel the psionic energies, but it'll suddenly make Psychic Warriors and Soulknives terribly lethal in mech combat.... Imagin mech-sized mindblades...... *shudders*

[Nero's Boot]

OoOoOoOoooooo...how about psimechs?

--y'know...psionically active mechs? NB

[Charke]

DragonMech: SteamWarriors introduces the Hissing Psiborg which is a psychic warrior-steamborg and he picks up a power to attune metal parts, making them essentially alive... ...and killable but able to store power points.

Mark Charke

[Laughingcarp]

http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=907805