So I just picked up the Occult Adventures in preparation for a new campaign my gaming group is starting up next week. I've decided I'd like to give the Kineticist with the Aether element a try.
I have a couple of questions about how some of the infusions work, just so I understand them really.
1. Kinetic Blade
Kinetic Blade:
KINETIC BLADE
Element universal; Type form infusion; Level 1; Burn 1
Associated Blasts any
Saving Throw none
You form a weapon using your kinetic abilities. You create a nonreach,
light or one-handed weapon in your hand formed of pure
energy or elemental matter. (If you’re a telekineticist, you instead
transfer the power of your kinetic blast to any object held in one
hand.) The kinetic blade’s shape is purely cosmetic and doesn’t
affect the damage dice, critical threat range, or critical multiplier
of the kinetic blade, nor does it grant the kinetic blade any weapon
special features. The object held by a telekineticist for this form
infusion doesn’t prevent her from using gather power.
You can use this form infusion once as part of an attack action,
a charge action, or a full-attack action in order to make melee
attacks with your kinetic blade. Since it’s part of another action
(and isn’t an action itself), using this wild talent doesn’t provoke
any additional attacks of opportunity. The kinetic blade deals
your kinetic blast damage on each hit (applying any modifiers
to your kinetic blast’s damage as normal, but not your Strength
modifier). The blade disappears at the end of your turn. The
weapon deals the same damage type that your kinetic blast
deals, and it interacts with Armor Class and spell resistance as
normal for a blast of its type. Even if a telekineticist uses this
power on a magic weapon or another unusual object, the attack
doesn’t use any of the magic weapon’s bonuses or effects and
simply deals the telekineticist’s blast damage. The kinetic blade
doesn’t add the damage bonus from elemental overflow.
A. So is the point of this infusion just to make it so that you can use your kinetic blast as a melee attack?
B. When you use this infusion, I'm assuming you don't get to deal the damage of your kinetic blast for the actual blast and the damage for the infusion, correct? You basically just deal your normal kinetic blast damage but it is delivered as a melee attack instead of a ranged attack?
2. Kinetic Fist
Kinetic Fist:
KINETIC FIST
Element universal; Type form infusion; Level 1; Burn 1
Associated Blasts any
Saving Throw none
You surround your body with energy or elemental matter from
your kinetic abilities. You can use this form infusion as part of
an attack action, a charge action, or a full-attack action to add
damage to each of your natural attacks and unarmed strikes
until the beginning of your next turn. Since kinetic fist is part
of another action, using this wild talent doesn’t provoke any
additional attack of opportunity. You deal an additional 1d6
points of damage per 3 dice of your kinetic blast’s damage
(minimum 1d6), and this damage is of the same type
as your kinetic blast’s damage. This extra damage
ignores spell resistance and doesn’t apply any
modifiers to your kinetic blast’s damage, such
as your Constitution modifier.
A. Sort of the same line of thought as my first question, does this infusion basically just allow you to deliver your kinetic blast as an unarmed attack?
B. Would damage be your unarmed attack damage + the additional 1d6 for this infusion?
2. Kinetic Fist
A. Not quite, if you re-read the infusion you'll see that kinetic fist is more of a small damage bonus on top of the normal unarmed/natural attack rather than the straightforward melee blast of the blade.
B. Yes, plus the scaling damage every 3 levels after 3.
1A. Yes. And so you can use iterative attacks and/or haste via full-attack actions which blast can't do. Also, Weapon Focus (kinetic blast) applies to kinetic blade. Kinetic Whip has advantage that it lasts until beginning of your next turn, so you can use it for AoOs.
1B. You apply the blast damage as a melee attack, but no bonus damage from elemental overflow.
2A. Kinetic fist modifies unarmed damage. You're still considered unarmed unless you got Improved Unarmed Strike. Weapon Focus (unarmed strike) is used.
2B. Yes. You start with 1d6 and doesn't become 2d6 until level 11 when the blast is 6d6. It's not the greatest infusion. Blade is usually better.
