Pathfinder Player Companion: Psychic Anthology (PFRPG)

3.80/5 (based on 8 ratings)
Pathfinder Player Companion: Psychic Anthology (PFRPG)
Show Description For:
Non-Mint

Add Print Edition $14.99

Add PDF $9.99

Non-Mint Unavailable

Facebook Twitter Email

A Mind-Expanding Read

For curious readers who wish to hone their psychic skills, a plethora of occult tomes, lost scrolls, and even stranger items lie hidden throughout Golarion. From the kaleidoscopic Recursion Tablets to the never-ending Infinity Scroll, Pathfinder Player Companion: Psychic Anthology presents a diverse archive of texts elucidating esoteric ideas and techniques that can benefit any psychic spellcasting class, as well as other spellcasters. Alongside feats, magic items, and spells, this volume unlocks the hidden powers of the mind!

Inside this book, you'll find:

  • New archetypes for nearly every occult class, including the phantom blade spiritualist and the autohypnotist mesmerist.
  • Panoplies­—collections of occultist implements that harness the power resonating between the items—and numerous kineticist wild talents for all the elements.
  • A new corruption arising from raw psychic energy that, if left unchecked, could mutate one's form into an all-consuming horror of writhing flesh.

This Pathfinder Player Companion is intended for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and the Pathfinder campaign setting, but can easily be incorporated into any fantasy world.

ISBN-13: 978-1-60125-928-8

Other Resources: This product is also available on the following platforms:

Hero Lab Online
Archives of Nethys

Product Availability

Print Edition:

Available now

Ships from our warehouse in 3 to 5 business days.

PDF:

Fulfilled immediately.

Non-Mint:

Unavailable

This product is non-mint. Refunds are not available for non-mint products. The standard version of this product can be found here.

Are there errors or omissions in this product information? Got corrections? Let us know at store@paizo.com.

PZO9477


See Also:

6 to 8 of 8 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | next > last >>

Average product rating:

3.80/5 (based on 8 ratings)

Sign in to create or edit a product review.

Psychic Fun Time

4/5

Overall a good book with lots of options for all 6 six psychic based classes.

The Good
-A lot of wild talents for kineticist.
-The kindness phantom emotional focus.
-Some awesome prestige classes for the spiritualist.
-Cool feats for the mesmerist.
-Outsider spirits for the medium.
-Some great new spells and magic items.

The Bad
-The kinetic Invocation feat.
-Some other design issues with the kineticist options.
-No new psychic disciplines and/or phrenic amplifications.


Overall Good book

4/5

This book has a lot of options for Occult Classes, but it still seems like everyone but the meduim gets the best options.

Flavor text is well done and the organization is solid. Art is good in spots too.


Supports lots of new character options!

5/5

First up, getting the worst part out of the way: Psychic gets spells and items, and that's it. There, it's over, and everything after is better news. (That said, they're basic quality-of-life items for all psychic casters, and the spells include two new undercastable spells. It may be more practical for most Psychics, even if it isn't as shiny as a new archetype or some disciplines.)

Spiritualist gets an awesome phantom with a distinct play style, and it includes support for the numerous archetypes that require special treatment. (High-five to the writer!) On top of that, it gets two very nice archetypes, one for ghostly animal companions and one for Magus-like combat with psychic in-combat casting addressed. (High-five to the writer!) Really cool to see past issues addressed!

Mesmerist gets some love for tricks. Not getting use out of more than one or two? Want a Mesmerist that isn't forced to pass out tricks to be useful? Playing a spontaneous caster to avoid morning preparation? Solved in one feat. (High-five to the writer!) Gets a nice variety of archetypes, covering transformation (offensive and defensive), possession (mostly of the object variety), and heavier trick focus. The new stare feats are significantly stronger than equivalent level stare feats. Blind is a MUCH harsher condition than fatigued, so GMs, you might want to take a close look at that.

Occultist panoplies and an archetype focused on them. By far the most stand-out option is being able to trade in some flexibility for increased BAB. Full BAB and 6/9 casting? Don't mind if I do! That said, the others are useful, especially in particular campaign types. Solidifies Occultist's ability to fill major roles without needing to be a 9/9 caster.

Kineticist gets a ton of talent options. A sizable chunk has an extra feat tax for most races, but that's okay- if you need a bunch of extra options, they're there. There are a lot of weird little editorial issues here- incompatible requirements, mislabeled elements, and extra mechanics that have no actual effect. For those who wanted Kineticist crafters, you're good to go. For those who wanted a melee Kineticist without giving up all your utility talents (or any of them, for that matter), Kinetic Knight is great.

Medium gets one archetype, which is huge and has a bunch of options.
Pros: Heck yeah, I want a familiar with free Improved Familiar and bonus shapeshifting! Awesome flavor, too, with (mostly) different abilities for all sorts of outsiders.
Cons: "You must pay for the atonement spell if you make even a tiny violation" is a terrible way to run a Paladin. Baking that approach into an archetype is not pleasant, even with your code being "pick one restriction out of these three". Replacing all intermediate abilities with the same ability puts a LOT of importance on that ability. Also, delayed summoning for all three evil outsider types lacks the flavor good alignments get.
Verdict: Tough call. Not for me, but there are cases where it's a good fit. Anybody who wants a character that HAS to do something can fit that pretty well here- being deep in debt with outside forces, for instance. It's a very nice pick for caster Mediums, since you get abilities that can be used without relying on granting influence.

Bonus: awesome corruption for psychically inclined characters!

Overall: If you like Spiritualist, Mesmerist, or Occultist, this is a great book for you. If you find yourself struggling to find Kineticist talents you want to take for your element, or want a utility-preserving martial Kineticist, this will help. If you like getting in deep with outsiders, want more items for psychic casters, or need some additional Psychic spells, it's worth a look.


6 to 8 of 8 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | next > last >>
1,101 to 1,121 of 1,121 << first < prev | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | next > last >>

Not really grocking the vexing trickster. Why does it get combat expertise? Is it supposed to be flanking with it's own splinters or something?

Contributor

4 people marked this as a favorite.
BigNorseWolf wrote:
Not really grocking the vexing trickster. Why does it get combat expertise? Is it supposed to be flanking with it's own splinters or something?

So it can take Improved Dirty Trick at 3rd level if it wants to. The idea was that you could take the infiltration bold stare (from Occult Realms) and penalize your enemies' CMD with your stare, then inflict all manner of nasty tricks on them if you wanted to. But the class doesn't make you take Dirty Trick in case you, say, would rather go trip to similar effect. And if you don't want to take either? That's fine. Loosing towering ego for Combat Expertise is part of the archetype's balancing mechanism for getting SUPER good with trick feats. (The ability to stack them is really, really good, and between the bonus feats and the better trick usage, what you would otherwise get from the archetype is WAY better than touch treatment. Losing towering ego is needed to keep the archetype balanced.)


Just ordered this. ;)


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Lemartes wrote:
Just ordered this. ;)

Very wise. Possibly the best of the Anthologies. And I like ALL of them.

Love what was done for Wood element. Earth was my favorite with Water close behind...not sure that is the case anymore!


Good to know. I love psychics too bad they don't get much from this book. I tried to order a bunch of other books but my store didn't have them available yet. :(


Vexing trickster: Manifold hijinks.

This bypasses the rule about having 2 tricks that have been modified by trick feats on the same target.

Does it also bypass the more general rule against having two tricks on a subject, or is some other ability needed as a required secondary power?


Slick infusion says that Reflex Negates, but only seems to affect the terrain of the area of your blast, not those in it. Do those in or entering the area make a reflex save to treat the area as non-difficult terrain? Was the save supposed to be 'none'? Was this supposed to also potentially prone those who failed their saves, a la grease?


Can the phantom blade change its look over time or is it always the same blade?

Silver Crusade

It can change.


The PFS additional resources and campaign clarifications are out for this, and they burned down a lot of the good stuff.

Rend Body got this clarification:

Quote:
A creature who succeeds at a Fortitude save against a rend body spell takes half damage and does not lose a limb. A creature who loses half or more of its legs from rend body has its movement speed reduced to 5 feet.

That's not great, especially since they didn't fix the casting time.

Everything good for a Psychic got banned, the (too) good Mesmerist stare feats, and the best Occultist stuff, too.

Additional Resources wrote:
Archetypes: All archetypes in this book are legal for play except panoply savant and totem spiritualist. Equipment: All equipment in this book is legal for play except the centering jewel and ring of phrenic prowess. Feats: All feats in this book are legal for play except Blinding Stare, Confusing Stare, Kinetic Crafting, and Spell Trick. The Kinetic Invocation feat is legal but does not grant access to silent image. Spells: All spells in this book are legal for play except debilitating pain, glimpse of the akashic, and mass debilitating pain. Misc.: All kinetic blasts, infusion wild talents, outsider spirits (except daemon, demon, and devil), panaoplies, phantoms (and their associated emotion rules in the sidebar on page 5), utility wild talents in this book are legal for play except mage’s paraphernalia and trappings of the warrior.

I wish Player Companion developers would exercise some restraint rather than publish so much over powered stuff that will obviously get banned by the responsible adults in PFS.

Silver Crusade

12 people marked this as a favorite.

Or they can keep doing what they've been doing.

Not everyone plays PFS.

Likewise, the people in charge of PFS have absolutely no authority over those who develop/design the books and do not get to proofread and strike an option from a book before it goes to print. That's is specifically what additional resources is for, taking out or reserving options from PFS.


5 people marked this as a favorite.

I would rather PC contributors do their own thing instead of worry about PFS. It is why I subscribe.

Contributor

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Fourshadow wrote:
I would rather PC contributors do their own thing instead of worry about PFS. It is why I subscribe.

I can see both sides. On one hand, it isn't fun to think that one group of players (aka PFS) is controlling what type of content you're getting. On the other hand, if PFS is your primary method of playing it is equally frustrating when the publisher who makes PFS also puts out material that you aren't allowed to use in Organized Play.

Personally, I see it like Yu-Gi-Oh!'s banned, restricted, and limited list. I started playing Yu-Gi-Oh! when it was new to the States, and it was frustrating when that list came out (which was relatively early on in the set rotation) that basically told me that cards I had just gotten couldn't be used in Tournament Play. (At the time, Konami released card sets that the US wouldn't get for nearly half a year, so cards would be printed State Side that were banned before they were even printed.)

It is frustrating, but the first time you're Yata-locked in a house tournament, you come to appreciate the house's rules. And hey, when you wanted a challenge you could build wacky decks with your friends that ignored the banned list and have 15 Exodia cards in your deck if you wanted, and I always appreciated that difference. At least, that's my experience.


Luis Loza wrote:

The Phantom Blade has a lot to it, seeing as its entry is about as long as the bladebound magus entry. Here are some of the more exciting bits I wrote into the archetype:

1. You have no phantom at all, but have the phantom blade at 1st level. No waiting for 3rd level for your weapon.

2. The weapon is ectoplasmic, which means it is always a ghost touch weapon.

3. The weapon can be any weapon with which you are proficient. Are you an elf? Take an elven curved blade! Want a bow? Sure!

4. The ectoplasmic nature of the phantom blade means it's malleable. If you need to change damage types, you can eventually change the shape of your weapon to something better.

Just for some clarification, the weapon can BE any weapon with which the phantom blade is proficient, but does that mean that the class features FUNCTION with any weapon? So, can a phantom blade use spell combat and spellstrike with a 2h melee weapon? What about with a ranged weapon?


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Can we expect a Psychometabolic Oracle Curse, like the other Corruption Curses in Horror Realms? Please?

Paizo Employee Contributor

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Sunstripe wrote:
Luis Loza wrote:

The Phantom Blade has a lot to it, seeing as its entry is about as long as the bladebound magus entry. Here are some of the more exciting bits I wrote into the archetype:

1. You have no phantom at all, but have the phantom blade at 1st level. No waiting for 3rd level for your weapon.

2. The weapon is ectoplasmic, which means it is always a ghost touch weapon.

3. The weapon can be any weapon with which you are proficient. Are you an elf? Take an elven curved blade! Want a bow? Sure!

4. The ectoplasmic nature of the phantom blade means it's malleable. If you need to change damage types, you can eventually change the shape of your weapon to something better.

Just for some clarification, the weapon can BE any weapon with which the phantom blade is proficient, but does that mean that the class features FUNCTION with any weapon? So, can a phantom blade use spell combat and spellstrike with a 2h melee weapon? What about with a ranged weapon?

Unfortunately not. The versatility of weapon types comes at a cost. You can either go one-handed and use Spell Combat or you can go with other weapons that are not the "typical" magus fare. Technically, you can let go of your weapon as a free action, cast a spell, and regrip your weapon again for two-handers. There is no ranged spellstrike option at all, however.


Luis Loza wrote:

The Phantom Blade has a lot to it, seeing as its entry is about as long as the bladebound magus entry. Here are some of the more exciting bits I wrote into the archetype:

1. You have no phantom at all, but have the phantom blade at 1st level. No waiting for 3rd level for your weapon.

2. The weapon is ectoplasmic, which means it is always a ghost touch weapon.

3. The weapon can be any weapon with which you are proficient. Are you an elf? Take an elven curved blade! Want a bow? Sure!

4. The ectoplasmic nature of the phantom blade means it's malleable. If you need to change damage types, you can eventually change the shape of your weapon to something better.

I am probably super late tot eh party here, but.. Super Serious question: In the Description of the Phantom Blade archetype it states that the Phantom Blade acts like a Black Blade from the Bladebound archetype. What is it copying from the Bladebound? I assume that the Phantom Blade does not get its own ectoplasmic pool, or does it? If it does does this mean, that the Spiritualist can then syphon points from the Phantom Blade as a Bladebound Magus would? My GM just wants the closest Lawyer answer in layman terms, lol. Apologize if this has already been answered once before. If so, just link me the post, and I will roam on over to it... I like this class and archetype, the flavor is rather awesome. I just need to ensure I am playing everything correctly, lol.

Paizo Employee Rule and Lore Creative Director

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Zaechs wrote:
Luis Loza wrote:

The Phantom Blade has a lot to it, seeing as its entry is about as long as the bladebound magus entry. Here are some of the more exciting bits I wrote into the archetype:

1. You have no phantom at all, but have the phantom blade at 1st level. No waiting for 3rd level for your weapon.

2. The weapon is ectoplasmic, which means it is always a ghost touch weapon.

3. The weapon can be any weapon with which you are proficient. Are you an elf? Take an elven curved blade! Want a bow? Sure!

4. The ectoplasmic nature of the phantom blade means it's malleable. If you need to change damage types, you can eventually change the shape of your weapon to something better.

I am probably super late tot eh party here, but.. Super Serious question: In the Description of the Phantom Blade archetype it states that the Phantom Blade acts like a Black Blade from the Bladebound archetype. What is it copying from the Bladebound? I assume that the Phantom Blade does not get its own ectoplasmic pool, or does it? If it does does this mean, that the Spiritualist can then syphon points from the Phantom Blade as a Bladebound Magus would? My GM just wants the closest Lawyer answer in layman terms, lol. Apologize if this has already been answered once before. If so, just link me the post, and I will roam on over to it... I like this class and archetype, the flavor is rather awesome. I just need to ensure I am playing everything correctly, lol.

That bit about functioning the same as a black blade is meant to cover the intelligent aspects of the weapon. There was no need to eat into word count to reexplain the whole ego bits and whatnot. Essentially, it's intelligent like a black blade, but then gets the stuff on its own respective phantom weapon table. The blade does not get its own ectoplasmic pool.

Shadow Lodge

Alexander Augunas wrote:
Fourshadow wrote:
I would rather PC contributors do their own thing instead of worry about PFS. It is why I subscribe.
I can see both sides. On one hand, it isn't fun to think that one group of players (aka PFS) is controlling what type of content you're getting. On the other hand, if PFS is your primary method of playing it is equally frustrating when the publisher who makes PFS also puts out material that you aren't allowed to use in Organized Play.

There's also the fact that PFS already has some strict limitations on most classes, hit points, 20 point-buy, etc. The wizard and alchemist are stripped of their crafting feats, etc. PFS is already toned down as it is, so one could argue that further limitations via additional resources can be the more frustrating for people who love to exercise the wide array of options made available so far by the PRPG. Most PFS players have adapted, however. The trick is to play things from books that are at least two years old...


Luis Loza wrote:
That bit about functioning the same as a black blade is meant to cover the intelligent aspects of the weapon. There was no need to eat into word count to reexplain the whole ego bits and whatnot. Essentially, it's intelligent like a black blade, but then gets the stuff on its own respective phantom weapon table. The blade does not get its own ectoplasmic pool.

Thank you most exceptionally, Luis! I greatly appreciate. I just needed to clarify for my GM is all. And now that I have it, onto my Shabti Phantom Blade...

1,101 to 1,121 of 1,121 << first < prev | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | next > last >>
Community / Forums / Paizo / Product Discussion / Pathfinder Player Companion: Psychic Anthology (PFRPG) All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.