Once upon a time ago I was running a DragonStar campaign involving the Dark Zone and the emergence of the Gem Dragons as would be arbiters and allies in the growing fight against the psionic menaces that were beginning to crop up with greater frequency. As I was also using a bit of BESM d20 for extra thematic flavor, one part of the conceit was that the Dragon Empire had a good amount of magitech, but the psionic tech equivalents were both sleeker and...well the aesthetic comparison would definitely be magitech looking decidedly more emphasizing the 'tech' part, all industrial and whatnot, while psitech was futuristic looking even by in-universe standards. This was especially noted in regards to the Gem Dragon elite mecha pilots, shameless cribbed from and inspired by the Tekkaman Blade (Teknoman for those who only saw the dub) series.
With the recent acquisition of Ultimate Psionics and the read over of two particular classes, I had an idea that requires a more adept eye for balance and mechanics in order to revamp the concept for a new campaign that also ties to the Draconomicon for part of the explanation for why and how it works.
Essentially - the different Gem Dragons use the gems that result from their age category molt to create the 'seeds' of new recruits, with some variations for type-based methodology. The process of creating a bind-crystal can result in an artifact that effectively converts existing character levels, when in use, to an equal number of temporary Aegis levels, for one approach where the dragon favors small numbers of elite shock troops, whereas a more prudent and patient dragon could use said molt-gem to make a larger number of aforementioned 'seeds' crystals that would let someone become a level 1 Aegis, with powers growing with the character's development instead of starting off with a higher level individual being rerouted into the class.
I envisioned the more powerful versions having a good chance of causing insanity over time in addition to letting the dragon creator treat the user as a thrall, while the basic version would have the likelihood of subtly influencing attitude and outlook as the aegis grew in power. I also figured, with either method, the powers that the suits possessed would be themed around the respective dragon powers.
Any suggestions/refinements?