Below I offer the 1st archetype for my new favorite class. My only personal problem with the new class, was that it did too much, and focused too much, on damage when I just don't see telekinetic being a "blast-em" type of class. I think it's great for all the other elements, and am loving my Electric blast for its damage, but it felt wrong telekinetically.
As such, I modified the blast of this new archetype to use Combat Maneuvers with basically half-damage for when you want to include damage into the applicable maneuver.
Gains:
- Sunder as a possible ranged maneuver, albeit not til after other telekineticist would have a chance to have the Telekinetic Maneuver wild talent.
- Earlier access to some of the most thematic combat maneuvers.
- Extra talent slot since Telekinetic Maneuvers is no longer needed or an option.
Losses:
- Damage is the primary loss, gaining a bonus d6+1 every 4th level instead of every 2nd.
- Have to potentially wait 1 additional level before gaining Grapple
Of note... I used Dexterity instead of Constitution for the CMB in order to avoid a single-attribute based class.
Not all kineticist who choose the Aether element are as focused on damage as the classic telekineticist. Many focus more on the maneuvers they can make with their kinetic control at the expense of the damage they could otherwise do, making them not only interesting team members, but also battlefield controllers.
Simple Blasts: A telekinetic hand has access to the following simple blast wild talent in place of Telekinetic Blast, but which meets any Telekinetic Blast prerequisites in infusion wild talents:
Telekinetic Maneuver (Sp): You can perform combat maneuvers against your foes using your Dexterity modifier in place of your Strength modifier. Using these maneuvers only invokes an attack of opportunity if you are within someone's treat range. You must have both hands available in order to use these maneuvers, otherwise you lose your Dexterity modifier from your CMB.
At 1st level you gain the ability to trip your opponent. The opponent can not be larger than size large. If you fail the attempt by more than 10, you are not knocked prone.
At 3rd level you add steal to the list of maneuvers you can perform with this feature, if you have the Telekinetic Finesse wild talent. Opponents in combat are not automatically aware of the steal attempt and must make a perception check to notice as if out of combat.
At 5th level, you can disarm as well, as a maneuver from this feature, if you have the Telekinetic Finesse wild talent. You do not suffer the -4 to your roll for being unarmed.
At 7th level you can add dirty trick to your repertoire of maneuvers that you can do with this feature, if you have the Telekinetic Finesse wild talent. Deafened and sickened are removed from the possible list of effects you can cause with this maneuver.
At 9th level, you are able to reposition your opponents as a maneuver from this feature, if you have the Telekinetic Haul wild talent.
At 11th level you are also able to grapple with opponents with this feature, if you have the Telekinetic Haul wild talent. Movement is limited to your Dexterity modifier minus their Strength modifier times 5, with a minimum movement of 0. Other actions of grapple apply as if using the Telekinesis spell.
At 13th level you are able to sunder an opponent's weapon or armor with this feature, if you have the Telekinetic Haul wild talent. Such attempts to either rip the armor off of a target or snap a weapon in half are at a -2 to your CMB, but you may add half your Kineticist level to the damage.
On a successful trip, grapple, reposition or sunder maneuver, in addition to the effect of the maneuver, they, or the target of the sunder, if using the sunder maneuver, take 1d6 + your Constitution modifier in damage. This damage increases by 1d6 + 1 at 4th level and every 4 levels after.
Wild Talents: Telekinetic hands do not receive the Telekinetic Maneuver wild talent as part of their selection of wild talents.
Many Throw: Lashing out with a telekinetic blast is far easier than a controlled maneuver. To attempt using this wild talent, you must pay an extra burn for every target over the 2nd. Otherwise the talent works as described, allowing for multiple combat maneuvers to be performed at the same time.
Of note: In our game, this is just another "simple blast" of the Aether element (much as other classes have multiple blasts). I made it as an archetype purely to remove the "Telekinetic Maneuvers" which is part of what this over-rides, and modify the "Many Throw" Wild Talents. So, while in our game you could, at 7th level, have both Aether blasts, that's not so in this form unless someone can think of a better way to do this. :/
Intriguing. Since the class is still being playtested, I'd rather not get into this right now. Things have a tendency to change, and a change to the Kineticist could alter your archetype and make it unusable. That said, since the Kineticist is the only one that I read thoroughly (twice at that!), I will make the effort to help you out here.
First, your idea is great. All the Kineticist's elements seem to be lacking on utility uses for their blasts in my opinion. I don't know if the answer here is archetypes, or simply more Wild Talents that do other neat stuff than blow the $#!7 out of people.
I would honestly just keep this as an extra simple blast like you have been doing in your game, rather than as an entire archetype.
The problem with more talents is that, theres ebough. I dont run out of must-have talents until 16th level, and thats without Telekinetic Maneuvers, and because I can already fly as a Sylph by 9th level...
I agree with you, that the real issue is utility in the offense, something more than damage. But for the other 4 elements, just-damage is thematic enough. The fact I can throw a pebble for 80 points of damage (which I did last weekend as an 8th level character), is not as thematic though. :(
But yeah, I think it is better as just a blast...
I kind of feel like the physical Kinetic Blasts (i.e. the ones affected by DR, not SR an Resistance) should already be usable with Combat Maneuvers. I highly suspect there will be significantly more Substance Infusions like Pressurized Blast (though, hopefully without the 5' limit) for different maneuvers.
Basically, I don't think you should have to trade damage (which is already low in the playtest document) for more utility.
I've been thinking about this, and not so sure this is a good idea unless the archetype modifies the damage of all Simple Blasts. Otherwise, come 7th level, the player just picks a better Simple Blast from another element to use.
Unlike mpl, I don't find the damage of the class at all "low". Quite the opposite. While, as a player, I'd love to keep my high-damage electric blast, and a low damage ranged combat maneuver that I can trade between at-will, I think it will require some amount of testing to see how it compares to other characters and classes. :/