Powerful Psychic build.

[hughnme]

Know direction podcast no 117 http://knowdirectionpodcast.com/2015/10/kd-117-occult-mega-review/

peaked my interest in playing a Psychic as Perrim said it was a powerful class.I want to play a powerful damage dealer,could someone suggest a build (cheese aplenty) that will make my GM weep.

I want to take a break from my strong RP characters and just play a Psychic that goes boooom.

Thanks in advance.

[dnoisette]

Honestly, if you're looking for max damage only, I think you'd do better with a blaster Sorcerer/Wizard/Cleric.

It's always possible to build something similar with the Mind Thrust line of spells though. Good metamagic feats include: Intensified, Empower, Quicken, Dazing, Persistent...
Don't forget Will of the Dead for your first phrenic amplification, you'll need it.

[andreww]

Psychic's dont deal much damage. They do however control the battlefield effectively.

You dont want to multiclass. Just pick strong caster feats, anything which improves your initiative, spell DC's, SR penetration, crafting and metamagic.

Logical Spell is a Psychic feat tax as you cannot cast at all while suffering any kind of fear effect including mundane shaken from Intimidate.

You should probably pick a psychic discipline which uses Wisdom rather than Charisma as Wisdom is a stronger secondary stat. Tranquility, Self Perfection and Faith are all decent choices. Psychedelic can be strong but has no way to regain Phrenic Pool points.

Decent Phrenic Amplifications include Will of the Dead, Relentless Casting and Overpowering Surge. Ongoing Defence can be decent. Synaptic Shock is potentially the strongest greater amplification as anything subject to mind affecting spells can be kept confused regardless of their save.

You need to be careful with your choice of spells and make sure to have a range of different effects. If you just pick up mind affecting spells you will be highly vulnerable to constructs, plants, oozes, swarms and undead (even with Will of the Dead as your pool is fairly small).

Even if you are careful in your choice you have very few spells which are SR: No making golems a pain and almost no area damage making swarms aggravating.

[hughnme]

If I can be cheeky and hijack my own thread what race/class build would you construct (again cheese aplenty) do do wicked high damage?

We are now at level 5.

[blackbloodtroll]

Battlefield Control is much more powerful that just damage.

Also, I guess know you mean, but try not to use the term "cheese".

You will get flames, not advice.

[Slithery D]

andreww wrote:

Logical Spell is a Psychic feat tax as you cannot cast at all while suffering any kind of fear effect including mundane shaken from Intimidate.

This is not true, there are quite a few good spells that only have Verbal/Thought components. And some disciplines give fear immunity (or swift action removal) at reasonably low levels, namely abomination and pain.

Beyond that there are ways to mitigate the intimidation problem (i.e. range) and metagame reasons it shouldn't happen that often.

[Ghufufin]

Here is a framework you can base a build on. By no means the best or the most effective but one of the ways to do the most damage as a Psychic. Basically comes online at level 7 when you can turn most of your spell slots into Furious Mind Thrust 3 (which deals a respectable 9d8+6) thanks to Undercast Surge and Magical Lineage. Further on you can pick up rods of metamagic to increase your damage Up until that point you can spam Magic Missles or use the standard encounter ending spells like Color Spray or control like Hold Person or Id Insinuation.

Human
Traits:
1.Magical Lineage (Mind Thrust 3)
2.Your Choice

Feats
1 Spell Focus (Div)
H Greater Spell Focus (Div)
3 Logical Spell
5 Furious Spell
7 Spell Specialization (Mind Thrust 3)

Phrenic Amplifications:
Overpowering Mind
Will of the Dead
Undercast Surge

[hughnme]

Thank you all for your input,I apologize if any offense was taken mentioning "cheese".

Very helpful suggestions as always.

[hughnme]

Perrim says this is the most broken spellcaster in Pathfinder.Just listening to the podcast again.

[Chromantic Durgon <3]

I made an abomination psychic based on dark Phoenix that focused on mind thrust.

It’s pretty simple. You boost your divination cater level. Build to spell perfection mind thrust. Take meta magic.

And make sure you have a plan be for mind immune foes (etheric shard for example is a lovely gal).

Thus podcasts you have been listening to sounds misleading though. Psychic is one of the weakest full casters.

Still a full caster though so still very strong.

[avr]

Over three years dead CD. Solidly in necromancer territory.

A psychic is a bit weaker than a wizard or a sorcerer playing to their strengths but on a par with an arcanist, stronger than a witch IMO. A divine full caster is too different to easily compare but they are probably better spellcasters than a druid or even a cleric (maybe not a shaman) even if their class chassis is weaker. I suspect trying to make mind thrust work might have lowered your opinion of the class.

[Chromantic Durgon <3]

Whoops totally don’t know how I found this thread with it wing so old lol