Reading the rules of psychic magic, I'm wondering if this is correct:
A psychic caster can operate with impunity in an area affected by silence, but a regular caster such as arcane or divine, would be hampered without the silent spell feat?
Because if this is true, that seems a touch overpowered.
Yes it's true, however psychic casters instead have their own spell components to contend with. A simple intimidate check to demoralize for example, is enough to stop a psychic caster from casting spells with the emotion component. Thought components also make concentration checks much more difficult unless you spend a move action to center yourself.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Psychic casters can be shut down with a simple intimidate action (any non-harmless emotion effect, including "shaken", locks down Emotion components) and often have +10 on any concentration checks they have to make (due to Thought components).
Sure, there are ways around that, but there are also ways around other components. I'd say it about evens it out.
This is correct, but is psychic magic is not overpowered.
You can't cast spells with Emotion components when under negative emotional effects (including any form of fear, so if you are shaken you are SOL).
You need to take an additional move action or suffer an increase to the DC to cast any spell with a Thought component defensively, meaning that your action economy when you're in the thick of it can be nasty.
it all balances out in the end.
I think the demoralize action was a gray area as psychic magic said you have to be under a spell with an emotion or fear descriptor. I think it was flagged for an FAQ by a bunch of people in a different thread.
"It is impossible to cast a spell with an emotion component while the spellcaster is under the influence of a non-harmless effect with the emotion or fear descriptors."
Effect, not spell. You could argue whether being shaken from the demoralise action counts as having the fear descriptor, but you'd probably be in the minority there.
On my phone so can' t link it, but last entry on CRB FAQ confirms intimidate is mind affecting fear effect.
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2st9w?Can-a-psychic-spellcaster-cast-spells-whi le#1
Here's the link where they are discussing it.
|
I think the demoralize action was a gray area as psychic magic said you have to be under a spell with an emotion or fear descriptor. I think it was flagged for an FAQ by a bunch of people in a different thread.
There was a FAQ confirming Intimidate shuts down emotion components.
|
I had a GM recently rule my spiritualist couldn't cast Cure Light Wounds because the party's bard had cast a spell to calm everyone down. Since my phantom's focus was Hate, I'd previously designated the emotional component for my spells as hate. I heal people because I hate that they are injured, for example.
I think the demoralize action was a gray area as psychic magic said you have to be under a spell with an emotion or fear descriptor. I think it was flagged for an FAQ by a bunch of people in a different thread.There was a FAQ confirming Intimidate shuts down emotion components.
Thank you!!
I had a GM recently rule my spiritualist couldn't cast Cure Light Wounds because the party's bard had cast a spell to calm everyone down. Since my phantom's focus was Hate, I'd previously designated the emotional component for my spells as hate. I heal people because I hate that they are injured, for example.
That doesn't actually matter here. Even if your emotional component fits the emotion an effect inflicts on you, it's still blocking your spellcasting. Only if the saving throw or the spell resistence say (harmless) does an emotion- or fear effect permit emotion components. A non-harmless hate/rage effect would still block your spellcasting, but a happyness effect with (harmless) descriptor in its saving throw or spell resistance description wouldn't.
|
|
He ruled that because I was mystically calmed down, I couldn't muster the hate to cast my spell. Which made sense. Can't remember off hand what the spell used was, but I don't think it was a 'harmless' spell either.
It was just an example of how enforced emotions from an outside source can prevent psychic casting.
Was it Calm Emotions? If that's the case, it'd certainly make sense to me.
Yeah, he was probably right - it was most likely calm emotions, and that isn't harmless.
What I meant was that even if an emotion effect were to fit your emotional component - to quote the rules: "Even if the effect's emotion matches the necessary emotion to cast the psychic spell, the spellcaster is not in control of her own desires and animal impulses, which is a necessary part of providing an emotion component."
You may need your rage to cast spells, but it needs to be *your* rage. You need to control and channel it. You can't do that if an outside effect forces it on you.
Yes it's true, however psychic casters instead have their own spell components to contend with. A simple intimidate check to demoralize for example, is enough to stop a psychic caster from casting spells with the emotion component. Thought components also make concentration checks much more difficult unless you spend a move action to center yourself.
I've been seeing Psychics all taking the Abomination discipline: immune to fear while Dark Half is active. Cannot shut down with intimidate.
Abomination has one of the worst spell lists of any discipline, so it's pretty balanced. The discipline abilities are pretty limited and overly combat focused, too. But I suppose it's a good discipline for cowards, people who can't plan/adapt, or players whose GMs unrealistically metagame.
I've been seeing Psychics all taking the Abomination discipline: immune to fear while Dark Half is active. Cannot shut down with intimidate.
And Oracles with the Deaf curse cast all their spells as silent spells, without an increase in spell level or casting time.
Sure, Deaf Oracles are deaf but they get bonuses around that, while Abominations have worse spells than other disciplines.
(Also, Mesmerists can remove Shaken on themselves as a swift action multiple times per day, but it's a limited resource and eats up their swift action.)
It doesn't even out in the "Equal under all circumstances" kind of way, but that way sucks. It does even out in the "Each has their uses", and that's much better.
A few disciplines have ways of dealing with the issue as well.
Pain allows you to heal yourself while removing the shaken condition as a swift action.
Tranquility becomes immune to fear at 13th.
And don't forget that there are quite a few spells that don't have the emotion component.
Only found the Mesmerist options, but this should be helpful.
Blindness/Deafness
Blur
Command / Greater Command
Suggestion / Mass Suggestion
Dimension Door
Displacement
Geas / Lesser Geas
Irresistible Dance
Mass Charm Monster
Power Word Blind
Denounce
Invigorate / Mass Invigorate
Forbid Action / Greater Forbid Action
Murderous Command
Primal Scream
Steal Voice
Truespeak
Vision of Hell
And don't forget that there are quite a few spells that don't have the emotion component.
** spoiler omitted **
The ability to cast D-Door despite being emotionally "silenced" is super handy.
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 8
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Abomination has one of the worst spell lists of any discipline, so it's pretty balanced. The discipline abilities are pretty limited and overly combat focused, too. But I suppose it's a good discipline for cowards, people who can't plan/adapt, or players whose GMs unrealistically metagame.
Or those who dig the awesome flavor? It certainly looks like the most fun version of the psychic to me. I've got a changeling psychic I've been planning on playing who taps into the psychic connection with her hag mother to power her dark half.
