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I have to agree. It's not the end of the world, but it means that for 11 levels Psychics have a unique gimmick to make up for their reduced spell slots and then at level 12 it's just kind of gone.
I don't think the level 12 feat they save really makes up for it.
Class is still fun though, but it's definitely jarring to not get any sort of upgrade.
Not so much that you are wrong as that you are just seeing what you are lacking, instead of what you gain.
A pure class Witch gets to refocus 2 at level 12 and refocus 3 at level 18. Both cost class feats.
A pure class Psychic gets to refocus 2 at level 1 and refocus 3 at level 18. Only the second one costs a feat.
A pure class Oracle gets to refocus 2 at level 11 and refocus 3 at level 17. Neither costs a feat.
The class you should be jealous of for refocus is Oracle, but their focus spells are quite a bit more costly than most too. The only scenario where Psychic is behind non-Oracle classes is if they have focus spells from an Archetype. Other than that, they get their refocus 2 ability earlier and without any class feat cost.
I'm just not sure what Psychic needs to make up for in the first place. Getting their refocus 2 ability early? We need to give them something else in addition to that? What exactly would you recommend?
The only thing I could think of is to give a level 12 feat that lets them refocus 2 if they cast an Archetype focus spell. But why would that be a Psychic class feat?
Also, it could be worse. Wizard and Bard don't get the refocus 3 feat ... at all.
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Also, part of the reason that I don't find this to be a huge detriment to the Psychic class is because being at 1 focus point after casting an Archetype's focus spell is temporary.
If you've spent Focus Points only to amp psi cantrips or fuel psychic abilities since the last time you Refocused, you regain 2 Focus Points when you Refocus, up to your maximum of 2. If you've spent Focus Points on focus spells or abilities other than those from the psychic class (for instance, to cast a focus spell you gained from an archetype), you regain only 1 Focus Point.
It doesn't put you at one focus point for the rest of the day.
So if you exhaust your focus pool on Lay on Hands you got from Blessed One dedication, you can refocus to get one focus point back. Then cast amped whatever to put yourself back down to zero focus points - which also qualifies you for the Refocus activity again (you have spent focus points since your last Refocus). Then since you have only used your focus pool to cast Psychic spells, you get to Refocus for two points.
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I'm just not sure what Psychic needs to make up for in the first place.
Did you not notice that psychics get fewer spell slots than other casters?
I'm just not sure what Psychic needs to make up for in the first place.Did you not notice that psychics get fewer spell slots than other casters?
Yes. I also notice that they get unique and rather powerful cantrips. Ones that can also be amped. They can also amp the standard cantrips.
They also get two focus points from level 1 and can refocus both of them.
Is that somehow not sufficient?
I have played through most of Fall of Plaguestone along side a Psychic. They don't do fantastically well as main in-combat healer because of that lack of spell slots. They are no slouch in the realm of spellcasting damage though.
They also get two focus points from level 1 and can refocus both of them.
Which gives them an unique, interesting and potent advantage that keeps them relevant despite their slimmed down spell list.
Until level 12, at which point most other casters can catch up to them and instead of having a unique and powerful refocus mechanic, they're actually slightly worse and only up a single feat slot... and I don't really think Psi Catastrophe ends up really comparable to one slot per level.
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They also get Unleash Psyche, which can provide some pretty credible damage supplements, especially with feat support. I do think the focus progression is weird, but the psychic doesn't just become worse than other casters at that point despite the lack of spell slots.
Until level 12, at which point most other casters can catch up to them and instead of having a unique and powerful refocus mechanic, they're actually slightly worse and only up a single feat slot... and I don't really think Psi Catastrophe ends up really comparable to one slot per level.
You are still making it sound like they are losing something. They aren't. They didn't gain much at that point. But they didn't lose anything. The other classes aren't better than they are - the others only just caught up.
The second focus spell and refocus amount are only part of the balance compensation for that spell slot.
For most classes taking an archetype and getting focus spells from it are only able to refocus one point for their entire career. Psychic does still get the ability to refocus three at high level, and can refocus both points with 20 minutes of refocusing for the levels up until that point.
Wait a sec, does that actually work like that? You can refocus all the way back to 3 focus points that way, which isn't normal.It doesn't put you at one focus point for the rest of the day.
So if you exhaust your focus pool on Lay on Hands you got from Blessed One dedication, you can refocus to get one focus point back. Then cast amped whatever to put yourself back down to zero focus points - which also qualifies you for the Refocus activity again (you have spent focus points since your last Refocus). Then since you have only used your focus pool to cast Psychic spells, you get to Refocus for two points.
As far as I can tell, yes, it works like that. However, you can't get to 3 points without Deepest Wellspring. The relevant part here is "[...] you regain 2 Focus Points when you Refocus, up to your maximum of 2.".
As far as I can tell, yes, it works like that. However, you can't get to 3 points without Deepest Wellspring. The relevant part here is "[...] you regain 2 Focus Points when you Refocus, up to your maximum of 2.".Wait a sec, does that actually work like that? You can refocus all the way back to 3 focus points that way, which isn't normal.It doesn't put you at one focus point for the rest of the day.
So if you exhaust your focus pool on Lay on Hands you got from Blessed One dedication, you can refocus to get one focus point back. Then cast amped whatever to put yourself back down to zero focus points - which also qualifies you for the Refocus activity again (you have spent focus points since your last Refocus). Then since you have only used your focus pool to cast Psychic spells, you get to Refocus for two points.
It's your maximum of 2, not a maximum of 2. Once your maximum stops being 2, it makes sense that you could refocus to your new maximum of 3.
It's your maximum of 2, not a maximum of 2. Once your maximum stops being 2, it makes sense that you could refocus to your new maximum of 3.As far as I can tell, yes, it works like that. However, you can't get to 3 points without Deepest Wellspring. The relevant part here is "[...] you regain 2 Focus Points when you Refocus, up to your maximum of 2.".Wait a sec, does that actually work like that? You can refocus all the way back to 3 focus points that way, which isn't normal.It doesn't put you at one focus point for the rest of the day.
So if you exhaust your focus pool on Lay on Hands you got from Blessed One dedication, you can refocus to get one focus point back. Then cast amped whatever to put yourself back down to zero focus points - which also qualifies you for the Refocus activity again (you have spent focus points since your last Refocus). Then since you have only used your focus pool to cast Psychic spells, you get to Refocus for two points.
Not really. No other focus ability in the game works that way and even the psychic's built-in upgrade (Clarity of Focus at lvl 5) says "Increase the number of Focus Points in your focus pool by 1. This ability doesn't change the number of Focus Points you regain when you Refocus.". It seems clear to me that the interaction you describe is not intended.
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It's a controversial reading. On the one hand, it doesn't seem intended based on how other abilities work. On the other, it fixes the weirdness of the post 12th level stuff. (It also makes Deepest Wellspring pretty bad unless you multiclass. Way worse than an 18th level feat should be.)
Wait a sec, does that actually work like that? You can refocus all the way back to 3 focus points that way, which isn't normal.
That is what it says.
I have a suspicion that this is not what is intended and that there will be errata plugging this particular loophole in the future.
Up until level 18, psychic is the only class that can actually keep their focus pool topped off at 3, since their refocus lacks the needing to spend 2 focus points to regain 2 focus points verbiage, so even at level 12, they still have a pretty unique spot, and even at 18, you don't actually need Deepest Wellspring as long as you're cool spending 20 minutes to top off instead of 10 (although Deepest Wellspring also makes it easier to dip into archetypes)
This is all really wild. I think I've been going off of the playtest refocus rules this entire time, apparently never noticing it changed on official release. This is how it is in the playtest--
If you’ve spent at least 2 Focus Points and spent Focus Points only to amp psi cantrips since the last time you Refocused, you regain 2 Focus Points when you Refocus. Otherwise, you regain 1 Focus Point.
I think that is still equivalent. Even under this rule you could spend two focus points on Lay on Hands, refocus one point, spend it on an amped cantrip, then refocus for 2 points.
The errata needed to make it work the way that is likely intended would need to have the refocus ability look at your focus point usage for the entire day.
Something along the lines of "If you've spend Focus Points only to amp psi cantrips or fuel psychic abilities since your morning preparations, you regain 2 Focus points when you Refocus, up to your maximum of 2..."
This is all really wild. I think I've been going off of the playtest refocus rules this entire time, apparently never noticing it changed on official release. This is how it is in the playtest--
If you’ve spent at least 2 Focus Points and spent Focus Points only to amp psi cantrips since the last time you Refocused, you regain 2 Focus Points when you Refocus. Otherwise, you regain 1 Focus Point.I think that is still equivalent. Even under this rule you could spend two focus points on Lay on Hands, refocus one point, spend it on an amped cantrip, then refocus for 2 points.
The errata needed to make it work the way that is likely intended would need to have the refocus ability look at your focus point usage for the entire day.
Something along the lines of "If you've spend Focus Points only to amp psi cantrips or fuel psychic abilities since your morning preparations, you regain 2 Focus points when you Refocus, up to your maximum of 2..."
No, that's a terrible nerf.
Your wording means that a single non-psychic focus power would mean that for the whole day you'll only be replenishing 1 per, regardless if afterwards you would only do psychic focus for the rest of the day.That would flip the advantage straight to a disadvantage for a class that already pays a huge price for said advantage.
At most, the wording should be cleared like "regain as much focus points as psychic focus powers used since the last refocus".
But I think that power wise, it's fine to just keep it as it is now RAW.
Basically now, you are still hindered, and need double the time to refocus if you've used something else than psychic focus powers. That's still a definite drawback.
It is a drawback... If the extra time matters. But your party will often need 20 minutes or more to Treat Wounds anyway, and ticking clocks are rare in adventures.
Otherwise, it is just a janky thing which doesn't really align with the rest of the system.
I don't really love the algorithm of:
- You have three focus points, you spend all three.
- You refocus to get back up to 2
- You spend one focus point to go down to 1
- You refocus to get back up to 3.
It just feels inelegant.
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It just feels inelegant.
And feels unintended.
But it is hard to write the rules for refocusing such that the Psychic works as it should - regaining two focus points if you only used them on Psychic abilities - without either creating edge cases where it doesn't work like it should, or does allow more than it should.
It just feels inelegant.And feels unintended.
But it is hard to write the rules for refocusing such that the Psychic works as it should - regaining two focus points if you only used them on Psychic abilities - without either creating edge cases where it doesn't work like it should, or does allow more than it should.
It probably isn't intended. I didn't run it that way. I feel like it won't do much either and will only happen once ever other battle, which is a rare occurrence.
Strain Mind is an option though not exactly equivalent to a direct refocus improvement. It's hourly and it comes at a cost.
I do agree the initial refocus description could use more clarity considering how it deviates from other refocus rules. In my experience, it has not been consistently ruled across different tables.