In my games I added an extra psionic/magic item category borrowed from Robert Jordan's Wheel of time, the ter'angreal.
It basically allowed for a power to be hard written into an item (doesn't matter what the item is) and used as though the power were on one's list, though you had to address it like a power stone to use it for the first time.
The crafting cost was something like: 1,500GP x power level x manifester level. Requirements for the feat were: psionic race, craft universal item, psicraft (now spellcraft) 9, and ML 9. Heck, you could even call it "Imprint Power" or some such.
Once the power was added to an item, it could be used by any manifester able to pay the power point requirement (and who could properly address said item).
Let me know what you all think. ►_◄

Doesn't this kinda do the exact same thing as a power stone though?

Yes, but it is permanent.

actually, i think it's more like DSP's mindstones than a power stone, if i'm not mistaken.

Cool idea, those mindstones. But again, different. I got the idea directly from Jordan though. Guess I'm not the only one to think the idea was pretty cool.
These items become permanent, with no power point limit on them, with no reset.
I appreciate the above link for I haven't been exposed to that site yet.
But the point of starting this tread was to get some... meaty... feedback. Let me know if you think it needs work, or is broken, or overly constrained on the pre-requisites, etc.

Am I correct in assuming that the power is added to the manifester's list only when they are in contact with it? Assuming that is correct, I don't think balance is too bad. I would eliminate the psionic race prereq as that takes a bunch of possibilities off the board (unless you want it for a flavor reason in a campaign.)

I would also add that you must address it the first time you use it (as you have it already) in addition to any time after someone else addresses the stone.

So, if it is my item I address it once and I'm good to go until I give it to my buddy, who addresses it for himself. When my buddy gives it back, now I have to address it again. It's really just a hoop to jump through, but it does make a small difference in passing things around in the middle of combat.

For me personally, I would only allow this item to work with powers of a general nature. Thus, those powers granted only to a specific psionic discipline are not eligible. Or, perhaps they are cost x 1.5. But, this is just me who likes niche powers to stay in their niche.

I think this is the kind of object whose balance rely heavily on the GM, as it's basically a power stone on steroids (does not need to make a UPD check if the power is not on your list + doesn't wear off). The only drawback is that it uses the user's PP, so not nonmanifester-friendly.

I gave one of my players a resembling option, in the form of a new kind of psionic tatoo. All the power's details (target, augmentations) was "hard coded" buy the creator and the player just had to tap the tatoo (as per normal rules) and spend the required amount of PP to trigger it. I found it convenient to give him an ability that the story required, without compromising balance.

=A=

Good feedback.

Yes the item has to be addressed, though I'd originally made you have to do it only the first time you used the item. Originally I had a mechanic in that made you have to do a Psicraft check to see if you could use it, but at higher levels it was just a formality because the formula was thus: DC = 15+power level. Maybe it should have had other modifiers, or adjusted modifiers.

Yeah, a power stone on steroids... I like that. But not really. It was kinda meant to not be used with UPD/UMD because it's basically a flashlight with no batteries. A normal person could pick it up and not be able to use it no matter the UPD/UMD check (part of the balance).

I had thought about removing the racial restriction on the feat because I'd removed the "need to know the fabricate power" restriction. But maybe I can just swap the two?

Any more feedback/comments are more than welcome!

Edit: The having to address the item when passing it around because someone else has used it is a neat idea. Maybe just take a standard action to "flush" away the residual psionic energy from it's previous use.... I like it. Never had to use it 'cause there was never more than one manifester in the party at any given time.

I'd actually prefer the "Need to know fabricate power" over the "racially psionic". I like meaningfully restrictive prereqs much more than randomly limiting prereqs. Instead of either of those, you could also give it an interesting flavor by giving it the prereq of "Must have taken Expanded Knowledge at least once." Not that any of these are necesary, they're more just flavor from my perspective.

I like the terminology of "flushing" the prior user's energy out of the item. I'd run with that flavor text.

As for playing in groups with only one psionic ... I'm terribly sorry to hear that. I can't remember the last game I played in where there was even a person using magic in the party. Every character I play around either uses no supernatural stuff or uses psionics. I think that change occurred once DSP put out the Worldthought Medic. Once that pdf came out, magic was made irrelevant in the stories I participate in.

I like the concept (and am a Jordan fan).

It definitely sounds like a beefed up version of Imprint Stone, since there are already mechanics to do what this does, but this definitely is a faster process.

What you're basically talking about is a sort of command-driven, continuous-use psionic item that replicates a feat (Expanded Knowledge). The cost structure you have set up probably needs some tweaking, as a 9th level power would be 229,500 gp.

I would suggest something that builds off the power level (possibly squared), and not worry so much about the manifester level. So a 1st level power might be 1k, which is close to where you are now, a 2nd level 4k, a 3rd level 9k, up to a 9th level 81k. I'm not sure if that's a perfect formula, but food for thought.

Hmmm, just like a cognizance crystal, or a pearl of power. I like that. I originally made it that expensive for all the people I played with who were distrustful of all things psionic. I too had cried over the costs involved....

As a side note on the ter'angreal, this could be a very useful way to help psions/wilders if the energy "nerf" does come about. ie: a wilder wants a power with the cold descriptor, so she goes and buys a ter'angreal with the appropriate power held in it.
(still don't want the nerf to happen though).

I had also written up some rules for Angreal and Sa'Angreal, so let me know if anyone is interested.

I'm not sure what you wnat to say about nerf, but yes, I think power manifested from these items should be limited (i.e. have some preset value) and neither allow choice (in case of energy power) nor augmentation.

You use your own PP but only to pay the preset cost the item requires (not sure if you must enforce the PP expenditure rule for that), not to do anything with it. That way you don't make all the other item we pointed irrelevant.

=A=

I may have been unclear about how the manifesting works with these, I'll try and clear it up.

To even use a ter'angreal one must first address it as one would address a power stone (same DCs). If you don't succeed, there is an hour cool-down time where you can't try again. When you do succeed, you can manifest from the item freely as long as it is on your person (not is an extra-dimensional space, or even an non-dimensional space).

1) Power point expenditure: to manifest from a ter'angreal you must be able to pay the base power points required to manifest the power held in the item. If one wishes to augment the power they may do so, up to their normal power point limit.

2)Contained power: if the power has a varied descriptor, the power to be written into the item must only have one descriptor. ie: an energy power has up to 4 descriptors (cold, electricity, fire and sonic). If you wish to write an energy power into a ter'angreal, you must chose whether the energy power is cold, electricity, fire or sonic.

3)Meta-psionic feats: meta-psionic feats do not work with ter'angreal. A ter'angreal is a hard coded power and as such cannot be altered by any such feat.

4)Creating a ter'angreal with a meta-psionic feat is possible, but doing so raises the effective level of the power being written into the item. Use the magic equivalent feats to determine the level adjustment to the power.

The suggestion about the energy powers nerf (restricting non-kineticists to only 1 energy when taking the power) was to have these items available for use for the poor, poor psionic classes that have a limited number of powers known.

The reason I posted this was to get some feedback about he item classification, and I got plenty of awesome help! I still welcome more feedback though. And if someone wishes to use this item (re-naming it due to copy-write), feel free!

As for this item stepping on toes, well (this is where I get a lot prideful), I've been using this item since 2003.... So I win.

Deadric wrote:

The reason I posted this was to get some feedback about he item classification, and I got plenty of awesome help! I still welcome more feedback though. And if someone wishes to use this item (re-naming it due to copy-write), feel free! As for this item stepping on toes, well (this is where I get a lot prideful), I've been using this item since 2003.... So I win.

Well, personally this is likely the one reason that I wouldn't use this item. I like limited power lists. You want to take a class for a specific trait, then take all the traits that go with it. I think classes with unlimited lists (Psion/Wilder) should have much little else they can do characterwise except manifest. Those "poor classes" with limited lists are usually much more versatile in non-psionic means.

Having said that, I don't think the item is broken (and I could care less who "wins" - as if it is some sort of competition...). I think the item could beused in game-play just fine. But I personally would not use it because it has the possibility of making the psion less special. And that's not okay in my book (but it is welcome to be more than okay in yours).

Well said.

... I'm still confused

you say: (emphasis mine)

Quote::

meta-psionic feats do not work with ter'angreal. A ter'angreal is a hard coded power and as such cannot be altered by any such feat.

and I'm perfectly fine with this (it is, after all, the exact wording I used earlier )

and yet you also say:

Quote::

If one wishes to augment the power they may do so, up to their normal power point limit.

Why?
If it's hard coded, you don't have any choice: you use the version the imprinter coded into it, you cannot "play around" with it.

I tend to envision any variant use of a power as an augmentation:
- energy type choice is a free and mutually exclusive augmentation,
- metapsionic effect is an augmentation which requires you to expend your focus (and is not restricted to a specific power)
So, to me, ruling out metapsi cannot go with allowing augmentation. (I like the fact that the imprinter can choose to apply a metapsi effect on the item though)

=A=

Asurya wrote:

Why? If it's hard coded, you don't have any choice: you use the version the imprinter coded into it, you cannot "play around" with it. I tend to envision any variant use of a power as an augmentation: - energy type choice is a free and mutually exclusive augmentation, - metapsionic effect is an augmentation which requires you to expend your focus (and is not restricted to a specific power) So, to me, ruling out metapsi cannot go with allowing augmentation. (I like the fact that the imprinter can choose to apply a metapsi effect on the item though) =A=

Ok, so my reasoning is that each power is already set up for whatever augments that are listed in it, and meta-feats are something that changes it externally. Unless a power's augment for choice actually changes the power's descriptor, I don't see augments as changing the power. But an energy power does change the descriptor of the power, and thus would require another ter'angreal to use another energy.

Think of the ter'angreal as a flashlight with no batteries. The psionic character is the battery. If it makes anyone feel better, I could "cap" the power points usable at a total of 20, pre-epic if you will. Then one could make an epic version of the feat that would allow you to augment beyond 20 power points....

How does that explanation, as to my thought process, sound?