Psicrystal Savant (3.5e Prestige Class)

Summary::Turn your psicrystal from a tiny pet rock to a powerful battle companion. Length::7 Minimum Level::3 Base Attack Bonus Progression::Moderate Fortitude Save Progression::Poor Reflex Save Progression::Poor Will Save Progression::Good Class Ability::Psionics Class Ability Progression::Partial

Psicrystal Savant
"You can't stop the rock! Can't stop the rock!"

The psicrystal is a fragment of the psionic's personality given form, and yet its power is limited, still unable to affect many things and indeed lacking any viable arms or means of manipulation. While a fine enough scout, many just use them as a storage for metapsionic feats to leech away. Not so for the psicrystal savant, who transforms their mild mattered material into a deadly dominating diamond.

Becoming a Psicrystal Savant
Psicrystal Savants focus on their psicrystal and augment it to be a viable battle ally and useful cohort. They focus on many things of their base class, typically a mental ability score, but now they can rely on their crystal to act as a bodyguard when they would otherwise be alone.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Psicrystal Savant.

You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If you had more than one manifesting class before becoming a Psicrystal Savant, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining powers, manifester level, and powers known.

In addition to the base psicrystal traits obtained by taking psionic classes (including this one) you gain additional benefits as shown on the chart below (see Advanced Psicrystals). The main benefit is the psicrystal's ability to grow a larger more battle ready body. This body can look like anything, much like an astral construct, and gains several powers over its lifetime.

Hit points transfered on a 1 to 1 basis. Through this ability the psicrystal savant can easily repair his psicrystal, or gain life at his psicrystal's expense. 1/day, if an attack would destroy the psicrystal or slay the manifester, they may transfer hp as an immediate action at a range up to 60 ft. Doing this may save the crystal from destruction or keep the manifester from perishing.

If his psicrystal is destroyed, he can revive it by meditating for 24 hours. He does not need to have the original crystal to respawn his psicrystal.







The psicrystal gains a unique power, and a unique synergy bonus with the manifester. Choose one ability from the list below:

 : The psicrystal may switch between its basic form and advanced form as a move action. It also extends its reach as a creature one size higher (minimum increase +5 feet) and gains Powerful Build and Slight Build (allowing it to be treated one size larger or smaller than normal when beneficial) as its body proves malleable. The manifester gains +1 manifester level on any egoist powers.

 : The psicrystal is constantly surrounded by spikes of crystal along the ground it walks, providing difficult terrain and the effect of caltrops out to 10 feet. It can choose to exclude allies from this effect, and the psicrystal uses its own attack bonus for the caltrop's attack bonus. In addition, it gains psionic minor creation as a psi-like ability at will. The manifester gains +1 manifester level on any metacreativity powers.

 : The psicrystal gains a breath weapon which deals 1d6 points of energy damage per character level, with a Reflex save for half (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + highest mental ability score). Cold deals +1 extra point of damage per die and is a Fortitude save. Electricity has a +2 DC. Fire deals +1 extra point of damage per die. And sonic deals -1 of damage per die but ignores hardness. It may use this breath weapon once every 1d4 rounds. The manifester gains +1 manifester level on any psychokinesis powers.

 : The psicrystal is never surprised or flatfooted, cannot be flanked, and may act on a surprise round. As a standard action it may make a ranged touch attack out to 30 feet on a single target. If succeessful they obtain knowledge of the creature as if they made a successful Knowledge check to identify it. The manifester gains +1 manifester level on any clairsentience powers.

 : The psicrystal can use dimension door once every 1d4 rounds, and doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity for movement. The manifester gains +1 manifester level on any psychoportation powers.

 : The psicrystal gains the Dreamborn subtype, allowing it to act as a native on the Plane of Dreams, and having a constant 20% miss chance. When within 5 feet of the manifester, the manifester is protected as if by mind blank. The manifester gains +1 manifester level on any telepathy powers.

 : At 7th level, the psicrystal savant has such a strong bond with his psicrystal that in the event that he dies and his crystal remains, his spirit will not pass on and instead join the psicrystal. In this form the manifester can still communicate to his psicrystal, though he can take no actions or use psionic powers. As long as the psicrystal remains intact the manifester will respawn in 1d10 days from his psicrystal, growing as a sack of ectoplasm on its back. If the process is interrupted but the psicrystal lives it can try again from the start. If the psicrystal dies, the manifester passes on as normal. Needless to say, most psicrystals are ordered to run away and hide if the manifester dies.

Advanced Psicrystals
{| class="zebra d20"

Advanced Psicrystal Special Abilities
!Owner Level!!Str/Dex Ability Score!! align="left" | Special
 * 1st–2nd||+1|| align="left" | Embodiment, Extended Range, Special Abilities (1)
 * 3rd–4th||+2|| align="left" | Special Abilities (2)
 * 5th–6th||+3|| align="left" | Special Abilities (3)
 * 7th–8th||+4|| align="left" | Improved Hit Points, Special Abilities (4)
 * 9th–10th||+5|| align="left" | Special Abilities (5), Unlimited Range
 * 11th–12th||+6|| align="left" | Special Abilities (6)
 * 13th–14th||+7|| align="left" | Greater Hit Points, Special Abilities (7)
 * 15th–16th||+8|| align="left" | Special Abilities (8)
 * 17th–18th||+9|| align="left" | Special Abilities (9)
 * 19th–20th||+10|| align="left" | Share Perfection, Special Abilities (10)
 * }
 * 11th–12th||+6|| align="left" | Special Abilities (6)
 * 13th–14th||+7|| align="left" | Greater Hit Points, Special Abilities (7)
 * 15th–16th||+8|| align="left" | Special Abilities (8)
 * 17th–18th||+9|| align="left" | Special Abilities (9)
 * 19th–20th||+10|| align="left" | Share Perfection, Special Abilities (10)
 * }
 * 17th–18th||+9|| align="left" | Special Abilities (9)
 * 19th–20th||+10|| align="left" | Share Perfection, Special Abilities (10)
 * }
 * }

The abilities on the table are cumulative.

 : An advanced psicrystal can create a body for itself out of ectoplasm, similar to creating an astral construct. The body can take any form, and the psicrystal gains the base ability scores of 15, 14, 13, 12, and 11 to be placed in its ability scores as you see fit (it has no Con score still). It gains a slam attack that deals 1d6 damage for medium creatures, and two slam attacks when it hits 10 HD. It uses its speeds listed in self-propulsion and (if it possesses it) flight for movement, and retains all other abilities such as hardness and hp. More importantly, it gains body slots like a humanoid creature, allowing it to wear magic items and hold objects in up to two arms (having additional limbs does not allow it to hold more objects or make more attacks regardless how it looks). By default the created body is medium sized, but it can be small sized if you wish. Making a body (or dismissing it) is a standard action it can do at will. It is the same body each time, but you can change its appearance each time you level up.

 : An advanced psicrystal's special bonuses and abilities now apply at up to 1 mile/level instead of 1 mile. Share Power (if the psicrysal possesses it) now extends out to Close range.

A menu abilities cost 1 point, B menu abilities cost 3 points, and C menu abilities cost 5 points. As a result a 20th level psicrystal can have up to two C menu abilities, or 10 A menu abilities. In addition to the abilities granted by the astral construct list it may choose from the list below.

 : A Menu Ability. A current climb speed is doubled.

 PS undefined: A Menu Ability. The manifester may give up one of his 1st level powers known and transfer it to the psicrystal. It is lost to the manifester for 24 hours, but for 24 hours the psicrystal may manifest it in his place. The psicrystal uses the manifester's pool of power points, with an additional +4 power point cost to all its powers (thus it can only augment up to its owner manifester level -4). Once it uses its borrowed power, it cannot use it again for 5 rounds.

 : A Menu Ability. The creature gains an secondary slam attack (bite, claw, gore, slam, tail whip, or tentacle) that deals 1d6 damage for medium creatures. It it limited in how many natural attacks it can have overall; no more than 1 natural attack every 4 HD.

 PS undefined: B Menu Ability. As lesser borrowed power but up to 2nd level powers.

 : B Menu Ability. The creature's hardness rises by 2.

 : B Menu Ability. A current fly speed improves its maneuverability by 1 step (maximum perfect) and increases its fly speed by +10.

 : C Menu Ability.  A the psicrystal goes up (or down) one size category, gaining all the benefits and penalties associated (including the change in ability score). This can only be applied twice, to a maximum of Huge or Diminutive.

 : C Menu Ability.  If the psicrystal it destroyed, it can choose to explode in a blast of shards as it dies. This deals 5 points of bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage per HD to all creatures in a 20 ft radius burst, with a Reflex save for half (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + highest mental ability score).

 PS undefined: C Menu Ability. As lesser borrowed power but up to 3rd level powers.

 : C Menu Ability.  A creature's power resistance (if it has the ability) rises by +3.

 : An advanced psicrystal now recieves 3/4ths of its master's hp instead of 1/2.

 : An advanced psicrystal's special bonuses and abilities now apply at any distance, even across planes. Share Power now extends out to Medium range.

 : An advanced psicrystal now recieves the full amount of its master's hp instead of 3/4.

 : When an advanced psicrystal and its owner are within 30 feet of each other, the manifester may use the abilities of the psicrystal (including Perfect Psicrystal, Telepathic Speach, Flight, Power Resistance, and so forth). Any ability with a duration ends once they exceed 30 feet.

Playing a Psicrystal Savant
Combat: A psicrystal savant fits into the roles that a druid might take, the "beastmaster". It is a role similar to summoners and necromancers who animate the dead, though his focus is on his crystal. Since he only has one, he might invest into the psicrystal as one might a cohort or another character, even giving it magic items.

Advancement: Any psionic class is fitting, but it is thematically fitting with any "support" and "summoner" rolls.

Resources: Psicrystal savants possess the same general support as psions in the world do.

Psicrystal Savants in the World
"Why yes, my psicrystal is going to wield that +2 battleaxe. Why?"

NPC Reactions: Commoners don't really understand magic, nevermind psionics, and while a floating talking rock is weird it is unoffensive. If the talking rock happens to look like a crystal balor, they may be understandably upset.

Psicrystal Savant Lore
Characters with ranks in Knowledge Psionics can research psicrystal savants to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Psicrystal Savants in the Game
Sample Encounter: A psicrystal has seemingly gotten a mind of its own and run off from its owner psion, who is worried. What is the psicrystal up to, and how did it gain so much power?

EL 10: PENDING