Psynergist (3.5e Prestige Class)
Psynergist
| “ | Everyone has a spirit that can be refined, a body that can be trained in some manner, a suitable path to follow. You are here to realize your inner divinity and manifest your innate enlightenment. | ” |
| —Morihei Ueshiba | ||
There is duality in all things. Two sides to a coin; one that cannot exist without the other. The Light and the Dark, Good and Evil, the Body and the Mind. Without the body the mind cannot exist, lacking sustenance and interaction. Without the mind the body is a shell, lacking direction and focus. Together, the two form a whole that is greater than its parts; The mind driving the body as the body fuels the mind. The Psynergist is the ultimate manifestation of the powers of the body and the mind. He lives the duality that infuses all things, thriving in the Balance that so many others fight against. Ki and Psychic potential become as one, used interchangeably propel the Psynergists martial abilities to nearly unstoppable levels.
Note: The Psynergist is a Prestige class detailed in the Goodman Games supplement, Beyond Monks. However, when that book was updated to 3.5e the Psynergist was skipped... it still references material from the 3rd edition of the Players Handbook and the Psionics Handbook. This is an attempt to bring the material up to 3.5e standards while still preserving the flavor of the class as intended by the author.
Becoming a Psynergist
The Psynergist is generally a martial artist looking to increase his prowess through his own innate inner reserves. The class uses the characters psychic power to boost his Ki powers and fighting abilities. The lions share of Psynergists are Monks with access to psychic feats, either through a psychic class such as the Psychic Warrior, the Wild Talent feat, or a psychic race. Although it is possible for a fighter or another class to meet the Psynergist's requirements, this can only be achieved at a much higher level.
The quickest progression to Psynergist is Psychic Warrior 2, Monk 4 (with 18 Wisdom)
Wisdom is perhaps the characters greatest asset as it powers both his Monk abilities and his psychic powers (assuming the Psychic Warrior progression is used). A high Dexterity is also important. Not only does it increase AC, but some of the Psynergist more important skills use it.
| Alignment: | Any Lawful |
|---|---|
| Base Attack Bonus: | 4+ |
| Feats: | Improved Unarmed Strike, Stunning Fist, plus any two psionic feats. |
| Base Power Points per Day: | 4+ |
| Level | Base Attack Bonus |
Saving Throws | Special | Manifesting | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort | Ref | Will | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1st | +0 | +2 | +2 | +2 | Monk Abilities, Rapid Flurry(+1 attack) | +1 level of existing Manifester class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2nd | +1 | +3 | +3 | +3 | Bonus Feat, Smooth Energy | +1 level of existing Manifester class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3rd | +2 | +3 | +3 | +3 | Iron Focus | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4th | +3 | +4 | +4 | +4 | Metaphysical Strike | +1 level of existing Manifester class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5th | +3 | +4 | +4 | +4 | Rapid Flurry(+2 attacks) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6th | +4 | +5 | +5 | +5 | Bonus Feat | +1 level of existing Manifester class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7th | +5 | +5 | +5 | +5 | Psychic Stunning | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8th | +6 | +6 | +6 | +6 | Improved Metaphysical Strike | +1 level of existing Manifester class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9th | +6 | +6 | +6 | +6 | Improved Rapid Flurry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10th | +7 | +7 | +7 | +7 | Synergy | +1 level of existing Manifester class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Psynergist.
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: You gain no additional Weapon or Armor proficiencies.
Manifesting: At the first two levels and every level thereafter, you gain power points per day, an increase in manifester level, and new powers as if you had also gained a level in a manifesting class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. 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 Psynergist, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining powers, manifester level, and powers known.
Monk Abilities (Ex): Psynergist levels are added to existing Monk levels for the purposes of determining Unarmed Strike damage, Slow Fall distance, Speed bonus, and AC bonus. Monks may freely multiclass with the Psynergist.
Rapid Flurry (Su): At 1st level, the Psynergist may spend 2 Power Points to gain an extra Flurry of Blows attack. At 5th level, this increases to 2 additional attacks at a cost of 4 Power Points. This counts as a Swift Action.
Bonus Feats: At 2nd level and again at 6th, you may select a bonus feat from the list below, even if you do not meet the prerequisites: Combat Reflexes, Deep Impact, Extra Stunning, Fell Shot, Focused Sunder, Mental Leap, Psionic Body, Psionic Charge, Psionic Dodge, Psionic Fist, Psionic Shot, Psionic Weapon, Rapid Metabolism, Ring the Gold Bell, Speed of Thought, Stand Still, Unavoidable Strike, Up the Walls, Versatile Unarmed Strike.
Smooth Energy (Su): As a Free Action, you may gain 1 Power Point by expending 2 Stunning Fist attempts or you gain 1 Stunning Fist attempt by spending 2 Power Points. You may do this a number of times per day equal to your Psynergist level.
Iron Focus (Su): As long as you remain Focused, you gain a +1 bonus to all saving throws.
Metaphysical Strike (Su): By spending 2 Power Points, for the rest of the round your unarmed strikes gain one of the following descriptors: Acid, Cold, Electricity, Fire, Force, or Sonic.
Psychic Stunning (Su): By spending 4 Power Points, the Psynergist may make a Stunning Fist attempt that resolves as a Will save rather than a Fortitude save. This must be declared prior to the Stunning Fist attempt. If the attack misses there is no effect and the power points are lost.
Improved Metaphysical Strike (Su): By spending 4 Power Points, you may select from the following descriptors: Adamantine, Brilliant Energy, Cold Iron, or Silver.
Improved Rapid Flurry (Su): At 9th level the cost for Rapid Flurry is reduced by 1 Power Point.
Synergy (Su): As long as you have your maximum number of Power Points, you act as if you are under the effects of a Haste spell, meaning one additional attack per round, +1 bonus on attack rolls, +1 dodge bonus to AC and Reflex saves, and +30 to all forms of movement (no more than twice the base speed). This effect does not stack with a Haste spell.
Playing a Psynergist
Combat:
A Psynergist, even more so than a Monk, has many roles in combat. Primarily, a Psynergist will use his considerable movement and avoidance abilities to strike at the soft, gooey center of the enemy formation. Enemy spellcasters are particularly vulnerable. A Psynergist can often shrug off multiple attackers in order to keep the spellcaster occupied in combat. A well placed stunning fist can easily take out a spellcaster with their typically low fort saves. Additionally, they can be very important in keeping your own soft, gooey center safe.
They also function very well as a cavalry of sorts. With their speed and innumerable buffs to defense, they can easily run around, above, or across the walls to get behind the enemy and provide those much needed flanking bonuses to the primary fighter.
Advancement:
Advancement depends on the direction of the character. Additional levels of Monk or the existing psionic class (if any) will never hurt. Fighter levels will allow a more combat oriented character with greater access to feats. Branching off into the Theif-Acrobat Prestige class can offer many new tricks in the way of dancing around enemies and obstacles. Finally, levels in Swordsage (specializing in the Setting Sun school) will offer a range of new abilities in the art of obstacle avoidance.
Resources:
Organizations of Psynergists are relatively unheard of. However, they function well as monastery guards, and the rare monastery that focuses on psychic powers is bound to have more than their fair share of them around. Psynergists that hail from a particular martial or religious order can expect help from any member of that order as would any other.
Psynergists in the World
| “ | The mind is as frail as the body that sustains it. | ” |
| —Aust, Elven Psynergist | ||
Coming back to the duality of all things, the Psynergist is the flip side of the Psychic Fist, and they both occupy essentially the same roles in life. Anywhere that you could find a Psychic Fist, you could also find a Psynergist. They will usually be found as hermits or in secluded monasteries, expanding both body and mind. However, many will also take up a cause for good or ill, as fighting for your beliefs can focus the body and mind in a way that meditation cannot.
NPC Reactions:
NPC's are likely to misunderstand a Psynergist. A psynergist will likely appear as your garden variety monk until he uses a power... even then, some monk abilities mimic psychic powers. The true extent of the Psynergists abilities is likely to remain unknown until it is to late. Unless the NPC is knowledgeable of psionics, how is he to tell one monk from another? They're all just weirdos running around in loin cloths anyways, right?
Psynergist Lore
Characters with ranks in Knowledge: Psionics can research Psynergists to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.
| DC | Result |
|---|---|
| 11 | A Psynergist is a monk who has gone beyond the limits of his body and mastered the powers of his mind as well. |
| 16 | A Psynergist can blend the powers of the body with those of the mind, using his Ki to sustain psychic powers and visa versa. |
| 21 | Very powerful Psynergists have mastered both mind and body to the extent that they can ignore the restrictions of time itself. |
| 26 | There is no spoon. |
Psynergists in the Game
The Psynergist can fit many roles; the psychic powers he has access to give him incredible versatility. With his typically high Wisdom, Dexterity, and speed, a Psynergist functions well in the role of advanced scout. He can hear and see things others can't, can usually get out of a trap unscathed, and with psychic powers like inertial Armor, can hold his own until the main party arrives when things go wrong. For the same reason, the Psynergist functions well in a combat tactician/flanker role (described above in the combat section).
However, the Psynergist can take on many other roles based on the situation. Feats such as Psychic shot and Psychic Fist can help him become the primary archer or fighter in a pinch, and with the right powers a Psynergist could function as a passable spellcaster. Above all though, the most important word for a Psynergist is support. He is in the party to do the things no one could prepare to do.
Adaptation:
This class can fit into nearly any campaign, even a campaign not initially designed for psionics. The inclusion of psionics in this class primarily to allow the Psynergist to emulate some of the crazy moves seen in the campy martial arts films of yore... it is easy to explain the Psynergists powers as nothing more than years of Ki training and an extreme martial regimen (that being said, the DM may need to limit access to some powers that don't fit the campaign).
Sample Encounter:
Aust: Male Elven Psychic Warrior 2/Monk 4/Psynergist 1; CR 7; HD 7D8; hp 35; Init +3; Spd 50(60 when focused); AC 26, touch 20, flat-footed 23; BAB +9; Grp +4; Atk +10 melee (2D6+1/×2, magic, Unarmed Strike), or +9 melee(1D8, Long Spear); Full Atk +8/+8 melee (2D6+1/2D6+1, magic, Flurry of Blows); lowlight vision, immune to magical sleep, detect secret doors, +3 vs enchantment and mind effecting abilities/spells, +2 spot/listen/search checks, Elven traits, improved unarmed attack, monk abilities, flurry of blows, evasion, still mind, ki strike(magic), Rapid Flurry, Slow fall 20ft; AL LG; SV Fort +10, Ref +10, Will +12; Str 10, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 20, Cha 10. Skills and Feats: Autohypnosis +10, Balance +13, Jump +5, Knowledge(Arcana) +3, Knowledge(Psionics) +3, Knowledge(Religion) +3, Listen +15, Move Silently +12, Spot +15, Tumble +14; Stunning Fist, Fiery Fist, Speed of Thought, Up the Walls, Sacred Vow, Vow of Poverty, Improved Natural Attack, Intuitive Attack, Nymphs Kiss. Languages: Common, Elven, Draconic, Orc, Auran. Power Points: 8; Powers: Expansion, Force Screen, Prescient Offense. Possessions: plain long spear, the clothes on his back, some rope, a burlap sack, soap.
Aust wanders the world in search of new things to see and do. He will stop to help anyone if they have a need or just look troubled. He prefers the wilderness, but the urban landscape has its own beauty to behold.
In combat, he will activate force screen and tumble past most defenders to get to any spellcaster, archer, or leader. Stunning Fists incapacitate most spellcasters, while expansion(to strike as a huge monk) and fiery fist will take care of more persistant foes. Prescient Offense helps to hit those higher armored baddies.
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