The psion is a master of the mind and the thoughts of others.
Prerequisites: Psionics, Will +3, Knowledge (Psionic Lore) (6 ranks).
Hit Points: 2 hit points per class level.
Combat Ability: Poor Attack, fair Defense.
Saving Throws: Good Will, fair Reflex, poor Fortitude.
Skills: 4 skill points per class level, good skill selection.
Weapons and Armour: No new proficiencies gained.
Class Talents: Psion talents at 2nd and 4th levels.
Talent Trees: Coordination, Empathy, Fast-Talk, Psionics.
Special Abilities: Psionics, Psionic Discipline (at 1st), Attribute Increase (at 5th).
To be eligible for the psion advanced class, a character must meet the following prerequisites:
Charisma is the important attribute for a psion. Psions also tend to have high scores in their other mental attributes. The fastest path into this advanced class is from the thinker basic class, though some start as scavengers.
Hit Points: Psions gain 2 hit points per class level.
Combat Ability: Psions have poor attack but fair defense progressions (they gain protection from their psychic insights).
Saving Throws: Psions have good Will saves, fair Reflex saves (improved due to their mental powers), and poor Fortitude saves.
Skills: Psions have a good skill selection and gain 4 + Int modifier skill points at each class level.
The psion's class skills are: Awareness, Bluff, Craft (Artistic), Diplomacy, Handle Animal, Investigate, Knowledge (Any), Linguistics, Perform, Profession, Sense Motive, Treat Injury, and Use Technology.
The character's background can provide additional class skills to choose from. Some skills (indicated by italics) may be unavailable or of limited use to characters from low-tech backgrounds.
Weapons and Armour: Psions do not gain any new weapon or armour proficiencies.
Psion Talents: At 2nd and 3rd levels, the psion selects a class talent from the Coordination, Empathy, Fast-Talk, or Psionics talent trees. (These talents are detailed in the thinker and scavenger class descriptions and the Psionics page.) The player may choose to substitute a general talent, if desired. The character's genotype can also provide additional talents to choose from.
Psionics: The psion gains psionic abilities as he increases in level (see the Psionics page for full details). A psion's manifester level for psionic powers is equal to his class level.
| Class Level | Base ISP | Powers Known | Max Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | Minor |
| 2 | 3 | 2 | Minor |
| 3 | 6 | 3 | Medium |
| 4 | 10 | 4 | Medium |
| 5 | 15 | 5 | Major |
A psion's ability to manifest psionic powers is limited by the ISP he has available. His daily allotment of ISP is given on the table above. In addition, he receives bonus ISP per day equal to his Charisma modifier. His genotype may also provide bonus ISP, as can certain talents.
At 1st level, a psion adds one psionic power of your choice. At every subsequent class level after 1st, he unlocks the knowledge of new powers. Choose the powers known from the general psionic powers list or his chosen discipline (see below). A psion can choose to augment applicable powers by an amount of ISP equal to or lower than his manifester level.
The total number of powers a psion can manifest in a day is limited only by his daily ISP, though he must get a good night's sleep each day to regain all his spent ISP.
The base Difficulty Classs for saving throws against psionics is 11 for minor powers, 13 for medium powers, and 15 for major powers. Add the psion's Charisma modifier to the save DC.
A psion begins play with the ability to learn minor psionic powers. As he attains higher levels, he may gain the ability to master more complex powers. A psion must have a Charisma score of at least 12+ to learn or manifest minor psionic powers, 14+ for medium powers, and 16+ for major powers. When an adept gains access to psionic powers of a given grade (minor, medium, or major), he also adds any innate powers of the same grade that he may possess to his 'powers known' list, as long as he meets the Charisma prerequisite.
Psionic Discipline: A discipline is a group of psionic powers defined by a common theme. At 1st level, a psion must choose one psionic discipline as his primary discipline. A psion may not change his primary discipline once chosen.
Discipline powers tend to be more useful than the general powers. Characters with a psionic discipline can freely select from the powers from their given list, while other characters can gain access to them by selecting the Expanded Knowledge talents.
The Psionic Powers page lists the available disciplines and their powers.
Attribute Increase: At 5th level the psion increases his Charisma score by 1 point. This attribute increase stacks with the benefits provided by the Increased Charisma talent.
| Level | Att | Def | Fort | Ref | Will | Special Abilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +1 | Psionics, Psionic Discipline |
| 2 | +1 | +1 | +0 | +1 | +2 | Psion Talent |
| 3 | +1 | +1 | +1 | +1 | +2 | |
| 4 | +2 | +2 | +1 | +2 | +3 | Psion Talent |
| 5 | +2 | +2 | +1 | +2 | +3 | Attribute Increase (+1 Cha) |
Psions gain 2 hit points and 4 skill points per class level.