droid327
Hardcore casual soloist
I've always wanted a "Jedi-style" build option for DDO, as have many others: a single-weapon fighting melee hybrid that also has some AOE casting and CC potential. Psionics has also been an often-requested addition, though one of the big questions is how you implement it in DDO in a way that sets it apart from other gameplay mechanics, since Spell Points already work like Psionics did in PnP. And since Archetypes are the new thing and Monk is in need of some love, I figured there was a way to kill three birds with one stone with a Psionicist as a Monk archetype.
Overview: its an unarmored centered melee specializing in Shortswords (their only proficiency), using a unique Psi resource mechanic, with several Monk mechanics re-imagined. You can think of Psi as the Force, for all intents and purposes, and Psi-blades as lightsabers
Keeps Evasion, loses other Monk-specific advancement feats, including Martial Arts feats and Combos/Finishers.
Psi: replaces and overrides Ki (if you have it from Sacred Fist or GMoF) when you have a Psi Stance active. Psi cannot be used to power Ki attacks. Unlike Ki (and Spell Points), Psi only regenerates steadily over time, making Psi skills about managing the rate at which you use it. You can use lots of little abilities often, or big ones less frequently. That's what will make this playstyle unique. Your max Psi is based on Concentration.
Stances:
- Duelist: Single-target DPS stance. Bonuses to Doublestrike and Attack Speed. Counts as a Fire stance for purposes like GMoF, Jidz, etc.
- Warrior: AOE DPS stance. Bonuses to Stat-to-damage and Strikethrough. Counts as an Air stance
- Defender: Defense stance. Bonuses to Max Dodge, PRR, AC. Counts as an Earth stance
- Consular: Casting stance. Bonuses to Psi regen rate and spell DC/damage. Counts as a Water stance.
Stances use the same advancement as Monk stances, including the XXX of Forms feats
Philosophies:
"Light side" will be WIS based, require Good alignment. Or maybe Lawful. Not sure if the Lawful requirement for Monk would have to carry over to the Archetype as well. Counts as Light Philosophy anywhere that checks it.
"Dark side" will be CHA based, require Not Good (or Not Lawful) alignment. Counts a Dark Philosophy.
At L6, they each get WIS or CHA-to-hit and -dmg while Centered, a la Sacred Fist.
Enhancement Trees:
Psi-Blade
Core function is a toggle that converts any wielded Shortsword into a Psi-Blade, which works like Sun Blades such as Celestia: converts damage type from Piercing to Light, and can Strikethrough. Tree provides the usual set of melee tree bonuses including Crit Range/Mult, a WIS/CHA trance depending which Side you choose, some Psi based active attacks, buffs, action boost, etc., as well as up to 80% extra Strikethrough distributed through the tree up to the capstone (ie you reach 100% total Strikethrough at L20). I do not envision them as an Imbue class, though, so no Imbue or Imbue Die anywhere.
Mindstorm
Caster tree. This is where Psionicists get all their spells, since Monk does not have an actual spellbook. Grants SLAs depending on Philosophy: Light gets a suite of Force-type damage spells with some KDs, Positive heals, self-buffs, and Confuse abilities (Jedi Mind Trick). Dark gets a suite of Lightning attacks, IKs (Force Choke), Tentacle-style root/dot CC, and Temp HP effects (maybe something like Death Eater), maybe a caster-based Rage effect. Rest of tree provides the usual caster goodies: crit %, relevant DC and Mainstat.
I'm thinking it makes more sense to have all spells scale off Melee Power 300% like Sacred Fist does, and not support metamagics, since everything is an SLA. Alternatively, scale off Concentration score at some %, though I dont know how many imbalances that might create since Conc was never intended for that. This would have to be an effect that extended to Force and Lightning spells from EDs and Epic Feats, too.
Focus
Psi support tree. This tree is unique in that it is more like Racial trees: only goes to T4, the cores dont require a certain amount of AP to unlock (just Psionic level), and the capstone is not anything special. This tree provides bonuses to Psi regeneration, general mobility bonuses like a Leap, a charge-based burst Psi recharge ability, and purely defensive Psi spenders and toggles that give defensive bonuses in exchange for reduced Psi generation.
Conclusion
I really dont think this would be grossly OP - essentially its just an upgraded Swashbuckler/Spellsinger, after all, and that's something in need of an upgrade. I also cant think of any major imbalances related to potential multiclassing, either - neither splashing Psi onto something, or splashing something onto Psi. I do think this would be a fun archetype to play, bringing together mechanics from several other classes in a way you cant effectively combine them right now.
Overview: its an unarmored centered melee specializing in Shortswords (their only proficiency), using a unique Psi resource mechanic, with several Monk mechanics re-imagined. You can think of Psi as the Force, for all intents and purposes, and Psi-blades as lightsabers
Keeps Evasion, loses other Monk-specific advancement feats, including Martial Arts feats and Combos/Finishers.Psi: replaces and overrides Ki (if you have it from Sacred Fist or GMoF) when you have a Psi Stance active. Psi cannot be used to power Ki attacks. Unlike Ki (and Spell Points), Psi only regenerates steadily over time, making Psi skills about managing the rate at which you use it. You can use lots of little abilities often, or big ones less frequently. That's what will make this playstyle unique. Your max Psi is based on Concentration.
Stances:
- Duelist: Single-target DPS stance. Bonuses to Doublestrike and Attack Speed. Counts as a Fire stance for purposes like GMoF, Jidz, etc.
- Warrior: AOE DPS stance. Bonuses to Stat-to-damage and Strikethrough. Counts as an Air stance
- Defender: Defense stance. Bonuses to Max Dodge, PRR, AC. Counts as an Earth stance
- Consular: Casting stance. Bonuses to Psi regen rate and spell DC/damage. Counts as a Water stance.
Stances use the same advancement as Monk stances, including the XXX of Forms feats
Philosophies:
"Light side" will be WIS based, require Good alignment. Or maybe Lawful. Not sure if the Lawful requirement for Monk would have to carry over to the Archetype as well. Counts as Light Philosophy anywhere that checks it.
"Dark side" will be CHA based, require Not Good (or Not Lawful) alignment. Counts a Dark Philosophy.
At L6, they each get WIS or CHA-to-hit and -dmg while Centered, a la Sacred Fist.
Enhancement Trees:
Psi-Blade
Core function is a toggle that converts any wielded Shortsword into a Psi-Blade, which works like Sun Blades such as Celestia: converts damage type from Piercing to Light, and can Strikethrough. Tree provides the usual set of melee tree bonuses including Crit Range/Mult, a WIS/CHA trance depending which Side you choose, some Psi based active attacks, buffs, action boost, etc., as well as up to 80% extra Strikethrough distributed through the tree up to the capstone (ie you reach 100% total Strikethrough at L20). I do not envision them as an Imbue class, though, so no Imbue or Imbue Die anywhere.
Mindstorm
Caster tree. This is where Psionicists get all their spells, since Monk does not have an actual spellbook. Grants SLAs depending on Philosophy: Light gets a suite of Force-type damage spells with some KDs, Positive heals, self-buffs, and Confuse abilities (Jedi Mind Trick). Dark gets a suite of Lightning attacks, IKs (Force Choke), Tentacle-style root/dot CC, and Temp HP effects (maybe something like Death Eater), maybe a caster-based Rage effect. Rest of tree provides the usual caster goodies: crit %, relevant DC and Mainstat.
I'm thinking it makes more sense to have all spells scale off Melee Power 300% like Sacred Fist does, and not support metamagics, since everything is an SLA. Alternatively, scale off Concentration score at some %, though I dont know how many imbalances that might create since Conc was never intended for that. This would have to be an effect that extended to Force and Lightning spells from EDs and Epic Feats, too.
Focus
Psi support tree. This tree is unique in that it is more like Racial trees: only goes to T4, the cores dont require a certain amount of AP to unlock (just Psionic level), and the capstone is not anything special. This tree provides bonuses to Psi regeneration, general mobility bonuses like a Leap, a charge-based burst Psi recharge ability, and purely defensive Psi spenders and toggles that give defensive bonuses in exchange for reduced Psi generation.
Conclusion
I really dont think this would be grossly OP - essentially its just an upgraded Swashbuckler/Spellsinger, after all, and that's something in need of an upgrade. I also cant think of any major imbalances related to potential multiclassing, either - neither splashing Psi onto something, or splashing something onto Psi. I do think this would be a fun archetype to play, bringing together mechanics from several other classes in a way you cant effectively combine them right now.
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