(Class Build) The duality of Fractured Presence

[Constentin Lévine]

Classes : Psion / Forbidden Fists

 

Stats :

Mig.   medium

Con.  medium

Dex.  High

Per.  Highest possible

Int.   Lowest possible (3base, -2 Kith Meat = 1)

Res. High

 

Skills :

Arcana Highest possible

 

Importants abilties and spells :

Antipathetic Field - swift strikes

Mental Binding - Dance of death

Fractured Volition ( on BPM mod)

Ectopsychic Echo - Stunning Blow

Body attenuement - Enduring Dance

Duality of Mortal Presence

Borrowed Instinct - the long pain

Iron Wheel - Turning Wheel

The pain Persist

 

This build is made in accordance to the Hostiles effects durations rules :

• The duration of an effect can be increased by the cast of the same spell when the first duration is inferior to the new effect duration. The spell is like refreshed, still count for the same spell.
• The secondary effect of Enfeebled (+50% duration of hostiles effects) doesnt stack when you enfeebled an already enfeebled ennemy.
• But a new one Enfeebled effect add a new +50% duration of hostiles effects.
• % duration stack on previous % duration : for a starting duration increased by 50%, it is merely Duration*1.5. On the same effect, another +50% duration is now giving Duration*2.25 but from the initiale spell duration (not dependent of the time elapsed). Ect.

 

This build is effective from level 1, and begin really potent at level 10, for revealing all his potential at level 20, only against non- resistant to constitution affliction.

The "pattern" is really simple but require a lot of micro-management to take place. In first time, with your Body Presence, the transcendant hit with Forbidden Fist. Enfeebled is against Fortitude but once the Deflection roll is okay. Lowering these defenses before can be helpful. With the 1 intellect, the Enfeebled effect is going to hit for 7.6s (12base +20% PL -45%int) a 10 resolves ennemy. It is short, more longer when crit but it is possible to prevent any crit with Major Injury*. It is risky since that cause you -20 all defenses.

Once that first step rolled, the transcendant switch to his Spirit Presence. Then, your int is 11 (Enduring Dance), It is enought to cast average and long durations spells, like Mental binding or Puppet Master, and Borrowed Instinct. This one no only buff acc by 20, but compensate the Major injury -20 all defenses, and this beneficial effect depend fully of his hostile effect duration on the ennemy. You keep the beneficial effect when the ennemy drained is dead for the duration you got . Mental Binding have a short base duration (6s), so it is important to cast it at the end of Enfeebled effect.

Then, the transcendant switch to his Body prensence. When the Enfeebled effect duration is over, a new FF applie a new +50% for the hostiles effects. Anyway, because your low int, your previous spells are close to finish. This is why you come back to the Spirit Presence, for casting a new Mental Binding or Borrowed instinct, to refresh them.

Again, Body Presence, and FF when the Enfeebled effect is over. At this point, you shouldn't have to refresh the CC spells. Otherwise, just repeat the step before. Later than, you can stay to your Body Presence, and continue to Enfeebled the target by cycle over and over.

During Enfeebled time, your beam spells (antipathetic field and ectopsychic echo) and yours scrolls are your DPS sources : beams have a fixed duration of 10s, whatever your int, and scrolls are not affected by int.

So casting Embrace the earth talon scroll insteed of Mental binding is safer and also efficient against dex resistants ennemies.

Against distant ennemy, you are able to stay at safe range with the Long Pain.

And for ending, with the BPM mod, you can Enfeebled with Fractured volition, but vs. will this time. the duration is also 12s, but the scaling from PL is 30% .

 

About why not max Int insteed of taking this strange way to reach higher duration with CC spells, it is because this build make hostiles effects Permanent on single ennemy, and it is very useful and economist when you use high-level SC spells on this target.

 

* : the best way to get a major injury is to be knocked down with frost damages 3 times.

 

This build match very well with my futur post (a way I just found to perma-stun even might-immune ennemies but not only. I will write this one in a few time).

 

Edited December 14, 2021 by Constentin Lévine
Added in Hostiles durations rules

[Boeroer]

Lol, nice!  

[NotDumbEnough]

But why on earth would you go with Psion on a melee character that already does a lot of attacking anyways?

[Boeroer]

Because the Forbidden Fist ability doesn't generate focus.

[NotDumbEnough]

That's without the Community Patch. But if you're playing without it Psion focus regen also breaks on damage.

[Constentin Lévine]

Yes, and the 7.6s duration laps concern only ennemies with 10 resolves, and the purpose is to disable for long time the most hostile one. If he get more than 20 or 25, so more than 10 after debuff, the duration laps where you use your Spirit Presence is shorter. It is even better, but you dont have the "loisir" to attack with weapons.

[Constentin Lévine]

3 minutes ago, NotDumbEnough said:

That's without the Community Patch. But if you're playing without it Psion focus regen also breaks on damage.

I use the CP, in fact i started from the idea that FF doesnt generate focus, and didnt realise it do with CP. That is a good point!

[dgray62]

If you're using Community Patch, Soul Blade or Beguiler would probably be more optimal. This is a very clever idea, dumping INT to have the shortest possible enfeeble so as to repeatedly re-inflict it. But melee-ing with a major injury sounds very risky. I presume that you also play this character in a party with a cleric to repeatedly cast barring death's door?

[Constentin Lévine]

My priest extend The pain persit actually, to stay in safety place. Ennemies prefer generally go deal with the weaker character, in my party it is not him ( when Borrowed instinct replace the -20 malus, he have a decent defenses).

Maybe for Soulblade , but not for beguiler : with 11 int (Spirit Presence), AoE look like single target circle for most of they spells, meaning it is sub-obtimal. But Soulblade ' antipathetic field for the coast of 5focus is good : I target with this spell my FF target (while ranged), to protect myself from others menaces when I enhance Borrowed Instinct.

[Boeroer]

more optimal

Or better than perfect.

As I reported some time ago I played an SC Psion with weapon & shield setup (and the CP) and I had zero problems with stopped focus generation (because crits seldomly happen), especially if you spam charms/domnates non-stop and then focus on taking down one single enemy - which this build obviously excels in.

I think players still underestimate Soul Mind and that it keeps generating focus at all times: during recovery, during attack animation, during hard CC and so on and so forth. One can easily dismiss how good the focus generation of a Psion is (also because the PL scaling isn't obvious).

Having done a playthrough with a SC Psion it is now by far my favorite Cipher subclass - because its resource genertion is so independent from actually anything (except eating crits).

I reckon without CP it wouldn't be as feasible (but I didn't try).

But sure - if you are alternating FF and a Cipher spell all the time (and have CP) that should be a totally legit alternative as well. Not Soulblade though imo - this build isn't about dumping focus into damage but about disabling a single enemy indefinitely. And CC spells are usually no shreds. Beguiler: not so sure - most hard-CC spells aren't deceptions and the focus gain from weapon attacks is nothing special. Maybe with Puppet Master though...?
I can see Ascendant being a good pick even with the reduced Ascension time. 

[Boeroer]

By the way: why not Ring of Mule's Wit?  

Frees up the food part for better ones and also gives several resistances. You can't drop below 1 INT.

Edited December 13, 2021 by Boeroer

[Constentin Lévine]

It is a really good alternative, I choose (like often) a Wild Orlan for Resolve resistance and Perception bonus, but the ring is great for the reasons you mention. I use the Rekvu's glove to prevent another -25% health from Constitution debuff, then the Dexterity resistance from Wood elfe or the Boreal Dwarf miss-to-graze can be interresting.

And I agree for CP Psion, my transcendant dont have a lot of time to generate focus when he start his labor, a passive focus generation is very efficient.

Edited December 13, 2021 by Constentin Lévine