Help me find the psionic class I want!

[Shadowdragon7]

Hi all I recently bought some rift books and I want to buy another book. I have Decided that I wanted to play a psionic healer class that can do some combat as well.
What are fun psionic healer classes out there? And what books can I find them in? So far I have the main book, the Black market book, the Japan book, and the the rift alien race's book. And tell me a little about the healing psionic classes please?

[Prysus]

Greetings and Salutations. I don't think there are many dedicated psychic healing classes. These are the options I can think of ...

1: Palladium Fantasy, Second Edition (PF2). Not exactly a Rifts book, but it does have the Psychic Healer class. The class doesn't start with any hand to hand combat style, but as typical of the Palladium system the class can select the standard four hand to hand styles (Basic, Expert, Martial Arts, and Assassin). Also, since this isn't a Rifts book, it can involve some conversions (PF characters tend to have less skills and no M.D.C. gear/capabilities (different setting).

2: Rifts Ultimate Edition (RUE), or Rifts Main Book (RMB). Depending on which version you're using, but select something like the Mind Melter. Then just select as many Healing psionics as you can (that should be 3 per level for the first three levels, so by level 3 you'd have 9 healing psionics). This will also provide you with other options as well.

3: Rifts Conversion Book Two: Pantheons of the Megaverse. You can select the Demi-God R.C.C. This is a race, and many consider them powerful and don't allow you to select them, so this can depend on the power level of the game and/or what the G.M. allows. However, the Demi-God can select an O.C.C. (so can be as combat ready as you'd like with that), and if you select the Psionics (for a Demi-God power) you can actually start with ALL Healing psionics. This will make you about as good as you can get (at present).

Anyways, there might be more options, but those are the ones I'm aware of. Hopefully that helps. Thank you for your time and patience, please have a nice day. Farewell and safe journeys for now.

[Witchcraft]

Gypsy Gifted One -- psychic healer out of mystic russia. Awesome fun!

[Mouser13]

Neo-human(South America) has touch of healing which is really good and alot of other stuff too for combat.

[SittingBull]

Sounds like I would get Psyscape.

Here is a left field idea. Perhaps you should try a psi-nullifer. They can pick 2 healing power at lvl 1. Then they can pick one additional power from healing or phsyical at levels 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 15. You have a HUGE ISP base (3D6x10) starting and can interfere with psionics and/or magic.

So by lvl 2 you can have psychic diagnosis, psychic surgery, and healing touch. The 3 basic powers for healing with psionics.

Good luck. ^^

[The Jack]

Discuss your concept with your GM, and see if s/he will let you make a character with major psionics. Then you can pick about any O.C.C. that suits you. I've never had GM that would shoot down a well developed character concept unless it was unbalancing, and eight psionic healing powers shouldn't be too earthshaking in a Rifts game.

[Nekira Sudacne]

The gifted gypsy is the best out of the healing classes, starting with all healing abilities and the potential to learn other and super psionics as well. not to mention they can even start with mystic herbology and thus make some cool magic items and potions.

[SittingBull]

Sadly, unless you have a really kick butt GM/game, 8 healing psionics is a little overkill ^^ (for a normal run game).

[The Jack]

Sadly, unless you have a really kick butt GM/game, 8 healing psionics is a little overkill ^^ (for a normal run game).

Then I have had quite a few kick butt GMs, and been one myself (so thank you) throughout the years. I don't believe anyone would give carte blanche for players to automatically make all of their characters major psychics during character creation. In this particular case, though, only healing powers would not unbalance any Rifts game I have ever played. I realize that we all enjoy roleplaying differently, but I looked them over again and have trouble imagining how they could be considered overkill in an MDC setting.

Most of the GMs who I have played with would be amenable to it with a well developed concept and the right O.C.C. choice, and it is worth noting that I was picturing a Scholar/Adventurer class when I initially made the suggestion. If I gave a player permission to forgo the roll to start as a major psychic because they wanted to be a healer, and they said, "Oh goody, this will be the best Gunslinger I've ever played," we would have to revisit the character concept.

[SittingBull]

You misunderstood. Unless said poster has a GM who throws diseases, poison, broken bones, blood loss, and those sort of things (and even then) 8 psionic healing powers would be overkill (in the regard that a lot of those would just be wasted choices). Yes they all have a use but many GMs, I guess, dont cater to their characters like they should and that leaves alot of those healing powers being 'meh'.

[The Jack]

Well I certainly had that backwards. Thank you for clarifying.

[SittingBull]

No problem. ^^

[Hotrod]

Sadly, unless you have a really kick butt GM/game, 8 healing psionics is a little overkill ^^ (for a normal run game).

I disagree with this. Major healing powers are neither overkill nor unbalancing. In fact, psionic healing is pretty weak and slow, hamstrung as it is by "trance times" and high ISP costs. Some of the powers are downright useless.

Take 'Increased Healing', for example. The healer must go into a trance for 1D6 HOURS for the patient to heal an extra 2HP and 6SDC per day for 2-8 days? In that trance time, before the healing even begins, you could perform 2-7 healing touches (at an average of 5HP or 7SDC per touch) for the same ISP cost, and meditate during that time to get it all back. Let's see... do nothing for the rest of the day but sit in a trance so someone can start healing a little faster, or actually start healing someone. Which would you pick?

Or, if you like, consider "Attack Disease". For 12 ISP, the healer can make a sick person feel a little better, at the cost of the healer getting sick. There's no cure, there's no healing, and now the guy taking care of the patient is less capable. Oh, and this power doesn't work on any life-threatening disease, chronic disease, magic disease, or curse. I guess if your more-useful buddy has the sniffles or a tummy-ache, you might use this so he isn't quite so debilitated at a key moment. Otherwise, it's just not useful.

Even the psionic healing touch is only suitable for use when everything is calm, since it takes 2 minutes of doing nothing (trance!) before the healer can make it happen... vs the priest, who can simply touch, and then touch again two melee rounds later. I mean, come on! This means that Priests heal their patients 4x as fast, and they can keep going like the energizer bunny.

The only cost-effective, unique powers of psionic healing is the diagnosis/surgery combination. With it, you could re-attach recently-severed limbs far more conveniently than most restoration spells, and do pretty much anything they do on Grey's Anatomy, minus transplants. Of course, a restoration spell beats this, but such spells cost enormous amounts of PPE.

Depending on your setting, you could easily get some healing potions(PF), an IRMSS kit (Rifts), or take advantage of modern medicine (N&S, HU), which can take care of your party healing.

Furthermore, you might want to consider the penalties. All skill bonuses (except IQ) are halved, and you get only half of your OCC related and secondary skills. That's a lot to give up.

[SittingBull]

I don't see how your disagreeing with me. >.>

[Hotrod]

I'm not disagreeing with you that good GMs will allow it. I'm disagreeing with the notion that 8 lesser psionic healing powers are overkill for a normal run game.

[SittingBull]

But you just pointed out how "ineffective" they are. >.>

[Hotrod]

In many cases, yes.

Incidentally, what does ">.>" mean?

[SittingBull]

How can you say that 8 (mostly time consuming/non-combat) powers are not overkill? o.o You yourself pointed out how limited they are but your for having that many or more?

[Hotrod]

Ah, I see we're operating under different definitions.

If I'm reading your earlier posts right (which I should have done earlier) you're saying that 8 healing powers are overkill, you mean that they're far more powers than a character can effectively use in your average adventure. In other words, you think that many healing powers is a waste?

I interpreted "overkill" to mean that it was too much power being vested in a character who's already got some kind of specialty.

In essence, with this misinterpretation corrected, we agree. However, I do believe that selecting 8 healing psionic powers isn't a waste, per se. Some of those healing powers have some alternate uses (psychic surgery is, potentially, VERY powerful), and others are in the category, but aren't really healing powers.

Personally, I'm in favor of nixing the trance times in most cases; they seem to negate the point of most of these powers in the first place.

[SittingBull]

In most game, that many healing powers would be a poor selection. In the rare game, that those would be wise choices, then best speed cause that is a unique game.

[Hotrod]

I've occasionally wondered what it would be like to have a "clean-up" adventure or campaign, where the focus isn't so much on the battles or wars, but rather on picking up the pieces left over. Dealing with the dead, the wounded, the crippled, the wrecked infrastructure, grappling with a chaotic situation with no rule of law, et cetera, could be more interesting in many ways than simply chopping up bad guys.

having a variety of healing powers could be ideally suited for such a scenario.

[Goliath Strongarm]

I've occasionally wondered what it would be like to have a "clean-up" adventure or campaign, where the focus isn't so much on the battles or wars, but rather on picking up the pieces left over. Dealing with the dead, the wounded, the crippled, the wrecked infrastructure, grappling with a chaotic situation with no rule of law, et cetera, could be more interesting in many ways than simply chopping up bad guys.

having a variety of healing powers could be ideally suited for such a scenario.

You've stumbled upon the new campaign I'm writing "Ruins of War", which is set post wolfen wars, neither side really won, and the PCs are trying to help clean up the mess (and keep outside forces out). I've been looking at what needs to change for the psi healer to make it more playable...

[SittingBull]

:angel:

I've occasionally wondered what it would be like to have a "clean-up" adventure or campaign, where the focus isn't so much on the battles or wars, but rather on picking up the pieces left over. Dealing with the dead, the wounded, the crippled, the wrecked infrastructure, grappling with a chaotic situation with no rule of law, et cetera, could be more interesting in many ways than simply chopping up bad guys.

having a variety of healing powers could be ideally suited for such a scenario.

You've stumbled upon the new campaign I'm writing "Ruins of War", which is set post wolfen wars, neither side really won, and the PCs are trying to help clean up the mess (and keep outside forces out). I've been looking at what needs to change for the psi healer to make it more playable...

Sounds like a truly unique game you are brewing. ^^ I hope to hear more about it in the future.