All powers are grouped according to their discipline. Each of the six disciplines is associated with a key ability score (See the Disciplines sidebar in Chapter 1: Psionic Classes). The key ability score is important when manifesting a power, because it modifies the DC of your opponent's saving throw to resist a power, as described in Saving Throw, below. The power's name line gives both the discipline the power belongs to and the appropriate key ability score.
Saving Throw Most harmful powers allow an affected creature to make a saving throw to avoid some or all of the effect. The Saving Throw line in the power description defines which type of saving throw (if any) the power allows, with additional terms to describe how saving throws against the power work. Negates: This term means that the power has no effect on an affected creature that makes a successful saving throw. Half: The power deals damage, and a successful saving throw halves the damage taken (round down). Partial: The power causes an effect on its subject, such as death. A successful saving throw means that some lesser effect occurs (such as being dealt damage rather than being killed) as detailed in the descriptive text. None: No saving throw is allowed. (Object): The power can be manifested on objects, which receive saving throws only if they are magical or psionic, or if they are attended (held, worn, grasped, and so on) by a creature resisting the power, in which case the object gets the
PSIONICS
Discipline
creatures saving throw bonus unless its own bonus is greater. (This notation does not mean that a power can only be manifested on objects. Some powers with this notation can be manifested on creatures or objects.) A psionic item's save bonuses are each equal to 2 + one-half its manifester level (Harmless): The power is usually beneficial, not harmful, but a targeted creature can attempt a saving throw if it wishes. Saving Throw Difficulty Class: Each time you manifest a power, you set the DC of an opponent's saving throw: 1d20 + the level of the power + your ability score modifier for the key ability. Succeeding at a Saving Throw: A creature that successfully saves against a power without obvious physical effects feels a hostile force or a tingle, but it cannot deduce the exact nature of the attack. You do not sense when creatures succeed at saving throws against effect and area powers. Voluntarily Giving up a Saving Throw: A creature can voluntarily forgo a saving throw and willingly accept a power's result. Even a character with a special resistance to psionics or magic can suppress this if he or she wants to. Items Surviving after a Saving Throw: Unless the descriptive text for the power specifies otherwise, all items carried and worn are assumed to survive a psionic arrack. If a character rolls a natural 1 for his saving throw, however, an exposed item is harmed (provided the attack can harm objects). Determine which four significant objects are most likely to be struck and roll randomly among them. See Table 10-1 in Chapter 10 of the Player's Handbook; the top four items listed there are most likely to be struck in a psionic attack: shield, armor, helmet (or circlet/headband/third eye), or item in hand. Substitute “psionic power” for “magical attack,” and “psionic item” for “magic item,” as appropriate. The randomly determined item must make a saving throw against the attack form and suffer whatever damage the arrack deals. If an item is not carried or worn and is not psionic, it does not get a saving throw. It simply is dealt the appropriate damage.
Power%Resistance Power resistance is a special defensive ability. If your power is being resisted by a creature with power resistance, you must make a manifester level check (1d20 + your manifester level) at least equal to the
VARIANT: SAVING THROW DIFFICULTY CLASS AGAINST PSIONIC POWERS A statistically similar method of determining a victim's saving throw DC against a psionic power is to, quite simply, use the same method used by arcane and divine spells. Using this variant, a saving throw against a power has a DC of 10 + the level of the power + the key ability score modifier of the manifester. This has the advantage of saving time, and the disadvantage of removing a bit of the unique flavor of using a psionic power Instead of a spell.
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question deals specifically with spells, psionic powers with these effects are treated exactly the same. Area: Some powers affect an area. You select where the power originates, but otherwise you don't control which creatures or objects the power affects. Sometimes a power describes a specially defined area, but usually an area falls into one of the following categories: burst, cone, creatures, cylinder, emanation, objects, spread, and other. These areas are described in Chapter 10 of the Player's Handbook under Aiming a Spell. While the text in question deals specifically with spells, psionic powers with areas are exactly the same. Chapter 3 of the DUNGEON MASTER‘s Guide also provides helpful diagrams of each area.
