The Pet Rock
By Mark A. Jindra

Like a wizard's familiar, psicrystals are a psion's companion. They communicate, assist, and enhance the abilities of the psion. But a precious few psicrystals possess abilities beyond those currently attributed to the basic psicrystal. These psicrystals are known as empowered psicrystals. With the use of the Empowered Psicrystal feat, a psion can add additional abilities to his or her psicrystal.

Empowered Psicrystal [Psionic]

You can upgrade your psicrystal.

Benefit: You can instill three additional abilities in your psicrystal. Your psicrystal gains these additional abilities as well as the base abilities from the Psionics Handbook.

Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Each time you take this feat, you can select three abilities that your psicrystal does not currently possess, and the psicrystal gains these abilities when the psion reaches the appropriate level. Abilities should be selected from Table 1: Empowered Psicrystal Special Abilities.

Table 1: Empowered Psicrystal Special Abilities

Lesser Self-Propulsion: If the psion pays the cost of 1 power point, his or her psicrystal forms spidery, ectoplasmic legs for one hour. The legs grant the psicrystal a speed of 20 feet. The psicrystal can climb walls and ceilings with its legs like a spider at a speed of 10 feet. The legs fade to nothingness when their duration expires, or if the psicrystal takes 1 or more points of damage that penetrate its hardness, whichever comes first.

Lesser Channel Power: The psion can manifest touch powers through the psicrystal to a distance of up to one mile. The psicrystal is treated as the power’s originator. Powers manifested this way cost 1 additional power point. When channeling a touch power through his or her psicrystal, the psion manifests the power by paying its cost. The psion is still subject to attacks of opportunity and other hazards of manifesting a power, if applicable.

Hardened Crystal: If the psion pays the cost of 1 power point, his or her psicrystal decreases its size by 25 percent and becomes warm to the touch for a day. The psicrystal's hardness increases by a number equal to the Intelligence of the psicrystal.

Power Storing: The psion can store a single, targeted psionic power of up to 3rd level in the psicrystal. (The power must have a manifestation time of 1 action.) The psion can have the psicrystal activate the power as a free action. (This ability is a special exception to the general rule that manifesting a power from an item takes as long as manifesting the power normally.) Once the power has been manifested, the psicrystal is empty, and the psion can imbed any other targeted psionic power of up to 3rd level. The psion must maintain at least 1 power point in reserve until the power is manifested. If he or she doesn't, the psicrystal loses the power.

Greater Self-Propulsion: If the psion pays the cost of 3 power points, his or her psicrystal becomes encased in a tiny shell of ectoplasm (3-inch diameter), and it forms a whiplike tail (6 inches long) and the psion's choice of one of the following for a day: spidery legs, batlike wings, or fishlike fins. The legs grant the psicrystal a speed of 30 feet. The psicrystal can climb walls and ceilings with its legs like a spider at a speed of 20 feet. The wings grant the psicrystal the ability to fly at a speed of 30 feet (perfect). The fishlike fins grant the psicrystal the ability to swim at a speed of 20 feet. The whiplike tail grants the psicrystal the ability to grasp fine objects and aids in its movement. The psicrystal cannot attack with its ectoplasmic appendages. Additionally, the ectoplasmic shell body grants the psicrystal a +5 armor bonus to AC. The ectoplasm fades to nothingness when the duration expires, or when the psicrystal takes 1 or more points of damage that penetrate its hardness, whichever occurs first.

Energized Crystal: The psicrystal gains the ability to store power points as a crystal capacitor. The number of power points that it can store equals the Intelligence of the psicrystal rounded down to the nearest odd number. For example, a psicrystal with an Intelligence of 12 could store 11 power points.

Discipline Focus: When the psicrystal is within 5 feet of the psion, any powers manifested that are of the psion's primary discipline cost 1 less power point to manifest. Powers manifested this way have a minimum of 1 power point.

Psionatrix Essence: If the psion pays the cost of 3 power points, the psicrystal acts as a psionatrix appropriate to the psion's primary discipline for a day. The psion benefits from these effects only when within 5 feet of the psicrystal. (See psionatrices on page 133 of the Psionics Handbook)

Phasing: If the psion pays the cost of 3 power points, the psicrystal can move through wooden, plaster, or stone walls, but not through other materials, for a day. The psicrystal can pass through a total of 60 feet, though it can break this distance up into several smaller passages or one long one, as desired. (For example, the psicrystal could pass through a 10-foot-thick wall, then a 20-foot-thick wall, and then a 30-foot-thick wall.) A psicrystal that exceeds this daily allotment midway through a wall is ejected from the material at the point of entry. (For example, if the psicrystal has already passed through 50 feet of material, then attempts to pass through a 20-foot thick barrier, it would be ejected once it reaches 10 feet.)

Basic Psicrystals

We have compiled the basic information relating to a psicrystal and presented it here with additional material to help clarify the stats and abilities of a psicrystal. See the entries below the basic statistics to discover the special attributes.

Hit Dice:Treat as the psion's character level (for effects related to Hit Dice).

Initiative: Use Intelligence to determine initiative.

Speed: A psicrystal has no base speed; however, when its self-propulsion ability has been activated, it has a speed as described by the ability.

AC: The base AC for a psicrystal is 13 (base 10, -5 Dex, +8 size). When the self-propulsion ability of a psicrystal is activated, the Intelligence score of the psicrystal replaces Dexterity when determining AC only.

Face/Reach: A psicrystal that has had self-propulsion activated has a face/reach of 1/2' x 1/2' x 0.

Special Attacks:While a psicrystal does not possess any innate ability to attack, it can activate a power stored in it by the power storing ability.

Saving Throws: The psicrystal uses the psion's base saving throw bonuses.

Skills: Use the psion's skill values.