Munchkin Psyker and the problems there in...

[Cifer 211]

Feint is made so that you should use it in the same round as an attack, think what would happen if you couldn't. You move to your enemy (first half action), feint (second half action), and win the opposed weapon skill test. Next turn is his, he disengages (or maybe if he is trained in acrobatics: attacks you and then disengages). Now your action directly following your feint is a move because he is no longer in melee, you then lose the advantage, as stated in the rules above. If you're lucky he had an agility bonus of 4 or more and you can instead charge him, but you would still lose the advantage. Clearly feint only works well if you are able to feint and attack in the same round.

If my opponent disengages, I think it's obvious that my feint won't be doing anything productive. What's the problem about that?

Also, we're getting into serious rules-lawyering territory here - unless you can tell me why it's possible for a psyker to use fire bolt and knockdown but not fire bolt and a standard attack. I can hit my enemy with enough force to knock him down, but striking him normally is out of the question?

[xenobiotica 0]

Cifer said:

Feint is made so that you should use it in the same round as an attack, think what would happen if you couldn't. You move to your enemy (first half action), feint (second half action), and win the opposed weapon skill test. Next turn is his, he disengages (or maybe if he is trained in acrobatics: attacks you and then disengages). Now your action directly following your feint is a move because he is no longer in melee, you then lose the advantage, as stated in the rules above. If you're lucky he had an agility bonus of 4 or more and you can instead charge him, but you would still lose the advantage. Clearly feint only works well if you are able to feint and attack in the same round.

If my opponent disengages, I think it's obvious that my feint won't be doing anything productive. What's the problem about that?

Also, we're getting into serious rules-lawyering territory here - unless you can tell me why it's possible for a psyker to use fire bolt and knockdown but not fire bolt and a standard attack. I can hit my enemy with enough force to knock him down, but striking him normally is out of the question?

I don't know if you really got my point when it comes to feint. The action is almost totaly useless if you cannot attempt a feint and a standard attack in the same round. The point of the feint action is to be able to make a standard attack that cannot be parried or dodged. From the describing text of feint: You pretend to attack in one direction, deceiving your opponent and throw off his defence. Do you really think that he would not be able to recover from that if he is allowed to act as normal between you feinting him and you attacking him?

The rule clearly states that you may not take the same half action twice, and the errata explains that the focus power action is the same as the standard attack action for the purpose of determining what you can do in one round. This is just to make it so that you cannot cause damage with two seperate attacks in the same round (not counting the minute damage you can cause with take-down. It isn't meant to logical, it's meant to be game balancing. Just ask yourself why you cannot make two attacks in the same round but you are allowed manoeuvre and attack, or stand up and attack an opponent. The wording is unambiguous, nowhere does it say that all attack actions are considered to be the same action for the purpose of what you are allowed to do in one single round, it just says that you may not take the same half action twice.

I'm simply following the wording of the rules in both these cases, if you want a realistic reason why a psyker can use fire bolt and then knock-down but not fire bolt and then a standard attack, I suggest you try and formulate one for yourself, if it would appease your mind. I think I have the rules and game balance on my side, and in the psyker case, I suppose you have realism on yours.

[llsoth 2]

Well first off (having just read the rules) I would say the psyker could indeed dual wield and use a psychic blade.   It does specifically state the psyker does not need a free hand to use it.  Also the penalties of sustaining a power are already defined.  However attacking with the blade counts as an attack it is NOT a free action.

However it seems you are missing a few things. 

1. check up on the rules (+ errata) on manifesting more than one power a round...  You can't.

2. check up on the errata. not only can he only manifest 1 power a round it counts as an attack so you cant do both in the same round.

3.  Manifesting lucky requires him to roll a power dice (with possibility of perils).

4.  You seem to be treating an attack with the psychic blade as a free action it is not.  (also remember that swift attack only applies to your primary hand weapon when dual wielding so you would not get extra attacks with the blade (unless he held it in his primary hand like a normal melee weapon which I suppose is possible).  In other words he can attack with the psychic blade or his other swords.

Those are the rules things you seem to be missing.  Honestly that should be enough to deal with him but if not.  Next are how to deal with him.

1.  His power seems to be all about melee..  so get into a long ranged fight.   Swords are fine and all but now Llsoth leads!!  Guns for everyone!

2.  Get him into a situation where a open display of psyker abilities would be bad.  Undercover perhaps or, are those red redemptionist fanatics over there?

3.  Get him in a situation where he does not have his gear..  A formal diner or dance perhaps, attending with battle armor and festooned with weapons might not go over well for him.

A few final notes:

I find it hard to go with the idea that AP 5 armor is overpowered.  Guard flak is is AP 4 and AP 5 vs Blast weapons (damage ends in an X) after all.  One point should not be a big deal.  Also remember page 215 and carry limits as a psyker I would assume he has lowish strength and toughness and thus cant carry much.  Ditto with the mono swords...  mono swords should in NO way scare you. 

If all of this and he still far outstrips the other players..  well did he just roll very well at creation?  The others roll very badly?  If so raise the others up a little.  If he just got extremly luck at character creation..  well that happens no need to punish him for it. 

Honestly this looks like a rules mixup to me.  Just get the rules down and it should work itself out.