Playing Sanctioned Psyker I have been looking at the different powers and the cost of higher Psy Rating, and so far i was satisfied until i started counting how expencive it will be to aquire 10 psy rating. The cost of each psy rating is the number you are advancing to times 200, so psy rating 3 = 600xp, and psy rating 10 = 2000xp.

Getting to psy rating 10 will cost you: 10400 xp

That is a staggering high amount of xp to spend on psy rating, and even if you do your power is still quite low since you havnt bought any skills, talents, characteristics or other psychic powers than the 400xp starting ones, If you go straight for max psy rating (Would be quite stupid though).

If you compare it to BC the cost of each higher psy rating is fixed at 750xp, that gives for a sorcerer (also starting at 2 psy rating) a cost of 6000xp for maxing out your psy rating. But comparing xp gain in both OW and BC gives that a BC character by abstract method gains 500xp per 4 hours of play and an OW character only gains 400xp per 4 hours of play.

My conclusion is that the cost of psy rating should be fixed and if you want to keep players from gaining psy rating too fast you could implement an xp barrier the player had to cross to be able to get higher psy rating: EXAMPLE: "To be able to buy psy rating 6 and above you need to have spent 6000xp total."

Tenai said:

You do realize how ridiculously powerful psy rating 10 actually is, right?

Yea, it really should cost that much XP to get to Psy Rating 10 - you would essentially be able to take out entire units by yourself by that point.

Millandson said: "Yea, it really should cost that much XP to get to Psy Rating 10 - you would essentially be able to take out entire units by yourself by that point"

I agree and would go as far as to say even entire regiments. Psy rating 10 is where Primaris Psykers max out so we're talking about the most powerful Imperial Psykers here. I'm surprised Only War goes that high given that PC power levels appear similar to Dark Heresy and it tops out at Psy Rating 6.

Interrogator Z

@Tenai

Consider the hierarchy of power between Sorcerers and Imperial Guard Psykers. Then ask yourself whether the latter should have an easy time reaching PR 10.

Psy Rating is this awesome thing that Psykers add as a huge bonus to everything they do. I'm completely okay with them paying out of their ass to raise it.