ShneekeyTheLost
2010-11-04, 11:37 PM
Okay, I have a problem with the Soulknife class, as written. The concept is just made of Badassery... dude who can create a freekin' blade of coherant mental energy and shiv people with it. Thats... like... Zeratul-level cool. Like Yoda.
Only...
Holy crap, this class is right down there with Monk. Like the Arcane Archer, one of the core class abilities is completely obviated by Greater Magic Weapon (although the enhancements are nice, anyways), conflicting abilities, mired in a lack of action economy, requiring a standard action to do ANYTHING, and a full-round action to make your blade (which you already made as a standard action) a decent weapon.
This... stinks.
So, I say to myself, "Self, what can we do to give this class the necessary 'zing' it needs to really shine?"
Here's the answer.
SOULKNIFE
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d8.
Class Skills
The soulknife’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Autohypnosis* (Wis), Climb (Str), Concentration* (Con), Craft (Int), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (psionics)* (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), and Tumble (Dex).
*New skill or expanded use of existing skill.
Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) x4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier.
{table=head]Lvl | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | PP | Special
1 | +0 | +0 | +2 | +2 | 0* | Mind Blade, Bonus Psionic Feat
2 | +1 | +0 | +3 | +3 | 1 | Throw Mind Blade
3 | +2 | +1 | +3 | +3 | 3 | Psychic Strike, Least; Bonus Psionic Feat
4 | +3 | +1 | +4 | +4 | 5 | +1 Mind Blade
5 | +3 | +1 | +4 | +4 | 7 | Free Draw, Shape Mind Blade
6 | +4 | +2 | +5 | +5 | 11 | Mind Blade Enhancement +1, Bonus Psionic Feat
7 | +5 | +2 | +5 | +5 | 15 | Psychic Strike, Lesser
8 | +6 | +2 | +6 | +6 | 19 | +2 Mind Blade
9 | +6 | +3 | +6 | +6 | 23 | Bonus Psionic Feat
10 | +7 | +3 | +7 | +7 | 27 | Mind Blade Enhancement +2
11 | +8 | +3 | +7 | +7 | 35 | Psychic strike, Moderate
12 | +9 | +4 | +8 | +8 | 43 | +3 mind blade, Bonus Psionic Feat
13 | +9 | +4 | +8 | +8 | 51 | Knife to the soul
14 | +10 | +4 | +9 | +9 | 59 | Mind blade enhancement +3
15 | +11 | +5 | +9 | +9 | 67 | Psychic strike, Greater, Bonus Psionic Feat
16 | +12 | +5 | +10 | +10 | 79 | +4 mind blade
17 | +12 | +5 | +11 | +11 | 91 | Legendary Focus
18 | +13 | +6 | +11 | +11 | 103 | Mind blade enhancement +4, Bonus Psionic Feat
19 | +14 | +6 | +12 | +12 | 115 | Psychic strike, Supreme
20 | +15 | +6 | +12 | +12 | 127 | +5 Mind Blade[/table]
Class Features
All the following are class features of the soulknife.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Soulknives are proficient with all simple weapons, with their own mind blades, and with light armor and shields (except tower shields).
Mind Blade (Su): As a move action, a soulknife can create a semisolid blade composed of psychic energy distilled from his own mind. The Blade may take the shape of any Light Martial Melee weapon, and takes on that weapon's attributes. For example, if it is shaped as a short sword, it would do 1d6 (Crit 19-20/X2), but if it took the shape of a Kukri, it would do 1d4 (Crit 18-20/X2). Soulknives who are smaller or larger than Medium create mind blades appropriate for their size, with a corresponding change to the blade’s damage. The wielder of a mind blade gains the usual benefits to his attack roll and damage roll from a high Strength bonus.
The blade can be broken (it has hardness 10 and 10 hit points); however, a soulknife can simply create another on his next move action. The moment he relinquishes his grip on his blade, it dissipates (unless he intends to throw it; see below). A mind blade is considered a magic weapon for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
A soulknife can use feats such as Power Attack or Combat Expertise in conjunction with the mind blade just as if it were a normal weapon. He can also choose mind blade for feats requiring a specific weapon choice, such as Weapon Specialization. Powers or spells that upgrade weapons can be used on a mind blade.
A soulknife’s mind blade improves as the character gains higher levels. At 4th level and every four levels thereafter, the mind blade gains a cumulative +1 Psionic bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls (+2 at 8th level, +3 at 12th level, +4 at 16th level, and +5 at 20th level).
Even in places where psionic effects do not normally function (such as within a null psionics field), a soulknife can attempt to sustain his mind blade by making a DC 20 Will save. On a successful save, the soulknife maintains his mind blade for a number of rounds equal to his class level before he needs to check again. On an unsuccessful attempt, the mind blade vanishes. As a move action on his turn, the soulknife can attempt a new Will save to rematerialize his mind blade while he remains within the psionics negating effect.
Mind Blades are considered to be Masterworked, but do not get the enhancement bonus to attack which normal masterworked weapons get. Mind Blades may be enchanted normally, however the Soulknife will need to be present for the entire process, or it is wasted. The Soulknife also must spend the same amount of xp as the caster enchanting the mind blade. However, the enchantment will always be on the blade, regardless of how it is shaped. Every time the mind blade is manifested, the enchantment is active. Invalid enhancements (such as Keen when mind blade is shaped as a blunt weapon) do not function while the mind blade is in the invalid form, but functions once again once the mind blade is shaped into a weapon which can normally accept the enhancement.
Bonus Psionic Feat: A soulknife gains a bonus feat with the [psionic] descriptor at 1st, 3rd, and every three levels thereafter.
Throw Mind Blade (Ex): A soul knife of 2nd level or higher can throw his mind blade as a ranged weapon with a range increment of 30 feet.
Whether or not the attack hits, a thrown mind blade then dissipates. A soulknife of 3rd level or higher can make a psychic strike (see below) with a thrown mind blade and can use the blade in conjunction with other special abilities (such as Knife to the Soul; see below).
Psychic Strike (Ps): As a move action, a soulknife of 3rd level or higher can imbue his mind blade with destructive psychic energy by expending power points and choosing a Strike available to him. Thereafter, the mind blade is charged with that strike, and cannot be charged with another one until it is discharged or dismissed. Dismissing a Strike does not allow the soulknife to regain the pp spent on charging it. If the mind blade is dismissed or broken, it will still be charged with the strike when it is re-materialized.
Psychic Strikes are considered to be mind-affecting (unless explicitly stated otherwise in the description) psi-like abilities which do not provoke an attack of opportunity, but are subject to psi-resistance. Psychic strikes do not allow or permit saves, but are discharged on the first attack with that mind blade, even if it misses.
A soulknife can charge a psychic strike as a swift action for an extra 5pp, and can charge a psychic strike as a part of an attack action for an extra 8pp. This is considered to be an Augmentation, and thus counts against the pp cap per manifestation.
Psychic Strike follows the rules concerning maximum pp able to be spent on a single Strike is equal to the manifester level.
Least: cost 3pp to use
- Trip: Target is hit with a wave of vertigo and knocked Prone
- Disarm: Target's muscle spasms and causes it to drop whatever was in the hand
- Sicken: Target is Sickened
- Shaken: Target is Shaken
- Fatigued: Target is fatigued
Lesser: cost 7pp
- Nauseated: target is nauseated for Manifester Level/rounds
- Frightened: target is frightened for manifester level/rounds
- Slow: target is slowed for manifester level/rounds
- Exhausted: Target is Exhausted
Moderate: costs 11pp
- Dispel: As per Dispel Magic (using the Soulknife's manifester level with no cap)
- Dazed: Target is Dazed for two rounds
- Blinded: Target is Blinded for manifester level/rounds
- Stunned: Target is stunned for two rounds
Greater: costs 15pp
- Drain: target gains a temporary negative level. Roll Fort save (DC 15+Cha mod) after 24 hrs
- Panic: Target is Panicked for manifester level/rounds
- Confused: Target is Confused
- Sever Silver Chord: Soulknife may target an astral traveller's silver chord. This is not a mind-affecting ability, nor does Psionic Resistance protect against it.
- Nullify: Target may not cast any spells, manifest powers, or use and (sp) or (ps) abilities for manifester level/rounds
Greatest: costs 19 pp
- Paralyze: target is paralyzed for manifester level/rounds
- Knock Out: target is rendered Unconscious for manifester level/rounds
- Pierce Magical Defenses: Soulknife ignores any magical effects which protect the target for manifester level rounds, including this attack.
Free Draw (Su): At 5th level, a soulknife becomes able to materialize his mind blade as a free action instead of a move action, as long as it is part of an attack action.
Shape Mind Blade (Su): At 5th level, a soulknife gains the ability to create different types of mind blades. he can create his mind blade to replicate a one-handed martial melee weapon. A soul knife can also shape his blade to replicate a one-handed exotic weapon which can normally be wielded in two hands as a martial weapon, but must have the exotic weapon proficiency to be able to use it one handed without penalty.
Alternatively, a soulknife can split his mind blade into two light martial melee weapons, suitable for fighting with a weapon in each hand. (The normal penalties for fighting with two weapons apply.) However, both mind blades have an enhancement bonus 1 lower than the soulknife would otherwise create with a single mind blade.
Mind Blade Enhancement (Su): At 6th level, a soulknife gains the ability to enhance his mind blade. He can add any one of the weapon special abilities on the table below that has a enhancement bonus value of +1.
At every four levels beyond 6th (10th, 14th, and 18th), the value of the enhancement a soulknife can add to his weapon improves to +2, +3, and +4, respectively. A soulknife can choose any combination of weapon special abilities that does not exceed the total allowed by the soulknife’s level.
The weapon ability or abilities remain the same every time the soulknife materializes his mind blade (unless he decides to reassign its abilities; see below). The ability or abilities apply to any form the mind blade takes, including the use of the shape mind blade class ability.
Weapon Special Ability
Enhancement Bonus Value
+1
Defending
Keen
Lucky*
Mighty cleaving
Psychokinetic*
Sundering*
Vicious
+2
Collision*
Mindcrusher*
Psychokinetic burst*
Suppression*
Wounding
+3
Bodyfeeder*
Mindfeeder*
Soulbreaker*
*New special abilities
A soulknife can reassign the ability or abilities he has added to his mind blade. To do so, he must first spend 8 hours in concentration. After that period, the mind blade materializes with the new ability or abilities selected by the soulknife.
Knife to the Soul (Su): Beginning at 13th level, when a soulknife executes a psychic strike, he can choose to add Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma damage (his choice). It costs 5 points per point of stat damage. This is considered to be an Augmentation, which means it counts against the pp cap per manifestation.
The soulknife decides which ability score his psychic strike damages when he imbues his mind blade with the psychic strike energy and is discharged simultaneously, including on a miss.
Legendary Focus (Ex): Beginning at 17th level, the mental focus of a Soulknife becomes the stuff of legends. He may make a Concentration check to regain his focus as a free action a number of times equal to his Charisma modifier per round. However, if he fails a Concentration check to become Focused, he looses this ability until his next turn.
Variants
Sneak
Loose: Psychic Strike, Knife to the Soul, PP pool
Gain: Wild Talent (1st), Trapfinding (1st), Camoflage (no terrain restrictions) (7th), HiPS (no terrain restrictions) (13th), Disable Device as class skill
Martial
Loose: Psychic Strike, Knife to the Soul, PP Pool
Gain: Wild Talent (1st), access to Shadow Hand, Diamond Mind, and Tiger Claw disciplines with Warblade progression.
Only...
Holy crap, this class is right down there with Monk. Like the Arcane Archer, one of the core class abilities is completely obviated by Greater Magic Weapon (although the enhancements are nice, anyways), conflicting abilities, mired in a lack of action economy, requiring a standard action to do ANYTHING, and a full-round action to make your blade (which you already made as a standard action) a decent weapon.
This... stinks.
So, I say to myself, "Self, what can we do to give this class the necessary 'zing' it needs to really shine?"
Here's the answer.
SOULKNIFE
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d8.
Class Skills
The soulknife’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Autohypnosis* (Wis), Climb (Str), Concentration* (Con), Craft (Int), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (psionics)* (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), and Tumble (Dex).
*New skill or expanded use of existing skill.
Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) x4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier.
{table=head]Lvl | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | PP | Special
1 | +0 | +0 | +2 | +2 | 0* | Mind Blade, Bonus Psionic Feat
2 | +1 | +0 | +3 | +3 | 1 | Throw Mind Blade
3 | +2 | +1 | +3 | +3 | 3 | Psychic Strike, Least; Bonus Psionic Feat
4 | +3 | +1 | +4 | +4 | 5 | +1 Mind Blade
5 | +3 | +1 | +4 | +4 | 7 | Free Draw, Shape Mind Blade
6 | +4 | +2 | +5 | +5 | 11 | Mind Blade Enhancement +1, Bonus Psionic Feat
7 | +5 | +2 | +5 | +5 | 15 | Psychic Strike, Lesser
8 | +6 | +2 | +6 | +6 | 19 | +2 Mind Blade
9 | +6 | +3 | +6 | +6 | 23 | Bonus Psionic Feat
10 | +7 | +3 | +7 | +7 | 27 | Mind Blade Enhancement +2
11 | +8 | +3 | +7 | +7 | 35 | Psychic strike, Moderate
12 | +9 | +4 | +8 | +8 | 43 | +3 mind blade, Bonus Psionic Feat
13 | +9 | +4 | +8 | +8 | 51 | Knife to the soul
14 | +10 | +4 | +9 | +9 | 59 | Mind blade enhancement +3
15 | +11 | +5 | +9 | +9 | 67 | Psychic strike, Greater, Bonus Psionic Feat
16 | +12 | +5 | +10 | +10 | 79 | +4 mind blade
17 | +12 | +5 | +11 | +11 | 91 | Legendary Focus
18 | +13 | +6 | +11 | +11 | 103 | Mind blade enhancement +4, Bonus Psionic Feat
19 | +14 | +6 | +12 | +12 | 115 | Psychic strike, Supreme
20 | +15 | +6 | +12 | +12 | 127 | +5 Mind Blade[/table]
Class Features
All the following are class features of the soulknife.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Soulknives are proficient with all simple weapons, with their own mind blades, and with light armor and shields (except tower shields).
Mind Blade (Su): As a move action, a soulknife can create a semisolid blade composed of psychic energy distilled from his own mind. The Blade may take the shape of any Light Martial Melee weapon, and takes on that weapon's attributes. For example, if it is shaped as a short sword, it would do 1d6 (Crit 19-20/X2), but if it took the shape of a Kukri, it would do 1d4 (Crit 18-20/X2). Soulknives who are smaller or larger than Medium create mind blades appropriate for their size, with a corresponding change to the blade’s damage. The wielder of a mind blade gains the usual benefits to his attack roll and damage roll from a high Strength bonus.
The blade can be broken (it has hardness 10 and 10 hit points); however, a soulknife can simply create another on his next move action. The moment he relinquishes his grip on his blade, it dissipates (unless he intends to throw it; see below). A mind blade is considered a magic weapon for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
A soulknife can use feats such as Power Attack or Combat Expertise in conjunction with the mind blade just as if it were a normal weapon. He can also choose mind blade for feats requiring a specific weapon choice, such as Weapon Specialization. Powers or spells that upgrade weapons can be used on a mind blade.
A soulknife’s mind blade improves as the character gains higher levels. At 4th level and every four levels thereafter, the mind blade gains a cumulative +1 Psionic bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls (+2 at 8th level, +3 at 12th level, +4 at 16th level, and +5 at 20th level).
Even in places where psionic effects do not normally function (such as within a null psionics field), a soulknife can attempt to sustain his mind blade by making a DC 20 Will save. On a successful save, the soulknife maintains his mind blade for a number of rounds equal to his class level before he needs to check again. On an unsuccessful attempt, the mind blade vanishes. As a move action on his turn, the soulknife can attempt a new Will save to rematerialize his mind blade while he remains within the psionics negating effect.
Mind Blades are considered to be Masterworked, but do not get the enhancement bonus to attack which normal masterworked weapons get. Mind Blades may be enchanted normally, however the Soulknife will need to be present for the entire process, or it is wasted. The Soulknife also must spend the same amount of xp as the caster enchanting the mind blade. However, the enchantment will always be on the blade, regardless of how it is shaped. Every time the mind blade is manifested, the enchantment is active. Invalid enhancements (such as Keen when mind blade is shaped as a blunt weapon) do not function while the mind blade is in the invalid form, but functions once again once the mind blade is shaped into a weapon which can normally accept the enhancement.
Bonus Psionic Feat: A soulknife gains a bonus feat with the [psionic] descriptor at 1st, 3rd, and every three levels thereafter.
Throw Mind Blade (Ex): A soul knife of 2nd level or higher can throw his mind blade as a ranged weapon with a range increment of 30 feet.
Whether or not the attack hits, a thrown mind blade then dissipates. A soulknife of 3rd level or higher can make a psychic strike (see below) with a thrown mind blade and can use the blade in conjunction with other special abilities (such as Knife to the Soul; see below).
Psychic Strike (Ps): As a move action, a soulknife of 3rd level or higher can imbue his mind blade with destructive psychic energy by expending power points and choosing a Strike available to him. Thereafter, the mind blade is charged with that strike, and cannot be charged with another one until it is discharged or dismissed. Dismissing a Strike does not allow the soulknife to regain the pp spent on charging it. If the mind blade is dismissed or broken, it will still be charged with the strike when it is re-materialized.
Psychic Strikes are considered to be mind-affecting (unless explicitly stated otherwise in the description) psi-like abilities which do not provoke an attack of opportunity, but are subject to psi-resistance. Psychic strikes do not allow or permit saves, but are discharged on the first attack with that mind blade, even if it misses.
A soulknife can charge a psychic strike as a swift action for an extra 5pp, and can charge a psychic strike as a part of an attack action for an extra 8pp. This is considered to be an Augmentation, and thus counts against the pp cap per manifestation.
Psychic Strike follows the rules concerning maximum pp able to be spent on a single Strike is equal to the manifester level.
Least: cost 3pp to use
- Trip: Target is hit with a wave of vertigo and knocked Prone
- Disarm: Target's muscle spasms and causes it to drop whatever was in the hand
- Sicken: Target is Sickened
- Shaken: Target is Shaken
- Fatigued: Target is fatigued
Lesser: cost 7pp
- Nauseated: target is nauseated for Manifester Level/rounds
- Frightened: target is frightened for manifester level/rounds
- Slow: target is slowed for manifester level/rounds
- Exhausted: Target is Exhausted
Moderate: costs 11pp
- Dispel: As per Dispel Magic (using the Soulknife's manifester level with no cap)
- Dazed: Target is Dazed for two rounds
- Blinded: Target is Blinded for manifester level/rounds
- Stunned: Target is stunned for two rounds
Greater: costs 15pp
- Drain: target gains a temporary negative level. Roll Fort save (DC 15+Cha mod) after 24 hrs
- Panic: Target is Panicked for manifester level/rounds
- Confused: Target is Confused
- Sever Silver Chord: Soulknife may target an astral traveller's silver chord. This is not a mind-affecting ability, nor does Psionic Resistance protect against it.
- Nullify: Target may not cast any spells, manifest powers, or use and (sp) or (ps) abilities for manifester level/rounds
Greatest: costs 19 pp
- Paralyze: target is paralyzed for manifester level/rounds
- Knock Out: target is rendered Unconscious for manifester level/rounds
- Pierce Magical Defenses: Soulknife ignores any magical effects which protect the target for manifester level rounds, including this attack.
Free Draw (Su): At 5th level, a soulknife becomes able to materialize his mind blade as a free action instead of a move action, as long as it is part of an attack action.
Shape Mind Blade (Su): At 5th level, a soulknife gains the ability to create different types of mind blades. he can create his mind blade to replicate a one-handed martial melee weapon. A soul knife can also shape his blade to replicate a one-handed exotic weapon which can normally be wielded in two hands as a martial weapon, but must have the exotic weapon proficiency to be able to use it one handed without penalty.
Alternatively, a soulknife can split his mind blade into two light martial melee weapons, suitable for fighting with a weapon in each hand. (The normal penalties for fighting with two weapons apply.) However, both mind blades have an enhancement bonus 1 lower than the soulknife would otherwise create with a single mind blade.
Mind Blade Enhancement (Su): At 6th level, a soulknife gains the ability to enhance his mind blade. He can add any one of the weapon special abilities on the table below that has a enhancement bonus value of +1.
At every four levels beyond 6th (10th, 14th, and 18th), the value of the enhancement a soulknife can add to his weapon improves to +2, +3, and +4, respectively. A soulknife can choose any combination of weapon special abilities that does not exceed the total allowed by the soulknife’s level.
The weapon ability or abilities remain the same every time the soulknife materializes his mind blade (unless he decides to reassign its abilities; see below). The ability or abilities apply to any form the mind blade takes, including the use of the shape mind blade class ability.
Weapon Special Ability
Enhancement Bonus Value
+1
Defending
Keen
Lucky*
Mighty cleaving
Psychokinetic*
Sundering*
Vicious
+2
Collision*
Mindcrusher*
Psychokinetic burst*
Suppression*
Wounding
+3
Bodyfeeder*
Mindfeeder*
Soulbreaker*
*New special abilities
A soulknife can reassign the ability or abilities he has added to his mind blade. To do so, he must first spend 8 hours in concentration. After that period, the mind blade materializes with the new ability or abilities selected by the soulknife.
Knife to the Soul (Su): Beginning at 13th level, when a soulknife executes a psychic strike, he can choose to add Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma damage (his choice). It costs 5 points per point of stat damage. This is considered to be an Augmentation, which means it counts against the pp cap per manifestation.
The soulknife decides which ability score his psychic strike damages when he imbues his mind blade with the psychic strike energy and is discharged simultaneously, including on a miss.
Legendary Focus (Ex): Beginning at 17th level, the mental focus of a Soulknife becomes the stuff of legends. He may make a Concentration check to regain his focus as a free action a number of times equal to his Charisma modifier per round. However, if he fails a Concentration check to become Focused, he looses this ability until his next turn.
Variants
Sneak
Loose: Psychic Strike, Knife to the Soul, PP pool
Gain: Wild Talent (1st), Trapfinding (1st), Camoflage (no terrain restrictions) (7th), HiPS (no terrain restrictions) (13th), Disable Device as class skill
Martial
Loose: Psychic Strike, Knife to the Soul, PP Pool
Gain: Wild Talent (1st), access to Shadow Hand, Diamond Mind, and Tiger Claw disciplines with Warblade progression.