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Skjaldbakka
2007-07-16, 10:49 PM
Incarnate SoulKnife
{table=head]Level|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+2|Soul Blade, Weapon Focus: Soul Blade, Bonus Essentia

2nd|
+1|
+0|
+3|
+3|Throw soul blade

3rd|
+2|
+1|
+3|
+3|Soul strike +1d8

4th|
+3|
+1|
+4|
+4|+1 soul blade

5th|
+3|
+1|
+4|
+4|Free draw, shape soul blade

6th|
+4|
+2|
+5|
+5|Bonus Feat, Speed of Thought

7th|
+5|
+2|
+5|
+5|Soul strike +2d8

8th|
+6|
+2|
+6|
+6|+2 soul blade

9th|
+6|
+3|
+6|
+6|Bladewind, Greater Weapon Focus (soul blade)

10th|
+7|
+3|
+7|
+7|Bonus Feat

11th|
+8|
+3|
+7|
+7|Soul strike +3d8

12th|
+9|
+4|
+8|
+8|+3 soul blade

13th|
+9|
+4|
+8|
+8|Knife to the soul

14th|
+10|
+4|
+9|
+9|Bonus Feat

15th|
+11|
+5|
+9|
+9|Soul strike +4d8

16th|
+12|
+5|
+10|
+10|+4 soul blade

17th|
+12|
+5|
+10|
+10|Multiple throw

18th|
+13|
+6|
+11|
+11|Bonus Feat

19th|
+14|
+6|
+11|
+11|Soul strike +5d8

20th|
+15|
+6|
+12|
+12|+5 soul blade[/table]


Alterations are in Bold.

Alignment
Any.

Hit Die
d10.

Class Skills
The soulknife’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance, Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (any) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim, and Tumble (Dex).


Skill Points at 1st Level
(4 + Int modifier) ×4.

Skill Points at Each Additional Level
4 + Int modifier.

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 soul blades, and with light armor and shields (except tower shields).

Soul Blade (Su)
As a move action, a soulknife can create a semisolid blade composed of incarnum energy distilled from his own soul. The blade is identical in all ways (except visually) to a short sword of a size appropriate for its wielder. For instance, a Medium soulknife materializes a Medium soul blade that he can wield as a light weapon, and the blade deals 1d6 points of damage (crit 19-20/×2). Soulknives who are smaller or larger than Medium create soul blades identical to short swords appropriate for their size, with a corresponding change to the blade’s damage. The wielder of a soul 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 soul 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 soul blade just as if it were a normal weapon. He can also choose soul blade for feats requiring a specific weapon choice, such as Weapon Specialization. Powers or spells that upgrade weapons can be used on a soul blade.

A soulknife’s soul blade improves as the character gains higher levels. At 4th level and every four levels thereafter, the soul blade gains a cumulative +1 enhancement bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls (+2 at 8th level, +3 at 12th level, +4 at 16th level, and +5 at 20th level). In addition, a soulknife's soulblade gains the soulbound property (lesser from 1st-10th level, greater from 11th-20th).

Even in places where incarnum effects do not normally function, a soulknife can attempt to sustain his soul blade by making a DC 20 Will save. On a successful save, the soulknife maintains his soul blade for

a number of rounds equal to his class level before he needs to check again. On an unsuccessful attempt, the soul blade vanishes. As a move action on his turn, the soulknife can attempt a new Will save to rematerialize his soul blade while he remains within the psionics negating effect.

Weapon Focus (soul Blade)
A soulknife gains Weapon Focus (soul blade) as a bonus feat.

Bonus Essentia
A soulknife gains an essentia pool of 1. If the soulknife already has an essentia pool, it is increased by 1.

Throw Soul Blade (Ex)
A soul knife of 2nd level or higher can throw his soul blade as a ranged weapon with a range increment of 30 feet.

Whether or not the attack hits, a thrown soul blade then dissipates. A soulknife of 3rd level or higher can make a Soul strike (see below) with a thrown soul blade and can use the blade in conjunction with other special abilities (such as Knife to the Soul; see below).

Soul Strike (Su)
As a move action, a soulknife of 3rd level or higher can imbue his soul blade with destructive Soul energy. This effect deals an extra 1d8 points of damage to the next living, nonmindless target he successfully hits with a melee attack (or ranged attack, if he is using the throw soul blade ability). Creatures immune to mind-affecting effects are immune to Soul strike damage. (Unlike the rogue’s sneak attack, the Soul strike is not precision damage and can affect creatures otherwise immune to extra damage from critical hits or more than 30 feet away, provided they are living, nonmindless
creatures not immune to mind-affecting effects.)

A soul blade deals this extra damage only once when this ability is called upon, but a soulknife can imbue his soul blade with Soul energy again by taking another move action.

Once a soulknife has prepared his blade for a Soul strike, it holds the extra energy until it is used. Even if the soulknife drops the soul blade (or it otherwise dissipates, such as when it is thrown and misses), it is still imbued with Soul energy when the soulknife next materializes it.

At every four levels beyond 3rd (7th, 11th, 15th, and 19th), the extra damage from a soulknife’s Soul strike increases as shown on the Table above.

In addition, a Soul Strike drains 1 pt. of essentia per extra die of damage it deals. A successful Will save (DC 10+1/2soulknife level+constitution modifier) negates this effect, which works on any
Incarnum creature, regardless of type or immunities. The Soulknife adds this essentia to his essentia pool for 1 minute, at which time the essentia is returned to the target.

Free Draw (Su)
At 5th level, a soulknife becomes able to materialize his soul blade as a free action instead of a move action. He can make only one attempt to materialize the soul blade per round, however.

Shape Soul Blade (Su)
At 5th level, a soulknife gains the ability to change the form of his soul blade. As a swift[b] action, he can change his soul blade to replicate a longsword (damage 1d8 for a Medium weapon wielded as a one-handed weapon) or a bastard sword (damage 1d10 for a Medium weapon, but he must wield it as a two-handed weapon unless he knows the Exotic Weapon Proficiency (bastard sword) feat). If a soulknife shapes his soul blade into the form of a bastard sword and wields it two-handed, he adds 1˝ times his Strength bonus to his damage rolls, just like when using any other two-handed weapon.

Alternatively, a soulknife can split his soul blade into two identical short swords, suitable for fighting with a weapon in each hand. (The normal penalties for fighting with two weapons apply.) However, both soul blades have an enhancement bonus 1 lower than the soulknife would otherwise create with a single soul blade.

[b]Bonus Feat
At 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level, a soulknife gains a bonus incarnum feat.
(specific to my campaign)A soulknife can also take Martial Study or Martial Stance with this Bonus Feat(/specific to my campaign)

Speed of Thought
A soulknife gains Speed of Thought as a bonus feat at 6th level.

Bladewind (Su)
At 9th level, a soulknife gains the ability to momentarily fragment his soul blade into numerous identical blades, each of which strikes at a nearby opponent.

As a full attack, when wielding his soul blade, a soulknife can give up his regular attacks and instead fragment his soul blade to make one melee attack at his full base attack bonus against each opponent within reach. Each fragment functions identically to the soulknife’s regular soul blade.

When using bladewind, a soulknife forfeits any bonus or extra attacks granted by other feats or abilities (such as the Cleave feat or the haste spell).

The soul blade immediately reverts to its previous form after the bladewind attack.

Greater Weapon Focus (soul Blade)
A soulknife gains Greater Weapon Focus (soul blade) as a bonus feat at 9th level.

Knife to the Soul (Su)
Beginning at 13th level, when a soulknife executes a Soul strike, he deals ability damage to creatures that have no essentia, 1 pt of damage to Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma(his choice) per point of essentia damage he would have dealt. This has no effect against creatures immune to ability damage. In addition, the essentia/ability damage dealt with Soul Strike is now treated as damage (it does not return after 1 minute, although the soulknife still loses his extra essentia in that time). Ability damage from this ability applies to any non-mindless creature that is normally susceptible to ability damage (they need no be an Incarnum creature)

Multiple Throw (Ex)
At 17th level and higher, a soulknife can throw a number of soul blades per round equal to the number of melee attacks he could make.

Capt .12 Gauge
2007-07-26, 02:22 PM
I find your lack of fluff disturbing.

Example:
Though the arts of the soulknife are thought to be a psionic art, stemming as they normally do from the cerebral nature of soulknife generation, the basic precepts of incarnum (shaping spiritual energy into useful forms) have allowed for a remarkable similar combat style to form using incarnum as opposed to mental energy. These warrior call themselves the "true soulknives" based on the fact that their blades are actually composed of souls, as opposed to the mentally generated blades of their psionic brethren.

Not anything major just enough to give them connections to the world.

Overlord
2007-07-26, 06:30 PM
You know, sometimes the crunch just speaks for the fluff. Obviously you knew what he meant, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to write a short paragraph detailing what I assumed was obvious about the class.

Anyway, this looks pretty good, though I must ask: what can a member of this class use his essentia points for? Other than use his incarnum feats, I don't see anything that he can do with them.

Skjaldbakka
2007-07-26, 06:36 PM
In addition, a soulknife's soulblade gains the soulbound property (lesser from 1st-10th level, greater from 11th-20th).

I obviously can't quote what soulbound does to you, but you can spend essentia to increase the enhancement bonus of the weapon, which means with 4 essentia, a soulknife can eventually pump his mindblade to +9. The lesser/greater have different caps.

I should probably allow a soulknife to put essentia gained from Psychic Strike into his incarnum feats, as he hasn't got much essentia to work with them.

ZeroNumerous
2007-07-26, 07:20 PM
Each Incarnum feat gives you +1 Essentia to your Essentia pool once you take it.

The only thing I don't like is that it still has Medium BAB.

Overlord
2007-07-26, 10:40 PM
I obviously can't quote what soulbound does to you, but you can spend essentia to increase the enhancement bonus of the weapon, which means with 4 essentia, a soulknife can eventually pump his mindblade to +9. The lesser/greater have different caps.

I should probably allow a soulknife to put essentia gained from Psychic Strike into his incarnum feats, as he hasn't got much essentia to work with them.

Ah. I know how the incarnum feats work, I jsut didn't find that part. Sorry.

But...isn't that almost the same thing that a normal soulblade gets? Now, it takes the soulblade 8 hours to change it's enhancements, and I think the list of enchantments is larger, but still...that's not that big of a change. And I don't have my book with me, so I don't know exactly what soulbound does, but does it do much more than this?


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 an 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 or bladewind class 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.

Skjaldbakka
2007-07-26, 10:46 PM
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 an 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 or bladewind class 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.

Note how above is not included in Incarnate Soulknife.

ZeroNumerous
2007-07-26, 10:51 PM
Flavor Complaint: Shouldn't it be Soul Strike instead of Psychic Strike?

Skjaldbakka
2007-07-26, 11:03 PM
Yeah, probably- I neglected to change that.

Armads
2007-07-29, 04:22 AM
It should get full BAB. Also, this might actually be weaker than a normal soulknife, since the normal soulknife's Knife to the Soul ability has no save. Why is Soul Strike unable to damage unliving/non-mindless creatures? A soulknife should be able to drain the essentia of a necrocarnum zombie.

Skjaldbakka
2007-07-29, 05:17 AM
In addition, a Soul Strike drains 1 pt. of essentia per extra die of damage it deals. A successful Will save (DC 10+1/2soulknife level+constitution modifier) negates this effect, which works on any
Incarnum creature, regardless of type or immunities. The Soulknife adds this essentia to his essentia pool for 1 minute, at which time the essentia is returned to the target.

Relevant portion emphasized