Hey All:

This is an attempt at creating an improved version of the Soulknife to include in my upcoming Martial-Arts tournament campaign. The goal here is to create a flavorful fighter type class with a few tricks. Ideally, I would like the class to be competitive with the Crusader and Warblade, but that may be unrealistic as it lacks the sheer maneuver versatility of those classes.

Please help me refine this class, as I have a player that wants to play something like this!

Thanks in Advance

--Wayfare


The Mindblade

Hit Die: d10
Skill Points: 4 + Intelligence
Skill List: Autohypnosis, Balance, Climb, Concentration, Heal, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (Psionics), Listen, Psicraft, Sense Motive, Spot, Tumble, Use Psionic Device
Weapon Proficiency: The Mindblade is proficient with all Simple and Martial melee weapons
Armor Proficiency: The Mindblade is proficient with light and medium armor, as well as light shields

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|[b]Power Points[b]

1st|
+1
|
+0
|
+2
|
+2
|Psychic Arsenal, Bonus Feat|0
2nd|
+2
|
+0
|
+3
|
+3
|Weapon Meld, Dual Focus|1
3rd|
+3
|
+1
|
+3
|
+3
|Bonus Feat|2
4th|
+4
|
+1
|
+4
|
+4
|Enhance Arsenal +2|3
5th|
+5
|
+1
|
+4
|
+4
|Bonus Feat|5
6th|
+6/+1
|
+2
|
+5
|
+5
|Weapon Meld|7
7th|
+7/+2
|
+2
|
+5
|
+5
|Bonus Feat|9
8th|
+8/+3
|
+2
|
+6
|
+6
|Enhance Arsenal +4|12
9th|
+9/+4
|
+3
|
+6
|
+6
|Bonus Feat|15
10th|
+10/+5/
|
+3
|
+7
|
+7
|Weapon Meld|18
11th|
+11/+6/+1
|
+3
|
+7
|
+7
|Bonus Feat|22
12th|
+12/+7/+2
|
+4
|
+8
|
+8
|Enhance Arsenal +6|26
13th|
+13/+8/+3
|
+4
|
+8
|
+8
|Bonus Feat|30
14th|
+14/+9/+4
|
+4
|
+9
|
+9
|Weapon Meld|35
15th|
+15/+10/+5
|
+5
|
+9
|
+9
|Bonus Feat|40
16th|
+16/+11/+6/+1
|
+5
|
+10
|
+10
|Enhance Arsenal +8|45
17th|
+17/+12/+7/+2
|
+5
|
+10
|
+10
|Bonus Feat|51
18th|
+18/+13/+8/+3
|
+6
|
+11
|
+11
|Weapon Meld|57
19th|
+19/+14/+9/+4
|
+6
|
+11
|
+11
|Bonus Feat|63
20th|
+20/+15/+10/+5
|
+6
|
+12
|
+12
|Enhance Arsenal +10|70[/table]

Description: A tattooed warrior bearing a gossamer spear battles a horrid shadow that eludes every weapon. Never has the shadow met a man with such will, or a weapon of such puissance. With each strike a purple flash eats at the spirits essence, consuming the shade in fires of pure will.
An old dwarf teaches the way of the blade to a dozen promising recruits each year, each day wielding a different weapon crafted from his will. Each of these blades is crafted for specific purpose, and each has been used to deadly effect over the centuries. Those who meet his standards and learn his talent can summon weapons that can overcome any foe.
A wizened gish remembers the slave-days of his people and has vowed to protect his folk from servitude. Each day he practices the blade arts that once entertained the hated Illithid in their bloody arenas, the same arts used to spill Illithid blood in that first mad escape.
Each of these warriors is a Mindblade, a warrior with the incredible ability to conjure an arsenal with nothing more than an effort of will. These psychic warriors have learned to shape their passions into physical reality, crafting mighty weapons or unbreakable defenses with a mere thought. Enhancing this incredible power is the ability to invest psychic energy into weaponry, creating a variety of deadly attack that can overcome nearly any foe.
Mindblades are rare warriors, usually the product of a psionic enclave. Some children born into such an enclave lack the discipline to achieve psionic mastery, yet still wish to explore the powers of their kindred. These Mindblades act as champions of the enclave as well as agents in the wider world. Other Mindblades belong to various traditions of psychic soldiers that serve as a unique arm of a nations military. Dwarven “Battle Forgemasters” are elite warriors who craft weapons and armor from pure thought to slay enemies too dangerous for normal troopers. Elven Strategoi are deadly duelists who use the same tactics in one-on-one confrontations, studying opponents for months or years to craft a weapon specifically designed to defeat an ill-prepared target. Rare is the Mindblade that finds this path without instruction – “wild talents” who manifest abilities are far more likely to follow the path of the Wilder or Psychic Warrior.

Power Points: A Mindblade has a reserve of psychic energy he can spend on various effects. A first level Mindblade has a reserve of power points equal to his Constitution modifier. As the Mindblade levels up, he gains additional power points, listed above.
The Mindblade does not gain traditional psychic powers to spend his power points on, but may invest these points in his Blademeld powers.

Psychic Arsenal (Su):
A Mindblade has an arsenal of weaponry available to him with a moments thought. As a swift action, the Mindblade can construct a weapon from pure psychic energy – this weapon can take the form of any melee weapon the Mindblade is proficient with, and has statistics identical to its form. After the weapon is made manifest, it remains in existence until the Mindblade wills otherwise, or until it is destroyed.

The weapon can be broken (it has hardness 10 and 10 hit points); however, a Mindblade can simply create another on his next move action. A weapon created in this way is considered a magic weapon for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. If the Mindblade drops his weapon, it vanishes.

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.

Alternatively, the Mindblade can surround himself with a field of protective energy, shielding himself from attack. Instead of crafting a weapon, the Mindblade gains DR 1/-. The defensive shield lasts until the Mindblade wills it out of existence, or until he shapes a weapon with this power.

Bonus Feats: At 1st level, a Mindblade gets a bonus combat-oriented feat in addition to the feat that any 1st level character gets and the bonus feat granted to a human character. The Mindblade gains an additional bonus feat at 2nd level and every two levels thereafter. These bonus feats must be drawn from the feats noted as fighter bonus feats or psionic feats. The Mindblade must still meet all prerequisites for the bonus feat, including ability score and base attack bonus minimums as well as class requirements. A Mindblade cannot choose feats that specifically require levels in the fighter class unless he is a multiclass character with the requisite levels in the fighter class.

Weapon Meld (Su): Starting at 2nd level, the Mindblade gains the supernatural ability to imbue his melee strikes with psychic power. Choose one of the following powers to manifest on your Psychic Arsenal – at 6th, 10th, 14th and 18th level you gain an additional weapon meld power.
Weapon Meld powers require the expenditure of power points to activate – only one weapon meld may be used each turn. A Mindblade may expend a number of power points equal to half his level (rounded down) on weapon meld powers.
Whenever a Weapon Meld requires a Save, the Save DC is (10 + ˝ level + Constitution Modifier), unless otherwise noted in the effect description.

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Destructive Force: You imbue your weapon with destructive force energy, allowing you to strike incorporeal entities and bypass the defenses of physical foes. As a standard action, you may spend one or more power points to make a single melee attack. On a successful strike, your attack inflicts normal weapon damage, +1d6 force damage per power point spent. A weapon enhanced by this power can inflict damage on immaterial entities.

Bladewind: With a moments concentration, you create a number of ectoplasmic duplicates of your weapon that lash out at your enemies. As a standard action, you may spend 1 or more power points. A single spent power point allows you to make an attack against all enemies within 5 feet of you. Each additional spent power point increases this radius by 5 feet.

Launch Flurry: You project a flurry of blows at a distant opponent, a spectral version of your weapon dueling your enemy. As a standard action, you may spend one or more power points to make a full attack against a remote enemy. Each power point spent allows you to project a full attack 10 feet. In all other ways, this attack is resolved as a normal full attack.

Concussive Blow: You land a blow upon the enemy, releasing a deadly charge that catapults your enemy backwards. On a successful melee attack, you can spend one or more power points to force your enemy to make a Fortitude Save DC. On a failed save, then enemy is pushed back 10 feet per power point spent.
If the target strikes an object before moving the full distance it is pushed, both the target and the object take 1d6 damage for every 10 feet remaining.

Pain Mark: Your weapon burns with a baleful light, a dire glow that clings to your enemy. As a standard action, you may spend one or more power points to make an attack against an opponent. On a hit, the baleful energy imbued in your weapon is transferred to your opponent – until the beginning of your next turn, all successful attacks against the target inflict extra damage equal to the number of power points spent on Pain Mark.

Consume Life: As a swift action, you may spend one or more power points to imbue your weapon with a field of draining energy. For a number of rounds equal to the number of power points spent, each successful attack allows you to recover your Constitution modifier in health.

Instill Weakness: As a standard action, you may spend one or more power points to make a single attack against an opponent. On a hit, your opponent takes a -1 penalty to Strength per power point spent. This effect cannot reduce an enemy’s Strength below 1, and persists for 1 full minute.
Multiple applications of Instill Weakness do not stack – only the most damaging effect applies at any given time.

Sever Anima: As a standard action, you may spend 1 or more power points to make an attack against a single enemy. On a successful strike, the attack inflicts normal damage and the opponent must make a Will Save DC (10 + Constitution Modifier + Power Points spent) or be reduced to
-10 hp. On a critical hit, the Save DC is increases by 5. On a failed save, the opponent resists the death effect, and is immune to further Sever Anima attempts for the rest of the day.
Mindless creatures are immune to this effect.

Split Ego: As a standard action, you may spend 1 or more power points to make an attack against a single foe. On a successful attack, you inflict normal weapon damage, and the opponent must make a Will save DC or be Confused for a number of rounds equal to the power points spent. A successful save negates this effect.

Deny Power: As a standard action, you may spend 1 or more power points to make an attack against a single opponent. On a successful attack, you inflict normal weapon damage, and the opponent must make a Will Save DC, or be encased in a personal Null-Psionics Field for a number of rounds equal to the power points spent. This field is exactly form fitting, extending to all equipment used and worn.
A successful save halves the duration of the effect (rounded down).

Prescient Retort: Once per round, when an opponent lands an attack against you, you may spend 1 or more power points to attempt to blunt the effects of that attack. Each power point spent allows you to absorb 3 points of damage. Once you have determined the amount of damage absorbed, the opponent rolls damage normally. If this effect would absorb all damage inflicted by your opponent, apply the attackers attack roll against his own AC. On a success, the attacker inflicts normal damage to himself.

Dueling Blade: As a standard action, you may spend one or more power points to grant a weapon crafted from the Psychic Arsenal the Dancing enchantment. Each power point spent allows the weapon to fight on its own for 1 round. If the weapon already has the Dancing enchantment, each power point spent adds 1 round to the duration of the Dancing effect.

Corrosive Force: As a standard action, you may spend 1 or more power points to make an attack against a single opponent. On a successful attack, the opponent takes normal damage and must make a Fortitude save or take be Sickened for a number of rounds equal to the power points spent. Each round the opponent is sickened, it also takes Force damage equal to your Constitution modifier.
A successful save negates this effect.

Fortify Shield: As a swift action, you can spend one or more power points to improve the defenses offered by Psychic Arsenal. You gain a bonus to Natural Armor equal to the amount of DR granted by your psychic arsenal, as the defensive shield melds with your flesh and fortifies your bones. This benefit lasts a number of rounds equal to the number of power points spent.
You can only manifest this ability while the defensive aspect of Psychic Arsenal is in effect.


Dual Focus (Ex): Manifesting weaponry from raw willpower is an incredibly taxing act, a gift that requires intense, yet effortless concentration. A Mindblade of 2nd level can maintain two instances of psychic focus at the same time.

Enhance Arsenal (Su): As a Mindblade increases in strength, he gains the ability to imbue his psychic arsenal with arcane power. A Mindblade of 4th level gains the ability to modify with psychic arsenal with enchantments up to +2 in effect. This bonus can be split between multiple enchantments – a Mindblade could craft a +1 Flaming weapon just as easily as a +2 weapon or a Psychokinetic Burst weapon. Every four levels thereafter, the Mindblade gains an additional +2 bonus to apply to his weapons. Weapons enhanced in this way are subject to normal enchantment limits.
Whenever a Mindblade manifests his psychic arsenal, he chooses the enchantments laid upon his weapon.
Alternatively, the Mindblade can enhance his defensive shield, gaining a bonus to DR. Every 2 points of enchnatments granted by this power enhanced the DR of the arsenal shield by 1.