3.5 Witchknife Class [DSP Soulknife variant with arcane flavor]

[Kydell]

First of all, I realize this has probably been done before. However, I really enjoy the Dreamscarred Press Soulknife variant, so I created this thread to have everything in one place.

Game Rule Information

Witchknives have the following game statistics.

Abilities: Strength is an ideal ability for a witchknife, augmenting his melee prowess. Dexterity provides better defense and bonuses on ranged attacks, and is useful in the arts of stealth, at which many witchknives excel. Constitution upgrades the witchknife's toughness.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Die: d8.

Class Skills

The witchknife's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Spellcraft (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex)Dex, Use Magic Device (Cha) and Use Rope (Dex).

Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) x 4.

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier.

Table 2-5: The Witchknife

Level	BAB	Fort	Ref	Will	Special
1st	+0	+0	+2	+2	Eldritch Blade, Weapon Focus (Eldritch Blade), Magical Aptitude
2nd	+1	+0	+3	+3	Throw Eldritch Blade, Bonus Feat
3rd	+2	+1	+3	+3	Sorcerous Strike +1d8
4th	+3	+1	+4	+4	+1 Eldritch Blade
5th	+3	+1	+4	+4	Free Draw, Shape Eldritch Blade
6th	+4	+2	+5	+5	+2 Eldritch Blade, Bonus Feat
7th	+5	+2	+5	+5	Sorcerous Strike +2d8
8th	+6/+1	+2	+6	+6	+3 Eldritch Blade
9th	+6/+1	+3	+6	+6	Bladewind, Greater Weapon Focus (Eldritch Blade)
10th	+7/+2	+3	+7	+7	+4 Eldritch Blade, Bonus Feat
11th	+8/+3	+3	+7	+7	Sorcerous Strike +3d8
12th	+9/+4	+4	+8	+8	+5 Eldritch Blade
13th	+9/+4	+4	+8	+8	Knife to the Soul
14th	+10/+5	+4	+9	+9	+6 Eldritch Blade, Bonus Feat
15th	+11/+6/+1	+5	+9	+9	Sorcerous Strike +4d8
16th	+12/+7/+2	+5	+10	+10	+7 Eldritch Blade
17th	+12/+7/+2	+5	+10	+10	Multiple Throw
18th	+13/+8/+3	+6	+11	+11	+8 Eldritch Blade, Bonus Feat
19th	+14/+9/+4	+6	+11	+11	Sorcerous Strike 5d8
20th	+15/+10/+5	+6	+12	+12	+9 Eldritch Blade, Double Strike

Weapons and Armor Proficiency: Witchknives are proficient with all simple weapons, with their own eldritch blades (regardless of form), and with light armor and shields (except tower shields).

Eldritch Blade (Su): As a move action, a witchknife can create a semisolid blade composed of magical energy distilled from the aether.

The blade is identical in all ways (except visually) to a short sword of a size appropriate for its wielder. For instance, a Medium witchknife conjures a Medium eldritch blade that he can wield as a light weapon, and the blade deals 1d6 points of damage (crit 19-20/x2). Witchknives who are smaller or larger than Medium create eldritch blades identical to short swords appropriate for their size, with a corresponding change to the blade's damage (see Table 7-4 and Table 7-5 in the Player's Handbook). The wielder of an eldritch 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 witchknife 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). An eldritch blade is considered a magic weapon for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

A witchknife can use feats such as Power Attack or Combat Expertise in conjunction with the eldritch blade just as if it were a normal weapon. He can also choose eldritch blade for feats requiring a specific weapon choice, such as Weapon Specialization. Powers or spells that upgrade weapons can be used on an eldritch blade.

A witchknife’s eldritch blade improves as the character gains higher levels. At 4th level and every other level thereafter, the eldritch blade gains a cumulative +1 enhancement bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls (+2 at 6th level, +3 at 8th level, +4 at 10th level, and so on). Note that the enhancement bonus of the eldritch blade cannot exceed +5. The witchknife may (and, indeed, must, after the enhancement bonus exceeds +5) apply a special ability from the table below instead of an enhancement bonus. A witchknife can choose any combination of weapon special abilities and/or enhancement bonus that does not exceed the total allowed by the witchknife’s level. The weapon ability or abilities remain the same every time the witchknife conjures his eldritch blade (unless he decides to reassign its abilities; see below). The ability or abilities apply to any form the eldritch blade takes, including the use of the shape eldritch blade or bladewind class abilities.

A witchknife can reassign the ability or abilities he has added to his eldritch blade. To do so, he must first spend 8 hours in concentration. After that period, the eldritch blade conjures with the new ability or abilities selected by the witchknife.

Even in places where spell effects do not normally function (such as within a anti magic field), a witchknife can attempt to sustain his eldritch blade by making a DC 20 Will save. On a successful save, the witchknife maintains his eldritch blade for a number of rounds equal to his class level before he needs to check again. On an unsuccessful attempt, the eldritch blade vanishes. As a move action on his turn, the witchknife can attempt a new Will save to conjure his eldritch blade again while he remains within the anti-magic effect.

Ability	Cost
Bane	+1
Defending	+1
Distance	+1
Flaming	+1
Frost	+1
Ghost Touch	+1
Keen	+1
Lucky	+1
Merciful	+1
Mighty Cleaving	+1
Shocking	+1
Sundering	+1
Vicious	+1
Anarchic	+2
Axiomatic	+2
Collision	+2
Parrying	+2
Flaming Burst	+2
Frost Burst	+2
Holy	+2
Shocking Burst	+2
Unholy	+2
Wounding	+2
Brilliant Energy	+4
Coup de Grace	+5

Weapon Focus (Eldritch Blade): A witchknife gains Weapon Focus (eldritch blade) as a bonus feat.

Magical Aptitude: A witchknife gains Magical Aptitude as a bonus feat.

Bonus Feat: At 2nd level and every 4 levels thereafter (6th, 10th, 14th, and so on), the witchknife gains a bonus feat.

Throw Eldritch Blade (Ex): A witchknife of 2nd level or higher can throw his eldritch blade as a ranged weapon with a range increment of 30 feet. Whether or not the attack hits, a thrown eldritch blade then dissipates. A witchknife of 3rd level or higher can make a sorcerous strike (see below) with a thrown eldritch blade and can use the blade in conjunction with other special abilities (such as Knife to the Soul; see below)

Sorcerous Strike (Su): As a move action, a witchknife of 3rd level or higher can imbue his eldritch blade with destructive magical 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 eldritch blade ability). Creatures immune to mind-affecting effects are immune to sorcerous strike damage. (Unlike the rogue's sneak attack, the sorcerous 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.)

An eldritch blade deals this extra damage only once when this ability is called upon, but a witchknife can imbue his eldritch blade with magical energy again by taking another move action.

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

At every four levels beyond 3rd (7th, 11th, 15th, and 19th), the extra damage from a witchknife's sorcerous strike increases by 1d8.

Free Draw (Su): At 5th level, a witchknife becomes able to conjure his eldritch blade as a free action instead of a move action. He can make only one attempt to conjure the eldritch blade per round, however (if, for example, he must make a Will save to conjure it within an anti magic field)

Shape Eldritch Blade (Su): At 5th level, a witchknife gains the ability to change the form of his eldritch blade. As a full-round action, he can change his eldritch 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 witchknife shapes his eldritch blade into the form of a bastard sword and wields it two-handed, he adds 1-1/2 times his Strength bonus to his damage rolls, just like when using any other two-handed weapon.

Alternatively, a witchknife can split his eldritch 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 eldritch blades have an enhancement bonus 1 lower than the witchknife would otherwise create with a single eldritch blade. For example, a 12th-level witchknife normally creates a single eldritch blade with an enhancement bonus of up to +5, but he could use this ability to instead conjure two +4 eldritch blades still using +5 of his total enhancement bonus. The eldritch blade retains the shape given to it using this class feature every time it is conjured until the witchknife reshapes it. If the witchknife loses access to this class feature due to negative levels or level loss due to death, his eldritch blade regresses to its original short sword form.

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

As a full attack, when wielding his eldritch blade, a witchknife can give up his regular attacks and instead fragment his eldritch blade to make one melee attack at his full base attack bonus against each opponent within reach. Each fragment functions identically to the witchknife's regular eldritch blade. (For example, if the eldritch blade were in the form of a +1 keen bastard sword, due to the witchknife's eldritch blade enhancement and shape eldritch blade abilities, each fragment attacks and deals damage as a +1 keen bastard sword.)

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

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

Greater Weapon Focus (Eldritch Blade): A witchknife gains Greater Weapon Focus (eldritch blade) as a bonus feat at 9th level.

Knife to the Soul (Su): Beginning at 13th level, when a witchknife executes a sorcerous strike, he can choose to substitute Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma damage (his choice) for extra dice of damage. For each die of extra damage he gives up, he deals 1 point of damage to the ability score he chooses. A witchknife can combine extra dice of damage and ability damage in any combination, so a 19th-level witchknife could choose to strike for 3 points of Charisma damage and an extra 2d6 points of damage.

The witchknife decides which ability score his sorcerous strike damages and the division of ability damage and extra dice of damage when he imbues his eldritch blade with the sorcerous strike energy.

Multiple Throw (Ex): At 17th level and higher, a witchknife can throw a number of eldritch blades per round equal to the number of melee attacks he could make. Thus, a 17th-level witchknife could throw two eldritch blades, with a base attack bonus of +12/+7. If he had used shape eldritch blade to conjure an eldritch blade for each hand and thus fight with two weapons, he could throw four eldritch blades in a round.

Double Strike (Su): At 20th level, the witchknife’s eldritch blade can retain the energy needed for a sorcerous strike longer. When the witchknife makes a successful sorcerous strike with his eldritch blade, the next attack he makes will also do sorcerous strike damage, as long as it is made before the beginning of his next turn. Once this second sorcerous strike is made, the eldritch blade’s extra energy is used up and it will not deal extra sorcerous strike damage unless imbued again. Ability damage from Knife to the Soul lingers in the blade during a double strike, just like normal sorcerous strike damage.

[Kydell]

Eldritch Shield [Eldritch Blade]

Prerequisites: Eldritch Blade class feature, Concentration 6 ranks.

Benefit: You are able to form your arcane energy into a physical shield. Just like forming an eldritch blade, you can create a semisolid shield composed of arcane energy distilled from the aether. The shield is identical in all ways (except visually) to a light shield (+1 shield bonus to AC, -1 Armor Check penalty) of a size appropriate for you. The shield can be sundered (it has hardness 10 and 10 hit points). The moment you relinquish your grip on the eldritch shield, it dissipates. The shield has the same enhancement bonus as your normal mind blade and special abilities chosen from the eldritch shield special abilities list, unless you materialize both the shield and blade simultaneously, in which case the enhancement bonus on each is reduced by 1. You can, as a part of conjuring the eldritch shield, choose whether the enhancement bonus applies to attack or defense. Changing the enhancement bonus between attack or defense requires you to spend 8 hours as normal. Any enhancement spent on special abilities can instead be chosen from the eldritch shield Special Abilities list, but once chosen it takes 8 hours of meditation to choose new abilities. You can use feats such as Shield Bash or Improved Shield Bash in conjunction with the eldritch shield just as if it was a normal shield. Your eldritch shield counts as an eldritch blade for the purpose of feats like Weapon Focus (eldritch blade). Spells that upgrade shields and armor can be used on an eldritch shield. In an area where magical effects are suppressed, your eldritch shield is treated exactly like your eldritch blade.

Special: If you have the Shape Mind Blade feat, you can shape your thoughtshield into a heavy shield with the same kind of action needed to reshape your mind blade.

Ability	Cost
Arrow Catching	+1
Bashing	+1
Blinding	+1
Fortification, light	+1
Arrow Deflection	+2
Ghost Touch	+3
Fortification, moderate	+3
Fortification, heavy +5	+1
Reflecting	+5

Emulate Material [Eldritch Blade]

Prerequisites: Eldritch Blade class feature, Shape Eldritch Blade, Concentration 8 ranks.

Benefit: You can emulate certain special materials you come into physical contact with, and your eldritch blade is treated as though it were made of the chosen material for the purpose of bypassing damage reduction. As a full round action, you may change the consistency and makeup of your eldritch blade to match a material you are touching. You can only emulate one material at a time, and you must come into contact with a worked form of the special material. For example, you could emulate deep crystal if you come into physical contact with a deep crystal weapon or armor.

Special: If you can use the Shape Eldritch Blade as a move or swift action, Emulate Material takes the same amount of time.

Energy Blade [Eldritch Blade]

Prerequisites: Eldritch Blade class feature, Concentration 6 ranks.

Benefit: Choose one type of energy: acid, cold, electricity or fire. Your mind blade deals damage of the chosen energy type on each successful attack.

Special: You can take this feat more than once. Each time you must choose a different energy type.


Hunter's Blade [Eldritch Blade]

Prerequisites: Eldritch Blade class feature, Favored Enemy class feature.

Benefit: You gain a +1 attack bonus against any enemy on your favored enemy list. Additionally, while your mind blade is conjured, it glows slightly whenever one of your favored enemies is within 30 feet, alerting you to their presence.

Improved Shape Eldritch Blade [Eldritch Blade]

Prerequisites: Eldritch Blade class feature, Shape Eldritch Blade.

Benefit: As Shape Eldritch Blade, except that you can change the shape of your eldritch blade as a move action instead of a full-round action.

Special: You can take this feat twice, the second time, you can change the shape of your eldritch blade as a swift action instead of a move action.

Reforge Eldritch Blade [Eldritch Blade]

Prerequisites: Eldritch Blade class feature, +1 Eldritch Blade

Benefit: You can change the special abilities bound to your eldritch blade by meditating for 30 minutes instead of the usual 8 hours.

[Epsilon Rose]

Err. Is this at all different from the actual dsp Soul Knife?

[Kydell]

It's not supposed to be different at all. Just in flavor. I'm writing this for when you'd like to play as a soulknife in a non-psionics game with a lenient DM.

[Epsilon Rose]

In that case, you might want to double check that you won't get in trouble for posting copyrighted material, like an entire class.

[Kydell]

Luckily the SRD website I got this information from has the OGL posted.