My blade is part of my mind and my subconscious teaches me to use it. A soulknife fix

[Hazzardevil]

I would like to say before you read my class, I am doing this in the style of Oskar, in other words I will explain why I chose certain things below each class feature and stuff, on with the class!

Soulknife

Level	BAB	Fort	Ref	Will	Special	Maneuvers Known	Maneuvers Readied	Stances Known	Powers Known	Maximum Power Level	Power Points
1st	+1	+2	+0	+2	Mind Blade, Minor training of the Subconscious	3	3	1	0	-	0
2nd	+2	+3	+0	+3	+1 mind blade	3	3	1	0	-	1
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+3	Free Draw, Psychic Strike 1d8	4	4	1	0	-	2
4th	+4	+4	+1	+4	Train the Body, Temper, the Mind, +1 Mindblade Enhancement	4	4	2	0	-	3
5th	+5	+4	+1	+4		5	4	3	1	1	4
6th	+6/+1	+5	+2	+5	+2 mind blade, Major Training of the Subconscious, +3 mind blade, Psychic Strike 2d6	5	5	3	2	1	6
7th	+7/+2	+5	+2	+5		6	5	4	2	1	8
8th	+8/+3	+6	+2	+6	+2 Mindblade Enhancement	6	5	4	3	2	10
9th	+9/+4	+6	+3	+6	Psychic Strike 4d4	7	6	5	3	2	12
10th	+10/+5	+7	+3	+7	+3 mind blade	7	6	5	4	2	14
11th	+11/+6/+1	+7	+3	+7	Greater training of the Subconscious	8	6	6	4	3	18
12th	+12/+7/+2	+8	+4	+8	+3 Mindblade Enhancement, 3d6	8	7	6	5	3	22
13th	+13/+8/+3	+8	+4	+8		9	7	7	5	3	51
14th	+14/+9/+4	+9	+4	+9	+4 mind blade	9	7	7	6	4	30
15th	+15/+10/+5	+9	+5	+9	Psychic Strike 2d12	10	8	8	6	4	35
16th	+16/+11/+6/+1	+10	+5	+10	+4 Mindblade Enhancement, Ultimate training of the Subconscious	10	8	8	7	4	40
17th	+17/+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+10		11	8	9	7	5	45
18th	+18/+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+11	+9 mind blade, +5 mind blade, Psychic Strike 4d8	11	9	9	8	5	50
19th	+19/+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+11		12	9	10	8	5	55
20th	+20/+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+12	+5 Mindblade Enhancement, Perfect Mind, +6 mind blade	13	9	11	9	6	62

Spoiler

You will likely notice the Full BAB and 2 good saves on the class, when I was first planning the class I was considering making it a skirmisher and only having average BAB, but I've never designed a skirmisher class before, that might end up being my next homebrew.
The Stance and Maneuver progression is a bit weird, but I want the soulknife to be stance focused really, with the maneuvers when it just wants to do something flash with what he built.

Alignment: Any
Hit Die: 1d10

Spoiler

Nothing new here citizen, carry on.

Class Skills:
Class Skills
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier
Autohypnosis (Wis), Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (psionics) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Spot (Wis), Tumble (Dex) and Use Psionic Device (Cha)

Abilities: A Soulknifes main abilities are strength and constitution with a dash of dexterity like most warriors, unless you are a two-weapon fighter, in which case you will want more than a dash in dexterity. Unlike most warriors, you will also want charisma, to tap into your subconscious and have more power points to power your abilities later on.

Weapon and Armour profiency:
A Soulknife is Profiencent with all simple, martial and any weapons he might be profiencent with due to improved racial familarity feat. (CWar)
He is also Proficient with all armour and all shields (Except Tower shields, so it's not proficient with all shield at all really).

Mind Blade (Su)
A Soulknive's signature ability is to create a solid weapon using his mind. Despite the name, it does not have to be a knife, or any kind of blade, it just has to be a melee weapon or throwing weapon.

You do not have to have proficiency with your mindblade, but there is a way to become proficient with a new weapon later on.

A Mindblade is treated as a psionic item that pierces DR/Magic.

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.

At 2nd level, and every 4th level afterwards, your mindblade gains an enhancement bonus to attack and damage rolls.

Maneuvers: You begin your career with knowledge of three martial maneuvers. You may draw these maneuvers from Diamond Mind, Iron Heart and Sleeping Godess and one other discipline of your choice; this selection must be made at first level, and cannot be altered once made.

As you advance in level, you may have more maneuvers known than maneuvers readied. You ready your maneuvers by meditating for five minutes. The maneuvers you choose remain readied until you decide to meditate again and change them. You can recover a maneuver every time you change stance, use psychic strike or reshape your mind blade.

Spoiler

This is a Tome of Battle fix, Therefore there must be Tome of Battle in it.
Diamond Mind is a given here, Sleeping Goddess is the only psionic discipline I know, and is awesome, and Iron Heart is about being very good with a sword, which this Soulknife does (I hope).

Power Points/Day
A Soulknive’s ability to manifest powers is limited by the power points he has available. His base daily allotment of power points is given on Table: The Soulknive. In addition, he receives bonus power points per day if he has a high Wisdom score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Power Points). His race may also provide bonus power points per day, as may certain feats and items. A 1st-level Soulknive gains no power points for his class level, but he gains bonus power points (if he is entitled to any), and can manifest the single power he knows with those power points.

Powers Known
A Soulknive begins play knowing one Soulknive power of your choice. Each time he achieves a new level, he unlocks the knowledge of a new power.

Choose the powers known from the Soulknive power list. (Exception: The feats Expanded Knowledge and Epic Expanded Knowledge do allow a Soulknive to learn powers from the lists of other classes.) A Soulknive can manifest any power that has a power point cost equal to or lower than his manifester level.

The total number of powers a Soulknive can manifest in a day is limited only by his daily power points.

A Soulknive simply knows his powers; they are ingrained in his mind. He does not need to prepare them (in the way that some spellcasters prepare their spells), though he must get a good night’s sleep each day to regain all his spent power points.

The Difficulty Class for saving throws against Soulknive powers is 10 + the power’s level + the Soulknive's Wisdom modifier.

Maximum Power Level Known
A Soulknive begins play with the ability to learn 1st-level powers. As he attains higher levels, he may gain the ability to master more complex powers.

To learn or manifest a power, a Soulknive must have a Wisdom score of at least 10 + the power’s level.

Minor Training of the subconscious(Su)
At 1st level a Soulknife is trained by his subcounscious to fight in a fighting style that suits him without realizing it.
It might be he stands in a certain way when holding his weapon out, or maybe he has half-remembered people fighting in his preferred style over time, but never consciously remembering how to do it. Either way, he can fight in a way fighters train for years to do.
You do not need to meet the requirements for any of these feats.
No matter which path you choose, you gain the weapon focus feat whenever you are making an attack with a mind blade.

Two-weapon Fighting:
Whenever you attack with your Mindblade in your Main-Hand, you may also attack with your Mind Blade in your off-hand with both attacks at a -2 penalty.

Two-Handed Fighting:
Gain Power Attack.

Throw 'n' slice
Gain Point Blank Shot, Far Shot and Power Throw.

Spoiler

I took an idea from the Pathfinder Soulknife here, giving bonus feats based on certain combat styles, and I attemped to keep them balanced based on how good they are normally. Two-Handed fighting might be slightly ahead overall, but that is probably because it has a huge bonus to damage.
Now I would like to say I came up with the two-weapon fighting ability myself, I stole it from the Diablo Assassin, great class, now if only I could find a game to play it.(Hint, Hint.)
Throwing was just a collection of feats to try and make it work better, that will likely be all throwing gets unless I have suggestions.

Free Draw (Su)
At 3rd level a Soulknife gains the ability to createa Mindblade as a free action, this means he may create multiple weapons in a round and throw them at an enemy. You may still only attempt to create your Mind Blade once per round in a Null Psionics field.

Psychic Strike (Su)
As a swift or move action, a soulknife of 3rd level or higher can imbue his mind blade with destructive psychic 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 throwing his mind blade). Creatures immune to mind-affecting effects are immune to psychic strike damage. (Unlike the rogue’s sneak attack, the psychic 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 mind blade deals this extra damage only once when this ability is called upon, but a soulknife can imbue his mind blade with psychic energy again by taking another swift or move action.

Once a soulknife has prepared his blade for a psychic strike, it holds the extra energy until it is used. Even if the soulknife drops the mind blade (or it otherwise dissipates, such as when it is thrown and misses), it is still imbued with psychic 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 psychic strike increases as shown on the Table above.

Spoiler

It does extra damage for a soulknife, hardly game-breaking, but it gives the soulknife something to do when you want to recover some more maneuvers.

Train the Body, Temper the Mind (Ex)
At 4th level, a Soulknife suddenly discovers how to quickly learn how to fight with a new weapon properly, very quickly.
If you fight with only your Mindblade all day, in a form you are not proficient with, the next time you rest you gain the feat exotic weapon proficiency (Insert name of weapon here).

Spoiler

This isn't actually a very powerful ability when you think about it, but it's cute and can give you that little extra power boost. Mind you, theoretically you can gain a crapton of feats with this, but meh.

Mind Blade Enhancement (Su)
Beginning at 4th level a soulknive's Mind Blade becomes a proper Psionic weapon. You gain a +1 weapon enhancement for your Mindblade, at every 4th level after, you gain another weapon enhancement for your Mind Blade, you may re-choose these bonuses every time you finish an 8 hours of sleep, (Or whatever is normal for your race when resting.)
You may pick any weapon ability that is psionic and is not the manifester ability.

Major Training of the Subconscious (Su)
At 6th level a Soulknife receives more training from his subconscious and gains more abilities in his chosen combat style.

Two-Weapon Fighting:
When you use your class feature from Minor Training of the Subconscious, you do not take a penalty on your to-hit roll.
You may also an additional attack at your lowest attack bonus with your off-hand weapon during a full attack.

Two-Handed Fighting:
When you make an attack with a Two-Handed melee weapon, roll any damage dice twice. (This does not include precision damage such as sneak attack or skirmish.)

Throw 'n' Slice
If you "drop" an enemy below 0 hit points during an attack, as a free action that does not provoke an AoO, you may throw your Mind Blade at any Enemy within your first range increment.

Greater Training of the Subconscious (Su)
At 11th level a Soulknife receives his penultimate training from his subconscious and gains more abilities in his chosen combat style.

Two-weapon fighting:
At the start of the day, you may expend a number of power points, up to your manifester level. You gain a bonus on all defensive combat techniques, (Trip, Sunder, Bullrush, disarm, Etc) You may reduce your bonus on these checks during an attack as a free action to gain a Insight bonus to armour class for that individual attack.

Two-handed fighting:
You may expend a number of Power Points up to 1/5 your manifester level. For each Power Point spent, you deal an additional damage on an attack. This damage is precision damage.

Throw 'n' Slice:
Whenever you throw your Mindblade at a target, you may instead throw your Mindblade at all targets within 50 ft, these attacks are resolved as if you had attacked each one individually at your highest attack bonus.

[b]Ultimate training of the Subconscious: (Su)
At 16th level, a soulknife receives his ultimate training.
How to fragment his mind and use it to perfect how he fights.

Two-weapon Fighting:
For a number of rounds per day, up to your class level, you may manifest an additional 2 mindblades and any two-weapon fighting feats also work when you wield more than two-weapons.

Two-handed fighting:
Gain Sweeping Strike. (As War Mind) Except Both attacks are treated as if they were done at the same time and each sweeping strike leads into 2 more.

Throw 'n' Slice:
Every time you throw a Mindblade at a target, a second Mindblade appears in the air, as splitting.

Perfect Mind (Su) :
At 20th level, a Soulknive's Conscious and Subconscious Mind function in perfect cohesion.
Each Mindblade the soulknife uses may be imbued with two psychic strikes at the same time, it gains 2 charges from one imbue, but you may only have one activate on a hit. Instead the first charge is used on the first attack and the second charge is used on the next attack.

[Hazzardevil]

I have now finished, I can haz feedback?

[Garryl]

Aren't the Warblade and Psychic Warrior fine already? Did you really need to gestalt both of them together, toss in the Soulknife, beef it all up, and add more features on top?

[Hazzardevil]

Originally Posted by Garryl

Aren't the Warblade and Psychic Warrior fine already? Did you really need to gestalt both of them together, toss in the Soulknife, beef it all up, and add more features on top?

I've been meaning to add a power list for the soulknife, but I don't know what powers to give it.

Here's a rough first draft and they all have something in common.
A * means it is in Complete Psionics, an A means it's augmentable. Anything with an Asterisk is on the SRD.

Spoiler

1st Level Powers

Spoiler

Ardenaline Boost, A*
Burst,
Catfall, A
Deaden Blow, A*
Empty Mind, A
Extend Range, A*
Precognition, Defense, A
Precognition, Offense, A
Skate

2nd Level Powers

Spoiler

Animal Affinity, A
Biofeedback, A
Elfsight,
Energy Adaption, Specified, A
Evade Attack, *A
Extend Reach, *A
Levitate, Psionics

[Lateral]

This... is just slightly ridiculous. It has better manifesting than a Psychic Warrior, 9th level maneuvers, full BAB, with basically the entire Pathfinder soul knife tacked on. What the hell were you thinking? You gestalted two tier three and a tier four chassis together!

[Amechra]

I would suggest toning this down, or maybe even working out a way to integrate your power points with your initiating, and remove the powers altogether.

[Hazzardevil]

Originally Posted by Lateral

What the hell were you thinking? You gestalted two tier three and a tier four chassis together!

Hmm, I was thinking that having a small number of disciplines to choose from and a psychic warrior manifesting with a smaller power list would be find.

Originally Posted by Amechra

I would suggest toning this down, or maybe even working out a way to integrate your power points with your initiating, and remove the powers altogether.

Hmm, I'll make it Divine mind manifesting instead of Psychic warrior and and lower the number of maneuvers.

[Elfstone]

Why does it have 11 stances known at 20th level? Thats insane! Even the swordsage only has 6.. Thats twice as many.

Anyway, its really hard to read all the abilities, because only the type (Ex or SU) is bolded, which makes it difficult to discern new ability from the previous(or combat styles. I recommend Italicizing the combat styles). I suggest bolding the ability titles.

And on my computer, the chart's formatting is weird for the Power points at 3rd level and max power level at 20th.

This

+5 mind blade, Psychic Strike 4d8

Should be in the 17th level special, not the 18th level maneuvers known column.


I do like the class however, its fun. PErhaps a few more fluffly abilities, but in general its a psionic soulknife ranger with ToB. Win.

[Hazzardevil]

Originally Posted by Elfstone

Why does it have 11 stances known at 20th level? Thats insane! Even the swordsage only has 6.. Thats twice as many.

Anyway, its really hard to read all the abilities, because only the type (Ex or SU) is bolded, which makes it difficult to discern new ability from the previous(or combat styles. I recommend Italicizing the combat styles). I suggest bolding the ability titles.

And on my computer, the chart's formatting is weird for the Power points at 3rd level and max power level at 20th.
It's Divine Mind manifesting, it's somewhere between a form of paladin casting and psychic warrior manifesting.
This

Should be in the 17th level special, not the 18th level maneuvers known column.


I do like the class however, its fun. PErhaps a few more fluffly abilities, but in general its a psionic soulknife ranger with ToB. Win.

Thanks! Your the first person who I feel has given me criticism that does not involve OMG this is overpowered.
Granted it was, but I didn't get any suggestions on how to fix it.

[Elfstone]

Heh. I meant the progression was off from the others. Like this.

6
6
6
6
6
6
6

Anyway, I had to look up the Psionic classes since Im not very familiar witht hem to give better look. I realize now when I saw the class you hadn't edited it completely(It stil had huge power points) yet. Looks better now. Still has way to many stances. The Psionic part of the class is now more balanced than the others. If it is still to imbalanced, make the class a Non-initiator and give it 3/4 martial initiation progression (rounding up at 1st level) So by 20th level he can only learn 8th level manouvers.

I feel like this is not so much a fix as a new class. Thus it needs a name.

The Soulsage? Soul of the way? Mind and body as one: The Tranquil Soul?

Just random ideas.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Honestly, I'd say stick to either the manifesting or the maneuvers. Having both is redundant in that they give you more options in combat than just "I hit it with my sword," but, like others have said, add up to being a bit overpowered. And, perhaps worse, overcomplicated- there are only so many things you can do with your actions, after all.

If you really want to stick with both, the first thing I'd do is take out Psychic Strike-- you have plenty of other ways to hurt things. You mention that it gives you stuff to do when you recover your maneuvers, but you already make that really easy to do, and they give you a lot of offensive punch.

You might also want to lower the maneuver progression, perhaps to a sort of 2/3 progression, and/or limit it more, perhaps just to the psionic style and Diamond Mind. As is, you know about as many as a Warblade, way more stances, you can ready more, and can recover them faster-- a swift action to change your stance is even better than the already-ridiculous attack recover mechanism.

The powers are OK, since they already come at a reduced rate from the PsiWar.