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AstralFire
2009-10-27, 11:42 AM
The Soulknife
"Heh. You don't give up easy, do you?"
"Hell no."
"Good. Strong wills cut all the cleaner."

Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d8.

The soulknife’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Autohypnosis (Wis), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration* (Con), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (psionics) (Int), Listen (Wis), Martial Lore (Int), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Tumble (Dex).

Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) ×4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier.

{table=head]Level|
Base Attack[br]Bonus|Fort|Ref|Will|Special|Man.[br]Knwn| Man.[br]Rdy |Stances|Pwrs[br]Knwn|Soul[br]Pts|Max[br]Lvl

1st|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+2|Knife to the Soul, Mindblade|3| 3|1|1|1|1

2nd|
+1|
+0|
+3|
+3|Throw Mindblade| 4| 3|1|1|2|1

3rd|
+2|
+1|
+3|
+3|Twisting the Knife|5| 3| 1|1|3|2

4th|
+3|
+1|
+4|
+4|+1 mindblade|5| 4| 1|2|5|2

5th|
+3|
+1|
+4|
+4|Shape Mindblade|6| 4| 2|2|6|3

6th|
+4|
+2|
+5|
+5|Free Draw|6| 4| 2|2|7|3

7th|
+5|
+2|
+5|
+5|Quicken Power|7| 4|2|2|8|4

8th|
+6/+1|
+2|
+6|
+6|+2 mindblade, mindblade enhancement +1|7| 4|2|2|10|4

9th|
+6/+1|
+3|
+6|
+6||8| 4|2|2|11|5

10th|
+7/+2|
+3|
+7|
+7||8| 5|3|3|12|5

11th|
+8/+3|
+3|
+7|
+7|mindblade enhancement +2|9| 5|3|3|13|6

12th|
+9/+4|
+4|
+8|
+8|+3 mindblade|9| 5|3|3|15|6

13th|
+9/+4|
+4|
+8|
+8||10| 5|3|3|16|7

14th|
+10/+5|
+4|
+9|
+9|Bladewind, mindblade enhancement +3|10| 5|3|3|17|7

15th|
+11/+6/+1|
+5|
+9|
+9||11| 6|3|4|18|8

16th|
+12/+7/+2|
+5|
+10|
+10|+4 mindblade|11| 6|4|4|20|8

17th|
+12/+7/+2|
+5|
+10|
+10|mindblade enhancement +4|12| 6|4|4|21|9

18th|
+13/+8/+3|
+6|
+11|
+11|Brutal Surge|12| 6|4|4|22|9

19th|
+14/+9/+4|
+6|
+11|
+11||13| 6|4|4|23|9

20th|
+15/+10/+5|
+6|
+12|
+12|Diamond Edge, +5 mindblade, mindblade enhancement +5|13| 7|4|5|25|9
[/table]

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A soulknife is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with light and medium armor and shields (except tower shields).

Soul Points: A soulknife gains soul points rather than power points. Soul points may be used identically to power points in most respects, but characters do not get bonus soul points a day based on high ability scores. A soulknife with power points can use them to fuel his abilities in tandem with soul point usage.

Knife to the Soul: All Soulknives have the ability to manifest psionic powers and gain a manifester level equal to their class level; however, they do not inherently have much capacity for power, leading them to run out of energy quickly after exhausting their own soul for the day. Instead, they cut free psionic power from the minds of their victims. Every time a soulknife successfully uses a strike maneuver against a creature (not an object) with their mindblade, the soulknife immediately regains a number of soul points equal to the maneuver's level, up to their normal maximum. Knife to the Soul cannot be used to regain power points.

Powers Known: The Soulknife is granted an extremely limited number of powers known as she advances levels; however, she may draw these powers from any class list, including specialized Psion lists. A soulknife can manifest any power that has a power point cost equal to or lower than her manifester level. The total number of powers a wilder can manifest in a day is limited only by her soul points.

A soulknife simply knows her powers; they are ingrained in her mind. She does not need to prepare them (in the way that some spellcasters prepare their spells), though she must get a good night’s sleep each day to regain all her spent soul points (but see Knife to the Soul).

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

Maximum Level: This column designates the highest level power she can manifest. Her maximum power level increases faster than her powers known - this is intentional, for the purposes of the feat Expanded Knowledge. Coincidentally, this also is the maximum level of maneuver she can initiate if she has levels in no other classes.

Maneuvers: You begin your career with knowledge of three martial maneuvers. You may draw these maneuvers from Diamond Mind 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 all expended maneuvers by expending your psionic focus as a full-round action; you cannot switch stances, recover your focus, or initiate any maneuvers the round that you choose to do so.

Mindblade (Su): As a move action, a soulknife can create a semisolid blade composed of psychic energy distilled from her own mind. 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 mind blade that she 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 mind blades identical to short swords appropriate for their size, with a corresponding change to the blade’s damage. The wielder of a mindblade gains the usual benefits to her 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 her next move action. The moment she relinquishes her grip on her blade, it dissipates (unless she intends to throw it; see below). A mindblade 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. she can also choose mindblade 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 mindblade improves as the character gains higher levels. At 4th level and every four levels thereafter, the mind 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).

Even in places where psionic effects do not normally function (such as within a null psionics field), a soulknife can attempt to sustain her mindblade by making a DC 20 Will save. On a successful save, the soulknife maintains her mind blade for a number of rounds equal to her class level before she needs to check again. On an unsuccessful attempt, the mind blade vanishes. As a move action on her turn, the soulknife can attempt a new Will save to rematerialize her mind blade while she remains within the psionics negating effect.

Throw Mindblade (Ex): A soulknife of 2nd level or higher can throw her mindblade as a ranged weapon with a single range increment of 30 feet. Whether or not the attack hits, a thrown mindblade then dissipates.

Twisting the Knife (Su): Beginning at 3rd level, whenever the soulknife successfully deals a critical hit with a mindblade while using a strike maneuver, she deals Charisma damage equal to the maneuver's level. This ability is a mind-affecting effect.

Shape Mindblade (Su): At 5th level, a soulknife gains the ability to change the form of her mindblade. As a fullround action, she can change her mind 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 she must wield it as a two-handed weapon unless she knows the Exotic Weapon Proficiency (bastard sword) feat). If a soulknife shapes her mind blade into the form of a bastard sword and wields it two-handed, she adds 1½ times her Strength bonus to her damage rolls, just like when using any other two-handed weapon.

Alternatively, a soulknife can split her mindblade into two identical short swords, suitable for fighting with a weapon in each hand. (The normal penalties for fighting with two weapons apply.) Both mindblades have an enhancement bonus identical to that the soulknife would create with a single mindblade.

Free Draw (Su): At 6th level, a soulknife becomes able to materialize her mind blade as a free action instead of a move action. She can make only one attempt to ignore the null psionics field per round, however.

Quicken Power: At 7th level, a Soulknife gains the Quicken Power Metapsionic feat as a bonus feat.

Mindblade Enhancement (Su): At 8th level, a soulknife gains the ability to enhance her mind blade. She can add any one weapon special ability that has an enhancement bonus value of +1.

At every three levels beyond 8th (11th, 14th, 17th and 20th), the value of the enhancement a soulknife can add to her weapon improves to +2, +3, +4, and +5 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 her mindblade (unless she decides to reassign its abilities; see below). The ability or abilities apply to any form the mindblade takes, including the use of the shape mindblade or bladewind class abilities.

A soulknife can reassign the ability or abilities she has added to her mind blade. To do so, she must first spend 8 hours in concentration. After that period, the mindblade materializes with the new ability or abilities selected by the soulknife.

Bladewind (Su): Beginning at 14th level, a Soulknife can expend her psionic focus as a swift action in order to make a strike maneuver hit all opponents within reach, or perform a maneuver with a thrown mindblade.

Brutal Surge (Su): Beginning at 18th level, soulknife can create a conduit of power between her and a victim that she has linked with. After successfully using a psionic power against a foe, she may (at her option) enter a Brutal Surge that last for three rounds until expended. Before using a strike maneuver with her mindblade against that foe, she declares her intent to use this ability. If that maneuver hits, it is a critical hit. If the maneuver allows several attacks to be made, each one that hits is a critical hit. Even if the maneuver entirely misses, Brutal Surge is still expended for the encounter.

The soulknife always knows the exact position of the target of her Brutal Surge for the duration of the effect, and ignores all miss chances or any penalties to her attack roll due to inability to see the target. She may only use Brutal Surge once an encounter.

Diamond Edge (Su): At 20th level, the soulknife has truly mastered the art of cutting the soul. Her Twisting the Knife class ability functions in a null psionics field if she is able to manifest the mindblade, and ignores immunity to mind-affecting effects. Additionally, the ability functions whenever the soulknife makes a critical threat, even if the victim is immune to critical hits.

This will probably be my final piece of work for 3rd Edition. I hope you all like it. PEACH and junk. :D

deuxhero
2009-10-27, 12:57 PM
Needs the wording changed so half giants get large mindblades.

ErrantX
2009-10-27, 01:02 PM
This is a really good soulknife fix, I must say. Keeps a lot of the flavor of the class while removing some of the more cumbersome mechanics (such as psychic strike, just use Psionic Weapon and Greater Psionic Weapon).

Also: last 3.5 homebrew? Why for? :(

-X

Godskook
2009-10-27, 01:38 PM
This will probably be my final piece of work for 3rd Edition. I hope you all like it. PEACH and junk. :D

This seems to be the worst of it. At first, I was thinking that full warblade maneuver progression was a bad idea, but you balanced that with a poor discipline pool(2) and a really bad recovery method(although it still seems better than the swordsage's, and it is still fixable with Adaptive style).

ErrantX
2009-10-27, 01:51 PM
This seems to be the worst of it. At first, I was thinking that full warblade maneuver progression was a bad idea, but you balanced that with a poor discipline pool(2) and a really bad recovery method(although it still seems better than the swordsage's, and it is still fixable with Adaptive style).

I like the recovery mechanic myself, as the class can do other things than initiating maneuvers, and granted yes the Adaptive Style feat would go a long way towards fixing it to be even better. The discipline pool could be better, I'd consider maybe adding Tiger Claw to the set, or the Demented One's Sleeping Goddess (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5408276) discipline. But I really think this is pretty good.

-X

Edit: Added link to Sleeping Goddess.

DracoDei
2009-10-27, 01:51 PM
I don't think ANY creature has null charisma... Mindless undead have a charisma of 1 though, which makes the capstone a one hit kill even against colossal undead that are amalgamated from the corpses of entire towns.

ErrantX
2009-10-27, 01:54 PM
I don't think ANY creature has null charisma... Mindless undead have a charisma of 1 though, which makes the capstone a one hit kill even against colossal undead that are amalgamated from the corpses of entire towns.

I'd suggest making it a mind affecting ability then, as DracoDei is right here.

-X

Tavar
2009-10-27, 01:58 PM
But those are still immune to Critical hits.

ErrantX
2009-10-27, 02:05 PM
But those are still immune to Critical hits.

There are ways around that, myriads of ways. Gravestrike and greater truedeath crystals (when placed with that magic item gauntlet that improves your mind blade) come to mind.

-X

DracoDei
2009-10-27, 02:13 PM
Let me check the stats on Devastation Vermin...

Three 2's for Charisma and one 9...

Worth considering. (and I think all the non-Epic Vermin have 1's).

deuxhero
2009-10-27, 02:24 PM
I don't think ANY creature has null charisma... Mindless undead have a charisma of 1 though, which makes the capstone a one hit kill even against colossal undead that are amalgamated from the corpses of entire towns.

Offical LTIC. "A creature with 0 charisma is an object, not a creature" is raw (you go into a coma if drained to that point).

Ziegander
2009-10-27, 02:47 PM
The original (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19522550/Heart_Shaper_a_Sublime_Soulknife_PEACH). Although it's since lost formatting because of the Wiz forums' new look, it still goes down smooth. Comes with it's own custom discipline too. I've always been a big fan of the class and discipline.

Cieyrin
2009-10-27, 04:00 PM
Looks pretty nifty, I think. My only confusion is why they have specifically Soul Points instead of Psionic Points? They don't have any specific mechanics that use them other than their powers, so why explicitly deny them compatibility with the rest of their native psionics?

deuxhero
2009-10-27, 04:56 PM
Mutliclass issues prehaps?

AstralFire
2009-10-27, 06:44 PM
This seems to be the worst of it. At first, I was thinking that full warblade maneuver progression was a bad idea, but you balanced that with a poor discipline pool(2) and a really bad recovery method(although it still seems better than the swordsage's, and it is still fixable with Adaptive style).

Er... I'm not sure what your first line there means?

Anyway, it's likely to be my last because when I do play RPGs, I'm more likely to be playing Star Wars or working on my own system these days. If I go back to heroic fantasy, I plan on going to 4E.

I'm not sure how to solve the null Charisma issue; the mind-affecting angle is probably the best replacement, but it makes the ability a little weaker than I'd thought it should be. I'll give it some thought, it's a good idea, Draco, Errant. -nods-

The Sleeping Goddess style looks really awesome. I might suggest using it as a possible substitute for Diamond Mind, but one of the balancing factors of this class is that it only gets access to two disciplines; I'm wary of bringing it up to 3, which is a huge increase in variety.


Looks pretty nifty, I think. My only confusion is why they have specifically Soul Points instead of Psionic Points? They don't have any specific mechanics that use them other than their powers, so why explicitly deny them compatibility with the rest of their native psionics?

Multiclassing/race issues. If someone's a Kalashtar and this class ran off of Power Points, they'd have 45 instead of 25 PP at 20th level - that is a huge boost, essentially letting the class nova twice as hard for every single encounter if there's anything for a player to idly nick between fights.

I started out saying that you would simply measure this class' PP separately from other classes, but I felt that that was awkward and confusing - better to just add a distinct term. To clarify, you can in fact use power points from other sources for this class' powers - you just cannot recharge them with this class.

Ziegander, your link fails to load properly for me. =\

Tavar
2009-10-27, 08:18 PM
I think he's referring to the fact that you won't be doing any more 3.5 homebrew.

imp_fireball
2009-10-27, 08:40 PM
I don't think ANY creature has null charisma... Mindless undead have a charisma of 1 though

Don't oozes have null charisma? No charisma essentially means you aren't aware of the presence of other beings.

Mindless undead have a charisma of 1 because they never socialize, have no personality habits, but recognize when something exists besides themselves.

Not recognizing the presence of others can be philosophically viewed as being soul-less (although undead have no soul regardless under D&D fluff... which can be hand waved by saying that the soul knife attacks the energy that binds them to un-life rather than their souls :smallwink:).

In my philosophical perspective however, soul-less is having null wisdom - the inability to imagine or reason (as in realize and be aware, not learn or investigate which instead implies intelligence) or be sentient.

Then again, destroying wisdom rather than charisma seems more pure evil human-crusher incarnate Big Brother/Cthulhu esque than bad ass soul knife.


Er... I'm not sure what your first line there means?

That could've just been a stream of consciousness. :smallamused:

Godskook
2009-10-28, 12:19 AM
Er... I'm not sure what your first line there means?

Tavar had it.

Cieyrin
2009-10-28, 12:46 AM
To be a creature, you need a Wisdom and Charisma of at least 1. If you don't, you're an object. Simple as that.

@Astral: Your example seems to be more a problem with Kalashtar than it does with the class as is. They do that to any psionic class they're in, so why make the soulknife suffer for the sins of the race? I'd just let it be, personally, or just not let Kalashtar take the class when you run it. Simple as that.

Ziegander
2009-10-28, 12:52 AM
Ziegander, your link fails to load properly for me. =\

Weird. Anyone else have a problem with the link? It loads fine for me.

DracoDei
2009-10-28, 01:08 AM
@Astral: Your example seems to be more a problem with Kalashtar than it does with the class as is. They do that to any psionic class they're in, so why make the soulknife suffer for the sins of the race? I'd just let it be, personally, or just not let Kalashtar take the class when you run it. Simple as that.

No, Kalashtar are fine I think, and so is the class in general, just when they get together... the thing is the Kalashtar give a bit of a boost to Power Points... which normally is fine. But this class is designed to have REALLY few power points, but regain them REALLY easily. Upping the cap wrecks that dynamic.

Mogrii
2009-10-29, 12:16 PM
I have yet to use ani psionics in my campaigns, but is it really necesary for this class to gain no extra PP's (excuse me, SP's) from high ability scores?

AstralFire
2009-10-29, 05:02 PM
Made the changes - immunity to mind-affecting abilities will now stop Twisting the Knife, but Diamond Edge now ignores immunity to critical hits for TtK, as well as immunity to mind-affecting. Immunity to ability score damage is effective, however, so the SK can no longer one-round the tarrasque thanks to Brutal Surge.

The link's still not working, Z. That makes me sad. :(


@Astral: Your example seems to be more a problem with Kalashtar than it does with the class as is. They do that to any psionic class they're in, so why make the soulknife suffer for the sins of the race? I'd just let it be, personally, or just not let Kalashtar take the class when you run it. Simple as that.

The Kalashtar can still use their power points to fuel abilities, power points just can't be refueled like soul points can. A Kalashtar can still nova with twice the starting PP of another soulknife.


I have yet to use ani psionics in my campaigns, but is it really necesary for this class to gain no extra PP's (excuse me, SP's) from high ability scores?

Very much so. Merely having a 14 Charisma would be enough to double your SPs at every single level, removing some of this class' balance.

Darksword
2009-10-29, 05:15 PM
Am im missing something here. This seems very unbalanced to me. Although it only knows about 5 powers at level 20 it has the same bab as Psychic Warrior, higher level powers, the abiltiy to use maunvers, and a lot of soulknife abilites. NOt that I wouldn't use it in a game, but seems a bit ubalance compared to let say the Psychic Warrior or figher.

AstralFire
2009-10-29, 05:37 PM
Am im missing something here. This seems very unbalanced to me. Although it only knows about 5 powers at level 20 it has the same bab as Psychic Warrior, higher level powers, the abiltiy to use maunvers, and a lot of soulknife abilites. NOt that I wouldn't use it in a game, but seems a bit ubalance compared to let say the Psychic Warrior or figher.

Most things are unbalanced compared to the Fighter.

The Psychic Warrior has more readily available power points and much more powers (even more thanks to bonus feats) to do buff cycles and attack combos. The limited amount of SP and powers known makes it much harder to use these powers for anything but combat-duration abilities.

Bandededed
2009-10-29, 08:03 PM
This looks pretty cool, but if I had my 'druthers, I'd take out the two enhancement bonuses, and make it one pool that can be changed 1/day (maybe?).

Something like:

Mindblade Power: At level four, the Soulknife gains a pool of enhancement bonus points for his Mindblade, and one point. This pool increases at every indicated level. The Soulknife my apply his enhancement points to his Mindblade as he would apply bonuses to a normal weapon; i.e. he must always have at least +1 invested in damage/to-hit in order to apply special abilities, and his enhancement bonus to damage/to-hit may never exceed +5 from this source.

I just always felt a bit shoehorned with the bonuses as they were previously, especially since a lot of my weapons used to end up with maybe +2 in dam/t-h, and the other 8 in special abilities. Of course, this strengthens the class slightly, but oh well :smallamused: