Makeitstop
2011-02-28, 07:16 AM
Update: I've completely reworked the mind blade's progression to be both simpler and more balanced. In addition, the damage reduction has been spread out much more evenly so as to actually be worth something.
I've also added a new Psi-like ability, Detect Minds, which allows the soulknife to, well, detect minds. And following that line of thought, sense motive is now a class skill.
All of this is in addition to the previous alterations: he has full BAB progression instead of moderate, more proficiencies, power points, can alter his weapon's abilities on the fly, gets access to more weapon effects, more weapon shapes, and 3 bonus feats.
The final product is a fast, psionic melee class that's highly adaptable, and is something of a distant cousin to the paladin and barbarian.
For ease of reference, changes from the normal soulknife are in blue.
Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|PP|Special
1|+1|+0|+2|+2|2|Mind blade, Enhancement bonus +1 Weapon Focus (mind blade), Wild Talent
2|+2|+0|+3|+3|4|Throw mind blade, Special abilities +1, Quick Enhancement
3|+3|+1|+3|+3|6|Psychic strike +1d8, Mind blade shape, Damage reduction 1/-
4|+4|+1|+4|+4|8|Speed of Thought, Enhancement bonus +2,
5|+5|+1|+4|+4|10|Free draw, Special abilities +2, Bonus Feat
6|+6/+1|+2|+5|+5|12|Detect Minds, Mind blade shape
7|+7/+2|+2|+5|+5|14|Psychic strike +2d8, Enhancement bonus +3, Damage reduction 2/-
8|+8/+3|+2|+6|+6|16|Special abilities +3
9|+9/+4|+3|+6|+6|18|Bladewind, Mind blade shape, Greater Weapon Focus (mind blade)
10|+10/+5|+3|+7|+7|20|Enhancement bonus +4
11|+11/+6/+1|+3|+7|+7|22|Psychic strike +3d8, Special abilities +4, Damage reduction 3/-, Bonus Feat
12|+12/+7/+2|+4|+8|+8|24|Mind blade shape
13|+13/+8/+3|+4|+8|+8|26|Knife to the soul, Enhancement bonus +5
14|+14/+9/+4|+4|+9|+9|28| Special abilities +5
15|+15/+10/+5|+5|+9|+9|30|Psychic strike +4d8, Mind blade shape, Damage reduction 4/-
16|+16/+11/+6/+1|+5|+10|+10|32|Enhancement bonus +6
17|+17/+12/+7/+2|+5|+10|+10|34| Special abilities +6, Bonus Feat
18|+18/+13/+8/+3|+6|+11|+11|36|Mind blade shape
19|+19/+14/+9/+4|+6|+11|+11|38|Psychic strike +5d8, Enhancement bonus +7, Damage reduction 5/-
20|+20/+15/+10/+5|+6|+12|+12|40| Special abilities +7
Hit Die
d10.
Class Skills: Autohypnosis (Wis), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (psionics) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points Per Level
4 + Int modifier.
Abilities
Wisdom determines bonus power points.
Class Features:
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Soulknives are proficient with all simple weapons, martial melee weapons, with their own mind blades, with light and medium armor and shields (except tower shields).
Mind Blade (Su)
Mind Blade functions much like it does with a normal soulknife, except that by default, it can be either a short sword or a longsword. When a mind blade dissipates and reforms, it reforms in the same shape as before unless the soulknife chooses to change it. Reshaping a mind blade uses the same action as materializing a mind blade.
At 1st level the mind blade receives a +1 enhancement bonus, and receives additional bonuses every 3 levels.
Weapon Focus (Mind Blade)
A soulknife gains Weapon Focus (mind blade) as a bonus feat.
Wild Talent
A soulknife gains Wild Talent as a bonus feat. (This is not accounted for in the above power point progression)
Throw Mind Blade (Ex)
A soulknife of 2nd level or higher can throw his mind blade as a ranged weapon with a range increment of 30 feet.
A soulknife can make iterative attacks with a thrown mind blade when making a full attack. If the mindblade is shaped as a light weapon, apply the normal base attack during a full attack, -2 to attack when shaped as a one handed weapon, and -4 to attack when using a two handed weapon.
Whether or not the attack hits, a thrown mind blade then dissipates. A soulknife of 3rd level or higher can make a psychic strike (see below) with a thrown mind blade and can use the blade in conjunction with other special abilities (such as Knife to the Soul; see below).
Mind Blade Special Abilities(Su)
Starting at 2nd level, a soulknife enhance his mind blade with special abilities. Enhancing a mind blade with special abilities requires 8 hours of meditation. Once a mind blade has been enhanced, it retains those special abilities until the soul knife replaces them or chooses to eliminate them.
A soulknife can enhance his mind blade with the following abilities:
Weapon special ability|Enhancement bonus value
Defending |+1
Keen1|+1
Lucky|+1
Mighty cleaving| +1
Psychokinetic |+1
Sundering |+1
Vicious |+1
Energized (1d6)2|+1
Ghost touch|+1
Merciful|+1
Light|+1
Darkness|+1
Collision|+2
Mindcrusher|+2
Psychokinetic burst|+2
Suppression|+2
Wounding|+2
Aligned3|+2
Disruption1|+2
Energy Burst2|+2
Material Essence4|+2
Bodyfeeder|+3
Mindfeeder|+3
Soulbreaker|+3
Brilliant energy|+4
Vorpal1|+5
1 May be applied to a mind blade regardless of the shape's damage type.
2 Choose from fire, ice, electric, acid or sonic. Changing damage type requires re-enhancing.
3 The Soulknife can make the mindblade one of the following so long as it matches his alignment: anarchic, axiomatic, holy or unholy. May be applied twice to give a weapon two different, non-conflicting alignments.
4 Any special material may be applied to any mindblade shape. The soulknife must be touching an object made primarily from that material at the time of the enhancing.
Quick Enhancement (Su)
Starting at 2nd level, a soulknife can enhance his mindblade with special abilities as a standard action. Quick enhancments cost 3 power points per +1 of enhancement bonus value applied to the mind blade. Provokes Attacks of opportunity.
Psychic Strike (Su)
As a 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 using the throw mind blade ability). 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 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.
Damage Reduction
While a soulknife's conscious mind is learning generate a blade, his subconscious is being trained to generate an imperceptible protective field throughout his body. This ability is always active and cannot be dispelled.
Speed of Thought
A soulknife gains Speed of Thought as a bonus feat at 4th level.
Free Draw (Su)
At 5th level, a soulknife becomes able to materialize (or reshape) his mind blade as a free action instead of a move action. He can make only one attempt to materialize the mind blade per round, however.
Shape Mind Blade (Su)
At level 3 and every three levels afterthat, a soulknife can choose an additional weapon shape for his mind blade. These shapes can be chosen from any melee weapons with which the soulknife is proficient.
A soulknife can also split his mind blade into two identical weapons which have one less enhancement bonus, and one less maximum enhancement value for special abilities. Each blade can be charged with a separate psychic strike. Normal dual wielding rules apply.
Bonus Feats
At 5th, 11th, and 17th levels, a soulknife may choose a fighter bonus feat or a psionic feat.
Detect Minds (Psi-like)
At 6th level, a soulknife gains the ability to detect minds at will. Functions identically to detect thoughts, but without the ability to read surface thoughts, and no save.
Bladewind (Su)
At 9th level, a soulknife gains the ability to momentarily fragment his mind blade into numerous identical blades, each of which strikes at a nearby opponent.
As a full attack, when wielding his mind blade, a soulknife can give up his regular attacks and instead fragment his mind 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 mind 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 mind blade immediately reverts to its previous form after the bladewind attack.
Greater Weapon Focus (Mind Blade)
A soulknife gains Greater Weapon Focus (mind blade) as a bonus feat at 9th level.
Knife to the Soul (Su)
Beginning at 13th level, when a soulknife executes a psychic 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 soulknife can combine extra dice of damage and ability damage in any combination.
The soulknife decides which ability score his psychic strike damages and the division of ability damage and extra dice of damage when he imbues his mind blade with the psychic strike energy.
I've also added a new Psi-like ability, Detect Minds, which allows the soulknife to, well, detect minds. And following that line of thought, sense motive is now a class skill.
All of this is in addition to the previous alterations: he has full BAB progression instead of moderate, more proficiencies, power points, can alter his weapon's abilities on the fly, gets access to more weapon effects, more weapon shapes, and 3 bonus feats.
The final product is a fast, psionic melee class that's highly adaptable, and is something of a distant cousin to the paladin and barbarian.
For ease of reference, changes from the normal soulknife are in blue.
Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|PP|Special
1|+1|+0|+2|+2|2|Mind blade, Enhancement bonus +1 Weapon Focus (mind blade), Wild Talent
2|+2|+0|+3|+3|4|Throw mind blade, Special abilities +1, Quick Enhancement
3|+3|+1|+3|+3|6|Psychic strike +1d8, Mind blade shape, Damage reduction 1/-
4|+4|+1|+4|+4|8|Speed of Thought, Enhancement bonus +2,
5|+5|+1|+4|+4|10|Free draw, Special abilities +2, Bonus Feat
6|+6/+1|+2|+5|+5|12|Detect Minds, Mind blade shape
7|+7/+2|+2|+5|+5|14|Psychic strike +2d8, Enhancement bonus +3, Damage reduction 2/-
8|+8/+3|+2|+6|+6|16|Special abilities +3
9|+9/+4|+3|+6|+6|18|Bladewind, Mind blade shape, Greater Weapon Focus (mind blade)
10|+10/+5|+3|+7|+7|20|Enhancement bonus +4
11|+11/+6/+1|+3|+7|+7|22|Psychic strike +3d8, Special abilities +4, Damage reduction 3/-, Bonus Feat
12|+12/+7/+2|+4|+8|+8|24|Mind blade shape
13|+13/+8/+3|+4|+8|+8|26|Knife to the soul, Enhancement bonus +5
14|+14/+9/+4|+4|+9|+9|28| Special abilities +5
15|+15/+10/+5|+5|+9|+9|30|Psychic strike +4d8, Mind blade shape, Damage reduction 4/-
16|+16/+11/+6/+1|+5|+10|+10|32|Enhancement bonus +6
17|+17/+12/+7/+2|+5|+10|+10|34| Special abilities +6, Bonus Feat
18|+18/+13/+8/+3|+6|+11|+11|36|Mind blade shape
19|+19/+14/+9/+4|+6|+11|+11|38|Psychic strike +5d8, Enhancement bonus +7, Damage reduction 5/-
20|+20/+15/+10/+5|+6|+12|+12|40| Special abilities +7
Hit Die
d10.
Class Skills: Autohypnosis (Wis), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (psionics) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points Per Level
4 + Int modifier.
Abilities
Wisdom determines bonus power points.
Class Features:
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Soulknives are proficient with all simple weapons, martial melee weapons, with their own mind blades, with light and medium armor and shields (except tower shields).
Mind Blade (Su)
Mind Blade functions much like it does with a normal soulknife, except that by default, it can be either a short sword or a longsword. When a mind blade dissipates and reforms, it reforms in the same shape as before unless the soulknife chooses to change it. Reshaping a mind blade uses the same action as materializing a mind blade.
At 1st level the mind blade receives a +1 enhancement bonus, and receives additional bonuses every 3 levels.
Weapon Focus (Mind Blade)
A soulknife gains Weapon Focus (mind blade) as a bonus feat.
Wild Talent
A soulknife gains Wild Talent as a bonus feat. (This is not accounted for in the above power point progression)
Throw Mind Blade (Ex)
A soulknife of 2nd level or higher can throw his mind blade as a ranged weapon with a range increment of 30 feet.
A soulknife can make iterative attacks with a thrown mind blade when making a full attack. If the mindblade is shaped as a light weapon, apply the normal base attack during a full attack, -2 to attack when shaped as a one handed weapon, and -4 to attack when using a two handed weapon.
Whether or not the attack hits, a thrown mind blade then dissipates. A soulknife of 3rd level or higher can make a psychic strike (see below) with a thrown mind blade and can use the blade in conjunction with other special abilities (such as Knife to the Soul; see below).
Mind Blade Special Abilities(Su)
Starting at 2nd level, a soulknife enhance his mind blade with special abilities. Enhancing a mind blade with special abilities requires 8 hours of meditation. Once a mind blade has been enhanced, it retains those special abilities until the soul knife replaces them or chooses to eliminate them.
A soulknife can enhance his mind blade with the following abilities:
Weapon special ability|Enhancement bonus value
Defending |+1
Keen1|+1
Lucky|+1
Mighty cleaving| +1
Psychokinetic |+1
Sundering |+1
Vicious |+1
Energized (1d6)2|+1
Ghost touch|+1
Merciful|+1
Light|+1
Darkness|+1
Collision|+2
Mindcrusher|+2
Psychokinetic burst|+2
Suppression|+2
Wounding|+2
Aligned3|+2
Disruption1|+2
Energy Burst2|+2
Material Essence4|+2
Bodyfeeder|+3
Mindfeeder|+3
Soulbreaker|+3
Brilliant energy|+4
Vorpal1|+5
1 May be applied to a mind blade regardless of the shape's damage type.
2 Choose from fire, ice, electric, acid or sonic. Changing damage type requires re-enhancing.
3 The Soulknife can make the mindblade one of the following so long as it matches his alignment: anarchic, axiomatic, holy or unholy. May be applied twice to give a weapon two different, non-conflicting alignments.
4 Any special material may be applied to any mindblade shape. The soulknife must be touching an object made primarily from that material at the time of the enhancing.
Quick Enhancement (Su)
Starting at 2nd level, a soulknife can enhance his mindblade with special abilities as a standard action. Quick enhancments cost 3 power points per +1 of enhancement bonus value applied to the mind blade. Provokes Attacks of opportunity.
Psychic Strike (Su)
As a 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 using the throw mind blade ability). 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 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.
Damage Reduction
While a soulknife's conscious mind is learning generate a blade, his subconscious is being trained to generate an imperceptible protective field throughout his body. This ability is always active and cannot be dispelled.
Speed of Thought
A soulknife gains Speed of Thought as a bonus feat at 4th level.
Free Draw (Su)
At 5th level, a soulknife becomes able to materialize (or reshape) his mind blade as a free action instead of a move action. He can make only one attempt to materialize the mind blade per round, however.
Shape Mind Blade (Su)
At level 3 and every three levels afterthat, a soulknife can choose an additional weapon shape for his mind blade. These shapes can be chosen from any melee weapons with which the soulknife is proficient.
A soulknife can also split his mind blade into two identical weapons which have one less enhancement bonus, and one less maximum enhancement value for special abilities. Each blade can be charged with a separate psychic strike. Normal dual wielding rules apply.
Bonus Feats
At 5th, 11th, and 17th levels, a soulknife may choose a fighter bonus feat or a psionic feat.
Detect Minds (Psi-like)
At 6th level, a soulknife gains the ability to detect minds at will. Functions identically to detect thoughts, but without the ability to read surface thoughts, and no save.
Bladewind (Su)
At 9th level, a soulknife gains the ability to momentarily fragment his mind blade into numerous identical blades, each of which strikes at a nearby opponent.
As a full attack, when wielding his mind blade, a soulknife can give up his regular attacks and instead fragment his mind 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 mind 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 mind blade immediately reverts to its previous form after the bladewind attack.
Greater Weapon Focus (Mind Blade)
A soulknife gains Greater Weapon Focus (mind blade) as a bonus feat at 9th level.
Knife to the Soul (Su)
Beginning at 13th level, when a soulknife executes a psychic 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 soulknife can combine extra dice of damage and ability damage in any combination.
The soulknife decides which ability score his psychic strike damages and the division of ability damage and extra dice of damage when he imbues his mind blade with the psychic strike energy.