Mechanics of a Soulknife

[alanek2002]

In my most recent meet, certain events occurred such that my character is going to be killing, or trying to kill the party caster in self defense. my character is a soulknife1/swordsage1, and I have hidden this, in game and out, from all but the DM. I have only been using a longbow, so they know nothing of my ability to manifest a mind blade. I plan to kill the caster by walking up to the caster, putting my left arm on his shoulder, and manifesting it where it would manifest inside his heart. If I do get to this point, are there any mechanics that apply, or will my DM have to houserule the whole thing?

[Kuulvheysoon]

If I was your DM, I'd probably make you roll the attack against his flatfoot AC, as you've taken him (completely) by surprise.

Maybe treat it as a coup de gras attack, as you've set up exactly where you want to attack with no interference.

[alanek2002]

I would very much like for the coup de gras version to be chosen! :smallbiggrin: However, I might not be able to convince my DM without some sort of example from the book, but nothing has come to mind.

[Medic!]

Things like this come up at our table too, but I've never seen a written rule on it. If it was me, I'd let you do it as a coup-de-gras with no str modifyer to damage or something like that. That or I'd rule that you can't manifest your mindblade inside something. I might even just say "You can always try" then roll a d%, grin at you, and go out for a smoke break and only let one player go with me, forcing the others to stay inside.

[eggs]

I'm not clear what makes this different than a normal soulknife attack, except that the guy isn't expecting it. If I were DMing, I'd call him flat-footed, but that's it.

EDIT:
By the first part, I mean that making the mind blade appear inside someone's body is pretty much what the soulknife tries to do every time it makes an attack roll. Treating a target as helpless because the attack is unexpected would set an awful precedent.

[StreamOfTheSky]

By strict rules, it's probably just "you get a surprise round, and he's flatfooted till he gets to act," etc...

I'd houserule to give you an automatic critical threat (roll to confirm), maybe. Not a full-out CDG, that includes a ludicrously high save vs. death and while logically you can justify it like that, the abstracted combat system shies away from such ruthlessness for game balance.

(If you think about it, if you are invisible and silent, and the other guy has *no means* of detecting you, you should be able to walk up to and CDG him with ease; instead, you just get surprise round, he's flatfooted, +2 to hit for being invisible, etc... Game is actually pretty decent at attempting to avert, "no save, you just die!" situations, realistic as they may seem.)

[ThiagoMartell]

Coup de grâce! It's called a coup de grâce! /rant

I really don't think murdering a fellow party member is a cool thing to do, btw.

[Jeff the Green]

Coup de grâce! It's called a coup de grâce! /rant

Depends on how overweight the caster is. :smalltongue:

[alanek2002]

Eh, caster is trying to cheat me out of the loot, and then tried to blame me for half of it "disappearing" when he knew where it went. Thank you all for the suggestions! The instant critical threat sounds fairest, even though I would really like the coup de grace.

[ThiagoMartell]

Eh, caster is trying to cheat me out of the loot, and then tried to blame me for half of it "disappearing" when he knew where it went. Thank you all for the suggestions! The instant critical threat sounds fairest, even though I would really like the coup de grace.

Two wrongs don't make a right.

[Medic!]

When this explodes in table-drama (and baby it's a-comin', like a freight train) you are duty-bound to post about it here.

[KillianHawkeye]

Soulknife does not give you the ability to generate your weapon inside another creature. Nowhere does it say this. Sorry.

[Quirp]

You are doing this 'killing a party member' all wrong! You have to calmly walk towards him and say 'My name is [insert name here]. You have stolen my loot. Prepare to die.' Then you manifest your mindblade and stab him.

[Sutremaine]

Why not just cut his throat in his sleep? That's a CtG situation, and you don't have to reveal your mindblade.

Or you could talk it out with the other player, so that IC and OOC conflict is kept as separate as possible. His actions lose you some numbers and items on your character sheet, your actions will lose him the whole character sheet. Hardly fair.

[alanek2002]

OOC, there isn't much conflict. Its mostly him going through with roleplaying his character. what we both want is peaceful, especially because we are still mid dungeon, with the boss likely still alive. Our party is likely to wipe if it breaks out in violence, so we're trying to find a way around it. If something incredible happens, I will post it, Medic. but I hope not. interesting events in dungeon make for dead characters, at our level. (2)