Dark Sun soulknife / soulbow help please

[iamwardicus]

I'm hoping that someone here has played in the Athas (Dark Sun) campaign setting and has used the Soulknife prestige class there. I'm trying to find an optimized build using one as it's superior to the actual class presented in the Expanded Psionics handbook and depending on how it's used allow far better progression into the Soulbow prestige class as well. Hopefully someone here can provide some insight as to how to best use these classes together for the best benefit as well as the best possible entry into them. I'm thinking Monk / Psychic Warrior and going with a wisdom based character but I'm not really sure on the best way to proceed.

Thanks in advance for any help!

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Not sure about that variant of Soulknife, but here are some standard tricks to optimizing a Soulbow:

Thri-Kreen with (Improved (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/feats.htm#improvedMultiweaponFighting), Greater (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/feats.htm#greaterMultiweaponFighting)) Multiweapon Fighting, since Mind Arrows only take one hand to fire. Preferably use the Nonpsionic Thri-Kreen from MM2/Shining South, which has only a +1 LA and only loses the bonus powerpoints and psi-like abilities. Barring that, use Two-Weapon Fighting.

Only get enough Soulknife to qualify for Soulbow. If you use Thri-Kreen, you'll have one class level remaining before Soulbow, which can be a Monk dip (Stunning Fist) for Wis to AC. If you're not a Thri-Kreen or can somehow skip the racial HD due to houserules, fill everything in with Swordsage.

Put the Lucky property on your Mind Arrows. Each one fired will get a separate single-use reroll on a missed attack. Throw on the Bane property for whatever you expect to be fighting the most of since you can switch it around. Definitely get the feat Woodland Archer from Races of the Wild. Zen Archery is a given.

Vow of Poverty is actually viable if you use the above tricks, since you don't need any magic weapons and VoP's AC bonus is extremely beneficial with the Wis AC bonus. I wouldn't recommend it if you expect to go beyond 12th level.

[iamwardicus]

Gah.. I forgot to list my resources I'm allowed. ToB isn't there.

Core
Online SRD (Including the Dark Sun ones as they're with WOTC)
Completes
BOVD / BOED
ExPsi
Savage Species

Anything else is on a dm approval basis, but he won't allow ToB (and I don't have the book in any case either)

Essentially the Dark Sun soulknife is similar to the Soulknife PRC from 3.0.

From the prestige class book (Hopefully I'm not breaking any forum rules here... this excerpt is from a source that's free to download from the Dark Sun official website - Prestige Class Appendix)

Hit Die: d10
Requirements
To qualify to become a soulknife, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Base Attack Bonus: +3.
Skills: Knowledge (psionics) 4 ranks.
Psionics: Must have a power point reserve.
Class Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special Abilities
1st +1 +0 +1 +1 Shape Mindblade, Throw Mindblade, Form Mindblade
2nd +2 +1 +1 +1 Blade Skill, Enhanced Mind Blade +1
3rd +3 +1 +2 +2 psychic strike +1d8, free draw
4th +4 +1 +2 +2 Blade Skill, Enhanced Mind Blade +2
5th +5 +2 +3 +3 Enhanced Mind Blade +3
6th +6 +2 +3 +3 Blade Skill
7th +7 +2 +4 +4 Enhanced Mind Blade +4, psychic strike +2d8
8th +8 +3 +4 +4 Blade Skill, Enhanced Mind Blade +5
9th +9 +3 +5 +5 Enhanced Mind Blade +6
10th +10 +3 +5 +5 Blade Skill, Mind Blade Mastery, Enhanced Mind Blade +7
Class Skills:
The soulknife’s class skills (and key ability for each skill) are Autohypnosis (Wis), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Acrobatics (Dex), Knowledge (psionics), Perception (Wis), Stealth (Dex), Profession (Wis).

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.


Essentially easy way to go into soulbow, but I wasn't sure just how far to really dig into soulknife. This prestige class has Full BAB which seems to be handy.

[Khatoblepas]

What you want to do is take as few levels of both classes as you can - You are, after all, looking at a Soulknife.

Since the Soulbow prestige class requires Throw Mindblade, and the Soulknife gets it at 1st level, you can get away with going Soulknife 1/Soulbow 1, or Soulbow 2 if you want Lucky arrows.

I'm not sure how optimal any of my suggestions are, but:

Options include

-Going for the Swift Hunter route, taking FE: Arcanists (VERY thematically appropriate for Dark Sun), and throwing out some mind blasts to "sneak attack" your foes. TWF/MWF might be useful, but you'll need yet another dip to make it really worthwhile (either Lion Totem Barbarian or Monk + Monk Training Dummy), delaying your Master Plan even more.

- Being a cleric-archer, using Ur-Priest or Cloistered Cleric, maybe a Prestige Ranger dip to get those sweet, sweet Ranger spells.

- Using Kensai to rapidly enhance your Mind Arrows and give them Splitting.

I'm not sure how I would make the builds viable 1-20, though. What levels are we talking about, here?

[iamwardicus]

right now the campaign is level 3 - I'm working on getting a Soulknife build together as a backup. GM requested we keep a character in reserve should we end up 6' underground. I'm looking at soulbow for the ranged aspect, but the 10 level soulknife seems viable as well depending on how it's used. I've thought about Kensai for the bonuses. I'll have to ask the GM if he'll allow the entire enchant list...

Thank you for the replies as well!