Headsplosions Made Easy (base class, 3.5)

[Realms of Chaos]

Psychic Assailant

Intro:Something that has been bouncing around my head for a long time, what I have created here is roughly what you get when you blend a lurk and a soul knife into the general shape of a psionic duskblade. Lacking many of the more flashy powers, I pretty much set up the power list to include things I’d personally expect an actual psychic assassin to be using. A simple and hopefully rather cathartic class. :smallbiggrin:


”Why fight harder when you could fight smarter?”

To most out on the battlefield, life and death are decided by a swing of a blade or path of an arrow. To those who rely on magic to survive, survival instead commonly relies on preparation or creativity. For those of a more psionic bent, death is dealt within far more cerebral spheres. For one group of psionicists, however, this mental combat takes on a far more literal meaning. Known as Psychic Assailants, these gifted assassins engage their foes not on the battlefield or in their bedrooms but in their very minds, invading the mindscapes of their victims and destroying all that they see. More subtle and precise than other psionic warriors, psychic assailants are among the most deadly of enemies, even if observers can hardly tell they are fighting.

Alignment: Any
Hit Die: d8

Class Skills:
Autohypnosis, Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Disguise, Escape Artist, Gather Information, Hide, Intimidate, Knowledge (Local), Knowledge (Psionics), Listen, Move Silently, Profession, Psicraft, Search, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Speak Language, Spot, Use Psionic Device
Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) × 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier


Psychic Assailant
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special |
Power Points/Day|
Powers Known|
Maximum Power Level Known

1st|+1|+0|+2|+2|Mindscape Assault 1d8|
1|
1|
1

2nd|+2|+0|+3|+3|Mental Threat|
2|
2|
1

3rd|+3|+1|+3|+3|Mindscape Assault 2d8|
3|
3|
1

4th|+4|+1|+4|+4|Mindscape Network I|
5|
4|
2

5th|+5|+1|+4|+4|Mindscape Assault 3d8|
7|
5|
2

6th|+6/+1|+2|+5|+5|Rend Mindscape I|
11|
6|
2

7th|+7/+2|+2|+5|+5|Mindscape Assault 4d8|
15|
7|
3

8th|+8/+3|+2|+6|+6|Inescapable I|
19|
8|
3

9th|+9/+4|+3|+6|+6|Mindscape Assault 5d8|
23|
9|
3

10th|+10/+5|+3|+7|+7|Mindscape Network II|
27|
10|
4

11th|+11/+6/+1|+3|+7|+7|Mindscape Assault 6d8|
35|
11|
4

12th|+12/+7/+2|+4|+8|+8|Rend Mindscape II|
43|
12|
4

13th|+13/+8/+3|+4|+8|+8|Mindscape Assault 7d8|
51|
13|
5

14th|+14/+9/+4|+4|+9|+9|Inescapable II|
59|
14|
5

15th|+15/+10/+5|+5|+9|+9|Mindscape Assault 8d8|
67|
15|
5

16th|+16/+11/+6/+1|+5|+10|+10|Mindscape Network III|
79|
16|
6

17th|+17/+12/+7/+2|+5|+10|+10|Mindscape Assault 9d8|
91|
17|
6

18th|+18/+13/+8/+3|+6|+11|+11|Rend Mindscape III|
103|
18|
6

19th|+19/+14/+9/+4|+6|+11|+11|Mindscape Assault 10d8|
115|
19|
6

20th|+20/+15/+10/+5|+6|+12|+12|Inescapable III|
127|
20|
6

[/table]

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: A psychic assailant gains proficiency with simple weaponry and with its own mindscape assault class feature and with light armor but not with shields.

Power Points/Day: A psychic assailant’s ability to manifest powers is limited by the power points it has available. The base daily allotment of power points is given on the table above and bonus power points area received according to the assailant’s Intelligence modifier.

Powers Known: A psychic assailant begins play knowing one psychic assailant power of the player’s choice. Each time a new level is achieved, the assailant unlocks knowledge of a new power. A psychic assailant simply knows its powers: they are ingrained in its mind. It is not necessary to prepare them, though a good night’s sleep is needed each day to regain all spent power points. The Difficulty class for saving throws against Psychic Assailant powers is 10 + the power’s level + the assailant’s Int modifier.

Maximum Power Level Known: A psychic assailant begins play with the ability to learn 1st-level powers. As higher levels are attained, it gains the ability to master more complex powers. To learn or manifest a power, a psychic assailant must possess an Intelligence score of at least 10 + the power’s level.

Mindscape Assault (Ps): A Psychic Assailant, rather than relying on physical weaponry and might, can engage opponents on their very mindscape. Exactly how a victim perceives this attack is left to the Psychic Assailant but the victim is always aware that what they have been attacked and are aware that whatever they witness is somehow false. In effect, a psychic assailant may make a ranged touch attack against an opponent within 100 feet whenever they can make an attack. If successful, this attack deals 1d8 points of damage + the assailant’s Intelligence modifier. At 3rd level and every even level afterwards, this damage improves by +1d8. Mindscape Assaults are incapable of scoring critical hits, though a natural 20 still automatically hits. The psychic assailant may choose to deal nonlethal damage instead with no penalty to the attack roll for doing so.

A psychic assailant can use feats such as power attack or combat expertise in conjunction with mindscape assault just as if it were a normal melee weapon. He can also choose mindscape assault for feats requiring a specific weapon choice, such as weapon specialization. Powers or spells that upgrade weapons can be used on mindscape assault.

This damage ignores damage reduction but power resistance applies against it. So skilled are psychic assailants that they may even assault foes otherwise immune to mind-affecting effects, though damage is halved against such targets. A psychic assailant may not, however, target creatures without intelligence scores. A psychic assailant does not threaten the area around itself or around targets with mindscape assault at 1st level and attacks made using mindscape assault may not be combined with physical weaponry as part of the same full attack. Utilizing mindscape assault does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

Mental Threat (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a psychic assailant possesses the power to lash out at foes from afar with its mental combat style. Whenever the assailant uses mindscape assault, it may select one adjacent square to the target, occupying that square and threatening all adjacent squares for the purposes of providing flanking and making attacks of opportunity using mindscape assault for 1 round. Furthermore, whenever a creature within 100 feet targets the psychic assailant with a mind-affecting effect, the psychic assailant may make an attack of opportunity against that foe using mindscape assault. Finally, the psychic assailant gains a number of additional attacks of opportunity each round equal to its Intelligence modifier. These extra attacks may only be used to make attacks of opportunity with mindscape assault.

Mindscape Network: Starting at 4th level, a psychic assailant may utilize the mindscape not only to attack enemies directly but to communicate with allies and weave psionic powers. The psychic assailant gains telepathy out to a range of 5 feet/class level. Furthermore, as a standard action, a psychic assailant can both make a mental assault against a creature within this range and manifest a single power with a manifesting time of 1 standard action that targets a single creature, targeting the same creature as the mindscape assault as if adjacent to it. Displays associated with that power are only observable to the target of the power, allowing them to be used in secret.

Starting at 10th level, a psychic assailant can pinpoint targets within this range of this telepathy, detecting all beings that are not mindless as if through blindsight. In all other ways, this ability functions as the mindsight feat (Lords of Madness, p. 126). Furthermore, the assailant no longer requires line of effect to target creatures with mindscape assault so long as the target is within range of this telepathy.

Starting at 16th level, a psychic assailant can release an entire flurry of psionic power in a burst of attacks. The assailant can case any power it knows that selects a single target and possesses a manifesting time of 1 standard action or less as part of a full attack action made using mindscape assault. That power functions on each creature hit in this way, draining power points as normal each time it is used in this way (or failing to manifest if unable to do so).

Rend Mindscape: Starting at 6th level, a psychic assailant can brutally assault the mindscape of a fallen foe (such as one that has passed out from nonlethal damage) to incapacitate the target indefinitely. As a full-round action, a psychic assailant can use mindscape assault on a helpless creature for nonlethal damage. If that creature fails a Will save (10 + damage dealt), all of its mental ability scores are reduced to 1 and the target loses all memory (positive or negative) of the assailant. Mental ability scores can be restored through any means that could cure a feeblemind effect but the memory loss is irreversible.

Starting at 12th level, a psychic assailant can tear even at the minds of standing foes, though doing so requires a great deal more effort. Once per round, when the psychic assailant makes a successful mindscape assault, it may sacrifice any number of dice in damage. In return, the target suffers one point of Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma damage (assailant’s choice) for every two dice sacrificed.

Starting at 18th level, a psychic assailant tearing at the mind of its enemies robs it of more than raw intellect, stealing from it its training and experience. For every 4 dice of damage sacrificed to deal ability score damage, the target also gains one negative level. This negative level never results in actual level loss and only lasts for 24 hours.

Inescapable (Ex): Starting at 8th level, a psychic assailant no longer requires proximity with a target in order to assault its mind, instead establishing longer-lasting links that can be used to assault the target even long after it has left. The psychic assailant can form a link with a creature within 100 feet as a swift action. This link lasts for up to one week and the psychic assailant can only possess one link at a time. At any point during this time, a psychic assailant may treat the target as though it were in an adjacent square for the purpose of its mindscape assault and mental network class features for 1 round, after which time the link is lost. Using the link does not allow attacks of opportunity through the assailant’s mental threat class feature. The link may only be used while within 1 mile of the target (the assailant automatically knows whether this is the case).

Starting at 14th level, this link instead functions anywhere so long as the target is on the same plane of existence (the assailant automatically knowss whether this is the case and in which general direction the target is relative to the assailant).

Starting at 20th level, this link functions even across planes of existence (the assailant automatically knows which plane of existence the target is on).

Psychic Assailant Power List

1st-level powers: Attraction, (Psionic) Daze, Deceleration, Déjà vu, Demoralize, Disable, Distract, Far Hand, Mind Thrust

2nd-level powers: Aversion, Brain Lock, Clairvoyant Sense, Cloud Mind, Dimension Swap, Ego Whip, Empathic Transfer, Id Insinuation, Read Thoughts

3rd-level powers: Crisis of Breath, Dimension Slide, Empathic Feedback, (Hostile) Empathic Transfer, Escape Detection, False Sensory Input, Psionic Blast, Telekinetic Force, Telekinetic Thrust

4th-level powers: Control Body, Correspond, Death Urge, (Psionic) Dimension Door, Mindwipe, (Psionic) Modify Memory, Personality Parasite, Remote Viewing, Telekinetic Maneuver

5th-level powers: Baleful Teleport, Clairtangent Hand, Mind Probe, (Psionic) Plane Shift, Power Resistance, Psychic Crush, Shatter Mind Blank, (Psionic) Teleport, (Psionic) True Seeing

6th-level powers: (Mass) Cloud Mind, Crisis of Life, Decerebrate, (Psionic) Disintegrate, Dispelling Buffer, Insanity, (Personal) Mind Blank, Temporal Acceleration, Ultrablast

[Just to Browse]

A very strong class, with some powerful control, big damage output, and both melee and ranged flexibility.

I'm confused about the mindscape assault, specifically in conjunction with AoOs and Mental Threat. The wording of mental threat implies that mindscape assault can be used in an attack of opportunity, and mindscape assault itself says that the ability is treated as a melee attack, but the resolution of the ability is a ranged touch attack--so can you make AoOs with mental threat, and (if so) at what range? My current interpretation is either you get your standard melee range with mental threat damage or you get 100' melee range when using mental threat only. The first is cool but hurts since you provoke AoOs for using a psionic ability, and the second is quite borked because you're getting 3-5 AoOs every turn that you can smack on anyone within a hundred feet of you.

Lastly, this class is kind of screwed against non-intelligent foes and stuff immune to mind-affecting things, since its damage output is crushed and most of its offensive spells seem to be mind-affecting.

[eftexar]

I have to say you don't usually see many psionics homebrew around considering how praised the system is.

Anyways, peaches. I rather like Mental Threat's unique threat mechanics, though I wonder if it is too broad. I would say to remove the mind-affecting effects clause and add it back in as a feat or class ability at a later level.

Rend Mindscape seems a little overpowered. That's, what, 5 points of ability damage per strike without a save. All touch attacks. Any class without defenses is dead, or at least in a catatonic slumber, within moments.

Likewise with the negative levels, though I am happy they don't turn into permanent level loss (a mechanic that's always been a sore point for me).

The rest of the class seems pretty balanced to me though and Inescapable seems like a lot of fun. Though I'm almost tempted to say drop the BaB and give Mindscape Assault it's own progression somehow. It really wouldn't put too much of a dent in the class and would make more sense thematically.

[Realms of Chaos]

Mental Threat basically lets you place yourself in a square adjacent to the target whenever you use mental mindscape against them (and you can choose a separate square each time, letting you flank a target all by yourself at 6th level). From that square, you threaten all adjacent squares but can only use your Mindscape assault class feature to make AoOs. To preempt the next logical question, I don't believe threatening a target in more than one square doubles the amount of AoOs you can make against him or her (I believe that you are only ever entitled to one attack of opportunity for a single action an enemy takes, though I may be misremembering that rule).

And yes, this guy is bad against mindless enemies. It blows up brains. A construct or zombie doesn't have a brain to blow up. This was made as a kinda-sorta-roguish class so I don't have any particular problem with it.

Edit: Also made the ability damage thing a 1/round ability as it was made to resemble the soulknife's knife to the soul anyways.

Edit Edit: Mental threat has always stated specifically that its use does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Thought I'd point that out.