Building a Surgebinder (Stormlight Archive)

[Z3ro]

So I may be playing in a campaign in the near future, and reading Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive kind of makes me want to play a surgebinder-type character. Not an exact copy mind you, more of an emulation of the style, specifically the winderunner types (Szeth and Kaladin, for those familiar with the books). Here's the specific elements I want to include:

Running on walls/able to switch personal gravity (effectivly move between different walls at will)
Extremely mobile/able to move around the battlefield at will
Effective telekinesis/able to throw around other people and objects at will
Able to summone a powerful sword as needed

I don't need/want to replicate flying, and have no desire to have anything replicating Shardplate. Even the sword doesn't need to be a replication of a Shardblade; simply a powerful sword is fine.

I'm leaning towards psionics, as it best emulates the magic from the book, specifically a pshycic warrior with the soulbound weapon ACF. But that leads to two problems: a lack of power points (common to psywars) and a lack of telekinesis. Is there a good way around these problems? Ardent would be perfect, but no soulbound weapon down that route.

Campaign would probably start around level 4 and go into high teens. Any source exept Dragon mags is available, and my DM doesn't mind refluffing but tends to stick strickly by the mechanical rules. Any suggestions?

[Bluydee]

So I may be playing in a campaign in the near future, and reading Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive kind of makes me want to play a surgebinder-type character. Not an exact copy mind you, more of an emulation of the style, specifically the winderunner types (Szeth and Kaladin, for those familiar with the books). Here's the specific elements I want to include:

Running on walls/able to switch personal gravity (effectivly move between different walls at will)
Extremely mobile/able to move around the battlefield at will
Effective telekinesis/able to throw around other people and objects at will
Able to summone a powerful sword as needed

I don't need/want to replicate flying, and have no desire to have anything replicating Shardplate. Even the sword doesn't need to be a replication of a Shardblade; simply a powerful sword is fine.

I'm leaning towards psionics, as it best emulates the magic from the book, specifically a pshycic warrior with the soulbound weapon ACF. But that leads to two problems: a lack of power points (common to psywars) and a lack of telekinesis. Is there a good way around these problems? Ardent would be perfect, but no soulbound weapon down that route.

Campaign would probably start around level 4 and go into high teens. Any source exept Dragon mags is available, and my DM doesn't mind refluffing but tends to stick strickly by the mechanical rules. Any suggestions?

Psionics. Up the walls encompasses running up walls. Speed of Thought makes you faster. As you said, ardent fits great, and you can use call weaponry to create a sword.

[Eldest]

Fun fact about Psionics: you can add any power to your powers known for a feat. So look at the three (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/telekineticForce.htm) telekinetic (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/telekineticManeuver.htm) powers (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/telekineticThrust.htm) and decide which of those best emulates the Surgebinder you want. Then take Expanded Knowledge and add them to your list.

[Z3ro]

Psionics. Up the walls encompasses running up walls. Speed of Thought makes you faster. As you said, ardent fits great, and you can use call weaponry to create a sword.

Any way to get a better weapon than call weaponry? That why I like soulbound weapon, but I don't know of a way to get it on Ardent.


Fun fact about Psionics: you can add any power to your powers known for a feat. So look at the three (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/telekineticForce.htm) telekinetic (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/telekineticManeuver.htm) powers (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/telekineticThrust.htm) and decide which of those best emulates the Surgebinder you want. Then take Expanded Knowledge and add them to your list.

Expand knowledge is good, but it's a bit of a feat tax, not to mention the psywar's low power points. What I really need is a way to wholesale expand the power list, or somehow graft soulbound weapon (or something close) onto a class like the Ardent.

[Vaz]

The problem iwth ardent is its terrible skill list for that. Jump? Nope. Climb? Nope. Pretty much any physical skills are Nope. Now this can be rectified by metamorphosis (but then again, what can't?), but it doesn't seem like that's what you want.

Nearest I can come up with is something along the lines of a Shadow Hand based Swordsage mixed with Ardent. You only really need Ardent and Practised Manifester, as the game breaking powers don't really sound like it's your thing, so 7th level is more than good enough.

There maybe a few spells you want to recreate - introduce to your DM the Spell to Power Erudite, and ask him if you can use the Substitute Powers ACF for the Ardent to choose thematic "Spells to Power" for use with your Ardent abilities - you don't need to play the StP Erudite, just have it a "thing" within the setting - playing a thematic character usually limits the abuses such things can bring, and Ardents aren't all that, really. Having never read/seen the Stormlight Archive, I can't say, but Wu Jen type powers are pretty cool - Body Outside Body for tons of clones, mirror images, spider climb, invisibility (psionic invisibility, - cloud mind, it's called, and mass cloud mind - is terrible), etc, if needed.

Dominant Time Mantle with Synchronicity combined with Metapower and Linked Synchronicity gets you fantastic speed, and a recharge ability if you take bestow power as a known power - you can Nova all of your Swordsage abilities and power points in one fight if you wish, and then just sit down and rest, regenerating in about 15 minutes all your pp and of course your maneuvres.