Soulknife/Monk Multiclass pathfinder with 3.5 sources allowed.

[Reprimand]

I have a player that really wants to make a soulknife/monk combination but I'm really worried it will under preform badly and I was hoping to recruit some help from the playground to pimp this players xeph.

starting at 6th level with the ability scores 18 16 16 14 12 10

Are there any feats or options to make this class combination choice more viable?

He wants to play a xeph and were using pathfinder with 3.5 feats allowed so we would be using the unchained monk class and the pathfinder soulknife.

[Mehangel]

What is his reasoning for wanting to be a monk? Why not just have him take the Deadly Fist (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/classes/soulknife/archetypes/dreamscarred-press/deadly-fist) soulknife archetype and be good? I also dont know how he/you feel about path of war, but you could also add in the War Soul (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/classes/soulknife/archetypes/dreamscarred-press/war-soul-soulknife-archetype) soulknife archetype which should stack making him even more competant as an uarmed combatant.

[Reprimand]

I was telling him about soulknives and he randomly googled xeph soulknife monk and got this picture now he's super gunho about wanting to play one and I can't seem to talk him out of it.

http://img13.deviantart.net/50ef/i/2008/304/b/a/xeph_soulknife_by_thedarkestseason.jpg

[Mehangel]

Well if you explain to him that Deadly Fist is a monk soulknife archetype. He may be willing to drop the monk class. I would also recommend looking at the Deadly Fist portion of this post (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=11198538&postcount=5) which has some useful hints for the archetype.

[master4sword]

Personally I'd go Monk 1/Soulknife 5, spending the first blade skill on Focused Offense (Wisdom to attack and damage while maintaining psionic focus). This, plus the monk's Wisdom to AC, lets you get a lot of mileage out of a high Wisdom score.

10 Str, 16 Dex, 16 Con, 14 Int, 18 Wis, 12 Cha becomes 8 Str, 18 Dex, 16 Con, 14 Int, 18 Wis, 14 Cha after racial bonuses.

[Reprimand]

Personally I'd go Monk 1/Soulknife 5, spending the first blade skill on Focused Offense (Wisdom to attack and damage while maintaining psionic focus). This, plus the monk's Wisdom to AC, lets you get a lot of mileage out of a high Wisdom score.

10 Str, 16 Dex, 16 Con, 14 Int, 18 Wis, 12 Cha becomes 8 Str, 18 Dex, 16 Con, 14 Int, 18 Wis, 14 Cha after racial bonuses.

I was also looking at the agile +1 ability to get dex to damage instead of strength.

@mehangel he doesn't seem to care about how good it is as long as its the best it CAN be. I will have him look at the archetype tho

Are their any 3.5 feats that are decent for this concept?

[Mehangel]

The thing about the soulknife is that it is not very feat intensive, so you dont have feat taxes like with other builds such as archery. There are particular bladeskills which may be considered a MUST, but feat-wise, the player is actually pretty safe. However, if the player is planning on multiclassing into monk, make sure to have him take the trait: Natural Blade, which should help mitigate some of the penalty from multiclassing.
Natural Blade (Psionic)
You’ve learned to continue some of your soulknife training even when exploring different trades.
Benefits: You add +2 trait bonus to your soulknife level to determine the strength of your mind blade enhancement and access to blade skills as if your soulknife level were two higher (this does not improve blade skill effectiveness, only your ability to meet prerequisites). Your effective mind blade level cannot exceed your character level. The character must have the enhanced mind blade class feature (or its equivalent) to actually receive the magical enhancement bonus to the mind blade.
If he plans on putting more than two levels into monk, have him also take the Fighter's Blade feat.
Fighter’s Blade
Your training with a mind blade is not hindered by dabbling in other studies.
Prerequisites: Enhanced mind blade
Benefit: Treat your class level as four higher to determine your enhanced mind blade class feature and which blade skills you can select, to a maximum of your character level.
With the combination on both the feat and the trait, that should help with some of the penalties of multiclassing on the soulknife side.

[Sayt]

Soulmonk can actually be pretty decent. Here (https://www.dropbox.com/s/z30gd8yzxtzvt1t/Hrath.pdf?dl=0) is a shot I took at one a while back. (Note, I was using Pathfinder's version of LA buyoff: 1 LA/CR off per 3 levels with a reduction of half CR/LA bought up, I think was the ruling I was working under the assumption of), up to half your. If you don't want to use Githzerai, I suggest Triaxian (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/humanoids/triaxian). I also had a favourable ruling from my GM that Dragon Ferocity+Focussed Offense = 2/1.5xWis to damage, but that's up to you.

I'm not entirely sure if all the particulars of that sheet are 100% accurate, as it never saw play, but it could be a handy outline. Basically, take Master of Many Stlyes Monk for two levels for bonus feats and dual style, then go Deadly Fist/Awakened Blade (Or Awakened Fist, as I call it), pick up Focussed Assault, and suddenly your monk is basically Wis-SAD (Dex and Con still help, of course).

If you're feeling particularly adventurous, consider allowing the Unchained Monk chassis for Master of many styles, considering it's only a two level dip, but kicks the build up to full-bab and D10.

Edit: The build should work fine with Xeph as well, although as I recall, Xeph and Triaxians do look remarkably similar (Furred humanoids with pointed ears), so you could certainly maintain the aesthetic without strictly going Xeph, but that's somewhat salient Xeph should be fine.

[SangoProduction]

If you're worried about his character underperforming, just house rule that he can enchant his soulblade as though it were a +1 weapon, and flurry of attacks with it (the second is less than optimal, but why not let him use it, since it's a meh class feature anyway).

If so inclined, one could also allow him to use his soul blade bonuses on armor bonuses instead when he's got his monk AC bonus. So, if he has +5 bonus/enchantments he could spend on his soul blade (from the class), he could split it up with +1 going to the weapon, and +4 going to "armor" enchantments/bonuses. (Doesn't really help them perform, but adds some options that could prove cool.)

[Reprimand]

is there a feat that lets you apply unarmed damage to your mind blade damage? Honestly I think that would solve a big part of the fear I have of his damage falling off.

if that were the case I would simply rule that he trained extensively with him mindblade during his aesthetic training and can apply his monk feats/abilities to it i.e. stunning fist, flurry, etc.

[SangoProduction]

http://dsp-d20-srd.wikidot.com/mind-blade-feats
This is a list of all the mind blade feats...which...seem to be srd, based on the domain name, but looks like home brew. But even there I saw nothing even related to unarmed-mind blade stuff.

Although the intended purpose of that list of feats seems to be so that "anyone" could take mind blade powers...for feats, so if he wanted to full-monk, and just get those powers...not sure it's really worth it, but if you add a feat "Ascetic Soulblade" as one of these feats, then you let him get a full-class monk's damage/abilities apply to soul blades, and give him the generic bonuses of the soul blade feats as presented there.

Or hell, you could give it to him for free for a decent OP campaign.

Of what is give is Enlightened Warrior (http://dsp-d20-srd.wikidot.com/enlightened-warrior) which was intended for monks. (Same site)

I would let his soulblade levels count as having "Form Mind Blade", if he still multiclasses.

Do note that you can enchant unarmed strikes with some sort of necklace, so no need to do anything more special with enchanting if you go this route, I guess.

[Reprimand]

http://dsp-d20-srd.wikidot.com/mind-blade-feats
This is a list of all the mind blade feats...which...seem to be srd, based on the domain name, but looks like home brew. But even there I saw nothing even related to unarmed-mind blade stuff.

Although the intended purpose of that list of feats seems to be so that "anyone" could take mind blade powers...for feats, so if he wanted to full-monk, and just get those powers...not sure it's really worth it, but if you add a feat "Ascetic Soulblade" as one of these feats, then you let him get a full-class monk's damage/abilities apply to soul blades, and give him the generic bonuses of the soul blade feats as presented there.

Or hell, you could give it to him for free for a decent OP campaign.

Do note that you can enchant unarmed strikes with some sort of necklace, so no need to do anything more special with enchanting if you go this route, I guess.

Actually the list you provided has the exact feat I was hoping to find.

Monastic Blade

I'd have to find a substitution for concentration ranks but this works very nicely.

Thank you! : D

[ghanjrho]

If you're allowing 3.5 sources, I'd recommend Tashalatora (Soulknife). Start with a level of (unchained) monk, using the bonus feat to grab Monastic Training (Soulknife). Then go straight SK, grabbing Tash at 3rd level. His SK levels will stack with his Monk levels to determine his unarmed strike damage, flurry of blows and ac bonus. Then all he really needs is to be allowed to just let his Soulknife class features empower his fists.

For bonus points, the upcoming Soulknife book allows for the option to simply provide the Soulknife the power progression of the Gifted Blade archetype.

EDIT: I recommend just ignoring the concentration ranks requirement.

[SangoProduction]

Actually the list you provided has the exact feat I was hoping to find.

Monastic Blade

I'd have to find a substitution for concentration ranks but this works very nicely.

Thank you! : D

Ah. missed that...Yeah, It's not exactly the best thing in the world (especially for a multiclass monk), I'd let it go without concentration checks.

Here's homebrew, since you seem to allow it: http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Unarmed_Mind_Blade_(3.5e_Feat) It would let you multiclass by raw...but then again...you're already homebrewing, so does it matter? lol. But yes, it does what you need with minimal requirements...although it does it the other way around. You somehow manifest unarmed strikes with your soul blade, which is hillarious to think about..

[Xerlith]

You don't need to homebrew anything. For example, this (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F9c_LovZMMayVqagpjnQBLmZAcD7I6ObSFbVuIg6L3c/edit?usp=sharing) is a build I made a while ago, mostly to check the viability of it. Well, it is viable.
All the questionable optimization choices are due to me trying to reproduce Fairy Tail's Erza Scarlett (Girlfriend wanted to play it, we don't have Spheres of Power).

Overall, a Monk dip is a widely accepted - and even encouraged - practice in many martial builds, mostly due to the Master of Many Styles brokenness. In fact, for a Monk dip, the chained version is better than Unchained, precisely due to the archetypes it offers.

[Reprimand]

EDIT: I recommend just ignoring the concentration ranks requirement.

Actually the monk bonus feat class feature says they ignore requirements anyway so he's golden.

In terms of applying unarmed damage to mind blades I picture them more like punching daggers hovering over the knuckles increasing the damage and force of the overall strike while minimizing surface area which would mean more trauma to the body.

Edit: Tashalatora? What is this from? my knowledge with psionics is limited.

[Sayt]

Actually the monk bonus feat class feature says they ignore requirements anyway so he's golden.

In terms of applying unarmed damage to mind blades I picture them more like punching daggers hovering over the knuckles increasing the damage and force of the overall strike while minimizing surface area which would mean more trauma to the body.

Edit: Tashalatora? What is this from? my knowledge with psionics is limited.

'Tash' (http://dndtools.pw/feats/secrets-of-sarlona--14/tashalatora--3415/) is from Secrets of Sarlona. Combine it with a Monk dip, the Deadly Fist (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/classes/soulknife/archetypes/dreamscarred-press/deadly-fist) Soulknife archetype which makes your mind blade enhancements and such to your unarmed strike (Although you get to keep the ability to shift damage types), and the Focused offense. and you player should be golden at beating people up.

[ghanjrho]

You don't need to homebrew anything. For example, this (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F9c_LovZMMayVqagpjnQBLmZAcD7I6ObSFbVuIg6L3c/edit?usp=sharing) is a build I made a while ago, mostly to check the viability of it. Well, it is viable.
All the questionable optimization choices are due to me trying to reproduce Fairy Tail's Erza Scarlett (Girlfriend wanted to play it, we don't have Spheres of Power).

Overall, a Monk dip is a widely accepted - and even encouraged - practice in many martial builds, mostly due to the Master of Many Styles brokenness. In fact, for a Monk dip, the chained version is better than Unchained, precisely due to the archetypes it offers.

Do note that they (finally) fixed Master of Many Styles.

[Pluto!]

Atavist from Races of Eberron dual-advances Monk and Soulknife. It may or may not require minor revision to hndle their PF updates.

[Sayt]

Do note that they (finally) fixed Master of Many Styles.

Well, it's still a very good dip, and lets you be in two styles at once from the get-go, the 'Wildcard' thing is, I think, a much better system than "Take whatever the hell you like whenever you want and damn the torpedoes!"

[ghanjrho]

Well, it's still a very good dip, and lets you be in two styles at once from the get-go, the 'Wildcard' thing is, I think, a much better system than "Take whatever the hell you like whenever you want and damn the torpedoes!"

Oh, I'm not denying it's still a very good dip (Dragon + Pummeling Style, for starters). It's just not the OMGWTFBBQ dip that spawned a million builds.