Deadly fist Soulknife + mind daggers and/or powerful build

[hella-jeff]

Hello.

Can a deadly fist soulknife take the mind daggers blade skill?
And more importantly, could they (or for that matter, any soulknife) benefit from powerful build to increase(weapon) die size one step.

I've asked about both elsewhere with generally affirmative answers, but got into online discussions at length about the minutiae of whether they would work to the point that we engaged in an exchange of rules-lawyery but came to no consensus.

While i was unconvinced by the reasons given that niether would work I generally put more stock in opinions that disagree with me than I otherwise might and am still concerned that they may be incompatible. So I come to you. The gaming board to end gaming boards for council on the matter.

Vague defenitions and recycled terms and names are hard you guys.

[Manyasone]

This effect is similar to a mind blade, except the deadly fist cannot change the form of empowered strikes, although he can change the damage type of his attacks between bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing, just like a normal soulknife. according to the book.
Powerful build does increase the damage/size of your mind blade

[hella-jeff]

according to the book.
Powerful build does increase the damage/size of your mind blade

Thats what I thought, but was told that larger weapons through powerful build weren't 'appropriate,' things that 'are considered' to be other things are not those things except for prcs and feats and that empowered strikes and unarmed strikes aren't weapons.

Is there any validity to any of this?
Because while I have found evidence to the contrary and only tenuous confirmation this was all said with adamance and conviction and the evidence was dismissed as foolish, so I wanted to be sure I hadn't missed something obvious before writing a character based on false assumptions.

[Manyasone]

Validity, any more than the publisher's??? Because a bigger blade is so overpowered?

Soulknife entry

All damages are based on a Medium-sized creature wielding Medium-sized weapons; adjust the weapon damage as appropriate for different sized weapons

Powerful Build entry

The physical stature of half-giants lets them function in many ways as if they were one size category larger. Whenever a half-giant is subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for a Combat Maneuver Bonus or Combat Maneuver Defense (such as during grapple checks, bull rush attempts, and trip attempts), the half-giant is treated as one size larger if doing so is advantageous to him. A half-giant is also considered to be one size larger when determining whether a creature's special attacks based on size (such as grab or swallow whole) can affect him. A half-giant can use weapons designed for a creature one size larger without penalty. However, his space and reach remain those of a creature of his actual size. The benefts of this racial trait stack with the effects of powers, abilities, and spells that change the subject's size category.

However, I have to be honest in that as far empowered strike go, it may be a bit more odd, considering they enhance unarmed strikes...raising 1d6 to 1d8 isn,'t that OP, in my opinion, however

[hella-jeff]

Oh, my. I'm sorry. I think I gave entirely the wrong impression there.

I did not mean to ask if there was any validity to the things you said at all.
(And can see why this would be offensive as it would be a quite dismissive and ass-hatted way to have acted)
I actually agree with what you're saying.

The "this" I was referring to when asking if it contained any validity I'd not considered was the list of disagreements I'd encountered when making similar points myself.

[hella-jeff]

However, I have to be honest in that as far empowered strike go, it may be a bit more odd, considering they enhance unarmed strikes...raising 1d6 to 1d8 isn,'t that OP, in my opinion, however
I always assumed it was a weapon that counted as unarmed but with its own damage, like a full body gauntlet or cestus.
Especially since it "functions in all other ways as a mindblade" which is a weapon.
Aren't they?

It helps justify it not stacking with monks(who devs appear to be terrified of allowing enhancements) since they don't seem to either.(because reasons?)
Also it covers you in a solid barrier which makes your punches hurt more(or less), which other secondary effecs is what a cestus is. Except the solid barrier is made out of imagination rainbow petals instead of iron.

[Manyasone]

I always assumed it was a weapon that counted as unarmed but with its own damage, like a full body gauntlet or cestus.
Especially since it "functions in all other ways as a mindblade" which is a weapon.
Aren't they?

It helps justify it not stacking with monks(who devs appear to be terrified of allowing enhancements) since they don't seem to either.(because reasons?)
Also it covers you in a solid barrier which makes your punches hurt more(or less), which other secondary effecs is what a cestus is. Except the solid barrier is made out of imagination rainbow petals instead of iron.

Indeed, but I prefer the Super Saiyan outlook :smile:
Also maybe an interesting read would be psionics augmented: soulknife. It has some nice things for soulknives concerning blade skills. Especially the improved Kinetic discharge allows you to make iteratives with the blasts... But if you do this you HAVE to talk like Goku/Vegeta and make your empowered strikes aura gold... Maybe even some psywarrior levels for more power... Over 9000!!!!



Sorry, now I want to make something like this. Crap...

[hella-jeff]

XD As do I, but they aren't exactly mutually exclusive. Saiyans (well, the earthican ones, anyway) talk about focusing qi into strikes and such all the time.

Also ignoring the flavor of the rules in favor of your character concept is the godgiven right of GMs and players who's GMs are either not listening or not sticklers everywhere. As a trickledown of the GMs right to ignore whatever they want.

Just because a soulknife is officially wearing an invisible body sock of asskicking happy-thoughts doesn't mean he isn't not doing that if you think it's stupid or it'd be cooler if he were just well hard.

I like a happy medium or whichever comes off the silliest personally.

Post edit: this is a great book. And a solid bladeskill, though I might add aegis levels in stead of war. With a couple feats you can get take 4 levels of aegis with another 4 for free while progressing blade enhancement.

You can grab all manner of crazy stuff with customizations.
Fits well with dbz too. Psychoactive skins can look like fire.
It's a source of powerful build and augmented weapon which stack with each other and actual size increases(you can get two of these on a furry full plate mode after leaving the customizations blank for a mighty Oozaru) and, if allowed, with the alternate tiefling ability to be treated one size larger for weapons.(tiefling traits can show up as a furry tail and funny hair, an extra eye or green & pink skin, pinty ears, odd numbered fingers and antennae{"I liked it better when I was a demon"}). This gives some unarmed and energy blast damage in excess of three megayamchas to more than half a terraraditz on a good roll.

Other customizations for this would be flight, quickened(extra) attack and increased ability scores.

With path of war and akasha you can also use customizations for flash stepping and force damage among other things.

kinericists can fit the idea pretty well too(they even stop to power up loudly in an energy field before attacks)

3.5 warlocks can make for a pretty crazy unarmed fighters.(my drunk iron fist could have made an OK dragon ball style fighter if he sobered up, had a decent bab[was OK missing a lot fit being sloshed] and bothered to learn to fly instead of challenging everyone to rochambeau.
Guy could punch a castle wall down if he could find it.