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RS14
2008-07-27, 08:38 PM
Soulknife

Summary: The basic idea is that the soulknife can manifest powers much like a hybrid Psychic Warrior/Wilder (taking most of the weakest aspects of each). However, he can rejuvenate power points by dealing damage in melee with his Mind Blade. Other major changes include the smaller hit-dice, the free ability to manifest a quickened power when he deals sufficient damage with a melee attack, and the ability to overfill his power-point reserve, taking both damage and a bonus to mainfester levels as long as he does so. Some soulknife abilities (Psychic Strike, Bladewind, and Mindblade Enhancement) have been left completely or mostly untouched.

I don't know yet if there are balance issues (I had the idea and threw this together in a few hours), but if there are, I fully expect them to come from either the ease of gaining power points or the difficulty of melee with d6 hit-dice. If anyone else cares to offer their opinion, this is where it would be most appreciated.

Alignment: Any

Hit-Dice: 1d6

Class Skills: Autohypnosis, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Hide, Jump, Knowledge (psionics), Listen, Move Silently, Profession, Spot, and Tumble

Skill Points: 4+int/level

Proficiencies: Soulknives are proficient with simple weapons, their mindblade, and with light armor and shields.

Table: The Soulknife
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Power Points/Day|Powers Known|Maximum Power Level Known

1st|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+2|Mind Blade, Bloody Rejuvenation|0|1|1

2nd|
+1|
+0|
+3|
+3||1|2|1

3rd|
+2|
+1|
+3|
+3|Psychic Strike +1d8|2|2|1

4th|
+3|
+1|
+4|
+4||4|3|2

5th|
+3|
+1|
+4|
+4|Blood Bond|6|3|2

6th|
+4|
+2|
+5|
+5|Mind Blade Enchantment|8|4|2

7th|
+5|
+2|
+5|
+5|Psychic Strike +2d8|10|4|3

8th|
+6/+1|
+2|
+6|
+6||14|5|3

9th|
+6/+1|
+3|
+6|
+6|Augmented Strike|16|5|3

10th|
+7/+2|
+3|
+7|
+7|Second Form|18|6|4

11th|
+8/+3|
+3|
+7|
+7|Psychic Strike +3d8|24|6|4

12th|
+9/+4|
+4|
+8|
+8||30|7|4

13th|
+9/+4|
+4|
+8|
+8|Overbear|34|7|5

14th|
+10/+5|
+4|
+9|
+9||40|8|5

15th|
+11/+6/+1|
+5|
+9|
+9|Psychic Strike +4d8|46|8|5

16th|
+12/+7/+2|
+5|
+10|
+10||54|9|6

17th|
+12/+7/+2|
+5|
+10|
+10|Third Form|62|9|6

18th|
+13/+8/+3|
+6|
+11|
+11||70|10|6

19th|
+14/+9/+4|
+6|
+11|
+11|Psychic Strike +5d8|78|10|6

20th|
+15/+10/+5|
+6|
+12|
+12|Bladewind|86|11|6[/table]

Class Features:

Power Points/Day:

A soulknife's ability to manifest powers is limited by the power points he has available. His Power Points/Day, as given in Table: The Soulknife, combined with any bonuses or penalties from charisma, race feats, etc, form his Basic Power Point Pool. Unlike other psionic classes, this pool does not replenish fully each day, although the soulknife may add his class level to his power points once each day. His power points may not, in this way, exceed the value of the basic pool.

A soulknife may also add to his power points using the Bloody Rejuvenation ability described below. In this case, his power points may exceed the value of his basic power-point pool. At the end of every round, for every 2 power points (round up) he possesses above the value of his basic pool, the soulknife takes one point of damage. As long as his power points exceed his basic pool, he is taking continuous damage for the purposes of concentration checks and such.

If the soulknife falls unconscious while his power points exceed his basic pool, he automatically manifests powers at random until his power points no longer exceed his basic pool.

Powers Known:

A soulknife begins play knowing one psychic warrior power of your choice. He may select one additional power in accordance with the Powers Known column of Table: The Soulknife.

Choose the powers known from the psychic warrior power list. (Exception: The feats Expanded Knowledge and Epic Expanded Knowledge do allow a soulknife to learn powers from the lists of other classes.) A soulknife can manifest any power that has a power point cost equal to or lower than his manifester level, but see Overbear, below.

The total number of powers a soulknife can manifest in a day is limited only by his daily power points. Obviously, this can be quite large, if he is successful in combat, or quite small if he is not.

A soulknife simply knows his powers; they are ingrained in his mind. He does not need to prepare them (in the way that some spellcasters prepare their spells), though he must get a good night’s sleep each day in order to regain power points equal to his level.

The Difficulty Class for saving throws against soulknife's powers is 10 + the power’s level + the soulknife's Charisma modifier.

Maximum Power Level Known:

A soulknife begins play with the ability to learn 1st-level powers. As he attains higher levels, he may gain the ability to master more complex powers.

To learn or manifest a power, a soulknife must have a Charisma score of at least 10 + the power’s level.

Mind Blade (Su):

As a move action, a soulknife can create a semisolid blade composed of psychic energy distilled from his own mind. The blade is identical in all ways (except visually) to a short sword of a size appropriate for its wielder. For instance, a Medium soulknife materializes a Medium mind blade that he can wield as a light weapon, and the blade deals 1d6 points of damage (crit 19-20/×2). Soulknives who are smaller or larger than Medium create mind blades identical to short swords appropriate for their size, with a corresponding change to the blade’s damage. The wielder of a mind blade gains the usual benefits to his attack roll and damage roll from a high Strength bonus.

The blade can be broken (it has hardness 10 and 10 hit points); however, a soulknife can simply create another on his next move action. The moment he relinquishes his grip on his blade, it dissipates (unless he intends to throw it; see below). A mind blade is considered a magic weapon for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

A soulknife can use feats such as Power Attack or Combat Expertise in conjunction with the mind blade just as if it were a normal weapon. He can also choose mind blade for feats requiring a specific weapon choice, such as Weapon Specialization. Powers or spells that upgrade weapons can be used on a mind blade.

A soulknife’s mind blade improves as the character gains higher levels. At 4th level and every four levels thereafter, the mind blade gains a cumulative +1 enhancement bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls (+2 at 8th level, +3 at 12th level, +4 at 16th level, and +5 at 20th level).

Even in places where psionic effects do not normally function (such as within a null psionics field), a soulknife can attempt to sustain his mind blade by making a DC 20 Will save. On a successful save, the soulknife maintains his mind blade for a number of rounds equal to his class level before he needs to check again. On an unsuccessful attempt, the mind blade vanishes. As a move action on his turn, the soulknife can attempt a new Will save to rematerialize his mind blade while he remains within the psionics negating effect.

A soulknife can throw his mind blade as a ranged weapon with a range increment of 30 feet. Whether or not the attack hits, a thrown mind blade then dissipates.

Bloody Rejuvenation (Su):

Any time a soulknife makes a melee attack using his mind blade, he may rejuvenate a number of power points up to the amount of damage dealt, even if it would increase his total power points over the level of his basic power point pool.

Do not include any non-permanent sources of damage when calculating power points rejuvenated; powers, spells, magic items, and other such effects do not change the number of power-points rejuvenated unless they are permanent abilities specific to the soulknife. For example, a perminant touch or personal range spell granting a damage bonus would apply, while a permanent field granting an identical bonus would not. In the case of abilities that deal extra damage on a condition (such as sneak attack, skirmish, and others), this damage is usually applied. However, most conditions requiring Psionic Focus be expended do not contribute. Psionic Strike is an explicit exception to this, and does apply for the purposes of Bloody Rejuvenation.

The soulknife cannot gain power points by attacking himself.

DR of the target reduces rejuvenated power points just as it does damage.

Example:A soulknife/rogue manifests Metaphysical Weapon. On his next turn, he uses makes a melee sneak attack using his mind blade. He deals 2 damage from his mind blade, 1 from his strength bonus, 5 from sneak attack, and 1 from the enhancement bonus of the mind blade granted by Metaphysical Weapon, for a total of 9 damage dealt. All of these sources of damage, save for the contribution of Metaphysical Weapon, apply for Bloody Rejuvenation, so the soulknife rejuvenates 8 power points total. However, if the soulknife had been of higher level, the enchantment bonus granted as a class feature would have applied to both damage and rejuvenation.

Psychic Strike (Su):

As a move action, a soulknife of 3rd level or higher can imbue his mind blade with destructive psychic energy. This effect deals an extra 1d8 points of damage to the next living, nonmindless target he successfully hits with a melee attack (or ranged attack, if he is using the throw mind blade ability). Creatures immune to mind-affecting effects are immune to psychic strike damage. (Unlike the rogue’s sneak attack, the psychic strike is not precision damage and can affect creatures otherwise immune to extra damage from critical hits or more than 30 feet away, provided they are living, nonmindless creatures not immune to mind-affecting effects.)

A mind blade deals this extra damage only once when this ability is called upon, but a soulknife can imbue his mind blade with psychic energy again by taking another move action.

Once a soulknife has prepared his blade for a psychic strike, it holds the extra energy until it is used. Even if the soulknife drops the mind blade (or it otherwise dissipates, such as when it is thrown and misses), it is still imbued with psychic energy when the soulknife next materializes it.

At every four levels beyond 3rd (7th, 11th, 15th, and 19th), the extra damage from a soulknife’s psychic strike increases as shown on the Table above.

Unlike most other abilities requiring the expenditure of Psionic focus, Psychic Strike does contribute to Bloody Rejuvenation.


Blood Bond (Su):

While holding his Psionic Focus, a soulknife who strikes an enemy in melee may forfeit any power-points rejuvenated in exchange for a bonus of 1/4th his level soulknife level to all saving throws to powers manifested by that enemy. While in effect, the soulknife cannot rejuvenate any power points from that enemy, nor use any ability which requires him to forfeit rejuvenated power points. This bonus ends when the soulknife loses his psionic focus.


Mind Blade Enhancement (Su):

At 6th level, a soulknife gains the ability to enhance his mind blade. He can add any one of the weapon special abilities on the table below that has an enhancement bonus value of +1.

At every four levels beyond 6th (10th, 14th, and 18th), the value of the enhancement a soulknife can add to his weapon improves to +2, +3, and +4, respectively. A soulknife can choose any combination of weapon special abilities that does not exceed the total allowed by the soulknife’s level.

The weapon ability or abilities remain the same every time the soulknife materializes his mind blade (unless he decides to reassign its abilities; see below). The ability or abilities apply to any form the mind blade takes, including the use of the shape mind blade or bladewind class abilities.

A soulknife can reassign the ability or abilities he has added to his mind blade. To do so, he must first spend 8 hours in concentration. After that period, the mind blade materializes with the new ability or abilities selected by the soulknife.

{table=head]Weapon Special Ability|Enhancement Bonus Value

Defending|+1
Keen|+1
Lucky|+1
Mighty cleaving|+1
Psychokinetic|+1
Sundering|+1
Vicious|+1
Collision|+2
Mindcrusher|+2
Psychokinetic burst|+2
Suppression|+2
Wounding|+2
Bodyfeeder|+3
Mindfeeder|+3
Soulbreaker|+3

[/table]


Augmented Strike (Su):

A soulknife may make an Augmented Strike as a full-round action. Before the attack is resolved, the soulknife declares a power to manifest, as if quickened, if successful. He makes a single attack melee attack with his mind-blade in any way allowed, and he forfeits any power-points that would be rejuvenated. If the power-points thus forfeited are sufficient to manifest the power, including the 6 extra power-points to quicken the power, it is manifest at no further cost; otherwise manifesting fails.

Example: A soulknife chooses to make an Augmented Strike against a Dretch. He will manifest Stomp if successful. He hits with his melee attack and rolls 7 for his total damage. However, the Dretch has DR5/cold iron or good, which the soulknife does not bypass. He deals 2 damage, and would have rejuvenated 2 points, not enough to manifest the quickened stomp. It fails, and he gains no power points. Had he attacked an enemy without DR, however, the 7 power points would have been sufficient, and the power would have gone off as intended.

Second Form (Su) / Third Form (Su):

The soulknife may choose an single alternate form for his mind blade, picked from the Second Form and Third Form section, respectively, of Table: Mind Blades. No matter what its form, he is automatically proficient in its use. If he chooses an off-hand or double weapon, when it is active, the enchantment bonus of both is treated as 1 less than would normally be allowed, and the soulknife is treated as having the Two-Weapon Fighting feat. He may change between forms as a move action.

Table: Mind Blades
{table]Standard Mind Blade

{table=head]Weapon|Damage(M)|Critical|Range Increment|Attributes

Short Sword|1d6|19-20/x2|30ft|Light, Piercing

[/table]

Second Form

{table=head]Weapon|Damage(M)|Critical|Range Increment|Attributes

Kama|1d6|x2|-|Light, Trips, Slashing

Morning Star|1d8|x2|-|One-handed, Bludgeoning and Piercing

Longspear|1d8|x3|-|Reach: 10, Two-Handed, Piercing

Heavy Pick|1d6|x4|-|One-handed, Piercing

Longsword|1d8|19-20/x2|-|One-handed, Slashing

Rapier|1d6|18-20/x2|-|One-handed, Piercing

Scimitar|1d6|18-20/x2|-|One-handed, Slashing

Shield Spikes|1d6|x2|-|Piercing, Off-hand

Short Sword|1d6|19-20/x2|-|Piercing, Off-hand

[/table]

Third Form

{table=head]Weapon|Damage(M)|Critical|Range Increment|Attributes

Heavy Crossbow|1d10|19-20/x2|120ft|Ranged, Full-Round reload*, Piercing

Greatsword|2d6|19-20/x2|-|Two-handed, Slashing

Bastard Sword|1d10|19-20/x2|-|One-handed, Slashing

Heavy Flail|1d10|19-20/x2|-|Two-handed, Bludgeoning, Trips, +2 Disarm

Scythe|2d4|x4|-|Two-handed, Piercing or Slashing, Trips

Glaive|1d10|x3|-|Two-Handed, Reach: 10, Slashing

Whip|1d3|x2|-|See Whip entry, Lethal Damage, One-handed

Dire Flail|1d8/1d8|x2|-|Bludgeoning, Double, Two-handed, Trip, +2 Disarm

Two-Bladed Sword|1d8/1d8|19-20/x2|-|Slashing, Double, Two-handed

[/table]

*While a Heavy Crossbow takes a full round action to reload, the soulknife can simply create a new one,<br> already loaded, as a move action.

[/table]

Overbear (Su):

At any time when a soulknife's power-point reserve exceeds its maximum such that the soulknife would ordinarily take damage, (see power points, above), the soulknife may add that damage to his manifester level.

Bladewind (Su):

As a full attack, when wielding his mind blade, a soulknife can give up his regular attacks and instead fragment his mind blade to make one melee attack at his full base attack bonus against each opponent within reach. Each fragment functions identically to the soulknife’s regular mind blade.

When using bladewind, a soulknife forfeits any bonus or extra attacks granted by other feats or abilities (such as the Cleave feat or the haste spell).

The mind blade immediately reverts to its previous form after the bladewind attack.

TeeEl
2008-07-27, 09:31 PM
Bloody Rejuvenation (Su):

This is essentially infinite power points per day, right? I'm not seeing anything here that would make it anything less than that, other than the minor limitation that it does take a couple of rounds to recharge. Still: you can manifest Vigor and get 5 temporary HP per PP, then stab yourself and get 1 PP for every point of damage dealt. Two rounds and you get back plenty of PP.

Oh, you also get infinite manifester level starting at level 13, so long as you can make your Concentration checks. I'm not very familiar with psionics, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that access to infinite PP and ML is probably broken.

RS14
2008-07-27, 10:01 PM
This is essentially infinite power points per day, right? I'm not seeing anything here that would make it anything less than that, other than the minor limitation that it does take a couple of rounds to recharge. Still: you can manifest Vigor and get 5 temporary HP per PP, then stab yourself and get 1 PP for every point of damage dealt. Two rounds and you get back plenty of PP.

Oh, you also get infinite manifester level starting at level 13, so long as you can make your Concentration checks. I'm not very familiar with psionics, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that access to infinite PP and ML is probably broken.

I forgot about healing powers, yes. Looking over the Psychic Warrior power list, all healing powers are limited to personal, so I suppose I could simply remove the ability to gain PP from yourself. There's still potential abuse if you've got a friend capable of casting Psychic Vampire to work out a net gain, but it's more limited. I'll think about how to close that.

ML, at least, can never really explode, because to get a large manifester level, you must increase PP so high that you start taking a significant amount of damage every round. The healing powers are not based on ML, so either PP or HP is going to drop back to Base levels or 0. I considered increasing ML by one for every 2 points of damage, and may still do this.