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The Demented One
2006-08-07, 10:41 PM
The Mindfire Knights

"Ambush!" Durgon hissed. He drew his short, poisoned dagger with one hand, and charged at the new threat, his allies fast behind them. Durgon smiled, anticipating an easy victory--for, while his adversaries had the element of surprise, they were all unarmed. The nimble elf leaped into the air, and prepared to deliver the death-blow. Then, the leader of the ambushers held up a hand. "Halt, knave! You have taken from the Knights. And the Mindfire Nights do not forgive." A blade of indigo blue flames formed in the hands of the leader. And then, the battle truely began..."

The Mindfire Knights are an elite order of soulknives, united by their discovery of the art of creating mind blades of flame through the path of the Mindfire Bladeweaver. Initially formed as a cadre of like-minded soulknives, the Knights have developed into a nation-spanning organization that sees itself as the sole group capable of destroying what has become the dread foe of the Knights--the Rakshasas. These tiger-like fiends earned the eternal ire of the Knights by stealing from them the techniques of the Mindfire Bladeweavers, and using them to create a potent psionic weapons that are bane to all soulknives--the Voidknives.

Purpose
To preserve and defend the arts and skills of the Mindfire Bladeweavers, and slaying with a flaming blade all those who steal and corrupt them.

Alignment
Chaotic Neutral (Any non-lawful alignment acceptable)

GP Resources
A character can commision any power stone, psionic tatto, psionic weapon or armor, or universal item from the Knights at a 10% discount. As a organization, the Knights may purchase almost any item worth 30,000 gp or less or produce any of the aformented psionic items worth 45,000 gp or less.

Membership
To become a member of the Mindfire Knights, one must first be both of an acceptable alignment and capable of manifesting a mind blade. One must then seek out a patron within the Knights, and train under him for 3 months. At the end of this preliminary training period, if the patron is satisfied with the candidate's talents, he offers the candidate the opportunity to take the Test of Mindfire. The Test of Mindfire involves sealing the candiate in a small room for 24 hours. He is given a small vial containing a potent poison known as mindfire toxin. The save DC is 22, but the candiate must voluntarily fail the save to be considered. Both the initial and secondary damage of the poison are temporary insanity, lasting 3d4 hours. If the candidate can endure the ravages of the mindfire toxin without breaking down and asking his patron for help, he is formally inducted into the Mindfire Knights. What the candidate does not know is that, as he undergoes the test, he is being mentally probed by his patron, seeking out any signs of disloyalty.

Authority Figues

Zenda Val, CN Female Xeph Soulknife 6/Mindfire Bladeweaver 10: Zenda Val is the current leader of the Mindfire Knights. While relatively new to the organization, she has earned great prestige by destroying two of the dreaded Voidknives, which were being dual wielded by a mighty and ancient Rakshasa at the time. The valorous act cost her her right arm--though none of her combat prowess. Zenda Val intends to maintain the course the Knights have been taking, placing far greater emphasis on the defense of their secrets than taking the fight to the rakshasas. However, her crippling at the hands of the fiends have left a deep-seated grudge, and some within the Knights seek to manipulate her into waging an all-out war with the fiends.

Andara Triel, NE Tiefling Soulknife 3/Lurk 2/Mindfire Bladeweaver 2: Andara joined the Knights only shortly after their betrayal by the Rakshasas. When it was discovered she was a great-grandchild of one of the very fiends that had betrayed them, she was nearly excecuted on the spot. However, she was able to prove her worth by selling out her ancestors, revealing secret weaknesses and hideouts of the fiends. She was soon accorded a place of great prestige for her fierce hatred of the hellish traitors and amazing talents at stealth and infiltration. The truth of the matter is that Triel was abused horrendously by her Rakshasa forefathers, and sees the Mindfire Knights as nothing but an expeditious way of getting revenge. She is one of the main forces within the organization pushing for all-out war on the Rakshasas.

Dedrin-Sai Duuth, TN Githyanki Fighter 4/Soulknife 3/Mindfire Bladeweaver 3: The head of all the Knights militant operations, Duuth is a renegade Githyanki who signed on with the Knights in search of asylum from his vengeful kin. He soon rose through the ranks through sheer shows of martial strength and tactical genius. He cares little for the conflict with the rakshasas, caring more for the further defense of the Knights' secrets by using preemptive strikes to destroy those who plot to steal them, rather than seeking revenge against those that have already done so.

Erasmus Flamel, NG Human Soulknife 2/Shaper 10: The head wright of the Knights, Erasmus is strictly a thinker, not a fighter. His training as a soulknife being only a footnote to his legacy, Erasmus has come up with many of the weapons and devices the Knights use in defending their secrets and hunting their foes. The fiendslayer hilts, shapestones, and soulspike armors were all devised by the psion. His motives for joining the Knights are unknown, but it is believed he simply wanted someone that would appreciate his works.

Other Important Figures

Cerves Altaholt, CN Xeph Soulknife 5/Mindfire Bladeweaver 3: Head recruiter for the Mindfire Knights.

Ensel Dyun, TN Elan Soulknife 5/Egoist 1: Thought the Mindfire Knights do not know of his treachery, Ensel has sold out to the Rakshasas, and has been feeding them secrets for a little more than half a decade.

Racial Make-Up
-35% Human
-15% Xeph
-10% Elan
-5% Githyanki
-5% Half-Giant
-3% Duergar
-2% Maenad
-25% Other

Class Make-Up
All members of the Knights are Soulknives. However, many are multiclassed characters.
-50% Pure Soulknife
-20% Soulknife/Psychic Warrior
-10% Soulknife/Fighter
-5% Soulknife/Lurk
-5% Soulknife/Psion
-10% Soulknife/Other

Origins
The Mindfire Knights was originally a six-man group of friends, six soulknives working together to develop a new form of psychic combat. Their numbers remained small, never exceeding more than a few dozen, until a breakthrough was made.1

The mindfire toxin was invented, a potent poison that could unlock the mental power needed to create a mindfire blade in the space of a day, rather the decades it had formerly taken. The Knights blossomed to about 500 in number, and took on their true purpose. They set up an elaborate system of safeguards designed to guard their secrets.2

Times were good for the Knights, until, 300 years after their founding, a cabal of Rakshasas infiltrated the organization and broke past every one of their safeguards. With their stolen secrets, the fiends created powerful weapons known as Voidknives, blades that could literally rip a man's soul to shreds.3

In the following years, many Mindfire Knights fell to the Voidknives, and the Knights and Rakshasas remain locked in a Cold War that promises to eventually explode in a holocaust of mindfire.4

1Knowledge (History or Psionics) DC 17
2Knowledge (History or Psionics) DC 20
3Knowledge (History or Psionics) DC 25
4Knowledge (History or Psionics) DC 30

Adventure Hooks
-A player character unknowingly acquires a book containing encoded secrets of the Mindfire Knights. Now, he must convince the team of soulknife assassins on his tail that he did not mean to steal from them.
-After a player character is kidnapped by a Rakshasa, a contingent of soulknives from the Mindfire Knights offer to assist the rest of the players in retrieving him--if they will aid in destroying the Voidknife wielded by the fiend.

The Demented One
2006-08-07, 10:41 PM
Mindfire Bladeweaver
Mindfire Bladeweavers are the elite combatants of the Mindfire Knights. Not all, or even most, of the Knights are Bladeweavers–most members simply take the Mindfire Strike feat. However, the Bladeweavers are the ones entrusted with the most authority and power. Mindfire Bladeweavers can set foes alight with their blades, burn away their enemies’s sanity, and even incinerate the very bodies of those they fight.

Hit Die: d10

Requirements
BAB: +3
Feats: Mindfire Strike
Skills: Concentration 8 ranks

Class Skills
The Mindfire Bladeweaver’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Autohypnosis (Wis), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Psionics) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Spot (Wis), and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

{table]
Level
BAB
Fort
Ref
Will
Special
1+0+0+2+2Soulknife Abilities, Mindfire Shard
2+1+0+3+3Smouldering Knife
3+2+1+3+3–
4+3+1+4+4Mindfire Bladestorm
5+3+1+4+4–
6+4+2+5+5Greater Mindfire Strike
7+5+2+5+5–
8+6+2+6+6Burn the Mind
9+6+3+6+6–
10+7+3+7+7Blade of Immolation
[/table]
Class Features
All the following are class features of the Mindfire Bladeweaver prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Mindfire Bladeweavers gain no additional weapon or armor proficiencies.

Soulknife Abilities
Levels of Mindfire Bladeweaver stack with Soulknife levels for determing the enhancement bonus of the Bladeweaver’s mind blade and the Bladeweaver’s psychic strike damage.

Mindfire Shard (Su)
As a standard action, a Mindfire Bladeweaver wielding his mind blade may unleash a flaming shard of ectoplasm from his mind blade. This is a ranged touch attack with a range of 30 ft., a creature hit takes 1d6 points of fire damage per class level of the Bladeweaver. If the Bladeweaver has split his mindblade, he may make two such ranged attacks with one standard action, but each deals only 1d4 points of damage per class level.

Smouldering Knife (Su)
When a 2nd level Mindfire Bladeweaver uses his Mindfire Strike feat to deal fire damage with his psychic strike, he may choose to reduce the psychic strike damage dealt by 1d8. If he does, and he hits, the struck creature must make a Reflex save, DC 10 + the Bladeweaver’s class level + the Bladeweaver’s Charisma modifier, or catch on fire for 1d4 rounds, taking 1d6 points of fire damage each round with no save.

Mindfire Bladestorm (Su)
Once per day as a standard action, a 4th level Mindfire Bladeweaver may detonate his mind blade in a pyrokinetic explosion. All creatures within 30 ft. of the Bladeweaver, excepting only him, take 1d6 points of fire damage per class level of the Bladeweaver. They may attempt a Reflex save, DC 10 + the Bladeweaver’s class level + the Bladeweaver’s Charisma modifier, for half damage. Doing so destroys his mind blade, but he can reform it normally the next round.

Greater Mindfire Strike (Ex)
Whenever a 6th level Mindfire Bladeweaver uses his Mindfire Strike feat to deal fire damage with his psychic strike, he may reroll any 1's or 2's rolled when rolling his psychic strike damage. He must keep the rerolled dice, even if it is a 1 or 2.

Burn the Mind (Su)
Whenever a 8th level Mindfire Bladeweaver uses his Mindfire Strike feat to deal fire damage with his psychic strike, he may choose to reduce the psychic strike damage dealt by 3d8. If he does, and he hits his opponent, the struck creature must make a Will save, DC 10 + the Bladeweaver’s class level + the Bladeweaver’s Charisma modifier, or go permanently insane.

Blade of Immolation (Su)
Once per day, when a 10th level Mindfire Bladeweaver uses his Mindfire Strike feat to deal fire damage with his psychic strike, he may choose to reduce the psychic strike damage dealt by 4d8. If he does, and he hits, the struck creature must make a Fortitude save, DC 10 + the Bladeweaver’s class level + the Bladeweaver’s Charisma modifier, or die, and have its body bunt to dust, completely destroyed. Even if the killed creature is resurrected, upon its rebirth it must make a Will save, with the same DC as the Fort save, or go permanently insane.

The Demented One
2006-08-07, 10:42 PM
Assorted Crunch
Not up for judging, but of use to those planning to use the Mindfire Knights.

Feats

Mindfire Strike [Psionic]
You can channel flames through your mind blade.
Requirements: Able to create a mind blade, psychic strike class feature, must be a member of the Mindfire Knights
Benefit: Whenever you make a psychic strike, you may have the extra damage dealt be fire damage. If you do, you may reroll any 1's rolled when rolling your psychic strike damage. You must keep the rerolled dice, even if it is a 1.

Items

Voidknife
A Voidknife is a corruption of a mindblade. Each one is a +1 psibane flaming bastard sword, but they draw power from their wielders. The enhancement bonus of a Voidknife is increased by two when used to attack a Soulknife, and deals 2d6 points of extra damage. As a standard action, the wielder of the Voidknife may impale himself with the blade, dealing 1d10 points of damage and 1 point of Constitution damage. Doing so increases the enhancement bonus of the Voidknife by 1 for one hour. If a creature is killed by a Voidknife, its soul is drawn into the blade, preventing it from being resurrected until the Voidknife has been destroyed.

Strong Psychokinesis, ML 15th. Craft Psionic Arms and Armor, creator must be a Mindfire Bladeweaver and evil. Cost 25,000 gp + 2,000 xp. Price 50,000 gp.

Soulknife Gauntlet
The wearer of a Soulknife Gauntlet may create a mind blade as a 1st level soulknife. Many Rakshasas used these items to feign being soulknives.

Faint Metacreativity, ML 5th. Craft Psionic Arms and Armor, creator must be able to create a mind blade. Cost 1,000 gp + 80 xp. Price 2,000 gp.

Demonslayer Hilts
Demonslayer Hilts are crystal shafts that a soulknife can shape his mind blade through. If a soulknife uses the Demonslayer Hilt in shaping his mind blade, it gains the evil outsider bane special ability and overcomes the DR of any fiends, regardless of what type it is, excepting DR not overcome by any type of material.

Faint Metacreativity, ML 5th. Craft Psionic Arms and Armor, creator must be able to create a mind blade. Cost 5,000 gp + 400 xp. Price 10,000 gp.

Shapestone
Shapestones are crystals set in amulets or rings, each one attuned to a certain melee weapon. When a soulknife wearing a shapestone shapes his mind blade, he may shape it into the form of the weapon the shapestone is attuned to.

Faint Metacreativity, ML 5th. Craft Psionic Arms and Armor, creator must be able to create a mind blade. Cost 400 gp + 32 xp. Price 800 gp.

Soulspike Armor
Whenever the wearer of a suit of soulspike armor creates a mind blade, miniature mind blades sprout from the armor, functioning as armor spikes. They have a enhancement bonus equal to half that of the wearer's mind blade.

Faint Metacreativity, ML 5th. Craft Psionic Arms and Armor, creator must be able to create a mind blade. Price +2 bonus.

Monsters

Ur'rith Rakshasa
Size/Type: Medium Outsider (Native, Psionic)
Special Attacks: Manifesting, read thoughts
Special Qualities: Change shape, damage reduction 15/good and piercing, darkvision 60 ft., power resistance 27
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 17, Wis 13, Cha 13
Skills: Autohypnosis +11, Bluff +15*, Concentration +13, Diplomacy +5, Disguise +15 (+17 acting)*, Intimidate +3, Knowledge (Psionics) +13, Listen +13, Move Silently +13, Perform (oratory) +11, Sense Motive +11, Psicraft +13, Spot +11
Feats: Alertness, Combat Manifesting, Dodge

Ur'rith Rakshasas are the psionic cousins of normal rakshasas. Ur'riths, along with Zeratuls, made up thhe bulk of the cabal that infiltrated the Knights. Ur'riths are exactly like normal Rakshasas except as noted above.

Manifesting
An Ur'rith manifests powers as a 7th level Telepath. A typical Ur'rith receives 56 power points per day. The DC of an Ur'rith's powers is 13 plus power level

Typical Powers Known
1st--detect psionics, crystal shard, force screen, inertial armor, psionic charm; 2--brain lock, cloud mind, energy stun, psionic suggestion; 3rd--dispel psionics, false sensory input, psionic blast, telekinetic thust; 4th--psionic dimension door, psionic dominate

Read Thoughts (Su)
An Ur'rith can continuously use read thoughts as the power (caster level 18th; Will DC 13 negates). It can suppress or resume this ability as a free action. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Zeratul Rakshasa
Size/Type: Medium Outsider (Native, Psionic)
Hit Dice: 11d8+44 (92 hp)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 23 (+4 Dex, +9 natural), touch 14, flatfooted 19
Base Attack/Grapple: +11/+13
Attack: +2 Psibane Mind Blade (Bastard Sword) +20 melee (1d10+4) or Claw +16 melee (1d4+2)
Full Attack: +2 Psibane Mind Blade (Bastard Sword) +20/+15/+10 melee (1d10+4) and Bite +11 melee (1d6+1) or 2 +2 Psibane Mind Blades (Short Swords) +17/+17/+12/+7 melee (1d6+3) and Bite +11 melee (1d6+1) or 2 Claws +16 melee (1d4+2) and Bite +11 melee (1d6+1)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Read thoughts, +2 psibane mind blade, throw mind blade, psychic strike +3d8, bladewind
Special Qualities: Outsider traits, darkvision 60 ft., change shape, DR 15/good and piercing, PR 21, free draw, shape mind blade
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +7
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 20, Con 18, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 14
Skills: Autohypnosis +14, Climb +16, Concentration +18, Hide +19, Jump +16, Knowledge (Psionics) +16, Listen +14, Move Silently +19, Spot +14, Tumble +19
Feats: Weapon Focus (Mind Blade)B, Greater Weapon Focus (Mind Blade)B, Weapon Finesse, Improved Initiative, Combat Reflexes, Two-Weapon Fighting
Environment: Warm Marshes
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 12
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always Lawful Evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +5

Less common than both normal Rakshasas and Ur’riths, Zeratuls possess the ability to create a mind blade rather than cast spells or manifest powers. Though rare, they made up the majority of the cabal that infiltrated the Knights. Zeratuls look like normal Rakshasas, but often have a pure white pelt. Many Zeratuls have levels in the Mindfire Bladeweaver prestige class or wield a Voidknife rather than their own mind blade.

Read Thoughts (Su)
A Zeratul can continuously use read thoughts as the power (caster level 18th; Will DC 13 negates). It can suppress or resume this ability as a free action. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Mind Blade (Su)
A Zeratul can create a mind blade, as a 11th level Soulknife. Its mind blade has a +2 enhancement bonus and may have +2 worth of special abilities. Most Zeratuls choose the psibane ability.

Throw Mind Blade (Ex)
A Zeratul 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. The Zeratulcan make a psychic strike (see below) with a thrown mind blade and can use the blade in conjunction with other special abilities.

Psychic Strike (Su)
As a move action, a Zeratul can imbue his mind blade with destructive psychic energy. This effect deals an extra 3d8 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 the Zeratul can imbue his mind blade with psychic energy again by taking another move action. Once a Zeratul has prepared his blade for a psychic strike, it holds the extra energy until it is used. Even if the Zeratul 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 Zeratul next materializes it.

Bladewind (Su)
A Zeratul may momentarily fragment his mind blade into numerous identical blades, each of which strikes at a nearby opponent. As a full attack, when wielding his mind blade, a Zeratul 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 Zeratul’s regular mind blade. When using bladewind, a Zeratul 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.

Change Shape (Su)
A Zeratul can assume any humanoid form, or revert to its own form, as a standard action. In humanoid form, a Zeratul loses its claw and bite attacks. A Zeratul remains in one form until it chooses to assume a new one. A change in form cannot be dispelled, but the Zeratul reverts to its natural form when killed. A psionic true seeing power reveals its natural form.

Free Draw (Su)
A Zeratul may materialize his mind blade as a swift action instead of a move action.

Shape Mind Blade (Su)
A Zeratul may change the form of his mind blade. As a full round action, he can change his mind blade to replicate a longsword (damage 1d8 for a Medium weapon wielded as a one-handed weapon) or a bastard sword (damage 1d10 for a Medium weapon, but he must wield it as a two-handed weapon unless he knows the Exotic Weapon Proficiency (bastard sword) feat). If a Zeratul shapes his mind blade into the form of a bastard sword and wields it two-handed, he adds 1½ times his Strength bonus to his damage rolls, just like when using any other two-handed weapon. Alternatively, a Zeratul can split his mind blade into two identical short swords, suitable for fighting with a weapon in each hand. (The normal penalties for fighting with two weapons apply.) However, both mind blades have an enhancement bonus of +1, rather than +2.

The Demented One
2006-08-08, 01:07 PM
Affiliation Statistics
Those with the PHB 2 may wish to use the affiliation score mechanics presented therein for the Mindfire Knights. The following information is presented for those who do so. The Mindfire Knights are a scale 14 group by the guidelines given in the PHB 2.

Affiliation Score Criteria{table]
CriterionAffiliation Score Modifier
Character level+1/2 character level
Character has a BAB of 10++1
Character is a Mindfire Bladeweaver+2
Character has killed a Rakshasa+1
Character has destroyed a Voidknife+1
Character completes a mission given by Knights+1
Character fails a mission given by Knights-2
Character does not have Mindfire Strike feat-3
Character descended from an evil outsider-4


[/table]
Affiliation Score Benefits{table]
Score Title
3 or lowerNot affiliated
4-10Mindfire Candidate: Junior member with no privileges
11-20Mindfire Warrior: May requisition a psionic tattoo of any 1st-level psychic warrior power once a month
21-29Mindfire Knight: +1 bonus on attack rolls against Rakshasas
30+Mindfire Warlord: Gain services of honor guard of 4 Mindfire Knights, each a Soulknife 5/Mindfire Bladeweaver 3
[/table]