Maid of the Evening Storm [3.5 PrC]

[strawberryman]

I seem to be on a Touhou kick for some reason. Anyhow, this class is meant to give the Soulknife a little love. That said, I personally use this fix, and as such, use a feat from it for the purposes of entering this PrC.

Flowering Night Maiden

Izayoi Sakuya, Flowering Night Maiden

The Flowering Night Maidens are vicious storms of knives, summoning more mindblades than they can possibly carry, using them in myriad ways to slay their foes. Ever elegant, they dance around the battlefield, their fan of blades always on their tails.

Hit Die: d8

Requirements
Gender: Female
BAB: +4.
Skills: Concentration 8 ranks, Knowledge (psionics) 4 ranks.
Feats: Exotic Mindblade Shape(dagger), Mindblade Sage.
Maneuvers: Any Diamond Mind maneuver and stance.

Mindblade Sage [General]
Req: Mindblade class feature, quick to act class feature.
Benefit: Soulknife and Swordsage levels stack for the purposes of how high the enhancement bonus on your mindblade is, or the bonus to initiative checks that your quick to act class feature adds. Soulknife levels now count as 3/4th Initiator level instead of 1/2.

Flowering Night Maiden
Class Skills: Autohypnosis, Balance, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Escape Artist, Heal, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (Psionics), Listen, Martial Lore, Move Silently, Profession, Sleight of Hand, Spot, Survival, Swim, Tumble, and Use Rope.
Skill-points per level: 6+Int modifier
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|

+2

|Fan of Blades Form, Mindblade

2nd|

+1

|

+0

|

+3

|

+3

|Blade Deftness

3rd|

+2

|

+1

|

+3

|

+3

|Psychic Strike +1d8

4th|

+3

|

+1

|

+4

|

+4

|Knife Recovery

5th|

+3

|

+1

|

+4

|

+4

|Dancing Edge

6th|

+4

|

+2

|

+5

|

+5

|Knife Parry, Psychic Strike +2d8

7th|

+5

|

+2

|

+5

|

+5

|Knife Step

8th|

+6

|

+2

|

+6

|

+6

|Knife Storm

9th|

+6

|

+3

|

+6

|

+6

|Psychic Strike +3d8

10th|

+7

|

+3

|

+7

|

+7

|Flowering Night[/table]

{table="head"]Level|Man. Known|Man. Readied|Stances Known
1st|1|0|0
2nd|1|0|0
3rd|0|1|0
4th|0|0|1
5th|1|0|0
6th|1|1|0
7th|0|0|0
8th|0|0|1
9th|1|1|0
10th|1|0|0[/table]

Weapon and armor proficiencies: Flowering Night Maidens gain no additional weapon or armor proficiencies.

Maneuvers: At levels 1st, 2nd, 5th, 6th, 9th, and 10th a Flowering Night Maiden gains new maneuvers known from the Dancing Leaf, Diamond Mind, or Shadow Hand disciplines. She adds her full Flowering Night Maiden levels to her initiator level to determine their total initiator level and her highest-level maneuvers known.
At 3rd, 6th, and 9th level, the Flowering Night Maiden gains a new maneuver readied per day.

Stances Known: At 4th and 8th levels, the Flowering Night Maiden learns new martial stances from the Dancing Leaf, Diamond Mind, or Shadow Hand disciplines. She must meet the stances prerequisites to learn it.

Mindblade: Flowering Night Maiden levels stack for the purposes of determining the enhancement bonus on her Mindblade(s).

Fan of Blades Form (Su)
Upon entering this class, the Flowering Night Maiden begins to learn the art of shaping multiple mindblades, which dances around her body, and adds to her mindblade attacks. As a swift action, the Flowering Night Maiden may lose the benefits of any other stance she's in to gain the benefits of this stance. In this stance, the Flowering Night Maiden is treated as if she possessed the Two Weapon Fighting feat, even if she doesn't meet the prerequisites. In addition, every round at the beginning of her turn, the Flowering Night Maiden gains a "knife drone" that follows her at all times. She may possess a number of knife drones at any one time up to 1/2 her Flowering Night Maiden class levels plus her Wisdom modifier. When the Flowering Night Maiden successfully attacks with both of her mind blades, she deals an additional amount of damage equal to 1d4 damage per knife drone she possesses. The Flowering Night Maiden may sacrifice two knife drones in a turn to make an attack action with their main and offhands as a standard attack action, or as part of a maneuver.
At 6th level, the Flowering Night Maiden may act as if she possessed the Improved Two-Weapon Fighting feat while in this stance, even if she doesn't meet the prerequisites.
At 10th level, the Flowering Night Maiden may act as if she possessed the Greater Two-Weapon Fighting feat while in this stance, even if she doesn't meet the prerequisites.
If the Flowering Night Maiden leaves this stance, her existing knife drones remain for a number of rounds equal to her Flowering Night Maiden class level before disappearing.

Blade Deftness (Ex)
At 2nd level, the Flowering Night Maiden is experienced with using her mindblades in a dexterous manner. She adds her Dexterity modifier to damage rolls with her mindblade instead of her strength modifier. If she already possesses the Shadow Blade feat, she may add 1½ her Dex bonus on her primary mindblade.
In addition, she may sacrifice a knife drone to double her threat range by for one round. This stacks with the Improved Critical feat, or Keen property, but not both.

Psychic Strike (Su)
At 3rd level, the Flowering Night Maiden may make a Psychic Strike, as the soulknife ability. The damage increases at 6th and 9th levels, and stacks with the damage bonus you receive from soulknife levels.
In addition, the Flowering Night maiden may sacrifice one knife drone to imbue their mindblade with a psychic strike as a free action.

Knife Recovery (Su)
At 4th level, the Flowering Blade Maiden is a master at performing their martial strikes in quicker succession, with a minimal amount of concentration. As a free action once per round, she may sacrifice one of her knife drones to recover any of her expended maneuvers. Alternatively, she may sacrifice five knife drones to recover all of her expended maneuvers.

Dancing Edge (Su)
At 5th level, the Flowering Night Maiden learns a unique maneuver in which they strike with alarming clarity and nearly impossible speed. This is treated just as a normal martial maneuver: it must be readied and expended normally.
As part of this maneuver, the Flowering Night Maiden makes a full attack action, and may move up to double her speed between attacks (altogether, not double speed between every attack). She doesn't provoke Attack of Opportunities while moving in this fashion. The Flowering Night Maiden may sacrifice a knife drone to move an additional 10 feet, and/or two knife drones to make an additional attack at her full BAB. If the Flowering Night Maiden charged a Psychic Strike before using this maneuver, she deals the additional damage on all attacks in this full attack action (if eligible).
This is considered a 6th-level strike.

Knife Parry (Ex)
At 6th level, the Flowering Night Maiden can parry an attack with one of her knife drones. As an immediate action, she may sacrifice one knife drone to negate the effect of one melee or ranged attack made against her.

Knife Step (Su)
At 7th level, the Flowering Night Maiden can use her knives to create an effective platform, duplicating the effect of being able to walk on air. By sacrificing one knife drone, the Flowering Night Maiden may act as if under the effects of an air walk spell for one round. If she begins her turn in midair, she slowly falls to the ground, as if under the effect of a feather fall spell.

Knife Storm (Su)
At 8th level, the Flowering Night Maiden may mix in her knife drones with her thrown mindblades. When throwing a mindblade, she may sacrifice a knife drone to deal damage for two thrown mindblades in one attack (as the manyshot feat, but with thrown mindblades).

Flowering Night (Su)
At 10th level, the Flowering Night Maiden's knife drones take on a mind of their own, now following an unfortunate foe which for which they've struck, attacking of their own volition. After making a successful melee attack with her mindblade, the Flowering Night Maiden may sacrifice one knife drone to create a duplicate of her mindblade, with an improved version of the dancing weapon quality. It is always considered as if in the struck opponent's space, and follows them. It may make one attack per round as if the Flowering Night Maiden were wielding it. In addition, if the Flowering Night Maiden charges her held mindblade with a psychic strike, all blades that are currently following her foes gain this effect as well.
Finally, the Flowering Night Maiden's knife drone capacity is now her full Flowering Night Maiden level plus her Wisdom modifier, and she gains two knife drones at the beginning of her turn.

[Edge]

Quick first thoughts on a skim: looks good.

Though I ask why the number of knife drones is determined by Int when the class will, presumably, be entered by a soulknife/swordsage. Surely Wis would make more sense and reduce MAD (which is always a good thing for non-casters)?

[strawberryman]

I suppose that's fair. Just thought Intelligence made more sense than Wisdom in this case, and don't want the numbers of knife drones to get too high. I think I'll wait to see if other people agree on this front before I change it, though.

[Altarus]

A class based on the Perfect and Elegant Maid. Interesting.

Well, this will be my first time criticizing/citing opinions for a homebrew so bear with me and my inexperience for a moment.

Some thoughts: Just an opinion, but I would also open this up to the Warblade. If based on the Warblade, Int would be more appropriate.

Fan of Blades: I would have it to be based of Wisdom instead of Intelligence. And change the damage to +1/ Knife Drone. Having played Scarlet Weather Rhapsody and Unthinkable Natural Law, the goal is to overwhelm the enemy with Sakuya's Knife Projectiles.

Knife Parry: I would suggest an opposed Attack roll to negate the enemy Attack

Other than those, I would say it looks good. Pad-Chief. *gets hit with a knife*

[Mulletmanalive]

This is probably one of the best ToB classes i've seen on these boards, [i'm not a fan of ToB homebrew because the progression is usually seemingly tacked on] but there are a few questions:

1) Could you find any way of linking a couple more of the powers the character has to Manoeuvres? It seems odd to ask, but it always feels like a ToB class should be tightly woven with its Manoeuvre progression. I'm particularly wondering about the 6-10th level stuff [the 4th and 5th level ones are fascinating].

2) I really like the progression of manoeuvres you chose, but wonder if it really needs one at first level because the Fan of Blades power is so potent...

3) is there really any point in using anything other than the Fan of Blades Form as your stance? It seems redundant to move out of the stance if you lose your Knife Drones, but then, it's not clear if they hang around if you leave the stance [in effect, you simply can't gain more of them]?

[Eurus]

This is probably one of the best ToB classes i've seen on these boards, [i'm not a fan of ToB homebrew because the progression is usually seemingly tacked on] but there are a few questions:

1) Could you find any way of linking a couple more of the powers the character has to Manoeuvres? It seems odd to ask, but it always feels like a ToB class should be tightly woven with its Manoeuvre progression. I'm particularly wondering about the 6-10th level stuff [the 4th and 5th level ones are fascinating].

I actually agree with this - this class seems to rely greatly on full attacking, which means strike maneuvers aren't much good for it. But it also can't use normal stances while in its special stance. And many of its abilities are swift actions, hindering its ability to use boosts and counters. I'm not sure that someone playing this class would ever get much use out of their normal maneuvers, at least short of the concentration-for-saving-throw maneuvers and maybe a scant few others.

[Forever Curious]

Wow, even though I hate psionics and Tome of Battle, I absolutley love this class. Can't really critique it due to lack of experience with the base material, but it looks good to me.

[strawberryman]

Hm, fair point. If it wouldn't be too broken, I suppose I could bump most of the various knife-drone boosts to free actions. And perhaps allow her to make 2 attacks as a standard action, as part of a maneuver as well.

EDIT: Made such changes, and clarified on knife drones staying outside of the stance.