Soulknife

Hit Die

d10.

Class Skills

The soulknife's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Acrobatics (Dex), Autohypnosis* (Wis), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (psionics)* (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Stealth (Dex), and Swim (Str).

Skill Points at Each Additional Level

6 + Int modifier.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the soulknife.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

A soulknife is proficient with all simple weapons, with her own mind blade (regardless of form), with all types of armor (heavy, medium, and light), and with shields (but not tower shields).

Talents

The soulknife gains Unlocked Talent as a bonus feat at 1st level. This provides her with both the psionic power necessary to manifest her mind blade and a single 1st-level power, even if her Wisdom score is not high enough to allow manifesting or to grant her bonus power points.

She also gains the use of two psionic talents, which must be chosen from the soulknife power list. Like her psionic powers, she may choose to rotate one or more talents she knows for new ones when she regains her power points each day (see Manifesting below).

Bonus Feats

At 1st level, a soulknife gets a bonus combat-oriented feat in addition to the feat that any 1st level character feats and the bonus feat granted to a human character. The soulknife gains an additional bonus feat at 4th level and every four levels thereafter (8th, 12th, etc.). These bonus feats must be drawn from the feats noted as combat feats or psionic feats. The soulknife must still meet all prerequisites for the bonus feat, including ability score and base attack bonus minimums as well as class requirements (like levels in another specific class).

These bonus feats are in addition to the feats that a character of any class gains every two levels. A soulknife is not limited to combat feats or psionic feats when choosing these other feats.

Form Mind Blade (Su)

As a move action or as a free action combined with a regular move (similar to drawing a weapon), a soulknife can form a semi-solid weapon composed of psychic energy distilled from her own mind.

A soulknife must choose the form of her mind blade at 1st level. She can either form it into a light weapon, a one-handed weapon, or a two-handed weapon. Once chosen, her mind blade stays in this form every time the soulknife forms her mind blade. The light weapon deals 1d6 points of damage, the one-handed weapon deals 1d8 points of damage, and the two-handed weapon deals 1d10 points of damage. All damages are based on a Medium-sized creature wielding Medium-sized weapons; adjust the weapon damage as appropriate for different sized characters and weapons. In all forms, the mind blade has a critical range of 19-20/x2. A soulknife with powerful build or a similar ability may form an appropriately-sized mind blade dealing the size-appropriate amount of damage. If the soulknife's chosen form is a light weapon, she may choose to manifest two light weapons when forming her mind blade, but she suffers the standard penalties for two-weapon fighting.

Regardless of the weapon form a soulknife has chosen, her mind blade does not have a set damage type. When shaping her weapon and assigning abilities to it, the soulknife chooses whether it will deal piercing or slashing damage. The soulknife may change the damage type of an existing mind blade, or may summon a new mind blade with a different damage type, as a full-round action; otherwise, the mind blade retains the last damage type chosen every time it is summoned.

The blade technically weighs almost nothing. Whenever she is wielding a mind blade in a single hand, including if she forms two or more blades, the soulknife may treat it as a light weapon whenever it would be advantageous for her to do so. If she has the ability to form a double weapon, each end may be treated as a light weapon as long as she isn't using both hands (and applying 1.5 times her Strength modifier) when attacking with one end.

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

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. She can also choose her mind blade for feats requiring a specific weapon choice, such as Weapon Focus and Improved Critical, and she is considered a fighter of her soulknife level for the purpose of meeting their prerequisites if she does. Powers or spells that upgrade weapons can be used on a mind blade. The soulknife can use feats such as Weapon Finesse that work on light weapons with her mind blade, but such feats only work on mind blades in a light weapon form. If the soulknife takes the Exotic Weapon Proficiency (bastard sword) feat, she may wield the two-handed form in one hand.

Even in places where psionic effects do not normally function (such as within a null psionics field), a soulknife can attempt to sustain her mind blade by making a DC 20 Will save. On a successful save, the soulknife maintains her mind blade for a number of rounds equal to her class level before she needs to check again, although the mind blade is treated for all purposes as a non-magical, masterwork weapon while in a place where psionic effects do not normally function. On an unsuccessful attempt, the mind blade vanishes. As a move action on her turn, the soulknife can attempt a new Will save to rematerialize her mind blade while she remains within the psionics-negating effect. She gains a bonus on Will saves made to maintain or form her mind blade equal to the total bonus granted by her enhanced mind blade class feature (see below).

The soulknife chooses the appearance of her mind blade, although its shape must reflect its form. A mind blade is considered a psionic weapon regardless of its enhancement bonus.

Shape Mind Blade (Su)

The soulknife's mind blade retains the last chosen form every time it is formed until the soulknife reshapes it. If the soulknife chooses to reshape her blade, it requires a full-round action to do so. A soulknife can also reassign the ability or abilities she has added to her mind blade; see below. To do so, she must first spend 1 hour in concentration. This cannot be part of the normal 8 hours used for rest, even if the soulknife does not require sleep. After that period, the mind blade materializes with the new ability or abilities selected by the soulknife.

Throw Mind Blade (Ex)

All soulknives have some knowledge of how to throw their mind blades, though the range increment varies by form, and a mind blade with a range increment of 0 feet may not be thrown. Light weapon mind blades have a range increment of 20 feet. One-handed weapon mind blades have a range increment of 15 feet. Two-handed weapon mind blades have a range increment of 0 feet. Whether or not the attack hits, a thrown mind blade then dissipates.

Manifesting

A soulknife has the ability to manifest a small number of psionic powers.

A soulknife chooses her powers from the soulknife power list. At 1st level, a soulknife knows two psionic powers of her choice. She learns new powers as indicated on Table: The Soulknife. A soulknife can manifest any power that has a power point cost equal to or lower than her manifester level. The total number of powers a soulknife can manifest per day is limited only by her daily power points.

A soulknife never needs to prepare powers ahead of time; she draws them from her mind when needed. When a soulknife recovers her daily power points after resting, she may choose to rotate one or more powers she knows for new ones. These powers must always be chosen from the soulknife power list, and the maximum number of powers the soulknife may know at any one time in this fashion is listed on Table: The Soulknife. If a soulknife learns a power through other means, such as the Expanded Knowledge feat (but not psychic chirurgery), this power is added to the list of powers from which she may choose each day, and she gains one additional daily power known.

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

A soulknife's manifester level is equal to her soulknife level.

A soulknife gains the ability to learn 1st-level powers at 1st level. Every four levels thereafter (5th, 9th, etc), a soulknife gains the ability to master more complex powers, up to 5th level powers at level 17.

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

A soulknife's ability to manifest powers is limited by the power points she has available. Her base daily allotment of power points is given on Table: The Soulknife. In addition, she receives bonus power points per day if she has a high Wisdom score. Her race may also provide bonus power points per day, as may certain feats and items. If a soulknife has power points from a different class, those points are pooled together and usable to manifest powers from either class.

Blade Skills

Beginning at 1st level and every even soulknife level thereafter, a soulknife may choose one of a number of abilities to add to her repertoire. Some blade skills have prerequisites that must be met before they can be chosen. All blade skills may only be chosen once and require the soulknife to be using her mind blade unless otherwise stated in the skill's description.

A complete list of blade skills can be found here.

Deflecting Blade

Beginning at 2nd level and every four soulknife levels thereafter (6th, 10th, etc.), the soulknife learns to deflect attacks with her mind blade, turning near misses into actual misses. She gains a cumulative +1 deflection bonus to her armor class whenever she is psionically focused and has an active mind blade. She may expend her psionic focus as an immediate action to double the bonus for a single attack. She loses this bonus whenever she is immobilized or helpless, when she is not maintaining her psionic focus, or when she is not wielding a mind blade.

In addition, if she applies the defending special ability to her mindblade, any enhancement bonus that she's transferred to her AC is also added as a deflection bonus to her Reflex saves against area effects that have a defined point of origin.

Enhanced Mind Blade (Su)

A soulknife's mind blade improves as the character gains higher levels. At 3rd level and every odd level thereafter, the mind blade gains a cumulative +1 enhancement bonus that she may spend on an actual enhancement bonus or on weapon special abilities. A soulknife's level determines her maximum enhancement bonus (see Table: The Soulknife). The soulknife may (and must, when her total enhancement is higher than her maximum bonus) apply any special ability from Table: Weapon Special Abilities instead of an enhancement bonus, as long as she meets the level requirements. A soulknife can choose any combination of weapon special abilities and/or enhancement bonus before assigning any special abilities. If the soulknife shapes her mind blade into two items or a double weapon, the enhancement bonus of her mind blade (if any) is reduced by 1 (to a minimum of 0). If this would reduce the enhancement bonus on the mind blades to 0 and weapon special abilities are applied, the soulknife must reshape her mind blade to make the options valid. Both mind blades have the same selection of enhancement bonus that does not exceed the total allowed by the soulknife's level, but she must assign at least a +1 and weapon special abilities (if any). This penalty does not apply when using the Mind Shield blade skill.

Mind Blade Mastery

At 20th level, a soulknife reaches the pinnacle of her art and her connection to her blade is so strong it cannot be severed. She no longer requires a Will save to maintain her mind blade in a null psionics field, although it still loses any enhancement bonus and special abilities. In addition, she may change the configurations of her mind blade's special abilities at will as a full-round action, which also resets any penalties that may have accrued from the Fluid Form and Improved Fluid Form blade skills. Finally, blade skills and soulknife class abilities which require her to expend her psionic focus no longer have that requirement.

Archetypes & Alternate Class Features

When a character selects a class, he must choose to use the standard class features found or those listed in one of the archetypes presented here. Each alternate class feature replaces a specific class feature from its parent class. For example, the elemental fist class feature of the monk of the four winds replaces the stunning fist class feature of the monk. When an archetype includes multiple class features, a character must take all of them—often blocking the character from ever gaining certain familiar class features, but replacing them with equally powerful options. All of the other class features found in the core class and not mentioned among the alternate class features remain unchanged and are acquired normally when the character reaches the appropriate level (unless noted otherwise). A character who takes an alternate class feature does not count as having the class feature that was replaced when meeting any requirements or prerequisites.

A character can take more than one archetype and garner additional alternate class features, but none of the alternate class features can replace or alter the same class feature from the core class as another alternate class feature. For example, a paladin could not be both a hospitaler and an undead scourge since they both modify the smite evil class feature and both replace the aura of justice class feature. A paladin could, however, be both an undead scourge and a warrior of the holy light, since none of their new class features replace the same core class feature.

Archetypes are a quick and easy way to specialize characters of a given class, adding fun and flavorful new abilities to already established adventurers. Characters may take more than one archetype if they meet the requirements.

Table:Soulknife Archetypes / Alternate Class Features

Designer's Notes

Insert notes here. Don't forget to touch on magic rogue talents and psychic strike.