Soulknife - Revision history

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1d4chan>Slipmcripfist: direct link

2023-05-12T03:31:45Z

direct link

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:31, 12 May 2023
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	Another problem with the Soulknife is that its skills kind of suck: they're all over the place. There are a couple of DEX based skills (Hide, Move Silently, Tumble) and the useful Autohypnosis, Concentration and Knowledge (Psionics) that you don't see on other classes... but those are spread out over four different [[stats\|attributes]]. For the rest you have the standard package of skills, so you can't do something interesting with this.		Another problem with the Soulknife is that its skills kind of suck: they're all over the place. There are a couple of DEX based skills (Hide, Move Silently, Tumble) and the useful Autohypnosis, Concentration and Knowledge (Psionics) that you don't see on other classes... but those are spread out over four different [[stats\|attributes]]. For the rest you have the standard package of skills, so you can't do something interesting with this.

	There is a [[~~prestige class~~]] for the Soulknife called the Soulbow in Complete Psionics, and notoriously one of the few decent things in a book full of crap (which is why Wizards of the Coast [http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20060403a&page=2 chose to release it for free as a preview]). It allows you to create arrows just like you create your ~~knifes~~ and shoot people with it from a safe(r) distance. This sounds meh... until you realize that while in combination with Zen Archery WIS is pretty much the only stat you need for this prestige class but it does zero good for your levels of Soulknife, your bow kind of sucks (a regular composite longbow that cannot be upgraded), the upgrades for your arrows just kind of stop at a certain level, and Phase Arrow (shoot through pretty much anything) is not really worth it. There's a few thing that make it far and away better than the base classes though. Firstly because you only need one hand to shoot a mind arrow you can use two-weapon fighting and rapid shot to spam a lot of attacks a turn. Lastly, one of the abilities you can add to your arrows is ''Lucky'', for a mere +1 bonus. Lucky lets you reroll an attack with that weapon once per day, which doesn't sound too great till you realize ''each arrow is its own weapon'' so you can reroll '''all''' your attack rolls which more than makes up for your terrible base attack bonus (and many penalties from TWFing with Rapid Shot). Combined these can get a bit unwieldy during actual play though, as you can be rolling to-hit 10 times or even more ''every turn'' and as order is actually important you can't roll them all at once (A sane GM will let you roll different colored d20 for the initial attacks, but this doesn't solve the reroll issue). Plus all you'll ever do in combat is full attack.		There is a [[Prestige Class]] for the Soulknife called the Soulbow in Complete Psionics, and notoriously one of the few decent things in a book full of crap (which is why Wizards of the Coast [http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20060403a&page=2 chose to release it for free as a preview]). It allows you to create arrows just like you create your knives and shoot people with it from a safe(r) distance. This sounds meh... until you realize that while in combination with Zen Archery WIS is pretty much the only stat you need for this prestige class but it does zero good for your levels of Soulknife, your bow kind of sucks (a regular composite longbow that cannot be upgraded), the upgrades for your arrows just kind of stop at a certain level, and Phase Arrow (shoot through pretty much anything) is not really worth it. There's a few thing that make it far and away better than the base classes, though. Firstly because you only need one hand to shoot a mind arrow you can use two-weapon fighting and rapid shot to spam a lot of attacks a turn. Lastly, one of the abilities you can add to your arrows is ''Lucky'', for a mere +1 bonus. Lucky lets you reroll an attack with that weapon once per day, which doesn't sound too great till you realize ''each arrow is its own weapon'' so you can reroll '''all''' your attack rolls which more than makes up for your terrible base attack bonus (and many penalties from TWFing with Rapid Shot). Combined, these can get a bit unwieldy during actual play, though, as you can be rolling to-hit 10 times or even more ''every turn'' and as order is actually important you can't roll them all at once (A sane GM will let you roll different colored d20 for the initial attacks, but this doesn't solve the reroll issue). Plus all you'll ever do in combat is full attack.

	In short, the only two ways that a Soulknife can kinds work is either as a Fighter but worse (far less attack feats and such), or as a knife-throwing machine that'll fold like wet paper when hit and wastes everyone's time with a ton of die rolls. Which is sad, because its concept is very fun.		In short, the only two ways that a Soulknife can kinds work is either as a Fighter but worse (far less attack feats and such), or as a knife-throwing machine that'll fold like wet paper when hit and wastes everyone's time with a ton of die rolls. Which is sad, because its concept is very fun.
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	[https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2bXgsHg7PtJNXdRdjdaUDhRM2M/view?fbclid=IwAR29j5mT2gBK87ZWAbDoelfk-k1YQQuZMgDwvUXYbYQjW6FU1gZu0U10eGU If you don't mind introducing homebrew, however, you can take a crack at fixing it with this].		[https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2bXgsHg7PtJNXdRdjdaUDhRM2M/view?fbclid=IwAR29j5mT2gBK87ZWAbDoelfk-k1YQQuZMgDwvUXYbYQjW6FU1gZu0U10eGU If you don't mind introducing homebrew, however, you can take a crack at fixing it with this].

	[[Mike Mearls]] also cooked up an alternative Soulknife... this time as a ''[[Monk]]'' subclass. ~~This~~ version is~~, honestly,~~ better than the [[Unearthed Arcana]] version, which ~~admittedly~~ isn't that hard to pull off.		[[Mike Mearls]] also cooked up an alternative Soulknife... this time as a ''[[Monk]]'' subclass. Honestly, this version is better than the [[Unearthed Arcana]] version, which isn't that hard to pull off.

	Its 3rd level features are ''Soul Knife'' and ''Psychic Slash''. The first of these is simple, yet powerful: your unarmed strikes can do psychic, piercing, slashing or bludgeoning damage, with you choosing which type is used each time you hit, plus you can use a bonus action to increase your reach with unarmed strikes to 30 feet until the end of your turn.		Its 3rd level features are ''Soul Knife'' and ''Psychic Slash''. The first of these is simple, yet powerful: your unarmed strikes can do psychic, piercing, slashing or bludgeoning damage, with you choosing which type is used each time you hit, plus you can use a bonus action to increase your reach with unarmed strikes to 30 feet until the end of your turn.
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	==Pathfinder==		==Pathfinder==
	With the advent of Dreamscarred Press' Psionics line, the psionics system of the D20 system got a major overhaul and improvement. As a side effect, the Soulknife became a lot better and more fun to play. For starters, the Mind Blade itself can be either two light weapons perfect for throwing, a one-handed weapon to use with a shield or a two-handed weapon for extra damage (note that the Half-Giant from the same book can Mind Blades that are one size larger than he is thanks to their special features). On top of that, the Mind Blade can be either Slashing, Piercing or Bludgeoning so you can make a SOUL HAMMER. The blade also remembers this when it vanishes, and reshaping it takes a single full round. The blade enhancements have also been revamped: the increased damage enhancement and special effect tracts have been combined, starting at 3rd level and increasing to a total pool of +9 at level 19. Reshaping the blade's enhancements requires concentrating for 8 hours outside of normal rest, so ~~make sure to~~ plan ahead. Psychic Strike still works more or less the same, except both blades have the same enhancement if you have two of them, the effect only triggers when you want to and affects all creatures with an Int score (so suck it, [[vampire]]s!) and it can be charged with a Psionic Focus. Throw Mind Blade and Quick Draw are still there, and the capstone ability, making it very difficult to lose your Mind Blade to anti-psionics effects, is a bit lacking. At least you get to reconfigure your blade with a full-round action instead of 8 hours.		With the advent of Dreamscarred Press' Psionics line, the psionics system of the D20 system got a major overhaul and improvement. As a side effect, the Soulknife became a lot better and more fun to play. For starters, the Mind Blade itself can be either two light weapons perfect for throwing, a one-handed weapon to use with a shield or a two-handed weapon for extra damage (note that the Half-Giant from the same book can Mind Blades that are one size larger than he is thanks to their special features). On top of that, the Mind Blade can be either Slashing, Piercing or Bludgeoning so you can make a SOUL HAMMER. The blade also remembers this when it vanishes, and reshaping it takes a single full round. The blade enhancements have also been revamped: the increased damage enhancement and special effect tracts have been combined, starting at 3rd level and increasing to a total pool of +9 at level 19. Reshaping the blade's enhancements requires concentrating for 8 hours outside of normal rest, so plan ahead. Psychic Strike still works more or less the same, except both blades have the same enhancement if you have two of them, the effect only triggers when you want to and affects all creatures with an Int score (so suck it, [[vampire]]s!) and it can be charged with a Psionic Focus. Throw Mind Blade and Quick Draw are still there, and the capstone ability, making it very difficult to lose your Mind Blade to anti-psionics effects, is a bit lacking. At least you get to reconfigure your blade with a full-round action instead of 8 hours.

	New to the Pathfinder version are the Blade Skills, gained at every even level. These are the special tricks you see on several Pathfinder classes, like the [[Barbarian]] and [[Rogue]]. These grant a variety of bonuses improving your Mind Blade and how you use it. Possible bonuses include elemental damage, Reach, Trip, more Psionic Charges, 5-foot steps and even the ability to expend your Psychic Strike to stop any spell, power, SLA or PLA thrown at you (but not Supernatural Abilities), letting you slap aside Fireballs, Disintegrates, Meteor Swarms and what have you. Some of these are far better than others, but there's enough good stuff in there.		New to the Pathfinder version are the Blade Skills, gained at every even level. These are the special tricks you see on several Pathfinder classes, like the [[Barbarian]] and [[Rogue]]. These grant a variety of bonuses improving your Mind Blade and how you use it. Possible bonuses include elemental damage, Reach, Trip, more Psionic Charges, 5-foot steps and even the ability to expend your Psychic Strike to stop any spell, power, SLA or PLA thrown at you (but not Supernatural Abilities), letting you slap aside Fireballs, Disintegrates, Meteor Swarms and what have you. Some of these are far better than others, but there's enough good stuff in there.

1d4chan>ThatOneBruvva: /* Pathfinder */

2022-12-14T15:07:38Z

Pathfinder

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:07, 14 December 2022
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	The Soulknife also gets a number of Archetypes. These include Armored and Shielded Blade (create armor and a shield just like a Mind Blade at the cost of making your weapon less powerful; use both for some stellar AC at low levels), Cutthroat (Sneak Attack instead of Psychic Strike, also more sneaky abilities), Deadly Fist (supercharged fists), Nimble Blade (get the most out of a Dex-build Soulknife) and the Soulbolt (the Mind Blade becomes a blast of energy instead, basically Soulbow that works). Of particular note are a pair of archetypes that entirely replace Psychic Strike: The Gifted Blade archetype, which gives you Paladin/Ranger tier psionic manifesting, and War Soul, which gives you access to [[The Book of Weeaboo Fightan Magic]] and the ability to turn your mind blades into working guns.		The Soulknife also gets a number of Archetypes. These include Armored and Shielded Blade (create armor and a shield just like a Mind Blade at the cost of making your weapon less powerful; use both for some stellar AC at low levels), Cutthroat (Sneak Attack instead of Psychic Strike, also more sneaky abilities), Deadly Fist (supercharged fists), Nimble Blade (get the most out of a Dex-build Soulknife) and the Soulbolt (the Mind Blade becomes a blast of energy instead, basically Soulbow that works). Of particular note are a pair of archetypes that entirely replace Psychic Strike: The Gifted Blade archetype, which gives you Paladin/Ranger tier psionic manifesting, and War Soul, which gives you access to [[The Book of Weeaboo Fightan Magic]] and the ability to turn your mind blades into working guns.

	Overall, Pathfinder's Soulknife is a lot more fun to play with a lot more options, meaning that your KNIFE MIND ATTACK is actually useful instead of a novelty. Still, it's kinda lacking in versatility and still only [[Tier System\|Tier 4]]. Warsoul or Gifted Blade raise it to a tier 3.		Overall, Pathfinder's Soulknife is a lot more fun to play with a lot more options, meaning that your KNIFE MIND ATTACK is actually useful instead of a novelty. Still, it's kinda lacking in versatility and still only [[Tier System\|Tier 4]]. Warsoul or Gifted Blade raise it to a tier 3. Of particular note is that the book has a way to integrate Gifted Blade into the base class without replacing Psychic Strike, something that would make that tier 3 ranking even more solid.

	{{D&D3-Classes}}		{{D&D3-Classes}}
	{{Pathfinder-Classes}}		{{Pathfinder-Classes}}
	{{PF-3PP-Classes}}		{{PF-3PP-Classes}}

84.251.253.154: A bunch of minor spelling mistakes and a few bigger errors. For example, the reshaping: "To do so, she must first spend 8 hours in concentration. These cannot be the normal 8 hours used for rest, even if the soulknife does not require sleep."

2022-12-14T11:10:48Z

A bunch of minor spelling mistakes and a few bigger errors. For example, the reshaping: "To do so, she must first spend 8 hours in concentration. These cannot be the normal 8 hours used for rest, even if the soulknife does not require sleep."

1d4chan>Skadooshbag: /* The Final Version / You're meant to remove* text you're editing, not slash it out.

2022-09-21T04:09:48Z

The Final Version: You're meant to *remove* text you're editing, not slash it out.

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:09, 21 September 2022
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	Finally, at 17th level, the '''Rend Mind''' feature lets the Soulknife force a creature hit with a Sneak Attack made with a psy-blade to make a Wisdom save or be Stunned for 1 minute. This can be used once per long rest, or by spending 3 psi-dice.		Finally, at 17th level, the '''Rend Mind''' feature lets the Soulknife force a creature hit with a Sneak Attack made with a psy-blade to make a Wisdom save or be Stunned for 1 minute. This can be used once per long rest, or by spending 3 psi-dice.

	~~<s>Oddly enough, at no point in this subclass does your intelligence modifier factor in.</s>~~ Fittingly, it makes absolutely no use of mental stats [[derp\|despite being psionic]], just like the original Soulknife.		Fittingly, it makes absolutely no use of mental stats [[derp\|despite being psionic]], just like the original Soulknife.

	==Pathfinder==		==Pathfinder==

1d4chan>Hypercarrot at 01:54, 12 August 2022

2022-08-12T01:54:04Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:54, 12 August 2022
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	Finally, at level 17, it grants the feature ''Psychic Form'', which lets you use a bonus action to transform into a being of pure psionic energy for one minute, which you can do once per long rest. In this staet, you have Resistance (All Damage), Fly (30 feet), and the ability to pass through solid objects, but not end your movement within them.		Finally, at level 17, it grants the feature ''Psychic Form'', which lets you use a bonus action to transform into a being of pure psionic energy for one minute, which you can do once per long rest. In this staet, you have Resistance (All Damage), Fly (30 feet), and the ability to pass through solid objects, but not end your movement within them.

			===The Final Version===

	An official Soulknife for 5e debuted in 2020's "Tasha's Cauldron of Everything". Crack open the champagne, because it's not shit! This is a [[Rogue]] subclass and, alongside the [[Psychic Warrior\|Psi Warrior]] [[Fighter]] and Aberrant Mind [[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)\|Sorcerer]], represents the official future for [[psionics]] in 5e; no dedicated classes, but instead subclasses for the "standard array" of classes. Like the Psi Warrior, this Soulknife relies on the use of "Psionic Energy dice", which is a pool of d6s equal to twice the Soulknife's Proficiency bonus; class features that require these "psi-dice" can't be used if there are none left in the pool, and the pool replenishes when the Soulknife completes a Long Rest - the Soulknife can also spend a bonus action to regain a single psi-dice once per short rest. Psi-dice increase in values at levels 5 (d8s), 11 (d10s) and 17 (d12s).		An official Soulknife for 5e debuted in 2020's "Tasha's Cauldron of Everything". Crack open the champagne, because it's not shit! This is a [[Rogue]] subclass and, alongside the [[Psychic Warrior\|Psi Warrior]] [[Fighter]] and Aberrant Mind [[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)\|Sorcerer]], represents the official future for [[psionics]] in 5e; no dedicated classes, but instead subclasses for the "standard array" of classes. Like the Psi Warrior, this Soulknife relies on the use of "Psionic Energy dice", which is a pool of d6s equal to twice the Soulknife's Proficiency bonus; class features that require these "psi-dice" can't be used if there are none left in the pool, and the pool replenishes when the Soulknife completes a Long Rest - the Soulknife can also spend a bonus action to regain a single psi-dice once per short rest. Psi-dice increase in values at levels 5 (d8s), 11 (d10s) and 17 (d12s).
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	Finally, at 17th level, the '''Rend Mind''' feature lets the Soulknife force a creature hit with a Sneak Attack made with a psy-blade to make a Wisdom save or be Stunned for 1 minute. This can be used once per long rest, or by spending 3 psi-dice.		Finally, at 17th level, the '''Rend Mind''' feature lets the Soulknife force a creature hit with a Sneak Attack made with a psy-blade to make a Wisdom save or be Stunned for 1 minute. This can be used once per long rest, or by spending 3 psi-dice.

	Oddly enough, at no point in this subclass does your intelligence modifier factor in.		<s>Oddly enough, at no point in this subclass does your intelligence modifier factor in.</s> Fittingly, it makes absolutely no use of mental stats [[derp\|despite being psionic]], just like the original Soulknife.

	==Pathfinder==		==Pathfinder==

1d4chan>Skadooshbag: /* 5th Edition */

2022-07-19T22:31:52Z

5th Edition

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:31, 19 July 2022
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	Finally, at 17th level, the '''Rend Mind''' feature lets the Soulknife force a creature hit with a Sneak Attack made with a psy-blade to make a Wisdom save or be Stunned for 1 minute. This can be used once per long rest, or by spending 3 psi-dice.		Finally, at 17th level, the '''Rend Mind''' feature lets the Soulknife force a creature hit with a Sneak Attack made with a psy-blade to make a Wisdom save or be Stunned for 1 minute. This can be used once per long rest, or by spending 3 psi-dice.

			Oddly enough, at no point in this subclass does your intelligence modifier factor in.

	==Pathfinder==		==Pathfinder==

1d4chan>Skadooshbag: /* 5th Edition */ in hindsight, "launching" a fireball at someone implies you were aiming at them

2022-07-01T15:50:52Z

5th Edition: in hindsight, "launching" a fireball at someone implies you were aiming at them

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:50, 1 July 2022
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	An official Soulknife for 5e debuted in 2020's "Tasha's Cauldron of Everything". Crack open the champagne, because it's not shit! This is a [[Rogue]] subclass and, alongside the [[Psychic Warrior\|Psi Warrior]] [[Fighter]] and Aberrant Mind [[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)\|Sorcerer]], represents the official future for [[psionics]] in 5e; no dedicated classes, but instead subclasses for the "standard array" of classes. Like the Psi Warrior, this Soulknife relies on the use of "Psionic Energy dice", which is a pool of d6s equal to twice the Soulknife's Proficiency bonus; class features that require these "psi-dice" can't be used if there are none left in the pool, and the pool replenishes when the Soulknife completes a Long Rest - the Soulknife can also spend a bonus action to regain a single psi-dice once per short rest. Psi-dice increase in values at levels 5 (d8s), 11 (d10s) and 17 (d12s).		An official Soulknife for 5e debuted in 2020's "Tasha's Cauldron of Everything". Crack open the champagne, because it's not shit! This is a [[Rogue]] subclass and, alongside the [[Psychic Warrior\|Psi Warrior]] [[Fighter]] and Aberrant Mind [[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)\|Sorcerer]], represents the official future for [[psionics]] in 5e; no dedicated classes, but instead subclasses for the "standard array" of classes. Like the Psi Warrior, this Soulknife relies on the use of "Psionic Energy dice", which is a pool of d6s equal to twice the Soulknife's Proficiency bonus; class features that require these "psi-dice" can't be used if there are none left in the pool, and the pool replenishes when the Soulknife completes a Long Rest - the Soulknife can also spend a bonus action to regain a single psi-dice once per short rest. Psi-dice increase in values at levels 5 (d8s), 11 (d10s) and 17 (d12s).

	At 3rd level, the soulknife gains the features '''Psionic Power''' and '''Psychic Blades'''. Psionic Power is made up of two sub-features; ''Psi-Bolstered Knack'' lets the soulknife spend a psi-dice and add the result to a failed ability check using a skill or tool in which they have proficiency, with the psi-dice only being expended if this turns the result into a success. ''Psychic Whispers'' lets the soulknife forge a temporary 1-mile wide telepathic link with up to Proficiency bonus creatures for psi-dice value hours, so now the wizard can intentionally avoid ~~launching~~ a fireball at your stealthed ass ''without'' metagaming; this can be done for free once per day, but extra times require spending a single psi-dice each time. For Psychic Blades, the soulknife can manifest psy-blades whenever they take the Attack action; a psy-blade is a simple melee weapon with the Finesse and Thrown (60ft) properties that does 1d6 Psychic damage. After attacking with a psy-blade, the soulknife can then attack with a second psy-blade (this one doing 1d4 damage) as a bonus action.		At 3rd level, the soulknife gains the features '''Psionic Power''' and '''Psychic Blades'''. Psionic Power is made up of two sub-features; ''Psi-Bolstered Knack'' lets the soulknife spend a psi-dice and add the result to a failed ability check using a skill or tool in which they have proficiency, with the psi-dice only being expended if this turns the result into a success. ''Psychic Whispers'' lets the soulknife forge a temporary 1-mile wide telepathic link with up to Proficiency bonus creatures for psi-dice value hours, so now the wizard can intentionally avoid dropping a fireball on your stealthed ass ''without'' metagaming; this can be done for free once per day, but extra times require spending a single psi-dice each time. For Psychic Blades, the soulknife can manifest psy-blades whenever they take the Attack action; a psy-blade is a simple melee weapon with the Finesse and Thrown (60ft) properties that does 1d6 Psychic damage. After attacking with a psy-blade, the soulknife can then attack with a second psy-blade (this one doing 1d4 damage) as a bonus action.

	At 9th level, the '''Soul Blades''' feature is made up of two sub-features. ''Homing Strikes'' is basically Psi-Bolstered Knack, but for missed attacks with psy-blades. ''Psychic Teleportation'' lets the soulknife teleport by expending a psi-dice, with the range being (10 X dice roll result) feet.		At 9th level, the '''Soul Blades''' feature is made up of two sub-features. ''Homing Strikes'' is basically Psi-Bolstered Knack, but for missed attacks with psy-blades. ''Psychic Teleportation'' lets the soulknife teleport by expending a psi-dice, with the range being (10 X dice roll result) feet.

1d4chan>Skadooshbag: /* 5th Edition */

2022-07-01T15:31:29Z

5th Edition

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:31, 1 July 2022
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	An official Soulknife for 5e debuted in 2020's "Tasha's Cauldron of Everything". Crack open the champagne, because it's not shit! This is a [[Rogue]] subclass and, alongside the [[Psychic Warrior\|Psi Warrior]] [[Fighter]] and Aberrant Mind [[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)\|Sorcerer]], represents the official future for [[psionics]] in 5e; no dedicated classes, but instead subclasses for the "standard array" of classes. Like the Psi Warrior, this Soulknife relies on the use of "Psionic Energy dice", which is a pool of d6s equal to twice the Soulknife's Proficiency bonus; class features that require these "psi-dice" can't be used if there are none left in the pool, and the pool replenishes when the Soulknife completes a Long Rest - the Soulknife can also spend a bonus action to regain a single psi-dice once per short rest. Psi-dice increase in values at levels 5 (d8s), 11 (d10s) and 17 (d12s).		An official Soulknife for 5e debuted in 2020's "Tasha's Cauldron of Everything". Crack open the champagne, because it's not shit! This is a [[Rogue]] subclass and, alongside the [[Psychic Warrior\|Psi Warrior]] [[Fighter]] and Aberrant Mind [[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)\|Sorcerer]], represents the official future for [[psionics]] in 5e; no dedicated classes, but instead subclasses for the "standard array" of classes. Like the Psi Warrior, this Soulknife relies on the use of "Psionic Energy dice", which is a pool of d6s equal to twice the Soulknife's Proficiency bonus; class features that require these "psi-dice" can't be used if there are none left in the pool, and the pool replenishes when the Soulknife completes a Long Rest - the Soulknife can also spend a bonus action to regain a single psi-dice once per short rest. Psi-dice increase in values at levels 5 (d8s), 11 (d10s) and 17 (d12s).

	At 3rd level, the soulknife gains the features '''Psionic Power''' and '''Psychic Blades'''. Psionic Power is made up of two sub-features; ''Psi-Bolstered Knack'' lets the soulknife spend a psi-dice and add the result to a failed ability check using a skill or tool in which they have proficiency, with the psi-dice only being expended if this turns the result into a success. ''Psychic Whispers'' lets the soulknife forge a temporary 1-mile wide telepathic link with up to Proficiency bonus creatures for psi-dice value hours; this can be done for free once per day, but extra times require spending a single psi-dice each time. For Psychic Blades, the soulknife can manifest psy-blades whenever they take the Attack action; a psy-blade is a simple melee weapon with the Finesse and Thrown (60ft) properties that does 1d6 Psychic damage. After attacking with a psy-blade, the soulknife can then attack with a second psy-blade (this one doing 1d4 damage) as a bonus action.		At 3rd level, the soulknife gains the features '''Psionic Power''' and '''Psychic Blades'''. Psionic Power is made up of two sub-features; ''Psi-Bolstered Knack'' lets the soulknife spend a psi-dice and add the result to a failed ability check using a skill or tool in which they have proficiency, with the psi-dice only being expended if this turns the result into a success. ''Psychic Whispers'' lets the soulknife forge a temporary 1-mile wide telepathic link with up to Proficiency bonus creatures for psi-dice value hours, so now the wizard can intentionally avoid launching a fireball at your stealthed ass ''without'' metagaming; this can be done for free once per day, but extra times require spending a single psi-dice each time. For Psychic Blades, the soulknife can manifest psy-blades whenever they take the Attack action; a psy-blade is a simple melee weapon with the Finesse and Thrown (60ft) properties that does 1d6 Psychic damage. After attacking with a psy-blade, the soulknife can then attack with a second psy-blade (this one doing 1d4 damage) as a bonus action.

	At 9th level, the '''Soul Blades''' feature is made up of two sub-features. ''Homing Strikes'' is basically Psi-Bolstered Knack, but for missed attacks with psy-blades. ''Psychic Teleportation'' lets the soulknife teleport by expending a psi-dice, with the range being (10 X dice roll result) feet.		At 9th level, the '''Soul Blades''' feature is made up of two sub-features. ''Homing Strikes'' is basically Psi-Bolstered Knack, but for missed attacks with psy-blades. ''Psychic Teleportation'' lets the soulknife teleport by expending a psi-dice, with the range being (10 X dice roll result) feet.

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:10, 14 December 2022
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	==KNIFE MIND ATTACK==		==KNIFE MIND ATTACK==
	The main feature of the Soulknife is its primary weapon, the ~~mindblade~~(s). It is a psychically created weapon, a shortsword created from the psyche of the soulknife consisting of semisolid psychic energy. If the Soulknife lets go of it it immediately dissipates unless used as a thrown weapon, and the user can create a new weapon with ease to rearm themselves. Skilled Soulknives can split their weapon up into two blades (though it makes them slightly weaker), imbue them with up to 5d6 extra damage per strike, turn them into bigger swords (long or bastard), throw them, imbue them with enchantments normally found on weapons, attack multiple targets in one blow, damage mental stats on a target and a few other tricks. While these all seem like interesting and fun tricks... when you add them up, the class still sucks. Simply put, the Soulknife is bad. Like, [[Fighter]] bad.		The main feature of the Soulknife is its primary weapon, the mind blade(s). It is a psychically created weapon, a shortsword created from the psyche of the soulknife consisting of semisolid psychic energy. If the Soulknife lets go of it, it immediately dissipates unless used as a thrown weapon, and the user can create a new weapon with ease to rearm themselves. Skilled Soulknives can split their weapon up into two blades (though it makes them slightly weaker), imbue them with up to 5d6 extra damage per strike, turn them into bigger swords (long or bastard), throw them, imbue them with enchantments normally found on weapons, attack multiple targets in one blow, damage mental stats on a target and a few other tricks. While these all seem like interesting and fun tricks... when you add them up, the class still sucks. Simply put, the Soulknife is bad. Like, [[Fighter]] bad.

	==Downsides==		==Downsides==
	First, the Soulknife is a full-on combat class, i.e. it has to get in and keep hitting people with its ~~mindblades~~. The first problem with this is that the Soulknife has 3/4th BAB progression, the same as rogues, clerics, and druids. This is not good for a class meant to hit things in straight-up combat. Next up, while the Soulknife has a [[d10]] hit die, it has only light armor proficiency and no class features that help defending itself, meaning that you're stuck with light armor and a shield to not die. Its lack of feats (aside from the ones you get normally) ~~mean~~ that even if you try to become better this way you still ~~are~~ very vulnerable in combat.		First, the Soulknife is a full-on combat class, i.e. it has to get in and keep hitting people with its mind blades. The first problem with this is that the Soulknife has 3/4th BAB progression, the same as rogues, clerics, and druids. This is not good for a class meant to hit things in straight-up combat. Next up, while the Soulknife has a [[d10]] hit die, it has only light armor proficiency and no class features that help defending itself, meaning that you're stuck with light armor and a shield to not die. Its lack of feats (aside from a few crappy bonus feats and the ones you get normally) means that even if you try to become better this way you are still very vulnerable in combat.

	Next up, the Soulknife is kind of slow to utilize. Until level 5 imbuing your Mind Blade with Psychic Strike is move action. So if you want to deal some serious damage at lower levels you've got a bit of a problem. If you manage to live that long you'll become able to make your blades better by turning them into longswords or bastard swords... but this takes a full round action, leaving you doing nothing. At this point you'll also start to notice that the rest of your party starts to swing around +2 weapons ~~when~~ you just got your first +1 bonus last level. And at the point where it gets better, pound for pound you still deal less damage than your party's Fighter.		Next up, the Soulknife is kind of slow to utilize. Until level 5, imbuing your Mind Blade with Psychic Strike is a move action. So if you want to deal some serious damage at lower levels you've got a bit of a problem. If you manage to live that long you'll become able to make your blades better by turning them into longswords or bastard swords... but this takes a full round action, leaving you doing nothing. At this point you'll also start to notice that the rest of your party starts to swing around +2 weapons while you just got your first +1 bonus last level. And at the point where it gets better, pound for pound you still deal less damage than your party's Fighter.

	At higher levels Knife to the Soul becomes interesting, given that you can combine it with multiple throwing attacks. This means that you can throw four knives ~~who~~ each deal 3 damage to one characteristic of your choice, which might net interesting results when you start to damage [[Wizard]]s and drain their spells, or defeat a monster in one go with a well-placed throw. The obvious downside to throwing ~~its~~ that it's only got a 30 feet range, putting you into trouble when facing long-distance enemies.		At higher levels Knife to the Soul becomes interesting, given that you can combine it with multiple throwing attacks. This means that you can throw four knives that each deal 3 damage to one mental characteristic of your choice, which might net interesting results when you start to damage [[Wizard]]s and drain their spells, or defeat a monster in one go with a well-placed throw. The obvious downside to throwing is that it's only got a 30 feet range, putting you into trouble when facing long-distance enemies.

	Another problem with the Soulknife is that its skills kind of suck: they're all over the place. There are a couple of DEX based skills (Hide, Move Silently, Tumble) and the useful Autohypnosis, Concentration and Knowledge (Psionics) that you don't see on other classes... but those are spread out over four different [[stats\|attributes]]. For the rest you have the standard package of skills, so you can't do something interesting with this.		Another problem with the Soulknife is that its skills kind of suck: they're all over the place. There are a couple of DEX based skills (Hide, Move Silently, Tumble) and the useful Autohypnosis, Concentration and Knowledge (Psionics) that you don't see on other classes... but those are spread out over four different [[stats\|attributes]]. For the rest you have the standard package of skills, so you can't do something interesting with this.

	There is a [[prestige class]] for the Soulknife called the Soulbow in Complete Psionics, and notoriously one of the few decent things in a book full of crap (which is why Wizards of the Coast [http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20060403a&page=2 chose to release it for free as a preview]). It allows you to create arrows just like you create your knifes and shoot people with it from a safe(r) distance. This sounds meh... until you realize that while in combination with Zen Archery WIS is pretty much the only stat you need for this prestige class but it does zero good for your levels of Soulknife, your bow kind of sucks (a regular composite longbow that cannot be upgraded), the upgrades for your arrows just kind of stop at a certain level, and Phase Arrow (shoot through pretty much anything) is not really worth it. There's a few thing that make it far and away better than the base classes though. Firstly because you only need one hand to shoot a mind arrow you can use two-weapon fighting and rapid shot to spam a lot of attacks a turn. Lastly, on the abilities you can add to your arrows is ''Lucky'', for a mere +1 bonus. Lucky lets you reroll an attack with that weapon once per day, which doesn't sound too great till you realize ''each arrow is ~~it's~~ own weapon'' so you can reroll '''all''' your attack rolls which more than makes up for your terrible base attack bonus (and many penalties from TWFing with ~~rapid shot~~). Combined these can get a bit unwieldy during actual play though, as you can be rolling to-hit 10 times or even more ''every turn'' and as order is actually important you can't roll them all at once (A sane GM will let you roll different colored d20 for the initial attacks, but this doesn't solve the reroll issue). Plus all you'll ever do in combat is full attack.		There is a [[prestige class]] for the Soulknife called the Soulbow in Complete Psionics, and notoriously one of the few decent things in a book full of crap (which is why Wizards of the Coast [http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20060403a&page=2 chose to release it for free as a preview]). It allows you to create arrows just like you create your knifes and shoot people with it from a safe(r) distance. This sounds meh... until you realize that while in combination with Zen Archery WIS is pretty much the only stat you need for this prestige class but it does zero good for your levels of Soulknife, your bow kind of sucks (a regular composite longbow that cannot be upgraded), the upgrades for your arrows just kind of stop at a certain level, and Phase Arrow (shoot through pretty much anything) is not really worth it. There's a few thing that make it far and away better than the base classes though. Firstly because you only need one hand to shoot a mind arrow you can use two-weapon fighting and rapid shot to spam a lot of attacks a turn. Lastly, one of the abilities you can add to your arrows is ''Lucky'', for a mere +1 bonus. Lucky lets you reroll an attack with that weapon once per day, which doesn't sound too great till you realize ''each arrow is its own weapon'' so you can reroll '''all''' your attack rolls which more than makes up for your terrible base attack bonus (and many penalties from TWFing with Rapid Shot). Combined these can get a bit unwieldy during actual play though, as you can be rolling to-hit 10 times or even more ''every turn'' and as order is actually important you can't roll them all at once (A sane GM will let you roll different colored d20 for the initial attacks, but this doesn't solve the reroll issue). Plus all you'll ever do in combat is full attack.

	In short, the only two ways that a Soulknife can kinds work is either as a Fighter but worse (far less attack feats and such), or as a knife-throwing machine that'll fold like wet paper when hit and wastes everyone's time with a ton of die rolls. Which is sad, because its concept is very fun.		In short, the only two ways that a Soulknife can kinds work is either as a Fighter but worse (far less attack feats and such), or as a knife-throwing machine that'll fold like wet paper when hit and wastes everyone's time with a ton of die rolls. Which is sad, because its concept is very fun.
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	At level 11, it grants the feature ''Spectral Blades''. Once during your turn, you can choose to forego one unarmed strike in place of forcing a creature within the reach of that attack to make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed saving throw, it takes your unarmed strike's damage, or half that damage if it succeeds.		At level 11, it grants the feature ''Spectral Blades''. Once during your turn, you can choose to forego one unarmed strike in place of forcing a creature within the reach of that attack to make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed saving throw, it takes your unarmed strike's damage, or half that damage if it succeeds.

	Finally, at level 17, it grants the feature ''Psychic Form'', which lets you use a bonus action to transform into a being of pure psionic energy for one minute, which you can do once per long rest. In this ~~staet~~, you have Resistance (All Damage), Fly (30 feet), and the ability to pass through solid objects, but not end your movement within them.		Finally, at level 17, it grants the feature ''Psychic Form'', which lets you use a bonus action to transform into a being of pure psionic energy for one minute, which you can do once per long rest. In this state, you have Resistance (All Damage), Fly (30 feet), and the ability to pass through solid objects, but not end your movement within them.

	===The Final Version===		===The Final Version===
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	==Pathfinder==		==Pathfinder==
	With the advent of Dreamscarred Press' Psionics line, the psionics system of the D20 system got a major overhaul and improvement. As a side effect, the Soulknife became a lot better and more fun to play. For starters, the Mind Blade itself can be either two light weapons perfect for throwing, a one-handed weapon to use with a shield or a two-handed weapon for extra damage (note that the Half-Giant from the same book can Mind Blades that are one size larger than he is thanks to their special features). On top of that, the Mind Blade can be either Slashing, Piercing or Bludgeoning so you can make a SOUL HAMMER. The blade also remembers this when it vanishes, and reshaping it takes a single full round. The blade enhancements have also been revamped: the increased damage enhancement and special effect tracts have been combined, starting at 3rd level and increasing to a total pool of +9 at level 19. Reshaping the blade requires ~~either an 8 hour rest or~~ concentrating for 8 hours, so make sure to plan ahead. Psychic Strike still works more or less the same, except both blades have the same enhancement if you have two of them, the effect only triggers when you want to and affects all creatures with an Int score (so suck it, [[vampire]]s!) and it can be charged with a Psionic Focus. Throw Mind Blade and Quick Draw are still there, and the capstone ability, making it very difficult to lose your Mind Blade to anti-psionics effects, is a bit lacking. At least you get to reconfigure your blade in a full-round action instead of 8 hours.		With the advent of Dreamscarred Press' Psionics line, the psionics system of the D20 system got a major overhaul and improvement. As a side effect, the Soulknife became a lot better and more fun to play. For starters, the Mind Blade itself can be either two light weapons perfect for throwing, a one-handed weapon to use with a shield or a two-handed weapon for extra damage (note that the Half-Giant from the same book can Mind Blades that are one size larger than he is thanks to their special features). On top of that, the Mind Blade can be either Slashing, Piercing or Bludgeoning so you can make a SOUL HAMMER. The blade also remembers this when it vanishes, and reshaping it takes a single full round. The blade enhancements have also been revamped: the increased damage enhancement and special effect tracts have been combined, starting at 3rd level and increasing to a total pool of +9 at level 19. Reshaping the blade's enhancements requires concentrating for 8 hours outside of normal rest, so make sure to plan ahead. Psychic Strike still works more or less the same, except both blades have the same enhancement if you have two of them, the effect only triggers when you want to and affects all creatures with an Int score (so suck it, [[vampire]]s!) and it can be charged with a Psionic Focus. Throw Mind Blade and Quick Draw are still there, and the capstone ability, making it very difficult to lose your Mind Blade to anti-psionics effects, is a bit lacking. At least you get to reconfigure your blade with a full-round action instead of 8 hours.

	New to the Pathfinder version are the Blade Skills, gained at every even level. These are the special tricks you see on several Pathfinder classes, like the [[Barbarian]] and [[Rogue]]. These grant a variety of bonuses improving your Mind Blade and how you use it. Possible bonuses include elemental damage, Reach, Trip, more Psionic Charges, 5-foot steps and even the ability to expend your Psychic Strike to stop any spell, power, SLA or PLA thrown at you (but not Supernatural Abilities), letting you slap aside Fireballs, ~~Disintegration~~, Meteor ~~Swarm~~ and what have you. Some of ~~thse~~ are far better than others, but there's enough good stuff in there.		New to the Pathfinder version are the Blade Skills, gained at every even level. These are the special tricks you see on several Pathfinder classes, like the [[Barbarian]] and [[Rogue]]. These grant a variety of bonuses improving your Mind Blade and how you use it. Possible bonuses include elemental damage, Reach, Trip, more Psionic Charges, 5-foot steps and even the ability to expend your Psychic Strike to stop any spell, power, SLA or PLA thrown at you (but not Supernatural Abilities), letting you slap aside Fireballs, Disintegrates, Meteor Swarms and what have you. Some of these are far better than others, but there's enough good stuff in there.

	The Soulknife also gets a number of Archetypes. These include Armored and Shielded Blade (create armor and a shield just like a Mind Blade at the cost of making your weapon less powerful; use both for some stellar AC at low levels), Cutthroat (Sneak Attack instead of Psychic Strike, also more sneaky abilities), Deadly Fist (supercharged fists), Nimble Blade (get the most out of a Dex-build Soulknife) and the Soulbolt (the Mind Blade becomes a blast of energy instead, ~~basicly~~ Soulbow that works). Of particular note are a pair of archetypes that entirely replace Psychic Strike: The Gifted Blade archetype, which gives you Paladin/Ranger tier psionic manifesting, and War Soul, which gives you access to [[The Book of Weeaboo Fightan Magic]] and the ability to turn your mind blades into working guns.		The Soulknife also gets a number of Archetypes. These include Armored and Shielded Blade (create armor and a shield just like a Mind Blade at the cost of making your weapon less powerful; use both for some stellar AC at low levels), Cutthroat (Sneak Attack instead of Psychic Strike, also more sneaky abilities), Deadly Fist (supercharged fists), Nimble Blade (get the most out of a Dex-build Soulknife) and the Soulbolt (the Mind Blade becomes a blast of energy instead, basically Soulbow that works). Of particular note are a pair of archetypes that entirely replace Psychic Strike: The Gifted Blade archetype, which gives you Paladin/Ranger tier psionic manifesting, and War Soul, which gives you access to [[The Book of Weeaboo Fightan Magic]] and the ability to turn your mind blades into working guns.

	Overall, Pathfinder's Soulknife is a lot more fun to play with a lot more options, meaning that your KNIFE MIND ATTACK is actually useful instead of a novelty. Still, it's kinda lacking in versatility and still only [[Tier System\|Tier 4]]. Warsoul or Gifted Blade raise it to a tier 3.		Overall, Pathfinder's Soulknife is a lot more fun to play with a lot more options, meaning that your KNIFE MIND ATTACK is actually useful instead of a novelty. Still, it's kinda lacking in versatility and still only [[Tier System\|Tier 4]]. Warsoul or Gifted Blade raise it to a tier 3.

Soulknife - Revision history

imported>Administrator: 48 revisions imported

imported>Administrator: 1 revision imported

1d4chan>Slipmcripfist: direct link

1d4chan>ThatOneBruvva: /* Pathfinder */

84.251.253.154: A bunch of minor spelling mistakes and a few bigger errors. For example, the reshaping: "To do so, she must first spend 8 hours in concentration. These cannot be the normal 8 hours used for rest, even if the soulknife does not require sleep."

1d4chan>Skadooshbag: /* The Final Version */ You're meant to *remove* text you're editing, not slash it out.

1d4chan>Hypercarrot at 01:54, 12 August 2022

1d4chan>Skadooshbag: /* 5th Edition */

1d4chan>Skadooshbag: /* 5th Edition */ in hindsight, "launching" a fireball at someone implies you were aiming at them

1d4chan>Skadooshbag: /* 5th Edition */

1d4chan>Skadooshbag: /* The Final Version / You're meant to remove* text you're editing, not slash it out.