Thoughts on a Soulknife fix

[Risada]

Hey guys!

I've been thinking on doing some kind of Soulknife fix, where it has a PP progression, and can spend some PPs to use his class features... including applying Psychic Strike damage on a full attack, and on higher levels making 2 full attacks (just like Time Stands Still).

Little question: would it be too overpowered if the Soulknife applied his Psychic Strike damage on a full attack, and against creatures immune to mind-affecting abilities?

And you may suggest any other things you think the Soulknife deserves, if you want  

Thanks in advance.

[Solo]

I thought they fixed the Soulknife by giving it's class feature to the Psychic Warrior?

[veekie]

Rogues can do as good, but I think Knife to the Soul might have a problem when you shred someone's mental stats in a quick salvo.

[Rejakor]

Knife To The Soul is dumb.  And even with psychic strike the rest of the class is still boring and unplayable.  Whole thing needs a rewrite.

[zugschef]

I thought they fixed the Soulknife by giving it's class feature to the Psychic Warrior?

this.

just use psychic warrior with the soulbound weapon acf and call it a soulknife. done.

it's like don't play a monk, play an unarmed swordsage.

[Unbeliever]

There's the Shadow Sentinel (Races of Destiny) who can modify his weapon on the fly.  Personally, if I were designing Soulknife I'd do something like that, allow them to determine their weapon's special abilities as needed on the fly.  Kind of like a Kensai + a mini-Artificer.  Although I might not let them do some things like Bane just b/c I'd want to force them to be more creative.

[StreamOfTheSky]

Well for starters, it'd be nice if their ability to free action draw the mind blade allowed infinite draws per turn, so you could actually make a thrower build pre-level 17. 
Could give them Iaijutsu Focus as a class skill and have that be one of their schticks, maybe.

Psychic Strike is dumb, I'd just institute the web article that tades it for bonus feats as the "official" class.  Ditto for the part about getting Hidden Talent instead of Wild Talent.

And yeah, the mind blade needs a better rate of enhancement and special ability progression, a larger list to pick from, and the ability to change it between combats like a ToB adept can change maneuvers readied.

[Solo]

Hidden Talent requires a Cha of at least 11. Not that easy on a MAD melee class... needs to be rectified somehow.

[Kethrian]

Well, I, with help from my group, mocked up a seemingly decent fix.  First, give the soulknife a full BAB progression.  Next, a bonus feat at every 4th level: weapon spec, weapon mastery, greater weapon focus, greater weapon spec, and finally weapon supremacy at 20th, all for just the mind blade.  Then we opened up the list of allowed enhancements to nearly the entire melee list, minus a few such as the shape-changers, throwing, and returning.  Lastly, we took off many level specific class abilities, such as Knife to the Soul and Multiple Throw, and put them on a pickable list, along with some extras based on the abilities of the 2 soulknife prestige classes plus the 2-weapon fighting chain, and let you take one at 7th, then every odd level thereafter to 19.

I'll have to hunt down the notes, and put them up for you to look at.

[Kethrian]

Okay, found my notes:

Soulknife Changes

Full Base Attack Bonus progression, as Fighter

Gain specific bonus feats pertaining to the Mind Blade
Level 4: Weapon Specialization
Level 8: Weapon Mastery (specific to mind blades, whether melee or thrown)
Level 12: Greater Weapon Focus (instead of level 9)
Level 16: Greater Weapon Specialization
Level 20: Weapon Supremacy

Change the special ability enhancements list to anything allowed to a melee weapon, except Sizing, Morphing, Throwing or Changeling properties.  If the enhancement has its cost listed in GP instead of a + bonus, then 6,000gp or less is a +1, 6,001 to 16,000 is +2, 16,001 to 30,000 is +3, 30,001 to 50,000 is +4, and 50,001 to 75,000 is +5.  Anything over 75,000gp would be equivalent to a +6 or greater, and is relegated solely to epic levels.  (calculated using values listed in the Magic Item Compendium).

Remove Multiple Throw, Bladewind, and Knife to the Soul from the standard progression.  Instead, starting at level 7, the Soulknife gains an ability option at every odd level, until 19th level.  Ability options are:
   - Multiple Throw
   - Bladewind
   - Knife to the Soul
   - Extended Throw Range, can be taken multiple times
   - Penetrating Throw
   - Positive Energy Conduit
   - Positive Energy Ray, prerequisite: Positive Energy Conduit
   - Positive Energy Healing, prerequisite: Positive Energy Conduit.  Can be taken multiple times
   - Positive Energy Burst, prerequisite: Positive Energy Conduit, Positive Energy Ray
   - Camouflage (as Ranger ability)
   - Hide in Plain Sight (as Ranger ability), prerequisite: Camouflage
   - Evasion (as Monk ability)
   - Improved Evasion (as Monk ability), prerequisite: Evasion
   - Expanded Shape Mind Blade, can be taken multiple times
   - any Psionic Feat, 2-Weapon Fighting, or any feat with 2-Weapon Fighting as a prerequisite, so long as all prerequisites of the feat are met.

Extended Throw Range: Each time this ability is taken, the range the mind blade can be thrown increases by +50'.  Once this ability has been taken once, ranged weapon enhancements can be taken for the mind blade, except for the Quick Loading, Returning, or Morphing properties.  Any property that is melee only does not apply to thrown attacks, while ranged only will not apply to melee attacks.

Penetrating Throw: Make a single attack that affects all targets in a line, out to 30' plus 50' for each Extended Throw Range.  All bonus damage, such as Psychic Strike or a critical hit, only affect the first target in the line.

Positive Energy Conduit: Psychic Strike deals damage to undead, regardless of its intelligence score.

Positive Energy Ray: Standard action, ranged touch attack 60', deals 1d6 damage per 2 class levels to undead.  Usable once per day per 3 class levels.

Positive Energy Healing: Once per day, as an immediate action, the soulknife heals 3d8+class level HP.  This ability automatically activates if the soulknife is reduced to 0 or less HP, and can prevent death if it heals a sufficient amount of damage to keep the soulknife at -9 HP or higher.

Positive Energy Burst: As a standard action, the soulknife can expend his psionic focus to unleash a burst of positive energy, dealing 1d6 damage per 2 class levels to all undead within 60'.  This uses one of his Positive Energy Rays for the day.

Expanded Shape Mind Blade: The soulknife can choose 3 simple or martial melee weapons to add to his list of shapes available to change his mind blade into, and is proficient with these shapes.  If he has 2 mind blades, each may be shaped separately.

At epic levels, a soulknife can choose to take another ability option instead of an epic feat.