D&D 3E/3.5 3.5 Soulknife - Does it need a power point reserve?

[Runestar]

This seems a little unfair. A human soulknife will have just 2PP, and if he gets drained of his PP due to some poison or attack, he cannot manifest his mindblade until he rests for the day?

I can see how this might make sense (after all, you do need at least 1PP to maintain a psionic focus). But is it possible that the intent was simply that you needed the psionic subtype to manifest a mindblade?

 

[irdeggman]

This seems a little unfair. A human soulknife will have just 2PP, and if he gets drained of his PP due to some poison or attack, he cannot manifest his mindblade until he rests for the day?

I can see how this might make sense (after all, you do need at least 1PP to maintain a psionic focus). But is it possible that the intent was simply that you needed the psionic subtype to manifest a mindblade?

Same thing happens if a spellcaster has his spell slots drained (or ability damage). If a spellcaster has his prime ability score lowered he is limited to the level of spell he can cast. {Ray of Stupidity anyone}

The biggest issue is for a multiclass manifester/soulknife. They have to keep track to ensure they do not use up all of their pps when manifesting.

 

[Set]

Tangental question;

Is there an arcane (non-psionic) Soulknife option?

Perhaps one that, instead of Wild Talent, has to have at least some magical talent left unused to manifest their 'mage blades.' (A Gnome would auto-qualify, since they have SLAs. Other core races would need to pick up one of those feats from Complete Arcane that grants three related SLAs usable once / day each (Communicator, Night Haunt, etc), or something similar.)

 

[Jeff Wilder]

"This substitution feature replaces the standard soulknife's free Wild Talent feat. Since all Kalashtar gain power points for free, the character does not need this feat to matierialize his mind blade."

I think the text here pushes over the "intent" of the Wild Talent feat text for the souldknife class.

I disagree. It remains ambiguous, at best. This is just pointing out that, by virtue of receiving PP, a kalashtar is a psionic character.

Not to mention that the intent of the writer of the substitution level entry means absolutely nothing when it comes to showing the intent of the soulknife writer. The substitute level designer could be confused by the extraneous text in the soulknife entry, also.

BTW, for those who think a PP reserver is needed: what's your explanation for why the text disappeared between 3.0 and 3.5? Forgetting to remove text is an easy mistake to make. Removing a relevant section of text is much more rare.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

It remains ambiguous, at best. This is just pointing out that, by virtue of receiving PP, a kalashtar is a psionic character.

If that was merely the intent, then there is no need for the substitution level to eliminate Wild Talent.

BTW, for those who think a PP reserver is needed: what's your explanation for why the text disappeared between 3.0 and 3.5? Forgetting to remove text is an easy mistake to make. Removing a relevant section of text is much more rare.

Now you're just opening a can of hurt.

I asked in a different forum why the designers ADDED language in the 3.5 PHB that explicitly says that fists are natural weapons (in more than one location, BTW)*, language that is echoed in other 3.5 products. In each case you find, that language was absent from the equivalent text in the 3.0 PHB, yet despite this, people insist that fists are not natural weapons.

For example:

SRD
Magic fang gives one natural weapon of the subject a +1 enhancement bonus on attack and damage rolls. The spell can affect a slam attack, fist, bite, or other natural weapon. (The spell does not change an unarmed strike’s damage from nonlethal damage to lethal damage.)

The answer is, again, the designers are notoriously imprecise in their use of language.

* Again, I'm admittedly in the minority- I see this as intentional, others see this as an error. Its a strange error, though, that gets entire phrases routinely and consistently added to text.

 

[irdeggman]

I disagree. It remains ambiguous, at best. This is just pointing out that, by virtue of receiving PP, a kalashtar is a psionic character.

Not to mention that the intent of the writer of the substitution level entry means absolutely nothing when it comes to showing the intent of the soulknife writer. The substitute level designer could be confused by the extraneous text in the soulknife entry, also.

BTW, for those who think a PP reserver is needed: what's your explanation for why the text disappeared between 3.0 and 3.5? Forgetting to remove text is an easy mistake to make. Removing a relevant section of text is much more rare.

Better question - why was the text left out of the 3.5 DMG (it was in the 3.0 one) describing that Prestige classes do not count for purposes of multi-class penalties?

So using your logic - prestige class must count since taking text out (as in removing it) is much more rare.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

So using your logic - prestige class must count since taking text out (as in removing it) is much more rare.

That's correct, which is why it's been errataed.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

If that was merely the intent, then there is no need for the substitution level to eliminate Wild Talent.

There's no "need" for it, no. I don't know what the actual mechanics of the substitute level are, but it probably adds a little power and/or flavor for specifically-kalashtar soulknives. The purpose of the sub level isn't to remove Wild Talent ... instead the sub level removes an extraneous ability in favor of something else.

yet despite this, people insist that fists are not natural weapons.

In 3.0, you mean? Technically, depending on other definitions and errata/FAQ, they may be right. Which is why that text was specifically added in 3.5, so that what the rules say matches what was intended.

Look, you were talking about the kalashtar sub level. Assume a kalashtar PC takes the sub level. Now ... where in that character's rules-set does it say that a PP reserve is needed to manifest a mind blade?

It doesn't. Because it isn't. In 3.0, a PP reserve was needed. In 3.5, it isn't, probably because -- as someone pointed out -- it is an absolutely trivial matter to drain 1 or 2 PP from an otherwise non-psionic soulknife and completely remove his entire class function. I'd be very surprised if it would take more than a second-level spell or power to do so.

Being able to strip a character's entire concept and combat ability by means of a second-level spell is bad game design. When they realized that, between 3.0 and 3.5, they fixed it, and simply forgot to remove an extraneous phrase when they did it.

 

[krupintupple]

Being able to strip a character's entire concept and combat ability by means of a second-level spell is bad game design.

having no authority whatsoever, i'd probably vote with this answer, and say that it wasn't needed for the class to function, and was merely junk-DNA, or left in for flavour, so they could score psionic feats or something.

 

[irdeggman]

That's correct, which is why it's been errataed.

Where?

Only the FAQ has such addressed it.

It is not in the "errata".