Halivar
First Post
I know this class has probably been hashed and rehashed a thousand times, but since I'm too poor to afford extra modules I've never seen them. This is an amalgamation of a paladin and a psychic warrior. Feel free to correct/critique this class!
This is my second attempt at a custom class. Many years ago, I coded on a MUD where it was my responsibility to put in psionics. I made a psionic character, hacked his pfile and gave him weapon and armor proficiency, and RP'd him as a paladin. It was by far and away to best and most fun roleplaying I have ever participated in, and I became enamored with the idea of a psionic paladin ever since.
Psi-Knight
The psi-knight, like the paladin, is a force for truth and justice. Unlike the paladin, however, their extraordinairey power does not spring from divine agency, but rather the inborn will and determination to win over evil. This extreme willpower grants the psi-knight inherint psionic abilities.
Adventures: Psi-knights view adventures much like paladins do: as quests. For the psi-knight, each quest is a test of his or her willpower. The psi-knight will constantly seek challenges that make other men tremble. For the psi-knight, true victory is meeting your foe with iron determination, and crushing evil with the raw willpower of the righteous.
Characteristics: To those who don't know better, psi-knights have every outward appearance of being paladins. Many of their inherint abilities mimic the divine abilities of paladins. Psi-knights, however, do not channel positive energy, and thus have no special powers over undead.
Alignment: Psi-knights must be lawful good. Straying from this alignment means a lack of commitment on the psi-knight's part, and is indicative of a lack of will necessary to access their mental powers. Staying in line with this alignment always requires adopting a personal code of ethics much akin to those of paladins.
Religion: Psi-knights may worship (or not worship) as they wish, so long as their chosen deity does not conflict with the alignment requirements of the psi-knight. Psi-knights often prefer lawful deities (e.g. Heironeous or St. Cuthbert from GH), but also often follow good ones (e.g. Pelor from GH).
Background: Just as psionic powers are latently available to all people, so, too, is the capability to use that latent power to become a psi-knight. This is a distinction from paladins, who must be born with latent divine abilities. They may train in academies or monestaries to better understand their abilities, but most often the psi-knight learns through real-life challenges.
Races: Races that make good paladins also make good psi-knights.
Other Classes: Psi-knights take questing very seriously. They will prefer not to travel with others who lack moral constancy or doubt the group's ability to win. They are usually as charismatic as paladins, but are still mostly focused on the inward struggle to remain strong and sharp in the face of danger. Some might call them downright anti-social. Of course, the average is not the rule. Charismatic psi-knights can also inspire others into the same determined will to survive that they themselves have. Note that psi-knights have the same multi-class restrictions paladins do.
Abilities: Psi-knights manifest psionic powers as psychic warriors do, but delayed four levels. Thus, strength makes a good prime stat, as it enhances both fighting ability and psychometabolic powers. Charisma is also a big one, since many class abilities depend on charisma. Of course, each stat increases different psionic powers, so it's hard to go wrong.
Hit Die: d10
Class Skills
The psi-knights class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Autohypnosis* (Wis), Concentration *(Con), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Ride (Dex), Stabilize Self* (Str). See Chapter 4 of the Player's Handbook for more information; for skills marked (*) see Chapter 2 of the Psionics Handbook.
Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features for the psi-knight.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Psi-knights are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all types of armor, and with shields.
Detect Thoughts: The psi-knight can cast detect thoughts as a spell-like ability. It duplicates the effects of the psionic power detect thoughts.
Power Surge: A psi-knight can, through raw inner strength, increase their potency in combat. Each day they can increase their Strength and Consitution by their Charisma modifier (if positive) for a number of rounds equal to their class level. Note that this gives the psi-knight a boost of hit-points equal to their charisma modifier times their class level. This is a psionic, not divine ability, and is thus negated by a null psionics field.
Aura of Courage: As the paladin ability, except it is psionic, not divine. Thus it is negated by a null psionics field.
Determined Strike: Once per day, a psi-knight of 2nd level or higher may put all their mental effort into a single melee attack. They add their Charisma modifier (if positive) to their attack roll, and their class level to damage. The Charisma modifier does not stack with the Charisma modifier from power surge. Note that this is not an extraordinairey ability, and is not negated by a null psionics field.
Psionic Combat Modes: As a psychic fighter (see Chapter 1 of the Psionics Manual for ability description).
Special Mount: At any given time, a psi-knight may attune himself to any one rideable animal. This animal immediately takes on the characteristics of a paladin's mount. If the mount dies or the psi-knight breaks mental contact, he must wait a week before attuning himself to another mount.
Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special
1 +1 +2 +0 +2 Power surge, Psionic combat mode
2 +2 +3 +0 +3 Aura of Courage, determined strike
3 +3 +3 +1 +3 Detect thoughts 1/day, psionic combat mode
4 +4 +4 +1 +4
5 +5 +4 +1 +4 Special mount
6 +6 +5 +2 +5
7 +7 +5 +2 +5 Detect thoughts 2/day, psionic combat mode
8 +8 +6 +2 +6
9 +9 +6 +3 +6 Psionic combat mode
10 +10 +7 +3 +7 Psionic combat mode
11 +11 +7 +3 +7 Detect thoughts 3/day
12 +12 +8 +4 +8 Psionic combat mode
13 +13 +8 +4 +8 Psionic combat mode
14 +14 +9 +4 +9
15 +15 +9 +5 +9 Detect thoughts 4/day, psionic combat mode
16 +16 +10 +5 +10 Psionic combat mode
17 +17 +10 +5 +10
18 +18 +11 +6 +11 Psionic combat mode
19 +19 +11 +6 +11 Detect thoughts 5/day
20 +20 +12 +6 +12
Powers discovered
Level Pts/day 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 --
2 2 --
3 2 --
4 2 2 --
5 3 3 --
6 4 3 1 --
7 5 3 2 --
8 8 3 3 1 --
9 11 3 3 2 --
10 16 3 3 2 1 --
11 21 3 3 3 1 --
12 26 3 3 3 2 --
13 33 3 3 3 2 1 --
14 40 3 3 3 3 1 --
15 47 3 3 3 3 2 --
16 56 3 3 3 3 2 1 --
17 65 3 3 3 3 3 1 --
18 74 3 3 3 3 3 2 --
19 85 3 3 3 3 3 2 1
20 96 3 3 3 3 3 3 1
Notes:
Stacked up against the Paladin:
PROS:
- Two strong saves
- Detect evil replaced by detect thoughts, a higher level spell
- Lay on hands replacement power surge more useful in combat
- Smite evil replacement determined strike has no alignment restriction
- Special mount is more versatile
CONS:
- No channeling of positive energy
- No divine grace
- No divine health
- No remove disease
- Detect evil replacement detect thoughts is limited in usage and comes later
- Lay on hands replacement power surge only provides temporary hit-points and only works on the psi-knight himself.
- Most buffs are completely negated by a null psionics field
Stacked up against the Psychic Warrior:
PROS:
- Better BAB (fighter instead of rogue)
- More hit points (d10 instead of d8)
- Lots of front-loaded goodies
- Two strong saves
CONS:
- No psionic talents until level 4 (BIG con)
- No bonus feats
This is my second attempt at a custom class. Many years ago, I coded on a MUD where it was my responsibility to put in psionics. I made a psionic character, hacked his pfile and gave him weapon and armor proficiency, and RP'd him as a paladin. It was by far and away to best and most fun roleplaying I have ever participated in, and I became enamored with the idea of a psionic paladin ever since.
Psi-Knight
The psi-knight, like the paladin, is a force for truth and justice. Unlike the paladin, however, their extraordinairey power does not spring from divine agency, but rather the inborn will and determination to win over evil. This extreme willpower grants the psi-knight inherint psionic abilities.
Adventures: Psi-knights view adventures much like paladins do: as quests. For the psi-knight, each quest is a test of his or her willpower. The psi-knight will constantly seek challenges that make other men tremble. For the psi-knight, true victory is meeting your foe with iron determination, and crushing evil with the raw willpower of the righteous.
Characteristics: To those who don't know better, psi-knights have every outward appearance of being paladins. Many of their inherint abilities mimic the divine abilities of paladins. Psi-knights, however, do not channel positive energy, and thus have no special powers over undead.
Alignment: Psi-knights must be lawful good. Straying from this alignment means a lack of commitment on the psi-knight's part, and is indicative of a lack of will necessary to access their mental powers. Staying in line with this alignment always requires adopting a personal code of ethics much akin to those of paladins.
Religion: Psi-knights may worship (or not worship) as they wish, so long as their chosen deity does not conflict with the alignment requirements of the psi-knight. Psi-knights often prefer lawful deities (e.g. Heironeous or St. Cuthbert from GH), but also often follow good ones (e.g. Pelor from GH).
Background: Just as psionic powers are latently available to all people, so, too, is the capability to use that latent power to become a psi-knight. This is a distinction from paladins, who must be born with latent divine abilities. They may train in academies or monestaries to better understand their abilities, but most often the psi-knight learns through real-life challenges.
Races: Races that make good paladins also make good psi-knights.
Other Classes: Psi-knights take questing very seriously. They will prefer not to travel with others who lack moral constancy or doubt the group's ability to win. They are usually as charismatic as paladins, but are still mostly focused on the inward struggle to remain strong and sharp in the face of danger. Some might call them downright anti-social. Of course, the average is not the rule. Charismatic psi-knights can also inspire others into the same determined will to survive that they themselves have. Note that psi-knights have the same multi-class restrictions paladins do.
Abilities: Psi-knights manifest psionic powers as psychic warriors do, but delayed four levels. Thus, strength makes a good prime stat, as it enhances both fighting ability and psychometabolic powers. Charisma is also a big one, since many class abilities depend on charisma. Of course, each stat increases different psionic powers, so it's hard to go wrong.
Hit Die: d10
Class Skills
The psi-knights class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Autohypnosis* (Wis), Concentration *(Con), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Ride (Dex), Stabilize Self* (Str). See Chapter 4 of the Player's Handbook for more information; for skills marked (*) see Chapter 2 of the Psionics Handbook.
Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features for the psi-knight.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Psi-knights are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all types of armor, and with shields.
Detect Thoughts: The psi-knight can cast detect thoughts as a spell-like ability. It duplicates the effects of the psionic power detect thoughts.
Power Surge: A psi-knight can, through raw inner strength, increase their potency in combat. Each day they can increase their Strength and Consitution by their Charisma modifier (if positive) for a number of rounds equal to their class level. Note that this gives the psi-knight a boost of hit-points equal to their charisma modifier times their class level. This is a psionic, not divine ability, and is thus negated by a null psionics field.
Aura of Courage: As the paladin ability, except it is psionic, not divine. Thus it is negated by a null psionics field.
Determined Strike: Once per day, a psi-knight of 2nd level or higher may put all their mental effort into a single melee attack. They add their Charisma modifier (if positive) to their attack roll, and their class level to damage. The Charisma modifier does not stack with the Charisma modifier from power surge. Note that this is not an extraordinairey ability, and is not negated by a null psionics field.
Psionic Combat Modes: As a psychic fighter (see Chapter 1 of the Psionics Manual for ability description).
Special Mount: At any given time, a psi-knight may attune himself to any one rideable animal. This animal immediately takes on the characteristics of a paladin's mount. If the mount dies or the psi-knight breaks mental contact, he must wait a week before attuning himself to another mount.
Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special
1 +1 +2 +0 +2 Power surge, Psionic combat mode
2 +2 +3 +0 +3 Aura of Courage, determined strike
3 +3 +3 +1 +3 Detect thoughts 1/day, psionic combat mode
4 +4 +4 +1 +4
5 +5 +4 +1 +4 Special mount
6 +6 +5 +2 +5
7 +7 +5 +2 +5 Detect thoughts 2/day, psionic combat mode
8 +8 +6 +2 +6
9 +9 +6 +3 +6 Psionic combat mode
10 +10 +7 +3 +7 Psionic combat mode
11 +11 +7 +3 +7 Detect thoughts 3/day
12 +12 +8 +4 +8 Psionic combat mode
13 +13 +8 +4 +8 Psionic combat mode
14 +14 +9 +4 +9
15 +15 +9 +5 +9 Detect thoughts 4/day, psionic combat mode
16 +16 +10 +5 +10 Psionic combat mode
17 +17 +10 +5 +10
18 +18 +11 +6 +11 Psionic combat mode
19 +19 +11 +6 +11 Detect thoughts 5/day
20 +20 +12 +6 +12
Powers discovered
Level Pts/day 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 --
2 2 --
3 2 --
4 2 2 --
5 3 3 --
6 4 3 1 --
7 5 3 2 --
8 8 3 3 1 --
9 11 3 3 2 --
10 16 3 3 2 1 --
11 21 3 3 3 1 --
12 26 3 3 3 2 --
13 33 3 3 3 2 1 --
14 40 3 3 3 3 1 --
15 47 3 3 3 3 2 --
16 56 3 3 3 3 2 1 --
17 65 3 3 3 3 3 1 --
18 74 3 3 3 3 3 2 --
19 85 3 3 3 3 3 2 1
20 96 3 3 3 3 3 3 1
Notes:
Stacked up against the Paladin:
PROS:
- Two strong saves
- Detect evil replaced by detect thoughts, a higher level spell
- Lay on hands replacement power surge more useful in combat
- Smite evil replacement determined strike has no alignment restriction
- Special mount is more versatile
CONS:
- No channeling of positive energy
- No divine grace
- No divine health
- No remove disease
- Detect evil replacement detect thoughts is limited in usage and comes later
- Lay on hands replacement power surge only provides temporary hit-points and only works on the psi-knight himself.
- Most buffs are completely negated by a null psionics field
Stacked up against the Psychic Warrior:
PROS:
- Better BAB (fighter instead of rogue)
- More hit points (d10 instead of d8)
- Lots of front-loaded goodies
- Two strong saves
CONS:
- No psionic talents until level 4 (BIG con)
- No bonus feats
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