[Psi] Soulknife questions / Soulknife NPC

[Mr.Binx]

The rules are pretty clear that you can't manifest another blade until the first one is dissipated. Check with your DM. See if he/she will let you manifest a second one if your reserve pp is equal to or greater than the following formula:

(reserve pp required to manifest blade) x 1.5

As an alternate rule, you could simply ask your DM if you can take a "Dual Mind Blade" feat using the same formula above as a requirement that allows you to manifest two blades at once. Seems feasible to me, but your DM always gets to have the last word.

===[Mr.Binx]===
"I think, therefore I think I am."

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Can a Soulknife have multiple Mind-Blades in existance at the same time, to use with two-weapon fighting for example?

Yes. Bruce himself said this at www.montecook.com. Why hose your fighting ability? (Or you can email him at bruce@brucecordell.com. Since he wrote the rules...)

Can a Soulknife learn the Improved Critical feat with the Mind-Blade, it is not specifically listed with the power, but Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization are?

Yes. The feat Improved Critical lets you take any weapon. Also, you can use Improved Crit for a short sword, so you can for a mind-blade as well.

What Powers would you choose for a Psychic Warrior 8/Soulknife 6 (11th manifestor level, using the variant PrC from Malhavoc)? I didn't find many useful ones, there.

1 Biofeedback (works very well for CotV)
2 Combat Prescience, Expansion
3 Improved Biofeedback
4 Brittle Psyche (from Dragon 281), Inertial Barrier, Polymorph Self

Anything from the Mind's Eye (www.wizards.com/dnd, look at the newest articles on psionics).

Most of the powers I listed were Psychometabolic - I'm not sure if this is what you wanted.

Feats: Deep Impact (when possible) - because of your low BAB.

If you get money and Polymorph Self, trade out the Skin of the Defender for a Skin of the Hero.

 

[Thanee]

The rules are pretty clear that you can't manifest another blade until the first one is dissipated.

Where are they pretty clear about that? I only find, that you can simply manifest a new one, when the first one disspated, but not, that you can only do it then.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Mr.Binx]

My bad, Thanee. I was running on the assumption that the information posted in this thread by mindwarp was concise. <*hanging head in shame*> I do apologize. I just got home and now have access to The Psionics Handbook. It only states that the blade dissipates the moment you relinquish your grip. It does not actually state anywhere that there is a limit to how many mindblades you can have at one time. So it looks to be that you can have as many mindblades as you have hands. The section also specifically states that you can use certain feats with the knife, but does not specifically say that you are unable to use any other weapon-specific feats (such as improved critical). For those of you that say you can't use improved critical because it doesn't say you can, I do point out that nowhere in the description of the Soulknife class features does it say that you can't. Also, as a fun sidenote, it does not say that a soulknife actually has proficiency in their own blade either, though I'm pretty sure that's implied by the class name.

Note: I'm new to these forums so bear with me as my sig stabilizes.

 

[warpmind]

Hey Binx: Your logic supposing Improved Critical a possible choice for the Mind-Blade has surprised me.

¿Should I then cast maximized fireballs with the Imps that my players are facing? I've read through the Imp description and I've read nothing that impedes him from using "maximized fireballs at will"... I (and I expect you too, for the sake of Pelor) suppose they CAN'T do that (unless you give him Sorcerer levels or whatever...). Their spell list only mentions some other spell but they're not examples BUT the only spells they can cast.

Personally (and as an example), I suppose the soulknife is NOT necessarily profient with mind-blade use (conjuring a weapon doesn't make you automatically profient with it), but it usually is as most times have levels of fighter, rogue or the like. More: I think the true problem comes when the blade grows into a longsword which is martial and few classes have it in their "Weapon Proficiency" entry. But this is only an opinion, my personal opinion. You can like it or not but I don't say it's the way it has to be.

All of us use home rules (as that exposed above and many others) but please don't assume that a PC can do something just because "nowhere in the text says I can't".

I find it good if anyone thinks Imp. Crit. can be used. It's logical. ¿Why shouldn't it? I would use it in my own campaigns, but don't take it as "written" or "official" or whatever because it's not.

 

[Thanee]

Well, there are a few hints in the rules, that Improved Critical might be useable (there are no such hints about the imps throwing maximized fireballs ).

Improved Critical can be chosen with any weapon you are proficient with.

The Mind-Blade is like a short sword and should therefore be a martial weapon.

A Psychic Warrior (for example) is proficient with all martial weapons.

It's just not very clear...

I will allow it, since pretty much everyone here agrees with it and there is just no good reason to not allow it.

Bye
Thanee

 

[AGGEMAM]

¿ ... ?

Are you by any chance native to spanish or italien?

 

[warpmind]

You're right AGGEMAM: Spanish, from Barcelona. Sorry about it . Still learning!

 

[Zhure]

From the Malhavoc press Psionic Prestige classes: "Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Soulknives are proficient with light armor but not with shields. They are profi-cient with short swords and with their mind-blades"

I allow Soulknives to upgrade weapon focus with shortsword (and weapon specialization) to their mindblades on any level they gain a +1 to their BAB (see S&F for the rationalization).

It's possible to take gain weapon specialization with "mindblade" but to do it strictly by the rules is rough. 4 levels of Psion, then 1 level of Soulknife, the 6 levels of Psychic warrior (take Weapon Focus: Mindblade at the first PsyWar level), then 9 more levels of Soulknife.

Doing it this way almost isn't worth it since it takes until character level 11 levels to get specialization.

I also recommend PBS and Far Shot for Soulknives for when they can throw the mindblade it becomes really dangerous.
Greg

 

[Thanee]

Psion?

Why not just start with Psychic Warrior and move straight towards Soulknife, the same way I did with the NPC above?

I think Soulknife (and Slayer) are more Psychic Warrior oriented PrC, while Metamind and Pyro... are better suited for the Psion. Doesn't mean you can't do it the other way around, but they seem to be designed with those classes in mind.

Bye
Thanee