blargney the second said:
Unless you're in a really really REALLY high-powered game, I'd recommend against taking Deep Impact to use with maneuvers. They're so strong together that you're liable to irk everybody else at the table.
I'd suggest a halfway point between your two options: Swordsage 8/Psychic Warrior 2. Race can be whatever you feel like at that point. Initiator level of 9 means you get access to 5th level maneuvers.
For feats, skip EWP(katana) and just grab a greatsword. Also, consider taking Psionic Meditation instead of Instant Clarity. You'll have more move actions available than swift actions, and the 3/day limit on IC is irritating. I'd also suggest replacing Sudden Recovery with Cleave.
-blarg
Keep in mind that Deep Impact is more useful with high-level maneuvers, not the mid-level and low-level ones he's going to have access to. He won't really outclass any decent barbarian at damage output (and certainly not even come close in durability), though he'll hit harder on the first round and get worse from there.
For the OP:
I'd suggest either Swordsage 5/Psychic Warrior 5, or Swordsage 5/Psychic Warrior 2/Fighter 2/War Mind 1, or Swordsage 5/Psychic Warrior 2/Fighter 2/Psion 1, or Swordsage 4/Psychic Warrior 2/Fighter 4, or Swordsage 5/Psychic Warrior 3/Fighter 2, or Swordsage 9/Psychic Warrior 1. As a Human. Figure out whether you want feats the most, or BAB, or HP, or saving throws.
The first is well-balanced between the two, gives you a decent number of power points and psionic powers, and a decent number of feats, with an initiator level of 7, sufficient for 4th-level maneuvers (same as your original combo). It gives the worst BAB, though, of only +6/+1. Your saving throws will all be very decent, but none great (+5 each). You'll have roughly a dozen power points, give or take a few, enough to manifest Vigor and something else (like an augmented Offensive Precognition, or Expansion) in more or less every battle.
The second gives you slightly better BAB (+7/+2) and hit points, five or so fewer power points, one or two less powers known (no biggie), and an extra feat. Good Fortitude.
The third and fourth versions will optimize your number of feats, with a +6 or +8 BAB depending on which version. More HP with the fourth version, more powers with the third version.
The fifth version will get you a +7 BAB, good HP though not as great as a pure Fighter, a good but not great number of bonus feats, and decent power points, leaving you within 2 levels of getting another PW bonus feat or Ftr bonus feat (or of getting 5th-level maneuvers). A good, well-rounded choice, but not the best in any one regard.
The last version gets you Evasion (9th-level Swordsage) and a Defensive Stance benefit, and the Sense Magic ability, with minimal psionic ability but enough to use the psionic feats you need. You get only one bonus feat this way (aside from the human bonus feat of course), but have 5th-level maneuvers. Your Reflex + Evasion will be handy against spellcasters and stuff, while your Fortitude will be decent and your Will pretty good (especially with a good Wisdom). But, your BAB will only be +6.
Frankly, 5th-level maneuvers and stances aren't that good. There are a few really worthwhile ones, but the rest are either very situational or very disappointing for their level. Whatever way you go, I suggest making your Swordsage levels (except the 1st one) be the last levels you take in the build; that way your initiator level will be higher each time you take the SS levels, for purposes of picking maneuvers/stances to learn.
Personally, I'd go Swordsage 4/Psychic Warrior 2/Fighter 4. I'd make the 2nd PW level the last level gained, in order to use its bonus feat to acquire Melee Weapon Mastery from the Player's Handbook II (trust me, it works according to the wording of the PW's bonus feat selection, just look at the book or the SRD). Your fighter levels will qualify you for it, and you'll just barely have the +8 BAB needed for it. +2 to attack and damage will be handy.
Or you can take the Swordsage levels last, except for the 1st one, in order to get a 3rd-level stance as your second stance learned. Then you'll at least qualify to take Melee Weapon Mastery as your later, 12th-level feat. Regardless, the advancement should start as swordsage 1, then psychic warrior 1, then fighter 1-4, then back to swordsage or psychic warrior.
Feat-wise, with this build you could get....Weapon Focus (swordsage Discipline Focus bonus feat), Adaptive Style (human bonus feat), Vital Recovery (1st-level), Psionic Weapon (psychic warrior 1 bonus feat), Power Attack (fighter 1 bonus feat), Sudden Recovery (3rd-level), Improved Initiative (fighter 2 bonus feat), Weapon Specialization (fighter 4 bonus feat), Instant Clarity or Psionic Meditation (6th-level, you'll probably need to spend a few fighter skill points cross-class to qualify for it though), Deep Impact (9th-level), and Melee Weapon Mastery (psychic warrior 2 bonus feat).
You could replace Sudden Recovery with Cleave, Extra Readied Maneuver, Skill Focus (Concentration), Psionic Talent, Speed of Thought, or Exotic Weapon Proficiency. The latter should only be used if you 1) would rather use a katana/bastard sword instead of a greatsword, 2) don't mind the reduced damage output from doing so (including the no-two-handed-increase-strength-bonus and no-doubling-of-power-attack-bonus), and 3) want to use a shield for better AC. If you aren't fine with all three of those, don't bother. Just use a greatsword/nodachi if you won't at least take full advantage of the one-handed katana EWP.
Since you'll be using Deep Impact, Greater Psionic Weapon isn't worthwhile (you'd have to give up MWM or DI for that, anyway). You couldn't use it at the same time, and Instant Clarity can only be used a few times per day, unlike Psionic Meditation.
