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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Arkhandus" data-source="post: 3508648" data-attributes="member: 13966">Alright, I concede I did skip over the mind blade limitation you added in somewhere, and I skimmed over the profs and thought they resembles the ranger's or rogue's.  However.1) ranged abilities aren't so limited when they qualify to take the Psionic Shot feat chain in addition to the normal ranged attack feat chain, using a heavy crossbow or something else.2) yeah it really does encourage multiclassing 1 level into Fighter or Psychic Warrior for expanded proficiencies, another bonus feat, or a nice psionic boost.  That's not really a good thing, and yet, it eliminates much of the problem.  1 level dip into either of those jacks up his armor and weapon proficiencies and nabs him another handy feat, like Psionic Weapon or whatever.  Since this guy is gonna save money on his main melee weapon, he can easily afford a good bow after his 1-level-dip into Ftr or PsyWar.3) Yes the base class only has WF and GWF to make up for its medium BAB progression, so this full-BAB version really wouldn't need them.  This class still has better skills than a Fighter after considering they'll likely sink points into Concentration for a few levels, and while their bonus feat selection is more limited, that's not exactly a huge drawback; it's still a decent bonus feat list.......I think you're rather missing the fact that your version still trumps the XPH version and the Fighter at this level.  Yours trumps the XPH version here with +2 more attack bonus and an extra attack per round (which can still be very accurate sometimes if they take Deep Impact as their level 6 character feat).  In exchange yours has a slightly lower Will save (+2 instead of +5), no Throw Mind Blade (arguably feat-equivalent maybe, you can just use a normal thrown weapon or projectile anyway), and no Psychic Strike (not really feat-equivalent, it's worse than psionic weapon).....  It gets 3 feats worth of stuff still, like the XPH version, which it gets to choose instead, and its Focused Talent gives more PP than Wild Talent which is good for multiclassing and makes up for the lack of Free Draw, which isn't terribly important anyway (nothing stops them from keeping their mind blade active for a while when traveling or whatnot on the off chance they're ambushed on the road).Your version's flexibility, attack rate, feat-qualification speed, accuracy, and greater power points for multiclassing (a few levels of Psychic Warrior really, really don't hurt this character; so what if their mind blade gets a tad less enhancement at upper levels, they've got a full BAB and the PsyWar's got decent BAB for its first 4 levels, and Expansion is sooo tempting, and the other powers and bonus feats.....) make it superior, and the BAB difference just grows larger over the course of further levels.Compared to the Fighter, your version gets 1 less feat-equivalent benefit, and instead gains several power points, a psionic power, more skill points and better class skills, a decent mind blade that's free, and fewer proficiencies (assuming again that he doesn't just dip 1 level into Fighter for them and another bonus feat, overcoming the only 2 deficiencies in that case).  Sure, it's not a lot better, but your version is very similar to the Fighter in many ways so it's a good comparison.Weapon Focus really isn't optimal for this class, I think, since it doesn't get a fighter's later feats like Weapon Specialization.  But I suppose you're meaning to make it a prereq of Shape Mind Blade.  And anyway, as mentioned your class has other benefits that make up for the miscellany that a standard Soulknife would get, the extra BAB and PP and psionic power (those other abilities aren't really all that good).  Again, the ranged weakness is nothing, they can easily afford to pour money into a good ranged weapon.  1 feat or multiclass level will get them composite longbow proficiency if they want it, but crossbows aren't all that bad (and there's always the Rapid Reload feat).  The same can get them full armor profs.Which really isn't a drawback for it; it's still superior to Fighters even if it gives up 1 level for Psychic Warrior benefits (great proficiencies, awesome selection for a bonus feat, a handy psionic power, and possibly some bonus points from Wisdom).  And I think you're forgetting the fact that this character can still spend money on a backup weapon if he feels the need, like if the DM has a preference for constructs/undead.  He just doesn't need one so much; a simple +1 morningstar or such will do him just fine for those few cases where his mind blade is ineffectual.Huh?  That's not its 'sole purpose' at all.  Psionic Talent is in the XPH as an update and renaming of the Inner Strength feat from 3.0.  It's extra power points, that can be taken multiple times, and improves a bit each time, as an equivalent to the spellcasters' access to the Extra Slot feat or whatever (to cast more spells each day).  A Psychic Warrior with less-than-stellar Wisdom may take it for extra points so he doesn't burn out his main abilities all in 1-2 fights each day.  It's a good 1st-level feat to take sometimes.  And someone who just dips a bit into a psionic class can use Psionic Talent to make better use of their power(s); example: Half-Giant Psychic Warrior 3/Barbarian 4+, take Practiced Manifester and 1+ copies of Psionic Talent, use augmented Expansion at the start of every fight just before Raging and it'll last quite a while as a big damage boost.  Etc.  Though it is a bit weaker in 3.5 since psionic feats no longer require spending power points or having a certain number of them left in reserve.Near as I can tell your Focused Talent only serves to fill the same purposes only better, and make the Soulknife better for multiclassing (rather than just giving it some power points directly, or making its few power-like abilities not cost any points as in the XPH).Huh-wha?  Psionic Talent isn't a strong feat.  There's no way in the Nine Hells that it deserves a prerequisite anyway.  As it is the only prerequisite is 'possession of a power point reserve' because it's a Psionic feat in the first place.Except from your mind blade description I can't quite grasp how it's supposed to work/what it's supposed to do, and how that would help with multiclassing.  I think I'm understanding now that the purpose is that a Soulknife multiclassed into a psionic prestige class could improve their mind blade instead of manifesting ability, but it didn't quite make sense at first, and I'm still not sure I'm guessing right from the way it's worded.Reducing the Base Attack Bonus probably balances them out, I dunno.  It either makes them close to balanced, or a bit underpowered like the XPH version.</blockquote>

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