Talk:Grimoire Soulknife (3.5e Alternate Class Feature)

Optimization?

Find some way to get hustle. Stack on Power Attack, Psionic Meditation, Deep Impact, Extended Psychic Strike and Overwhelming Blow to get around... 19d8 (sword + psychic strike) + 5d6+4 (magic) + 18 (str damage, two-handed) + 30 (two-handed power attack) = 85.5 + 21.5 + 18 + 30 = 155 x2 (Overwhelming Blow) = 310 damage as a touch attack. Pretty decent for a single-classed character. --Ghostwheel 20:58, April 13, 2010 (UTC)

concern

my only real concern is the manipulate mindblade ability. since a non-psionic race would only have the 2 pp from wild talent, it seems like a gimped ability. once you run out of pp you can't generate a mindblade (unless this class specifically changes that about mindblade, i know its mentioned somewhere if you have no pp you cant manifest a mindblade). also chould the save for abilities be 10+1/2lvl+ ability mod used for shielded in life rather than cha by default? --NameViolation 09:56, May 1, 2010 (UTC)

There are a few options as far as the PP goes; first would be to invest your feats in other things and not get much use of the ability. Second would be to take Improved Wild Talent with some of your bonus feats. Third would be to take Psionic Talent. Fourth would be be to use the recharging power point variant, which I use in my own games. I prefer a combination of #2 or #3 with #4. That said, I don't recall seeing anywhere that it says that once you run out of PP that you can't generate a mindblade anymore. As for the DC, sure, I don't mind changing it--it only applies on the soulknife's Getsuga Tenshou anyway. --Ghostwheel 10:09, May 1, 2010 (UTC)

Image

File:Raziel01.jpg

200px

I would suggest this picture, instead of your current lack of one. The Dire Reverend 20:48, 22 February 2012 (UTC)

Go for it, that's the picture that was on there originally. --Ghostwheel 02:36, 23 February 2012 (UTC)

Comments

I'll go in order of berevity:

1. Improved wild talent: I like it
2. Bladeblast: does this provoke an attack of opportunity as most line/cone abilities? other than that it looks fine
3. Pyschic strike: the damage increases far to quikcy to say it takes only a move actiont to use. it can reach a potential 18d8 per hit, trnaslating into a pretty reliable + 36d8 damage (the chances of him missing with minds eye and the +9 bonus from his weapon are negligable) at level 20 all for the cost of a move action - and it gets nastier when combined with bladeblast. especially so since from 15th level onwards he can make the thing dance, meaning he can activate psycic strike and have the weapon make a full attack, thus guarnateeing the highly accurate + 36d8 damage. constrast the next closest - the rogue, which is solid t3, maxes out at 27 and is very unlikely to hit with the last attack and needs positioning the use the ability.
4. abillity re-assignment: one round might be to quick, since it might as well say as a 1 round action you have bane against your foe, enjoy. especially if the mind blade is dancing (IE: lvl 15+) when you decide to focus so you don't loose effectiveness in said round either.
5. Bonus feats on psoulknife: makes sense
6. shattered mind: would be fine if it wasn't for the simply obcene damage psychic strike currently has, meaning this does 18d8 + weapon damage + enhancements + power attack to all foes within 60ft of you. it's not a SoD, but very little will be abe to survive it either way other than boss level critters.

From here. --blackestofmages

One at a time then...

1. Thanks!
2. Since it doesn't say it does, it doesn't, as most supernatural abilities do not provoke AoOs.
3. A decent rogue is going to be able to output 60d6 without too much trouble at medium BAB. This class is meant to be at a high level of balance - give this a read? Hopefully that'll clear things up a bit...
4. Do you think 1/minute might be better?
5. Bonus feats on a martial class!? Nevar!
6. If you're power attacking, you're not as likely to hit... it's basically whirlwind attack, but without having to recharge psychic strike between every attack.

Hope that clears some things up! --Ghostwheel 17:34, 6 June 2012 (UTC)

1.  :p
2. but most ranged attacks (other than breathweapons) do provoke an attack of opportunity
3. which on its own requires them to go down the rather subpar two weapon path, and very heavily costs them on to hit bonus, meaning they'll often struggle to hit most foes with more than the first attack as they can't fully afford without generous loot two properly enchanted weapons. meaning they'll avergae on a good turn 40d6ish (average 140), and need more of a set up to use the ability, and have many, many more things that are immune to it than a to psychic strike (and it being all they can do) versus this having a much higher to hit bonus, no need to waste money on to weapons or take the to hit modifiers on a class with 3/4 bab since it's full BaB and has the weapon for free. and the average damage for 36D8 (which its more likely to make two hits than the rouge is to make 4) is 180. and thats before adding the fact they're better at everything else as well except finding traps. and can effect more things. and don;t need to be flanking. or spend a lot on weapons. and the rogue has to buy TWF with their basic feats where this has more of as well ;)
4. sounds a plan. just don't want it to have bane on everything :)
5. it's scary isn't it :p
6. a whirlwind attack hits everyon in 5', not 60'... and I still have issues with the damage even before power attack was added, since the 60' 18d8 outranges and outdamages any other pre-epic AoE out there... --BlackestOfMages

It's actually not that hard to get 11d6 SA per attack at level 20 with 18/20 BAB, along with above-average AC and abilities that let you move around quickly in order to sneak attack on a full attack much more often. And there's always Penetrating Strike (Dungeonscape) to deal sneak attack to creatures that are normally immune to critical hits. If you're interested, this class is one of the classes that follows my design philosophy (longer blog here on it). I think that the damage is necessary for people who don't know how to optimize, and want to play on the same level as those who do while not being much more powerful in the hands of people who *do* know how to optimize.

That said, I'll reduce the range on the whirlwind ability to 30'--that's closer to what a lot of meleers can manage. Think that might be better? --Ghostwheel 01:11, 14 June 2012 (UTC)

Rating

	Havvy likes this article and rated it 3 of 4.
	No fluff, just stuff. This alternate class feature puts the Mindblade on the same level as rogues, gives them a reason to care about a mental stat, probably wisdom, and has armor cared for without sharing the enhancement pool. I dislike the lack of total number of abilities, but being able to change the abilities of your weaponry quickly is unique enough to make a good versatile build.