# Feats for a soulknife?



## JonnyFive (Jul 25, 2006)

what kind of feats help a soulknife shine, acceptable sources are DMG, PHB, XPH


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## Plot-Device (Jul 25, 2006)

Psionic Meditation
Psionic Weapon
Greater Psionic Weapon
Deep Impact
Improved Critical
Up The Walls
Power Attack
Cleave
Combat Expertise and it's ilk
Wounding Attack
Mental Leap
Two Weapon Fighting(and its ilk) or Exotic Weapon Profeciency Bastard Sword
Psionic Body (if you have a lot of psionic feats)


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## JonnyFive (Jul 25, 2006)

eh forgot one thing, i dont want  to use any feats where i loose my focus, as i already have psionic dodge and ghost atttack


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## Plot-Device (Jul 25, 2006)

Psionic Meditation exists for a reason.  If you don't want to lose focus you may as well remove XPH from the list of usable sources.


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## RigaMortus2 (Jul 26, 2006)

Here is a cool build someone came up with on the WotC boards.  I really like the concept and plan to use it at some point.  It multiclasses the Soulknife with Totemist from Magic of Incarnum.

Name: Ghost Blade
Race: Duskling
Progression: SoulKnife 1/Totemist 2/SoulKnife 3/Totemist 3/Soulknife 2/Totemist 4/Soulknife 5
Build: Soulknife 11/Totemist 9
Melshaper: 9th
BAB: +14/+9/+4
Fort 9, Ref 13, Will 10

Feats:
1. Psycarnum Blade, (Weapon Focus[Mind Blade]), (Wild Talent)
3. Power Attack
6. Psionic Meditation
9. Leap Attack
11. (speed of thought)
12. Improved Essentia Capacity
15. Psionic Weapon
18. Double Chakra (totem)
Essentia: 10 (6 +1 Duskling +1 Psycarnum Blade +2 Bonus Essentia)
Soul Melds (5): Blink Shirt (totem) [4], Phase Cloak (shoulders) [0], Krenshar Mask [0], Three-fold Mask of the Chimera (crown) [1], Urskan Greaves (feet) [0]
Feats Invested: Psycarnum Blade [5].

Notable Abilities:
-If spends a move action for more than five feet Ghost Blade becomes ethereal (Phase Cloak).
-Gains extra move at the end of his round, but takes a -4 AC -4 to attack until end of following round.
-Able to teleport 50 at will as a move action (Blink Shirt)
-+4 to jump and Move Silently checks (Krenshar)
-5d6 insight bonus damage when hits w/ mind blade
-+2 mind blade with a +2 special abilities (+2 collision blade is good)
-Leap attack + bastard sword mind blade = 4:1 return on power attack
-+3d8 Psychic Strike

Favorite tactic: use charge action to get the effects of a leap attack, move action granted by Three-fold mask at the end to dimension door away.

Damage output on favorite tactic: (1d10 +5d6 Psycarnum Blade +2 Enhancmenet +5 Collision +1.5xSTR +4xPowerAttack)


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## JonnyFive (Jul 26, 2006)

Magic of Incarnum is not an available source



			
				Plot-Device said:
			
		

> Psionic Meditation exists for a reason. If you don't want to lose focus you may as well remove XPH from the list of usable sources.




[sarcasim]goodie...[/sarcasim]


well thanks for the help anyway


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## RigaMortus2 (Jul 26, 2006)

If MoI isn't available, I'd maybe go full Soulknife and the Spring Attack route.  OR you could do Power Attack + Leap Attack + Deep Impact (you'll need Psionic Weapon I beleive as a prereq).  Use the Bastard Sword and Charge + Leap Attack and lose your focus for Deep Impact.  You will get +4 PA damage per -1 to hit AND you'll be hitting a Touch AC.

I also like the Soulbow PrC if you are allowed to use Complete Psionics.


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## Drowbane (Jul 26, 2006)

*Greater weapon + spring attack...*



			
				JonnyFive said:
			
		

> eh forgot one thing, i dont want  to use any feats where i loose my focus, as i already have psionic dodge and ghost atttack




Yer kidding, right?

What can Psi-dodge and/or Ghost attack (where is that from?) offer that you'd turn down such options as adding *4d6* damage or hitting as a *touch attack*?!


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## irdeggman (Jul 26, 2006)

Two weapon fighting (split mindblade to 2 short swords) - this increases the potential for the "special" damage that the mindblade enhancements do, albeit reducing the actual damage.

If you can convince your DM to allow Complete Warrior - Power Critical (+4 to confirmation of a critical hit) - reall handy for all those mind blade enhancements that require a successful critical hit to activate.

Improved Initiative. Can be handy to "charge up" (as in shape) your mindblade early - only recommend it because of the limitations on sources of feats. There aren't all that many feats in the sources you've listed that really emphasize the soulknife's abilities. Which is one of the reasons that Complete Psionic came out (other than monetary ones) - there are more feats for soulknives there.


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## Plot-Device (Jul 26, 2006)

P.S. once you get Knife to the Soul, rejoice.  Go find every magical beast you can, hit it once and choose to forsake it all for int damage.  Good times.  Purple Worms will flee from you at top speeds.


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## JonnyFive (Jul 26, 2006)

Drowbane said:
			
		

> Yer kidding, right?
> 
> What can Psi-dodge and/or Ghost attack (where is that from?) offer that you'd turn down such options as adding *4d6* damage or hitting as a *touch attack*?!




Psi-dodge = more ac (low magic world) and ghost attack or ghost strike (cant remember wich is right atm) is outa the expanded psionics handbook, we have a tendency to run into ghost and such quite a bit.  also i really just dont like the fact that you magicaly loose yer concentration to gain a bit of damage or make it that you can now magicaly ignore the fullplate that the fighter is wearing. just me thou



			
				irdeggman said:
			
		

> If you can convince your DM to allow Complete ....




its not so much convinching him, we have used it before.  we just decided that we were going to try a game without using anything but the expanded psionics, dmg, and phb.

RigaMortus2, leap attack is outa a complete book (warrior or adventurer)


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## Plot-Device (Jul 26, 2006)

It's not magic first of all it's psionic.  

And 4d6 is not a bit of damage, espcially in a low magic world.  Although, then that will make you a boatload more powerful in comparison to everyone else, so maybe it's best if you don't take it.

As for the thematics of the feats: you're unleashing you're latent psionic abilities which you have tamed and focused and honed for years, and now you unleash it in a single awesome blow!  Or something weird like that.  I dunno.

If you have psionic dodge that means you have regular dodge too right?  Or did your DM let you ignore the req?  If so take Sidestep Charge straight away.  My favorite feat ever.


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## JonnyFive (Jul 26, 2006)

true plot, i just cant see it....  and as is our psycic warrior is working towards that.

and yes i have dodge, but where is sidestep charge?


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## Plot-Device (Jul 26, 2006)

xph. it lists it as psionic but it shouldn't be.

http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/sovelior_sage/psionicFeats.html#sidestep-charge


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## RigaMortus2 (Jul 26, 2006)

JonnyFive said:
			
		

> RigaMortus2, leap attack is outa a complete book (warrior or adventurer)




Ok, so don't use it then...  Just use Power Attack...

If you are only allowed to use Core and XPH, your options are limited anyway.


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## Jedi_Solo (Jul 26, 2006)

Up the Walls coupled with Speed of Thought and lots of tumble makes the Soulknife very mobile and makes it difficult for enemies to stay away from you (without flight abilities).

Even if you plan on keeping your focus, Psionic Meditation isn't a bad fallback "just in case".  Especially if you have Psionic Body.

Other than that most of your feats will likely be fighter style feats.  Soulknives are a psionic based mobile fighter after all.

For additional outside help (which I know you aren't really looking for) Complete Psionic did a lot for Soulknives (I love the Soulbow) and Races of Stone has Psionic Shield which gives your shield an additional +1 while you retain your focus.  There is also a Dragon magazine with good stuff - but that is all outside the books you listed.


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