111
Knowledge (psionics): 1 rank.
Powers: Know control flames.
Special: Must have set fire to a structure of any size just to watch it burn.
Class Skills
The pyrokineticist’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Alchemy (Int), Concentration (Con), Craft (any) (Int), Knowledge (psionics) (Int), and Psicraft (Int).
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the pyrokineticist prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Pyrokineticists gain no proficiency in any weapon or armor.
Power Points: Pyrokineticists gain power points per day as shown on Table 6-2: The Pyrokineticist. These power points are added to the character’s previous total.
Pyrokineticists gain bonus power points based on the key ability score for their primary ability. If the character previously could not gain bonus power points for high ability scores (as is the case for psychic warriors), she now chooses a primary discipline and can gain bonus power points based on the related ability score (see Table 1-2: Psion Bonus Power Points).
Powers Discovered: Pyrokineticists discover powers as shown on Table 6-2: The Pyrokineticist. Powers are chosen from the psion power list. The powers are added to the character’s previous total powers known. Psionic attack and defense modes are discovered as though the character were a psychic warrior of the same level as the prestige class (characters do not forget previously discovered attack and defense modes).
Touch Aflame: The pyro's mere touch sets objects or foes on fire on the round following the touch, if you desire (you don't have to set things on fire). Unless the character’s unarmed attacks are treated as melee attacks, this innocent looking touch draws an attack of opportunity. The flame deals 1d6 points of fire damage, then dies out, though flammable materials may begin to burn in their own right, at the DM's option. It otherwise behaves like alchemist's fire (see Chapter 7 of the Player's Handbook), but there is nothing to wash off. The pyro can use this supernatural ability at will as long as her power point reserve is 1 or more.
Fire Lash: The pyrokineticist fashions a 15-foot-long whip of fire from unstable ectoplasm as a move-equivalent action.
This is a spell-like ability. She takes no damage from a fire lash she creates, and if she releases her hold, it immediately dissipates. The lash deals 1d4 points of fire damage to the target on a successful ranged touch attack (up to 15 feet). The pyro may take Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization (if of the appropriate class), or Weapon Finesse in conjunction with the fire lash, as well as feats for a standard whip. She can use the fire lash ability at will as long as her power point reserve is 11 or more.
Fire Adaptation: At 2nd level, the pyrokineticist becomes resistant to fire, gaining a +10 bonus on all saving throws against fire and heat damage. In addition, she takes the first 1d6 points of damage from any fire or heat attack, effect, or round’s worth of environmental damage as subdual damage.
This extraordinary ability constantly protects the character as long as her power point reserve is 3 or more.
Hand Afire: At 2nd level, the pyrokineticist can activate this spell-like ability as a move-equivalent action. One of the pyrokineticist’s hands is licked by flames that do her no harm, causing her unarmed attacks to be treated as armed.
such attacks deal 1d6 points of fire damage in addition to any other special damage from the unarmed attack. A character can use the hand afire ability at will as long as her power point reserve is 9 or more.
Bolt of Fire: At 3rd level, the pyrokineticist can launch a bolt of psionically manifested fire up to 60 feet at any target in line of sight. This spell-like ability is treated as a ranged touch attack and deals 3d6 points of fire damage. The pyro can use bolt of fire at will but must pay 3 power points per use.
Weapon Afire: At 4th level, the pyrokineticist can activate this spell-like ability as a move-equivalent action. One weapon she holds (including a stone, bullet, arrow, or bolt) is licked by flames that harm neither her nor the weapon. The weapon deals 1d6 points of fire damage, in addition to its normal damage, and stops flaming the round after the last activation. A character can use the weapon afire ability at will as long as her power point reserve is 9 or more.
Breath of the Dragon: On reaching 5th level, the pyroki-neticist discovers the breath of the dragon power. Level-dependent effects are determined by adding pyrokineticist levels to all other class levels she possesses. Thus, a 5th-level pyrokineticist/5th-level psion manifests breath of the dragon as a 10th-level manifester. A pyro can manifest this power even if she would normally be too low in level to do so, but she must pay the full power point cost. This is a spell-like ability.
Nimbus: At 6th level, the pyrokineticist can activate this spell-like ability as a move-equivalent action. Her entire body is licked by flames that harm neither her or her equipment.
TABLE 6–2: THE PYROKINETICIST
Class Base Fort Ref Will Power — Powers Discovered —
Level Attack Bonus Save Save Save Special Points/Day 0 1 2 3
1st +0 +2 +0 +0 Touch aflame, fire lash +3 — — — —
2nd +1 +3 +0 +0 Fire adaptation, hand afire +5 — — — —
3rd +2 +3 +1 +1 Bolt of fire +5 — — — —
4th +3 +4 +1 +1 Weapon afire +5 1 — — —
5th +3 +4 +1 +1 Breath of the dragon +7 2 — — —
6th +4 +5 +2 +2 Nimbus +7 2 1 — —
7th +5 +5 +2 +2 Firewalk +7 2 2 — —
8th +6 +6 +2 +2 Fear no fire +9 2 2 1 —
9th +6 +6 +3 +3 Heat death +9 2 2 2 —
10th +7 +7 +3 +3 Fire lord +9 2 2 2 1
CHAPTER 6: CHARACTERS
112
While aflame, the character's Charisma modifier (not score) increases by +2, she can make melee touch attacks as with the hand afire ability, and she gains damage reduction 10/+1. She must pay 9 power points per minute she uses the nimbus ability.
Firewalk: Beginning at 7th level, the pyrokineticist can use this spell-like ability to literally walk on air. She moves at her normal speed in all directions, including vertically, but cannot move more than double her speed in a round. A firewalker leaves footprints of flame in the air that disperse in 2 rounds, but her tread does not deal damage. She must pay 1 power point per 10 feet traveled in this fashion.
Fear No Fire: At 8th level, the pyrokineticist becomes resistant to fire, gaining a +15 bonus on all saving throws against fire and heat damage. She gains damage reduction 30/+3 specifically against attacks, effects, or environmental conditions that deal heat or fire damage. Even if she takes fire or heat damage, the first 2d6 points are treated as subdual damage. This supernatural ability constantly protects the character as long as her power point reserve is 19 or more.
Heat Death: A pyrokineticist who reaches 9th level can use this spell-like ability to raise the internal temperature of one living creature within 30 feet to lethal levels. The target must succeed at a Fortitude saving throw (DC 17) or die horrifically as its blood (or other internal fluid) boils. Even on a successful save, the target sustains 2d8 points of heat damage. The pyrokineticist must pay 13 power points each time she uses this ability.
Fire Lord: At 10th level, the pyrokineticist gains the supernatural ability to become a fire elemental of her size once per day. She gains the elemental’s special abilities when she does so. In all other respects, this resembles the power polymorph self as manifested by a 12th-level manifester.
SLAYER
Only the naive dismiss the illithid threat. Or so say those who have dedicated their lives to the eradication of the mind flayer “infection.” Psionic beings know the real dangers illithids pose better than nonpsionic individuals, but even so, most are unwilling to honor the code of the slayer.
A primary slayer credo is “Do or die,” where “do” means
“find and slay illithids.” A faltering heart does not a slayer make (another of their credos—which, truth be told, number in the hundreds). It is a poorly kept secret that while slayers are best at hunting and slaying illithids, many of their abilities make them deadly to any psionic creature.
Any character with some psionic ability can become a
slayer: All it takes is hating illithids enough. Dwarves who take this prestige class are known as caradhaker, which loosely means “mindstalker.” In fact, it may be that the slayers first originated among the dwarves, though they say they received their lore from another, secret source.
NPC slayers sometimes travel in bands of two or three and enjoy identifying their group with a grisly name. Such groups are often hired as mercenaries by wealthy folk who travel in illithid-infested areas. But between commissions, they are just as likely to strike out on their own, attempting to uncover the location of another mind flayer outpost, or better yet, a sunless city. Stories also exist of rogue slayers bands who have branched out and hunt any and all psionic creatures, not just illithids.
Hit Die: d10.
Requirements
To qualify to become a slayer, a character must fulfil all following criteria.
Base Attack Bonus: +3.
Base Power Points/Day: 3+ (not including bonus power points).
Knowledge (illithid lore): 1 rank.
Wilderness Lore: 4 ranks.
Feats: Track.
Special: Must have killed an illithid, either individually or as part of a group comprising no more than six members.
Class Skills
The slayer’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Knowledge (illithid lore) (Int), Listen (Wis), Psicraft (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), and wilderness Lore (Wis).
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the slayer prestige class..
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Slayers are proficient with all simple and martial weapons and all armor and shields.
Power Points: Slayers gain power points per day as shown on Table 6-3: The Slayer. These power points are added to the character’s previous total. Slayers do not gain bonus power points.
Powers Discovered: Slayers discover powers as shown on TABLE 6–3: THE SLAYER
Class Base Fort Ref Will Power — Powers Discovered —
Level Attack Bonus Save Save Save Special Points/Day 0 1 2 3
1st +1 +0 +0 +2 Favored enemy (illithid), +3 — — — —
illithid sense
2nd +2 +0 +0 +3 Brain nausea +5 — — — —
3rd +3 +1 +1 +3 Bonus feat* +5 — — — —
4th +4 +1 +1 +4 Lucid buffer +5 1 — — —
5th +5 +1 +1 +4 Bonus feat* +7 2 — — —
6th +6 +2 +2 +5 Cerebral blind +7 2 1 — —
7th +7 +2 +2 +5 Bonus feat* +7 2 2 — —
8th +8 +2 +2 +6 Breach power resistance +9 2 2 1 —
9th +9 +3 +3 +6 Bonus feat* +9 2 2 2 —
10th +10 +3 +3 +7 Blast feedback +9 2 2 2 1
CHAPTER 6: CHARACTERS
113
Table 6-3: The Slayer. Powers are chosen from the psion power list. The powers are added to the character’s previous total powers known. Psionic attack and defense modes are discovered as though the character were a psychic warrior of the same level as the prestige class (characters do not forget previously discovered attack and defense modes).
Favored Enemy (Illithid): At 1st level, the slayer selects illithids (and illithidkin) as her favored enemy. Due to her extensive study of her foes and training with the proper techniques for combating them, the slayer gains a +1 bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Wilderness Lore checks when using these skills against illithids. Likewise, she gets the same bonus on weapon damage rolls against illithids, including ranged weapons against targets within 30 feet.
Illithid Sense: The slayer senses the presence of illithids within 60 feet of herself, even if hidden by darkness or walls, bur not their exact location. This supernatural ability is active as long as the slayer’s power point reserve is 3 or more.
Brain Nausea: At 2nd level, the slayer gains this constant defense, a supernatural ability somewhat similar to the aversion power. Any creature that attempts to eat the slayer’s brain must succeed at a Will save (DC 17) or become disin-clined to do so. Illithids in particular are free to take any action except extracting the slayer’s brain (but do not realize they are being so affected). This ability is active as long as the slayer’s power point reserve is 1 or more (even if she is unconscious, stunned, or otherwise helpless).
Bonus Feats: At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level, a slayer gains a bonus general, psionic, or metapsionic feat. Generally, slayers favor feats that augment their ability to dispatch illithids, although they are effective against any foe—illithid or otherwise.
Lucid Buffer: At 4th level the slayer becomes especially skilled at resisting mental attacks. She receives a +4 compe-tence bonus on saving throws against all compulsions and mind-affecting effects. She also receives a +2 competence bonus on saving throws against psionic attack modes, which stacks with any bonus granted by raising a psionic defense mode, if any. This supernatural ability is active as long as the slayer’s power point reserve is 9 or more.
Cerebral Blind: On reaching 6th level, a slayer can
“riposte” a psionic attack. Whenever she succeeds at a saving throw against a psionic power or attack mode, the attacker must immediately make a Will save, using the DC of the original attack. On a failure, the attacker stands dazed for 1 round from the psionic backlash. This spell-like ability is
active as long as the slayer’s power point reserve is 15 or more.
Breach Power Resistance: In the hands of a slayer who has reached 8th level, a weapon is enhanced by her psionic might and desire. Each successful melee attack (or ranged attack within 30 feet) against a creature with power resistance temporarily reduces its power resistance by 1. Unless the creature is slain, lost power resistance returns at a rate of 1 point per 12 hours. This supernatural ability is active as long as the slayer’s power point reserve is 17 or more.
Blast Feedback: Beware using mind blast against a slayer:
At 10th level, she can turn an illithids favored attack against itself. When she is attacked with mind blast, the slayer can forgo attempting a psionic defense and also forgo a saving throw. She suffers the temporary Charisma damage but automatically sets up a blast feedback attack (a supernatural ability). The attacker must simultaneously make a Will save against the original mind blast DC and can use no defense modes. On a failure, the attacker's power point reserve is instantly reduced to 0, and the attacker is stunned for 1 round.
SOULKNIFE
A soulknife recognizes his own mind as the most beautiful—
and the most deadly—thing in all creation. With this understanding and through extended practice, a soulknife learns to forge his mental strength into a shimmering blade of semisolid psychic energy.
Each soulknife’s personal blade, referred to as a
“mindblade,” differs in color and shape according to his personality, mental strength, and even mood. Although no two mind-blades look alike, all share the same lethal qualities.
Because soulknives rum the power of their minds to such weaponry, they are notorious for their violence.
Any character with some psionic ability can become a soulknife.
NPC soulknives are often employed as freelance guards and, more often, assassins. Even when completely unarmed, a soulknife is only a thought away from a deadly strike with his own mind’s most violent instincts solidified.
Hit Die: d6.
Requirements
To qualify to become a soulknife, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Base Attack Bonus: +3.
TABLE 6–4: THE SOULKNIFE
Class Base Fort Ref Will Power — Powers Discovered —
Level Attack Bonus Save Save Save Special Points/Day 0 1 2 3
1st +0 +0 +2 +0 Mind-blade +3 — — — —
sneak attack +1d6
2nd +1 +0 +3 +0 Imbed power, +5 — — — —
throw mind-blade
3rd +2 +1 +3 +1 Sneak attack +2d6 +5 — — — —
4th +3 +1 +4 +1 Imbed psionic attack +5 1 — — —
5th +3 +1 +4 +1 Sneak attack +3d6 +7 2 — — —
6th +4 +2 +5 +2 Sever life, free draw +7 2 1 — —
7th +5 +2 +5 +2 Sneak attack +4d6 +7 2 2 — —
8th +6 +2 +6 +2 Upgrade +9 2 2 1 —
9th +6 +3 +6 +3 Sneak attack +5d6 +9 2 2 2 —
10th +7 +3 +7 +3 Knife to the soul +9 2 2 2 1
CHAPTER 6: CHARACTERS
114
Move Silently: 3 ranks.
Base Power Points/Day: 9+ (not including bonus power points).
Knowledge (psionics): 3 ranks.
Class Skills
The soulknife's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Hide (Dex), Knowledge (psionics) (Int), Move Silently (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the soulknife prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Soulknives are profi-cient with light armor but not with shields.
Power Points: Soulknives gain power points per day as shown on Table 6-4: The Soulknife. These power points are added to the character's previous total. Soulknives gain bonus power points based on the key ability score for their primary ability. If the character previously could not gain bonus power points for high ability scores (as is the case for psychic warriors), he now chooses a primary discipline and can gain bonus power points based on the related ability score (see Table 1-2: Psion Bonus Power Points).
Powers Discovered: Soulknives discover powers as shown on Table 6-4: The Soulknife. Powers are chosen from the psion power list. The powers are added to the character's previous total powers known. Psionic attack and defense modes are discovered as though the character were a psychic warrior of the same level as the prestige class (characters do not forget previously discovered attack and defense modes).
Mind-Blade: As a move-equivalent action, the soulknife creates a semisolid blade 1 foot in length composed of psychic energy (distilled from his own mind). As long as he holds the blade, it is identical in all ways (except visually) to a short sword and deals 1d6 piercing damage. The blade can be broken; however, the soulknife can simply create another on his next move-equivalent action. The moment he relinquishes his grip on the blade, it dissipates. The soulknife may take Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization (if of the appropriate class), or Weapon Finesse in conjunction with the mind-blade. The mind-blade can be used as long as the soulknife’s power point reserve is 1 or more.
When the soulknife reaches 2nd level, his mind-blade gains a +1 enhancement bonus; at 4th level, +2; at 6th level, +3; at 8th level, +4; and at 10th level, +5. The enhancement bonus applies to each mind-blade created, including those that are thrown, upgraded, and imbedded (see below).
Even where psionics does not nonnally function (such as within a null psionics field), the soulknife can try to sustain the mind-blade by making a Fortitude save against the DC set by the creator of the effect. Even on a successful save, the soulknife must roll again next round to keep the mind-blade in existence. Creating a mind-blade is a supernatural ability.
Sneak Attack: A soulknife can make sneak attacks exactly like a rogue, but only with his mind-blade. Any time the soulknife’s target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC, the mind-blade attack deals +1d6 points of damage. This extra
damage increases by +1d6 every other level (+2d6 at 3rd level, +3d6 at 5th level, and so on). See the rogue description in Chapter 3 of the Player's Handbook for more information on sneak attacks. The soulknife benefits from this extraordinary ability as long as his power point reserve is 1 or more.
Imbed Power: At 2nd level, the soulknife can imbed one psionic power (but no psionic attack modes) of 3rd level or lower that he knows in his mind-blade. This spell-like ability requires a move-equivalent action, and the soulknife must pay the cost of the power to imbed it. The imbedded power automatically affects the next target that the soulknife successfully attacks with the mind-blade, with no saving throw allowed. Even if the power normally affects an area or is a ray, it affects only the target. The power is discharged and
“flushes” the mind-blade, which can then hold another power. A mind-blade can never have more than one power imbedded at a time.
Throw Mind-Blade: At 2nd level, the soulknife can throw
Throw Mind-Blade: At 2nd level, the soulknife can throw