Post/Author/DateTime	Post
calronmoonflower 04-28-07, 10:04 PM	I've been working on this class for a bit. It's quite different than most psionic classes as it doesn't directly grant power and instead you may learn power with Hidden Talent and Expanded knowledge. It is also a class that depends on finesse rather that brute force in combat. Please tell me what you think. BLADE DANCER A blade dancer sees an inherent connection between the graceful movement of a blade, the flow of psionic energy, and the motions of dance. By combining all three they produce a graceful and deadly form of combat. Adventures: Blade dancers seek to improve their understanding of motion and its connection to the universe. Often they adventure to hone their skills and show of their talent. Good blade dancers seek to inspire others with daring and grace of their style. Evil blade dancers often act as assassins for higher or just to prove their strength. Characteristics: Blade dancers prefer finesse over brute strength and are usually a little obsessed with swords. They channel psionic power through their blades and sometimes learn powers often linked to other classes. Alignment: Most blade dancers often enjoy freedom and are usually chaotic. Lawful blade dancers often focus on well established techniques and solid forms. Overall most blade dancers are chaotic good, but any alignment is possible. Religion: As with most psionic classes blade dancers generally do not follow any deity. Those that do prefer deities that use dance or poetry in their rituals. Background: Blade dancers are usually self taught warrior that learned of a link between a sword and dance. The inclusion of psionics in the flow makes for a unique point of view and an interesting art form. Lawful blade dancers often are taught by masters of the art in communities that have a high respect for swordsmanship, dance, and touch of psychic talent. Races: Kalashtar the strongest tradition of blade dancers. Elves are the most likely to find the path on their own. Humans do well as blade dancers and other races that prefer grace of brute strength can do well as a blade dancer. Among monstrous races the way of a blade dancer is unheard of. Role: Blade dancers are front line combatants. Most of their class abilities lend toward hit and run tactics. Unlike most warriors blade dancers can do well in social situations. GAME RULE INFORMATION Blade dancers have the following game stats. Abilities: Dexterity and wisdom are of great use to a blade dancer. As with all front line fighters constitution is useful as well. Alignment: Any Hit Die: d8 CLASS SKILLS The class skills of a blade dancer (and the key ability for each skill) are: Autohypnosis (Wis), Balance (Dex), Concentration (Con), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Knowledge (Psionics) (Int), Jump (Str), Perform (Dance) (Cha), Perform (Drill) (Cha), Profession (Wis), Psicraft (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Slight of Hand (Dex), Tumble (Dex) and Use Psionic Devise (Cha) Skill Points of First Level: (4 + Int. Modifier) X 4 Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int. Modifier CLASS FEATURES All the following are class features of a blade dancer. Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Blade dancers are proficient with light armor, but not with and type of shield. They are also proficient with all simple weapons and the short sword, long sword, bastard sword, and double-bladed sword. They may also wield a bastard sword in one hand no matter their strength score. Power Points/Day: many of a blade dancer’s class features are limited only by their manifester level and power points per day. In addition to the power points listed on the table, a blade dancer gains bonus power points for a high Wisdom score. Manifester Level: A blade dancer’s manifester level is equal to their class level. Powers Known: A blade dancer has a manifester score, but they do not automatically gain powers known. Instead they may select Hidden Talent during character creation. Also when you can learn a psionic feat you may instead learn a power from any list, but the power's base cost must be two less than your blade dancer manifester level. Flowing Blade Style: At 1st level a blade dancer gain the Finesse Weapon feat, but may only use that feat in light or nor armor and when not wielding a shield. In addition they may apply Weapon Finesse to the long sword, bastard sword, and the two-bladed sword, even though it cannot be normally applies to these weapons. Speed of Thought: At 1st level a blade dancer gains Speed of Thought as a bonus feat. The insight bonus to their speed from that feat also increases to +20 at 6th, to +30 at 11th, and to +30 at 16th. AC Bonus (Ex): At 2nd level a blade dancer gains a nearly supernatural sense of motion. As a result they add their Wisdom bonus to their Ac as a dodge bonus even when flat-footed as long as they wear light or nor armor and are not wielding a shield. Flowing Energy (Su): At 3rd level as a swift action a blade dancer may expend power points to add an energy type to their attacks. You may spend 1 power point and select fire, cold, electricity, or sonic. Until the beginning of your next turn one of your melee weapons deals an extra 1d6 points of damage of the selected energy type. You may augment this ability in two ways. If you spend 2 extra power points this ability affects two of your weapons. If you spend 4 extra power points the damage deal increases by another 1d6. You can spend the number of power points in this way equal to your manifester level. Dance of the Striking Cobra: At 4th level a blade dancer gain the Spring Attack feat even if you do not meet the requirements, but mat only use this feat when they wear light or nor armor and are not wielding a shield. Dance of the Serpents Fang: At 5th level or higher a blade dancer adds their Wisdom bonus as an insight bonus to the damage deal by any weapon they wield that they may apply the Weapon Finesse feat to as long as they have moved at least 10 feet since the beginning of their last turn, are fighting defensively, or are using the Combat Expertise feat and are taking at least a -2 penalty to your attack rolls. You only get this bonus when wearing light or nor armor and are not wielding a shield. You only get this bonus against creatures that have a discernible autonomy and are not immune to critical hits. Focused Energy (Su): At 7th level a blade dancer can focus the flow of energy within for a devastating effect. As a standard action that may pay 1 power point, chose an energy type, and make a melee attack. That attack does an extra 1d6 points of energy damage and may have additional effect based on the energy chosen. This ability allows a Reflex save with the DC equal to 11 + your Wisdom modifier for half damage. Cold: Forced energy of this type deals +1 points of damage per die. If needed the saving throw to reduce damage from focused cold is a Fortitude save instead of a Reflex save. Electricity: Producing focused electricity provides a +2 bonus on attack rolls if you target is wearing metal armor and to +2 the DC if needed. Fire: Focused fire deals +1 points of damage per die. Sonic: Focused energy of this type deals -1 hit points of damage per die and ignores hardness. You may augment this ability by paying additional power points. For every power point you spend this ability deals an extra 1d6 points of damage and for every two extra die of damage the DC increases by 1. You must decide how many power points to pay before you make the attack roll and you may spend the number of power points in this way equal to your manifester level. If the attack misses the power points are expended without effect. Dance of the Blossoming Flower: At 8th level you gain the Whirlwind Attack feat even if you do not meet the requirements, but mat only use this feat when they wear light or nor armor and are not wielding a shield. Graceful Charger (Ex): At 10th level and higher you may make jump and tumble checks as part of a charge to navigate obstacles and avoid attacks of opportunity. Dance of the Twin Dragons: At 12th level you gain the Bounding Assault feat even if you do not meet the requirements, but mat only use this feat when they wear light or nor armor and are not wielding a shield. Dance of the Diamond Soul: At 14th level and higher a blade dancer may expend the number of power points up to their manifester level as an immediate action. If you do then you gain the power resistance equal to the number of power points spent plus 10 for the number of rounds equal to half your class level plus your Wisdom modifier. Master Blade Dancer (Ex): At 15th level as blade dancer has mastered the skills related to you style. As a result you may take 10 on jump, tumble, and perform (dance) checks even with threatened or distracted. Dance of the Three Monkeys: At 18th level you gain the Rapid Blitz feat even if you do not meet the requirements, but mat only use this feat when they wear light or nor armor and are not wielding a shield. Dance of Death’s Embrace (Su): At 20th level you learn the blade dancer’s most devastating attack. To make a death’s embrace attack you must first get in tune with the flow of a creatures life force by making at least one successful attack on a creature for three consultative rounds. On the fourth consultative round you may pay 1 power point and declare an attack on that creature as death’s embrace attack. That creature must make a Fortitude save equal to 11 + your Wisdom modifier + 1 for every 2 extra power points you chose to expend or die. Even if the creature lives it takes 1d6 points of damage for each power point you expended, but it may make a Will save at the same DC to half that damage. Even if the creature make the first or even the second it still may die from the damage dealt. This is a psionic death effect and if you miss the power points are expended without effect. Hit or miss you must successfully attack the same creature for three consultative rounds again to use this ability again. You may expend the number of power points equal to your manifester level in this way. LvL BAB Fort Ref Will PP/Day Special 1 +1 +0 +2 +2 1 Flowing Blade Style, Speed of Thought +10 2 +2 +0 +3 +3 2 AC Bonus 3 +3 +1 +3 +3 3 Flowing Energy 4 +4 +1 +4 +4 5 Dance of the Striking Cobra 5 +5 +1 +4 +4 7 -- 6 +6/+1 +2 +5 +5 11 Speed of Thought +20 7 +7/+2 +2 +5 +5 15 Focused Energy 8 +8/+3 +2 +6 +6 19 Dance of the Blossoming Flower 9 +9/+5 +3 +6 +6 23 -- 10 10/+5 +3 +7 +7 27 Graceful Charger 11 +11/+6/+1 +3 +7 +7 35 Speed of Thought +30 12 +12/+7/+2 +4 +8 +8 43 Dance of the Twin Dragons 13 +13/+8/+3 +4 +8 +8 51 -- 14 +14/+9/+4 +4 +9 +9 59 Dance of the Diamond Soul 15 +15/+10/+5 +5 +9 +9 67 Master Blade Dancer 16 +16/+11/+6/+1 +5 +10 +10 79 Speed of Thought +40 17 +17/+12/+7/+2 +5 +10 +10 91 -- 18 +18/+13/+8/+3 +6 +11 +11 103 Dance of the Three Monkeys 19 +19/+14/+9/+4 +6 +11 +11 115 -- 20 +20/+15/+10/+5 +6 +12 +12 127 Dance of Death’s Embrace EPIC BLADE DANCER The epic blade dancer is a combination of deadly grace and psionic power. Hit Die: d8 Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int. Modifier Psionics: An epic blade dancer’s manifester increases by 1 for each level after 20th. Your power points do not automatically increase after 20th but you bonus power points increase if your Wisdom modifier increases. Speed of Thought: The insight bonus you gain from this feat doesn’t increase after level 16. Bonus Feats: At 24th level and every fourth level thereafter an epic blade dancer gains a bonus epic feat. [edit] Added chart to list what level of power you can learn with Expanded Knowledge. [edit=2] I rewrote the Powers Known section to remove references to Expanded knowledge and removed the for Expanded Knowledge/
angellis_ater 04-30-07, 05:46 AM	The idea of the blade dancer is solid, but I am wondering if it wouldn't be better as a Prestige Class?
Grimmsfeld 04-30-07, 07:36 AM	There are some things that need to be clarified here... First, in reference to learning powers through Expanded Knowledge, what is meant by manifester level? The only class that learns powers based upon manifester level is the ardent. Second, well, actually nevermind. Misread something.
calronmoonflower 05-01-07, 02:02 AM	There are some things that need to be clarified here... First, in reference to learning powers through Expanded Knowledge, what is meant by manifester level? The only class that learns powers based upon manifester level is the ardent. Your manifester level must be two above the minimum to manifest that power to learn it with Expanded Knowledge.
Grimmsfeld 05-01-07, 03:09 AM	In general, though, that's not the way the feat works. The feat works off the maximum power level known for the class you're adding the power to. For example, a 7th level psychic warrior cannot take expanded knowledge to learn a 3rd level power from the psion list just because his manifester level is greater than the minimum manifester level a psion would need to manifest a third level power. He needs to be at least 10th level to learn a 3rd level psion power through Expanded Knowlege, because that's when he gains access to his first 4th level power. Iunno. I guess my problem is that it's just an awkward way to go about learning powers, and it's open for potential abuse, one being that with enough items/feats and what-not, you can theoretically learn 9th level powers...
calronmoonflower 05-01-07, 03:19 AM	Actually it say one level below the highest that you can manifest and the blade dancer doesn't have a cap on maximum power level like some other classes. Maybe i should add a chart to stop abuse and clairy the effect.
Grimmsfeld 05-01-07, 03:38 AM	More specifically, the feat functions off of the level of the highest level power you actually know, not your highest power level you could potentially know. Through the potential ways there are to add powers to the Blade Dancer's Powers Known list, you can get...well, "zero level" powers through expanded knowledge. And those don't technically exist in 3.5. Really, what I think would be cleaner, and a lot simpler to implement would be an actual power progression, possibly something similar to the Divine Mind's <ducks for cover>power progression, and being able to choose from the psychic warrior power list. Maybe make the powers known progression so that the Blade Dancer could at most, know one power of each level, up to level 6, instead of just letting them pick powers willy-nilly without any real prerequisites.
calronmoonflower 05-01-07, 01:09 PM	More specifically, the feat functions off of the level of the highest level power you actually know, not your highest power level you could potentially know. Through the potential ways there are to add powers to the Blade Dancer's Powers Known list, you can get...well, "zero level" powers through expanded knowledge. And those don't technically exist in 3.5. Acually it says EXPANDED KNOWLEDGE [PSIONIC] You learn another power. Prerequisites: Manifester level 3rd. Benefit: Add to your powers known one additional power of any level up to one level lower than the highest-level power you can manifest. You can choose any power, including powers from another discipline’s list or even from another class’s list. Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Each time, you learn one new power at any level up to one less than the highest-level power you can manifest. It doesn't require you to know a higher level power, only that you are able to manifest a higher level power.
calronmoonflower 05-02-07, 01:53 AM	I removed the references to Expanded Knowledge and changed it to where you can learn a power in place of a psionic feat.
Grimmsfeld 05-02-07, 08:36 PM	I'd believe you'd have to actually know a power of nth level to be a able to manifest an nth level power...but whatever, the rewrite works, and is a little bit clearer.
calronmoonflower 05-03-07, 02:25 AM	I'd believe you'd have to actually know a power of nth level to be a able to manifest an nth level power...but whatever, the rewrite works, and is a little bit clearer. I can see how you would see that way. you can however manifest it from a Powerstone without knowing a power of that level.
Grimmsfeld 05-03-07, 03:10 AM	And that's a perfectly flawed way to interpret Expanded Knowledge. You seem to be implying that I can learn powers by virtue of being able to activate a power stone. That's like saying a rogue can qualify for a spellcasting PrC because he can cast spells from a scroll.
calronmoonflower 05-03-07, 03:57 AM	You can manifest a power from a powerstone at your own manifester level and paying your own PP. You can also use a power that some else knows through physical contact and a few checks.
Grimmsfeld 05-03-07, 06:50 AM	Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... unless your XPH says something entirely different from mine on page 168, under the heading Power Stones, I'd have to say you have no idea what you're talking about. You need to work on your reading comprehension skills there, buddy. Power stones work exactly like scrolls, except you need to use Psicraft instead of Spellcraft to ID them. They're NOT Knowstones. Need to reread the part about manifesting powers from others; it mentions Power Stones in passing, in that the process of discerning the powers an individual knows is the same as identifying the power(s) on a Power Stone. That particular section only allows you to manifest a power from another's powers known with your own power points. It DOES NOT say you can use your own power points to manifest a power from a power stone. In short, knowing what spell is stored on a power stone IS NOT the same as actually knowing the power. With that, I'm going to sleep, and I'm done with this thread.
calronmoonflower 05-04-07, 01:56 AM	Grimmsfeld, Well if you do come back read page 105 of the Complete Psionic. It tells you how you can treat a power from a power stone as a power known.
Grimmsfeld 05-04-07, 02:38 AM	Given that you've specifcally used my monicker, I can't resist. So now we're trusting optional rules from a side bar from a book which is commonly percieved to be one of the stupidest published books on psionics? For one, do you understand just how silly that rule is? How ridiculously broken that is compared to a staff? Carrying around a combination of 50 power stones compared to the 50 charges of a staff has is way more than a 93% discount! So, yeah, you got me on being able to use your own stats to use a Power Stone, but that brings me to my next point... It still burns out the Power Stone! It says "temporarily learning a power from a power stone." So, for about one round, you gain the benifit of Expanded Knowledge. Great. Any competent DM is gonna put the kibosh on that nonsense real quick. In any case, that little tid-bit of information only requires me to change one word in my arguement.That's like saying a rogue can qualify for a spellcasting PrC because he can cast spells from a staff.
calronmoonflower 05-04-07, 04:32 AM	That's like saying a rogue can qualify for a spellcasting PrC because he can cast spells from a staff. At caster level 0. :rolleyes: If that rogue did have spell slots he cannot use one of those slots to cast a spell from a staff. I was saying that are qualified to manifest a power at that level, even if you had not bothered to learn one. I didn't give the best example, but you still are capable of manifesting powers of that level. As for the deficiencies of the Complete Psionic it does have a little (about 10%) bit of useful stuff. I think they should have put it in the Mind's Eye instead of fulling it with a bunch of :censored:. Also I noticed that you didn't respond to being able to "borrow" the knowledge of a power from another person. It would be temporary like getting it from a stone, but it shows that you can still manifest powers of that level. [edit] It's allot easier for spell casters to determine if they cast cast of spells of x level as they have spells slots. Even if they don't have a spell known of that level;, they still have a slot. Psionics don't use slots. Most classes instead say in the class table, the highest level of power you can manifest. You should use that number to determine how high of a power that they can manifest to determine how they meet the prerequisites for stuff. [edit=2] It is possible to learn powers higher than you can manifest by a prestige class like Psychic Warrior/Elocater. If you managed this I wouldn't say that you can lean a power with Expanded knowledge to learn a power at the highest level (or higher) that you can currently manifest.