Post/Author/DateTime	Post
MaverickWolf 02-25-05, 03:05 PM	First things first: Were it not for Todd's Ideas, this thread would not be here at all, so go check it out. You might like his ideas better. Second: I claim no responsibility for the following enchantments/ideas, though I may have them edited slightly (or more than slightly) for my purposes: Mind Blade Improvement, Set Mind Blade Improvement, New Enhancement, New Shape, Any Shape, Fast Shaping, Fast Configuration, Fast Charging, Psyche Damaging, Twinned Hilt, Enlarging. These, along with the general premise of crystal hilts, were all Todd's ideas. I'm merely taking advantage of the ToS agreement that anything posted on these boards is OGL. Crystal Hilts A crystal hilt is a special item for mind blade wielders. Painstakingly carved from deep crystal (mundane crystal will not suffice), crystal hilts generally appear to be bladeless sword hilts or cylindrical rods. A crystal hilt provides an enhanceable focus for a soulknife's mind blade, much like a masterwork weapon.. Instead of merely forming a mind blade, a soulknife instead focuses his mind blade through the hilt, using the psionic resonance of the deep crystal to strengthen his weapon. A crystal hilt provides a +4 competence bonus on Will saves to materialize the mind blade in a null psionics field. To craft a crystal hilt, a character must succeed on three separate skill checks. He must make a DC20 Craft (Gemcutting) check to actually shape the hilt, which cannot have any flaws to function properly. Afterward, he must make a DC20 Autohypnosis check in which he focuses his psionic energy into the crystal, activating it. Finally, he must make a DC20 Craft (Weaponsmithing) check, to form the masterwork component of the crystal hilt (usually a small deep crystal ‘ring’ that attaches to the top or bottom of the hilt and acts as a guard to hold the psionic energy within the crystal ). A crystal hilt has 45 HP and a hardness of 15. The deep crystal used to make it is permanently strengthened by the psionic energy stored within it. A crystal hilt costs 1,000 gp. Twin Hilts Some crystal hilts are created in pairs. These twin hilts, as they've come to be known, offer a number of advantages for dual mind blade wielders. Twin hilts are psionically connected to one another, and automatically form into mind blades of the same type when activated (assuming a light or one-handed weapon is formed), unless the wielder will otherwise. Dual mind blades formed through twin hilts do not suffer the usual penalty to their enhancement bonus. Twin hilts offer the same bonus as normal crystal hilts as well. There are actually two types of twin hilts. One is a set of crystal hilts permanently attached to one another. These allow a mind blade wielder to form a two-bladed sword in place of his normal dual short swords. These twin hilts have the same stats as a normal crystal hilt but cost 2,000 gp to make, with skill check DCs of 30, 25, and 25, for the required skills. The other is a true set of crystal hilts, exact matches psionically attuned to one another during the creation process. They are capable of being attached to one another as the two-bladed sword twin hilts, but do not automatically grant any double weapon form. If either of a set of twin hilts is destroyed, the other immediately ceases functioning. However, the attunement process makes destroying one of these hilts exceedingly difficult. Each hilt of a set has 60 HP and a hardness of 20. One set costs 2,500 gp, with skill check DCs of 20, 25, and 20 for the required skills. However, the Craft (Gemcutting) and Craft (Weaponsmithing) checks must be made separately for each hilt in the set. If one of the Craft (Gemcutting) checks fails and one of the hilts is destroyed, the creator may choose to continue the process to make a single crystal hilt. However, once the attunement process is finished, there is no turning back. Enchanting a Crystal or Twin Hilt Enchanting a crystal or twin hilt, with a few notable exceptions, is much like enchanting a magic or psionic weapon. Due to the psionic properties of deep crystal, hilts do no have to have any enhancement bonus to be enchanted with special abilities. Unlike a normal psionic weapon, the special abilities a hilt is enchanted with do not function automatically. Instead, the wielder of a mind blade may access them when configuring their mind blade as though they were on the usual enchantment list. It also costs significantly less to enchant a hilt than a normal psionic weapon, and the special ability bonuses do not add together for determining the total bonus of the item (any enhancement bonus up costs as normal, just at a reduced rate). To determine the cost of adding a special ability to a crystal hilt, find the bonus price equivalent in the description and determine what the base cost modifier for a weapon of that equivalent bonus is and cut it in half. For example, flaming is a +1 bonus. A +1 weapon has 2,000 gp added on to its base price. Adding flaming to a crystal hilt costs only 1,000 gp. Additional special abilities do not stack for determining the bonus modifier for cost. They are each paid for separately. For example, a flaming frost weapon has two +1 bonuses, for a total of +2 (ignoring enhancement bonuses). The base cost modifier for such a weapon is 8,000 gp. However, a crystal hilt pays for each separately, and at reduced cost. A crystal hilt with the same enchantment would have a base cost modifier of 2,000 gp (1,000 gp for flaming, and an additional 1,000 gp for frost). Enchanting a twin hilt (of either type) works in much the same manner, except you pay the normal modifier cost. For instance, the above example of a flaming hilt would cost 2,000, while the flaming frost hilt would cost 4,000. You could enchant each attuned hilt separately, paying the costs as a single crystal hilt (which equal out, meaning this only matters if you want entirely different sets of enhancements on the hilts). Adding an enhancement bonus to a crystal or twin hilt grants the same reduction in price (or general lack thereof). However, the enhancement bonuses stack as normal, so a +2 crystal hilt would have a base cost modifier of 4,000 gp and a +2 twin hilt would have a base cost modifier of 8,000 gp. The following enchantments are based on (or snitched directly from) Todd's post and priced to work with the crystal hilts presented here. Mind Blade Improvement: The Crystal Hilt adds the equivalent of +2 to the user’s Mind Blade. When configuring his Mind Blade for the day he may split the +2 bonus between his enchantment bonus and his enhancement bonus or devote it entirely to one or the other. If improving enchantment bonus the Mind Blade is limited to a total of +5 to hit and damage pre-epic (DMs feel free to ignore this rule, but only if you ignore the normal Epic Level Handbook rules, especially for weapon pricing, as I know many DMs do). If used to provide an enhancement the bonus must be used by itself and not combined with the Mind Blade’s natural enhancement bonus. For instance one could use +1 of a Crystal Hilt’s bonus to apply the Lucky enhancement or one could use +2 to apply the Wounding enhancement. However the Crystal Hilt user could not combine his innate +1 blade enhancement bonus with the Hilt’s +2 to apply the +3 Mindfeeder enhancement. By default, when first used, the Crystal Hilt applies the +2 bonus in the same fashion as it was last used. For instance if a previous Soulknife configured the blade to add +1 enchantment and the Sundering enhancement these are what would be added to any other Mind Blade manifested using the Crystal Hilt until it was reconfigured. A Crystal Hilt’s settings can be reconfigured during the normal process of reconfiguring a Mind Blade. By itself this feature does not add any new enhancements to the list that a character can choose. Price: +3 bonus New Shape: This Crystal Hilt allows the Mind Blade manifester to reshape his blade into an additional specific weapon shape. In almost all cases the new shape is a sword of some sort. This hilt only allows one additional shape. The blade manifester can use this item to change the shape of his blade to the one specified as if he had the Shape Blade Soulknife class feature even if he does not have that ability normally. If the Crystal Hilt is lost then the next time the Mind Blade is manifested it defaults back to it’s base shape (short sword in most cases). Price: This enchantment adds the price of a masterwork weapon of the new shape to the base price of the crystal hilt. Any Shape: Just add the morphing enhancement from Underdark to your crystal hilt. You cannot form a ranged weapon with this enhancement on a crystal hilt. It is also limited by what kind of weapons you can form normally. If you normally form only a short-sword, this enchantment can only form light weapons. If you can choose to form a long sword, this enchantment can form light or one-handed weapons. If you are capable of forming a bastard sword, this enchantment allows you to form any weapon you choose and are proficient in. Fast Shaping: This Crystal Hilt enables a Mind Blade manifester to change the shape of his Mind Blade more quickly. There are three different levels of this feature. Price: The costs for this enhancement vary by level of the enhancement and are as follows: Standard Action - +500 gp; Move Action - +1,000 gp; Free Action - +1,500 gp Fast Configuration: This Crystal Hilt enables a Mind Blade to be reconfigured as a full round action three times per day. Price: +1,500 gp Fast Charging: This Crystal Hilt enables a Mind Blade to be charged with a psychic strike more quickly three times per day. Instead of a move action it only takes a swift action to charge the blade when this feature is used. Price: +1 Bonus Psyche Damaging: This Crystal Hilt adds +1d8 to every Psychic Strike that is made while using the item. Price: +2 Bonus Enlarging: When focused through this Crystal Hilt, the manifester’s Mind Blade deals damage as though it were one size larger than normal. Price: +1 Bonus Other Crystal Weapons Crystal Bows Some mind blade wielders find that they vastly prefer ranged combat to melee combat. Eventually, a group of such like-minded wielders got together to create a crystal bow, taking their cue from the crystal hilts that many wielders were beginning to create. A crystal bow functions much like a typical crystal hilt, and is made in the same way. However, crystal bows have an add property. The psionically energy focused within them is so dedicated to ranged weaponry that any mind blade wielder in possession of a crystal bow finds himself incapable of forming a mind blade for melee purposes, unless he also possesses a crystal hilt to focus through. Crystal bows have a range of 100 ft and up the damage die of the mind blade by one step. However, attacks with a crystal bow do not allow the application of the mind blade wielder’s Str bonus to damage. Crystal bows have the same price and stats as a normal crystal hilt. Crystal Gauntlets Other mind blade wielders are so focused on melee that they prefer to fight with their own two hands. This group’s answer to crystal hilts was the crystal gauntlet. These gauntlets are actually gloves with many crystals attached through which to focus mind blade energy. They allow the wielder to deal mind blade damage with unarmed attacks, and the wielder is always considered armed. They always come in pairs, and have the same price as a double-weapon twin hilt, but have the stats of attuned twin hilts. NOTE: Actual shapes of crystal hilts are, of course, open to interpretations for flavor. The crystal bow could be the fan-shaped bracer mentioned by Rashomon, or it could be a special bracer attached to one arm that just fires them, like a crossbow (which might make a good additional crystal item, so you could be dual-wielding ranged weapons [with the downside of no additional damage and shorter range than the crystal bow]).
MaverickWolf 03-14-05, 08:41 PM	The post you are currently reading is what we generally refer to as a :bump:
MaverickWolf 03-31-05, 04:06 PM	WEEE!!!! I am stubborn, and this will not die... :bump:
KatScratches 04-22-05, 04:34 PM	Can I make an offerring? Add in the idea of crystal "shafts" for bows/crossbows (would be bolts then, eh? whatever). Same damage as a normal shot of the same type, but can be further enchanted. One-shot arrows, since likely the crystal would shatter upon impact.
MaverickWolf 04-22-05, 07:04 PM	While that's not a bad idea, I'm not particularly sure how to price such an item, or exactly what the rules for it should be. If you've got any ideas for that, you're welcome to submit them though.
KatScratches 04-25-05, 03:42 PM	Pricing would definitely depend upon crystal materials in your world. I would estimate that costs and materials would be from 1 to 2 times the price of magic arrows with the enchantments you are intending for the "hilt". I only have the 3rd Ed, not the 3.5 of psion book, so I don't know the new rules for the char classes. If you are intending to have arrows as the ONLY manifestation of the soul-blade, an exception might be made for that particular character, but require that the char have sufficient ranks in craft magic(psion) weapons in order to reflect their commitment to using a narrow focus for their abilities.
MaverickWolf 04-25-05, 03:55 PM	The biggest problem here is, there is no way for a soulknife to fire these 'bolts' or 'arrows' in a way that would allow him to impart his mental energy. There are no 'mind bows'. Also, the 3.0 soulknife and 3.5 soulknife are 2 very different creatures. Same concept, but 3.5 is a base class, not a prestige class, and doesn't manifest any powers.
KatScratches 04-26-05, 09:01 PM	Sorry, didn't know of the changes. I was just going off the idea that at upper levels, you were allowed to "throw" mindblades, and was just building off that idea. You get the "Throw" blade ability at level 1, but you are then limited to use the mindblade as a ranged projectile ONLY, none of this stabbing people with arrows Legolas-style. Or, give them the ability to form the mindblade as a melee weapon at the same point where normal progression would allow "thrown" blades.
Tempest Stormwind 04-26-05, 09:52 PM	Simple enough idea -- Just make crystal arrows that cost something like an extra 25 GP each or something. These crystal arrows can be imbued with psychic strike just like a mind blade could (one at a time), and they'd hold it until they touched another creature (whereupon it'd dissapate or deal damage, depending on the nature of the contact). Alternately, generate a crystal hilt style crossbow (it couldn't be a bow; crystal doesn't bend. As is, it'd have to be more of a torpedo launcher than a crossbow, but a light crossbow is the closest mechanical approximation. I know you've probably seen the Transformers movie; if you're having trouble visualizing this, imagine a rifle-sized version of the missile launcher they use on Devastator). This crystal crossbow can fire a mind blade exactly like a soulknife throwing it, except at a greater range -- 80ft, say (and he doesn't necessarily need Throw Mind Blade to use it, though I imagine it'd be priced at about 1200 GP, so he probably does have Throw Mind Blade anyway). The soulknife's Strength modifier wouldn't apply to the damage in exchange for this. In all other ways it functions as a (single) crystal hilt, except that it only applies the enhancements to blades fired through it (meaning it could be configured one way and your normal blade or hilt could be configured another way). Manifesting the mindblade into the launcher is part of the action of cocking it, by the way -- so there's no separate reload action beyond forming the blade (exactly like the normal mindblade) For clarification, you cannot place a mind blade in the stock of this thing and then shoot it. You actually have to materialize the blade inside it -- this will help keep things separate between the two. And things like Free Draw and Multiple Throw do speed up the rate at which the mechanism reloads, so it still works at the same rate as the normal mindblade throw. (You basically just trade strength bonus for range and custom enhancements). How's that?
MaverickWolf 11-14-05, 07:38 PM	Man, it's been too long, but I'm back. Tempest, I'll give your ideas some thought. As for the rest of my post, :bump:
angellis_ater 12-29-05, 09:53 PM	I hope to rework some of these great ideas for my current effort to create Mindblade feats and remake the Soulknife entirely with feats. I will base my ideas around Gauntlets and Embedded Crystals.
Kalriem 12-30-05, 12:29 AM	I like.
MaverickWolf 12-30-05, 12:01 PM	I'm glad you like them, but keep an eye out, as I think I'm going to making some edits to them.
Rashomon 12-31-05, 01:59 AM	For the throwing mind blade thingy, I had the idea of a fan-shaped bracer on the arm that filled up with mind-blades, which the user could then pick up like a sheaf of cards and toss them.
angellis_ater 12-31-05, 10:29 AM	I'd be very interested in helping out, crystal hilts are a good idea and I hope to expand on it with Bladegauntlets and Focus Crystals (embedded)
MaverickWolf 01-12-06, 10:12 AM	While I'm still considering re-doing these, for now, this is a mere :bump:
Bacris 01-12-06, 08:49 PM	A couple critiques: Crystal Hilts seem too cheap. 800 gp for a +1 increase to the effective bonus seems cheap, but the requirements to create them also seem off - ML 3rd + Ability to create a mindblade - so they have to multiclass into or out of Soulknife... Same thing with Twin Hilts creation requirements / cost... Just some thoughts
MaverickWolf 01-12-06, 09:01 PM	A couple critiques: Crystal Hilts seem too cheap. 800 gp for a +1 increase to the effective bonus seems cheap, but the requirements to create them also seem off - ML 3rd + Ability to create a mindblade - so they have to multiclass into or out of Soulknife... Same thing with Twin Hilts creation requirements / cost... Just some thoughts What if I dropped the +1 to both and merely granted the bonus to Will saves, or changed that bonus to a 'no need for save' feature?
Aufenshauft 01-13-06, 09:22 AM	One problem I noticed is that these hilts are only created by someone with the craft psionic arms and armor feat, which makes sense. But don't you have to get a minimum manifester level for the feat? This really hinders a SK that wants to make his own, since we all know that a loss of SK levels really hurts, especially by RAW. Finding a multiclass SK/Psion would be next to impossible without a DM special NPC. I would propose requiring another feat that the prerequisite is Psychic Strike +1d8 or something equivalent, so a pure SK could make a hilt.
MaverickWolf 01-13-06, 10:26 AM	I don't really want to add any feats for it. I don't think it'd be that hard to find a multi-class, especially with crystal hilts available. After all, the crystal hilts can be used to make-up for the lack of soulknife levels, though they obviously can't help the manifester level hit. Crystal hilts also wouldn't be the first items to require such things. I could, however, see making it a normal item, albeit expensive that just happens to be exceedingly difficult to create and is only useful to soulknives. (e.g. a soulknife could just create it using a Craft skill, as could anyone else, but no one else would bother since it's utterly useless for them.)
MaverickWolf 01-15-06, 03:17 PM	w00t!! RE-write!! No multi-classing required!! ((Unless you'd rather enchant it yourself as opposed to having someone else do it.))
MaverickWolf 01-15-06, 03:49 PM	For the throwing mind blade thingy, I had the idea of a fan-shaped bracer on the arm that filled up with mind-blades, which the user could then pick up like a sheaf of cards and toss them.Why does that me thinking Yu-Gi-Oh?
MaverickWolf 01-28-06, 12:16 PM	Shameless :bump: for opinions on re-write.
MaverickWolf 03-13-06, 08:29 AM	:bump:
swordspell_mage 05-06-06, 10:27 PM	How about Crystal Gauntlets that can make a swordbow from races of the wild (I'm gonna use this one!)?
MaverickWolf 05-07-06, 08:24 PM	How about Crystal Gauntlets that can make a swordbow from races of the wild (I'm gonna use this one!)? That's actually an interesting question...I'm not entirely sure...That's kind of a unique magic item already, and crystal hilts work so differently from typical things that it's kind of difficult to come up with.
MaverickWolf 05-30-06, 10:29 AM	Just a little :bump: ...Still not sure on that swordbow question..
MaverickWolf 07-25-06, 10:01 AM	OK, I'm gonna rule no on the swordbow question, unless you also have a Mindbow (from a prestige class of course). Beyond that, this is a :bump:.
MaverickWolf 08-30-06, 01:15 AM	In the spirit of the new boards :bump:
Pallin Rahl 08-30-06, 01:08 PM	There is an item called a Mind Blade Gauntlet in the Races of Eberron book. :) ...intended (as written) to be a bit more limited, the idea can be easily expanded upon to include whatever enhancement(s) you want to toss on it. :)
MaverickWolf 01-10-07, 12:35 PM	Actually, I think the Mind Blade Gauntlet may mean I need to remove the Mind Blade Improvement enchantment. WotC seems to think that a free upgrade to the mind blade is worth an awful lot, at least if it doesn't replace anything else.
MaverickWolf 02-26-07, 10:44 AM	:bump:
MaverickWolf 03-21-07, 10:24 PM	*shuffles upward* aka :bump: