We are posting previews to Book of Heroic Races: Advanced Skinwalkers. So far, you’ve seen the art and the race’s abilities. Today we are showing off one of the archetypes.
We at JBE really enjoy Dreamscarred Press’s Ultimate Psionics, so much so that we included the elan race in our Book of Heroic Races Advanced Series. We decided a while ago that we wanted to include more psionics archetypes and powers in our races and skinwalkers is the first we have made that happen, but it will not be our last.
Today we would like to show you the Kinetic Assailant archetype. This archetype was designed from the ground up to make the soulknife into a Marvel comic book character. True, there already is one in Ultimate Psionics with a similar inspiration, but this archetype was designed for the skinwalker and is totally awesome. Check it out below.
Kinetic Assailant
Many would ask what’s more dangerous than a man who can slay a horde of soldiers with nothing but a dagger, and the kinetic assailant would answer; “One who can do it with nothing at all.” Masters of augmenting the kinetic force of their unarmed or natural weapons with their psionic powers so that even casual swipes can become devastating blows, kinetic assailants scoff at those who would use any weapons where their bodies and minds are the only edge they require.
Associated Class: soulknife
Associated Race: skinwalker
Replaced Abilities: Form mind blade, enhanded mind blade, shape mind blade, throw mind blade,
Modified Abilities: Bonus feat, blade skills
Bonus Feat: The kinetic assailant may choose Power Attack, Improved Unarmed Strike, or Weapon Focus (potential energy) as a bonus feat at 1st level.
Potential Energy: As a move action, a kinetic assailant with psionic focus can store a disproportional amount of potential energy within a single unarmed attack (either a natural attack or unarmed strike). The attack is considered lethal, deals damage as one size larger (minimum 1d6), deals double damage against objects, and threatens a critical on a roll of 19–20.
Beginning at 3rd level, when the kinetic assailant takes a move action to imbue his unarmed attacks with potential energy, all of his unarmed strikes gain the benefits, rather than just a single strike, so long as he maintains psionic focus. Alternatively, as a full-round action the assailant can store even more energy, increasing the damage of his unarmed attacks by an additional size category and allowing them to deal triple damage on a confirmed critical. While in an area where psionics normally do not function (such as a null psionics field), the kinetic assailant’s potential energy does not grant its normal benefits, instead adding only 1d4 additional damage to his unarmed attacks.
While potential energy can be used with a weapon, the weapon deals double the amount of damage it deals to itself as well, possibly destroying it.
Shape Kinetics: When unarmored and unencumbered, the kinetic assailant’s awareness and control of kinetic force is such that they can alter its route in their immediate area. She adds her Wisdom modifier (if any) to her AC and CMD. In addition, she adds her mind blade maximum enhancement bonus to her AC and CMD.
Unstoppable Force: By expending psionic focus, a kinetic assailant can manifest the thrust version of the kinetic force power (with a manifester level equal to their kinetic assailant level) with one exception: the area of the power is either a 20 foot line, a 15 foot cone, or a radius of 10 feet centred on her.
Enhanced Kinetic Force: This ability functions as the enhanced mind blade ability, except that it applies to the kinetic assailant’s unarmed strikes and natural attacks when they are imbued with potential energy.
Blade Skills: The kinetic assailaint cannot choose the following blade skills: Absorbing blade, alter blade, bladewind, deceptive blade, dual imbue, emulate melee weapon, emulate ranged weapon, enhanced range, fluid form, ice blade, mind blade finesse, mind daggers, mind shield, multiple throw, reaching blade, rending blades, thunder blade, two-handed throw, and weapon special (and all dependent blade skills). Instead, the kinetic assailant gains the following as options:
Internal Bleeding: Upon confirming a critical hit, the kinetic assailant can expend his psychic strike and deal 1 point of Constitution damage for every 2d8 damage his psychic strike would normally deal. The kinetic assailant must be at least 8th level to choose this blade skill.
Rupture Internals: Upon confirming a critical hit, the kinetic assailant can expend his psychic strike and instead of dealing hit point damage deal 1 point of Constitution damage for every 1d8 damage his psychic strike would normally deal. The kinetic assailant must have the Internal Bleeding blade skill and be at least 12th level to choose this blade skill.
Reactive Expulsion: When a kinetic assailant with psionic focus is struck, she may expend her focus to manifest the psionic blast power as a psi-like ability on her attacker. The kinetic assailant must be at least 6th level to choose this blade skill.
Reactive Explosion: When the kinetic assailant uses reactive expulsion, the target is knocked prone if it is stunned. Additionally, enemies affected by the kinetic assailant’s unstoppable force ability are stunned for one round . The kinetic assailant must have the reactive expulsion blade skill and be at least 12th level to choose this blade skill.
Resounding Sunder: The kinetic assailant can expend her psionic focus to perform the sunder combat maneuver without provoking an attack of opportunity. If the sunder attempt is successful, the creature wearing or wielding the targeted object becomes stunned for one round.
Perpetual Energy: The kinetic assailant can expend her psionic focus when making a full-attack action to move up to her speed (in total) between attacks while taking a –4 penalty on all attack rolls. When the assailant expends her focus in this way, her attacks still gain the benefits of her potential energy ability until the end of her turn The kinetic assailant must be at least 8th level to choose this blade skill.
Boundless Energy: When the kinetic assailant uses the perpetual energy blade skill, the penalty on attack rolls decreases to –2, and she no longer needs to expend her psionic focus to use it. The kinetic assailant must have the perpetual energy blade skill and be at least 18th level to choose this blade skill.
Download the Book of Heroic Races: Advanced Skinwalkers for Pathfinder at DriveThruRPG/RPGNow, d20PFSRD, and Paizo.com.
Book of Heroic Races: Advanced Skinwalkers is part of the Book of Heroic Races: Advanced Compendium. Download the Book of Heroic Races: Advanced Compendium now at DriveThruRPG/RPGNow, d20PFSRD, and Paizo.com.
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