Psychic Warrior

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Where the psion spends his days studying the intricacies of psionic power and unlocking the mysteries of the mind, others choose to use their internal power to augment their physical form. These psychic warriors use their psionic potential as a way to improve their natural abilities, becoming fierce and deadly in their chosen path.

Role: The psychic warrior’s path determines his strengths and weaknesses within a party. Whether he is the epitome of unleashing the beast within, or a stealthy combatant who strikes from the shadows, the psychic warrior’s primary focus is typically battlefield control and dealing or blocking damage.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Die: d8.

Starting Wealth: 5d6 × 10 (average 175 gp.) In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less.

Class Skills

The psychic warrior’s class skills are Acrobatics (Dex), Autohypnosis (Wis), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Knowledge (psionics) (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), and Swim (Str).

Skill Ranks at each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Table: Psychic Warrior

Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special Power Points/Day Powers Known Maximum Power Level Known
1st +0 +2 +0 +0 Bonus feat, psionic proficiency, warrior’s path 1 1 1st
2nd +1 +3 +0 +0 Bonus feat 2 2 1st
3rd +2 +3 +1 +1 Expanded path 4 3 1st
4th +3 +4 +1 +1 Path skill 6 4 2nd
5th +3 +4 +1 +1 Bonus feat 8 5 2nd
6th +4 +5 +2 +2 Martial power 12 6 2nd
7th +5 +5 +2 +2 Path skill 16 7 3rd
8th +6/+1 +6 +2 +2 Bonus feat 20 8 3rd
9th +6/+1 +6 +3 +3 Secondary path (powers) 24 9 3rd
10th +7/+2 +7 +3 +3 Path skill 28 10 4th
11th +8/+3 +7 +3 +3 Bonus feat, secondary path (trance, maneuver) 36 11 4th
12th +9/+4 +8 +4 +4 Twisting path 44 12 4th
13th +9/+4 +8 +4 +4 Path skill 52 13 5th
14th +10/+5 +9 +4 +4 Bonus feat 60 14 5th
15th +11/+6/+1 +9 +5 +5 Pathweaving (1/day) 68 15 5th
16th +12/+7/+2 +10 +5 +5 Path skill 80 16 6th
17th +12/+7/+2 +10 +5 +5 Bonus feat 92 17 6th
18th +13/+8/+3 +11 +6 +6 Pathweaving (2/day) 104 18 6th
19th +14/+9/+4 +11 +6 +6 Path skill 116 19 6th
20th +15/+10/+5 +12 +6 +6 Bonus feat, eternal warrior 128 20 6th

Class Features

The following are class features of the psychic warrior.

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies

Psychic warriors are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all types of armor (heavy, medium, and light), and with shields (except tower shields).

Powers Points/Day

A psychic warrior’s ability to manifest powers is limited by the power points he has available. His base daily allotment of power points is given on Table: The Psychic Warrior. In addition, he receives bonus power points per day if he has a high Wisdom score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Power Points). His race may also provide bonus power points per day, as may certain feats and items.

Powers Known

A psychic warrior begins play knowing one psychic warrior power of your choice. Each time he achieves a new level, he unlocks the knowledge of a new power. Choose the powers known from the psychic warrior power list. (Exception: The feat Expanded Knowledge does allow a psychic warrior to learn powers from the lists of other classes.) A psychic warrior can manifest any power that has a power point cost equal to or lower than his manifester level. The total number of powers a psychic warrior can manifest in a day is limited only by his daily power points. A psychic warrior simply knows his powers; they are ingrained in his mind. He does not need to prepare them (in the way that some spellcasters prepare their spells), though he must get a good night’s sleep each day to regain all his spent power points. The Difficulty Class for saving throws against psychic warrior powers is 10 + the power’s level + the psychic warrior’s Wisdom modifier.

Maximum Power Level Known

A psychic warrior begins play with the ability to learn 1st-level powers. As he attains higher levels, he may gain the ability to master more complex powers. To learn or manifest a power, a psychic warrior must have a Wisdom score of at least 10 + the power’s level.

Bonus Feats

At 1st level, a psychic warrior gets a bonus combat-oriented feat in addition to the feat that any 1st level character gets and the bonus feat granted to a human character. The psychic warrior gains an additional bonus feat at 2nd level and every three levels thereafter (5th, 8th, etc.). These bonus feats must be drawn from the feats noted as combat feats or psionic feats. The psychic warrior must still meet all prerequisites for the bonus feat, including ability score and base attack bonus minimums as well as class requirements (like levels in another specific class). These bonus feats are in addition to the feats that a character of any class gains every two levels. A psychic warrior is not limited to combat feats and psionic feats when choosing these other feats.

Psionic Proficiency (Ex)

A psychic warrior treats his base attack bonus as equal to his psychic warrior level for the purposes of requirements for psionic feats. Base attack bonuses granted from other classes are unaffected and are added normally.

Warrior’s Path (Ex)

At 1st level, a psychic warrior chooses a path to adhere to (listed below). When first taking a path, the psychic warrior gains one of the two powers associated with that path. Powers gained from a path do not count against his number of powers known. When manifesting this power, called a path power, the psychic warrior can either choose to manifest it for no cost by expending his psionic focus, in which case it cannot be augmented, or he can choose to manifest it normally, in which case his effective manifester level for this power is treated as one higher than normal. At 3rd level, the psychic warrior gains the second power from his path. All of the above benefits apply to this additional path power.

In addition, the psychic warrior gains one additional class skill, as noted in the path description.

Expanded Path

At 3rd level, the psychic warrior expands his understanding of his chosen path. From this point on, he can use the Trance and Maneuver associated with his chosen path.

Path Skill

At 4th level, the psychic warrior gains a +2 bonus to one skill associated with a path he is on. Every three levels thereafter, he can choose to increase the bonus to one of his path skills by +2 (to a maximum of +6 for any one path skill). This may be a skill he has already chosen or a new skill associated with a path he is on.

Martial Power

At 6th level, if the psychic warrior makes an attack (but not a ranged touch attack), he can manifest one of his path powers as part of that attack action. The power takes effect immediately after the attack has been finished. Touch range powers are transmitted through the melee attack to the attacked target. You gain the benefits of the power on the attack made, even if the power is what grants the weapon to make the attack. You may only activate a path power in this fashion once per round.

Secondary Path (Ex)

At 9th level, the psychic warrior gets to choose a second warrior’s path. He chooses one of the path powers available from his new list. The psychic warrior may only have two path powers in total from a single given path. The psychic warrior treats the path skills of his secondary path as class skills and may select them when choosing a path skill.

At 11th level, the psychic warrior can choose to use the Trance and Maneuver from his second warrior’s path, but may only benefit from one Trance at a time.

Twisting Path (Ex)

At 12th level, as a swift action while maintaining psionic focus and using a Trance, the psychic warrior can change to the Trance of his other path.

Pathweaving (Su)

At 15th level, as long as the psychic warrior maintains psionic focus, once per day he can gain the benefits of both of his Trances for up to 5 minutes. Activating this ability is a free action. Every third level thereafter, the psychic warrior can use this ability an additional time per day.

Eternal Warrior (Su)

At 20th level, once per day as a free action, the psychic warrior can enter into a very powerful Trance. As long as he maintains psionic focus, for up to 5 minutes the psychic warrior adds his Wisdom modifier to his attack rolls, damage rolls, AC, skill checks, ability checks, saves, and initiative, and he increases his speed by +5 feet for every point of his Wisdom modifier. These benefits stack with those that might be granted by his active path’s Trance (or both paths, if using Pathweaving).

Warrior Paths

Presented below are some of the possible different warrior paths that psychic warriors may choose. Unless otherwise indicated, if you expend psionic focus to activate a maneuver, you still gain the benefit of your Trance until the end of your turn.

Archer Path

Your focus is on ranged combat rather than wading into the thick of things.

Powers: Force screen, psychokinetic cannon

Skills: Perception, Ride, Stealth

Bonus Class Skill: Stealth

Trance: Beginning at 3rd level, while maintaining psionic focus, you gain a +1 competence bonus on attack rolls made with a ranged or thrown weapon (natural weapons do not count for this benefit). This bonus increases by 1 every four psychic warrior levels thereafter.

Maneuver: Beginning at 3rd level, you can expend your psionic focus and make a ranged trip attack as a standard action. If your target is flying, they are instead staggered for one round. At 7th level and every four psychic warrior levels thereafter, you gain a +1 bonus to your CMB when using this maneuver.

Ascetic Path

You have studied with the mystics of the ancient temples, sat silent embracing the solitude and isolation, so as to become more in tune with your body and mind, merging them into a single, dangerous warrior.

Bonus class skill: Knowledge (religion)

Powers: Defensive precognition, offensive precognition

Skills: Acrobatics, Autohypnosis, Knowledge (religion)

Trance: Beginning at 3rd level, while maintaining psionic focus and wearing no or light armor, you gain gain a +1 competence bonus to your AC or saves, chosen at the time you gain psionic focus. This bonus increases by 1 every four psychic warrior levels thereafter.

Maneuver: Beginning at 3rd level, as an immediate action, you can expend your psionic focus to gain a +2 dodge bonus to your AC until the beginning of your next turn. This bonus increases by +1 for every five psychic warrior levels you have. In addition, if you did this in response to an attack and that attack misses you, you may take a 5-foot step as part of this action.

Assassin’s Path

While others prefer to stand boldly in the face of danger, your preferred weapon is stealth and silence. When you attack, your enemy is bound to fall.

Powers: Distract, prevenom or prevenom weapon

Skills: Acrobatics, Perception, Stealth

Bonus class skill: Stealth

Trance: Beginning at 3rd level, while maintaining psionic focus, you gain a +2 competence bonus on damage rolls. This bonus increases by 1 every four psychic warrior levels thereafter.

Maneuver: Beginning at 3rd level, any time you strike an enemy with a melee attack and there are no other enemies adjacent to you, you can expend your psionic focus to deal an additional +2d6 damage. For every five psychic warrior levels you gain thereafter, this damage increases by +1d6. This damage is precision-based damage.

Brawling Path

You bring the combat right into the face of your enemy. Your powers allow you to overpower enemies and bring them to bear, either to bring justice to them, or to finish them when they are worn down.

Powers: Grip of iron, hammer

Skills: Acrobatics, Autohypnosis, Escape Artist

Bonus class skill: Escape Artist

Trance: Beginning at 3rd level, while maintaining psionic focus, each time you make a successful grapple check, you can deal damage to that enemy equal to your Wisdom modifier.

Maneuver: Beginning at 3rd level, as a swift action you can expend your psionic focus to cause an enemy you are grappling to take 2d6 non-lethal damage. For every two psychic warrior levels you gain thereafter, the damage increases by 1d6.

Dervish Path

You are a whirlwind in combat. Your blades strike out faster than the eye can perceive, sending enemies reeling from your twin-bladed attacks.

Powers: Force screen, metaphysical weapon

Skills: Acrobatics, Bluff, Perform

Bonus Class Skill: Bluff

Trance: Beginning at 3rd level, while maintaining psionic focus, you gain a +1 competence bonus on attack rolls made when you wield two weapons. This bonus increases by 1 every four psychic warrior levels thereafter.

Maneuver: Beginning at 3rd level, you can expend your psionic focus as part of a full attack when you fight with two weapons to take a 5-foot step between your attacks, even if you have already taken a 5-foot step, but not if you have moved normally (such as by using hustle). At 8th level and every five psychic warrior levels thereafter, you gain one additional 5-foot step, but each of these 5-foot steps must be made after an attack in your full attack.

Feral Warrior Path

You are the beast incarnate. You channel your rage and power into physically transforming yourself into the likeness of a monster.

Powers: Bite of the wolf, claws of the beast

Skills: Acrobatics, Perception, Survival

Bonus class skill: Survival

Trance: Beginning at 3rd level, while maintaining psionic focus, you gain a +1 competence bonus to your attack rolls on attacks made with natural weapons. This bonus increases by 1 every four psychic warrior levels you gain thereafter.

Maneuver: Beginning at 3rd level, you can expend your psionic focus when use the charge action. If you do, you can make one additional attack at the end of your charge instead of making a single melee attack, but each attack suffers a -2 penalty to the attack roll. In addition, you gain a +1 competence bonus to any damage rolls made as part of this action. This competence bonus increases by +1 for every four psychic warrior levels you gain thereafter. At 20th level, when using the charge action, you can instead make a full attack at the end of the charge.

Gladiator Path

Your tactic is not to simply attack, but to maneuver your enemies into the most optimal position, forcibly if necessary.

Powers: Grip of iron, tactical precognition

Skills: Acrobatics, Bluff, Perception

Bonus Skill: Bluff

Trance: Beginning at 3rd level, while maintaining psionic focus, you gain a +1 competence bonus to your CMB and a +2 competence bonus to your CMD. These bonuses increase by 1 every four psychic warrior levels thereafter.

Maneuver: Beginning at 3rd level, you can expend your psionic focus when using a combat maneuver to not provoke an attack of opportunity for using that combat maneuver. If you have a feat that already does this, such as Improved Bull Rush, your trance competence bonus on this specific maneuver check increases by 2 or you gain a +2 competence bonus on this check if you do not have the Gladiator trance active. Additionally at 8th level and every four psychic warrior levels thereafter, the bonus you gain on this specific maneuver check increases by 1.

Infiltrator Path

You are adept at changing your form and altering your physiology to meet any situation and strike fear into your enemies.

Powers: Chameleon, minor metamorphosis

Skills: Disguise, Escape Artist, Intimidate

Bonus class skill: Disguise

Trance: Beginning at 3rd level, while maintaining psionic focus, you gain a +2 competence bonus on Disguise checks and a +1 competence bonus on damage rolls made with natural weapons. These bonuses increase by 1 evey four psychic warrior levels thereafter.

Maneuver: Beginning at 3rd level, you can expend your psionic focus when manifesting minor metamorphosis, metamorphosis, or major metamorphosis to gain an intimidating visage. For the duration of the manifestation, you may make a free Intimidate check against any creature that comes within 30 ft. of you. You must have line of sight to the creature and you may only make one such check against that creature per manifestaton of minor metamorphosis, metamorphosis, or major metamorphosis. At 7th level and every four psychic warrior levels thereafter, you gain a +1 competence bonus to this Intimidate check.

Interceptor Path

You are adept at engaging enemies, guarding your allies, and blocking interlopers. Speed and maneuverability are not your only tools; you know how stop a foe in his tracks.

Powers: Burst, Expansion

Skills: Acrobatics, Intimidate, Perception

Bonus class skill: Intimidate

Trance: Beginning at 3rd level, while maintaining psionic focus, you gain a +1 competence bonus on attack and damage rolls made against any opponent that threatens any of your allies. This bonus increases by 1 every four psychic warrior levels thereafter.

Maneuver: Beginning at 3rd level, you can expend your psionic focus as an immediate action when an enemy you threaten attacks one of your allies to make a single melee attack or bull rush attempt against that enemy. Your attack or bull rush attempt is resolved before the enemy’s attack. If you made a melee attack and it is successful, the struck enemy takes a penalty equal to the competence bonus of the Interceptor trance on the attack and damage rolls of the attack that triggered this maneuver.

Mind Knight Path

You have sworn an oath to your order, and in exchange you have been trained in mystic techniques that allow you to summon a weapon from beyond time and space, while protecting yourself with the power of your mind.

Powers: Call weaponry, inertial armor

Skills: Autohypnosis, Diplomacy, Ride

Bonus class skill: Diplomacy

Trance: Beginning at 3rd level, while maintaining psionic focus, you gain a +1 competence bonus to your initiative. In addition, when wielding a weapon you gain through call weaponry, you gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls with that weapon. All of these bonuses increase by 1 for every four psychic warrior levels you gain thereafter.

Maneuver: Beginning at 3rd level, you can expend your psionic focus as a standard action to make a melee attack against two creatures adjacent to you. For every five psychic warrior levels you gain thereafter, you can make one additional attack against another enemy adjacent to you.

Survivor Path

You are capable of surviving in harsh environments and enduring deadly assaults. You recognize the power of he body’s ability to overcome even the most deadly of afflictions.

Powers: catfall, vigor

Skills: Autohypnosis, Heal, Survival

Bonus class skill: Survival

Trance: Beginning at 3rd level, while maintaining psionic focus, you gain DR 2/-. This damage reduction improves by 1 evey four psychic warrior levels thereafter. In addition, you suffer no harm from being in a hot or cold environment. You can exist comfortably in conditions between -50 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit without having to make Fortitude saves. Your equipment is likewise protected. This doesn’t provide any protection from fire or cold damage, nor does it protect against other environmental hazards such as smoke, lack of air, and so forth.

Maneuver: Beginning at 3rd level, you can expend your psionic focus as an immediate action to be treated as having the Mettle ability until the beginning of your next turn. At 7th level and every four psychic warrior levels beyond, you gain a +1 competence bonus to Will saves when using this maneuver. In addition, at 11th level, when using this maneuver, you are treated as having the Improved Mettle ability.

Mettle and Improved Mettle

Mettle (Ex): You are able to resist effects with great willpower of fortitude. If you succeed on a Fortitude or Will save against an effect with a partial effect on a successful save, you instead suffer no effects from the attack.

Improved Mettle (Ex): You are incredibly resistant to effects that assault the body or mind. If you succeed on a Fortitude or Will save against an effect with a partial effect on a successful save, you instead suffer no effects from the attack. If you fail the save, you instead suffer the partial effect.

Weaponmaster Path

You become one with your weapon and wield it with vicious strokes, cleaving enemies as if wheat before a scythe. Your weapon is an extension of your will and thus it is deadly.

Powers: Empty mind, metaphysical weapon

Skills: Acrobatics, Craft, Knowledge (nobility)

Bonus class skill: Knowledge (nobility)

Trance: Beginning at 3rd level, while maintaining psionic focus, you gain a +1 competence bonus on attack rolls made with a weapon (natural weapons do not count for this benefit). This bonus increases by 1 every four psychic warrior levels thereafter.

Maneuver: Beginning at 3rd level, you can expend your psionic focus as an immediate action when an enemy attacks you to make a single melee attack against that enemy and then take a 5-foot step. The enemy’s attack is resolved before you take your action. At 8th level and every five psychic warrior levels thereafter, you gain a +1 competence bonus on the attack and damage rolls made for this attack.

Favored Class Bonuses

Instead of receiving an additional skill rank or hit point whenever they gain a level in a Favored Class, some races have the option of choosing from a number of other bonuses, depending upon their Favored Classes. The following options are available to the listed race who have psychic warrior as their Favored Class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time you select the listed Favored Class reward.

Race Bonus Source
Dreamscarred Press
Blue Add 1 to the psychic warriors CMD when resisting a grapple or trip. PE:APG
Duergar Gain 1/3 additional daily usage of the duergar‘s daily expansion psi-like ability. PE:APG
Dwarf Add +1 to the psychic warrior’s CMD when resisting a bull rush or trip. PE:APG
Half-Elf Add +1/3 to the psychic warrior’s manifester level when manifesting a path power. PE:APG
Half-giant Add +1/2 to the psychic warrior’s manifester level when manifesting a path power PE:APG
Half-Orc Add 1 to the half-orcs power points per day. PE:APG
Human Add +1/3 power known from the psychic warrior list. This power must be at least one level below the highest power level the psychic warrior can manifest. PE:APG
Maenad Add +1/2 to the Maenad’s manifester level when manifesting powers that grant a bonus to AC PE:APG
Ophiduan Add 1/2 to the duration of any psychometabolism powers the psychic warrior manifests with a range of Personal and a target of You with a normal duration of 1 round/level. PE:APG
Jon Brazer Enterprises
Dhampir Add +1/4 to the psychic warrior’s manifester level when manifesting a path power. SF: FCO
Drow Add 1 power point to the psychic warrior’s power points per day. SF: FCO
Duergar Gain 1/3 additional daily usage of the psychic warrior’s daily expansion psi-like ability. SF: FCO
Fetchling Add +1/2 to the psychic warrior’s manifester level when manifesting a path power. SF: FCO
Hobgoblin Add a +1/2 circumstance bonus on critical hit confirmation rolls with a weapon of the psychic warrior’s choice (maximum bonus +4). This bonus does not stack with Critical Focus. SF: FCO
Orc Add a +1 bonus on concentration checks made due to taking damage while manifesting psychic warrior powers. SF: FCO
Ratfolk Add +1 to the psychic warrior’s CMD when resisting a grapple or steal attempt. SF: FCO
Tiefling Add +1/2 to the psychic warrior’s CMB when attempting a dirty trick or trip. SF: FCO
Wayang Add +1 to the psychic warrior’s CMD when resisting a dirty trick or steal attempt. SF: FCO

Archetypes & Alternate Class Features

When a character selects a class, he must choose to use the standard class features found or those listed in one of the archetypes presented here. Each alternate class feature replaces a specific class feature from its parent class. For example, the elemental fist class feature of the monk of the four winds replaces the stunning fist class feature of the monk. When an archetype includes multiple class features, a character must take all of them—often blocking the character from ever gaining certain familiar class features, but replacing them with equally powerful options. All of the other class features found in the core class and not mentioned among the alternate class features remain unchanged and are acquired normally when the character reaches the appropriate level (unless noted otherwise). A character who takes an alternate class feature does not count as having the class feature that was replaced when meeting any requirements or prerequisites.

A character can take more than one archetype and garner additional alternate class features, but none of the alternate class features can replace or alter the same class feature from the core class as another alternate class feature. For example, a paladin could not be both a hospitaler and an undead scourge since they both modify the smite evil class feature and both replace the aura of justice class feature. A paladin could, however, be both an undead scourge and a warrior of the holy light, since none of their new class features replace the same core class feature.

Archetypes are a quick and easy way to specialize characters of a given class, adding fun and flavorful new abilities to already established adventurers. Characters may take more than one archetype if they meet the requirements.

Table: Psychic Warrior Archetypes / Alternate Class Features

Archetype / Alternate Class Feature Class Features Changed or Replaced
Class Skills Weapon & Armor Power Points/Day Powers Known Psychic Proficiency Warrior’s Path Bonus Feats Expanded Path Path Skill Martial Power Secondary Path Twisting Path Pathweaving Eternal Warrior
1 2 5 8 11 14 17 20 4 7 10 13 16 19 9 11 15 18
Dreamscarred Press
Martial Kineticist C X C X X C C C C C C C C X X X X X X X X X X X X
Meditant X X X X
Pathmaster X X X X X X
Protector X X X X
Scaled Rider (Ophiduan) X X X X X X X
Thunderjarl (Half-Giant) X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Traceur X X X X X
X=replaced, (X)=optional replacement, C=changed
Section 15: Copyright Notice

Psionics Unleashed. Copyright 2010, Dreamscarred Press.

Shadowsfall: Favored Class Options. ©2012, Jon Brazer Enterprises; Author Dale C. McCoy, Jr.

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