Deadly Fist

Some soulknives learn to channel the psionic energy of a mind blade into their unarmed strikes, making them lethal without the need for a weapon.

Empowered Strikes (Su)

At 1st level, the deadly fist can, as a move action, wreath his body in psionic energy distilled from his own mind. This energy lasts until the deadly fist chooses to dismiss it as a free action. When empowered strikes is active, the deadly fists’s unarmed strikes deal 1d6 points of damage if Medium-sized (or your normal unarmed strike damage, if higher) and are considered to be magic weapons for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction. Adjust unarmed damage if the deadly fist is a size other than Medium.

This effect is similar to a mind blade, except the deadly fist cannot change the form of empowered strikes, although he can change the damage type of his attacks between bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing, just like a normal soulknife. This effect cannot be broken like a mind blade, and it is still considered to be unarmed attacks instead of a weapon.

In all other ways, empowered strikes functions as a mind blade, including using Psychic Strike.

This replaces the Form Mind Blade class feature, but counts as Form Mind Blade for prerequisites or requirements.

Enhanced Strikes

The deadly fist’s empowered strikes are improved like a standard soulknife’s mind blade, except the enhancement bonus or weapon special abilities apply to the deadly fist’s unarmed attacks, rather than to a weapon.

This replaces the Enhanced Mind Blade class feature, but counts as Enhanced Mind Blade for prerequisites or requirements.

Unarmed Assault

At 1st level, the deadly fist gains the Improved Unarmed Strike feat as a bonus feat. In addition, the deadly fist gains the Flurry of Fists blade skill.

This ability replaces the bonus feat gained at 1st level.

Psychokinetic Discharge (Su)

A deadly fist of 1st level learns how to take the energy he has charged into his unarmed strikes and release it as a blast of energy at an opponent. As a ranged attack, the deadly fist can make an unarmed attack at an opponent. The attack deals damage as normal for the deadly fist’s unarmed attacks.

The range increment of the attack is 10′, but is considered to be a projectile instead of a thrown weapon, so the attack has a maximum range of 10 increments instead of 5. Whether or not the attack hits, the deadly fist’s unarmed attacks are no longer empowered and he must take the normal time to empower them.

This ability replaces the Throw Mind Blade class feature.

Quick empower

At 5th level, the deadly fist can activate his Empowered Strikes ability as a free action instead of as a move action. He may only do so once per round.

This replaces the Quick Draw class feature normally gained by a 5th level soulknife.