Shielded Blade

Form Mind Shield (Su)

At 1st level, a shielded blade gains the Mind Shield blade skill, gaining a +2 shield bonus to AC as long as she has a hand free. Unlike any other soulknife who takes the Mind Shield blade skill, a shielded blade can use the mind shield as if it was in all ways (except visually) a masterwork heavy steel shield, including making shield bashes, although she does not suffer the Armor Check penalty or Arcane Spell Failure for using a heavy steel shield. The shielded blade’s mind shield is affected like a mind blade in all other ways (breaking, null psionics fields, etc). A shielded blade still applies the shield’s shield bonus to her AC when performing a shield bash.

The shielded blade’s mind shield is enhanced as the soulknife gains levels at the same, but the mind blade suffers a -1 penalty to its enhancement bonus (if any) if the shielded blade has both formed at the same time. The shielded blade may only apply the enhancement bonus for a mind shield to the Armor Class bonus of the shield, and not as a bonus to attack and damage rolls.

A shielded blade may (and eventually must) choose special abilities for the mind shield, just as she does for the mind blade. She chooses special abilities for the mind shield from the table below.

A shielded blade is always considered proficient with her mind shield.

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

Improved Shield

A shielded blade of 2nd level gains her choice of either the Improved Mind Shield or Tower Mind Shield blade skill. This ability replaces the blade skill gained at 2nd level.