S-Class Psychic Warrior

What are S-Class Characters?

S-class characters are built using the core summoner class as the basis against which all other classes are balanced. If you have played, or GM’d for, a summoner and felt it was fine as is, you should have no problem running with an s-class character.

Spell-Like and Psi-Like Abilities

As explained in the source material, psionics function in many ways like spells, and are able to be countered, negated, and resisted just as spells are. The distinctions drawn between the two are purely in the ways in which they are learned and how they affect the world around them.

For this reason, the content here is provided more in context of other Pathfinder options, listing spell-like abilities and referring to spells when a psionic power or talent is equivalent to one.

S-class psychic warriors are trained as rigorously as fighters, adapting their psionic gifts to combat and utilizing different means by which to do battle. Where their soldier counterparts focus on material weapon and armor training, s-class psychic warriors tune into psionic power to disorient and hinder enemies until they can get within range to make an attack.

Note: The s-class psychic warrior is an alternate, superior version of the psychic warrior class. It gains bonus combat feats and some path skills at different levels, which can alter when some archetype abilities are gained.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Die: d10.

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

Class Skills

The s-class psychic warrior’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) 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 per Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Table: S-Class Psychic Warrior

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

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the s-class psychic warrior.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

S-class 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

An s-class 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: S-Class Psychic Warrior. In addition, he receives bonus power points per day if he has a high Wisdom score. His ancestry may also provide bonus power points per day, as may certain feats and items.

Powers Known: An s-class psychic warrior begins play knowing one psychic warrior power of his 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. An s-class 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 an s-class psychic warrior can manifest in a day is limited only by his daily power points. An s-class 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: An s-class 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, an s-class psychic warrior must have a Wisdom score of at least 10 + the power’s level.

Bonus Feats

At 1st level, an s-class psychic warrior gets a bonus feat. He gains an additional bonus feat at 2nd level and every even level thereafter (4th, 6th, 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). An s-class psychic warrior treats his psychic warrior level as his fighter level when meeting the prerequisites of combat feats.

Warrior’s Path (Ex)

At 1st level, an s-class psychic warrior chooses a path to adhere to. When first taking a path, the psychic warrior gains one or more additional class skills and 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.

Sample paths can be found at the end of this section.

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 5th level, the psychic warrior gains a +2 bonus to one skill associated with a path he is on. 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) at 7th, 9th, 13th, 17th, and 19th level. 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).

S-Class Psychic Warrior Paths

Feral Warrior Path

Powers: bite of the wolf, claws of the beast

Associated Skills: Acrobatics, Perception, 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

Powers: grip of iron, tactical precognition

Associated Skills: Acrobatics, Bluff, Perception

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.

Mind Knight Path

Powers: call weaponry, inertial armor

Associated Skills: Autohypnosis, Diplomacy, Ride

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.