I've had some game time at lower tiers, and here is my experiences so far.
The positives are all utility, and they are really good.
Psi-Bolstered Knack: Add your Psionic Energy Dice (PED) to any skill or tool check with which you are proficient. The value of this ability is entirely dependent on how often you're doing relevant skill checks. I happened to use them a lot, so I got a lot of miles out of them. I highly recommend going with a class that gives you extra skills. I went Half-elf. That gave me two extra skills plus 4 ASI bonuses. I did point buy and only two of my ability scores are 10's, the rest are positive. I have proficiency in EIGHT total skills, plus Thieves' Tools. That's a lot of opportunities to use Psi-Bolstered Knack, with no ASI penalties. My character sheet is here:
Psychic Whispers: This allows you to set up a telepathic bond that lasts the number of hours you roll on your PED, with a range of 1 mile! You can connect with a number of creatures equal to your proficiency bonus. I got great use out of this! But like Psi-Bolstered Knack, how valuable it is is DM/Campaign dependent. This is a perfect tool for scouting ahead. Or let's say you're the only stealthy one and you have a reason to break into a place, and y'all don't mind splitting up the party.
Psychic Blades: These do 1d6 + Dex psychic damage, the same amount as a hand crossbow. You can also do 1d4 + Dex damage with a bonus action attack. Honestly, this is really lackluster. It does have the cool effect that it does no visible damage, which (situationally) can come up. Also if you get arrested and disarmed, again, very situational. But here's the problem. There are weapon choices that can do more damage, and the bonus action attack is all but useless. You have to give up your Cunning Action, and that is just too important to give up. I attack, then hide... next turn attack with advantage, then hide again, and repeat. Even if you're a stick-and-move melee Rogue, you're going to want to Disengage or Dash.
Summary: At levels 1 through 8, the Soulknife has amazing utility that allows your Rogue to more easily be like the old classic Rogues and fulfill that role. In my opinion it is the best skill monkey in the game, and yes, I'm including Bards with their Jack of all Trades. However, combat wise the Psychic Blades are a bit disappointing. It's not that they're weak, it's that it's no stronger than using a hand crossbow. But might as well use them for the flavor.
The real combat buffs come at level 9 with Homing Strikes and Psychic Teleportation. Those actually look really good, but I have not play tested them, and this review only pertains to lower levels. I am currently level 4.
Recommended Race: Half-elf for the extra skills, extra ASI's, and access to Elven Accuracy. There are other good choices, but this is my top choice.
Recommended Magic Items: Cloak of Elvenkind, or any options that help your Rogue be more of a Rogue. Cloak of Elvenkind really buffs your stealth ability, which is great for any rogue. Especially if you have Elven Accuracy.
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I've had some game time at lower tiers, and here is my experiences so far.
The positives are all utility, and they are really good.
Psi-Bolstered Knack: Add your Psionic Energy Dice (PED) to any skill or tool check with which you are proficient. The value of this ability is entirely dependent on how often you're doing relevant skill checks. I happened to use them a lot, so I got a lot of miles out of them. I highly recommend going with a class that gives you extra skills. I went Half-elf. That gave me two extra skills plus 4 ASI bonuses. I did point buy and only two of my ability scores are 10's, the rest are positive. I have proficiency in EIGHT total skills, plus Thieves' Tools. That's a lot of opportunities to use Psi-Bolstered Knack, with no ASI penalties. My character sheet is here:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/76939287
Psychic Whispers: This allows you to set up a telepathic bond that lasts the number of hours you roll on your PED, with a range of 1 mile! You can connect with a number of creatures equal to your proficiency bonus. I got great use out of this! But like Psi-Bolstered Knack, how valuable it is is DM/Campaign dependent. This is a perfect tool for scouting ahead. Or let's say you're the only stealthy one and you have a reason to break into a place, and y'all don't mind splitting up the party.
Psychic Blades: These do 1d6 + Dex psychic damage, the same amount as a hand crossbow. You can also do 1d4 + Dex damage with a bonus action attack. Honestly, this is really lackluster. It does have the cool effect that it does no visible damage, which (situationally) can come up. Also if you get arrested and disarmed, again, very situational. But here's the problem. There are weapon choices that can do more damage, and the bonus action attack is all but useless. You have to give up your Cunning Action, and that is just too important to give up. I attack, then hide... next turn attack with advantage, then hide again, and repeat. Even if you're a stick-and-move melee Rogue, you're going to want to Disengage or Dash.
Summary: At levels 1 through 8, the Soulknife has amazing utility that allows your Rogue to more easily be like the old classic Rogues and fulfill that role. In my opinion it is the best skill monkey in the game, and yes, I'm including Bards with their Jack of all Trades. However, combat wise the Psychic Blades are a bit disappointing. It's not that they're weak, it's that it's no stronger than using a hand crossbow. But might as well use them for the flavor.
The real combat buffs come at level 9 with Homing Strikes and Psychic Teleportation. Those actually look really good, but I have not play tested them, and this review only pertains to lower levels. I am currently level 4.
Recommended Race: Half-elf for the extra skills, extra ASI's, and access to Elven Accuracy. There are other good choices, but this is my top choice.
Recommended Magic Items: Cloak of Elvenkind, or any options that help your Rogue be more of a Rogue. Cloak of Elvenkind really buffs your stealth ability, which is great for any rogue. Especially if you have Elven Accuracy.