say I have 3 levels of soul knife n 17 levels of monk. Does the psychic blade become a 1D10 monk weapon?
I did a build on DnDBeyond to see, and it doesn't seem to work. An interesting monk/soulknife build is a Monk 6 (Shadow)/Soulknife (14). Lots of chances to pop around the battle field using psychic knives and shadows (and coming out of the shadows presents an attack with advantage)... 7d6 damage from a sneak attack... fun times.
say I have 3 levels of soul knife n 17 levels of monk. Does the psychic blade become a 1D10 monk weapon?
I did a build on DnDBeyond to see, and it doesn't seem to work. An interesting monk/soulknife build is a Monk 6 (Shadow)/Soulknife (14). Lots of chances to pop around the battle field using psychic knives and shadows (and coming out of the shadows presents an attack with advantage)... 7d6 damage from a sneak attack... fun times.
That's a problem with the Character Builder. It does work RAW.
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Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
From my reading: this isn't an unarmed strike so I'm not seeing where I get your damage boost.
"you can manifest your psionic power as a shimmering blade of psychic energy."
"This magic blade is a simple melee weapon with the finance and throne properties. It has a normal range of 60 feet and no long range, and on hit, it deal psychic damage equal to 1D6 Plus the ability modifier you used for the attack roll."
In the Monk Class, under Martial Arts, the 2nd bullet says:
You can roll a d4 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike or monk weapon. This die changes as you gain monk levels, as shown in the Martial Arts column of the Monk table.
In the Monk Table, the 3rd column is the location of the Martial Arts damage die. It starts at 1d4, in which case the martial arts weapon is probably the same or better, but it improves. At 17th level it is 1d10. The character builder doesn't support it (currently), but the RAW "At 1st level, your practice of martial arts gives you mastery of combat styles that use unarmed strikes and monk weapons, which are shortswords and any simple melee weapons that don’t have the two-handed or heavy property."
The psychic blades, from the Rogue class: "This magic blade is a simple melee weapon with the finesse and thrown properties.".
Thank you for the reread, it took me three tries but I'm with you.
I still think there are bumps but nothing that isn't overcome by level progression. I was going to say that you might lose the magical property but you would regain it at six level with empowered strikes anyway.
What trips me out even more is that the damage would stay psychic. Or I see no rule to change damage type.
It took me a couple reads too. I think as RAW it works. Additionally, the first hit could have sneak attack damage too (additional 2d6). It depends on how you play the monk, you might take more levels in Soul Knife. At 14th level I think it was something like 7d6 sneak attack damage. The mix of the Way of Shadow & Soul Knife could be nasty, as you come out of the shadows with advantage on the attack. If you're an elf or half-elf with Elven Accuracy, that's essentially rolling 3 20's to hit and do up to 8d6 total damage on one strike (+ modifier). Some interesting combos at work.
Thank you for the reread, it took me three tries but I'm with you.
I still think there are bumps but nothing that isn't overcome by level progression. I was going to say that you might lose the magical property but you would regain it at six level with empowered strikes anyway.
What trips me out even more is that the damage would stay psychic. Or I see no rule to change damage type.
I think your confusion stems from an interpretation that all attacks using the martial arts die are unarmed attacks. They are not. Martial arts encompasses both unarmed attacks and attacks using "monk weapons."
A monk attacking with a magical weapon (that meets the criteria of being a monk weapon) is no different form another class attacking with that weapon, with two additional options:
you can use DEX for attack and damage even if the weapon is not inherently a finesse weapon
you can replace the damage die with the martial arts damage die
The problem is that RAW, Soulknives don't work with extra attack. Because the blade disappears after you attack, it isn't around for the *extra* (second) attack.
Or the real weapon you probably carry, like all competent soulknives do - your unarmed strike can't sneak attack, a dagger or rapier can. And you probably picked one up back around level 1 so you could make OAs competently.
I agree with the comments above in that you can use the martial arts die instead of the 1d6 from that of the Soulknife Rogue, the damage stays Psychic - no where in the martial arts section does it mention damage type but in Soulknife Rogue it does specifically say psychic damage - Souldknife Rogue damage die does increase as you level so no difference - achieving the same result (not broken) just doing it via another means.
What i wonder is does the Soulknife Rogues Psychic Blade damage stack on top of a Monks unarmed strike damage?
The illustration of the Soulknife pictures the rogue not “holding” a psychic blade - its more like Xmens Psylockes katara punch blade. As such a Monk making an unarmed strike is doing “physical” damage in combination to the mental psychic damage - similar to how physical weapons can deal psychic damage in combination to the physical.
Also in the write up for Soulknife it states the Soulknife Rogue uses the mind … “In contrast, a Soulknife strikes and infiltrates with the mind, cutting through barriers both physical and psychic”
Almost like your are “magically” enchanting your fists/unarmed strike similar to Monks lvl 6 ability Ki Empowered Strike where unarmed strikes are considered magical.
however it does state you need a free hand implying you are holding it, and it does say simple martial weapon again implying its a physical blade which contrasts/contradicts the mental/psychic aspect.
With Kensei monks, weapons that are created from spells or abilities can be monk weapons as long as it states that they are simple or martial weapons, *not* natural. For example, Tabaxi claws are natural weapons so they don't work as monk weapons, but the weapons manifested by the Beast Barbarian can be.
Similarly, Shadow Blade can count as a monk weapon while Flame Blade doesn't. Psychic Blades count as well.
If you don't go with Kensei, then RAW, your DM would have to allow tweaking of the Dedicated Weapon feature. You need a physical weapon you carry with you to be your dedicated weapon since you need to interact with it to get the effect, and I don't think manifested weapons would count since you create them when you use them, not summon an existing weapon like a Pact weapon or an Eldritch Knight.
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say I have 3 levels of soul knife n 17 levels of monk. Does the psychic blade become a 1D10 monk weapon?
Yes, it does.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
I did a build on DnDBeyond to see, and it doesn't seem to work. An interesting monk/soulknife build is a Monk 6 (Shadow)/Soulknife (14). Lots of chances to pop around the battle field using psychic knives and shadows (and coming out of the shadows presents an attack with advantage)... 7d6 damage from a sneak attack... fun times.
That's a problem with the Character Builder. It does work RAW.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
Please show your work for me and the other noobs…
From my reading: this isn't an unarmed strike so I'm not seeing where I get your damage boost.
"you can manifest your psionic power as a shimmering blade of psychic energy."
"This magic blade is a simple melee weapon with the finance and throne properties. It has a normal range of 60 feet and no long range, and on hit, it deal psychic damage equal to 1D6 Plus the ability modifier you used for the attack roll."
In the Monk Class, under Martial Arts, the 2nd bullet says:
In the Monk Table, the 3rd column is the location of the Martial Arts damage die. It starts at 1d4, in which case the martial arts weapon is probably the same or better, but it improves. At 17th level it is 1d10. The character builder doesn't support it (currently), but the RAW "At 1st level, your practice of martial arts gives you mastery of combat styles that use unarmed strikes and monk weapons, which are shortswords and any simple melee weapons that don’t have the two-handed or heavy property."
The psychic blades, from the Rogue class: "This magic blade is a simple melee weapon with the finesse and thrown properties.".
Thank you for the reread, it took me three tries but I'm with you.
I still think there are bumps but nothing that isn't overcome by level progression. I was going to say that you might lose the magical property but you would regain it at six level with empowered strikes anyway.
What trips me out even more is that the damage would stay psychic. Or I see no rule to change damage type.
It took me a couple reads too. I think as RAW it works. Additionally, the first hit could have sneak attack damage too (additional 2d6). It depends on how you play the monk, you might take more levels in Soul Knife. At 14th level I think it was something like 7d6 sneak attack damage. The mix of the Way of Shadow & Soul Knife could be nasty, as you come out of the shadows with advantage on the attack. If you're an elf or half-elf with Elven Accuracy, that's essentially rolling 3 20's to hit and do up to 8d6 total damage on one strike (+ modifier). Some interesting combos at work.
I think your confusion stems from an interpretation that all attacks using the martial arts die are unarmed attacks. They are not. Martial arts encompasses both unarmed attacks and attacks using "monk weapons."
A monk attacking with a magical weapon (that meets the criteria of being a monk weapon) is no different form another class attacking with that weapon, with two additional options:
My homebrew subclasses (full list here)
(Artificer) Swordmage | Glasswright | (Barbarian) Path of the Savage Embrace
(Bard) College of Dance | (Fighter) Warlord | Cannoneer
(Monk) Way of the Elements | (Ranger) Blade Dancer
(Rogue) DaggerMaster | Inquisitor | (Sorcerer) Riftwalker | Spellfist
(Warlock) The Swarm
The problem is that RAW, Soulknives don't work with extra attack. Because the blade disappears after you attack, it isn't around for the *extra* (second) attack.
True however, you can use the second attack for your unarmed attacks.
Or the real weapon you probably carry, like all competent soulknives do - your unarmed strike can't sneak attack, a dagger or rapier can. And you probably picked one up back around level 1 so you could make OAs competently.
I agree with the comments above in that you can use the martial arts die instead of the 1d6 from that of the Soulknife Rogue, the damage stays Psychic - no where in the martial arts section does it mention damage type but in Soulknife Rogue it does specifically say psychic damage - Souldknife Rogue damage die does increase as you level so no difference - achieving the same result (not broken) just doing it via another means.
What i wonder is does the Soulknife Rogues Psychic Blade damage stack on top of a Monks unarmed strike damage?
The illustration of the Soulknife pictures the rogue not “holding” a psychic blade - its more like Xmens Psylockes katara punch blade. As such a Monk making an unarmed strike is doing “physical” damage in combination to the mental psychic damage - similar to how physical weapons can deal psychic damage in combination to the physical.
Also in the write up for Soulknife it states the Soulknife Rogue uses the mind … “In contrast, a Soulknife strikes and infiltrates with the mind, cutting through barriers both physical and psychic”
Almost like your are “magically” enchanting your fists/unarmed strike similar to Monks lvl 6 ability Ki Empowered Strike where unarmed strikes are considered magical.
however it does state you need a free hand implying you are holding it, and it does say simple martial weapon again implying its a physical blade which contrasts/contradicts the mental/psychic aspect.
thoughts?
No, you're either making an attack with a weapon or you're making an unarmed strike, you're not doing both in the same roll.
Canto alla vita
alla sua bellezza
ad ogni sua ferita
ogni sua carezza!
I sing to life and to its tragic beauty
To pain and to strife, but all that dances through me
The rise and the fall, I've lived through it all!
If u went Kenseth monk and made it a monk weapon so it used unarmed damage instead it could work but with that set up nope
With Kensei monks, weapons that are created from spells or abilities can be monk weapons as long as it states that they are simple or martial weapons, *not* natural. For example, Tabaxi claws are natural weapons so they don't work as monk weapons, but the weapons manifested by the Beast Barbarian can be.
Similarly, Shadow Blade can count as a monk weapon while Flame Blade doesn't. Psychic Blades count as well.
If you don't go with Kensei, then RAW, your DM would have to allow tweaking of the Dedicated Weapon feature. You need a physical weapon you carry with you to be your dedicated weapon since you need to interact with it to get the effect, and I don't think manifested weapons would count since you create them when you use them, not summon an existing weapon like a Pact weapon or an Eldritch Knight.