Also at 3rd level, You can manifest your psionic power as shimmering blades of psychic energy. Whenever you take the Attack action, you can manifest a psychic blade from your free hand and make the attack with that blade. This magic blade is a simple melee weapon with the finesse and thrown properties. It has a normal range of 60 feet and no long range, and on a hit, it deals psychic damage equal to 1d6 plus the ability modifier you used for the attack roll. The blade vanishes immediately after it hits or misses its target, and it leaves no mark on its target if it deals damage.
After you attack with the blade, you can make a melee or ranged weapon attack with a second psychic blade as a bonus action on the same turn, provided your other hand is free to create it. The damage die of this bonus attack is 1d4, instead of 1d6.
Melee weapons can, in fact, be used to make melee attacks! 😜 The Thrown property is what allows it to also be used for ranged attacks.
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You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
Note that you cannot make Opportunity attacks with psychic blades as the Psychic Blade ability is tied to your Attack Action.
Sadly true. They can, however, be used for a Readied Action. This works well in combination with haste, though needs a bit of setup (in particular, a caster who knows haste :-).
On the rogue's turn, they use haste's extra Action for an Attack action to attack once. This then allows the use of their Bonus action to attack once. The Sneak Attack damage bonus can be added to one of these attacks. They then use their regular Action to Ready an Attack Action based on some perceivable trigger (perhaps, "An enemy moves out of my reach").
On someone else's turn, the Readied Action triggers. The Attack action allows the use of psychic blades (it does not contain the phrase "on your turn" with many other features have). Because the attack happened on a different turn, Sneak Attack damage can be added. No Bonus Action is granted because those only happen on your turn.
Can a Soulknife's psychic blades be used for melee attacks, or are they strictly ranged weapons?
The description says they can be used for melee or ranged attacks
Melee weapons can, in fact, be used to make melee attacks! 😜 The Thrown property is what allows it to also be used for ranged attacks.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
Note that you cannot make Opportunity attacks with psychic blades as the Psychic Blade ability is tied to your Attack Action.
Sadly true. They can, however, be used for a Readied Action. This works well in combination with haste, though needs a bit of setup (in particular, a caster who knows haste :-).
On the rogue's turn, they use haste's extra Action for an Attack action to attack once. This then allows the use of their Bonus action to attack once. The Sneak Attack damage bonus can be added to one of these attacks. They then use their regular Action to Ready an Attack Action based on some perceivable trigger (perhaps, "An enemy moves out of my reach").
On someone else's turn, the Readied Action triggers. The Attack action allows the use of psychic blades (it does not contain the phrase "on your turn" with many other features have). Because the attack happened on a different turn, Sneak Attack damage can be added. No Bonus Action is granted because those only happen on your turn.