Ashen Blade

Warriors of a psionic order of
murderers and cutthroats, the
Order of Ashes is known and
feared for its art of the silent,
sudden kill. They’ve learned to
strike once and strike fast and
hard for the utmost in lethality.
To this end, they have learned
how to harness their psychic
strike and hone it to a razor’s edge
for use with their mind blades,
augmenting its killing power
through their deep meditations
and awakening of great psychic potential. While greatly
feared where they’re active, legend says you can find
these killers by the stain of ashes on their palms—this is
a false rumor started by the ashen blades themselves as
a way to throw their foolish pursuers off their trail.

**Hit Die:** d8

### **Requirements**

To qualify to become an ashen blade, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

* **Skills**: Knowledge (Psionics) 2 ranks, Sleight of Hand 2 ranks, Stealth 5 ranks.
* **Feats**: Combat Expertise, Improved Feint.
* **Blade Skills**: Must possess the Mind Daggers blade skill.
* **Special**: Must possess the psychic strike class feature or the covert training class feature.

**Class Skills:** The ashen blade’s class skills (and the key ability modifiers) are Acrobatics (Cha), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Disable Device (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (local) (Int), Spellcraft (Int), Stealth (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).

**Skill Ranks per Level**: 4 + Int modifier.

### **CLASS FEATURES**

The following are the
class features of the
ashen blade.

### **Weapon and Armor Proficiency**

Ashen
blades gain no additional
weapon or armor
proficiencies.

### **Manifesting**

An ashen blade gains manifesting
ability if he did not already have
it. His power points per day, powers known, and maximum power level known are given on Table: The Ashen Blade. He chooses his powers from the
Gifted Blade power list. To
learn or manifest a power, he
must have a Wisdom score of at least 10 + the power’s level, the save DCs for his powers
are Wisdom-based, and he
uses his Wisdom score to determine bonus power points.
His manifester level for these powers is equal to his class level plus his soulknife level (not to exceed his character level).

Alternatively, if the ashen blade was capable of
manifesting psionic powers as a gifted blade soulknife before becoming a ashen blade, he may choose to forgo
this training, instead opting to progress his existing
manifesting class at each level of this prestige class. At
each level, he gains power points, access to new powers,
and an improved manifester level as if he had gained a level as a gifted blade.

Once the ashen blade has chosen his manifesting path,
it can never be changed—not even with effects such as
*psychic reformation*.

### **Augmented Strike (Su)**

At 1st level, the ashen blade
is capable of augmenting his attacks with psychic power
to make them far more deadly. His level determines
what abilities are available to him, and he must spend
a number of power points as a swift action to generate
these augmentation effects (if applicable, not all abilities
are subject to augmentation) which last for one round
or until used on his next attack. If the attack misses, the
charge is maintained until his next successful attack
(melee or ranged) or until his next turn when they
expire. He may not perform another augmentation until
the previously manifested augmentation has been used
or dismissed. A ashen blade may not spend more power
points on augmenting his attacks than his class level. A
ashen blade may utilize his augmented strike ability a
number of times per day equal to 5 + Wisdom modifier
(minimum of 1) per day. At first level he may apply a
single augment, at 4th level he may apply a second
augment, and at 7th level he may apply a third augment.

See the list at the end of this class desscription for ashen blade augments.

### **Assassin’s Blade**

At 1st level, the mind blade of the
ashen blade becomes dull and partially translucent, as if
made of smoke and ashes, to better disguise the weapon
and it’s sudden and speedy attacks. The ashen blade’s
mind blade continues to grow in power as he walks the
path of psionic assassination - each level of this prestige
class counts as a level of the soulknife base class when
calculating the mind blade enhancement class feature
and for determining the effects and prerequisites of
blade skills. When making a feint attempt to attack a foe
with his mind blade, the ashen blade adds a +4 bonus
to the attempt. Additionally, the ashen blade may select
a single weapon type as if he had gained the Emulate
Melee Weapon blade skill as a form for his mind blade.
This must be a light or one-handed melee weapon as
anything larger may be too easily noticed. He may select
another weapon shape at 4th level, another at 7th level,
and a final one at 10th level.

If the ashen blade is capable of manifesting a panoply
of blades, in lieu of the previous abilities, the ashen blade
receives the following abilities from this class feature.
He receives the Distill Panoply armory tactic at 1st level
and may use this blade skill even if his panoply is not
manifested to create a singular dagger (see fast knives
below). When using a weapon he is wielding through
the use of the Distill Panoply armory tactic and making a
feint attempt, he receives a +4 bonus to the attempt.

### **Fast Knives (Su)**

At 1st level, the ashen blade is
always capable of bringing a mind dagger to his hand
at the speed of instinct and can release them just as fast.
The ashen blade may manifest a single mind dagger to attack and then immediately release it after damage
has been rolled as part of a standard attack action (the
ashen blade may make a free Sleight of Hand or Stealth
check as part of this attack to hide the manifestation
of the mind blade and its dismissal). At 1st level, this
allows the ashen blade to make a feint attempt against
his target when using a mind dagger as a swift action. At
6th level, the ashen blade is so skilled that he can make
the attempt as a free action once per round as part of
that attack. If this feint attempt is successful, the ashen
blade inflicts an additional 1d6 points of damage as if he possessed the sneak attack class feature. If the character possessed sneak attack dice from a previous class, these are added to this attack.

### **Psychic Strike (Su)**

Starting at 2nd level, the ashen
blade may charge his mind blade with destructive
psychic energies as a move action. This effect inflicts
an additional 1d8 points of damage and is released into
an opponent as a free action as part of an attack. This
bonus increases to 2d8 points of damage at 5th level, and
to 3d8 points of damage at 8th level. If the ashen blade possessed the psychic strike ability from a previous class, these class features stack to determine the total number
of psychic strike damage dice. This functions otherwise
exactly as the soulknife class feature of the same name
(see the soulknife class, *Ultimate Psionics* pg 64, for
further details on this ability).

### **Cunning (Ex)**

At 2nd level, the ashen blade gains a +1 bonus on Bluff and Stealth skill checks made while maintaining psionic focus. The ashen blade may expend
his psionic focus to double this bonus for a single Bluff
or Stealth check. If the character possessed the cunning class feature from the cutthroat soulknife archetype, his levels in cutthroat stack with his ashen blade levels
to determine its effectiveness; if not then this bonuses
increases by +1 at 5th level and again at 9th level.

### **Blade Skill**

At 3rd level, the ashen blade may select a
new blade skill. He may select an additional new blade
skill at 9th level.

### **Master of Ashes**

At 10th level, the ashen blade’s skill
at killing has reached mastery, and his mind blade is the
perfect tool for his art. He no longer has a limit to how
many times per day he can use his augmented strike ability and any time he kills a creature with at least 1 Hit
Die and an Intelligence of 3 or higher, he may recharge
his psychic strike or regain his psionic focus (the ashen
blade may choose which).

## **Ashen Blade Augments**

An ashen blade has access to the following effects for her
augmented strike.

 Basic
 Basic
 Basic
 Adept
 Adept
 Adept
 Master
 Master

**Increased Psychic Strike:** The attack inflicts an
additional 1d8 points of psychic strike damage. For every 2 power points spent, this damage increases by
1d8 points. The attack must be one to which sneak attack
damage applies.

**Focus-Destroying Blow:** A creature hit by the ashen
blade’s attack must make a Will saving throw (DC 12 +
Wisdom modifier) or lose its psionic focus in addition to
taking the damage from the attack. For every 2 power
points spent, the DC increases by 1.

**Stunning Strike:** A creature hit by the ashen blade’s
attack must make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 +
Wisdom modifier) or be stunned for 1 round in addition
to taking the damage from the attack. For every 2 power
points spent, the DC increases by 1.

**Bypass Concealment:** The ashen blade’s next attack ignores the miss chance provided by concealment or total concealment. The ashen blade must still attack the
correct square when attacking an invisible creature.

**Mental Assault**: The ashen blade’s next attack deals
2 points of either Intelligence or Wisdom damage in
addition to its normal damage. The ashen blade chooses
which type of ability damage to deal when activating
the power. For every 2 power points spent, the ability
damage increases by 1.

**Ghost Breaker**: The ashen blade’s
next attack can strike incorporeal
creatures, as if her weapon had the *ghost touch* special ability. This
augmentation persists until the
ashen blade’s next turn.

**Psychic Vampire**: The ashen
blade’s next attack drains
a number of power points
from the target equal to half
the damage dealt. Drained
power points are available
for the ashen blade to use
in the following round, but
expire at the end of his next
turn.

**Life Quencher**: A creature
struck by the ashen blade’s
next attack gains 1d4
negative levels for 1 round;
a successful Fortitude save
(DC 17 + Wisdom modifier)
reduces this to 1 negative
level bestowed. For every
4 power points spent, the
duration of the negative levels is
increased by 1 round.

**Synaptic Disruptor**: A creature
struck by the ashen blade’s next
attack cannot cast spells, manifest powers, or use spell-like or psilike abilities for 1 round unless it
succeeds on a Will save (DC 17 + Wisdom modifier). For every
2 power points spent, the DC
increases by 1.