Psionics: Mind Blade
Have you ever wanted to play a D&D soulknife in GURPS? You're lucky, because GURPS has not one, but two written ways to manifest psionic blades - the Psi-Sword from Pyramid #3-69 and the Psychic Sword from Pyramid #3-76. I have some problems with both of these approaches, so I will make my own, based on the Natural Weapon advantage from Pyramid #3-65.
Mind Blade – 17/33/42 points for levels 1-3
Skill: Mind Blade (Will/Hard).
As a Ready maneuver, you can create or dismiss a semisolid blade composed of psychic energy distilled from your own mind. The blade is similar to a shortsword – it can deal swing cutting damage and thrust impaling damage at Reach 1. It is wielded with the Force Sword skill, but for the purpose of damage use your Mind Blade skill instead of ST (maximum effective ST = ST x 3). For parrying purposes, the mind blade has an effective weight of skill/10 pounds and is considered a very fine weapon. When using Mind Blade techniques, base damage and effective weight on the technique instead of skill. Your opponents cannot disarm you, but they can strike your mind blade; it has DR 5. It also has HP according to a homogeneous material with its weight (see p. B557). If broken, the mind blade can be manifested again normally with no recovery period.
At level 2, you become able to shape your mind blade into two new forms: a longsword and a bastard sword. The longsword deals swing+1 cutting damage at Reach 1 and thrust+2 impaling damage at Reach 1-2. The bastard sword deals swing+2 cutting damage at Reach 1-2 and thrust+3 impaling damage at Reach 2. The bastard sword is a two-handed weapon; it can be used one-handed at -2 to hit, but when used that way it is treated as an unbalanced weapon.
At level 3, you become able to throw your mind blade. Treat it as a muscle-powered ranged weapon with Acc 0, Range x0.5/x1, RoF 1, Bulk -2 (-4 if using the longsword form, -6 if using the bastard sword form), and Recoil 1. Regardless of whether it hit its target, it disappears after the attack, but you can manifest it again with a Ready maneuver. Use DX-4 to throw, dealing damage as per the thrusting attack. The GM may permit to buy off this penalty as a Hard technique.
Statistics: DR 1 (Limited, Mind Blade, -80%; Psychokinesis, -10%) [1] + Natural Weapon (Impaling; Cosmic, Can remanifest it immediately after destruction, +50%; DR independent of the wielder, +0%; Extra Damage Type, Cutting, +20%; Psychokinesis, -10%; Reach 1, +0%; Resilient, Very Fine, +20%; Single, -20%; Swing-Capable, Swing-Only, Cutting, +20%; Switchable, +10%) [16]. Level 2 adds two new abilities that are taken as an alternative abilities array with Natural Weapon: Natural Weapon (Impaling; Cosmic, Can remanifest it immediately after destruction, +50%; DR independent of the wielder, +0%; Extra Damage Type, Cutting, +20%; Extra Reach 1, Thrust Only, +30%; Increased Damage 1, +30%; Increased Damage 1, Thrust Only, +20%; Psychokinesis, -10%; Reach 1, +0%; Resilient, Very Fine, +20%; Single, -20%; Swing-Capable, Swing-Only, Cutting, +20%; Switchable, +10%) [22] and Natural Weapon (Impaling; Cosmic, Can remanifest it immediately after destruction, +50%; DR independent of the wielder, +0%; Extra Damage Type, Cutting, +20%; Extra Reach 1, Thrust attacks only at maximum Reach, +40%; Increased Damage 2, +60%; Increased Damage 1, Thrust Only, +20%; Psychokinesis, -10%; Reach 1, +0%; Resilient, Very Fine, +20%; Single, -20%; Swing-Capable, Swing-Only, Cutting, +20%; Switchable, +10%; Two-Handed, -30%) [23]. Level 3 adds Inaccurate 3, -15%; Ranged, +100% to all three Natural Weapons.
Dual Mind Blade – Hard
If using the shortsword mind blade form, you can use this technique to manifest two shortsword mind blades at once – one in each hand.
Fast Manifestation – Hard
By rolling against this technique, you can manifest your mind blade as a free action instead of a Ready maneuver.
Knife to the Soul – Hard
When you attack a living sapient (IQ 6+) creature with your mind blade, you may roll against this technique. If you succeed, the attack ignores all DR, but treats Mind Shield as DR equal to its level. Your effective ST is based on this technique for this attack only.
Psychic Strike – Hard
When you attack a living sapient (IQ 6+) creature with your mind blade, you may roll against this technique. If you succeed, the attack instead rends the psyche of the target, dealing toxic damage instead of the normal type. Your effective ST is based on this technique for this attack only.
Transdimensional Mind Blade – Hard
When manifesting the mind blade with this technique, your mind blade becomes able to strike insubstantial beings, as if it had the Affects Insubstantial enhancement (p. B102).
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