The Soulknife is a subclass available to Rogues in Dungeons and Dragons 5e that was introduced in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything.
The Rogue has always been known as an expert at stealth, infiltration, and surprise attacks. However, this sub-class takes it to a new level by giving them psionic powers that they can use to quickly take out their opponents!
In this guide we will cover everything you need to know about playing this exciting new subclass in D&D 5e!
Table of Contents
What is the Soulknife Rogue in D&D 5e?
The Soulknife Rogue takes everything that is great about the Rogue class adds a bit of “razzle dazzle” to it.
Of course, “razzle dazzle” in this case means “freaking awesome psychic powers”!
Pulling from your pool of Psionic Energy dice, you can show off the impressive combination of quick-thinking and psionic powers. These dice fuel your abilities as a Soulknife, but we’ll talk about those in more detail when we go over the subclass’s abilities.
This Roguish Archetype first appeared in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything alongside the Phantom as the two new subclass options for Rogues.
Role in the Party
The Soulknife’s role in the party is more or less exactly what one would expect from a Rogue: scrapping in combat to pump out Sneak Attack damage, dealing with traps or locks, and general infiltration.
This subclass’s psionic abilities effectively add extra bonuses and utility evenly across the Rogue’s skillset.
Okay, maybe that sounds a little boring when it’s put that way, but stay with me!
The Soulknife stands out not just because of its mechanics, but also its style. More than probably any of the other Rogue subclass’s (except possibly the Swashbuckler), the Soulknife is just begging for all kinds of cinematic flavor in your game!
Soulknife Rogue Abilities
Alright, so with all of the explanation taken care of, let’s get to talking about that “razzle dazzle” we mentioned earlier!
Because there are so many ways to use your swanky new Psionic abilities, you might feel a little overwhelmed at first. I’ll explain the abilities in more depth, but feel free to reach out in the comments if you still have questions or just want to say hi!
But, back to it! These are the Soulknife’s abilities in D&D 5e!
Psionic Power
At level 3, you gain the primary resource for your psionic abilities: your Psionic Energy dice.
The amount of Psionic Energy dice available to you is equal to double your proficiency bonus. As you level up, you’ll gain more of these (and they’ll get stronger too!)Soulknife Level Number of Psionic Energy Dice Psionic Energy Dice 3 4 d6 4 4 d6 5 6 d8 6 6 d8 7 6 d8 8 6 d8 9 8 d8 10 8 d8 11 8 d10 12 8 d10 13 10 d10 14 10 d10 15 10 d10 16 10 d10 17+ 12 d12
At the end of a long rest, you regain all of your Psionic Energy dice. In a pinch, you can use a bonus action to regain one of these dice per short or long rest.
At this level, you have two abilities that you can spend Psionic Energy Dice on: Psi-Bolstered Knack and Psychic Whispers.
Psi-Bolstered Knack
Psi-Bolstered Knack is useful for situations where you fail an ability check using a skill or tool that you have proficiency with. You can roll one of your Psionic Energy dice and add that number to the check.
This allows you to possibly succeed when you would have otherwise failed. If you still fail the check, the dice is not expended! (So at least you don’t burn a resource!)
At later levels (9 and up), you’ll likely only use this ability on the absolute critical rolls. But in the early levels where a single trap can easily result in a total party kill, this is very valuable!
Psychic Whispers
Your second ability, Psychic Whispers, lets you telepathically communicate with others. You use an action, choose a number of creatures equal to your proficiency bonus, and roll a Psionic Energy die.
The number rolled on the die is how long you can send messages back and forth to each other telepathically.
Note that you must be able to see them when you activate this ability, must stay within 1 mile of each other, and they have to know at least one language.
So you could use this ability to communicate with your allies or to harass a goblin. But a creature like an Ooze, for example, that doesn’t speak a language can’t be communicated with.
Not sure why you want to talk to an Ooze, but hey I’m not judging…
The creature that you’re using this ability to communicate with can end the connection at any time they want without requiring an action. (Most guards, for example, will likely immediately end the connection.)
Additionally, your first use of this ability per day doesn’t cost you a Psionic Energy die!
Yup! Totally free!
This is very useful for coordinating with your party when doing reconnaissance or trying to time an ambush just right.
Psychic Blades
Your second level 3 ability, Psychic Blades, is the Soulknife’s bread-and-butter combat ability. Not only does this boost your combat performance, but it looks awesome too!
With this ability, you manifest a psychic blade from your free hand and attack with it when taking the Attack action.
This blade is a simple melee weapon and has the Finesse and Thrown properties. It has a range of 60 feet (with no long range ability) and deals psychic damage equal to 1d6 + your attack’s ability modifier. (In most cases, that’s going to be 1d6 + your DEX modifier!)
Additionally, the blade vanishes after your attack (whether it hits or misses) and doesn’t leave any marks on the target if it deals damage. (This makes it especially good if you’re trying to discreetly remove a threat and want to make it look natural.)
If your other hand is free and you’ve already attacked with your Psychic Blade, you can use a bonus action to summon another blade and attack again. This one is 1d4 plus your ability modifier though.
Now, with that said, I have some thoughts on this ability…
The Good and Bad of the Soulknife’s Psychic Blades
Let’s start with the good.
This ability lets you reliably put out psychic damage which very few creatures are resistant to.
1d6 + your ability score isn’t bad damage and the 60 feet range is very good. Furthermore, you’re never at risk of being unarmed since you can just summon the psychic blades as you attack!
Being able to summon a second blade with your bonus action is also very handy.
As a Rogue, you are going to deal most of your damage by looking for opportunities to use your Sneak Attack. Having a second attack by dual-wielding gives you yet another chance to deal your big damage.
That said, just be mindful of using your bonus action for this. In some situations, it might be better used for the Rogue’s Cunning Action ability if you need to duck back out of combat or reposition.
“So what’s bad about Psychic Blades?” you ask?
Well… It comes down to balance.
The only downside to this ability will come as your party levels up and you start to get magical weapons and items.
As your allies get weapons that give them bonuses to attack rolls and damage, your blades don’t really get any of that. In the early game, this isn’t a problem but as you get higher in level and the magical loot gets stronger, you’re likely to feel left out.
So do you just eventually stop using your Psychic Blades in favor of a magical weapon that actually gives you those swanky bonuses?
Personally, I’d recommend chatting with your DM as you get into the mid and late game levels. Homebrewing up some kind of magical pendant to help you better channel your psionic abilities (and buff your blades) should certainly be possible with some creativity.
Soul Blades
At level 9, you gain two more options for your Psionic Energy dice to buff your Psychic Blades.
And oh boy are these buffs just beautiful…
Homing Strikes
Homing Strikes lets you roll a Psionic Energy die and add the result to your attack roll if you would otherwise miss. If you still don’t hit, the Psionic Energy die is not expended.
But, honestly, you’re almost certainly going to hit unless you just happened to roll very unfortunately. Adding a d8 (later a d10 then a d12) to your attack can be a huge benefit, especially if you’re really counting on sticking that Sneak Attack.
This doesn’t necessarily balance out the problem with Psychic Blades that I pointed out earlier. After all, an enchanted weapon gives reliable attack bonuses without needing to use a resource. So while it doesn’t perfectly offset the enchantment problem, it’s definitely going to make a difference!
Psychic Teleportation
Psychic Teleportation is the second buff that the Soulknife gets at level 9.
With this ability, you use a bonus action to summon a psychic blade then expend one of your Psionic Energy dice. You now get to throw your blade to an unoccupied point that you can see up to a distance of the number rolled on your Psionic Energy die times 10. You instantly teleport to that point and the blade vanishes.
When you get this ability, you’re looking at a max range of 80 feet. Once you hit level 17, that becomes a max range of 120 feet.
This ability is cool and can certainly save your life in a wide variety of situations. Just be aware that the possibility of rolling a 1 is low… but never zero.
There is a chance that you may only be able to teleport 10 feet away. That can still be enough sometimes, but it’s certainly underwhelming.
In a pinch, this ability is great, but it’s incredibly variable and probably shouldn’t be something that you base your entire strategy around.
In any case, feel free to yell “yeet” or some other cry as you use this. It won’t give you any bonuses, but it might keep the Dice Gods appeased.
Psychic Veil
At level 13, the Soulknife gets the Psychic Veil ability. This might seem simple on the surface, but it’s honestly pretty crazy.
As an action, you and anything you’re wearing or carrying become invisible for up to an hour. It ends early if you dismiss the effect, force a creature to make a saving throw, or immediately after you deal damage to a creature.
The best part?
The first one’s free.
You get this once per long rest, but you can expend one of your Psionic Energy dice to use it again if you haven’t been able to rest yet.
Needless to say, being a Rogue that can turn invisible for an entire hour is pretty awesome. It won’t help you in combat beyond the first attack, but scouting just became effortless for you.
(Psst… Just be mindful of creatures with Truesight, Tremorsense, or the See Invisibility spell!)
Rend Mind
Finally, we come to the Soulknife’s capstone ability at level 17: Rend Mind.
If it sounds utterly devastating, that’s because it is!
When you use your Psychic Blades to deal Sneak Attack damage to a creature, you completely ravage their mind. That creature has to now make a Wisdom saving throw with a DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your DEX modifier. If they fail, they are stunned for 1 minute and repeat the saving throw at the end of each of their turns.
At this level, you’ve probably maxxed out your DEX score to 20 which gives you a +5 ability modifier. You should also have a +6 proficiency bonus. That means the save DC would be 19 which is pretty difficult to beat in most cases.
The “stunned” condition can quickly turn into a death sentence for many creatures. Not only can they not do anything, but attacks against them are at advantage.
They’ll be out of commission for at least one round with this ability, but it’s totally possible that they might keep failing their save and spend the entire combat getting punished or in “time out.”
This can only be used once per long rest unless you spend three Psionic Energy dice to use it again. However, with 12 dice in your pool at this point, that’s a small cost for such a devastating effect!
Just be wary about what kind of saves your target might be good at making. Spellcasters and creatures like genies, celestials, some giants, and devils tend to be pretty good with Wisdom saves.
That said, this is a very powerful buff to your Sneak Attack and a remarkable capstone ability!
Connections
As with most Rogues (particularly Thieves or Assassins), the Soulknife could certainly find themselves connected to your game’s world by being a member of a Thieves’ Guild. Whether they’re a welcomed member or viewed with cautious suspicion for their powers is entirely up to you.
There are certainly plenty of other organizations, however, that would take an interest in the Soulknife’s peculiar abilities. They might work as a spy for the local government or contract with the Merchant’s Guild to keep an eye on certain debtors.
Though you might choose to make your Soulknife more like a monk who has honed their psychic abilities with the guidance of a monastic order similar to the Jedi from Star Wars.
So much of this class is based in their psychic abilities that you want to look at that as a major thread to tie your character into your game’s story. How do they feel about their powers? When have they been helpful? When have they hurt your character or otherwise been inconvenient?
Perhaps most importantly, how are they working to hone these powers and how does that motivate them to join the rest of the party?
Is the Soulknife Rogue Good?
I’m going to be honest, I don’t think I’ve read a single subclass in all of D&D as many times as I read over the Soulknife without forming a solid opinion.
On one hand, there’s so much about this class that I love. The flavor is fantastic with plenty of mechanical “oomph” to make it a viable pick.
On the other hand, the Soulknife is basically just taking the Rogue’s standard kit and adding that psionic “razzle dazzle” to it. Whereas other subclass options have clear specializations, this one is just a balanced upgrade across the board for the Rogue’s skills and role in the party.
That’s not a bad thing, but it’s weird to see a class that doesn’t fully carve out its own niche.
However, I think I was mostly a little jaded in my first (several) read-throughs of this class. When the Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything book was announced as having psionic classes, I think I envisioned something else. With time, I’ve come to really like this class though.
While you won’t be scheming sabotage like the Mastermind or mastering the wilds like the Scout, you’re a beast in combat while still being reliable when navigating dungeons, disarming traps, and infiltration.
So, yeah, I’d say the Soulknife is a very solid choice for a Rogue Archetype.
Of course, you can see how it ranks against the other subclass options in this other article!
The lower levels will be a bit difficult for you since you have such a small resource pool to start, but by the time you’re in the mid-game levels you’ll be ready to unleash psychic fury upon your foes!
If you’ve got a DM who’s willing to help you scale your Psychic Blades as you level, I’d say that this is one of the better subclass choices for your Rogue.
Conclusion – The Soulknife Rogue in D&D 5e
Well, that wraps up this guide to the Soulknife Rogue in D&D 5e!
You can find this subclass (and many others) in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything on pages 63 – 65.
As always, let me know in the comments if you have any questions, suggestions, or just want to say hi!
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FAQs
How good is the Soulknife rogue 5E? ›
The Soulknife rogue in 5e is one of the best subclasses for the rogue. Soulknife rogues are incredibly powerful and have a lot of great abilities. Their Psychic Blades are some of the most useful weapons in the game and their ability to turn invisible and teleport make Soulknife rogues very hard to catch.
What is the priority stat for a Soulknife rogue? ›Dexterity Is a Soulknife Rogue's Most Important Stat
When it comes to building a Rogue, regardless of their chosen Roguish Archetype, Dexterity will always be their most important core stat.
Because their premise and their features are so simple, the Assassin is one of the easiest rogue subclasses to play. They don't have resources to track or complicated additional mechanics, so if you're comfortable with the complexity of the Rogue's core features you're already ready to handle the Assassin.
What is the most powerful rogue archetype 5E? ›1. Swashbuckler. The swashbuckler sits at the top of our Rogue 5E archetypes list. This subclass might not be most people's vision of a rogue, but the subclass traits are outstanding.
Can Soulknife use booming blade? ›Soulknife Multiclassing
Because of the limitations of Psychic Blades, dipping into a caster to gain a weapon cantrip like Booming Blade doesn't work.
The Scarlet Devil is by all measures the strongest Rogue weapon in the game, offering a ridiculous 10,000 damage with every throw. Beyond its damage, though, its stealth strike releases a star of projectiles and applies lifesteal to your next thrown spear.
What are the best proficiencies for Soulknife rogue? ›The Key Skills I want to have as a Soulknife are: Insight, Investigation, Perception, Persuasion, Deception, Sleight of Hand, Stealth & Proficiency with Thieves tools.
Can Soulknife use sharpshooter? ›The formal position is that they are melee weapons with the thrown properly, and thus fail to meet the requirement of being a ranged weapon for Sharpshooter.
What ability score is best for rogue? ›Rogue Ability Scores
Dexterity is key for any Rogue, and Intelligence is important for Arcane Tricksters, but your need for Wisdom and Charisma depend largely on your choice of skills and role in the party.
Elves are a particularly excellent choice of race if you intend to make a rogue, as they're naturally dexterous (ability score increase to dexterity), have Darkvision and proficiency in perception.
What subclass is best for Rogue? ›
The Swashbuckler rogue is one of D&D's best combat subclasses for a class that can struggle in a fight. In particular, it rids the D&D rogue of their dependence on allies. A Swashbuckler can inflict Sneak Attack damage on enemies in melee range as long as the rogue has no other creatures within five feet.
How good is Soulknife? ›They go 60ft without disadvantage so they are better than regular daggers or hand crossbows at midrange. The range is a little better on a shortbow or light crossbow but those are two-handed. You don't want everyone to know you are a soulknife, keep that need to know.
What is the best sword rogue? ›1 Luck Blade
Arguably the most fitting magic item of all for a well-roleplayed Rogue, the Luck Blade is a legendary sword with a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls that also provides its wielder with a +1 bonus to saving throws.
Olidammara is the god of rogues, bards and any who promote the good things in life, especially wine, revelry, music, humor and tricks.
What alignment is Soulknife rogue? ›Race of the character is up in the air. Chaotic Good alignment, male, young man in his prime.
Does thrown weapon fighting work with Soulknife? ›It allows you to draw a thrown weapon (such as a dagger) at the same time that you make an attack. While this doesn't allow the Soulknife to use Psychic Blades on their reaction attack (meaning you can't apply Homing Strikes), it does allow the Soulknife to make a reaction attack even if it has nothing in its hands.
Should a Rogue dual wield? ›Classes that are good at dual wielding are the Rogue and the Fighter. Rogues have a naturally athletic body which means that it'll be easier for you to maneuver around the enemy and evade their attacks.
What is the best starting equipment for Rogue? ›From a mathematical perspective, the best weapon for the early game rogue is a double bladed scimitar assuming you take the revenant blade feat. Without taking feats, it's two short swords. The reason is that if you attack with two weapons, your damage potential increases by a lot. Think of it like this.
Can a Rogue have a gun? ›You'll also unlock the weapon to use across all Rogues that can wield that weapon class (in this example, assault rifles). Up until now, we haven't discussed weapon class much, so let's dig in. Each Rogue has access to two classes of primary weapons, such as a sniper rifle or an assault rifle.
How much damage does Soulknife do? ›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.
Is Soulknife melee or ranged? ›
It is a conventional ranged attack that does psychic damage. The Soulknife rogue checks to see if a target is within 60 feet. If so, it may roll a d20 to attack. If the target is outside of 60 feet, no attack may be made.
Are Soulknife blades magic? ›The Soul Knife is described as magical but the feature that creates it is not, so its magic would be merely suppressed in an antimagic field, similar to how a "Pact of the Blade" weapon is merely suppressed in a antimagic field.
Does Soulknife work with Monk? ›And a Lv3 dip into Soulknife gets the Monk 4 skills plus the ability to add a d6 to a skill check several times per day, plus the ability to establish group telepathy for several hours, plus 2d6 sneak attack, plus Cunning Action, plus the psychic blades (which also give the Monk a decent ranged weapon).
Is Soulknife two weapon fighting? ›[...] Neither Martial Arts nor Soulknife are Two-Weapon Fighting because TWF is a completely separate feature/ability with its own rules. If something were to use Two-Weapon Fighting, or modify it in some way, this would be explicitly stated.
What is the range of the soul knife? ›The blade is a simple melee weapon with the finesse, light, and thrown properties. It has a normal range of 30 feet and a long range of 60 feet, and it deals 1d6 psychic damage on a hit. If you throw the blade as part of an attack, it vanishes immediately after it hits or misses its target.
How do you make an overpowered rogue? ›- 1 Cloak of Displacement.
- 2 Weapon of Warning. ...
- 3 Second Chance Feat. ...
- 4 Assassin Subclass. ...
- 5 Lightfoot Halfling or Goblin for A Physical Rogue. ...
- 6 Fade Away Feat. ...
- 7 Take the War Caster Feat. ...
- 8 Arcane Trickster Subclass. ...
To further increase movement and attack speed, Agility is the Rogue's most important stat.
How strong is a level 20 rogue? ›At 20th level, you have an uncanny knack for succeeding when you need to. If your attack misses a target within range, you can turn the miss into a hit. Alternatively, if you fail an ability check, you can treat the d20 roll as a 20.
What is the best rogue race for PvE? ›Orc is the best Classic WoW Horde Rogue race for PvE. Orc or Undead is the best Classic WoW Horde Rogue race For PvP. Horde Rogue have the benefit of raiding with a Shaman, which has access to Windfury Totem, an insanely powerful boost to a rogue's damage output.
Are blood elves good rogues? ›The natural agility of any elf, combined with a racial control over and thirst for magical energy, ensures that blood elf rogues are the most impeccable mage-slayers in all of Azeroth.
What is the best race for a trickster rogue? ›
There are a lot of good options for an Arcane Trickster's race, but Elves tend to be outstanding. Not only do they get a +2 to DEX, but they are also proficient in Perception, which makes it easier to check for traps. High and Wood Elves are both proficient with longbows, which is a great weapon for Rogues in general.
What skills are most important for a rogue DND? ›When it comes to class skills, rogues need to make sure they've got proficiency in perception, stealth, and investigation. When playing a swashbuckler, persuasion also becomes a critical skill to have mastered, and arcane tricksters might place higher importance on arcana.
Do Rogues need high Charisma? ›The social rogue or “face of the party” will need to consider charisma as an important ability score. Sometimes, it'll be necessary to talk your way out of trouble. Stealth fails sometimes and Sleight of Hand doesn't always work. A charismatic rogue can talk his way around these problems.
What is the best class synergy in 5E? ›If you want the strongest way to synergize in 5E, its a party of almost all clerics and some wizards. Clerics are the Swiss army knife of the game. Capable of gaining heavy armor and using any weapon in the 5E system and having the powers of a divine caster for buffs, debuffs, battlefield control and direct damage.
How many attacks can you get with psychic blades? ›This means that each psychic blade you create is usable for exactly one attack. That, taken together with the fact that you can only manifest 1 blade per attack action, means you only get one psychic blade attack per action.
How much damage does flame blade do? ›On a hit, the target takes 3d6 fire damage. The flaming blade sheds bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet. At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for every two slot levels above 2nd.
Do psychic blades use psionic dice? ›Starting at 9th level, your Psychic Blades are now an expression of your psi-suffused soul, giving you these powers that use your Psionic Energy dice: Homing Strikes.
What is the best enchantment for Rogue sword? ›Weapon Enchants for Rogues
Enchant Weapon - Crusader - Crusader is hands down the best Enchant for a Combat Rogue Main Hand. The Buff gained is Holy Strength, which can stack twice, if both the Main Hand and Off Hand trigger the Buff.
1 The Master Sword
It's usually wielded by Link, the games' protagonist, against Ganon(dorf), the games' antagonist. It's been known under a number of names: the Sacred Sword, the Sword that Seals the Darkness, the Legendary Sword, and more!
Rogue is a gender-neutral name of English origin. Most famously known for being the hero name of Anna Marie LeBeau in the X-Men films and comics, the name Rogue is unapologetically cool.
Who is the strongest god in D&D 5e? ›
The strongest human gods are Chauntea goddess of harvests, Lathander god of the sun, Silvanter god of the wilds, and the head gods of some races like Corellon and Moradin. There are some extra gods that aren't known ones but which are very powerful, but those are rather vague in their bestowed level.
Who do rogues worship? ›Many rogues, regardless of motives or morals, worshiped gods such as Beshaba, Cyric, Mask, Oghma, Shar, Sune, Tymora, or Waukeen. In addition to this, rogues had a variety of secret codes and languages, the most common of which being thieves' cant.
What is the best rogue class in DND? ›- 8 Elf.
- 7 Bugbear.
- 6 Changeling.
- 5 Kenku.
- 4 Tabaxi.
- 3 Owlin.
- 2 Kobold.
- 1 Human.
Best Leveling Spec for Rogue in Dragonflight
Out of all three Rogue specs we recommend Subtlety as the best choice for leveling. It offers the best single-target burst damage and allows you to dispatch enemies within only a few seconds, jumping from enemy to enemy in quick succession.
Best Rogue Leveling Spec in Shadowlands. For a total beginner to the class, although each specialization has strengths and weaknesses, we recommend Outlaw as the best Rogue leveling spec. Outlaw has Grappling Hook, an ability that allows ease of travel, and Blade Flurry for powerful AoE.
What weapon should my Rogue use? ›Rogue Weapons
Crossbow, Light: The go-to ranged weapon. The same range as a short bow with a better damage die. The reload property doesn't matter since rogues don't get Extra Attack. Dagger: Great for Two-weapon fighting, and you can throw them if you need to, but the Short Sword has a slightly larger damage die.
They go 60ft without disadvantage so they are better than regular daggers or hand crossbows at midrange. The range is a little better on a shortbow or light crossbow but those are two-handed. You don't want everyone to know you are a soulknife, keep that need to know.
What is the most badass class in DND? ›1 Paladins
The paladin is perhaps the most powerful combatant of all of D&D 5e's classes. It combines the best aspects of the fighter and cleric into a single character. Paladins get a fighter's weapons, spellcasting like a cleric, and several unique features. These make paladins terrifying to fight.
Elves are a particularly excellent choice of race if you intend to make a rogue, as they're naturally dexterous (ability score increase to dexterity), have Darkvision and proficiency in perception.