Human Soulknife Rogue Build Guide
Combining human versatility with psionic power, the Human Soulknife Rogue molds raw mental energy into lethal blades while excelling at every skill check.
Free — no signup needed for the free tier.
Why Soulknife?
The Soulknife Rogue is a master of mental weaponry, manifesting deadly daggers from thin air. As a Striker, your job is to slip past enemy lines and deal massive damage. Choosing the Human species enhances this playstyle perfectly. With the Human's Skillful trait, you gain an extra skill proficiency, allowing you to dominate out-of-combat scenarios alongside your standard Rogue expertise.
At level 3, you unlock Psychic Blades, allowing you to attack with silent, magical weaponry that leaves no physical trace. Because you never need to carry physical daggers, you are always armed and ready. The Human's Versatile trait lets you select a powerful Origin feat at level 1, such as Alert or Tough, giving your psychic infiltrator an immediate competitive edge before you even manifest your first mind blade.
Furthermore, the Soulknife's Psionic Power feature uses Psionic Energy dice to boost failed ability checks. When combined with the Human's Resourceful trait—which grants you free Heroic Inspiration after every long rest—you have an incredibly reliable safety net. You will rarely fail the stealth, acrobatics, or thieves' tools checks that your party relies on you to pass.
Soulknife Features
Psionic Power
Level 3You have a pool of psionic energy represented by Psionic Energy dice. You have a number of these dice equal to twice your proficiency bonus, and they are d6s. You can use them to power psi abilities: Psi-Bolstered Knack (add die to a failed ability check) and Psychic Whispers (establish telepathic communication). You regain all expended dice after a long rest, or one die as a bonus action.
Psychic Blades
Level 3You can manifest blades of psychic energy. When you take the Attack action, you can create a psychic blade that deals 1d6 psychic damage. The blade vanishes after hitting or missing. It has the finesse and thrown (60 ft) properties. After attacking with the blade, you can make a bonus action attack with a second psychic blade that deals 1d4 psychic damage.
Soul Blades
Level 9Your Psychic Blades gain additional abilities. Homing Strikes: when you miss with your psychic blade, you can expend a Psionic Energy die and add it to the attack roll, potentially turning a miss into a hit. Psychic Teleportation: as a bonus action, you can expend a Psionic Energy die, roll it, and throw a psychic blade to an unoccupied space you can see up to 10 times the number rolled feet away, teleporting to that space.
Psychic Veil
Level 13As an action, you can become invisible for 1 hour or until you dismiss this effect (no action required). You also end the invisibility early if you deal damage to a creature or force a creature to make a saving throw. Once you use this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend a Psionic Energy die to use it again.
Rend Mind
Level 17When you deal Sneak Attack damage with your Psychic Blades, you can force the target to make a Wisdom saving throw (DC 8 + your Dexterity modifier + your proficiency bonus). On a failure, the target is stunned for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. Once you use this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend three Psionic Energy dice to use it again.
Recommended Ability Scores
Human Traits That Benefit Soulknife Rogue
Skillful
An extra skill proficiency expands the Rogue's out-of-combat versatility.
Versatile
A free Origin feat provides a meaningful boost to any Rogue build right from level 1.
Resourceful
Free Heroic Inspiration each long rest gives a reliable reroll for critical moments.
Combat Effectiveness
| Level | HP | Melee DPR | Ranged DPR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 5 | 33 | 20.4 | 20.4 |
| Level 11 | 69 | 30.25 | 30.25 |
| Level 17 | 105 | 41.8 | 41.8 |
👉 Stop reading. Start playing.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- ♦ Soulknife grants Psionic Power at level 3
- ♦ Strong species-class synergy enhances core abilities
- ♦ Good armor class and initiative
- ♦ Excellent skill versatility and Sneak Attack damage
Weaknesses
- ♦ Low Wisdom — vulnerable to common saving throws
- ♦ Low Charisma limits social interactions
- ♦ Limited ranged and magical options without multiclassing
- ♦ No Darkvision — may need light sources in dungeons
Pro Tips
Use your Psychic Blades for a second attack as a bonus action, giving you another chance to land your Sneak Attack damage.
Save your Psionic Power dice for crucial skill checks; thanks to the Human Resourceful trait, you can stack inspiration for ultimate reliability.
Use your Versatile trait to grab an Origin feat like Alert, ensuring you act first in combat to unleash your psychic strikes.
When you reach level 9, utilize Soul Blades to teleport across the battlefield, bypassing obstacles and easily repositioning for safety.
Other Rogue Subclasses for Human
Other Races for Soulknife Rogue
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Soulknife a good subclass for Human Rogue?
What makes Soulknife different from other Rogue subclasses?
Create Your Human Soulknife Rogue
Use Dice Will Decide's free character builder with optimized stats, spells, and equipment.
Create This Character