"Know what you want, focus on that desire, reach out to the Positive as well as within to your power, and forge a thing of pure beauty."

?Din'elen Tiriandara, an illumine soul

The illumine soul is a living conduit of positive energy. He is able to forge a blade of semisolid psychic energy and infuse it with the essence of the Positive Energy Plane to deal lethal strikes to undead opponents. As an illumine soul practices this unique talent, he learns to fill up his being with the power of the Positive Energy Plane, becoming a light in the darkness and turning undead away from his radiance.

Desirous of something more than raw psychic energy, an illumine soul learns to reach behind the sky and form a mental link with the Positive Energy Plane. He entwines this energy with that of his own psionic mastery to create a formidable weapon of brilliance that extinguishes all shadows.

BECOMING AN ILLUMINE SOUL

Whether multiclass or single-classed, illumine souls must have some levels in the soulknife class, since it is that class from which they gain some of their necessary requirements. However, while soulknives focus on working with pure psychic energy, illumine souls infuse their mind blade (and mind and body as well) with positive energy. While not necessarily interested in or beholden to divine agencies, illumine souls focus a portion of their studies on religious matters to better understand the source of powerdrawn upon by clerics and paladins.

PLAYING AN ILLUMINE SOUL

Forging a link with the Positive Energy Plane is only the first step of your mission. Once that link is complete, your goal is to actively seek out and destroy undead every chance you get.

Past deeds and honors are of little consideration when it comes to combating these horrible creatures. Just as you don't rest on your past achievements in bringing undead to their final rest, you aren't concerned with an undead creature's accomplishments while it was still breathing. Neither are you worried about an undead's current activities or philosophical bent. When it comes to undead, there can be no middle ground?they must all be destroyed.

Becoming an illumine soul is a personal decision. There might exist small groups here and there of illumine souls who feel their goals are best served by organizing their activities instead of working individually, but they are the exception rather than the rule. Where such groups exist, their primary goal is typically eradicating undead, not recruiting and training new members.

Combat

In combat, use your mind blade to attack opponents, charging it up with a psychic strike once they have closed to melee range. As with a soulknife, you should attack with a psychic strike each round if possible.

You make a great ally for a fighter, rogue, or lurk?with your enhanced maneuverability (if you have taken ranks in the Tumble skill), you can make a point to set up flanking positions for additional attack bonuses. When undead are encountered at a distance not easily bridged, you can attack using your positive energy ray. If you come upon undead in a concentrated area, you can first use your positive energy flare to soften up the rotting opposition before you bring your mind blade to bear.

It isn't uncommon for you to join a group of adventurers on your quest. There is safety in numbers, and undead can be crafty in combat. The companions who suit you best are typically like-minded individuals: clerics, paladins, and ardents all make good adventuring companions. Beyond that, any good-aligned character can be helpful in combating undead (particularly intelligent ones).

Advancement

As you continue to progress, feats such as Psionic Weapon (EPH 50), Greater Psionic Weapon (EPH 47), and Deep Impact (EPH 45) enhance your ability to deal massive damage in a single blow. You should also consider the feats that work specifically with the mind blade, such as Mind Cleave and Mind Empowerment (page 56). While these feats are less effective against undead, they can prove useful against any other foes you face. It is important to remember that, even though much of your energy is devoted to fighting undead, other challenges will materialize, some of which might be the living stooges of hidden undead masters. It is best to be prepared for a wide range of possibilities.

Resources

Illumine souls frequently find themselves welcome in the churches of various religions that are devoted to the destruction of undead (which is most every good-aligned religion). It isn't uncommon for you to expect free room and board from these groups, and possibly even a small discount on healing services or the purchase of holy water.

ILLUMINE SOULS IN THE WORLD

"Next time that Din'elen what's-his-name comes snooping around my bonefield, he'll discover a few changes I've implemented, to his peril."

?Dagnarth Vellanium, disgruntled necromancer

Any campaign in which undead are an important element is one that would benefit from the inclusion of an illumine soul. An illumine soul meshes well in a group that contains strongly aligned good characters. On the other hand, ardents, clerics, and paladins have their own ideas about where their powers originate that can be at odds with an illumine soul's understanding.

Except for a burning curiosity about the order of the planes, particularly the Positive Energy Plane, illumine souls are not particularly religious folk. They tend to take an explanatory, atheistic view of how clerics are granted their powers. They do know that it isn't always healthy to be particularly vocal regarding these beliefs, and they have enough respect for the religiously inclined to keep the commentary to a minimum. Despite discretion, however, an illumine soul's beliefs on a philosophical level can still ignite occasional arguments on the nature of divinity, life, and the role of the Positive Energy Plane.

Organization

Illumine souls are usually ambivalent about the idea of joining an organization. They assert that deities are merely powerful beings who have better conduits to the Positive Energy Plane than an illumine soul does?which doesn't win them too many votes for entry into religious establishments. However, several organizations exist whose charter is concerned only with cleansing undead from the world. Illumine souls are welcome in such places. They are particularly welcome in the organization known as the Hall of the Illumine, which vaguely resembles a secular knighthood. Members are recruited from among like-minded soulknives and trained in the hall.

The training performed by the hall is governed by a headmaster and several knights. Once his training is complete, an illumine soul is free to leave (and in tact, is encouraged to do so) and begin destroying undead.

NPC Reactions

Both those affiliated with good-aligned religious organizations and dedicated scholars of psionics are familiar with the existence of illumine souls. Good-aligned NPCs who know of the prestige class and its fight against undead have a starting attitude of friendly toward such a character and his allies, especially if he or his friends are currently being afflicted by the undead. At the same time, necromancers and evil-aligned religious organizations who specialize in death (or undeath directly) are hostile toward any illumine soul they encounter, and can be expected to attack at the first opportunity.

ILLUMINE SOUL LORE

Characters with ranks in Knowledge (religion) or Knowledge (psionics) can research illumine souls to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

DC 10: Illumine souls?I think they have blades made of pure mental energy. They hate undead, too.

DC 15: Illumine souls have a blade composed both of their own mental energy and energy drawn from the Positive Energy Plane.

DC 20: Illumine souls have forged personal links to the Positive Energy Plane. Besides enhancing their mind blades with the energy, they can fire rays, heal themselves, and protect themselves from the powers of undead foes.

ILLUMINE SOULS IN YOUR GAME

It shouldn't be difficult to find a place for illumine souls in a campaign world, given their penchant for destroying undead. Players who want to play a soulknife with a pseudoreligious bent might find the illumine soul prestige class to their liking.

Adaptation

As with the anarchic initiate (page 17), if a player wants to play an illumine soul in a campaign whose cosmology doesn't include the Positive Energy Plane, it is easy enough to change the focus of the character to a similar realm, life-affirming deity, or powerful item that encompasses light or life. For instance, in an EBERRON campaign, an illumine soul could be inspired by the plane of Irian, the Eternal Day.