Psi-Knight

Overview

The Psi-Knight is Rifts' "knight of the wastes" — a wandering champion bound by a strict personal code, armed with a manifested psi-sword of pure psychic energy, wrapped in a manifested cyber-armor of psi-force, and explicitly opposed to cyberware as a moral and metaphysical compromise. They serve as protectors of the weak, hunters of the corrupt, and the moral center of many Rifts settings.

They are martial, not magical: the psi-sword, cyber-armor, and a small number of related psionic powers are their only "casting," and even these are framed as discipline rather than spell. A Psi-Knight is a knight first and a psi second — distinct from Mystics and Linewalkers, who lead with their magic. The blade and the armor are extensions of the mind, sustained by moral clarity; break the code and the link to the universal field goes dark.

At a glance

Class features by level

Psi-Knight Orders

Your Order shapes the effect of your Knight's Intervention and adds Order-specific anathema and focus features. Choose one at L1.

Order of the Last Light (idealistic protectors)

Knights who see themselves as the last defenders of civility in the wastes — the most common interpretation of the Psi-Knight archetype.

• Knight's Intervention effect: The triggering enemy takes a −2 circumstance penalty to the attack roll. If the attack still hits, your ally takes minimum damage instead of rolled damage.
• Additional Anathema: Knowingly cause harm to a creature actively surrendering or non-threatening.
• Order Focus Feature (L1): Pacify. Focus impulse (psionic trait). Costs 1 focus point. Target one creature within 30 ft. Target makes a Will save against your class DC; on a failure, it is dazed until the start of your next turn and cannot make hostile actions against you on its next turn unless attacked by you or your allies first. Affects sapient creatures only (no constructs, no mindless).

Order of the Cybernetic Iron (pragmatists)

Knights who accept that the wasteland sometimes requires augmentation. They follow a reduced code that tolerates limited cyberware.

• Modified Anathema: Cyberware clause relaxed — up to one low-tier (item level 1–6) implant is tolerated. Mid-tier or higher implants, or stacking multiple implants, still triggers full anathema.
• Trade-off (mechanical cost of laxity): Psi-sword damage dice are one step lower than the Order of the Last Light's progression (e.g., 1d6 instead of 1d8 at L1).
• Knight's Intervention effect: Same as Last Light by default.
• Order Focus Feature: A cyber-permissive focus feature that lets the knight enhance their own cyberware temporarily.

Order of the Wandering Blade (lone wolves)

Knights who travel alone, take few allies, and operate by personal honor rather than order rules — the most "knight errant" of the three.

• Knight's Intervention effect: You become the target of the triggering attack instead of your ally. You can immediately Step toward the ally as a free action.
• Additional Anathema: Lying under any circumstance (not just sworn oath). Refusing aid to anyone genuinely defenseless.
• Order Focus Feature: A movement / Stride enhancement focused on getting to the ally first.

Class feats

Class feats available at each feat level — you gain one at every even level, and can always pick a feat of your level or lower.

Level 1

• Twin Psi-Swords. Manifest two one-handed psi-swords with a single activation. Both have the same form constraint (you can't mix one-handed and two-handed). Treat the second psi-sword as a wielded weapon in your off-hand. psionic trait.
• Mounted Vigilance. When you and your mount are within 30 ft of an ally, Knight's Intervention can trigger if either of you is aware of the enemy.
• Code's Memory. When a Knight's Code violation would suspend your psi-features, you can instead spend 1 focus point and 10 minutes of disciplined meditation to treat that single violation as atoned. This replaces the usual Atonement quest for one violation; deliberate, repeated violations still require the full quest at the GM's discretion.
• Psi-Sword Guard. Raise your manifested psi-sword into a defensive form: gain a +1 circumstance bonus to AC until the start of your next turn, as Raise a Shield. You must wield a one-handed psi-sword or have a hand free, and you can't use this while attacking with a two-handed psi-sword the same turn. psionic trait.

Level 2

• Vigilant Step. When you use Knight's Intervention, you may Step as a free action immediately before or after its effect resolves — closing to your ally or repositioning to cover them.
• Sworn Adversary. Designate one creature you can see that has harmed a non-combatant or surrendering foe this encounter. Until the encounter ends you gain a +1 circumstance bonus to attack rolls and Intimidation checks against it. You can have only one sworn adversary at a time.
• Meditative Recovery. When you Refocus, you also either remove the fatigued condition or reduce your frightened or sickened value by 1 — psionic discipline mending the body through the mind.

Level 4

• Psi-Sword Throw. Throw your psi-sword as a thrown weapon (range increment 30 ft) — make a ranged Strike with it. The sword reappears in your hand at the start of your next turn or when dismissed.
• Zen Awareness. (trigger: a creature targets you with an attack). Spend 1 focus point to treat that attack as if it had a −2 circumstance penalty. psionic trait.
• Greater Cyber-Armor. When you manifest Cyber-Armor, also gain Resistance 5 to a single damage type chosen at manifestation (acid, cold, electricity, fire, force, or sonic). Resistance increases to 10 at L12 and 15 at L18. psionic trait.
• Psi Riposte. (trigger: a creature within your reach critically fails a melee Strike against you while your psi-sword is manifested). Make a melee Strike against the triggering creature with your psi-sword. psionic trait.

Level 6

• Code of the Protector. Your Knight's Intervention range increases to 30 ft, and the protected ally gains a +1 circumstance bonus to AC against the triggering attack.
• Psi-Sword Versatility. Once per turn you can change your psi-sword's form (one-handed ↔ two-handed) as a free action, reshaping the blade to suit the moment. psionic trait.
• Dueling Focus. Costs 1 focus point. Designate one creature you can see; until the start of your next turn you gain a +1 status bonus to psi-sword attack rolls against it and to your Psi-Strike DC against it. psionic trait.

Level 8

• Psi-Strike Sweep. Spend 2 focus points to make a psi-strike against up to three creatures within reach. Each target makes a separate basic Will save. Mental damage applies as normal.
• Iron Will. Will saves against psionic effects are at expert + 2 status bonus (additional, stacks with proficiency).
• Aegis of the Knight. Costs 1 focus point; requires active Cyber-Armor. Until the start of your next turn, each ally adjacent to you treats the first hit they take as though it struck your psi-armor — reduce that hit's damage by your Cyber-Armor's psi-armor Hardness. psionic trait.

Level 10

• Reactive Discipline. You gain one additional reaction each round that can be used only for Knight's Intervention — your Sixth Sense lets you guard two threats at once.
• Psi-Strike Surge. When you reduce a creature to 0 HP with a Psi-Strike, regain 1 focus point (up to your maximum).
• Greater Zen Combat. While in Zen Combat you may Step as a free action once per turn, and the stance no longer ends if you are knocked unconscious or fall asleep involuntarily.

Level 12

• Greater Psi-Sword Throw. Throw range increment 60 ft, can pass through cover.
• Code Aura. While your psi-sword is manifested, allies within 15 ft gain +1 status to Will saves against fear and charm.
• Unbreakable Guard. Your Cyber-Armor's psi-armor Hardness increases by 2 at all levels. The discipline that shapes the field hardens it further.

Level 14

• Master Riposte. Your Psi Riposte triggers on any failed melee Strike against you, not just a critical failure (still once per round). If you don't have Psi Riposte, you gain it.
• Phalanx of One. While your Cyber-Armor is active you can't be flanked, and you gain a +1 circumstance bonus to AC while at least two enemies are adjacent to you.
• Psi-Strike Cascade. When you critically hit with a Psi-Strike, one other creature within 15 ft of the target also takes the Psi-Strike's mental damage (basic Will save against your class DC). psionic trait.

Level 16

• Legendary Psi-Strike. Spend all focus points to deliver a single psi-strike that ignores cover, ignores all Hardness, and treats the target as flat-footed against the attack.
• One with the Code. Once per turn, you can manifest a psi-sword as a free action (instead of a single action; separate from Knight Eternal's free-action allowance).
• Mind Over Steel. Once per round, your Cyber-Armor's psi-armor Hardness also reduces the damage of one effect you failed a saving throw against (not only attacks) — the disciplined mind shrugs off a blast as readily as a blade. psionic trait.

Level 18

• Avatar's Reach. Your manifested psi-sword gains the reach trait (10 ft), and Knight's Intervention can trigger against attacks targeting allies anywhere within that reach.
• Perfect Discipline. You can't be made flat-footed except by a critical hit, and you are permanently under the effect of Zen Combat (you may still spend an action to end or resume the stance). psionic trait.
• Boundless Focus. Your focus pool maximum increases by 1 (to a maximum of 4) — the disciplined knight's well runs a little deeper.

Level 20

• Twin Avatar Blades. Both of your Twin Psi-Swords deal full psi-sword damage dice (no off-hand reduction), and when you Psi-Strike you may strike with both blades as part of the same activity (resolve each Strike separately; pay the Psi-Strike focus cost once).
• Living Code. When you use Knight's Intervention, its protective effect applies to every ally within 15 ft of you against the triggering creature's attack, not just one ally.
• Ascended Blade. Your psi-sword's Penetrating value against psionic defenses increases to 20, and your Psi-Strike's mental damage now also ignores psionic Resistance. Against an Ascended Blade, no defense in the setting fully turns the cut.

Playing without your psi-features

The Psi-Knight is largely self-contained — the psi-sword manifests anywhere there's no anti-magic field. A few situations dim the toolkit:

• Anti-magic / null-psi zones. Focus features are suppressed. You're reduced to a heavy-armor martial with no psi-sword and no psi-strike — but you keep martial weapons, heavy armor, and the Knight's Intervention reaction (it's a class feature, not a focus impulse, so it still works). Functional, just not signature.
• Focus pool drained. A Psi-Knight who's spent all focus points is in the same spot until they Refocus. Ten-minute breaks matter; the class rewards pacing its focus.
• Voluntary cyberware acquired. Psi-features suspend until you complete Atonement. This is a narrative consequence the table should reach for deliberately, with player buy-in.
• Indoor / urban / social. Comfortable territory. The code-of-honor and Diplomacy focus mean you can lead negotiations, swear oaths to NPC factions, and carry indoor mystery and political scenes — a stronger off-combat presence than most heavy-armor classes.

Because the psi-sword is mental rather than equipment, there's no "the gear is everything" failure mode. The knight is still a knight even when the blade can't light up.