I'm planning on playing a Shielded Blade soulknife in an upcoming campaign.
The way a flame lash can be used as your soulknife weapon interests me, and I'd like to pick it up to give my character some flavor.
My question arises from the wording in the segment below. It specifies that attacks are ranged touch, which would imply that attack would be determined by dex and strength would not increase damage. But then it goes on to say that it is mechanically identical to a whip.
The latter would favor my character much more, he would sacrifice a lot of accuracy and damage if the weapon is simply a 1d8 ranged touch.
So is the fire lash more or less a ranged touch attack that a soulknife can enhance further or an actual whip melee weapon my character could specialize in?
Here is the excerpt:
A pyrokineticist gains the ability to fashion a 15-foot-long whip of fire from unstable ectoplasm as a move-equivalent action. She takes no damage from a fire lash she creates, and if she releases her hold, it immediately dissipates. The lash deals 1d8 points of fire damage to a target within 15 feet on a successful ranged touch attack. A pyrokineticist can take Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization (if she otherwise meets the prerequisites) in conjunction with the fire lash, as well as any feats that apply to the use of a standard whip. The whip remains in existence as long as the pyrokineticist holds it and is treated for mechanical purposes as a whip.
If the character has the ability to fashion a mind blade and has the Altered Blade blade skill, her fire lash may be treated as her mind blade for mechanical purposes such as enhanced mind blade and other class abilities.
There was a discussion on the topic on the Dreamscarred forums.
An errata will need to be issued on the subject, we just haven't decided the exact wording on it yet.