So! I'm currently playing a Kinetic Knight, modeled after the Demon Hunters from WoW. It's been amazing. At the moment, we're only level 5, but I'm having way too much fun character planning to let that get me down.
At level 13, the Kinetic Knight gains a special version of the Blade Rush Infusion that allows them to cast it as a Swift action for a cost of 2 Burn. The exact wording is:
"At 13th level as a swift action, they can accept 2 points of burn to unleash a kinetic blast with their blade rush."
As you can tell, this is extremely well-defined and has no room whatsoever for errors in interpretation. Okay, that's a lie. It's awful.
Normally, Blade Rush costs 2 points of Burn already. So, I can't tell if this just changes the action cost to a Swift action and leaves the cost alone, or if it somehow increases the cost (even though the word "increase" is never mentioned) too.
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My questions:
Does this act as its own, unique Form Infusion, and I would be allowed to tack on whichever Substance Infusion I want?
If so, would the cost be mitigated by Infusion Specialization as normal?
Or, in the end of all of this, does it only allow me to spend 2 Burn (not being able to utilize Infusion Specialization) to get a non-substance-infused kinetic blast as a swift action?
Lastly, is there a rule that says I couldn't use one element's Kinetic Blast for the Swift Blade Rush, and a completely different element for the follow-up Kinetic Blade attacks that I have for the rest of the round?
I can see what you mean. I think the intention is that you pay 2 more than the usual cost. It's basically a combo version of a metakinesis and metakinetic master that you traded out. I don't think infusion specialization is meant to reduce the extra 2 burn either, again because of the metakinesis similarities. I'd be happy to be wrong though. It's a good archetype, but I can't help but feel it could use a little extra oomph for completely giving up ranged blasts.
The person who designed that archetype used to be very active on the boards. Maybe you'll get lucky and she'll be able to tell you the original intent, but you may ultimately just have to talk it over with your GM.
It comes from a section about infusions and appears to me to be a special infusion that only the kinetic knight gets. Which would mean infusion spec. would apply. YMMV.
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It is two burn to quicken blade rush. You still have to account for the blade rush burn and any substance infusions you apply. That two burn to cast as a swift action is not reduced by infusion specialization, but other reducers apply. Gather power, swift action kinetic blade, standard action whip hurricane is good.
It comes from a section about infusions and appears to me to be a special infusion that only the kinetic knight gets. Which would mean infusion spec. would apply. YMMV.
Okay, that's what I'm understanding as well. It's a replacement for the Metakinesis (Quicken) that normal Kineticists get. Metakiesis (Quicken) tacks on an extra 3 cost, whereas this one tacks on an addition 2.
It is two burn to quicken blade rush. You still have to account for the blade rush burn and any substance infusions you apply. That two burn to cast as a swift action is not reduced by infusion specialization, but other reducers apply. Gather power, swift action kinetic blade, standard action whip hurricane is good.
Doesn't Infusion Specialization apply to the Metakinesis costs, since those just augment the original cost for the blast?
So, theoretically, I could create a Swift Flame Blade with no substance infusion for a total cost of 1 at level 13?
In total, I could do the following, if I'm understanding correctly:
Move Action: Gather Power (Cost -1)
Swift Action: Swift Flame Blade (Cost 1)
Standard Action: Composite Blast w/ Burning Infusion (Cost 0)
For a total cost of 0 for the round?
Composite blast's base 2 burn doesn't get reduced by infusion spec or metakinesis mastery. It is neither an infusion nor metakinesis. Gather power or internal buffer can apply, but other than that you're taking the burn.
i.e. a second flame blast is possible with that plan, but blue flame will increase the burn for that blast and for the round to 2.