MoI & Totemist meld combos

[Ice&Fire]

After a read through Magic of Incarnum, I sat down and tried to figure out some meld combos for a totemist that I'm making. I'm still having trouble figuring the incarnum system out, though. For example, how would the girallion arms meld work in combination with the landshark boots bind that gives claw attacks?

Any cool meld combos that revolve around natural attacks that people know of would be greatly appreciated also.

[Gralamin]

After a read through Magic of Incarnum, I sat down and tried to figure out some meld combos for a totemist that I'm making. I'm still having trouble figuring the incarnum system out, though. For example, how would the girallion arms meld work in combination with the landshark boots bind that gives claw attacks?

Any cool meld combos that revolve around natural attacks that people know of would be greatly appreciated also.

My Suggestion is to read the book a few more times. It's hard to "get" Incarnum, but once you do, you'll be glad you did. A lot of questions like this become self-evident as well.

The answer to your question, for example, is that an Arm Bound Girallon arms and a Totem Bound Landshark boots will allow you to Rend (or is it Rake?) if you hit with at least two claw attacks (Where they are from does not matter).

[Cyclocone]

Yeah, the book is kinda poorly set up, and most everyone have to read it twice to get it.
That being said, it's not at all complicated once you do figure it out.

For more info, i direct you to Sinfire Titans incarnum guide (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=551.0).

[Keld Denar]

If you nab Shape Soulmeld (Tunderstride Boots) and bind them to your feet, you can do VERY nasty things to people when you charge them. Then bind Sphinx Claws to your hands and you have pounce with your natural attacks. If you are Skarn and have Girallon Arms bound to your Totem, you have 6 natural attacks (4 claws and 2 spines). That means you have 6 chances to stun anything you charge. Its game over form there. Anything you can do to get more natural attacks (Deepspawn) gets you more chances to stun.

[Sinfire Titan]

BTW: Binding multiple soulmelds that grant natural weapons to your Totem gives you all of those natural attacks. Binding Girallon Arms and Landshark Boots to your Totem at the same time gives you either 7 or 8 attacks (depending on how you read Girallon Arms).


For those who want to know what's up with that, Girallon Arms is worded to work fairly weird. RAW, only using those claw attacks gets the full 4. Using another natural weapon that round reduces it to three claws for some reason.

I apologize for not having finished the full handbook. However, the main parts are finished.

[Ice&Fire]

Nothing to apologize about Sinfire, your guide is plenty helpful as is.
And that combination sounds deadly Keld

[Kallisti]

One combination I pulled off, the very first time I played a totemist, thus convincing my DM the class was disgustingly overpowered: Totem-bound Threefold Mask of the Chimera for three bite attacks, Dread Carapace for much extra bite damage, Totem Avatar to increase the effective size of my natural attacks, Sphinx Claws for natural attack pounce. I had an attack with my sword and three bites on every charge, getting massive bonuses both for charging and for using bite attacks. I ended up having three charging bites at +:smallannoyed:/:smallmad:/:smallfurious:, for 1d:smallamused:+:smallcool: per hit. At fourth level, my minimum damage per round, assuming all my attacks hit, was 49. And then, even though I had a really good attack bonus, I kept missing, because the dice gods are cruel.

[Glimbur]

Totem-bound Threefold Mask of the Chimera for three bite attacks,

The goat head is actually a head butt. It's true that Totemists can get a silly number of attacks quite early on. Consider pairing that with Sneak Attack or a Dragonfire Inspiration bard and you're really getting somewhere.

[Sinfire Titan]

The goat head is actually a head butt. It's true that Totemists can get a silly number of attacks quite early on. Consider pairing that with Sneak Attack or a Dragonfire Inspiration bard and you're really getting somewhere.

It also takes a Full Round action to make all three attacks with the meld, not a Full Attack action. He was playing it wrong. This meld, along with the ones in Dragon Magic and the Manitcore Belt, function this way. The Dragon Mag ones especially become obsolete as soon as you hit level 2.

Edit: Oh, and the Breath Weapon soulmelds let you play a Mini-DFA if you take Entangling Exhalation. Bonus points for being Con-based instead of Con and Cha.

Double Edit: For even more fun, Adamantine Greatsword+Basilisk Mask bound to Totem at level 2. Watch the corpses pile up.

[Ice&Fire]

It also takes a Full Round action to make all three attacks with the meld, not a Full Attack action. He was playing it wrong. This meld, along with the ones in Dragon Magic and the Manitcore Belt, function this way. The Dragon Mag ones especially become obsolete as soon as you hit level 2.

Edit: Oh, and the Breath Weapon soulmelds let you play a Mini-DFA if you take Entangling Exhalation. Bonus points for being Con-based instead of Con and Cha.

Double Edit: For even more fun, Adamantine Greatsword+Basilisk Mask bound to Totem at level 2. Watch the corpses pile up.

Ooooooo
A 2nd level save or lose/die. Very nice. I also really enjoyed your CO diary on the totemist Sinfire.

[woodenbandman]

^^but Sinfire the Sphinx claws specifically state that you may make a full attack with ALL of your natural weapons, but it does specify that manufactured weapons are a no-go.

I'm a personal fan of the Umbral Disciple/Rogue/Totemist combo. Also works with Scout18/Totemist2. For those who don't know, there's an awesome meld called Manticore Belt, which as a standard action makes (essentia) ranged attacks. (essentia) can be boosted up to 7 (or 14 if you're a totemist 20), and what goes great with that? Why, sneak attack + Hide in Plain Sight, which, oh, look: you get form Umbral Disciple. It's actually better because, while defeated by AMF, it is NOT defeated by true seeing, as it grants you actual concealment which really, truly, exists, and you can then hide behind it. Enjoy your 7 1d6+ 1/2 strength + sneak attack OR SKIRMISH. It's not RAW, but Sighting Gloves works well too.

[Sinfire Titan]

^^but Sinfire the Sphinx claws specifically state that you may make a full attack with ALL of your natural weapons, but it does specify that manufactured weapons are a no-go.

I'm a personal fan of the Umbral Disciple/Rogue/Totemist combo. Also works with Scout18/Totemist2. For those who don't know, there's an awesome meld called Manticore Belt, which as a standard action makes (essentia) ranged attacks. (essentia) can be boosted up to 7 (or 14 if you're a totemist 20), and what goes great with that? Why, sneak attack + Hide in Plain Sight, which, oh, look: you get form Umbral Disciple. It's actually better because, while defeated by AMF, it is NOT defeated by true seeing, as it grants you actual concealment which really, truly, exists, and you can then hide behind it. Enjoy your 7 1d6+ 1/2 strength + sneak attack OR SKIRMISH. It's not RAW, but Sighting Gloves works well too.

Talk to VennDygrem about that. He's the one who pointed out the Girallon Arms wording to me.

Flyby Attack+Skirmish is a good way to kill things. Buy two Essentia Helms to be sure you get your full benefits off of the Manitcore Belt.