Glimbur
2009-10-05, 01:13 PM
So the Soulborn is not very good. I decided to take it in the direction of a fighter type that happens to use Incarnum.
Soulborn Reborn
I am the ultimate warrior. The spirits of the ages guide my blade into your throat.
-Steven McTavish, Soulborn.
As a soulborn, you use a combination of Incarnum and martial skill to kill people.
Abilities: Str is good for hitting people. Dex is ok, if you like Reflex saves or light armor like some sort of prancing git. Con is more important for you than other front liners because it also affects how many melds you can shape. Int is for losers. Wis is for Will saves but that's it. Cha is for smitin' and several class features, depending on your alignment.
Races: Half Orcs are cool. Full orcs are cooler. Any hardy race makes a fine soulborn. Dwarves, humans, bugbears, owl-bears, owl-men-bears, etc. Don't be something frail like an elf.
Alignment: Pick a side on each axis. LG, CG, LE, or CE only.
Starting Gold: 6d4x10 (avg 150)
Class Features
Armor and Weapons: You are proficient with light, medium, and heavy armor and all shields except tower shields and silly stuff like extreme shields. You are proficient with all simple and martial weapons.
Skills: Sorry, you only get 2+Int mod skill points a level, 4x that at first level. Class skills are Balance, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Handle Animal, Heal, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge(Arcana), Knowledge(The Planes), Profession, Ride, Spellcraft, Swim.
Special Multiclassing Note: If you take a class that grants progression of casting (arcane or divine), you may instead apply gaining more essentia, melds, binds, and bind locations as though you were taking more levels in Soulborn. You do not get any other class features from Soulborn.
If a class progresses Smite uses or damage, that stacks with Smite from Soulborn.
Hit Die:d10
NAME OF CLASS
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Class Features|Essentia|Soulmelds|Binds
1st|
+1|
+2|
+0|
+0|Aura, Smite Opposition 1/encounter, Detect Opposition|
0|
1|
0
2nd|
+2|
+3|
+0|
+0|Incarnum Defense|
1|
1|
0
3rd|
+3|
+3|
+1|
+1|Bonus Feat|
1|
1|
0
4th|
+4|
+4|
+1|
+1||
2|
2|
1
5th|
+5|
+4|
+1|
+1|Chakra Binds(Crown, Hands, Feet)|
2|
2|
1
6th|
+6/1|
+5|
+2|
+2|Extra Learning|
3|
2|
1
7th|
+7/2|
+5|
+2|
+2|Smite Opposition 2/encounter|
3|
3|
1
8th|
+8/3|
+6|
+2|
+2||
4|
3|
2
9th|
+9/4|
+6|
+3|
+3|Expanded Soulmeld Capacity|
4|
3|
2
10th|
+10/5|
+7|
+3|
+3|Bonus Feat|
5|
3|
2
11th|
+11/6/1|
+7|
+3|
+3|Chakra Binds (Arms, Brow, Shoulders)|
6|
4|
2
12th|
+12/7/2|
+8|
+4|
+4|Mettle|
6|
4|
2
13th|
+13/8/3|
+8|
+4|
+4|Smite Opposition 3/day|
7|
5|
3
14th|
+14/9/4|
+9|
+4|
+4||
7|
5|
3
15th|
+15/10/5|
+9|
+5|
+5|Extra Learning|
8|
5|
3
16th|
+16/11/6/1|
+10|
+5|
+5|Chakra Binds(Throat, Waist)|
8|
6|
3
17th|
+17/12/7/2|
+10|
+5|
+5||
9|
6|
4
18th|
+18/13/8/3|
+11|
+6|
+6|Bulwark of Incarnum|
9|
6|
4
19th|
+19/14/9/4|
+11|
+6|
+6|Smite Opposition 4/encounter|
10|
7|
4
20th|
+20/15/10/5|
+12|
+6|
+6|Chakra Bind(Heart), Incarnation|
11|
7|
4[/table]
Class Features
Aura: You're so hardcore that everyone knows what you believe. You show up on Detect alignment spells according to your alignment, with a strength dependent on your Soulborn level.
Smite Opposition(Su): You may as a free action designate your next melee attack as a smite. You may do this only once a turn. If you smite an opponent with an alignment at all different from yours, you get your Charisma modifier as a bonus to hit and your Soulborn level as a bonus to damage. The smite use is still expended even if the target happens to have the same alignment as you. This counts as Smite Evil or Smite Good or whatever for purposes of PrC's and feats and such.
Detect Opposition(Sp): You may detect alignments opposed to you on either axis, as Detect Evil and company. For example, a LE soulborn can detect Chaos and Good.
Meldshaping: You may shape soulmelds from the Soulborn class list (but see Extra Learning). Your meldshaper level is equal to your Soulborn level. You can't shape one with an alignment descriptor that doesn't match yours. The save for one you get from this class is 10+half meldshaper level+invested essentia.
Incarnum Defense(Su): This is two features in one! Hooray! Every Soulborn gets their Charisma bonus as an Insight bonus to Will saves, but it does not stack with the Divine Grace ability of Paladins or the Cha to saves ability of Hexblades. Sorry. In addition, each alignment of Soulborn gets another immunity.
LG: Your heart is full of conviction and fervor, with no room for fear. You are immune to fear.
CG: You are accustomed to Evil's attempts to toy with your mind. You are immune to [Compulsion] affects.
LE: A sinner's work is never done. You cannot become Fatigued.
CE: If you stop killing, then you've stopped living. You are immune to Paralysis.
Bonus Feat(ex): You may take a feat from the Fighter bonus list, or an [Incarnum] feat.
Extra Learning(ex): You may add a soulmeld to your class list. It can be a Totemist or Incarnate (or some crazy homebrewed one from somewhere else, who knows) soulmeld, but you must still abide by the alignment restrictions.
Expanded Soulmeld Capacity: The capacity of all your soulmelds from this class goes up by one. This increase stacks with the feat Expanded Soulmeld Capacity and Incarnum Focus items.
Mettle(ex): If you succeed on a Fort or Will save against an effect that has a lesser effect on a successful save, you instead are not affected at all. Score. Sadly this doesn't work if you're asleep or unconscious, presumably to help the one person in all of creation that actually casts the spell Nightmare.
Bulwark of Incarnum(Su): You're so awesome and full of souls that you gain extra protections, depending on alignment.
LG: The souls of good shield yours. You are under the effect of a Death Ward spell at all times.
CG: The souls of freedom coil around you and give you the effect of a Freedom of Movement spell.
LE: Tyranny is not easily routed. You are immune to ability damage, and are entitled to a save against ability drain. If the source does not typically grant a save, make a Fort save of DC depending on the source. If it's a spell, DC is 10+spell level+relevant ability mod+other DC boosters that apply. Otherwise the DC is 10+half source's Hit Dice+relevant ability mod (if unsure use Cha)
CE: The miasma of souls around your mind protects you from doubt, mercy, compassion, and also [Mind Affecting] effects.
Incarnation(Su): Remember how you used to have a limited amount of essentia? Screw that. When you activate this as a free action, every soulmeld (and only soulmelds, not other essentia receptacles like [Incarnum] feats or some items) you have acts as though it's full of essentia for 3+Con Mod rounds. During this time you can't move essentia around. You may do this Cha mod times a day, but no more than once a combat. Otherwise you would explode from over-souling.
Design Notes
Smites are per encounter instead of per day because I dislike per day mechanics.
I offer binds sooner than stock Soulborn does but later than Incarnate or Totemist. This is intentional.
It's also intentional that you get some Incarnum at level one. Otherwise why use an Incarnum class at low levels?
I like the Extra Learning class ability, but it's pretty much one specific feat (Shape Soulmeld) for free repeatedly without the hit to meldshaper level.
I'm not sold on the Bonus Feats but wanted to include some fighter flavor (such as it is) and remove some dead levels.
Bulwark of Incarnum has been somewhat peer reviewed now.
Soulborn Reborn
I am the ultimate warrior. The spirits of the ages guide my blade into your throat.
-Steven McTavish, Soulborn.
As a soulborn, you use a combination of Incarnum and martial skill to kill people.
Abilities: Str is good for hitting people. Dex is ok, if you like Reflex saves or light armor like some sort of prancing git. Con is more important for you than other front liners because it also affects how many melds you can shape. Int is for losers. Wis is for Will saves but that's it. Cha is for smitin' and several class features, depending on your alignment.
Races: Half Orcs are cool. Full orcs are cooler. Any hardy race makes a fine soulborn. Dwarves, humans, bugbears, owl-bears, owl-men-bears, etc. Don't be something frail like an elf.
Alignment: Pick a side on each axis. LG, CG, LE, or CE only.
Starting Gold: 6d4x10 (avg 150)
Class Features
Armor and Weapons: You are proficient with light, medium, and heavy armor and all shields except tower shields and silly stuff like extreme shields. You are proficient with all simple and martial weapons.
Skills: Sorry, you only get 2+Int mod skill points a level, 4x that at first level. Class skills are Balance, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Handle Animal, Heal, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge(Arcana), Knowledge(The Planes), Profession, Ride, Spellcraft, Swim.
Special Multiclassing Note: If you take a class that grants progression of casting (arcane or divine), you may instead apply gaining more essentia, melds, binds, and bind locations as though you were taking more levels in Soulborn. You do not get any other class features from Soulborn.
If a class progresses Smite uses or damage, that stacks with Smite from Soulborn.
Hit Die:d10
NAME OF CLASS
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Class Features|Essentia|Soulmelds|Binds
1st|
+1|
+2|
+0|
+0|Aura, Smite Opposition 1/encounter, Detect Opposition|
0|
1|
0
2nd|
+2|
+3|
+0|
+0|Incarnum Defense|
1|
1|
0
3rd|
+3|
+3|
+1|
+1|Bonus Feat|
1|
1|
0
4th|
+4|
+4|
+1|
+1||
2|
2|
1
5th|
+5|
+4|
+1|
+1|Chakra Binds(Crown, Hands, Feet)|
2|
2|
1
6th|
+6/1|
+5|
+2|
+2|Extra Learning|
3|
2|
1
7th|
+7/2|
+5|
+2|
+2|Smite Opposition 2/encounter|
3|
3|
1
8th|
+8/3|
+6|
+2|
+2||
4|
3|
2
9th|
+9/4|
+6|
+3|
+3|Expanded Soulmeld Capacity|
4|
3|
2
10th|
+10/5|
+7|
+3|
+3|Bonus Feat|
5|
3|
2
11th|
+11/6/1|
+7|
+3|
+3|Chakra Binds (Arms, Brow, Shoulders)|
6|
4|
2
12th|
+12/7/2|
+8|
+4|
+4|Mettle|
6|
4|
2
13th|
+13/8/3|
+8|
+4|
+4|Smite Opposition 3/day|
7|
5|
3
14th|
+14/9/4|
+9|
+4|
+4||
7|
5|
3
15th|
+15/10/5|
+9|
+5|
+5|Extra Learning|
8|
5|
3
16th|
+16/11/6/1|
+10|
+5|
+5|Chakra Binds(Throat, Waist)|
8|
6|
3
17th|
+17/12/7/2|
+10|
+5|
+5||
9|
6|
4
18th|
+18/13/8/3|
+11|
+6|
+6|Bulwark of Incarnum|
9|
6|
4
19th|
+19/14/9/4|
+11|
+6|
+6|Smite Opposition 4/encounter|
10|
7|
4
20th|
+20/15/10/5|
+12|
+6|
+6|Chakra Bind(Heart), Incarnation|
11|
7|
4[/table]
Class Features
Aura: You're so hardcore that everyone knows what you believe. You show up on Detect alignment spells according to your alignment, with a strength dependent on your Soulborn level.
Smite Opposition(Su): You may as a free action designate your next melee attack as a smite. You may do this only once a turn. If you smite an opponent with an alignment at all different from yours, you get your Charisma modifier as a bonus to hit and your Soulborn level as a bonus to damage. The smite use is still expended even if the target happens to have the same alignment as you. This counts as Smite Evil or Smite Good or whatever for purposes of PrC's and feats and such.
Detect Opposition(Sp): You may detect alignments opposed to you on either axis, as Detect Evil and company. For example, a LE soulborn can detect Chaos and Good.
Meldshaping: You may shape soulmelds from the Soulborn class list (but see Extra Learning). Your meldshaper level is equal to your Soulborn level. You can't shape one with an alignment descriptor that doesn't match yours. The save for one you get from this class is 10+half meldshaper level+invested essentia.
Incarnum Defense(Su): This is two features in one! Hooray! Every Soulborn gets their Charisma bonus as an Insight bonus to Will saves, but it does not stack with the Divine Grace ability of Paladins or the Cha to saves ability of Hexblades. Sorry. In addition, each alignment of Soulborn gets another immunity.
LG: Your heart is full of conviction and fervor, with no room for fear. You are immune to fear.
CG: You are accustomed to Evil's attempts to toy with your mind. You are immune to [Compulsion] affects.
LE: A sinner's work is never done. You cannot become Fatigued.
CE: If you stop killing, then you've stopped living. You are immune to Paralysis.
Bonus Feat(ex): You may take a feat from the Fighter bonus list, or an [Incarnum] feat.
Extra Learning(ex): You may add a soulmeld to your class list. It can be a Totemist or Incarnate (or some crazy homebrewed one from somewhere else, who knows) soulmeld, but you must still abide by the alignment restrictions.
Expanded Soulmeld Capacity: The capacity of all your soulmelds from this class goes up by one. This increase stacks with the feat Expanded Soulmeld Capacity and Incarnum Focus items.
Mettle(ex): If you succeed on a Fort or Will save against an effect that has a lesser effect on a successful save, you instead are not affected at all. Score. Sadly this doesn't work if you're asleep or unconscious, presumably to help the one person in all of creation that actually casts the spell Nightmare.
Bulwark of Incarnum(Su): You're so awesome and full of souls that you gain extra protections, depending on alignment.
LG: The souls of good shield yours. You are under the effect of a Death Ward spell at all times.
CG: The souls of freedom coil around you and give you the effect of a Freedom of Movement spell.
LE: Tyranny is not easily routed. You are immune to ability damage, and are entitled to a save against ability drain. If the source does not typically grant a save, make a Fort save of DC depending on the source. If it's a spell, DC is 10+spell level+relevant ability mod+other DC boosters that apply. Otherwise the DC is 10+half source's Hit Dice+relevant ability mod (if unsure use Cha)
CE: The miasma of souls around your mind protects you from doubt, mercy, compassion, and also [Mind Affecting] effects.
Incarnation(Su): Remember how you used to have a limited amount of essentia? Screw that. When you activate this as a free action, every soulmeld (and only soulmelds, not other essentia receptacles like [Incarnum] feats or some items) you have acts as though it's full of essentia for 3+Con Mod rounds. During this time you can't move essentia around. You may do this Cha mod times a day, but no more than once a combat. Otherwise you would explode from over-souling.
Design Notes
Smites are per encounter instead of per day because I dislike per day mechanics.
I offer binds sooner than stock Soulborn does but later than Incarnate or Totemist. This is intentional.
It's also intentional that you get some Incarnum at level one. Otherwise why use an Incarnum class at low levels?
I like the Extra Learning class ability, but it's pretty much one specific feat (Shape Soulmeld) for free repeatedly without the hit to meldshaper level.
I'm not sold on the Bonus Feats but wanted to include some fighter flavor (such as it is) and remove some dead levels.
Bulwark of Incarnum has been somewhat peer reviewed now.