Glimbur
2009-11-14, 06:58 PM
So the Necrocarnate presented in Magic of Incarnum is kind of sad. You do get more binds and melds shaped, and higher tiers of binds; but the Essentia progression is non-existent except for an ability that has no limit on how much Essentia you can get. This is a crude working over with a hatchet to make the class actually playable.
"Souls... offer your souls to me!" -Steve, a Necrocarnum Apostle.
The power of Incarnum is the power of souls unborn and unformed. Some twist their abilities to wield the souls of those dead and... mostly dead. Most users of Necrocarnum are mere dabblers in evil, but some have specialized in warped and dark uses of souls. These are not mere Nercrocarnates, but Necrocarnum Apostles.
Becoming a Necrocarnum Apostle
Simply cover yourself in the souls of the dead and undead. If you have the strength of will and skill in shaping of souls, you will not die but instead be reborn.
Entry Requirements:
Alignment: Any non-good
Skills: Knowledge(Religion) 10 ranks, Knowledge(The Planes) 10 ranks or Knowledge(Arcana) 10 ranks.
Feats: Necrocarnum Acolyte.
Special: Ability to shape soulmelds, ability to bind to Crown and Hand chakras.
These are lighter requirements than the original PrC. It's more feasible now to sneak in a multi-class character with less meldshaping. It's also no longer evil only; if Necrocarnum Acolyte isn't Evil only why should the class that makes it worth taking be evil only?
Necrocarnum Apostle
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Class Features|Essentia|Melds Shaped|Binds
1st|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+2|Improved Meldshaping, The Dead Rise, Harvest Soul|1|0|0
2nd|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+3|The Dead Think|1|0|0
3rd|
+1|
+1|
+1|
+3|Chakra Binds(Arms, Brow, Shoulders)|2|0|0
4th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4|Foul Bind|3|0|0
5th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4|Loot The Spirit|4|1|0
6th|
+3|
+2|
+2|
+5|The Dead Dance|5|1|0
7th|
+3|
+2|
+2|
+5| |6|1|1
8th|
+4|
+2|
+2|
+6|Chakra Binds(Throat,Waist)|7|2|1
9th|
+4|
+3|
+3|
+6|Expanded Soulmeld Capacity +1|8|2|1
10th|
+5|
+3|
+3|
+7|Chakra Bind(Heart)|10|2|2
11th|
+5|
+3|
+3|
+7| |12|3|2
12th|
+6|
+4|
+4|
+8|Chakra Bind(Soul)|13|3|2
13th|
+6|
+4|
+4|
+8|Double Deaders|14|3|2[/table]
Hit Die: d6
Skill Points per level: 2+Int mod
Class Skills:Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Intimidate, Knowledge(Arcana), Knowledge(Religion), Knowledge(The Planes), Profession, Spellcraft.
Am I missing anything important here? These seem to cover all the necessary options and not be too broad.
A Necrocarnum Apostle gains no new proficiencies with weapons or armor.
Improved Meldshaping(Ex): Levels in Necrocarnum Apostle stack with levels in one other meldshaper class, chosen at the time you take your first level in Necrocarnum Apostle, to determine Meldshaper level.
Essentia, Melds, Binds: Add essentia, melds, and binds gained from Necrocarnum Apostle to those available to the meldshaper class you are progressing with Necrocarnum Apostle. If you do not have a meldshaper class, use the list of soulmelds from the Incarnate as your list of available soulmelds.
The Dead Rise(Su): Add your Necrocarnum Apostle level to your Meldshaper Level to determine the maximum Hit Dice of Necrocarnum Zombies you can animate.
Harvest Soul(Su): Once per day, you may gain extra essentia from a dead body that lasts for 24 hours. This is a Full-Round Action. You may gain up to either your Necrocarnum Apostle level or the hit dice of the dead creature in extra essentia, whichever is lower.
The Dead Think(Su): When you animate a Necrocarnum Zombie, you may add two skills to its class skill list. You must have at least three ranks in the skill to let your Zombie treat it as a class skill.
I added this more for flavor than a real power gain. Sure, it would be nice to have a zombie with more skills, but they still only get 2 points a level. Tumble and UMD are the most powerful choices I can think of, and Tumble isn't really that bad and UMD will be hampered by the Cha of 1. Consider not allowing UMD to benefit from this.
Chakra Binds: The listed chakras are now open and may have soulmelds bound to them.
Foul Bind: You gain an additional chakra bind that may only be used on soulmelds with the [Necrocarnum] descriptor.
Loot the Spirit(Su): As an immediate action, when something dies within 100' of you, you may tap some of its residual spiritual energy. You may use this power to do one of three things.
a) Gain a Profane bonus to damage equal to the lower of twice the dead thing's hit dice or twice your Necrocarnum Apostle level.
b) Gain a Profane bonus to saves equal to the lower of half the dead thing's hit dice or half your Necrocarnum Apostle level.
c) Heal yourself three points of damage for each hit die the just-dead creature had, regardless of your Necrocarnum Apostle level.
Effects a and b last until the end of your next turn. Effect c is instantaneous.
This might be too weak. Immediate actions are nice.
The Dead Dance(Ex): You may animate a Necrocarnum Zombie with up to twice your meldshaper level in hit dice. This replaces The Dead Walk.
This is the ability whose balance I'm worried about. Maybe we should just let The Dead Walk make the zombies better.
Expanded Soulmeld Capacity(Ex): The capacity of all your soulmelds increases by one. This stacks with the Incarnate ability, the Totemist ability (for Totem binds only) and the feat that increases soulmeld capacity.
Double Deaders(Ex): You may animate two Necrocarnum Zombies using the Necrocarnum Circlet instead of one. You only lose hit points due to the Zombie with more hit dice; in case of a tie lose hit points from only one of the zombies.
I wish it had more class features. Maybe I should throw taking half damage from animating zombies somewhere in the mid levels and take out the part of Double Deaders where only one zombie hurts you. I should also consider renaming the capstone. Compared to an Incarnate 20, you have the same number of melds shaped, one bind is more specialized in its use, and 5 less essentia until you use Harvest Soul.
It would be cool but complicated and possibly overpowered to give your zombies the ability to shape a soulmeld.
Incarnum PrC's are kind of rough to write because I can't think of an elegant way to progress tiers of binds between two classes, so the PrC has to go to 20 (or 19, I guess).
"Souls... offer your souls to me!" -Steve, a Necrocarnum Apostle.
The power of Incarnum is the power of souls unborn and unformed. Some twist their abilities to wield the souls of those dead and... mostly dead. Most users of Necrocarnum are mere dabblers in evil, but some have specialized in warped and dark uses of souls. These are not mere Nercrocarnates, but Necrocarnum Apostles.
Becoming a Necrocarnum Apostle
Simply cover yourself in the souls of the dead and undead. If you have the strength of will and skill in shaping of souls, you will not die but instead be reborn.
Entry Requirements:
Alignment: Any non-good
Skills: Knowledge(Religion) 10 ranks, Knowledge(The Planes) 10 ranks or Knowledge(Arcana) 10 ranks.
Feats: Necrocarnum Acolyte.
Special: Ability to shape soulmelds, ability to bind to Crown and Hand chakras.
These are lighter requirements than the original PrC. It's more feasible now to sneak in a multi-class character with less meldshaping. It's also no longer evil only; if Necrocarnum Acolyte isn't Evil only why should the class that makes it worth taking be evil only?
Necrocarnum Apostle
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Class Features|Essentia|Melds Shaped|Binds
1st|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+2|Improved Meldshaping, The Dead Rise, Harvest Soul|1|0|0
2nd|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+3|The Dead Think|1|0|0
3rd|
+1|
+1|
+1|
+3|Chakra Binds(Arms, Brow, Shoulders)|2|0|0
4th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4|Foul Bind|3|0|0
5th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4|Loot The Spirit|4|1|0
6th|
+3|
+2|
+2|
+5|The Dead Dance|5|1|0
7th|
+3|
+2|
+2|
+5| |6|1|1
8th|
+4|
+2|
+2|
+6|Chakra Binds(Throat,Waist)|7|2|1
9th|
+4|
+3|
+3|
+6|Expanded Soulmeld Capacity +1|8|2|1
10th|
+5|
+3|
+3|
+7|Chakra Bind(Heart)|10|2|2
11th|
+5|
+3|
+3|
+7| |12|3|2
12th|
+6|
+4|
+4|
+8|Chakra Bind(Soul)|13|3|2
13th|
+6|
+4|
+4|
+8|Double Deaders|14|3|2[/table]
Hit Die: d6
Skill Points per level: 2+Int mod
Class Skills:Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Intimidate, Knowledge(Arcana), Knowledge(Religion), Knowledge(The Planes), Profession, Spellcraft.
Am I missing anything important here? These seem to cover all the necessary options and not be too broad.
A Necrocarnum Apostle gains no new proficiencies with weapons or armor.
Improved Meldshaping(Ex): Levels in Necrocarnum Apostle stack with levels in one other meldshaper class, chosen at the time you take your first level in Necrocarnum Apostle, to determine Meldshaper level.
Essentia, Melds, Binds: Add essentia, melds, and binds gained from Necrocarnum Apostle to those available to the meldshaper class you are progressing with Necrocarnum Apostle. If you do not have a meldshaper class, use the list of soulmelds from the Incarnate as your list of available soulmelds.
The Dead Rise(Su): Add your Necrocarnum Apostle level to your Meldshaper Level to determine the maximum Hit Dice of Necrocarnum Zombies you can animate.
Harvest Soul(Su): Once per day, you may gain extra essentia from a dead body that lasts for 24 hours. This is a Full-Round Action. You may gain up to either your Necrocarnum Apostle level or the hit dice of the dead creature in extra essentia, whichever is lower.
The Dead Think(Su): When you animate a Necrocarnum Zombie, you may add two skills to its class skill list. You must have at least three ranks in the skill to let your Zombie treat it as a class skill.
I added this more for flavor than a real power gain. Sure, it would be nice to have a zombie with more skills, but they still only get 2 points a level. Tumble and UMD are the most powerful choices I can think of, and Tumble isn't really that bad and UMD will be hampered by the Cha of 1. Consider not allowing UMD to benefit from this.
Chakra Binds: The listed chakras are now open and may have soulmelds bound to them.
Foul Bind: You gain an additional chakra bind that may only be used on soulmelds with the [Necrocarnum] descriptor.
Loot the Spirit(Su): As an immediate action, when something dies within 100' of you, you may tap some of its residual spiritual energy. You may use this power to do one of three things.
a) Gain a Profane bonus to damage equal to the lower of twice the dead thing's hit dice or twice your Necrocarnum Apostle level.
b) Gain a Profane bonus to saves equal to the lower of half the dead thing's hit dice or half your Necrocarnum Apostle level.
c) Heal yourself three points of damage for each hit die the just-dead creature had, regardless of your Necrocarnum Apostle level.
Effects a and b last until the end of your next turn. Effect c is instantaneous.
This might be too weak. Immediate actions are nice.
The Dead Dance(Ex): You may animate a Necrocarnum Zombie with up to twice your meldshaper level in hit dice. This replaces The Dead Walk.
This is the ability whose balance I'm worried about. Maybe we should just let The Dead Walk make the zombies better.
Expanded Soulmeld Capacity(Ex): The capacity of all your soulmelds increases by one. This stacks with the Incarnate ability, the Totemist ability (for Totem binds only) and the feat that increases soulmeld capacity.
Double Deaders(Ex): You may animate two Necrocarnum Zombies using the Necrocarnum Circlet instead of one. You only lose hit points due to the Zombie with more hit dice; in case of a tie lose hit points from only one of the zombies.
I wish it had more class features. Maybe I should throw taking half damage from animating zombies somewhere in the mid levels and take out the part of Double Deaders where only one zombie hurts you. I should also consider renaming the capstone. Compared to an Incarnate 20, you have the same number of melds shaped, one bind is more specialized in its use, and 5 less essentia until you use Harvest Soul.
It would be cool but complicated and possibly overpowered to give your zombies the ability to shape a soulmeld.
Incarnum PrC's are kind of rough to write because I can't think of an elegant way to progress tiers of binds between two classes, so the PrC has to go to 20 (or 19, I guess).