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Samb
2010-06-13, 03:54 PM
I've tried to get this book but to no avail. I've have PbP applications that I had to turn down just because I don't "get it".

Something about investing essentia and making things happen? Is that basically it? I've also researched it because I heard of some infinite power point combo in it but since I lack even a basic understanding of it it just flies over my head.

I need a simple explanation if anyone can provide one. Thanks in advance.

Tar Palantir
2010-06-13, 03:59 PM
Here's the quick and dirty breakdown.

A meldshaper is someone who can shape soulmelds. Soulmelds, when shaped, give a certain benefit. A meldshaper can shape a number of soulmelds determined by their class level and Con score. Any soulmeld that is shaped, as well as any incarnum feat, can have essentia invested into it. It then gains a benefit based on how much essentia is invested (with a maximum determined by character level). This benefit may or may not be related to the benefit for shaping a soulmeld, but the shaping benefit is still gained, even if no essentia is invested. Furthermore, a soulmeld can be bound to a chakra. Each chakra is the equivalent of an item slot (hand chakra=glove slot, etc.), and a meldshaper cannot wear a magic item in a slot to which he has a chakra bound. Each soulmeld lists which chakras it can be bound to, and the benefits of binding it, which may or may not depend on invested essentia.

Octopus Jack
2010-06-13, 04:03 PM
Basically there are soulmelds which you get from incarnum classes and from the shape soulmeld feat, each soulmeld gives you a special effect. various incarnum feats and classes give you essentia. Think of essentia like water and the soulmelds like cups, the more essentia you put into your soulmelds the better they get but you have a finite amount of essentia to use and your cups can only hold so much water but you can redistrubute it as you want.
Thats the basics of it, also each soulmeld takes up a space on the body.

Chakra binds are when you get a high enough level in an incarnum class or take a feat that opens your chakra, they add an extra effect onto your soulmeld that you have bound to that spot. You have to be a high level to open up more body slots to chakra bind to.

Now I hope some ninja hasn't beaten me to it...


EDIT: DAMMIT!

Tar Palantir
2010-06-13, 04:10 PM
Basically there are soulmelds which you get from incarnum classes and from the shape soulmeld feat, each soulmeld gives you a special effect. various incarnum feats and classes give you essentia. Think of essentia like water and the soulmelds like cups, the more essentia you put into your soulmelds the better they get but you have a finite amount of essentia to use and your cups can only hold so much water but you can redistrubute it as you want.
Thats the basics of it, also each soulmeld takes up a space on the body.

Chakra binds are when you get a high enough level in an incarnum class or take a feat that opens your chakra, they add an extra effect onto your soulmeld that you have bound to that spot. You have to be a high level to open up more body slots to chakra bind to.

Now I hope some ninja hasn't beaten me to it...

EDIT: DAMMIT!

Also, a quick clarification on your otherwise fine breakdown: a soulmeld only takes up a slot when bound. You can shape Sphinx Claws, Rageclaws, and Claws of the Wyrm all at the same time, you just can't bind more than one to your hands.

Kyeudo
2010-06-13, 04:16 PM
Also, a quick clarification on your otherwise fine breakdown: a soulmeld only takes up a slot when bound. You can shape Sphinx Claws, Rageclaws, and Claws of the Wyrm all at the same time, you just can't bind more than one to your hands.

You can't have more than one soulmeld in a particular chakra, even if unbound.

Lycanthromancer
2010-06-13, 04:26 PM
You can also think of soulmelds as magic items given to you by your class. You get a limited number based on your incarnum class, and you can't shape more soulmelds than your Constitution will let you have shaped; you can get them through feats, as well. They take up a body slot (though the default state of a soulmeld allows you to wear an actual magic item on that body slot as well), and grant you a minor benefit in their default state. Your meldshaper level is very similar to caster level, and functions in the same way; ie, for overcoming spell resistance and for resist being dispelled. Soulmelds last forever once shaped, until you choose to unshape them (generally so you can reshape others, though there are a few that you can unshape as a standard action to get a really powerful effect), or until they're dispelled.

"Essentia" are like power points, but more modular; you get a very limited number from race, from class, and from feats (which also pool together like pp do), but you don't use them up like pp. You can use a swift action each round to distribute your essentia amongst your soulmelds (and certain class abilities), with the maximum number of essentia in any receptacle (feats, soulmelds, and similar) based on your character level. Some soulmelds are skill-based, some are offensive in nature, and some are defensive, and you can swap your essentia around to the places that you need the most that round. Unbound soulmelds all grant additional benefits when essentia are added, though this is generally a bonus to skills, saves, or some other minor effect.

You can also have "chakras," based on body slots for items; the crown chakra for the helmet slot, the hands chakra for the gloves slot, and so on. Soulmelds can be bound to these chakras, which then takes up that body slot, meaning you can't wear an item in the same slot while a soulmeld is bound (although a feat allows you to wear both in a single slot). Soulmelds give much better bonuses when you bind them to a chakra, but they're limited in which chakras you can bind them to, and you're limited in which chakras you can bind based on what your class gives you (though spells, a psionic power, and feats all will give you access to those binds at higher levels). Essentia also grant much better bonuses to you when you channel them into a bound soulmeld (in addition to the soulmeld's unbound essentia bonuses).

Soulmelds, essentia, and chakra binds don't generally grant amazing abilities and bonuses in a vacuum, though. The real power comes from stacking soulmelds, essentia, and chakra binds to get compounded effects. If you have one soulmeld that grants two 1d6 claw attacks, that alone is useful, but not amazing; binding a soulmeld that gives you an extra two arms (and thus, two more claws), and one that grants pounce, shaping another that gives +1d4 points of subdual [cold] damage per essentia invested, and one more that grants +1d6 fire damage per essentia, however, will suddenly make those claws a LOT stronger.

Does that make it a bit clearer?

Tar Palantir
2010-06-13, 04:57 PM
You can't have more than one soulmeld in a particular chakra, even if unbound.

Double checked that and you're right. My bad.

Optimystik
2010-06-13, 05:06 PM
I'll just leave this here. (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=551.0)

*Honors the fallen.*

Person_Man
2010-06-14, 08:43 AM
I'll just leave this here. (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=551.0)

*Honors the fallen.*

The fallen? Did something happen to Sinfire?


Also, Incarnum is pretty much the metaphor for all of 3.5. Very fluffy and fun and rewarding once you've learned it, but very crunchy and difficult to learn. It's worth it, especially for low level games. But it takes some time and patience to master.

Lycanthromancer
2010-06-14, 09:37 AM
The fallen? Did something happen to Sinfire?According to his 'in the Playground' status, he got banned. For what, I have no idea.

It probably involved Gia...err...nevermind.

Lapak
2010-06-14, 09:45 AM
Just in case none of the above helps, a completely different analogy:

An Incarnum character is like a spaceship. They've got various systems - turbolasers, shields, warp drives. These are your soulmelds. The good news is, you bought a modular spaceship, so you can swap these systems out every time you stop to fuel up. But you can only have one weapon module in your forward weapon slot, one item in your drive slot, and so on.

Then there's your engine. This is your essentia pool. Every time you're willing to spend a swift action, you can reassign it:
"Maximum power to the forward shields!"
"Captain, there's no more power to give! We're at 100%!"
"Divert power from the forward weapons systems, we've got to get through!"

More power to the system = more benefit from it. Your character and class levels determine how big your engine is (total essentia pool) and how much power any given system can draw (how much essentia you can put into any given soulmeld at a time.)

That's Incarnum in a nutshell. Binding just gives additional benefits on top of the basic stuff you get, but you can only bind a few melds at a time - again, based on your level and class - which means you have to choose what's most important to you.

In terms of using it effectively, Lycanthromancer hit it on the head - either you stack soulmelds together that work to support each other, or you grab a little incarnum through a dip or a feat that works to support whatever it is your character does. Dipping is surprisingly viable because some of the major factors involved, like how much power you can shove into a soulmeld at a time, are based on character level.