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Road_Runner
2010-11-15, 03:16 AM
Ok, so I'm interested in making an incarnate and I was reading the Incarnate Handbook by Sinfire (can be found here (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?PHPSESSID=7tjfjdgh68oh207124qnobftd4&topic=6920.0))

However, I was confused by this text on the critique of the Open Chakra feat:


"Open Chakras: These feats are mixed. If your DM reads them and rules by RAW, they're great ways to boost your Chakra Bind advancement. If the DM is aware of and agrees with a Cust Serv ruling on them (and seriously, it's Cust Serv...), they suck. Hard. However, Cust Serv is wrong about these feats (Page 108, Magic of Incarnum, text explicitly calls out feats that grant Chakra Binds, and these feats are the only ones to qualify)."

I'm confused. I don't see what the two possible interpretations of this feat are. And if you look at the prerequisites for the feats (which include a certain character level), you would have already opened up those chakras through incarnate class features (for example, the open least chakra requires level 6, but you already opened all those chakras at level 4, or open lesser chakra requires level 12, but you already opened all of those at level 9) . What is the use of this feat (besides for multiclassers/other incarnate users) and what are the different interpretations of it?

Person_Man
2010-11-15, 10:12 AM
Official WotC Cust Serv Interpretation: The Open Chakra feat allows you to bind a soulmeld to that chakra slot if you have a chakra bind available. For example, a Fighter 6 has 0 chakra binds. Thus he gains no benefit from the Open Least Chakra feat. A Totemist 2/Fighter 4 would benefit from the Open Least Chakra feat, but he would still be limited to 1 chakra bind.

Generous Interpretation: The Open Chakra feat allows you to bind a soulmeld to that chakra slot, and it gives you an additional chakra bind which can only be used to be bound to that chakra slot. For example, a Fighter 6 can take Shape Soulmeld (Impulse Boots) to gain Uncanny Dodge and Open Least Chakra (Feet) to gain Evasion.


You can see how the Official interpretation limits the usefulness of the feet to multiclass Totemists and Incarnates, whereas the generous interpretation makes them (very) useful to everyone.

Psyren
2010-11-15, 10:59 AM
Who would even ask Custserv about that? The RAW from the text seems clear to me, and way more useful :smallconfused:

And Custserv ranks even below FAQ in the reliability matrix, given that any advice we have from them is hearsay.

Person_Man
2010-11-15, 11:29 AM
Well, with the generous interpretation there are a ton of things that you can get with just 2 feats, especially at high levels. Evasion, flight, Incorporealness, Swarm template, Immunity to Con damage and penalties, Read Thoughts, Mindlink, Dimension Door, the ability to Daze enemies whenever you damage them with a spell or psionic power, Keen for every weapon you wield, and many other options. None of them are particularly broken in a game with Tier 1 and 2 casters. But like the Tome of Battle and psionics, if you're playing in a non-optimized group, giving players such powers from feats can seem scary.

Psyren
2010-11-15, 11:40 AM
Perhaps; but it seems to me that any game that allows Incarnum has PCs that can do all that anyway, and games that don't allow Incarnum don't have to worry.

It's like allowing Martial Study and then getting worried because the fighter's power level starts increasing :smalltongue:

Person_Man
2010-11-15, 01:44 PM
Allowing the generous interpretation also reduces the theoretical power level of the Totemist and Incarnate, in that it allows non-meldshapers much greater access to chakra binds.

But I agree with your take on the matter.

Road_Runner
2010-11-15, 06:51 PM
Ok that clears it up thanks for the replies :smallsmile:

Stegyre
2010-11-15, 11:40 PM
Well, with the generous interpretation there are a ton of things that you can get with just 2 feats, especially at high levels. Evasion, flight, Incorporealness, Swarm template, Immunity to Con damage and penalties, Read Thoughts, Mindlink, Dimension Door, the ability to Daze enemies whenever you damage them with a spell or psionic power, Keen for every weapon you wield, and many other options. None of them are particularly broken in a game with Tier 1 and 2 casters. But like the Tome of Battle and psionics, if you're playing in a non-optimized group, giving players such powers from feats can seem scary.
I too had wondered what "other" interpretation was out there, as the generous interpretation was (and is the only one that makes any sense to me.

The fact that these abilities (above) become available for a one- or two-feat investment is my basis for allowing characters to acquire such abilities directly as feats.

E.g., instead of taking Soulmeld (Impulse Boots), a character may take Uncanny Dodge as a feat -- imo, the minus of no additional buffing through incarnum investments balances out against an ability that will now function in an AMF.

This is a rule of reason: some of the abilities granted by soulmelds I can conceive as also being the result of special physical or mental training; others (like a 30' range acidic spittle) . . . you'd still need to take a meld for.

YMMV.