3.5 Incarnate build

[maximus25]

I'm playing in a game, see, and I just died after a jerk player sent an elder god at our party of 4, I was level one, our dread necro was 4 I think. The thing had like health in the 5 digits, pretty crazy.

Dread Necro summoned some crazy undead with his dread necro shenanigans. We fought, we died, we set off spheres of annihilation, great fun was had by all.

Want to play an Incarnate now, but don't know how to build it at all.

My stats are (3d6+1d8, drop lowest to determine)

STR:17
DEX:20
CON:20
INT:20
WIS:19
CHA:19

Any race, definitely an Incarnate, or if you guys have homebrew classes you wanna submit, very lenient DM, he's allowing another character to play an Ebon Initiate from these forums. Every 3.5 book is allowed, any homebrew you want, build ideas.

I'd like to see how this pans out to up to 20th level.

[Flickerdart]

Incarnates are one of the most versatile base classes in the game. What do you want to do with it?

[maximus25]

I want to be the very best damage dealing death machine there is.

[Big Fau]

Try to get Sinfire Titan's handbook for the Incarnate (Google Cache the Incarnate Handbook and Brilliant Gameologists). That would give you a wonderful start.




You want to do damage? Fighter's actually much better at it than the Incarnate. The Incarnate is a very wide-range Jack of All Trades. Their damage output is mediocre though.

[Godskook]

If you want a meldshaper of damage-dealing attacks, Totemist is more your goal than Incarnate, honestly. Incarnates are ok, but Totemists are more prone to be strong melee damage dealers.

[maximus25]

Try to get Sinfire Titan's handbook for the Incarnate (Google Cache the Incarnate Handbook and Brilliant Gameologists). That would give you a wonderful start.




You want to do damage? Fighter's actually much better at it than the Incarnate. The Incarnate is a very wide-range Jack of All Trades. Their damage output is mediocre though.

Well, what is the Incarnate very good at?

[Flickerdart]

Oddly enough, they're remarkably good at getting high attack bonuses, so even though your damage won't be winning any prizes, you'll almost always hit.

[Tvtyrant]

Well, what is the Incarnate very good at?
Well, they can...
Create defenses...Like a boss!
Make UMD checks...Like a boss!
Create familiars...Like a boss!
Create zombies...Like a boss!
Fly at low levels...Like a boss!
Be versatile...Like a boss!

[maximus25]

Well, they can...
Create defenses...Like a boss!
Make UMD checks...Like a boss!
Create familiars...Like a boss!
Create zombies...Like a boss!
Fly at low levels...Like a boss!
Be versatile...Like a boss!

Creating zombies sounds fun.

[Tvtyrant]

Creating zombies sounds fun.

Necarnum is pretty cool; you get one or two big zombies rather than a lot of little ones. They don't even have the one action limit like normal zombies! (the two zombies are only for necarnates though).

[maximus25]

How would I build this?

[Tvtyrant]

How would I build this?

I believe the typical way is Incarnate 7/Necrocarnate 13, with either essentia gaining feats sprinkled in or house cat butchery. It takes being "evil" by raw, but you could easily through that out.

[maximus25]

I believe the typical way is Incarnate 7/Necrocarnate 13, with either essentia gaining feats sprinkled in or house cat butchery. It takes being "evil" by raw, but you could easily through that out.

What should I choose to shape through the levels?

[CactusAir]

Due to bloodline funkiness, Incarnate4/bloodline3/necrocarnate13 is perfectly viable and has a ML of 11 at level 8. (23 at level 20).

Just alternate Incarnate and bloodline levels up to 7, then go straight necorcarnate.

Extra ML makes the already awesome Vitality belt even more awesome, and allows you to, IIRC, have a bigger, nastier, Incarnum Zombie.

Losing HD hurts to be sure, but if you start at level 8 or higher, the payoff may be worth it.

[Glimbur]

Extra ML makes the already awesome Vitality belt even more awesome, and allows you to, IIRC, have a bigger, nastier, Incarnum Zombie.

True story. The HD of the zombie you can animate depends on your Meldshaper Level. Amusingly, Necrocarnate Zombies have an Int score which means they get skills and feats. It's not specified who gets to pick the skills and feats. This means if you are between minions and find something pretty useless, you could still animate it for a specific duty via Skill Focus, cross class ranks, and other feats to help it do whatever. And it's disposable.

There are a couple of Soulborn remakes floating around the forum; PersonMan made one, I have one linked in my sig, and so on. Base soulborn is very sad, but the right fix can make it a reasonable fighter-type.

[Lateral]

Well, you said you weren't opposed to homebrew, so as another option here's the Sapphire Blademaster. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=211182) It's a 9/10 meldshaping/ full initiating PrC pretty much geared towards Incarnate/Warblades. The meld shaping advancement in the class actually grants improved tiers of Chakra Binds as normal for your class, which is unusual but very nice, and since it's a Warblade/Incarnate class, you can get some great damage output.

Necrocarnum is also an option, but I'm afraid I don't have any useful input on that. Sorry.

[Chronos]

Assuming you're starting at low level, you can really go crazy with the Expanded Soulmeld Capacity feat applied to Dissolving Spittle: 3d6 damage, every turn, as a ranged touch attack, is insane at level 1. This combo makes the Incarnate one of only three or four classes that doesn't suck at first level. And you can apply the feat to a different meld every time you shape them, which keeps it relevant at higher levels, too.

[maximus25]

I looked at necrocarnate, looks good. So what should I take for my soul melds? What are some good ones, and what is my strategy from day to day? Sorry, I don't know a lot about Incarnum. Starting out at level one, any race, any alignment, I'm really flexible.

[Big Fau]

I looked at necrocarnate, looks good. So what should I take for my soul melds? What are some good ones, and what is my strategy from day to day? Sorry, I don't know a lot about Incarnum. Starting out at level one, any race, any alignment, I'm really flexible.

One thing about Necrocarnate: Sinfire Titan usually says the extra zombie isn't worth the progression sacrifice. Unfortunately, I can't link to the post where he describes why he feels it isn't a good class.


That said, here's the original handbook. (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19862398/The_Incarnum_Handbook) That should give you a good idea of what soulmelds to shape. Post 8 is a list of items and soulmelds you should buy/shape.