(3.5) Confused about Incarnum

[Eslin]

I'm usually pretty quick to pick up rules, but a few things have been confusing me - hoping you guys would have the answers.

1: Totem chakra binds. The rules say you need a certain level to bind a chakra to a certain location (14 for throat or waist as a totemist, for instance) but the rules on totem binds say that to bind one to a totem you have to pick a different slot to bind it to also. For an ability like manticore belt (which only has the waist and totem options), does that mean I need to wait until level 14 when I have the waist slot open to bind it, or do I get to bind it along with the totem bind despite not having the class feature which opens it yet?

2: If I bind airstep sandals to my feet, does that remove the having to land on the ground at the end of the turn restriction?

3: Is the soulborn good in a way I'm not understanding? It looks like a paladin without the spells and splatbook support, I'm kind of confused.

[Khedrac]

1: Totem chakra binds. The rules say you need a certain level to bind a chakra to a certain location (14 for throat or waist as a totemist, for instance) but the rules on totem binds say that to bind one to a totem you have to pick a different slot to bind it to also. For an ability like manticore belt (which only has the waist and totem options), does that mean I need to wait until level 14 when I have the waist slot open to bind it, or do I get to bind it along with the totem bind despite not having the class feature which opens it yet?
If you have access to a meld that can be bound to a number of different chakra , then you can only bind it to chakra slots that you have the ability to bind to. It only binds to one of the chakra slots at a time (and iirc you cannot ever bind the same meld to more than one slot simultaneously).
So, I don't have the books to check the order you get bind chakra in, but for the manticore belt you can only bind it to whichever chakra you have the bind chakra ability for and to which it can be bound.

Hope this helps.

[tyckspoon]

1: The totem is unique in that the 'bind' location and the 'shape' location are dissociated. In your example, you would have to shape the belt on your waist chakra, but you could still bind it to your totem; the totem "chakra" works more like a designation that you add to one of your soulmelds to turn that slot into the totem. It is available regardless of whether or not you have access to Binds for the slot you are tagging it onto. (Note also that you do not have to be able to Bind onto a chakra in order to Shape a meld there.)

2: Unresolved, ask your GM- there is no clear ruling or official clarification on this one that I am aware of. (I lean toward no, it does not, but your GM may feel/you may successfully argue that simply upgrading 'good' to 'perfect' maneuverability is not a good enough use of one of your precious bindings.)

3: You're not missing anything, Soulborn is a pretty terrible class.

[Eslin]

Ok, cool. So one last question - for the totem, I shape it somewhere and bind it to the totem slot. Can it be bound to both that slot and the totem slot?

[Turion]

Once you get the Double Bind feature at Totemist 11, yes.