Psycarnate magic system premis

[Blightedmarsh]

For my setting I am considering building a magic system from the ground up.

The following is a basic outline; a design manefesto or statment of intent if you will

This will be a mishmash of psionics and incarnate. Combined with near universal maneuvers, essentia, a "healing surge" mechanic and PP I think it may be quite balanced.

Things like divine and arcane casting is going to be left at the wayside in favor of this system.

I could do with some advice as to how best to build and balance this, specific details and things you guys thing I should look into.

Psycarnate magic

Psionic power

This is a form of Qui. It is an activation energy which is expended to use things. Everyone gets psionic power points and everyone can make use of it to one degree or another.

Psionic power points are expended to:

-Use or empower supernatural abilities and maneuvers Eg: Bardic music
-Activate magic items Eg: wands
-Use psionic abilities

Meldshaping

Everyone gets to use soulmelds in one form or another if they so wish. A character does not get access to every soulmeld; these are more like items or spell in that you have to acquire or craft them before you can use them. Soulmelds may be restricted to or from races or classes

At the first level a character gets to open one chakara slot of their choice or defined by their race. Open X chakara may be acquired through class features or feats.


Essentia

Everyone gets essentia. You can invest essentia and burn it. Invested essence can be liquidated and reinvested. You usually get burned essences back after each night.

Investment

You can invest essentia into strengthening your powers, items, saves and class features.

For example:

You can strengthen an item by investing you essence into it. You can give a a sword a +1 bonus for X essentia.

You can strengthen a class feature with essentia investment. You can give a rouge additional XD6 sneak attack damage for essentia investment.

You can strengthen you powers. You could apply a empower metafeat to a given power for X essentia. Each use of that power would have the empowered feat applied.

Burning

You can burn or be burned to lose a certain number of essentia until the next day. This can be because:

Essentia damage from attacks or effects.
Vital powers require the essentia to be expended.
Crafting cost; essentia can be invested in crafting over a number of days.

Vital power

This uses power points and burns essentia. It is the main reason for burning essentia.

It can be used to:
-Take ten or take twenty in unusual circumstances
-Healing surge
-Lay on hands
-Turning
-Necromancy
-Other things as well

Class considerations

Full casters

Druid

Casting: vitalist progression
Meldshaping: Full progression
Maneuvers: No progression
Features: Wildshape and/or companion

Cleric

Casting:
Meldshaping:Blessings
Maneuvers: 1/2 progression
Features:Turning + lay on hands

Arcanist

Casting: Full modified psionic casting or vitalis progression
Meldshaping: Adaptation of the binder class vestages/pacts
Maneuvers: No progression
Features: Pick one or more at the cost to caster levels.

Melee

Fighter

Casting:None
Meldshaping: Basic
Maneuvers: Full
Features: ACFs

Ranger

Casting:None
Meldshaping: Basic
Maneuvers: Full
Features: wildshape or animal companion

Excetra........

[undead hero]

Homebrew bro.

[Fouredged Sword]

I must say, this feels interesting. It would make a low wealth game much more viable.

Ok, here is my suggestion. Work the system like BAB, but expanded more, with a Full, Medium, Half, Low, and zero Progression.

Take Psionics.

Full psionic progression would look like a Psion.
Half progression would look more like Psi-War.

Incarnum

Incarnum would be tricky, as you are providing a new mechanic of enhancing class abilities, so I say restrain the total number of melds known fairly harshly to reduce the total number of options a character has. This system seems to lean on essence, so I am thinking restrain essence, binds, and melds fairly linearly.

Full, 24 essence at 20, All binds but totem at 20, pick 10 soulmelds, one per 2 levels.

That makes half look like essence 12 at 20, 5 binds at 20, and 5 soulmelds known, 1 per 4 levels.

Maneuvers

Ok, I would crib swordsage as the base, with all schools open, but consider reducing the readied maneuvers at lower levels. It works well, and is hard to abuse. I would, on the other hand, give the character a number of free refreshes per combat, based on initiator level. A character should get IL/4 free refreshes of their readied maneuver pool. Each IL increase is basically an advancement of SS martial progression.

Full advancement = 1:1 advancement rate
Half advancement = 1:2 advancement rate
Low advancement = 1:4 advancement rate

[Blightedmarsh]

Homebrew

You are probably right but I don't have a system yet; just an idea.



Ok, here is my suggestion. Work the system like BAB, but expanded more, with a Full, Medium, Half, Low, and zero Progression......


......advancement = 1:1 advancement rate
Half advancement = 1:2 advancement rate
Low advancement = 1:4 advancement rate


Fully along my lines of thinking.



Incarnum

Incarnum would be tricky, as you are providing a new mechanic of enhancing class abilities, so I say restrain the total number of melds known fairly harshly to reduce the total number of options a character has. This system seems to lean on essence, so I am thinking restrain essence, binds, and melds fairly linearly.

Full, 24 essence at 20, All binds but totem at 20, pick 10 soulmelds, one per 2 levels.

That makes half look like essence 12 at 20, 5 binds at 20, and 5 soulmelds known, 1 per 4 levels.

This makes perfect sense. However I must say that I kind of like the concept of changing the way soulmelds are acquired. Rather than you pick one when you level up you have to create or somehow acquire one. For example you find one bound to an ancient stone circle or are gifted one as a boon from your divine patron.

Each meld has its own innate power level which you can upgrade. Their is a limit on the total power of soulmelds you can possess based of your level, meldshaper progression and attribute bonuses.


Take Psionics.

Full psionic progression would look like a Psion.
Half progression would look more like Psi-War.


I would have to partially divorce power points from this as they are used for far more than manifesting. I think that I could put some class feature enhancements in here as well. Sneak attack fits here better as an activation bonus.



Maneuvers

Ok, I would crib swordsage as the base, with all schools open, but consider reducing the readied maneuvers at lower levels. It works well, and is hard to abuse. I would, on the other hand, give the character a number of free refreshes per combat, based on initiator level. A character should get IL/4 free refreshes of their readied maneuver pool. Each IL increase is basically an advancement of SS martial progression.

I think that some schools would fit into some classes better than others. Rouges with shadow hand and monks with diamond mind for example. The other way would be to dispense with rouges and monks altogether and let the player use schools and AFCs to build these defining roles

I also like the concept that burning a PP and esentia can provide a refresh.

Miscellaneous concepts

Sneak attack

You can invest essentia into sneak attack to give it a status effect or perhaps enhance an existing status effect from an item or feat.

You can throw in power points in order to boost the number of die you are throwing around.

Flurry of blows

You can invest essentia to improve the two hit bonuses of your iterative attacks.

You can throw in powerpoints to increase the number of attacks you are puting out.

Psionic shot/ray/blasts

For psionic blastage and mind blades I want to straight rip off the mechanics of the eldritch blast/glaive for weaving shapes and essences.

You use additional power points to throw in more damage and essences for more meta effects.

Bardic music

You invest essentia in known music to be able to use it and make it generally stronger.

You use PP to activate your bardic music and sustain it (for example 3 to activate and 1 per round to sustain). By using more PP you can overcharge the song but this gets expensive to sustain.

Bonded weapons/items

Meldshaping essentia into a item. You can use essentia to get your +X enhancement bonuses. You activate an items special ability using your PP.

For example you have a flaming burst +2 short sword. The +2 comes from essentia investment. The flaming burst is activated by using power points and can be triggered as an immediate action after a hit (ala gunblade).