Shape Soulmeld (Strongheart Vest) Explanation

[keeper2161]

I understand the controversy of this and hellfire warlock. That is not what this is about. My question is: Does the feat Shape Soulmeld grant Strongheart Vest for free? Like a level 1 fighter with a 13 con can take Shape Soulmeld and get Strongheart Vest or do you need to unlock the Chakra Bind (waist) first? Because if you need to unlock it first then the lowest level you could get it is Incarnate 4/ Necrocarnate 8 for a total level of 12. I ask this because from what I read you need to be able to meldshape a soulmeld. Other wise you just have a feat you can't use. Like a level 1 fighter taking extend spell. You could extend a spell if you had a spell but you don't have a spell too extend. You guys understand what I mean?

[ColossusCrusher]

Taking Shape Soulmeld (Insert Soulmeld Here) does not allow you to access the chakra bind - there are feats that allow you to open those chakra binds (Open Least, Lesser Chakra, etc). What it does allow you to do is shape it for the basic effect and invest essentia in it acquired through other sources such as race or feat selection.

[Necroticplague]

You only need to unlock a chakra to bind something to that chakra, you can still shape soulmelds without the chakra being open (with a couple exceptions).

[Requiem_Jeer]

You misunderstand how Soulmelds work. If you know and can shape a soulmeld, that's all you need to do so. You gain the benefit of the soulmeld for the entire day. You've associated it with the waist chakra, but all that does is limit you from putting any other soulmeld there.

Binding a soulmeld to a chakra, on the other hand, is a different thing. It provides a whole new benefit, which is sometimes also related to the amount of essentia invested in the soulmeld, but not always.

So the relevant strongheart vest benefit does not require you to open your waist chakra, no.

[jiriku]

Yes, you get Strongheart Vest for free. The purpose of the feat is to grant you the ability to shape that particular soulmeld each day. You can shape the the vest onto either your Heart or Waist totem chakra, obtaining the same basic benefit regardless of which of the two locations you attach it to. However, you can't bind it to either totem chakra, so you don't get access to the extra abilities obtained for binding it. For your fighter to bind it, you'll need to take Open Greater Chakra (Waist) as your 18th level feat to bind it to your waist. There's no way a non-incarnum character could learn to bind it to the Heart chakra, though.

[Fax Celestis]

Yes, you get Strongheart Vest for free. The purpose of the feat is to grant you the ability to shape that particular soulmeld each day. You can shape the the vest onto either your Heart or Waist totem, obtaining the same basic benefit regardless of which of the two locations you attach it to. However, you can't bind it to either totem, so you don't get access to the extra abilities obtained for binding it. For your fighter to bind it, you'll need to take Open Greater Chakra (Waist) as your 18th level feat to bind it to your waist. There's no way a non-incarnum character could learn to bind it to the Heart chakra, though.

Pretty sure only totemists get to shape onto totem chakra.

[keeper2161]

So you don't bind it to a chakra you just have it as a soulmeld?

[Fax Celestis]

There's two stages of Soulmeld. A shaped Soulmeld just sort of hovers over the slot associated with the chakra. A bound Soulmeld closes the slot as it forms into a solid item. You can shape without binding, but not vice versa.

[keeper2161]

Alright thank you everyone for clearing this up. :smile:

[Piggy Knowles]

Everyone else has done a pretty good job explaining, but just to make things perfectly clear:

If you take the Shape Soulmeld feat, you can shape that soulmeld. In this particular instance, SHAPING the Strongheart Vest means that you reduce the amount of any ability damage you receive by 1, plus an additional 1 for each point of essentia invested into it.

If you have access to a chakra bind, either from a meldshaping class or from the Open XXX Chakra feat/spell/power, you can bind a soulmeld to that chakra. In this instance, BINDING the Strongheart Vest to the Waist chakra allows the Strongheart Vest to reduce ability drain as well as ability damage.

So, if your hypothetical fighter with Con 13 takes Shape Soulmeld (Strongheart Vest), she can shape that vest right from her very first level. She'll reduce any ability damage she receives by 1, or more if she has essentia to invest (for example, if she was an azurin, or if she took an incarnum feat that granted essentia). However, it will not protect her from receiving ability drain, because the soulmeld has not been bound.

When she reaches 18th level, if she chooses to take the Open Greater Chakra (waist) feat, she can then bind her Strongheart Vest to her waist chakra. If she chooses to do so, she will reduce both ability damage and ability drain by 1, or more if she has essentia to invest.