Magic of Incarnum question

[keeper2161]

Can you suppress soulmelds? I am a level 2 Totemist. I have Girallon (this one is bound to my totem chakra), Threefold Mask of the Chimera, and Bloodtalons. The Threefold Mask of the Chimera has a three faced mask floating in front of my face and the bound Girallon I have four arms. I would guess that is would be disconcerting to many villagers. Anyway I can like hide these or like make the mask invisible. The extra arms I guess I could hide beneath a cloak.

[Red Fel]

Can you suppress soulmelds? I am a level 2 Totemist. I have Girallon (this one is bound to my totem chakra), Threefold Mask of the Chimera, and Bloodtalons. The Threefold Mask of the Chimera has a three faced mask floating in front of my face and the bound Girallon I have four arms. I would guess that is would be disconcerting to many villagers. Anyway I can like hide these or like make the mask invisible. The extra arms I guess I could hide beneath a cloak.

There are no rules for suppressing soulmelds. They can be suppressed the same way most magical effects can (e.g. by an antimagic field), so in theory you could homebrew an item designed to suppress magic effects on your person, like a personal AMF, although that might be overpowered. Alternatively, you could homebrew an item that only suppresses soulmelds.

Or, you could just not shape them when you're in town. You shape soulmelds every morning - just don't shape them that morning. Done, easy.

Do you really think most heroes walk around with their giant seven-handed battleaxes that moan and drip demonic blood? Or crackling with arcane energy that their frail mortal forms can barely contain? No. They sheathe that sucker. Unshape your soulmelds when you walk amongst the mundanes, chief.

[keeper2161]

lol thank you. Love your examples.

[Red Fel]

lol thank you. Love your examples.

Hey, it's what I do with my super-incognito Tibbit Incarnate/Psion/Thrallherd/Soul Manifester. Nobody needs to see a kitty with the glowing silhouette of a Slaad around it. Kitties are scary enough without that.

[Sliver]

Difference is that your demonic weapons can be stuffed into an extradimensional space to be drawn at ease later, and your buffs of commoner intimidation can be cast later... A melder can't unshape and reshape every time he encounters a dirtling...

Hat of disguise, perhaps?

[Fax Celestis]

Hat of disguise or similar source of disguise self should cover it.

[Greenish]

Do you really think most heroes walk around with their giant seven-handed battleaxes that moan and drip demonic blood? Or crackling with arcane energy that their frail mortal forms can barely contain?Yes, of course. If you have it, flaunt it, if they don't like it, well, what are they going to do, file a complaint?

[Psyren]

Do you really think most heroes walk around with their giant seven-handed battleaxes that moan and drip demonic blood? Or crackling with arcane energy that their frail mortal forms can barely contain? No. They sheathe that sucker. Unshape your soulmelds when you walk amongst the mundanes, chief.

"Walk around?" I wear that **** in the tavern common room and the marketplace. How else will the nobles know who to hire for their expeditions, or the merchants to guard their caravans?

[malonkey1]

"Walk around?" I wear that **** in the tavern common room and the marketplace. How else will the nobles know who to hire for their expeditions, or the merchants to guard their caravans?

Or who to run from?

[Fouredged Sword]

I hated this problem with incarnum. I eventually, as DM, just stated that if you left the meld without essence in it for 1 full min, you could suppress the manifestation (except stuff bound to a totem chakra that actually gave you physical body modifications). Once you moved essence back into the meld, it flared into existence again.

[Piggy Knowles]

I let my players make the visual aspect of a soulmeld subtle unless it is actively being used. In the campaign I run on these boards, Venger's incarnate/totemist has a lot of fun with this one - he describes, for example, the Necrocarnum Circlet as a black tattoo that shifts or oozes slightly if you look at it for too long or when he uses it. It's unsettling, but not noticeable if you aren't looking for it.

But by RAW, disguise checks are basically your only hope.

[Segev]

For the most part, soulmelds are no more or less obvious than magic items worn in the same slots, are they?

[Fouredged Sword]

RAW they are described as blue glowy outlines that light you up like a neon sign. The illustrations in the book back this up.

[Psyren]

For the most part, soulmelds are no more or less obvious than magic items worn in the same slots, are they?

Most are - you could pretend Gorgon Mask is just a funky helmet for instance, or Lammasu Mantle is just a stylish cape. But something like Girallon Arms or or Totem Avatar doesn't look very much like a normal magic item. Some just plain look weird as well, like Mask of the Chimera not moving when you turn your head, or Unicorn Horn sprouting from your brow.

Necrocarnum in particular will get you glares from any paladins nearby - it would probably be immediate grounds to detect evil on you, and the worst part is they will get an evil reading even if you are neutral.


RAW they are described as blue glowy outlines that light you up like a neon sign. The illustrations in the book back this up.

The Incarnate melds are mostly blue glows. The Totemist melds vary wildly in color and appearance.

[Starmage21]

For the most part, soulmelds are no more or less obvious than magic items worn in the same slots, are they?

Soulmelds are essentially conjured gear with special effects, but still they are very "loud" in appearance. Even the Crystal Helm seems to stand out in the artwork and would only look normal if you were standing next to a guy wearing a Helm of Brilliance.

http://crpp0001.uqtr.ca/w4/campagne/eTools_User/Portraits/Magic%20of%20Incarnum/Halfling%20Incarnate%20with%20Soulmelds.jpg

http://crpp0001.uqtr.ca/w4/campagne/eTools_User/Portraits/Magic%20of%20Incarnum/Halfling%20Incarnate%20with%20Soulmelds.jpg in case the IMG tag craps out due to hot-linking.

[Segev]

Then, yeah, hat of disguise is probably your best bet, as long as you've nothing bound to your Crown chakra.

[Chronos]

Even totemist melds are at least bluish-- The widest the colors range is to green or purple.

[Psyren]

Even totemist melds are at least bluish-- The widest the colors range is to green or purple.

Nah - Lammasu Mantle is golden-brown, Unicorn Horn is ivory, Basilisk Mask is red-brown, Disenchanter Mask is silver, Dread Carapace is caramel etc.


Soulmelds are essentially conjured gear with special effects, but still they are very "loud" in appearance. Even the Crystal Helm seems to stand out in the artwork and would only look normal if you were standing next to a guy wearing a Helm of Brilliance.

http://crpp0001.uqtr.ca/w4/campagne/eTools_User/Portraits/Magic%20of%20Incarnum/Halfling%20Incarnate%20with%20Soulmelds.jpg

http://crpp0001.uqtr.ca/w4/campagne/eTools_User/Portraits/Magic%20of%20Incarnum/Halfling%20Incarnate%20with%20Soulmelds.jpg in case the IMG tag craps out due to hot-linking.

Also this guy:

http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/images/moi_gallery/91056.jpg

[Greenish]

Aren't melds (at least unbound ones) almost transparent when no essentia is invested in them, getting more "solid" as more essentia is invested, or am I imagining things?

[ComaVision]

Aren't melds (at least unbound ones) almost transparent when no essentia is invested in them, getting more "solid" as more essentia is invested, or am I imagining things?

Transparent when shaped, solid when bound.

[Psyren]

Translucent is probably more accurate - for instance, unbound Totem Avatar obscures you, to the point that "your actual body is only barely visible within the gray, hairless form."

[Talionis]

It seems to me that you can't take them off. Which might get really interesting in a town where they search you for weapons or if you wanted to take a bath. How weird would getting intimate be if you can't take off your sandals?

The RAI was I think to make it obvious that a PC or NPC was using a magical item (soulmeld) and so that even low checks might notice the soulmelds if they knew to look for them. But I think, it does seem unreasonable for them to constantly be visible 24/7, it leads to some really ridiculous roleplay situations which have nothing to do with identifying what a PC or NPC is capable of doing.

[Fax Celestis]

It seems to me that you can't take them off. Which might get really interesting in a town where they search you for weapons or if you wanted to take a bath. How weird would getting intimate be if you can't take off your sandals?

I dunno man, I've..."seen" a lot of people who leave their shoes on during the Horizontal Mambo. Granted, they're generally heels...

[Segev]

Generally, unless bound to a chakra, they're immaterial despite their appearance. So "wearing your sandals to bed" is cosmetic.

[Psyren]

In some cases, binding them actually makes them less obtrusive. For example , Airstep Sandals stop covering your footwear and merge with your feet (painting them blue) when bound.

[Talionis]

Generally, unless bound to a chakra, they're immaterial despite their appearance. So "wearing your sandals to bed" is cosmetic.

Cosmetic is sorta the problem we are trying to deal with. Mechanically, its usually not a problem, but roleplaying the weird overlays can cause silly seeming situations.

[Psyren]

Just houserule that you can suppress the visuals with a check like Binders can. No muss, no fuss.

[Phelix-Mu]

Just houserule that you can suppress the visuals with a check like Binders can. No muss, no fuss.

+1. Might make the check non-Cha-based, though. Wasn't the binder one based on Cha? Not intimate with those rules lately. *shakes fist at Exalted Core Rulebook*

[Blackhawk748]

I also agree with suppressing them, though i say screw the check. Unlike the Binder you arnet making a deal with "aliens", your just shaping the soulmelds out of magical bits and wearing it. Obviously you couldnt use them when supressed and id prbly make it take a full round action to suppress or un suppress them, otherwise it may lead to abuse.

[Segev]

Cosmetic is sorta the problem we are trying to deal with. Mechanically, its usually not a problem, but roleplaying the weird overlays can cause silly seeming situations.

Sure; I was responding to "it's weird to be intimate if you're wearing sandals" bit. It's not so weird if it's just cosmetic. (Or at least, I assume so. I can't really speak to the experience one way or the other.)

In terms of reactions from others who don't know what it means or who DO know and object, yeah, the cosmetics are a serious concern.

[Talionis]

Sure; I was responding to "it's weird to be intimate if you're wearing sandals" bit. It's not so weird if it's just cosmetic. (Or at least, I assume so. I can't really speak to the experience one way or the other.)

In terms of reactions from others who don't know what it means or who DO know and object, yeah, the cosmetics are a serious concern.

Okay, it's hard sometimes in threads to know what references what and I may not have picked the best metaphor since it's called "knocking the boots" because some people do like to leave their shoes on.

To be honest we never really worried about it in our play group, but someone pointed it out to me on these boards and it would be a real role play nightmare if you don't house rule it in some way. Make it take the same time as donning armor without any check, maybe a check allows it to be quicker?

[Fax Celestis]

Well, how's this, then? Since soulmelds basically are magic items, how do people feel about allowing them to be unequipped like any other piece of equipment, and being intangible for anyone except the shaper?

[Talionis]

On page 49 it says the can't be removed. So it obviously wouldn't be RAW. But I believe the Incarnaum Weapon can be used by someone else, so it's not crazy. If they come off like clothes there is some trade off that they could be stolen while off.

[Fax Celestis]

Well, the whole point would be to be able to take them off for appearance's sake, but make it so no one else could interact with them (hence their intangibility).

[malonkey1]

+1. Might make the check non-Cha-based, though. Wasn't the binder one based on Cha? Not intimate with those rules lately. *shakes fist at Exalted Core Rulebook*

Then the Exalted book shakes its fist at you with Perfected Quaking Hands of Rage Charm. And you die.

[Phelix-Mu]

Then the Exalted book shakes its fist at you with Perfected Quaking Hands of Rage Charm. And you die.

I should be so lucky. More likely, if I can't resist an automatic (pages) successes on a Social Combat attack, I end up with a permanent Intimacy for the Exalted Core Rulebook, which can only be removed by spending 5 willpower over (Essence) scenes worth of actions to deteriorate the Intimacy. And since this is an unnatural mental influence affect that is contrary to my Motivation as ST, I generate Limit every time I go to deteriorate the Intimacy.

In short, I go mad.