Necrocarnate confusion

[Heliomance]

So, multiclassing with Incarnum is a bit odd. If you have levels in both Totemist and Incarnate, you can only bind melds from a class to chakras that that class has opened - so if you're a Incarnate 4/Totemist 4, you can't bind Totemist soulmelds to your Crown chakra. All well and good.

Necrocarnate is strange, though. It seems to just open chakras. If you have both Totemist and Incarnate levels, and you take Necrocarnate, does it open your chakras for both classes? And what happens to the number of melds you can have shaped at once?

In conclusion, Necrocarnate is a horribly written class.

[The Insaniac]

My understanding is that the melds and binds that you get from necrocarnate can be used for incarnate and totemist soulmelds. As for the other question, it looks to give you "floating" soulmelds that can be used for any meldshaping class that you've taken levels in. Which is actually a neat way of getting those really good soulborn only melds without taking more than one level of soulborn.

[Kesnit]

Necrocarnate is strange, though. It seems to just open chakras. If you have both Totemist and Incarnate levels, and you take Necrocarnate, does it open your chakras for both classes?

I would say so, since you do not have to learn melds for either class. Shaped and bound melds do not vary what they do based on what class shaped them - Lammasu Mantle does the same thing, whether you shape/bind it as an Incarnate or a Totemist. (The exception is if you bind it to the Totem Chakra, but since a Totemist 4 has that chakra open anyway, that's just 1 of the binds you have.)


And what happens to the number of melds you can have shaped at once?

The description specifically says you do not gain extra melds from previous meldshaping classes. The class grants extra melds at 4th, 7th, 10th, and 13th. You get extra binds at 4, 8, and 12.

[Heliomance]

The description specifically says you do not gain extra melds from previous meldshaping classes. The class grants extra melds at 4th, 7th, 10th, and 13th. You get extra binds at 4, 8, and 12.

Yes, but normally melds are specific to the class that gained them. If you have both Incarnate and Totemist melds, and you have four levels of Necrocarnate, what can you use that extra meld to shape?

[Psyren]

MoI is poorly edited, but it really doesn't matter - you get access to all the melds from both classes with just one level in each. So shape whatever you want.

[Segev]

I always forget where this is; where does it say that you can't use Chakras opened by Incarnate to bind Totemist-only Soulmelds? (And vice-versa?)

[Red Fel]

I always forget where this is; where does it say that you can't use Chakras opened by Incarnate to bind Totemist-only Soulmelds? (And vice-versa?)

Page 20, Multiclass Meldshapers:
Though your character level determines your soulmeld capacity (see Table 2–1: Essentia Capacity, above), class abilities that improve your soulmeld capacity apply only to soulmelds you shape from that class’s soulmeld list. Similarly, your chakra binds are limited by class—if your incarnate levels allow you to bind soulmelds to your crown chakra but your totemist levels allow you to bind soulmelds only to your totem chakra, you cannot bind totemist soulmelds to your crown chakra.