3.5 Help Optimizing a Necrocarnate

[Dayaz]

so I was poking around through my friend's MoI book today and saw he necrocarnum stuff. I'd really like to use it in a future campaign, but I don't know how best to optimize any kind of incarnum, much less Necrocarnum.

So I figured I'd come running to the playground :)

I'd like to, at least somewhat, bind all of the necrocarnum binds, but if they are jsut unoptimal I understand not doing so (I do really, really want the Crown tho.)

If anyone thinks they could help me build this class from about level 5 up, and point out some really good monsters to keep in a bag of holding for reanimating, I'd appreciate it ^^

My vague idea was to use the feat that gave me the Blink Dog Shirt, and make ranged attacks along with my zombie to kill everything while teleporting out of danger.

[Troacctid]

Necrocarnates play pretty similarly to regular Incarnates (assuming you use Incarnate as your entry, since why wouldn't you). If you compare the progression tables, you'll see that they both gain new soulmelds and chakra binds the same rate (with Necrocarnates a level behind), and of course they both shape their melds off the same list. You could play an Evil Incarnate 20 who happens to shape necrocarnum melds, and it would be pretty similar to a Necrocarnate.

The main difference is that as a Necrocarnate, you're powering your soulmelds by killing people. If your DM lets you get away with it, you could really abuse this by slaughtering a bunch of small animals at the beginning of each day and maxing out all of your soulmelds all the time. Otherwise, just show no mercy, and expect to be stronger at the end of the day than in the morning.

A useful feat for Necrocarnates is Primary Contact, from Cityscape. It allows you to enter a level early. Pretty big deal for a 13-level prestige class.

[Dayaz]

...So, like a derp, I totally forgot that Necrocarnate was the name of the prestige class >.>

I meant, what is the best optimization for a Necrocarnum using Incarnate?

[Blackhawk748]

As for things to keep, i recommend Trolls or Ogres, generally easy to get and fairly solid beatsticks. Also Hydras are great, but your DM will probably hate you, so dont keep it permanently. Otherwise Tigers and Bears are good. Oh and for a fun surprise, Owlbears.

Necrocarnum Zombies are great actually, they get a nice DR and they arent limited to a single action a turn and they are as smart as they were in life.

[atemu1234]

...So, like a derp, I totally forgot that Necrocarnate was the name of the prestige class >.>

I meant, what is the best optimization for a Necrocarnum using Incarnate?

Prestige into Necrocarnate.

[Blackhawk748]

Prestige into Necrocarnate.

Seconding this, its actually a pretty decent PrC, if a bit long.

[Psyren]

One thing you'll want to work out with your DM is the essentia. Necrocarnate has the potential to have more essentia than any other incarnum-using class; however, before you drain your first corpse of the day you'll be pretty starved for the stuff, and having low essentia on hand at high levels can be pretty deadly as you won't have enough to cover both offense and defense. For starters, be sure your DM knows that your soul harvest soul lasts a full 24 hours - that means the essentia from the last corpse your drank from should persist all night and after you wake up. And if it's been a while between corpses, a Soul Boon wand might be a good investment, along with Mage's Spectacles to activate it. Consider also a way of preserving corpses at the moment of death so you can drink on the go - if your DM rules against Unguent of Timelessness, my favored method is a dorje of Quintessence + the Psion's Eyes soulmeld to activate it.

[Bonzai]

Three words... Chicken Infested Flaw. Necrocarnates love them some chickens. Quick draw to free action draw, pull out a chicken, free action drop, repeat, and at the end of your turn your Necrocarnum Vestiments deals a D6 cold to all of them (or any other area of effect damage source), killing them all. You can perform Harvest the soul 60 times per hour (so that's 60 chickens), gaining essentia equal to half your Necrocarnate level for each one (so a max of 420 essentia per hour at lvl 20). Figure out how many hours you have each day to prep while others are studying spell books and such.

Then you have the Essentia trap which you can repeat the above chicken slaughtering actions, and then as an immediate action activate the trap, and gain 1 temporary essentia per chicken killed. A Chicken is tiny (occupies 2 1/2 feet of a 5ft square), so you can fit one on your square, and two on every adjacent square, for a max of 17 chickens per turn that you can kill with your vestments (which requires no action on your part), for 17 extra essentia each round.

So long story short, your going to run out of things to invest essentia in. So I recommend getting the heart of Incarnum feat to turn all your unspent Essentia into extra HP.

[Bonzai]

And now for some more practical advice for a beginning Incarnate player.

Early on you will be pretty strong in combat, but will quickly be outpaced. Dissolving Spittle will probably be your go to damage source. It deals 1d6+ an additional D6 for every essentia you invest. This normally caps out at 4 additional dice, but then can be improved further with the incarnate class feature, a feat, and an item for a max total of 8d6 ranged touch acid damage. So as far as direct damage, that's what you have to look forward to. But the good thing is that blasting isn't what Incarnates really do best.

At lvl 3, you get your first chackra bind, and no questions asked it's going to be your Necrocarnum circlet so that you can get your zombie. From there the best thing to do is figure our what you want your role in the party to be. Incarnum have great options for defense, and make excellent skill monkey/ trap monkey. With their defense and decent HP, they can tank, but need a way to overcome their crappy bab (skillful weapons are nice in that regard). Otherwise stick to the ranged touch attacks, To a lesser extent they can provide some minor buffs to the party as well. It's really a matter of personal taste as to how you balance it out.

Feats that I would look into for any incarnate: Bonus Essentia (always useful, unless you do the cheese I described in my other post), expanded soulmeld capacity, and then split chakra for any spot where you want to wear a magic item and bind a meld. The rest will depend on your build.

When you hit Necrocarnate, you are really looking for two things. Double zombies and fast extra essentia. The problem is that getting the extra essentia reliably is tricky. The best/most cheesy way that I have found to insure that you have stuff to harvest is the chicken infested flaw. It elegantly solves the problem and provides a bonus feat to boot. Barring that, an expensive option would be a wand of Halaster's Fetch 1. It's like summon monster, but actually brings the monster there permanently. Though it's a 4th lvl spell and makes it expensive to abuse. Other than that it is kind of up to DM fiat.

Hope this helps.

[Heliomance]

When you hit Necrocarnate, you are really looking for two things. Double zombies and fast extra essentia. The problem is that getting the extra essentia reliably is tricky. The best/most cheesy way that I have found to insure that you have stuff to harvest is the chicken infested flaw. It elegantly solves the problem and provides a bonus feat to boot.

I find it very hard to believe that Chicken Infested is worth it, as it requires your first level to be Commoner.

[Bonzai]

I find it very hard to believe that Chicken Infested is worth it, as it requires your first level to be Commoner.

Find me another way to reliably get 60 sacrifices an hour, and I'll be very interested in hearing it. A one level dip into commoner for maxed out essentia harvesting? I have done worse things than that for the sake of optimization. Hopefully they won't start at lvl 1. Even if they do, it can be suffered through quickly enough.

That being said, no sane GM would ever allow the feat, so it's probably moot.

[Dayaz]

What is the chicken thing? Also, how exactly does an Incarnate make a good skillmonkey? They have 2+int with not so many skills >.>

[torrasque666]

Because so many soulmelds give a +x bonus to some skills. and then another +x/essentia bonus as well usually.

[Troacctid]

What is the chicken thing? Also, how exactly does an Incarnate make a good skillmonkey? They have 2+int with not so many skills >.>

Chicken Infested is a flaw from an April Fool's edition of Dragon Magazine. Only Commoners can take it. It reads: "Whenever you draw a weapon or pull an item out of a container, you have a 50% chance of drawing a live chicken instead. No, we don't know where the chickens come from; it's your character."

Incarnates make good skillmonkeys because they have many soulmelds that give large bonuses to a variety of skill checks. The bonuses are substantial enough such that they can compete with traditional skillmonkey classes pretty well.

[Psyren]

What is the chicken thing? Also, how exactly does an Incarnate make a good skillmonkey? They have 2+int with not so many skills >.>

Incarnate By The Numbers (http://community.wizards.com/forum/previous-editions-character-optimization/threads/1041916)