Rizban
2015-05-04, 12:22 AM
Soulborn
Alignment: Soulborns are strongly polarized in their alignments. They can only be lawful good, chaotic good, lawful evil, or chaotic evil.
Base Attack
Bonus
Fort
Save
Ref
Save
Will
Save
Special
Soulmelds
Essentia
Chakra Binds
1st
+1
+2
+0
+0
Aura, read chakra, smite opposition 1/day, soulblade
-
1
-
2nd
+2
+3
+0
+0
Chakra binds (hands), incarnum defense
1
2
1
3rd
+3
+3
+1
+1
Bonus feat
1
2
1
4th
+4
+4
+1
+1
—
1
3
1
5th
+5
+4
+1
+1
Smite opposition 2/day
1
3
1
6th
+6/+1
+5
+2
+2
Chakra binds (feet)
2
4
2
7th
+7/+2
+5
+2
+2
Bonus feat
2
5
2
8th
+8/+3
+6
+2
+2
Chakra binds (crown)
2
5
2
9th
+9/+4
+6
+3
+3
Share incarnum defense 1/day
2
6
2
10th
+10/+5
+7
+3
+3
Smite opposition 3/day
3
6
3
11th
+11/+6/+1
+7
+3
+3
Bonus feat
3
7
3
12th
+12/+7/+2
+8
+4
+4
Chakra binds (arms, brow, shoulders)
3
8
3
13th
+13/+8/+3
+8
+4
+4
Share incarnum defense 2/day
3
8
3
14th
+14/+9/+4
+9
+4
+4
—
4
9
4
15th
+15/+10/+5
+9
+5
+5
Bonus feat, site opposition 4/day
4
9
4
16th
+16/+11/+6/+1
+10
+5
+5
Chakra binds (throat, waist)
4
10
4
17th
+17/+12/+7/+2
+10
+5
+5
Share incarnum defense 3/day
4
11
4
18th
+18/+13/+8/+3
+11
+6
+6
Chakra binds (heart)
5
11
5
19th
+19/+14/+9/+4
+11
+6
+6
Bonus feat, timeless body
5
12
5
20th
+20/+15/+10/+5
+12
+6
+6
Smite opposition 5/day
5
12
5
Hit Die: d10
Class Skills (2 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level)): Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Jump (Str), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Knowledge (the planes) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), and Swim (Str).
A lawful good soulborn adds Diplomacy to the soulborn class skills listed above. A chaotic good soulborn adds Gather Information to the list. A lawful evil soulborn adds Bluff to the list, and a chaotic evil soulborn adds Intimidate to the list.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Soulborn.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Soulborns are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with light, medium, and heavy armor, and with shields (except tower shields).
Aura (Ex): As standard soulborn class feature.
Read Chakra (Su): At will as a Swift Action, you may determine the alignment of any creature within 30 feet of you by making a Spellcraft check with a DC equal 10 + the enemy's Hit Dice. If your modified Spellcraft check is 20 or higher, you may also detect and identify any ongoing spells, spell-like abilities, shaped soulmelds, and chakra binds that an enemy is currently using as usual for a Spellcraft check. [Ability original created by Person_Man (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?15131-Person_Man)]
Smite Opposition (Su): As standard soulborn class feature.
Soulblade (Su)
At 1st level, you are able to shape incarnum into a powerful weapon called a soulblade. A soulblade is not a soulmeld, but essentia may be invested into, and it may be bound to chakras is as if it were. It does not count as a shaped soulmeld and does not take up a chakra slot, unless bound to that chakra.
When shaped, a soulblade takes the form of a battleaxe, flail, longsword, or warhammer (sized appropriately for you) as you choose. Damage you deal with a soulblade gains the alignment descriptor matching your alignment and penetrates damage reduction accordingly.
Your soulblade cannot be sundered or otherwise destroyed, except by effects that unshape soulmelds. If your soulblade leaves your hand for any reason, it returns to your grasp at the beginning of your next turn. If that's impossible, it falls to your feet instead. Any other creature attempting to wield your soulblade gains none of its special benefits but can wield it as a normal weapon of its kind.
Essentia: The soulblade gains an enhancement bonus on attack and damage rolls equal to the number of points of essentia you invest in it.
Chakra Bind (Hands)
When bound to your hands chakra, the damage a soulblade deals increases by one step, as if its size category had been increased.
Essentia: You gain an insight bonus on attack rolls made to confirm critical hits equal to the number of points of essentia you invest in your soulblade.
Chakra Bind (Crown)
When bound to your crown chakra, your soulblade gains one of the following enhancements: corrosive, flaming, frost, ghost touch, impact, keen, screaming, shock, or throwing. You may change the chosen enhancement by meditating on your soulblade for 5 minutes.
Essentia: For every two points of essentia you invest in your soulblade, the chosen enhancement is strengthened.
Corrosive, flaming, frost, screaming, and shock do one extra die of damage for each two essentia invested.
If at least two essentia are invested in a ghost touch weapon, you can deal sneak attack and critical hit damage to undead.
Keen and Impact weapons deal an extra 2 damage on critical hits for every point of essentia invested.
A throwing weapon will return to your hand immediately rather than at the beginning of your next turn as long as at least 2 essentia are invested.
Chakra Bind (Arms)
When bound to your arms chakra, your soulblade gains one of the following enhancements: acidic burst, axiomatic, anarchic, flaming burst, holy, icy burst, screaming burst, shocking burst, or unholy. You may change the chosen enhancement by meditating on your soulblade for 5 minutes.
You may only choose axiomatic, anarchic, holy, or unholy if the chosen enhancement matches your alignment.
Essentia: For every two points of essentia you invest in your soulblade, the chosen enhancement deals one extra die of damage to their normal damage. This does not affect critical hit damage.
Meldshaping: As standard soulborn class feature, adjusted to match the above table. Additionally, your meldshaper level is equal to your soulborn level.
Aligned Soulmelds: As standard soulborn class feature.
Chakra Binds: As standard soulborn class feature, adjusted to match the above table.
Incarnum Defense (Su): As standard soulborn class feature.
Bonus Feat: As standard soulborn class feature, adjusted to match the above table.
Share Incarnum Defense (Su): As standard soulborn class feature.
Timeless Body (Ex): As standard soulborn class feature.
This version of the soulborn is designed to slightly strengthen the class to make it playable without completely rewriting it from scratch. Other than accelerating the meldshaping, the only real change I've added is a homebrewed soulborn unique pseudo-soulmeld to give the class a unique focus. The Soulblade class feature is a combination of the incarnate weapon soulmeld and the ideas behind the soulknife class.
This homebrew is not meant to be a total rewrite, nor is it meant to strengthen the class to obscene levels that make playing anything else pointless. My purpose in this is to make Soulborn a viable meldshaping class with the fewest changes to the class necessary. I feel that accelerating meldshaping, adding more bonus feats, and giving it a unique weapon meld should be sufficient; however, I'm open to suggestions and criticism.
Edit: My main goal was to modify soulborn just enough that it would be viable not just alone but also as a reasonable entry to Incarnum PrCs. I didn't actually look at the PrCs consciously while modifying this class, but I think I accomplished that anyway.
Looking through the list:
Incandescent Champion is actually very nice. It gives a soulborn the extra essentia that he needs to max out his main focus and gives some decent class abilities. It doesn't progress anything the soulborn already has though.
Incarnum Blade continues the weapon focused shtick and has easy entry requirements. So, it's a natural fit after getting everything you want from the base class.
It meshes well with Ironsoul Forgemaster, even though a soulborn misses out on the Weapon Bond if he uses his soulblade. The IF grants the arms chakra several levels early for soulborn, granting its highest level bind on the soulblade early, so that balances out the loss of weapon bond well. It's still a fairly even split between soulborn or incarnate as being the optimum entry, depending on your character goals.
Soulborn is now a viable entry for necrocarnate, though not necessarily as strong as incarnate, particularly since you'll lose out on the final level of necrocarnate unless you take a feat to open the crown chakra at level 6. Since a large number of soulborn melds are necrocarnum melds anyway, this seems like a natural fit if you want to go that direction.
Soulborn complements Sapphire Hierarch in a gish build quite well. Due to the total lack of chakra progression, this may make it favor soulborn slightly over incarnate who needs the binds to succeed best with his melds. But, really, let's face it. If you're playing SH, you're playing a cleric with an incarnum splash.
For Soulcaster/Soulmanifester, a soulborn could work with a gish build, but it requires 10 levels in soulborn if you don't pick up melds via feats. Since soulcaster is primarily casting focused, this seems like a good result.
Spinemeld Warrior doesn't benefit from soulborn any more than it does from any other incarnum class, but it's meant to be a skarn PrC for non-meldshapers. So, that still works right. Standard entry at level 6 grants the arms chakra bind at the same level as normal for soulborn, so you still get the top bind for the soulblade. But... you still can't use your spines and soulblade at the same time.
Totem Rager still can't be entered by anything but a totemist, as it should be.
Umbral Disciple is hard to enter for a pure soulborn without multiclassing, because Hide and Listen are cross class skills. With a rogue/scout/etc. dip, soulborn is a pretty good fit, though incarnate may actually still be a fair bit better in the long run.
Witchborn Binder... well, it still sucks. Just pretend it isn't there...
For Thief of Life (Faiths of Eberron), a soulborn still needs a multiclass splash to get the sneak attack prereq. It's a pretty good fit for ToL due to the PrC's lack of meldshaping progression and extra essentia supply, though I'd still probably use a totemist for it if I was going in as a primary meldshaper.
Alignment: Soulborns are strongly polarized in their alignments. They can only be lawful good, chaotic good, lawful evil, or chaotic evil.
Base Attack
Bonus
Fort
Save
Ref
Save
Will
Save
Special
Soulmelds
Essentia
Chakra Binds
1st
+1
+2
+0
+0
Aura, read chakra, smite opposition 1/day, soulblade
-
1
-
2nd
+2
+3
+0
+0
Chakra binds (hands), incarnum defense
1
2
1
3rd
+3
+3
+1
+1
Bonus feat
1
2
1
4th
+4
+4
+1
+1
—
1
3
1
5th
+5
+4
+1
+1
Smite opposition 2/day
1
3
1
6th
+6/+1
+5
+2
+2
Chakra binds (feet)
2
4
2
7th
+7/+2
+5
+2
+2
Bonus feat
2
5
2
8th
+8/+3
+6
+2
+2
Chakra binds (crown)
2
5
2
9th
+9/+4
+6
+3
+3
Share incarnum defense 1/day
2
6
2
10th
+10/+5
+7
+3
+3
Smite opposition 3/day
3
6
3
11th
+11/+6/+1
+7
+3
+3
Bonus feat
3
7
3
12th
+12/+7/+2
+8
+4
+4
Chakra binds (arms, brow, shoulders)
3
8
3
13th
+13/+8/+3
+8
+4
+4
Share incarnum defense 2/day
3
8
3
14th
+14/+9/+4
+9
+4
+4
—
4
9
4
15th
+15/+10/+5
+9
+5
+5
Bonus feat, site opposition 4/day
4
9
4
16th
+16/+11/+6/+1
+10
+5
+5
Chakra binds (throat, waist)
4
10
4
17th
+17/+12/+7/+2
+10
+5
+5
Share incarnum defense 3/day
4
11
4
18th
+18/+13/+8/+3
+11
+6
+6
Chakra binds (heart)
5
11
5
19th
+19/+14/+9/+4
+11
+6
+6
Bonus feat, timeless body
5
12
5
20th
+20/+15/+10/+5
+12
+6
+6
Smite opposition 5/day
5
12
5
Hit Die: d10
Class Skills (2 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level)): Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Jump (Str), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Knowledge (the planes) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), and Swim (Str).
A lawful good soulborn adds Diplomacy to the soulborn class skills listed above. A chaotic good soulborn adds Gather Information to the list. A lawful evil soulborn adds Bluff to the list, and a chaotic evil soulborn adds Intimidate to the list.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Soulborn.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Soulborns are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with light, medium, and heavy armor, and with shields (except tower shields).
Aura (Ex): As standard soulborn class feature.
Read Chakra (Su): At will as a Swift Action, you may determine the alignment of any creature within 30 feet of you by making a Spellcraft check with a DC equal 10 + the enemy's Hit Dice. If your modified Spellcraft check is 20 or higher, you may also detect and identify any ongoing spells, spell-like abilities, shaped soulmelds, and chakra binds that an enemy is currently using as usual for a Spellcraft check. [Ability original created by Person_Man (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?15131-Person_Man)]
Smite Opposition (Su): As standard soulborn class feature.
Soulblade (Su)
At 1st level, you are able to shape incarnum into a powerful weapon called a soulblade. A soulblade is not a soulmeld, but essentia may be invested into, and it may be bound to chakras is as if it were. It does not count as a shaped soulmeld and does not take up a chakra slot, unless bound to that chakra.
When shaped, a soulblade takes the form of a battleaxe, flail, longsword, or warhammer (sized appropriately for you) as you choose. Damage you deal with a soulblade gains the alignment descriptor matching your alignment and penetrates damage reduction accordingly.
Your soulblade cannot be sundered or otherwise destroyed, except by effects that unshape soulmelds. If your soulblade leaves your hand for any reason, it returns to your grasp at the beginning of your next turn. If that's impossible, it falls to your feet instead. Any other creature attempting to wield your soulblade gains none of its special benefits but can wield it as a normal weapon of its kind.
Essentia: The soulblade gains an enhancement bonus on attack and damage rolls equal to the number of points of essentia you invest in it.
Chakra Bind (Hands)
When bound to your hands chakra, the damage a soulblade deals increases by one step, as if its size category had been increased.
Essentia: You gain an insight bonus on attack rolls made to confirm critical hits equal to the number of points of essentia you invest in your soulblade.
Chakra Bind (Crown)
When bound to your crown chakra, your soulblade gains one of the following enhancements: corrosive, flaming, frost, ghost touch, impact, keen, screaming, shock, or throwing. You may change the chosen enhancement by meditating on your soulblade for 5 minutes.
Essentia: For every two points of essentia you invest in your soulblade, the chosen enhancement is strengthened.
Corrosive, flaming, frost, screaming, and shock do one extra die of damage for each two essentia invested.
If at least two essentia are invested in a ghost touch weapon, you can deal sneak attack and critical hit damage to undead.
Keen and Impact weapons deal an extra 2 damage on critical hits for every point of essentia invested.
A throwing weapon will return to your hand immediately rather than at the beginning of your next turn as long as at least 2 essentia are invested.
Chakra Bind (Arms)
When bound to your arms chakra, your soulblade gains one of the following enhancements: acidic burst, axiomatic, anarchic, flaming burst, holy, icy burst, screaming burst, shocking burst, or unholy. You may change the chosen enhancement by meditating on your soulblade for 5 minutes.
You may only choose axiomatic, anarchic, holy, or unholy if the chosen enhancement matches your alignment.
Essentia: For every two points of essentia you invest in your soulblade, the chosen enhancement deals one extra die of damage to their normal damage. This does not affect critical hit damage.
Meldshaping: As standard soulborn class feature, adjusted to match the above table. Additionally, your meldshaper level is equal to your soulborn level.
Aligned Soulmelds: As standard soulborn class feature.
Chakra Binds: As standard soulborn class feature, adjusted to match the above table.
Incarnum Defense (Su): As standard soulborn class feature.
Bonus Feat: As standard soulborn class feature, adjusted to match the above table.
Share Incarnum Defense (Su): As standard soulborn class feature.
Timeless Body (Ex): As standard soulborn class feature.
This version of the soulborn is designed to slightly strengthen the class to make it playable without completely rewriting it from scratch. Other than accelerating the meldshaping, the only real change I've added is a homebrewed soulborn unique pseudo-soulmeld to give the class a unique focus. The Soulblade class feature is a combination of the incarnate weapon soulmeld and the ideas behind the soulknife class.
This homebrew is not meant to be a total rewrite, nor is it meant to strengthen the class to obscene levels that make playing anything else pointless. My purpose in this is to make Soulborn a viable meldshaping class with the fewest changes to the class necessary. I feel that accelerating meldshaping, adding more bonus feats, and giving it a unique weapon meld should be sufficient; however, I'm open to suggestions and criticism.
Edit: My main goal was to modify soulborn just enough that it would be viable not just alone but also as a reasonable entry to Incarnum PrCs. I didn't actually look at the PrCs consciously while modifying this class, but I think I accomplished that anyway.
Looking through the list:
Incandescent Champion is actually very nice. It gives a soulborn the extra essentia that he needs to max out his main focus and gives some decent class abilities. It doesn't progress anything the soulborn already has though.
Incarnum Blade continues the weapon focused shtick and has easy entry requirements. So, it's a natural fit after getting everything you want from the base class.
It meshes well with Ironsoul Forgemaster, even though a soulborn misses out on the Weapon Bond if he uses his soulblade. The IF grants the arms chakra several levels early for soulborn, granting its highest level bind on the soulblade early, so that balances out the loss of weapon bond well. It's still a fairly even split between soulborn or incarnate as being the optimum entry, depending on your character goals.
Soulborn is now a viable entry for necrocarnate, though not necessarily as strong as incarnate, particularly since you'll lose out on the final level of necrocarnate unless you take a feat to open the crown chakra at level 6. Since a large number of soulborn melds are necrocarnum melds anyway, this seems like a natural fit if you want to go that direction.
Soulborn complements Sapphire Hierarch in a gish build quite well. Due to the total lack of chakra progression, this may make it favor soulborn slightly over incarnate who needs the binds to succeed best with his melds. But, really, let's face it. If you're playing SH, you're playing a cleric with an incarnum splash.
For Soulcaster/Soulmanifester, a soulborn could work with a gish build, but it requires 10 levels in soulborn if you don't pick up melds via feats. Since soulcaster is primarily casting focused, this seems like a good result.
Spinemeld Warrior doesn't benefit from soulborn any more than it does from any other incarnum class, but it's meant to be a skarn PrC for non-meldshapers. So, that still works right. Standard entry at level 6 grants the arms chakra bind at the same level as normal for soulborn, so you still get the top bind for the soulblade. But... you still can't use your spines and soulblade at the same time.
Totem Rager still can't be entered by anything but a totemist, as it should be.
Umbral Disciple is hard to enter for a pure soulborn without multiclassing, because Hide and Listen are cross class skills. With a rogue/scout/etc. dip, soulborn is a pretty good fit, though incarnate may actually still be a fair bit better in the long run.
Witchborn Binder... well, it still sucks. Just pretend it isn't there...
For Thief of Life (Faiths of Eberron), a soulborn still needs a multiclass splash to get the sneak attack prereq. It's a pretty good fit for ToL due to the PrC's lack of meldshaping progression and extra essentia supply, though I'd still probably use a totemist for it if I was going in as a primary meldshaper.