Xefas
2015-09-17, 07:12 PM
The Inheritor
"Ever since a second mortal graced this world, someone has wanted to kill somebody else. Fast forward a few millennia, a few thousand wars, a few million murders,
a few billion souls scarred by violence, pain, and death... and now you have me."
Inheritors are incarnum-sensitive individuals who could've become Incarnates, but something in their background made them a beacon for the single most common trait possessed by all the soulstuff of the cosmos - the scars of violence - before they could cultivate a more 'pure' understanding of incarnum.
Unlike their cousins, each and every soulmeld an Inheritor forges is amassed from cherry-picked morsels among violent souls; the welts and black eyes of abused children, the moment of adrenaline when a soldier takes a life so that she might live, the righteousness of a knight splitting open a dragon's belly, the momentary relief as a serial murderer flays their latest victim alive, the enjoyment of a constable beating a starving thief in the gutter, the casual word given by a king to spend the lives of thousands of people he will never meet to win a war they never wanted, the confusion of a gladiator as they lay dying before the warrior who stole the glory they had dreamed of.
Making An Inheritor
An Inheritor is an odd melee combatant, not as directly strong and durable as a warblade or crusader, but with the added utility and adaptability that incarnum provides.
Abilities: As a frontline fighter and meldshaper, Constitution is the most important ability for an Inheritor. They can certainly appreciate the ability to suffer violence longer before their eventual death. After that, they should focus on either Strength or Dexterity, which their class features allow either to be a valid choice, depending on what kind of perpetuator of suffering and misery they choose to be. Mentally, Inheritors may run the gamut; some are quiet, emotionally dead individuals, eyes eternally swiveling for the next threat to their life, with a low Charisma and high Wisdom, and some are glorious revelers in the split organs and shattered bones of battle without any care for pursuits other than ending life, with a high Charisma and low Intelligence. As well as anything and everything in between.
Races: All know violence, but some know it more than others. Militant, vicious, war-like, and sadistic races have a relatively higher rate of Inheritors, such as Hobgoblins, Gnolls, and Orcs, while more peaceful ones that shy away from conflict, like Halflings and Gnomes, have fewer. However, meldshaping being as rare a talent as it is, the numbers aren't particularly noteworthy either way. Kobolds would be a prime culture for the development of Inheritors, being both sadistic killers and routinely victimized, themselves, by every race under the sun, but those with a talent for anything mystical are much more likely to cleave towards sorcery.
Alignment: Violence knows no alignment. Demons kill the just, angels kill the unjust, collectives kill individuals, individuals kill collectives, and people who just want to sit at home and be left alone can still be senselessly butchered by passing bandits, or may themselves have taken a life or two defending their family or homeland. There are as many reasons for violence as there are reactions to it, and so Inheritors are diverse in morality and ethos.
Starting Gold: As Rogue
Starting Age: As Rogue
Playing An Inheritor
Before you had power, you were a killer or a victim, and now you have the tools to rise above the rest of your people and become something more. You could be a hero, valiantly fighting against the very source of your own strength, in the hopes that you might one day see a world without senseless bloodshed, even as you evolve into a more perfect expression of what you hate. Or you could be a mercenary, a hatchet-man, best at what you do, working your way through one contract after another either because you just enjoy the thought of killing without reason, or as a way to work out your own inner demons one butchered monster or mob-boss at a time. Or perhaps the whispered words of a thousand murderous souls pulsing through your very essence has finally broken, no, no - fixed - you, and now you see the world for how backwards and arbitrary it really is. Pain is the sweet song of life, only the dead do not feel it, a gift from you to anyone that will receive it, to remind them that they are alive, and death is the warm embrace of a moment without suffering, a heartfelt favor for those who ask kindly.
Religion: Inheritors tend to worship warrior-gods as violent as themselves, such as Hextor and Heironeous, or else the complete opposite, praying to Yondalla or Olidammara for a world of peace and love that will spawn no more of their kind. Unsurprisingly, a few choose the ill-fated path of atheism (or misotheism, as the case may be), deciding that no god that allows the world to be as it is should be worshiped.
LevelBABFortRefWillSpecialSoulmeldsEssentiaChakra Binds
1st+0+2+0+2Variable Combat Style, Soul Of A Killer100
2nd+1+3+0+3Born To Suffer (Endurance)210
3rd+2+3+1+3Chakra Bind (Crown)221
4th+3+4+1+4Overcharge Soulmeld 1/day231
5th+3+4+1+4Chakra Bind (Hands, Feet)332
6th+4+5+2+5Born To Suffer (Toughness)342
7th+5+5+2+5Born To Suffer (Diehard)352
8th+6/+1+6+2+6462
9th+6/+1+6+3+6Chakra Bind (Arms, Brow, Shoulders)462
10th+7/+2+7+3+7Overcharge Soulmeld 2/day473
11th+8/+3+7+3+7583
12th+9/+4+8+4+8Born To Suffer (Steadfast Determination)593
13th+9/+4+8+4+85104
14th+10/+5+9+4+9Chakra Binds (Throat, Waist)5114
15th+11/+6/+1+9+5+9Overcharge Soulmeld 3/day6124
16th+12/+7/+2+10+5+10Chakra Bind (Heart)6134
17th+12/+7/+2+10+5+10Born To Suffer (Indomitable Soul)6145
18th+13/+8/+3+11+6+117165
19th+14/+9/+4+11+6+11Chakra Bind (Soul)7185
20th+15/+10/+5+12+6+12Violence Incarnate7206
Hit Dice: d10
Skill Points: 4 + intelligence modifier (x4 at first level)
Class Skills: Balance, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, Heal, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (History, Local), Listen, Martial Lore, Move Silently, Ride, Search, Spot, Survival, Swim, Tumble, Use Rope
Proficiencies: Inheritors are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, as well as light and medium armor, and all shields (except tower shields).
Class Features
Meldshaping: An Inheritor has the ability to shape incarnum souldmelds, which are drawn from the Inheritor Soulmeld List (see below). You know and can shape any soulmeld from this list.
The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against Inheritor soulmelds is (10 + essentia invested in the soulmeld + your Constitution modifier). Your meldshaper level is equal to your Inheritor level.
An Inheritor can shape only a certain number of soulmelds per day. Your base daily allotment is given on the above class table. The maximum number of soulmelds that you can have shaped simultaneously is equal to your Constitution score minus 10 or the number of soulmelds allowed for your level, whichever is lower. At 1st level, you can shape one soulmeld. As you advance in level, you can shape an increasing number of soulmelds.
At 2nd level, you also gain access to your personal pool of essentia, which can be invested in your soulmelds to increase their power. Your essentia pool's size is shown on your class table. Your character level determines the maximum quantity of essentia that you can invest in any single soulmeld (MoI, pg 19). As a swift action, you can reallocate your essentia investments in your soulmelds every round (MoI, pg 50).
An Inheritor does not study or prepare soulmelds in advance, but must have a good night's rest and must meditate for 1 hour to shape their soulmelds for the day (MoI, pg 49).
Inherited Maneuvers: Inheritors do not gain access to maneuvers and disciplines in the traditional way. They have no maneuvers or stances known. Instead, each of their soulmelds is associated with a particular discipline (see the Inheritor Soulmeld List below). When they shape a soulmeld, they choose one 1st level maneuver or stance from its associated discipline, which becomes one of their readied maneuvers or available stances. If a soulmeld is bound to a chakra, it grants a higher level maneuver or stance instead. A soulmeld bound to the Crown Chakra grants a 2nd level maneuver. A soulmeld bound to the Feet or Hands Chakra grants a 3rd level maneuver. A soulmeld bound to the Arms, Brow, or Shoulders Chakra grants a 4th level maneuver. A soulmeld bound to the Heart Chakra grants a 5th level maneuver, and a soulmeld bound to the Soul Chakra grants a 6th level maneuver. An Inheritor may always choose to gain a lower level maneuver or stance from the same discipline, if they desire.
Maneuvers are considered Extraordinary abilities unless otherwise stated in their description, and do not provoke attacks of opportunity when activated. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against an Inheritors maneuvers is not calculated as normal. Instead, the saving throw is (10 + 1/2 your character level + your Constitution modifier), as their power is drawn from the soul energy you shape, rather than your actual skill at arms.
You begin an encounter with all your readied maneuvers unexpended. When you initiate a maneuver, you expend it for the current encounter as you stress the essence pathways throughout your body, so each of your readied maneuvers can be used once per encounter, or until you recover them.
At the beginning of your turn, before taking any other actions, you may choose to take a swift action in order to recover all of your expended maneuvers, as well as reallocate your essentia, and enter, leave, or switch into a stance if you choose. However, this repairing of your essence pathways is not instantaneous; you cannot activate any maneuvers for the remainder of your turn as they heal.
Variable Combat Style: A 1st level Inheritor may substitute their Dexterity modifier in place of their Strength modifier for the purposes of their bonus to attack and damage rolls with melee weapons, wielding their instruments of war with finesse, rather than brute force. They may substitute their Strength modifier in place of their Dexterity modifier for the purposes of their bonus on initiative checks, as their muscles catapult them into battle with a bloodthirsty speed that makes up for a slightly slower reaction time.
Soul Of A Killer: While an Inheritor has at least one soulmeld bound, their body becomes synchronized with their soul's purpose to inflict violence on the world. They gain a +1 bonus on all melee attack rolls. This bonus increases by 1 every four levels after 1st (+2 at 5th, +3 at 9th, etc).
Born To Suffer: Over an Inheritor's career, they gain several bonus feats to represent their increased ability to take physical punishment. They need not meet the prerequisites for these feats, and if they already possess the feat in question, they instead gain a different feat of their choice that they do meet the prerequisites for.
At 2nd level, they gain Endurance. At 6th level, they gain Toughness. At 7th level, they gain Diehard. At 12th level, they gain Steadfast Determination (PHBII). At 17th level, they gain Indomitable Soul (PHBII).
Overcharge Soulmeld: At 4th level, an Inheritor gains the ability to pool an excess of their murderous energy in a single soulmeld, causing it to output an increased amount of power until it finally shatters. Overcharging a soulmeld is a swift action that can be used once per day, and causes the souldmeld to shine brightly like a torch for the duration.
When you Overcharge a soulmeld, you gain a special pool of hit points separate from any other. These hit points cannot be healed, and damage is removed from them before your normal hit point pool, and even before any Temporary Hit Points you might have. This pool begins with (Constitution modifier x Essentia invested in the soulmeld at the time of overcharging) hit points in it. When these hit points reach zero, or the encounter ends, or five minutes pass, whichever is soonest, the pool disappears.
While this special pool of hit points is active, the Overcharged soulmeld functions as if it had one more essentia invested in it than it actually does. This can break the normal cap on how much essentia you can normally have in one soulmeld. Furthermore, you gain a bonus on melee damage rolls equal to your Constitution modifier.
When this special pool of hit points disappears, your Overcharged soulmeld shatters, unshaping itself, and leaving a blue-tinted, blood-like residue on the part of your body it was shaped. This residue burns away completely over the course of an hour. If, before this hour elapses, you spend 5 minutes meditating on the blood, you may draw it out and reshape it into a different soulmeld (it cannot be the same one, but it may occupy the same or a different slot on your body). If you have a free chakra bind available, you may also bind the new soulmeld to that chakra.
At 10th level, you may use Overcharge Soulmeld two times per day. At 15th level, you may use it three times per day instead.
Violence Incarnate (Su): At 20th level, an Inheritor holds tremendous power within their body and soul, though they are unable to release it themselves. The first time that they would be reduced to 0 hit points or less by the actions of another, including damage that would kill them, or if they are killed by an effect that does not deal hit point damage originating from someone other than themselves, that damage or effect is negated, and they instead assume the form of Violence Incarnate. This form lasts for (Constitution modifier) rounds, during which time their flesh melts away to be replaced by roiling blue energy with a core of erratic, angry-red light. In this form, no form of violent action may harm them. Swords float through them with no effect, rays of disintegration bounce off of them harmlessly, and so on. Furthermore, when an act of violence is directed at them, regardless of distance, they may spend a free action (which may be taken outside of their turn) to teleport to a space adjacent to the aggressor and make a free melee attack against them.
After Violence Incarnate ends, the Inheritor reconstitutes their flesh, leaving them at one half of their maximum hit points, or whatever their current hit point total is, whichever is more, and must wait 24 hours before assuming the form again.
"Ever since a second mortal graced this world, someone has wanted to kill somebody else. Fast forward a few millennia, a few thousand wars, a few million murders,
a few billion souls scarred by violence, pain, and death... and now you have me."
Inheritors are incarnum-sensitive individuals who could've become Incarnates, but something in their background made them a beacon for the single most common trait possessed by all the soulstuff of the cosmos - the scars of violence - before they could cultivate a more 'pure' understanding of incarnum.
Unlike their cousins, each and every soulmeld an Inheritor forges is amassed from cherry-picked morsels among violent souls; the welts and black eyes of abused children, the moment of adrenaline when a soldier takes a life so that she might live, the righteousness of a knight splitting open a dragon's belly, the momentary relief as a serial murderer flays their latest victim alive, the enjoyment of a constable beating a starving thief in the gutter, the casual word given by a king to spend the lives of thousands of people he will never meet to win a war they never wanted, the confusion of a gladiator as they lay dying before the warrior who stole the glory they had dreamed of.
Making An Inheritor
An Inheritor is an odd melee combatant, not as directly strong and durable as a warblade or crusader, but with the added utility and adaptability that incarnum provides.
Abilities: As a frontline fighter and meldshaper, Constitution is the most important ability for an Inheritor. They can certainly appreciate the ability to suffer violence longer before their eventual death. After that, they should focus on either Strength or Dexterity, which their class features allow either to be a valid choice, depending on what kind of perpetuator of suffering and misery they choose to be. Mentally, Inheritors may run the gamut; some are quiet, emotionally dead individuals, eyes eternally swiveling for the next threat to their life, with a low Charisma and high Wisdom, and some are glorious revelers in the split organs and shattered bones of battle without any care for pursuits other than ending life, with a high Charisma and low Intelligence. As well as anything and everything in between.
Races: All know violence, but some know it more than others. Militant, vicious, war-like, and sadistic races have a relatively higher rate of Inheritors, such as Hobgoblins, Gnolls, and Orcs, while more peaceful ones that shy away from conflict, like Halflings and Gnomes, have fewer. However, meldshaping being as rare a talent as it is, the numbers aren't particularly noteworthy either way. Kobolds would be a prime culture for the development of Inheritors, being both sadistic killers and routinely victimized, themselves, by every race under the sun, but those with a talent for anything mystical are much more likely to cleave towards sorcery.
Alignment: Violence knows no alignment. Demons kill the just, angels kill the unjust, collectives kill individuals, individuals kill collectives, and people who just want to sit at home and be left alone can still be senselessly butchered by passing bandits, or may themselves have taken a life or two defending their family or homeland. There are as many reasons for violence as there are reactions to it, and so Inheritors are diverse in morality and ethos.
Starting Gold: As Rogue
Starting Age: As Rogue
Playing An Inheritor
Before you had power, you were a killer or a victim, and now you have the tools to rise above the rest of your people and become something more. You could be a hero, valiantly fighting against the very source of your own strength, in the hopes that you might one day see a world without senseless bloodshed, even as you evolve into a more perfect expression of what you hate. Or you could be a mercenary, a hatchet-man, best at what you do, working your way through one contract after another either because you just enjoy the thought of killing without reason, or as a way to work out your own inner demons one butchered monster or mob-boss at a time. Or perhaps the whispered words of a thousand murderous souls pulsing through your very essence has finally broken, no, no - fixed - you, and now you see the world for how backwards and arbitrary it really is. Pain is the sweet song of life, only the dead do not feel it, a gift from you to anyone that will receive it, to remind them that they are alive, and death is the warm embrace of a moment without suffering, a heartfelt favor for those who ask kindly.
Religion: Inheritors tend to worship warrior-gods as violent as themselves, such as Hextor and Heironeous, or else the complete opposite, praying to Yondalla or Olidammara for a world of peace and love that will spawn no more of their kind. Unsurprisingly, a few choose the ill-fated path of atheism (or misotheism, as the case may be), deciding that no god that allows the world to be as it is should be worshiped.
LevelBABFortRefWillSpecialSoulmeldsEssentiaChakra Binds
1st+0+2+0+2Variable Combat Style, Soul Of A Killer100
2nd+1+3+0+3Born To Suffer (Endurance)210
3rd+2+3+1+3Chakra Bind (Crown)221
4th+3+4+1+4Overcharge Soulmeld 1/day231
5th+3+4+1+4Chakra Bind (Hands, Feet)332
6th+4+5+2+5Born To Suffer (Toughness)342
7th+5+5+2+5Born To Suffer (Diehard)352
8th+6/+1+6+2+6462
9th+6/+1+6+3+6Chakra Bind (Arms, Brow, Shoulders)462
10th+7/+2+7+3+7Overcharge Soulmeld 2/day473
11th+8/+3+7+3+7583
12th+9/+4+8+4+8Born To Suffer (Steadfast Determination)593
13th+9/+4+8+4+85104
14th+10/+5+9+4+9Chakra Binds (Throat, Waist)5114
15th+11/+6/+1+9+5+9Overcharge Soulmeld 3/day6124
16th+12/+7/+2+10+5+10Chakra Bind (Heart)6134
17th+12/+7/+2+10+5+10Born To Suffer (Indomitable Soul)6145
18th+13/+8/+3+11+6+117165
19th+14/+9/+4+11+6+11Chakra Bind (Soul)7185
20th+15/+10/+5+12+6+12Violence Incarnate7206
Hit Dice: d10
Skill Points: 4 + intelligence modifier (x4 at first level)
Class Skills: Balance, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, Heal, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (History, Local), Listen, Martial Lore, Move Silently, Ride, Search, Spot, Survival, Swim, Tumble, Use Rope
Proficiencies: Inheritors are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, as well as light and medium armor, and all shields (except tower shields).
Class Features
Meldshaping: An Inheritor has the ability to shape incarnum souldmelds, which are drawn from the Inheritor Soulmeld List (see below). You know and can shape any soulmeld from this list.
The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against Inheritor soulmelds is (10 + essentia invested in the soulmeld + your Constitution modifier). Your meldshaper level is equal to your Inheritor level.
An Inheritor can shape only a certain number of soulmelds per day. Your base daily allotment is given on the above class table. The maximum number of soulmelds that you can have shaped simultaneously is equal to your Constitution score minus 10 or the number of soulmelds allowed for your level, whichever is lower. At 1st level, you can shape one soulmeld. As you advance in level, you can shape an increasing number of soulmelds.
At 2nd level, you also gain access to your personal pool of essentia, which can be invested in your soulmelds to increase their power. Your essentia pool's size is shown on your class table. Your character level determines the maximum quantity of essentia that you can invest in any single soulmeld (MoI, pg 19). As a swift action, you can reallocate your essentia investments in your soulmelds every round (MoI, pg 50).
An Inheritor does not study or prepare soulmelds in advance, but must have a good night's rest and must meditate for 1 hour to shape their soulmelds for the day (MoI, pg 49).
Inherited Maneuvers: Inheritors do not gain access to maneuvers and disciplines in the traditional way. They have no maneuvers or stances known. Instead, each of their soulmelds is associated with a particular discipline (see the Inheritor Soulmeld List below). When they shape a soulmeld, they choose one 1st level maneuver or stance from its associated discipline, which becomes one of their readied maneuvers or available stances. If a soulmeld is bound to a chakra, it grants a higher level maneuver or stance instead. A soulmeld bound to the Crown Chakra grants a 2nd level maneuver. A soulmeld bound to the Feet or Hands Chakra grants a 3rd level maneuver. A soulmeld bound to the Arms, Brow, or Shoulders Chakra grants a 4th level maneuver. A soulmeld bound to the Heart Chakra grants a 5th level maneuver, and a soulmeld bound to the Soul Chakra grants a 6th level maneuver. An Inheritor may always choose to gain a lower level maneuver or stance from the same discipline, if they desire.
Maneuvers are considered Extraordinary abilities unless otherwise stated in their description, and do not provoke attacks of opportunity when activated. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against an Inheritors maneuvers is not calculated as normal. Instead, the saving throw is (10 + 1/2 your character level + your Constitution modifier), as their power is drawn from the soul energy you shape, rather than your actual skill at arms.
You begin an encounter with all your readied maneuvers unexpended. When you initiate a maneuver, you expend it for the current encounter as you stress the essence pathways throughout your body, so each of your readied maneuvers can be used once per encounter, or until you recover them.
At the beginning of your turn, before taking any other actions, you may choose to take a swift action in order to recover all of your expended maneuvers, as well as reallocate your essentia, and enter, leave, or switch into a stance if you choose. However, this repairing of your essence pathways is not instantaneous; you cannot activate any maneuvers for the remainder of your turn as they heal.
Variable Combat Style: A 1st level Inheritor may substitute their Dexterity modifier in place of their Strength modifier for the purposes of their bonus to attack and damage rolls with melee weapons, wielding their instruments of war with finesse, rather than brute force. They may substitute their Strength modifier in place of their Dexterity modifier for the purposes of their bonus on initiative checks, as their muscles catapult them into battle with a bloodthirsty speed that makes up for a slightly slower reaction time.
Soul Of A Killer: While an Inheritor has at least one soulmeld bound, their body becomes synchronized with their soul's purpose to inflict violence on the world. They gain a +1 bonus on all melee attack rolls. This bonus increases by 1 every four levels after 1st (+2 at 5th, +3 at 9th, etc).
Born To Suffer: Over an Inheritor's career, they gain several bonus feats to represent their increased ability to take physical punishment. They need not meet the prerequisites for these feats, and if they already possess the feat in question, they instead gain a different feat of their choice that they do meet the prerequisites for.
At 2nd level, they gain Endurance. At 6th level, they gain Toughness. At 7th level, they gain Diehard. At 12th level, they gain Steadfast Determination (PHBII). At 17th level, they gain Indomitable Soul (PHBII).
Overcharge Soulmeld: At 4th level, an Inheritor gains the ability to pool an excess of their murderous energy in a single soulmeld, causing it to output an increased amount of power until it finally shatters. Overcharging a soulmeld is a swift action that can be used once per day, and causes the souldmeld to shine brightly like a torch for the duration.
When you Overcharge a soulmeld, you gain a special pool of hit points separate from any other. These hit points cannot be healed, and damage is removed from them before your normal hit point pool, and even before any Temporary Hit Points you might have. This pool begins with (Constitution modifier x Essentia invested in the soulmeld at the time of overcharging) hit points in it. When these hit points reach zero, or the encounter ends, or five minutes pass, whichever is soonest, the pool disappears.
While this special pool of hit points is active, the Overcharged soulmeld functions as if it had one more essentia invested in it than it actually does. This can break the normal cap on how much essentia you can normally have in one soulmeld. Furthermore, you gain a bonus on melee damage rolls equal to your Constitution modifier.
When this special pool of hit points disappears, your Overcharged soulmeld shatters, unshaping itself, and leaving a blue-tinted, blood-like residue on the part of your body it was shaped. This residue burns away completely over the course of an hour. If, before this hour elapses, you spend 5 minutes meditating on the blood, you may draw it out and reshape it into a different soulmeld (it cannot be the same one, but it may occupy the same or a different slot on your body). If you have a free chakra bind available, you may also bind the new soulmeld to that chakra.
At 10th level, you may use Overcharge Soulmeld two times per day. At 15th level, you may use it three times per day instead.
Violence Incarnate (Su): At 20th level, an Inheritor holds tremendous power within their body and soul, though they are unable to release it themselves. The first time that they would be reduced to 0 hit points or less by the actions of another, including damage that would kill them, or if they are killed by an effect that does not deal hit point damage originating from someone other than themselves, that damage or effect is negated, and they instead assume the form of Violence Incarnate. This form lasts for (Constitution modifier) rounds, during which time their flesh melts away to be replaced by roiling blue energy with a core of erratic, angry-red light. In this form, no form of violent action may harm them. Swords float through them with no effect, rays of disintegration bounce off of them harmlessly, and so on. Furthermore, when an act of violence is directed at them, regardless of distance, they may spend a free action (which may be taken outside of their turn) to teleport to a space adjacent to the aggressor and make a free melee attack against them.
After Violence Incarnate ends, the Inheritor reconstitutes their flesh, leaving them at one half of their maximum hit points, or whatever their current hit point total is, whichever is more, and must wait 24 hours before assuming the form again.