How to use Incarnate?

[SangoProduction]

I was looking in to making an Incanate from Magic of Incarnum, with the whole meld-binding stuff. I have some questions for how it works.

1) Meld shaping. This happens after an hour of meditation. I just get to choose x number of melds from the whole list of melds on my class list, and have them all day?
1.2) This doesn't care about the slots of the melds yet, right?

2) Essentia Investing. When and how does this work?

3) Meld Binding. This is where you actually bind to a chakra, which takes the magic item slot, right?
3.2) You can't have more than one bound in the same slot?
3.4) How often can you change the binds in a given day?

[Axel_690]

I was looking in to making an Incanate from Magic of Incarnum, with the whole meld-binding stuff. I have some questions for how it works.

1) Meld shaping. This happens after an hour of meditation. I just get to choose x number of melds from the whole list of melds on my class list, and have them all day?
1.2) This doesn't care about the slots of the melds yet, right?

2) Essentia Investing. When and how does this work?

3) Meld Binding. This is where you actually bind to a chakra, which takes the magic item slot, right?
3.2) You can't have more than one bound in the same slot?
3.4) How often can you change the binds in a given day?

1) As many as you can shape, selected from your class specific list.
1.2)I don't know of anywhere in the text where it answers this question, but most DMs likely won't allow you to shape more than one in the same "place".
2)It's a swift action. you invest the essentia in the meld and gain bonuses as described in each meld entry.(example: +1 to attack per essentia point invested. invest 3 essentia=+3 attack)
3)Yes. It will lock the magic item slot to which it is bound.
3.2)No. One per slot. Just like you can't wear two pairs of gloves and get the benfits of both.
3.4)You can't, until you get class abilities that allow you to do so.

[SangoProduction]

Can you delay binding until later in the day, after shaping?

[Axel_690]

Can you delay binding until later in the day, after shaping?

No, you shape and bind during the prep hour in the morning.

[Fouredged Sword]

All melds occupy a slot. They can only occupy slots that they can be bound to. No two melds can occupy the same slot. You can equip a magic item to a slot that has a soul meld shaped over but not been bound. A meld can only be bound to one slot at a time.

Basically you select X number of melds when you shape your melds and they act as a second set of magic items. Binding them occupies the magic item slot as well as the soulmeld slot.

There are exceptions. The totem meld has no item slot associated with it. Some feats can allow you to bind two melds to the same slot or one meld to two slots, or have an item in the same slot you have a soulmeld bound.

If you are new to incarnum I suggest you take a more robust and simple build. Incarnate can sometimes seem unfocused and you can become lost in the many many options that are hard to turn into something really useful in any given moment. To get used to the system I suggest you play something more focused.

Fighter 2 / Incarnate 3 / ironsoul forgemaster 10 is a solid build that functions much like a very tanky fighter with a side of skill augmentation due to the ability to shape skill boosting soulmelds. It will give you a solid roll in combat (something a pure incaranate can struggle with) and plenty of tanky endurance to survive. The shield and weapon bond class features are especially nice.

[Nifft]

In my experience, the best way to use Incarnate is via Gestalt.

The class framework is so weak it's kind of painful to play on its own. It can be done, but it's not great.

However, as an augmentation of another class, it can bring all kinds of awesome to the table -- especially a skilled class.

[noce]

1.2) This doesn't care about the slots of the melds yet, right?

Since most soulmelds can occupy more than a slot, most of the times you can just ignore the slot when shaping without binding.

For example you can shape both Bloodwar Gauntlets and Lightning Gauntlets, since Bloodwar Gauntlets can be shaped both to hands and arms.

[Fouredged Sword]

Since most soulmelds can occupy more than a slot, most of the times you can just ignore the slot when shaping without binding.

For example you can shape both Bloodwar Gauntlets and Lightning Gauntlets, since Bloodwar Gauntlets can be shaped both to hands and arms.

Do keep track of the slots you are using for each of your melds. Though it is normally easy to find a slot combination that works, it is also easy to run into a conflict without realizing it.

[Red Fel]

Okay, let's try this.


I was looking in to making an Incanate from Magic of Incarnum, with the whole meld-binding stuff. I have some questions for how it works.

1) Meld shaping. This happens after an hour of meditation. I just get to choose x number of melds from the whole list of melds on my class list, and have them all day?


To shape a soulmeld, a meldshaper must have a clear mind, just like a wizard who wishes to prepare spells (see page 177 of the Player's Handbook). Achieving this clear mind requires 8 hours of sleep (or a like amount of restful calm, if the character does not sleep).

After resting, a meldshaper must meditate for 1 hour. During this time, he selects and shapes all his soulmelds for the day, simultaneously unshaping any current soulmelds that he does not choose to retain.


A meldshaper must shape all his chosen soulmelds at the same time. He cannot leave a soulmeld slot unfilled in order to shape it later.

So, yeah. What you said. To give an example, let's assume we have an Incarnate 7 with 18 Con. A 7th-level Incarnate can have up to 5 soulmelds shaped at a time (see the table on p. 21). In addition, that number is capped at your Con score -10, which in this case is 18-10=8, so you're fine. That means that you choose your five soulmelds and you have them for the day.

Note that an Incarnate at level 5 gains the Rapid Meldshaping feature, which allows you to unshape one soulmeld, and shape another, once per day (later twice and thrice per day). Note that you can't bind a soulmeld shaped in this way.


1.2) This doesn't care about the slots of the melds yet, right?

It does. You must shape a soulmeld to a given slot. Now, in some cases, you may bind it to a slot different than the one to which it is shaped (e.g. the Totem chakra), but you must still shape it.


2) Essentia Investing. When and how does this work?


As a swift action on your turn, you can invest essentia into any number of soulmelds that you have shaped. Ir remains invested in those soulmelds until you reallocate your essentia investment on a later turn.

So, on your turn, as a swift action.


3) Meld Binding. This is where you actually bind to a chakra, which takes the magic item slot, right?

Correct. Shaped soulmelds do not block a slot; bound ones do. And you can only bind a soulmeld to a chakra you have unlocked. Going back to our Incarnate 7, he has 2 chakra binds, and can thus bind two of his 5 shaped soulmelds. Unless he has taken a feat, he has only unlocked his crown, feet, and hands chakras, so those are the only places he can bind a soulmeld.

But see the Split Chakra feat (p. 41) which allows you to designate a chakra as able to receive both a bound soulmeld and a magic item.


3.2) You can't have more than one bound in the same slot?

Barring feats or similar, yes. But see the Double Chakra feat (p. 38) which allows you to bind two soulmelds to a chosen slot.


3.4) How often can you change the binds in a given day?

Can you delay binding until later in the day, after shaping?


At the same time that the meldshaper chooses which soulmelds to shape, he must also choose which soulmelds (if any) to bind to his chakras.

. . .

Once he has shaped a soulmeld (and bound it to a chakra) he can't change these decisions until he unshapes it and shapes a new soulmeld.

The answer to your questions is the same: You bind when you shape, and can't change your binds until you reshape.

That about covers everything, I think.

[Telonius]

For essentia, I think of it like Star Trek. "Full power to shields!" versus "Full power to engines!" It's available energy you can move around however you like, depending on what you need at the time. The exception there is Incarnum Feats. For Incarnum Feats, if you invest essentia there, it's stuck there for 24 hours.

[ottdmk]

I was looking in to making an Incanate from Magic of Incarnum, with the whole meld-binding stuff. I have some questions for how it works.

1) Meld shaping. This happens after an hour of meditation. I just get to choose x number of melds from the whole list of melds on my class list, and have them all day?
To be precise: You can shape Soulmelds during an hour of meditation after eight hours of rest. So in practice, once per day. The Soulmelds last until you unshape them. This can be during your Shape Soulmeld meditation the next day, or sometime next week, sometime next year... you get the picture. Certain spells or special abilities can also unshape Soulmelds. Dispel Magic can temporarily shut down a Soulmeld (like it can magical items) but it can't unshape one.


1.2) This doesn't care about the slots of the melds yet, right?You have to be aware of which slots you're going to shape Melds on. If you're only Shaping two Soulmelds (i.e., you're a 1st level Incarnate) it probably won't matter much. By the time you're shaping six Soulmelds (10th level) it'll matter.


2) Essentia Investing. When and how does this work?: Essentia is a energy that is represented as a pool of points. Soulmelds, Incarnum Feats, certain Class & Racial features and some Magic Items can benefit by investing them with Essentia (putting some or all of your available Essentia into them.) The amount of Essentia that can be invested in something is called the Essentia Capacity, and it is generally dictated by your Character Level (not your class level.)

Investing Essentia is a Swift Action and can be done every round. The exception is Incarnum Feats: they can only be invested once per day and the Essentia is committed (stuck there) for 24 hours after being invested.


3) Meld Binding. This is where you actually bind to a chakra, which takes the magic item slot, right?Yep. You can use the Split Chakra feat to get around this limitation, but the Feat only applies to a specific Chakra (chosen when the Feat is taken.)


3.2) You can't have more than one bound in the same slot?Normally, you can't even have two Soulmelds shaped on the same Chakra. The Double Chakra feat allows that configuration, and if you have Double Chakra you can also bind both Soulmelds to that Chakra.

3.4) How often can you change the binds in a given day?Only a Totemist or an Incarnum Blade can change the Binds of their Soulmelds without using the one hour mediation slot we discussed previously. Even then, both those classes only get to do it a certain number of times per day, and the ability is limited. The Totemist can change what is bound to their Totem Chakra (the special Chakra only Totemists have) and the Incarnum Blade has only one Soulmeld, a special one called the Blademeld.

To get things straight in my own head I wrote an Incarnist Handbook a few days ago; the link is in my .sig.