Psionic/Meldshaper Multi-class

[AnimeTheCat]

Spurred by the latest retiering threads on Expanded Psionic Handbook (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?569280-Retiering-the-Classes-Psion-Psychic-Warrior-Soulknife-Wilder) and Magic of Incarnum (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?568774-Retiering-the-Classes-Incarnate-Soulborn-Totemist) classes, I get the desire to make some kind of multi-class of the two, but I'm not sure how exactly I want to go about doing it. Part of me feels like Psion/Incarnate would be really nice, but also Totemist/Wilder might be really neat as well. Either way, I feel like picking up the Azure Talent feat early would be really beneficial.

Has anyone done this before? I had a lot of fun with a Gnome Sorcerer/Incarnate and I feel like this could also be really fun. Experiences and thoughts are welcome, just brainstorming at the moment.

[Troacctid]

What's wrong with Soul Manifester?

[MaxiDuRaritry]

What's wrong with Soul Manifester?The OP is probably not aware it exists.

Here. (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20060217a)

[AnimeTheCat]

I am and was aware of soul manifester, and would of course include it in whatever build I came up with. I was wondering about experiences with mixing the two.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

I like using MoI resources in my psionic builds. It's great for adding hard-to-come-by abilities and swapping them out as needed, especially since the psionic open chakra power exists (which is far and away the quickest way to access high-level chakra binds through augmentation). The phase spider cloak is my favorite, since it grants so many options in and out of combat. Prevents movement-based AoOs for anyone who doesn't have both a way to detect you and a way to hit you, grants a flight speed at half your land speed, allows you to bypass obstacles while moving around, and lets you spy through walls because you can move in, look around while moving, and then move out again. You can still see the Material Plane while ethereal, after all.

[AnimeTheCat]

so would you say something like wilder/totemist or psion/totemist would be better than psionic class/incarnate?

[Troacctid]

Psion/Incarnate and Psion/Totemist entries are both viable depending on which list of soulmelds you prefer. I like Incarnate because it's so strong at level 1. I would not recommend Wilder because you lose the Psion bonus feat, and feats are very valuable for this kind of build.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Psion/Incarnate and Psion/Totemist entries are both viable depending on which list of soulmelds you prefer. I like Incarnate because it's so strong at level 1. I would not recommend Wilder because you lose the Psion bonus feat, and feats are very valuable for this kind of build.Agreed on psion vs wilder. The latter is just not a good class all the way around. If you want wild surge, build an anarchic initiate.

As far as which incarnum class goes, I'm not very big on incarnate in general. They have some really good soulmelds, but totemists are generally better at what they do, they also have really good soulmelds, and they get the totem chakra, which is unique to them. All of the early incarnate chakras are nabbable (is that a word?) via psionic open chakra, and they can grab any soulmelds they want from incarnates through a feat, and bind them properly. Going incarnate doesn't work nearly so well if you want to bind totemist soulmelds, because they don't get the totem chakra at all.

I usually grab Extend Power to double the duration on psionic open chakra, as the power's duration then becomes 48 hours. Or you could double-Extend it (doable via psionics but not magic) for 96 hours, but that requires an extra two feats.

I also like using Psicarnum Infusion on my [Incarnum] feats. 24 hours of free essentia in every feat for the cost of psionic focus and a round or two of concentration? Sounds fine by me.

Feel free to craft a pair of psionic arcanist gloves (MIC), then add the effects of a psionic metamagicpsionic rod (rules are again in the MIC), then bind it to your hands chakra for a free +1 to +3 MLs on powers manifested through them.