CLASSES
CHAPTER 2
Multiclass Meldshapers Even if you have levels in more than one meldshaping class, you have a single essentia pool consisting of all the essentia you have acquired from your class levels and other sources. Your meldshaping abilities remain completely separate. Though your character level determines your soulmeld capacity (see Table 2–1: Essentia Capacity, above), class abilities that improve your soulmeld capacity apply only to soulmelds you shape from that class’s soulmeld list. Similarly, your chakra binds are limited by class—if your incarnate levels allow you to bind soulmelds to your crown chakra but your totemist levels allow you to bind soulmelds only to your totem chakra, you cannot bind totemist soulmelds to your crown chakra. For example, if you are a 6th-level incarnate/6th-level totemist, you have a total essentia pool of 10 (6 from your incarnate levels and 4 from your totemist levels). You can shape four incarnate soulmelds and four totemist soulmelds, assuming you have at least an 18 Constitution. You can bind two of your incarnate soulmelds to crown, feet, or hands chakras. You can bind two of your totemist soulmelds to your totem, crown, feet, or hands chakras. You cannot bind two soulmelds to the same chakra. You can freely distribute your 10 points of essentia among your eight total soulmelds. As a 12th-level character, your base soulmeld capacity is 3 points of essentia. Your incarnate soulmelds have a capacity of 4 points, and any totemist soulmeld you bind to your totem chakra also has a capacity of 4 points.
ABILITIES AND MELDSHAPERS The ability (or abilities) that your soulmelds depend on—your key ability score(s) as a meldshaper—is related to the meldshaping class in which you have levels. The incarnate’s meldshaping is based on Wisdom and Constitution. The soulborn and totemist both base their meldshaping purely on Constitution. For all meldshaping characters, your Constitution score determines the maximum number of soulmelds you can have shaped at any one time (up to a limit indicated by your class and level). Your maximum number of simultaneously shaped soulmelds is equal to your Constitution score –10, or the number indicated in your class table, whichever is less. For example, a 4th-level incarnate with a Constitution score of at least 14 can have up to four soulmelds shaped simultaneously. If his Constitution were only 13, he could have only three soulmelds shaped simultaneously (even though Table 2–2: The Incarnate lists his number of soulmelds as four). If his Constitution were 15, he could still only have four soulmelds shaped (since this is the maximum allowed to a 4th-level incarnate).
INCARNATE
“Good and evil, law and chaos—they are as real as fire and steel, and I am proof of that.” —Ogava Basa, skarn law incarnate
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Incarnum is a tool you can use to manipulate the physical manifestations of moral and ethical forces and wield them in righteous pursuit of an ideal. Whether you are holy and
righteous or corrupt and evil, you literally come to embody one cause or alignment, adding the distilled essence of good, evil, law, or chaos into your soulmelds.
MAKING AN INCARNATE As an incarnate, you can expect to serve both a melee role and a supporting role by aiding other characters with your aligned aura and your soulmelds. In certain situations you are as strong a fighter as a paladin, though you suffer more when out of your element. Abilities: Constitution is perhaps your most important ability score, since it determines the maximum number of soulmelds you can shape at one time (as well as the duration of your incarnum radiance). If your soulmeld selection focuses on melee combat, a high Strength score is important; if you use your soulmelds directly against foes, a high Wisdom score increases the save DCs against those abilities. Races: Races inclined to alignment extremes make the best incarnates. The heirs of the mishtai—rilkans and skarns—are by far the most common incarnates, producing mostly chaotic and lawful incarnates, respectively. Dusklings become chaotic (or occasionally evil) incarnates. Dwarves produce lawful incarnates, while elf incarnates embody their good nature. Half-orcs might grow to be chaotic incarnates. Among humans, evil incarnates are more common than good. The planetouched races produce a great number of incarnates. The most common savage humanoid incarnates are evil kobolds and evil orcs. Alignment: Incarnates hold to one alignment extreme. As an incarnate, you must choose one alignment component: good, evil, law, or chaos. This alignment component defines you and serves as your guiding principle. For incarnates, though, this is more than just belief, because incarnates channel souls that contain the very essence of this alignment component. Because their devotion to one ideal is so great, an incarnate can only pick one extreme alignment component (good, evil, law, or chaos) and must be neutral in regards to the other alignment component. This means that the only possible alignments for incarnates are neutral good, neutral evil, lawful neutral, or chaotic neutral. Starting Gold: 5d4×10 (125 gp). Starting Age: As cleric.
CLASS FEATURES You embody the alignment ideal that you hold most dear (good, evil, law, or chaos): not only its principles and tenets, but also its underlying nature. Incarnates of different alignments have different methods of fighting and different strengths in combat—good incarnates emphasize protection and resistance, while chaotic incarnates use speed to best their foes. Lawful incarnates favor skill and accuracy in melee combat, while evil incarnates strive to do the most damage possible to their foes. These principles carry through your abilities, including the physical changes you undergo as you meld more and more incarnum to your soul. Weapon and Armor Proficiency: You are proficient with all simple weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields (except tower shields).
