Incarnum Blade

Special Actions lay on hands 24 points/day, incandescent ray, incandescent strike, turn undead 7/day (+6, 2d6+7, 3rd) Combat Gear 2 potions of cure moderate wounds, wand of cure light wounds Paladin Spells Prepared (CL 3rd): 1st—divine favor, lesser restoration Essentia Pool 7; Capacity 2; Chakra Binds 0;

Soulmelds 0 Essentia Investment

Incandescent ray 2 (ranged touch attack deals 2d8 points of damage to target within 60 ft.)

Incandescent strike 2 (+2 bonus on melee damage rolls)

Sapphire Smite 2 (two extra smite attacks per day; +2 bonus on smite damage rolls)

Unbearable countenance 1 (gaze renders one foe within 30 ft. shaken for 1 round, Will DC 15 negates) Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th): At will—detect evil 1/day—remove disease Abilities Str 16, Dex 10, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 18 SQ strong aura of good, special mount 1/day (12 hours, heavy warhorse), share spells, fast healing, incarnum overload Feats Azure Touch, Bonus Essentia, Exotic Weapon

Proficiency (bastard sword), Sapphire Smite,

Weapon Focus (bastard sword) Skills Concentration +11, Diplomacy +8, Heal +4,

Knowledge (religion) +4, Ride +7 Possessions combat gear plus gauntlets of ogre power +2, cloak of Charisma +2, +1 full plate armor, +1 heavy steel shield, +2 bastard sword, crescent moon clasp Fast Healing (Su) heals hp equal to essentia invested up to 5 rounds per day Incarnum Overload (Ex) 1/day, +4 essentia capacity to chosen meld, ability, or feat Hook “Have faith, my friends! We can defeat this foe.”

Sirocco, Sayyara’s Warhorse CR —

LG Large magical beast (augmented animal) Init +1; Senses low-light vision, scent; Listen +6,

Spot +5 Languages empathic link AC 22, touch 10, flat-footed 21 hp 45 (6 HD) Resist improved evasion Fort +13, Ref +8, Will +11 Speed 50 ft. (10 squares); Run Melee 2 hooves +8 (1d6+4) and bite +2 (1d4+2) Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft. Base Atk +4; Grp +12 Abilities Str 19, Dex 13, Con 17, Int 6, Wis 13, Cha 6 Feats Endurance, Run, Weapon Focus (hoof) Skills Jump +10, Listen +6, Spot +5 Possessions chain shirt barding Crescent Moon Clasp

Upon acceptance into the Knights of the Crescent Moon, each new member receives a crescent moon clasp as a gift from Lady Illeera Suntower, the noble patron of the order. This clasp is a silver brooch in the shape of a crescent moon partially obscured by clouds. While wearing it, a character with an essentia pool gains a +1 sacred bonus on attack rolls against evil creatures. The clasp uses the amulet, medallion, or brooch item slot. Faint evocation; CL 6th; Craft Wondrous Item, prayer, creator must be good; Price 6,000 gp.

“The spirits of a thousand heroes guide my sword.” —Baron Viktoran Malin, incarnum blade and leader of the Warriors Eternal

Using a secret passed down through the generations, the incarnum blade shapes soul energy drawn from the greatest warriors of the past into a special soulmeld that is incorporated into his melee weapon of choice. By itself, this blademeld grants him amazing combat prowess. When bound to his chakras, it also enhances his personal combat abilities, infusing them with the power of incarnum. When he dies, the incarnum blade merges with the soul energy that powers his weapon, becoming part of the soul legacy upon which future heroes can draw.

BECOMING AN INCARNUM BLADE

Because the incarnum blade is a warrior at heart , the simplest and most obvious path into the prestige class is from a fi ghting class, such as fi ghter or paladin, that meets the base attack bonus requirement early. A member of a combat-oriented class that has Concentration as a class skill (such as soulborn, paladin, or ranger) has a slight edge over the fi ghter in qualifying, though such characters must give up their own spellcasting or meldshaping progressions to pursue this path. However, the abilities granted by this prestige class suit any character who focuses primarily on melee combat. Thus, the occasional rogue, monk, or scout (see Complete Adventurer) might also be found wielding a blademeld for the Warriors Eternal. Because incarnum blade is only a fi ve-level prestige class, it allows a character to gain a new and unique ability while not venturing too far from a more career-defi ning base or prestige class.

Entry Requirements

Alignment: Any except neutral.

Base Attack Bonus: +5.

Skills: Concentration 2 ranks.

CLASS FEATURES

The primary benefi ts of this prestige class are the blademeld and the abilities granted by its chakra binds. As you attain higher levels of incarnum blade, you unlock additional powers for your blademeld. Eventually, you gain the ability to shift your chakra bind on the fl y and even bind your blademeld to two chakras simultaneously.

Illus. by R. Spencer

Base Attack Fort Ref Will Level Bonus Save Save Save Special

1st +1 +2 +0 +0 Shape blademeld, blademeld chakra binds (crown, feet, hands) 2nd +2 +3 +0 +0 Blademeld chakra binds (arms, brow, shoulders) 3rd +3 +3 +1 +1 Rebind blademeld, blademeld chakra binds (throat, waist) 4th +4 +4 +1 +1 Blademeld chakra bind (heart) 5th +5 +4 +1 +1 Dual chakra binding, blademeld chakra bind (soul) Class Skills (2 + Int modifier per level): Climb, Concentration, Craft, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (arcana), Swim

All of the following are class features of the incarnum blade prestige class. Weapon and Armor Proficiency: You gain no new profi ciencies with weapons, armor, or shields. Shape Blademeld (Su): At 1st level, you gain the ability to create a special soulmeld called a blademeld by wrapping incarnum into a melee weapon of your choice. Doing so ties the chosen weapon more closely to your mind and soul and grants it special powers. A weapon with a blademeld shaped on it appears to have a blue glow and is

An incarnum blade, one of the Warriors Eternal treated as a magic weapon for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Its hardness improves by 5, and its hit points increase by 5 per level you possess in incarnum blade. The weapon also gains a bonus on saving throws equal to your incarnum blade level. Shaping the blademeld requires 8 hours of rest followed by 1 hour of meditation, just like shaping any other soulmeld does. The blademeld remains shaped until you unshape it, though it unshapes automatically if the weapon to which it is attached is sundered or otherwise destroyed. Simply losing possession of the weapon does not unshape the blademeld, and it still retains its enhanced hardness, hit points, and save bonuses even if you are not holding it. The wielder benefi ts granted by the blademeld do not apply to anyone else who might pick it up.

BlademeldChakra Bind (Su): When you shape your blademeld, you can bind it to one of your body’s chakras. Doing so grants you a special ability that lasts as long as the blademeld is shaped and the weapon is held. Unlike most soulmelds, the blademeld’s appearance does not change while it is bound to a chakra, and the affected chakra is not apparent in any way to an onlooker. Furthermore, the weapon to which the blademeld is attached is still wielded normally, even if it is bound to a chakra other than your hands. You can be disarmed normally, and it can still be sundered in the usual way. If you lose or put down the weapon while it is bound, it remains bound and retains the special characteristics it gains from the blademeld; you also retain the special ability gained from the bind. No one else can benefit from the weapon’s incarnum-based powers. Unlike a typical chakra bind, this one does not close the corresponding body slot. For example, a blademeld bound to your hands chakra does not prevent you from wearing a pair of magic gloves. Blademeld chakra bind does not grant you the ability to bind soulmelds or other magic items to your chakras. At 1st level, you can bind your blademeld to any of your least chakras (crown, feet, or hands); at 2nd level, you can bind it to any least or lesser chakra; and at 3rd level, you can bind it to any least, lesser, or greater chakra. At 4th level, you can bind your blademeld to your heart chakra, and at 5th level, you can bind it to your soul chakra. Binding your blademeld to a chakra grants you a special ability according to the chakra chosen, as detailed below.

Crown Chakra: As long as this chakra bind is in effect, you have uncanny battlefi eld insight. Opponents that fl ank you do not gain the normal +2 bonus on attack rolls against you, though they still gain any other benefi ts they normally would, such as the ability to deliver a sneak attack. You also gain a +4 insight bonus on opposed attack rolls made to avoid being disarmed of the weapon with the blademeld or to avoid having it sundered. In addition, you gain a +4 insight bonus on Sense Motive checks made when someone attempts a feint against you in combat (see the Bluff skill description, page 68 of the Player’s Handbook). Feet Chakra: You react more quickly than usual to danger, gaining a +2 insight bonus on initiative checks while this chakra bind is in

effect. In addition, you can make attacks of opportunity with the blademeld weapon even while flat-footed.

Hands Chakra: You can deal precise blows in combat. While the blademeld is bound to this chakra, you gain a +1 insight bonus on damage rolls made with the blademeld weapon.

Arms Chakra: You can deal devastating strikes in combat. While it is in effect, this chakra bind grants you a +4 insight bonus on attack rolls made to confi rm a critical threat with the blademeld weapon.

Brow Chakra: You can more effectively battle foes that you can’t see clearly while this chakra bind is in effect. Every time you miss an attack with the blademeld weapon because of the opponent’s concealment, you can reroll your miss chance percentile roll once to see if you actually hit. This ability functions much like the Blind-Fight feat. If you already have Blind-Fight, you gain no additional benefi t—that is, you are still entitled to only one reroll.

Shoulders Chakra: You gain the ability to avoid certain particularly deadly strikes. Any time a melee attack would deal you a critical hit, you have a 25% chance to negate the extra damage from it. This ability is active as long as this chakra bind is in effect. You need not be aware of the attack for the ability to function, but it grants no benefit if you are unconscious or otherwise helpless. This chakra bind has no effect against sneak attacks, and its benefit does not stack with that of the fortification armor or shield special quality.

Throat Chakra: At will, you can brandish the weapon bearing the blademeld and utter a hearty battle shout that demoralizes foes. Each enemy within 60 feet who can hear you must save or become shaken for 1 round (Will DC 10 + incarnum blade level + Con modifi er). You can use this ability at will as a standard action as long as the chakra bind is in effect.

Waist Chakra: As long as this chakra bind is in effect, you are incredibly stable and well balanced when wielding your blademeld weapon. You gain a +10 insight bonus on checks made to avoid being bull rushed, grappled, tripped, or overrun. You also retain your Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even while fl at-footed.

Heart Chakra: The weapon bearing the blademeld grants you improved health and well-being in combat as long as this chakra bind is in effect. You gain bonus hit points equal to twice your character level (maximum +40). These extra hit points are not lost fi rst the way temporary hit points are; if you change the chakra bind of your blademeld, you lose them immediately.

Soul Chakra: Your blademeld weapon gains an alignment for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. When you activate the chakra bind, you can choose any single alignment component (chaos, evil, good, or law) that matches one of your own. Thereafter, the choice cannot be changed until a new blademeld is shaped. Against creatures with an alignment subtype (not just an alignment) opposed to the selected component, your weapon deals an extra 1d6 points of damage. If the blademeld weapon would ordinarily deal extra damage to the opponent because of the bane special quality or any of the alignment weapon qualities, the extra damage dice stack. For example, a lawful good incarnum blade who chooses this chakra bind could grant either the lawful or the good alignment to his blademeld weapon. If he chose good, his weapon would deal an extra 1d6 points of damage to all creatures with the evil subtype (such as demons and devils), but not to an evil necromancer who does not have the evil subtype. Rebind Blademeld (Su): At 3rd level, you gain the ability to change the chakra to which your blademeld is bound. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 1 + your Constitution bonus (minimum 1/day). Rebinding your blademeld is a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. At 5th level, you can change one or both of your blademeld’s two chakra binds simultaneously as a standard action.

Dual Chakra Binding: Upon attaining 5th level, you can bind your blademeld to two of your chakras simultaneously. The second chakra bind must be one that was gained at a lower incarnum blade level than the fi rst. For example, if the fi rst chakra bind is throat, the second cannot be waist; it must be lesser or least. You gain the special abilities from both chakra binds as though you were using each independently.

PLAYING AN INCARNUM BLADE

You are the next in a long line of heroes, and you feel the presence of those who came before you each time you swing your weapon. You do battle not for riches, but for the glory of your victories. Each time you defeat a foe, you enhance your own legacy, thereby increasing the power that your eventual death will add to the soul energy that fuels the weapons of incarnum blades everywhere. Because you know that you must live up to the ideals of the hundreds of departed heroes whose spirits power your weapon, you never enter battle needlessly and you are not a ruthless killer on the battlefi eld. You choose fi ghts that pit you against worthy opponents, and you are honorable enough to give quarter if your opponent pleads for it. Like all your fellow incarnum blades, you are a member of the Warriors Eternal—the mercenary company that holds the secrets of manipulating blademelds and maintains the Eternal Host—the source of power for all blademelds. The Eternal Host is a mass of soul energy created from the spirits of great heroes who have perished in battle. Whenever a member of the company falls in battle, the Warriors Eternal do their best to recover both the body and the focus weapon of the slain member. By sacrificing these to the host of warrior spirits in a special ritual, they add the fallen soul to the Eternal Host, thereby increasing its power. Most of the time, the leaders of the Warriors Eternal are content to let you gain glory through your own adventures, but you might be called to serve the organization at any time. You might be asked to deliver military documents to a local ruler, or to serve a tour of duty along a war-torn front, or even to retrieve the corpses and weapons of fallen Warriors Eternal from the battlefields where they died. The key ability that you gain from this prestige class is the ability to shape a blademeld. As you attain higher levels, your blademeld becomes ever more versatile. Eventually,

you gain the ability to shift its power to whichever combat ability needs enhancement at the time. As your combat prowess increases, you garner favor with the Warriors Eternal, whose members might see fit to grant you support and assistance upon request.

Combat

The key aspect of your abilities is the versatility you gain from your blademeld. Because this soulmeld can be applied to any melee weapon, you are not tied to one specifi c weapon throughout your adventuring career. As soon as you become an incarnum blade, you can gain any one of three different combat benefits, depending upon which chakra bind you select. Choosing which ability to manifest is an important daily decision that has a profound effect on your fighting style. Your blademeld can also work in concert with any magical properties the selected weapon might have. For instance, binding a blademeld keen falchion to your arms chakra lets you make the most of the weapon’s high threat range. In like manner, a holy weapon with a soul-bound blademeld would deal an extra 3d6 points of damage to creatures with the evil subtype. At higher levels, your combat versatility increases, allowing you to react to any situation by shifting your chakra binds to gain the most useful abilities for the situation at hand. Moving a chakra bind to your heart chakra can be as effective as a moderate-level healing spell, while dualbinding to your soul and hands chakra is an excellent way to maximize the damage you deal. With the wide variety of abilities available, you can be prepared for just about any situation.

Advancement

The leaders of the Warriors Eternal select only those who have already demonstrated heroic potential to join their company. Perhaps they deem you a good candidate you because you have already performed some quest at the company’s behest, or perhaps it was because your deeds exemplify the company’s ideals. Whatever the reason, they make contact with you when they feel you are ready. At that time, they discuss the concept of the Eternal Host with you, explaining how the souls of the greatest warriors of the past can help the heroes of today. If you agree to allow the energy of your soul to join the Eternal Host upon your eventual death, you are accepted into their ranks and taught the secrets of the blademeld. After your indoctrination, your life changes little. As a member of the Warriors Eternal, you are encouraged to seek your own destiny in your own way just as you did before you joined the company, though you must report back periodically. Now and then the leaders ask you to perform some specifi c task, but for the most part, you can choose your own path to glory. Adventurers of all sorts are your natural companions, though you sometimes feel drawn to military service when the need is great. As you attain higher levels, you might want to take additional feats that increase your essentia or improve your fi ghting ability. Cobalt Charge and Cobalt Critical are especially useful for augmenting your combat prowess. Because the members of the Warriors Eternal pride themselves on being among the best-equipped fi ghting professionals around, its leaders make every effort to ensure that you have weapons and armor befitting your station. They routinely provide masterwork armor or weapons, and they can help broker deals for magic arms and armor on request. If you fall in battle, rest assured that the other members of the company will make every effort to retrieve your corpse and, in most cases, have it restored to life. Though raise dead and similar spells certainly delay a soul’s absorption into the Eternal Host, the leaders of the Warriors Eternal know that heroes brought back from the dead are likely to perform even greater heroics in the future, thereby enriching the Eternal Host that much more when they meet their final ends. Falling a second time to the same foe, however, is clear evidence that your destiny has been met, and it is time for your soul to enrich the Eternal Host.

INCARNUM BLADES IN THE WORLD

“Dependable and virtuous—I’ll count on the Warriors Eternal any day to watch my back.” —Duke Ferlandir, Major General of the Allied Army of the Five Nations

The incarnum blade provides an excellent means of introducing the concept of incarnum into a campaign. An NPC incarnum blade makes an interesting opponent, and fi ghting or traveling with one can help to interest PCs in this and other incarnum-wielding prestige classes. Once PCs become aware of the Warriors Eternal, that organization can serve as a source for adventures and provide a structured method for PCs to gain access to incarnum. The exact nature of the ritual used to absorb a fallen member of the Warriors Eternal into the Eternal Host is left for you as DM to create if needed. The only requirement is that some part of the slain warrior’s mortal remains be present, along with the last weapon on which he shaped a blademeld.

Daily Life

Incarnum blades are encouraged to undertake the same sorts of missions and quests that they did prior to gaining their blademelds, and they can choose their own companions as they always have. However, all incarnum blades must frequently report back to the Warriors Eternal or be labeled as rogues and hunted down.

Notables

Baron Viktoran Malin currently leads the Warriors Eternal, and he alone holds the power to decide who is invited to join the elite cadre. Although individual members are encouraged to adventure and make names for themselves in battle, Viktoran envisions a time in the not-to-distant future when he will marshal all his troops under his banner at once. In these visions of glory—or as some claim, delusions of grandeur—he leads the mightiest army of living heroes ever assembled into battle, accompanied by the spirits of heroes from every age.

Viktoran believes that the power of the Eternal Host grows ever stronger as more spirits are added, and that he alone knows the secret to pulling forth all of its power. Thus, though he despises needless death, he sends members of the company on errands that are fraught with peril. In his mind, the company cannot lose—either the member grows stronger by defeating the challenges before him, or the Eternal Host gains power from absorption of a new soul. As much as the Warriors Eternal try to guard the secrets of the incarnum blade, a few members of the prestige class operate outside the company. Occasionally, a member who has learned the power of the incarnum blade “goes rogue,” disappearing and going into hiding because he has decided not to make the ultimate soul sacrifi ce after all. A few such rogues still draw upon the Eternal Host to power their weapons, but doing so reveals their presence to the leader of the company, and Viktoran wastes no time in tracking them down. The only rogue member the baron has not pursued is a former Warrior Eternal known as Belgir Thraan, whom Viktoran raised from a young age. Though Belgir has committed the ultimate act of heresy by going rogue, Viktoran still views the youth as a lost son and cannot bring himself to order his destruction.

Organization

The Warriors Eternal is a loose mercenary force with two primary goals—to gain prestige in battle, and to maintain the Eternal Host, the pool of soul energy that fuels blademelds. In return for the secrets of the blademeld, these mighty warriors have sworn that someday their own souls will join those who have gone before and help to power the weapons of tomorrow’s heroes. Not all members of the Warriors Eternal wield the power of the incarnum blade—the lower ranks consist primarily of hopeful fi ghters and paladins petitioning for the privilege of joining the blademeld wielders. The Warriors Eternal utilizes the services of initiates in a variety of ways. As an elite mercenary company, the organization deploys its forces alongside the armies of various nations, providing them with needed reinforcements while garnering new recruits. The leaders of the company might send new members out as couriers to deliver military agreements or offers. Occasionally (and more frequently than members care to admit), an initiate might be dispatched to recover the body and weapon of a fallen comrade and bring them back for the ritual that will make the slain warrior part of the Eternal Host. Because the Warriors Eternal is a mercenary company, its members have military ranks. They are so independent, however, that such titles garner little more than cordial respect from other members. Reporting to the baron are fi ve captains, who have gained his favor through valorous deeds. When a platoon or company of Warriors Eternal is marshaled for war, one of these captains leads the detachment, appointing lieutenants of his own choosing. Because the offi cers of the Warriors Eternal look favorably upon deeds of honor and valor, performance is the key to advancing within the ranks and obtaining the best assignments. Veterans of wars gone by remember the heroism of previous Warriors Eternal, so they are likely to be friendly toward incarnum blades. Soldiers and knights currently serving in armies also respect the prowess that the mercenary company represents. Common folk, however, know little of such deeds beyond legends and rumors, so they tend not to associate those past heroics with present-day incarnum blades. A rare few are privy to certain secrets of the Warriors Eternal through rumor or happenstance. Perhaps they know that the body of a friend or family member who fell in service to the Warriors Eternal was spirited away for some ritual. Perhaps a paladin or cleric in a particular town has been approached for membership and refused it because he believes that souls should be laid to rest properly, not reused in some macabre ritual. Such individuals tend to be unfriendly to incarnum blades, believing the Warriors Eternal to be little more than a glorifi ed death cult.

INCARNUM BLADE LORE

Characters with the bardic knowledge ability or ranks in Knowledge (history) might know of some past heroes who were incarnum blades, or something about the company known as the Warriors Eternal. Such characters can also conduct research to learn more about incarnum blades and their organization. A character gains the information corresponding to all DCs equal to or below his bardic knowledge or Knowledge (history) check result.

DC 10: While many great warriors have borne mighty magic weapons, only a few have wielded weapons that seemed to be laced with otherworldy energy.

DC 15: The warriors known as incarnum blades can wrap their weapons in a strange soul energy that grants them power beyond that of most magic weapons. Such people are members of the Warriors Eternal, an elite mercenary band.

DC 20: The incarnum blades have sworn to forfeit their very souls upon death to power the next generation of Warriors Eternal.

DC 30: The leader of the Warriors Eternal, Baron Malin, seeks to gather the souls of the noblest and bravest heroes of the land. His purpose sounds just, but those heroes must die to sacrifi ce their souls. A DC 20 Gather Information check made near a settlement or fortifi cation where a contingent of the Warriors Eternal operates is suffi cient to fi nd a contact within the mercenary company if a character seeks employment or admission.

INCARNUM BLADES IN THE GAME

Incarnum blades and their organization can be easily added to an ongoing campaign. The Warriors Eternal could suddenly become interested in the realm where the PCs are adventuring, or a local ruler might ask them to provide military support for defense or war. This prestige class gives players a way to dabble in the incarnum magic system without worrying about the complexities of essentia and meld capacity. Since the prestige class has only fi ve levels, a warrior can advance in incarnum blade without deviating too far from a classic fi ghter