Incarnum Houserules

[Amechra]

Hey everyone,

This will be building off dman11235's Incarnum Changes thread, since I agree with (almost) everything in there.

Definitions:

• x[E]: When listing benefits based off Essentia, this should be read as "x times the amount of Essentia invested in this Essentia Receptacle."
• [Level]: A character's total HD.
• {Level}: Class level.

Loose Essentia: The Heart of Incarnum feat does not exist; instead, all creatures with an Essentia Pool increase their maximum HP by the amount of Essentia their Essentia Pool holds, the loose Essentia infusing their flesh.

The following replaces the normal class-based progressions for opening Chakras, Essentia Pools, gaining new Chakra binds, and the number of Soulmelds they may have Shaped at once. If a change references [Level], it refers to Manifester level, and wherever it references {Level}, it refers to levels in the class in question.

Essentia Progressions: Each class possesses one of the following Essentia Progressions, which determines the size of their Essentia Pool.

Weak: {Level/2}
Normal: {Level}
Elite: {2 * Level - 14, minimum Level}

Full Meldshapers: A full Meldshaper gains the following progression:

• Shaped Soulmelds: The Meldshaper may have a maximum number of Soulmelds shaped equal to (1 + 2/5 * [Level]) or their Constitution score minus 10, whichever is lower, shaped at any one time.
• At {Level} 2, the Meldshaper opens their Initial Chakra; they also gain a single Chakra Bind. Each Meldshaping class with the Full progression will specify which Chakra counts as their "Initial Chakra".
• At {Level} 5, the Meldshaper opens any Least Chakra they haven't already opened; they also increase their number of Chakra Binds by 1.
• At {Level} 9, they open their Lesser Chakras, and increase their number of Chakra Binds by 1.
• At {Level} 13, they open their Greater Chakras, and increase their number of Chakra Binds by 1.
• At {Level} 17, they open the Heart Chakra, and increase their number of Chakra Binds by 1.
• If a Meldshaping class grants access to the Soul Chakra, they open it at 20th level. This does not grant them an additional Chakra Bind. If they are not granted access to it, they gain access to it at {Level} 21.

Partial Meldshapers: A Partial Meldshaper gains the following progression:

• Shaped Soulmelds: The Meldshaper may have a maximum number of Soulmelds shaped equal to ([Level]/4, minimum 1) or their Constitution score minus 10, whichever is lower, shaped at any one time.
• At {Level} 5, the Meldshaper opens their Least Chakras, and gains a single Chakra Bind.
• At {Level} 11, the Meldshaper opens their Lesser Chakras, and gains an additional Chakra Bind.
• At {Level} 17, the Meldshaper opens their Greater Chakras, and gains an additional Chakra Bind.

Meldshaping Prestige Classes: All PrCs that advance Meldshaping replace all of the text of that feature after the first clause with the following:
"you increase your class level in a single Meldshaping class for the purposes of which Chakras are opened, the size of your Essentia Pool, and how many Chakra Binds you possess. This does not improve any other class features of that class, such as an Incarnate's Incarnum Radiance or a Totemist's Totem Chakra."

In addition, they no longer open Chakras as part of their class progression; they only do so as part of progressing the capabilities of the base class.

[Amechra]

Class Tweaks:
Under this system, the base classes are as follows:

Incarnate: An Incarnate is a Full Meldshaper with the Elite Progression; their Initial Chakra is the Crown Chakra, and they have access to the Soul Chakra.

Soulborn: The Soulborn is a Partial Meldshaper with the Weak Progression. If you are using my fix, they are instead a Full Meldshaper with the Normal Progression, whose Initial Chakra is the Hands Chakra.

Totemist: The Totemist is a Full Manifester with the Normal Progression; their Initial Chakra is the Totem Chakra.


Also, to cover a few homebrew classes:

The Arcantor is a Full Meldshaper with the Elite Progression; their Initial Chakra is the Specialist Chakra, and they gain access to the Soul Chakra.

The Extractor is a Full Meldshaper with the Normal Progression; their Initial Chakra is the Crown Chakra.

The Green Man is a Full Meldshaper with the Elite Progression; their Initial Chakra is the Hands Chakra, and they gain access to the Soul Chakra.

The Noumenon Drake is a Full Meldshaper with the Normal Progression; their Initial Chakra is the Ideal Chakra, and they gain access to the Soul Chakra.

The Soul Disciple is not a Meldshaper for their first two class levels; their first two HD are not Meldshaper HD, and they use their {Level - 2} instead of their {Level} when determining their Essentia Pool, opened Chakras, and Chakra Binds. In all other respects, they are a Full Meldshaper with the Normal Progression; their Initial Chakra is the Crown Chakra.

The Soulgun is a Full Meldshaper with the Normal Progression; their Initial Chakra is the Ammunition Chakra, and they have access to the Soul Chakra. They also may have {2 + Level/2} Ammunition Soulmelds shaped at once, which don't count towards the number of Soulmelds they may have shaped at one time. I cannot, in good faith, suggest this class.

The Warpsoul is a Full Meldshaper with the Normal Progression; their Initial Chakra is the Crown Chakra, and they gain access to the Soul Chakra.

[Amechra]

Feats
The following modifications are made to several feats, so as to bring them in line with these houserules.

Open Least Chakra [General]
Prerequisites: Character level 6th, cannot have opened more than one of the Crown, Feet, or Hands Chakras.
Benefit: Upon taking this feat, your character opens one of the following Chakras, and gains the listed benefit:

• Crown: The character gains a +1 Insight bonus to Will Saves.
• Feet: The character gains a +1 Insight bonus to Balance and Move Silently checks.
• Hands: The character gains a +1 Insight bonus to Climb and Swim checks.

Special: This feat may be taken multiple times, each time opening a different Chakra. The first time this feat is taken, increase the number of Chakra Binds that a character has by 1.

Open Lesser Chakra [General]
Prerequisites: Character level 12th, Open Least Chakra, cannot have opened their Lesser Chakras.
Benefit: Upon taking this feat, your character opens one of the following Chakras, and gains the listed benefit:

• Arms: +2 Insight bonus to Grapple checks.
• Brow: The character gains a +1 Insight bonus to Search and Spot checks.
• Shoulders: The character gains a +1 Insight bonus to Reflex saves.

Special: This feat may be taken multiple times, each time opening a different Chakra. The first time this feat is taken, increase the number of Chakra Binds that a character has by 1.

Open Greater Chakra [General]
Prerequisites: Character level 18th, Open Lesser Chakra, cannot have opened their Greater Chakras.
Benefit: Upon taking this feat, your character opens one of the following Chakras, and gains the listed benefit:

• Throat: The character gains a +1 Insight bonus to Bluff and Diplomacy checks.
• Waist: The character gains a +1 Insight bonus to Fortitude Saves.

Special: This feat may be taken multiple times, each time opening a different Chakra. The first time this feat is taken, increase the number of Chakra Binds that a character has by 1.

[Amechra]

A few notes:

• Yes, I am aware that Partial Meldshapers get an Essentia Pool before they have any Receptacles to use it with. Tough luck; use a fix of some description instead of the Soulborn, you silly person. I only wrote up Partial Meldshapers and the Weak Progression to cover anyone who (for whatever reason) wants to play a canon Soulborn.
• Yes, I bumped the Lesser and Greater Chakras forwards; if anyone has any serious balance gripes about this, I will take it into consideration (though I am loath to mess up the pretty 2 - 5 - 9 - 13 - 17 - 20/21 progression I've got going here.)
• Many Incarnum classes I've marked with the Normal Progression are either strengthened at earlier levels (Totemist) or strengthened at later levels (Extractor); I'm fine with this.

Some opinion notes (on my part):

• A full Meldshaping class should get a total of 9 open Chakras.
• The Soul Chakra should sit at 21st level; the only reason the Incarnate gets it at 20th is as a capstone.

When I assigned homebrew classes to the different progressions, I tried to adhere to the original intent of the homebrewers in question. However, if I were to reassign them, I would do so as follows:

• The only Full Meldshapers that would gain access to the Soul Chakra would be those that follow the Elite Essentia progression; the others would not get access to it pre-epic.
• The Soul Disciple would be a normal Full Meldshaper that follows the Normal Progression.
• The Warpsoul would gain some sort of unique Chakra to bring it up to the full count of 9; I'm not sure what I'd go with though (maybe they get Split Chakra for a single Least Chakra at 5th level, and gain Double Chakra for that Chakra at 9th level?)

Alright, those are all my posts; you may post now.