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View Full Version : [3.5] Changeling Incarnate ACF. [PEACH]



zagan
2010-07-10, 09:39 AM
Changeling Incarnate

Hit Die: d6.

Requirements

To take a Changeling Incarnate substitution level, a character must be a changeling, and be about to take his 1st, 3rd, or 13th level of Incarnate.

Class Skills

Changeling Incarnate substitution levels have the class skills of the standard Incarnate, plus Bluff, Disguise, Intimidate and Sense motive.

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier (or four times this number as a beginning character), but only the substitution level gain that amount all other level gain the standard number of skill points for an incarnate.

Class Features

All the following are class features of the Changeling Incarnate substitution levels.

Meldshaping: This functioned in all way like the normal Incarnate meldshaping ability’s but Changeling Incarnate gain access to one exclusive soulmeld the Doppelganger Soul soulmeld describe below. The soulmeld is available only through taking a Changeling Incarnate substitution level.

Changeling adaptation: Changeling incarnate have learn how to use their adaptable nature to better use their soulmeld. When a soulmeld grant you a bonus on a skill check improve this bonus by 2, this only affect the basic bonus not any one grant by investing essentia in the soulmeld. For example the Silvertongue Mask would grant a +4 insight bonus on Bluff and Diplomacy check, instead of +2 but each point of essentia would only improves the bonus by 2 as normal for this soulmeld.

This substitution feature replaces a standard incarnate’s Detect opposition class features.

Variable Incarnum radiance: Changeling Incarnate know that despite their dedication to an alignment that other point of view aren’t always wrong. This ability functioned like the normal incarnum radiance ability with one exception. Upon activating it you can chose to count as any alignment not opposed to your own instead of your own for the purpose of the determining the benefit grant by the incarnum radiance ability. For example a Neutral Good Changeling incarnate could chose to count as Lawful or Chaotic to gain the corresponding benefit but not Evil because it’s opposed to his alignment.

This substitution feature augment a standard incarnate’s incarnum radiance ability but does not replace it.

Relocate soulmeld: Changeling incarnate have learn how to infuse their own adaptable nature into their soulmeld. When shaping soulmeld you can chose one and have it occupy another chakra instead of the normal one, you can also bind it to this chakra as if it was the normal one. This ability as some limitation you can only chose to have a soulmeld occupy a chakra of the same grad as follow, least (crown, feet, hand), lesser (arms, brow, shoulders) or greater (throat, waist). You can’t use this ability on the heart and soul chakra, this mean that if you want to gain the benefit of binding a soulmeld to the heart or soul chakra the soulmeld must occupy the corresponding chakra. This ability is mostly useful to bind two different soulmeld that would normaly occupy the same chakra.
For example you could shape and bind the Cerulean Sandals to the hand chakra and gain the same benefit as if it was bind to the feet chakra while still binding the Acrobats boots to your feet chakra as normal.

This substitution feature replaces a standard incarnate’s third daily use of incarnum radiance. From this point onward the character has one fewer daily uses of incarnum radiance than a normal Incarnate of his level does.

Table: Changeling Incarnate Substitution Levels
{table="head"]Level|BAB|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Meldshaping
1st|+0|+2|+0|+2|Aura, Changeling adaptation|As Standard Incarnate
3rd|+1|+3|+1|+3|Expanded soulmeld capacity +1, Variable Incarnum radiance|As Standard Incarnate
13th|+6/+1|+8|+4|+8|Relocate soulmeld|As Standard Incarnate
[/table]


Doppelganger Soul

Descriptors: None
Classes: Changeling Incarnate
Chakra: Crown, Soul
Saving Throw: Will negates, See text
You gather incarnum all around your body forming a white formless mass seemingly like clay.

You gain a +4 resistances bonus on saving throws against sleep and charm effect.

Essentia: Every point of essentia invested in the Doppelganger Soul increases the bonus by 2.

Chakra Bind (Crown)
Your appearances doesn’t change but your eyes seem to glow with a white light.

You can see into the mind of other creature, as if you were constantly under the effect of a Detect though spell with a caster level equal to your meldshaper level. You can suppress or resume this ability as a free action. A creature can make a will save to succesfully resist the effect if they succed they are immune to your detect though ability for 24 hour.
This grant you a +4 circumstance bonus on Bluff and Disguise checks against any creature that failled the will save.

Chakra Bind (Soul)
The white mass around you flow constantly like water around your form

This soulmeld enhance your natural shapechanging ability. You gain the change shape ability of a Doppelganger. As a standard action you can assume the shape of any small or medium humanoid. You can remain in your humanoid shape until you chose to assume a new one. A change in form cannot be dispelled, but you reverts to your natural form when killed or when the Doppelganger soul is unshaped. A true seeing spell or ability reveals your natural form.

Change shape detail

A creature with this special quality has the ability to assume the appearance of a specific creature or type of creature (usually a humanoid), but retains most of its own physical qualities. A true seeing spell or ability reveals the creature’s natural form. A creature using change shape reverts to its natural form when killed, but separated body parts retain their shape. A creature cannot use change shape to take the form of a creature with a template. Changing shape results in the following changes to the creature:
- The creature retains the type and subtype of its original form. It gains the size of its new form.
- The creature loses the natural weapons and movement modes of its original form, as well as any extraordinary special attacks of its original form not derived from class levels (such as the barbarian’s rage class feature).
- The creature gains the natural weapons, movement modes, and extraordinary special attacks of its new form.
- The creature retains all other special attacks and qualities of its original form, except for breath weapons and gaze attacks.
- The creature retains the ability scores of its original form.
Except as described elsewhere, the creature retains all other game statistics of its original form, including (but not necessarily limited to) HD, hit points, skill ranks, feats, base attack bonus, and base save bonuses.
- The creature retains any spellcasting ability it had in its original form, although it must be able to speak intelligibly to cast spells with verbal components and it must have humanlike hands to cast spells with somatic components.
- The creature is effectively camouflaged as a creature of its new form, and gains a +10 bonus on Disguise checks if it uses this ability to create a disguise.
Any gear worn or carried by the creature that can’t be worn or carried in its new form instead falls to the ground in its space. If the creature changes size, any gear it wears or carries that can be worn or carried in its new form changes size to match the new size. (Non humanoid-shaped creatures can’t wear armor designed for humanoid-shaped creatures, and vice versa.) Gear returns to normal size if dropped.



Designer note:
I’ve got the idea for this ACF when I was working on my Shifter ACF (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8793700&postcount=9) for the Potpourri creation contest. It didn’t fit with my theme but the idea stayed with me and I decided to try to create it. This was the result, while I was inspired I also create an exclusive soulmeld for it.
The thing I’m the most unsure about is the Relocate soulmeld ability, I’m afraid it could be too much.

zagan
2010-07-12, 07:19 AM
Weird, I always had the impression that incarnum was popular on the forum I would have expect at least a few comment by now.

Sereg
2010-07-12, 09:25 AM
I like it, but I am not good with balance, so I can't say much that's particularly helpful. It certainly has good flavour though.

zagan
2010-07-12, 10:09 AM
I like it, but I am not good with balance, so I can't say much that's particularly helpful. It certainly has good flavour though.

Thank you.
I'm pretty proud of the flavour it was inspired by the adaptability of both the race and the class.

Sereg
2010-07-12, 10:14 AM
I assumed that it was changeling adaptability that resulted in this. It's certainly appropriate, but as I said, I can't help balance wise.

zagan
2010-07-12, 10:35 AM
I assumed that it was changeling adaptability that resulted in this. It's certainly appropriate, but as I said, I can't help balance wise.

It's alright hopefully someone will comment on that.

Glimbur
2010-07-12, 12:15 PM
As a general design note, changeling incarnates seem to get a lot more than they give up if they take these ACF's. This is somewhat mitigated by the fact that Azurin or some other race is probably better in general for incarnum use, but not by a huge margin.

Skill points... honestly, WoTC was pretty stingy with skill points in general; this is useful for Knowledge Devotion or pretending to be a skill monkey with soul-meld backup or whatever.

Changeling Adaptation is much better than Detect Opposition. On soulmelds that only give +2 base changing that to +4 isn't such a big deal, but the strongest example I can find of this ability being too good is now the Mage's Spectacles give +8 to UMD, among other things. That is much stronger than Detect [alignment] at will, except in strange cases. It also makes the Kraken Mantle (if you take Shape Soulmeld to get it) give +16 to swim... but that's only swim.

Variable Incarnum Radiance is nice. It's not a game-breaker or anything, but it is a nice addition of versatility for no cost.

Relocate Soulmeld reduces the bookkeeping and fiddly bits of Incarnum... but I like those. It's also a significant boost in power simply by allowing so many more combinations of soulmelds. It makes Split Chakra and Double Chakra even better because you can use them for a wider range of soulmelds now. This is much better than what it replaces, but on the other hand it is also cool and thematic. I would suggest making it so you can only move one soulmeld to where it doesn't normally go. You choose the soulmeld to affect with this ability each time you shape soulmelds. So you could bind Cerulean Sandals to your Hands, but could not then also bind the Crystal Helm to your Feet.

Doppleganger Soul is a neat idea. It should go on the Crown chakra, not the Crow chakra, but that's a nit pick. Upon looking it up, Dopplegangers are immune to sleep and charm so those resistances make sense. That's a fairly large bonus, but immunity to sleep is included for elves and charm is easy to reduce by not being humanoid so Charm Person fails. I would give the bonus a type, possibly resistance.

The crown bind is useful but probably not crazy good. It would probably let you in to a PrC from Complete Warrior called Mindspy easily, but honestly I wouldn't worry about it. The standard save DC of soulmelds is pretty pathetic, I usually suggest 10+half meldshaper level+ability mod or invested essentia instead.

Change Shape at will is nice, but Alter Self is a level 2 spell, so... It fits the theme well.

All in all, some of the class features smell a bit too good.

zagan
2010-07-12, 01:30 PM
Expert advice, Thank you very much that's just what I need.


As a general design note, changeling incarnates seem to get a lot more than they give up if they take these ACF's. This is somewhat mitigated by the fact that Azurin or some other race is probably better in general for incarnum use, but not by a huge margin.

Yeah, i will probably tone tone a few thing.


Skill points... honestly, WoTC was pretty stingy with skill points in general; this is useful for Knowledge Devotion or pretending to be a skill monkey with soul-meld backup or whatever.

It fit thematicaly and it's only for 3 level so that give a total of 6 more skill point so it doesn't matter much.


Changeling Adaptation is much better than Detect Opposition. On soulmelds that only give +2 base changing that to +4 isn't such a big deal, but the strongest example I can find of this ability being too good is now the Mage's Spectacles give +8 to UMD, among other things. That is much stronger than Detect [alignment] at will, except in strange cases. It also makes the Kraken Mantle (if you take Shape Soulmeld to get it) give +16 to swim... but that's only swim.

Now that you point it out double is too much a straight +2 would work better it would effectively double for most thing but not overpowered.


Variable Incarnum Radiance is nice. It's not a game-breaker or anything, but it is a nice addition of versatility for no cost.

Again it fit thematicaly.


Relocate Soulmeld reduces the bookkeeping and fiddly bits of Incarnum... but I like those. It's also a significant boost in power simply by allowing so many more combinations of soulmelds. It makes Split Chakra and Double Chakra even better because you can use them for a wider range of soulmelds now. This is much better than what it replaces, but on the other hand it is also cool and thematic. I would suggest making it so you can only move one soulmeld to where it doesn't normally go. You choose the soulmeld to affect with this ability each time you shape soulmelds. So you could bind Cerulean Sandals to your Hands, but could not then also bind the Crystal Helm to your Feet.

Only one at time was my first though but I was afraid that it would be too limiting but as is yeah it's probably too strong. I like the bookeepng too myself.


Doppleganger Soul is a neat idea. It should go on the Crown chakra, not the Crow chakra, but that's a nit pick.

I'll correct that.


Upon looking it up, Dopplegangers are immune to sleep and charm so those resistances make sense. That's a fairly large bonus, but immunity to sleep is included for elves and charm is easy to reduce by not being humanoid so Charm Person fails. I would give the bonus a type, possibly resistance.

Resistance would mean it doesn't stack with cloak or vest but it does make the most sense.


The crown bind is useful but probably not crazy good. It would probably let you in to a PrC from Complete Warrior called Mindspy easily, but honestly I wouldn't worry about it. The standard save DC of soulmelds is pretty pathetic, I usually suggest 10+half meldshaper level+ability mod or invested essentia instead.

It's the standard one infortunaly and I don't want to go into changing it for just this soulmeld but it's a good houserule.



Change Shape at will is nice, but Alter Self is a level 2 spell, so... It fits the theme well.

Thanks.



All in all, some of the class features smell a bit too good.

I will try to tone it down. Thanks again.

EDIT: I've made the change.

Dusk Eclipse
2010-07-12, 01:51 PM
This substitution feature replaces a standard incarnate’s third daily use of incarnum radiance. From this point onward the character has one fewer daily uses of incarnum radiance than a normal paladin of his level does.

It seems you made a copy paste error.

Other than that, it seems really nice, though I am not good with balance... hm the Soul Bind of the Doppelganger's Souls seems powerful enough, but it is a soul chakra bind so yeah I think it is appropiate.

zagan
2010-07-12, 02:38 PM
It seems you made a copy paste error.

Other than that, it seems really nice, though I am not good with balance... hm the Soul Bind of the Doppelganger's Souls seems powerful enough, but it is a soul chakra bind so yeah I think it is appropiate.

Thanks for the catch I've corrected it.:smallsmile: