Of the soul and the sword [PrC]

Incarnum biiiiinge
Blade Incarnate

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/moi_gallery/91048.jpg

A good Blade Incarnate and the outline of her planetar incarnate avatar

In the world, alignment is real as you or me. Outsiders are a testament to that. Outsiders are also incapable of separating soul from body in death, but creatures that powerful can't simply vanish from reality. Their formless essence wanders for near eternities, some wander forever without purpose, but some find exemplary models of one aspect of their own alignment in life and attach themselves to their souls.
These few, the Blade Incarnates are the more martially spirited outsider/mortal mixtures, focusing on the power of Incarnum and the martial prowess of their disciplines. As Blade Incarnates become more powerful, their outsider spirit begins to shine through more visibly until it can barely be repressed at their peak of power.
The best path for this class is Incarnate/Warblade or Crusader or Swordsage.
Adaptation: Perhaps the alignment isn't entirely needed, perhaps it could be used for any alignment (or any except true neutral, depending on what kind of alignments you're going for) and making it more available to the more martially oriented Soulborn.

HD: d10

Requirements
Alignment: Lawful neutral, Neutral good, Neutral evil or Chaotic neutral
BAB: +4
Skills: Concentration 8 ranks, Knowledge (the planes) 2 ranks, Martial Lore 4 ranks, Spellcraft 4 ranks
Feats: Blade Mediation, Cobalt Power, Power Attack
Meldshaping: Ability to shape soulmelds
Maneuvers: Ability to use 2nd level manuevers, including at least one 2nd level strike.
Special: Must have been shown the power of Incarnum by the essence of a dead outsider that shares at least one component of your alignment, which latches onto your soul and powers your soulmelds.

Class-Skills: Balance, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (religion), Knowledge (the planes), Martial Lore, and Spellcraft
Skill-points per level: 4+Int modifier

{table="head"]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special|Meldshaping
1st|+1|+2|+0|+0|Weapon attunement(enhancement)|--
2nd|+2|+3|+0|+0|Incarnate outsider stance|+1 level of meldshaping class
3rd|+3|+3|+1|+1|Bonus feat|+1 level of meldshaping class
4th|+4|+4|+1|+1|Weapon attunement(damage)|+1 level of meldshaping class
5th|+5|+4|+1|+1|Martial soulmelder|+1 level of meldshaping class
6th|+6|+5|+2|+2|Weapon attunement(alignment)|--
7th|+7|+5|+2|+2|Bonus feat|+1 level of meldshaping class
8th|+8|+6|+2|+2|Weapon attunement(spell)|+1 level of meldshaping class
9th|+9|+6|+3|+3|--|+1 level of meldshaping class
10th|+10|+7|+3|+3|Planar avatar|+1 level of meldshaping class
[/table]

{table="head"]Level|Man. Known|Man. Readied|Stances Known
1st|1|0|0
2nd|0|0|0
3rd|1|1|0
4th|0|0|0
5th|1|0|1
6th|0|1|0
7th|1|0|0
8th|0|0|0
9th|1|1|0
10th|0|0|0
[/table]

Maneuvers Known/Readied: At each odd-numbered level, you gain one new maneuver known from the Devoted Spirit, Iron Heart or two discipline based on alignment; Good- Golden Saint, White Raven, Evil- Dread Crown, Shadow Hand, Law- Diamond Mind, Quicksilver Aegis, Chaos- Kaleidoscopic Dream, Tiger Claw. You must meet a maneuver’s prerequisites to learn it. You add your full Blade Incarnate level to your initiator level to determine your total initiator level and the highest level of maneuver you can learn. If you have levels in an initiator class that allows you to exchange out maneuvers at certain levels, your Blade Incarnate levels stack with your levels in that class for determining when you may exchange maneuvers. At 3rd, 6th and 9th level, you gain an additional maneuver readied each day.

Stances Known: At 5th level, you gain a new martial stance known from the Devoted Spirit, Iron Heart or the disciplines based on your alignment(see above). You must meet a stance’s prerequisites to learn it.

Meldshaping: At each level except 1st and 6th, a Blade Incarnate increases their meldshaper level, the number of soulmelds they can shape, the number and kinds of chakra binds they can create, and their essentia pool as if they had gained a level in the meldshaping class to which they belonged to prior to gaining the Blade Incarnate level. They do not, however gain any other abilities of that class. If they had more than one meldshaping class before becoming a Blade Incarnate, they must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining their essentia pool, meldshaper level, and the number of soulmelds and chakra binds available.

Weapon Attunement (Su): Before their first Blade Incarnate level is taken, a character hoping to become one must choose a weapon that is close to him. This weapon must be of at least masterwork quality and in the possession of the blade incarnate for at least a year(to attune it to the outsider that has attached itself to your soul). This bond between man and steel gives several benefits as the character levels in this class. Each different ability uses a different investment of essentia.

At 1st level you can invest one point of essentia per class level(rounded up) into your weapon, this improves any enhancement bonus on your weapon by a number equal to to the number of points of essentia invested, though this total still may not exceed +5, so you can only invest 3 points of essentia into a +2 weapon to make it +5.

this improves any enhancement bonus on your weapon by a number equal to to the number of points of essentia invested, though this total still may not exceed +5

At 4th level, you can invest a point of essentia into the weapon to make it deal an additional 1d6 damage. You may invest more essentia, for every extra one essentia you invest into it the damage increases by 1d6. The amount of essentia invested into your weapon cannot exceed half your blade incarnate level(rounded down). This extra damage is represented by an aura of blue fire encircling the blade.

At 6th level, by investing 2 points of essentia into your weapon, you can give your weapon one of four special abilities. The abilities you may choose from are Anarchic, Axiomatic, Holy and Unholy and the ability you choose must match your alignment.

At 8th level you may temporarily lose access to essentia (which is locked within your weapon for a full round during this ability's use)to channel the power of your outsider through you and your weapon. You lose access to 3 points of essentia for a full round per use of this ability to use either chaos hammer, holy smite, order's wrath or unholy blight based on what your alignment is. This ability's usable at will, but has a recharge rate of 2d4 rounds.
The save DC for the spells is 16+Con modifier and have a caster level equal to your equivalent meldshaper level.

Incarnate Outsider Stance (Su): A blade incarnate of 2nd level and higher may, as a free action lose all the benefits of his current stance to gain the benefits of this stance. In this stance you are capable of using your soul energy to empower your strikes. When you are in this stance, you gain a dim illusory outline of the outsider that gave you the power of incarnum, though usually taking on a size more suiting to fit your own. It moves and reacts just as you do and tends to have glowing blue eyes. When you are in this stance, you can invest a number of points of essentia into your very manuevers. If you use a strike that deals damage while in this stance and essentia's been invested into it, the strike deals additional damage equal to 1d6 x the invested essentia. The max essentia you can invest into this is equal to half your meldshaper level.

Bonus Feat: At 3rd level and again at 7th, the Blade Incarnate may select a bonus feat from the list below. The available feats are Adaptive Style, Avenging Strike, Azure Toughness, Bonus Essentia, Cerulean Fortitude, Cerulean Reflexes, Cerulean Will, Cobalt Charge, Cobalt Critical, Cobalt Expertise, Clarion Commander (good only), Devoted Bulwark, Expanded Soumeld Capacity, Extra Granted Maneuver, Extra Readied Maneuver, Faith Unswerving, Gloom Razor (evil only), Improved Essentia Capacity, Incarnum Fortified Body, Ironheart Aura, Martial Stance, Midnight Dodge, Perfect Clarity of Mind and Body (lawful only), Rapid Assault, Reaping Talons (chaotic only), Scribe Martial Script, Shadow Blade (evil only), Split Chakra, Sudden Recovery, Two-Weapon fighting, Unnerving Calm (lawful only), Vital Recovery and White Raven Defense (good only). You must qualify for the feats you choose at these levels.

Martial Soulmelder(Su): At 5th level, you gain the ability to synergize the power of your soulmelds with certain a certain discipline. Whenever you are in a stance of a discipline based on your alignment, the essentia capacity for all your soulmelds increases by 1. The disciplines associated with the alignments are Good- White Raven, Evil- Shadow Hand, Law- Diamond Mind and Chaos- Tiger Claw.

Planar Avatar (Ex and Su): At 10th level, you become even closer to the avatar within you that you take on traits of it. Your type changes to outsider, you gain the (native) subtype and the subtype of your alignment. You also gain DR 10/your opposing alignment. From now on, you are constantly showing the translucent, blue-ish avatar of the outsider within you. This semi-illusory shape can be suppressed as a standard action for as many rounds equal to your Con score.

A class that draws from two seperate source books? Lunacy! I mean, what are the chance that gamers would buy more than ONE book that introduces an interesting new set of abilities? Your time is better off spent...

Oh, wait, there's my copies... :smallbiggrin:

Looks pretty good, actually; I'm a HUGE fan of ToB, and tying it to MoI like that is pretty sweet.

Changed the chakra binds thing, as I'm pretty sure the Meldshaping entry has that covered.

Any opinions? I had a feeling while making it that it was somewhat overpowered, qualm my fears? Confirm them?

Added another 5th level ability, and I'm brainstorming more class features.

Also added bonus feats, and trying to think of a 9th level ability.

Don't mean to be pushy, but someone got any input? I'm desperate for attention for this creation of mine.:smallfrown:

I really like the idea, it seems ot combine two series of classes that I found kind of mediocre, and turns them into somtheing quite cool. I'm not too solid on the rules for the ToB classes, but would adding a second stance at 10th level be overpowering the class? Also, changing the weapon requirement ot either a shorter period (6 months, say) or maybe used/carried while the character took at least one level of Incarnate and one level of their ToB class, and make it the combination of your soulmelding and use of the weapon in combat that draws the outsider to you, instead of the outsider teaching the character how to use soul melds.

Also, on a completely unrelated note, how do you make a table?

Well, I have been reading the Magic of Incarnum, but I havent delved a lot in the Tome of Battle yet, but for the few I know about the second, and what i know of the first, this class sounds pretty good.

I wonder what a LG character could do if he got the Shape Soulmeld feat and selected Incarnate Avatar... Well, what I am sure is that it would be pretty cool, and nasty if you got it and allowed this PrC to Soulborns.

On the subject of how to make tables. Check Fax_Celestis guide to homebrewing, it is one of the pinned topics in this section. There you can see how to make tables.

And it is a hell of a job.

Nice. A lot more satisfying than some of the hybrid PrC's in ToB, and definitely better than the blademeld PrC in Incarnum. A couple of notes, though - first off,

Quote:

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At 1st level you can invest one point of essentia per class level(rounded up) into your weapon, this gives your weapon an enhancement bonus to attack and damage rolls equal to the invested essentia(though a weapon can still only have a +5 enhancement bonus total, so you can only invest 3 points of essentia into a +2 weapon).

---

Does this mean that you can add a +3 bonus to an already +2 weapon to get a +5 weapon? In which case, it needs to be rephrased, since enhancement bonuses don't stack. i.e., "this improves any enhancement bonus on your weapon by a number equal to to the number of points of essentia invested, though this total still may not exceed +5" (phrased based on how natural armor bonuses work). Also, I don't know of any class or ability in the game that lets you do this; weapon enhancement stuff usually doesn't stack, you usually just have to go with the better of the two numbers.
Also, both ToB and Incarnum are classes designed around avoiding the whole per-day thing (something I strongly advocate), so I would say, regarding weapon attunement (spell), that perhaps instead of 3 times per day, a recharge of 3d4 rounds? Or 2d4?
Otherwise, I like the class a lot.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Finerty

Nice. A lot more satisfying than some of the hybrid PrC's in ToB, and definitely better than the blademeld PrC in Incarnum. A couple of notes, though - first off,

Does this mean that you can add a +3 bonus to an already +2 weapon to get a +5 weapon? In which case, it needs to be rephrased, since enhancement bonuses don't stack. i.e., "this improves any enhancement bonus on your weapon by a number equal to to the number of points of essentia invested, though this total still may not exceed +5" (phrased based on how natural armor bonuses work). Also, I don't know of any class or ability in the game that lets you do this; weapon enhancement stuff usually doesn't stack, you usually just have to go with the better of the two numbers.
Also, both ToB and Incarnum are classes designed around avoiding the whole per-day thing (something I strongly advocate), so I would say, regarding weapon attunement (spell), that perha
ps instead of 3 times per day, a recharge of 3d4 rounds? Or 2d4?
Otherwise, I like the class a lot.

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I've altered it to those specifications. The times per day thing was somewhat out of place, I agree.

Edit: I've also decided against a 9th level ability, both because I can't think of anything and because they get a new manuever known and readied that level.

It's been a while since this has been around, but I made a change to the 4th level weapon attunement ability of the class. Now the +1d6 damage/essentia invested is limited.

This may just be me not being overly familiar with the incarnum rules, but does the essentia in Weapon Investment count towards each ability at the same time, or do you have to spend it in each category?

A: I put two points into gaining Unholy, which also gives me +2d6 damage and an additional +2 enhancement bonus.

or

B: I put two points into gaining Unholy, with each other ability costing more essentia.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zarthrax

This may just be me not being overly familiar with the incarnum rules, but does the essentia in Weapon Investment count towards each ability at the same time, or do you have to spend it in each category?

A: I put two points into gaining Unholy, which also gives me +2d6 damage and an additional +2 enhancement bonus.

or

B: I put two points into gaining Unholy, with each other ability costing more essentia.

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Each ability is separate. You could make your weapon a +1 unholy longsword by investing 3 points of essentia. This is the reason for being able to expend 1 point of essentia per class level, to a total of 10(even though the enhancement bonus can't exceed +5, and characters of this level usually have SOME kind of enhancement bonus on their weapon).

Ah, gotcha. Thanks, Krimm!