How have you tweaked Incarnum?

[Storyteller01]

I'll go first.


When a character soulmelds an item, they need a focus. The type doesn't matter (facepaint for masks, branches tied on the hand for claws, a pipe for a weapon, etc). Others who see the soulmeld only see the focus. Mechanically nothing has changed, although focues can be destroyed. Players can also use skills to create focuses that can hold more than the usual essentia.


When the soulmeld is bound to a chakra, the focus transforms to the effect. Everyone can see the melds true form.


Going for the 'Paranoia Agent' feel....

 

[Drowbane]

Yes, minorly. Soulmelds are *not* set item-looking effects. You take the mechanics and the location of the Soulmeld, and describe something cool.

I'm also working (very slowly, and with no real progress atm) on revamping the Force with Incarnum mechanics.

 

[Jackelope King]

There aren't any "meldshapers" who create "soulmelds" from "incarnum" and empower them with "essentia". Rather, there are "spiritualists" who use "rituals" to channel the might of "great spirits" (or possibly demons, depending on your point of view) in potent "rituals", empowering them by binding lesser "spirits" to their will.

Instead of soulmelds looking like more magic items, the visual representation of this practice is usually nil. A spiritualist can walk around looking almost entirely normal. However, the very presence of otherworldly horrors in their bodies tends to warp reality in disconcerting, subtle ways. As an example, if you've seen The Exorcist, you'll recall all those barely-seen glimpses of demonic faces in the dark shadows of the film? That sort of stuff. You might glance over at someone, not knowing he's a spiritualist, and out of the corner of your eye you see a sinister, grinning face looking hungrilly out into the world from a shadow. When you look back, nothing's there. A figment of your imagination, a trick of the light, or something else?

This takes other forms. Minor bad things just happen all around a spiritualist, usually of the mildlly frightening sort. Vermin may sprout from the spiritualist's footprints, only to whither and die again in an instant. Tiny trinkets may go missing, or be found mangled. Barely-heard, ghostly screams may echo in the heads of people in the area. Someone familiar with these sort of occurances (i.e. ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) in this case, instead of spellcraft, which doesn't exist in my game) can get hints as to exactly what sort of spirits may be at work here, and can identify what rituals the spiritualist has used.

But when actively using the benefits of these rituals, it becomes plainly visible for everyone to see: whithering masses of ghostly tentacles extend out from the spiritualist's body, flailing wildly and trying to reach out at living things around the spiritualist, hungry for the caress of life. While visible like this, identifying what rituals are active becomes much easier (+4 bonus on knowledge (arcana) check).

 

[Graf]

That's it... all the tweaks people are using right now?

 

[MerricB]

Well, it hasn't been out that long.

The Mark of Heroes game I'll be running on Friday looks like having two Incarnum characters in it. I'm looking forward to it.

The Ulek campaign will have two incarnum characters as well, but it's still a week or two before it gets started.

Cheers!

 

[Ero Gaki]

Jackelope King, I like the concept behind your changes, but are you saying that you've turned every meldshaper into freaky soul binders out from horror movies? The way you have described makes me feel that there is no way a good character would use incarnum. Heck, I'd be little too scared to use it; what if one of the spirits escaped?

I've been trying to brainstorm changes to the visual effects of soulmelds for my character, a 5th level Incarnate, but thus far have failed. Nothing's really hit me.

 

[Wavestone]

I have the book, but no incarnum in the campaign..

Nevertheless, I like what I see here about alternatives to the official overtly visible effects..

One option could be to have this shaman (incarnate) who paints/tattoos patterns/images on his flesh. The images depend on the soulmeld and the tradition of the incarnate..

Like images of Saint Maglor of Kord on your arms to channel the strength of the saint/Kord into stronger blows! (made up the saint name, and the soulmeld is the bluesteel bracers..) This option do make you look weird, in the tattoo parlor kind of style though. Unless you rule that the soulmelds/images are only seen with detect invisible/detect magic.

A lot of the criticism of MoI was about the flavor.. The images in the book do foster the concept of "neon magic items". Flavor is easier to change than mechanics, I think..

If I'd run Incarnum in a campaign, I think I'd tweak some mechanical stuff as well.. like giving incarnate 3/4 BAB and 1d8 HD... or making new soulmelds for them that makes up for some weaknesses.

MerricB, I'd like to hear later how the campaign went, if the incarnum characters were about the same usefulness as the other (more mainstream PC's I assume) characters? Pros/cons..
Anyone else that has actually run MoI-material is welcome to comment!

 

[Jackelope King]

Jackelope King, I like the concept behind your changes, but are you saying that you've turned every meldshaper into freaky soul binders out from horror movies? The way you have described makes me feel that there is no way a good character would use incarnum. Heck, I'd be little too scared to use it; what if one of the spirits escaped?

For most folks, it is something detestable and discomforting to use. But a few are willing to utilize this sort of magic in order to do good in the world. Such people might only learn the rituals for kinder spirits, like spirits who specialize in healing, while avoiding spirits of death or pain. It might not seem appealing for a good-aligned person to pursue this sort of magic, but then again, the same could be argued for the warlock, and CG characters certainly can make use of it.

 

[jeffh]

I don't get the people who think Incarnum is a good system for the Force, at all. I simply don't see it, and I speak (well type) as someone who bought the book specifically for that reason.

It seems to me the best way to adopt incarnum to a Star Wars game is as a system for Droid PCs. Instead of choosing your melds daily you would choose upgrades at less frequent intervals; essentia channeling becomes power rerouting. They would need something to compensate for the reduced flexibility, though note that it wouldn't be completely out of line to give a droid a certain number of upgrades physically installed, but a lesser number that can be active at any one time - which might be reducible to the system in the books.

 

[MerricB]

If I'd run Incarnum in a campaign, I think I'd tweak some mechanical stuff as well.. like giving incarnate 3/4 BAB and 1d8 HD... or making new soulmelds for them that makes up for some weaknesses.

Be *very* careful with the modifications. Incarnates have two good touch attacks (Lightning Gauntlets and Dissolving Spittle), and they have the highest Con modifier of anyone. (A 18th level Incarnate should have a +8 modifier).

MerricB, I'd like to hear later how the campaign went, if the incarnum characters were about the same usefulness as the other (more mainstream PC's I assume) characters? Pros/cons..

The group will be:
Totemist; Incarnate; Bard/Rogue/Druid/Fochluchan Lyrist; Cleric/Divine Servant of Pelor; Scout; and one other PC. We're starting from 1st level. I hope it will progress to 20th.

Cheers!