User:Proton/Reverse heartbreaker/Shaping soulmelds

To shape a soulmeld, a meldshaper must have a clear mind, just like a wizard who wishes to prepare spells (see Preparing Wizard Spells). Achieving this clear mind requires 8 hours of sleep (or a like amount of restful calm, if the character does not sleep).

After resting, a meldshaper must meditate for 1 hour. During this time, he selects and shapes all his soulmelds for the day, simultaneously unshaping any current soulmelds that he does not choose to retain. Any soulmelds previously shaped that he chooses to retain do not need to be reshaped. The time required remains the same regardless of the number of soulmelds shaped. At the end of this hour, the effects of any unshaped soulmelds end and the effects of shaped soulmelds take effect.

While shaping soulmelds, a meldshaper must have enough peace, quiet, and comfort to allow for proper concentration, just like a wizard preparing spells.

Meld selection

A meldshaper chooses which soulmelds to shape from his class list. He can choose any meld on this list, barring alignment restrictions. A meldshaper's level limit the number of soulmelds he can have shaped at any given time. He can't shape the same soulmeld more than once. Also, two soulmelds can't occupy the same chakra (with some exceptions).

At the same time that the meldshaper chooses which soulmelds to shape, he must also choose which soulmelds (if any) to bind to his chakras. The specific chakras and the number of chakra binds available to the meldshaper depends on his level. Two soulmelds can't be bound to the same chakra.

Once he has shaped a soulmeld (and bound it to a chakra), he can't change these decisions until he unshapes it and shapes a new soulmeld.

A meldshaper need not invest essentia into a soulmeld at the time of shaping. The amount of essentia invested in each soulmeld can be changed each round (see essentia, below).

Meldshapers cannot give a meld to someone else, or shape one on anyone other than themselves. Shaped soulmelds cannot be removed from the meldshaper's body.

Unshaping a meld

Generally peaking, a soulmeld remains shaped until the meldshaper chooses to unshape it in favor of another soulmeld. Sometimes, however, a soulmeld is designed to unshape as part of its function. The feet chakra bind of the cerulean sandals soulmeld, for example, unshapes after you have traveled the maximum allowable distance using its dimension door effect.

Meldshaper level

While most of a soulmeld's variables depend on other aspects (such as essentia), a soulmeld also has a meldshaper level, which functions effectively like a spell's caster level. For incarnates, your meldshaper level is equal to your class level.

Essentia

Each meldshaper has a pool of essentia: the substance of the character's spirit that is unlocked by the power of incarnum. The size of this pool is determined by the character's class levels in meldshaper classes, and can also be increased by racial features, feats, or other effects.

As a swift action on your turn, you can invest essentia into any number of soulmelds that you have shaped. It remains invested in those soulmelds until you reallocate your essentia investment on a later turn. Each soulmeld has a maximum essentia capacity based on the character's level: one or, at character level 6th, two. Invested essentia applies to both the soulmeld and its chakra bind effects, if appropriate.

In addition to soulmelds, you might have the ability to invest essentia into other receptables, such as class and race abilities (a duskling's (Magic of Incarnum 10) speed bonus, for example) as well as certain spells and magic items. These receptacles are treated as soulmelds for the purpose of investing essentia into them, with one notable exception: feats that allow you to invest essentia into them must be invested at the start of the day, and that essentia remains invested in those feats for the entire day.

If a character loses essentia, this loss is deducted first from any noninvested essentia in the character's pool. If this does not cover the entire loss, remove the invested essentia from a randomly determined soulmeld or other essentia investment. Continue until the entire loss has been accounted for.

Healing essentia damage

Essentia damage (such as from the drain incarnum invocation) returns at the same rate as ability damage (1 point for a night of rest of 2 points for a full day of rest). Essentia damage can also be healed by spells or other effects as if it were ability damage.

Chakras

Every soulmeld occupies a chakra, even if it is not bound to it. When a soulmeld occupies a chakra, the meldshaper can still wear and gain benefit from a magic item that occupies the corresponding body slot. The soulmeld appears floating in the air around that part of the body or simply superimposed over it and any other gear the character might wear on that part of the body. You cannot shape two soulmelds that occupy the same chakra. For example, if you have a crystal helm occupying your crown chakra, the crystal helm appears floating over your head, encompassing your head as well as any helmet (even a magic helmet) you might wear. You cannot also shape an enigma helm soulmeld, because it would also occupy your crown chakra.

Some soulmelds can occupy one of two or more different chakras. For example, the bloodwar gauntlets soulmeld can occupy your hands or your arms chakra. You choose when you shape a meld which chakra you want it to occupy.

The chakras correspond to body slows as follows, using the body locations described in Magic Item Basics § Magic Items on the Body:

Crown: Headband, hat, helmet, or phylactery.

Feet: Boots or shoes.

Hands: Gloves or gauntlets. The hands chakra does not include the ring body locations.

Arms: Bracers or bracelets.

Brow: Eye lenses or goggles.

Shoulders: Cloak, cape, or mantle.

Throat: Amulet, brooch, medallion, necklace, periapt, or scarab.

Waist: Belt.

Heart: Vest, vestment, or shirt.

Soul: Robe or suit of armor.

Chakra Binds

When you bind a soulmeld to a chakra, it usually fuses to your body in the location corresponding to that chakra. It prevents you from gaining any benefit from a magic item that occupies the corresponding body slot. (In many cases, it also prevents you from physically wearing such a magic item, as dictated by common sense and the description of the soulmeld in question.) For example, if you bind a crystal helm to your crown chakra, the helm settles snugly around your head. It physically prevents you from also wearing another helm (magic or mundane), as well as magically preventing you from gaining the benefit of a magic helm. Any visual differences between bound and unbound soulmelds are given in the description of a specific soulmeld.

In general, you can only bind a soulmeld to the chakra it occupies. Since only one soulmeld can occupy any given chakra, you can usually only bind one soulmeld to any chakra.