Soulmelds

Manipulating Incarnum

In its pure form, incarnum resembles a radiant mist, deep blue in color. Those trained or gifted in manipulating incarnum can forge it into physical objects, called soulmelds, or simply use it to imbue themselves with power. Forging incarnum has no ill effect on the soul energy used. Incarnum is not consumed when it is manipulated – it is merely “borrowed” from the nigh-infinite supply in the multiverse. That said, the wielders of incarnum recognize that the substance is more than mere magic. It is, very literally, the essence of all creatures.

Talented wielders of incarnum learn to harness specific qualities of incarnum (and by extension, properties of the souls tapped for this power), including particular alignments, insights, experiences, and the like. In fact, most wielders of incarnum have strong moral and ethical outlooks inextricably linked to their use of the substance.

Soulmelds

A soulmeld is a semipermanent magical effect crafted from raw incarnum. Soulmelds are “worn” much like magic items. Once forged, a soulmeld lasts as long as its creator wants it to.

Soulmelds are persistent magical constructions forged from pure incarnum—the power of souls living, dead, and yet unborn—fused with the meldshaper’s own essence. They resemble both long-lasting spells and magic items in many ways, but truly are neither.

Once forged, a soulmeld takes on a solid physical form in the shape specified for that particular meld. A forged soulmeld acts as a normal object that might be worn, such as boots, armor, or a robe except for the following: they cannot be removed from the individual wearing them, they cannot be damaged except as specifically noted and they don’t have a weight (though they can restrict movement, thus giving an armor check penalty if applicable).

A soulforging character does not choose from a long list of options during combat in the way a spellcaster does. Instead, he forges a limited number of soulmelds at the start of each day. These soulmelds enhance the soulforger’s attributes—often in the form of bonuses on various rolls and checks—and grant him special abilities that might resemble class features and spell-like abilities. Once forged, a soulmeld remains in effect until the character chooses to unforge it (typically to forge a new soulmeld in its place). A soulmeld can remain forged for a day, a month, a year, or even a character’s entire life.

It is not true, however, that all of a soulforger’s decisions are made before the adventure begins. On the contrary, the soulforger manages a unique resource known as incarnum, shifting it between his soulmelds to adjust their power level as needed. This round-by-round tweaking of powers makes the soulforger unlike any other character in his ability to adapt to the threats he faces.

Soulforging

To forge a soulmeld, a soulforger must have a clear mind, just like a wizard who wishes to prepare 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 soulforger must meditate for 1 hour. During this time, he selects and shapes all his soulmelds for the day, simultaneously unforging any current soulmelds that he does not choose to retain. Any soulmelds previously forged that he chooses to retain do not need to be reforged. The time required remains the same regardless of the number of soulmelds forged. At the end of this hour, the effects of any unforged soulmelds end and the effects of forged soulmelds take effect.

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

Soul Anchors

Every soulmeld occupies a soul anchor, even if it is not bound to it. When a soulmeld occupies a soul anchor, the soulforger 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 forge two soulmelds that occupy the same soul anchor. For example, if you have a crystal helm occupying your crown anchor, 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 forge an enigma helm soulmeld, because it would also occupy your crown anchor.

Some soulmelds can occupy one of two or more different anchors. For example, the mauling gauntlets soulmeld can occupy your hands or your arms anchor. You choose when you forge a meld which anchor you want it to occupy.

Soul Binds

A soulmeld can be bound to a soul anchor in order to gain a secondary effect from it. Doing so cuts off the corresponding body slot from magic item use—binding a soulmeld to your feet means you can’t wear magic boots, for example. A skilled soulforger can bind his soulmelds to soul anchors to gain new powers from those soulmelds. When a soulforger binds a meld to a soul anchor, it becomes supernaturally tied or affixed to that body location. The soul anchors are defined by a relative level of power or difficulty for the purposes of binding soulmelds to them. As a soulforger increases in level, he learns to bind soulmelds first to his least soul anchors (crown, feet, and hands), then lesser (arms, brow, and shoulders), then greater (throat and waist), and eventually to his heart and soul anchors. A soulforger can only bind soulmelds to a limited number of his anchors, but that number increases as he gains levels.

Each soulmeld description indicates which anchor or anchors it can be bound to, and the effects of binding it to each anchor. In general, binding a soulmeld to an anchor produces an effect similar to that granted by a magic item worn on the corresponding body slot. For example, binding a soulmeld to the throat anchor often grants the soulforger abilities related to protection or discernment, just as a magic amulet or scarab usually does. Other thematic ties link the powers of soulmelds to their soul anchor binds. A soulmeld bound to the throat anchor might also grant the soulforger a breath weapon or some ability related to speech, since these abilities are symbolically connected to the throat.