Shape Soulmeld

Sometimes, to try and keep things fresh, Wizards would introduce a new system as an option for players to tack onto their game. Rather than simply having every splatbook just be new feats, new prestige classes, new spells and new items, they would try to coax players via a whole new subsystem. You've got your psionics, your invocations, your weaboo fighting magic. In subsequent years, said systems would get varying degrees of support.... seemingly at random. But the crack team at Wizards would be canny enough to recognize that at any given time, many enfranchised players were elbows-deep in some big campaign, and they're not going to simply fire up a brand new character to accommodate this whole new concept being presented! Thus, there would often be a compromise for those who came late: a feat that lets a character dip their toe in the new subsystem and at least sample one of the many new flavours on offer. Psionics have Wild Talent, maneuvers have Martial Study, and incarnum - perhaps the most opaque system of them all - can be sampled via the Shape Soulmeld feat.

Magic of Incarnum is rather notorious for being difficult to understand (Vecna knows I didn't grasp it on my first or second reading.) This is owing both to the complex nuances of the mechanic as well as... regrettably poor editing. Having said that, you of course need not understand every aspect of the system if you're just dipping your toe in via Shape Soulmeld! This article will be written with the assumption that you are not piloting a dedicated meldshaper, but rather have a more standard character build that's just window shopping with a single feat slot to spare. Having said that, the possibilities available from the Shape Soulmeld feat mean it's very much worth considering on any build with the slot to spare. Thought Planar Touchstone was versatile? Shape Soulmeld probably has it beaten handily!

The Shape of Things to Come

At its simplest, the list of soulmelds featured in Magic of Incarnum are essentially a list of permanent buffs. When you take the Shape Soulmeld feat (assuming you have the prerequisite 13 Con) you can pick any one of them to have active from then on. That's it. In light of that fact, it helps to approach each one of these with the mindset of "is this worth a feat slot? Can this effect be better achieved by another feat elsewhere?" Because, of course, not all soulmelds are created equal. Listed here, then, are some of the more intriguing and impressive standouts available to any character.

Adamant Pauldrons - You get a 25% chance to resist a sneak attack or critical hit. Light fortification's not bad for a feat, especially at the lower levels when it's not easy to come by.

Airstep Sandals - You can fly up to 10 feet as a move action. The range may be short, but how often can you pick up pseudo-flight for a single feat, potentially at level 1? This one is excellent, and can stay useful even at higher levels.

Basilisk Mask - You gain low-light vision.

Blink Shirt - Possibly the best option available, this grants you a 10-foot dimension door at will. The fact it's a standard action and that you can't act afterwards limits its usefulness in combat somewhat, but this is an inexhaustible "get out of jail free" card otherwise. Escape from grapples, bindings, jail cells, being swallowed, or just bypass walls and locked doors - the utility on offer is enormous.

Bloodtalons - You can operate completely normally all the way down to -9 hit points: no being disabled, no falling unconscious, no automatically losing hit points, no stabilization checks. This is everything the Diehard feat wishes it was, and can essentially double your hit points at low levels.

Cerulean Sandals - You get a persistent water walk effect. This can be endlessly useful in a seafaring or swamp-centric campaign, and is a handy option to help dedicated chargers from being stymied by some types of difficult terrain.

Disenchanter Mask - You can use detect magic with a range of 10 feet. Yeah, it's a level 0 spell with 60-foot range, but having it at-will means you can really go wild. This is great for detecting the auras of invisible foes or helping a trapfinder detect magical traps.

Dissolving Spittle - This is a funky one, letting you spit a glob of acid for 1d6 damage as a ranged touch attack within 30 feet. Being able to pick up a useful ranged touch attack is handy, especially if you ever run into a troll, but there's also utility to be had in using the acid to dissolve inconvenient objects.

Fellmist Robe - You have 10% concealment against any non-adjacent attacker. A flat miss chance never gets stale as you level up, and remember that any amount of concealment protects you from sneak attacks, but note that the robe temporarily disperses so long as you're in a strong wind.

Flame Cincture - You have resistance to fire 10. Since fire damage is common, resistance to fire is particularly handy.

Impulse Boots - You have Uncanny Dodge. Getting class features for feats is fun, and this one is useful for most characters. Uncanny Dodge means you aren't vulnerable while balancing or climbing, and you keep your Dex to AC against unseen attackers. This is huge for dexterous types that lose most of their AC when flat-footed.

Incarnate Weapon - This is another funky one. You shape a melee weapon as determined by your alignnment: a battleaxe for chaotic, a flail for evil, a warhammer for good and a longsword for lawful. Said weapon is never subject to nonproficiency penalties, deals damage with the appropriate alignment descriptor (so the warhammer would overcome DR/good) and can't be sundered or otherwise destroyed. The real funny part is that you can throw the thing with impunity, since it always returns to your hand at the start of your turns.

Keeneye Lenses - Grants a +4 insight bonus on Spot checks. Nothing flashy, but if you were thinking about Skill Focus (spot) anyway, this is marginally better.

Kraken Mantle - Grants a +8 competence bonus on Swim checks, and a successful Swim check permits you to move at your speed as a full-round action or half your speed as a move action (that is to say, double the usual rate.) Obviously this is highly situational, but it's a godsend in an aquatic campaign if you didn't already have a swim speed.

Krenshar Mask - Grants a +4 competence bonus to Jump and Move Silently checks. This is better than taking Skill Focus twice, but they aren't skills you see on the same build too often. A swordsage with a focus on Tiger Claw maneuvers would be a perfect fit, though.

Kruthik Claws - Grants a +4 competence bonus to Hide and Move Silently checks. That's more like it!

Lamia Belt - Grants a +4 competence bonus to Bluff and Hide checks.

Lammasu Mantle - You get a +2 deflection bonus to AC against evil attackers. Yeah, it doesn't work against animals or other neutral creatures, but a deflection bonus to AC is not so easy to get, and +2 AC is pretty good coming out of one feat.

Lucky Dice - This is a fun one, even if it loses the strength-from-the-natural-world theme somewhat. As a swift action, you can choose to apply a +1 luck bonus to one of the following for a round: attack & damage rolls, saving throws, or skill & ability checks. Then you roll a 2d6, and if the total is 7, you apply the bonus to all of the above. Luck bonuses are unusual, and being able to allocate it as you see fit is handy, but it does eat up your swift action every round. This is probably at its best if you normally weren't using your swift actions anyway.

Mage's Spectacles - Grants a +4 insight bonus to Decipher Script, Spellcraft and Use Magic Device checks, and it even lets you make them untrained. That's a crazy amount of skill bonus, and UMD is in the running for most powerful skill in the game: this is a natural fit for factotums, artificers and most rogues.

Pauldrons of Health - You gain immunity to disease and being sickened or nauseated. That's a nice handful of immunities for the price of one feat, and nausea in particular can be a losing proposition.

Pegasus Cloak - You have a permanent feather fall effect, and even a +2 enhancement bonus on Jump checks. Feather fall isn't exactly expensive to replicate, but maybe you had bigger plans for your ring slots!

Phase Cloak - Grants a +4 competence bonus to Climb checks, you can always take 10 on Climb checks, and you retain your Dexterity bonus to AC while climbing. This could very well save your life and increases your mobility by a surprising amount. So long as you have even a measly +1 Strength modifier, this guarantees you can hit a DC 15 Climb check every time.

Planar Chasuble - You gain resistance 10 to an energy type as determined by your alignment: electricity for Chaotic, acid for Evil, cold for Good and fire for Lawful. There's also a feature about being considered native on planes with an alignment trait that matches your own, but it's unbelievably niche. We're mostly here for the permanent resist energy.

Planar Ward - You are protected against mental control or possession, kind of like a mini-mind blank. It doesn't prevent your allies from buffing you, either.

Riding Bracers - Grants a +4 insight bonus to Handle Animal and Ride checks.

Shadow Mantle - Grants a +4 competence bonus to Listen checks. Again, just an upgrade over Skill Focus (Listen.)

Soulspark Familiar - You conjure a tiny mote of light that acts as a familiar of sorts. Having it around grants you the Alertness feat, and while it cannot go off scouting on its own, it does have a short-range touch attack for 1d4+1 damage. It's decent added firepower at low levels, and you can make use of its +6 Listen and Spot checks as another set of senses if your character isn't the party scout.

Strongheart Vest - You have 1 point of damage reduction for ability damage. This is quite unique, and it lessens the danger of bothersome hazards such as poison or disease. Whether this can be used to negate the drawback on a Hellfire Warlock is a discussion for another time!

Theft Gloves - Grants a +2 insight bonus to Disable Device, Open Lock and Sleight of Hand checks, and it lets you make them untrained. Having said that, the characters that are interested in these bonuses will more often than not be putting points into those skills anyway. This is mostly intriguing as an easy way to make a member of the party into a backup trap disabler with one feat.

Threefold Mask of the Chimera - You can't be flanked. Take that, sneak attackers!

Vitality Belt - Grants a +4 morale bonus to Constitution checks and Constitution-based skill checks. That includes Concentration, which means this is just a strict upgrade over Combat Casting.

Wind Cloak - You gain damage reduction 2/magic against ranged weapons, and tiny or smaller flying creatures must success on a Fortitude save to enter your space... which is particularly nice as a way to deflect swarms.

Wormtail Belt - You get a +2 enhancement bonus to natural armor. This is huge at low levels and can be especially nice on a race that already has natural armor.

It Was Bound to Happen

Generally speaking, trying soulmelds on for size is as simple as taking the Shape Soulmeld feat and choosing whichever one you want from the list. No muss, no fuss. However, similar to how you could unlock greater power from touchstone sites, every soulmeld also has a more potent version available if you go to the extra effort of "binding" it.

Unfortunately, it's not as simple as deciding whether you want your soulmeld bound or not: in order to bind a soulmeld, then you need to take a second feat and give up one of your magic item slots. Hey, if you're serious about the whole arrangement, sometimes you gotta prove you're dedicated. So while a shaped Airstep Sandals won't occupy your boots slot (you could still wear boots of speed no problem) a bound Airstep Sandals will take up your boots slot. To further complicate matters, there isn't a single "Bind Soulmeld" feat. Each soulmeld corresponds to a different 'chakra' on the body (similar to how  magic items take up different item slots) and the various chakras are grouped into three tiers: least, lesser and greater. Each tier, then, has a different feat necessary to make a soulmeld in it bindable, and  these feats have different entry requirements. Open Least Chakra requires level 6, Open Lesser Chakra requires level 12, and Open Greater Chakra isn't available until level 18. Thus, it's also worth considering when in your character's adventuring career the bound soulmeld in question becomes available! Most characters will live to see level 6, but level 18 can often be an era of world-shaking power... assuming you ever play a character that high-level, will you really want to be dipping into a subsystem at that point?

Some bound soulmelds are powerful enough to be worth considering the investment of two feats to achieve them, having said that. Again, we have the standout options listed here - some of the options you may recognize from the previous section, but some new names might creep in that are really only useful when bound. The assumption is being made that you're gaining access to these binds at the earliest level the feats allow, and each option will mention which magic item slot it inhabits when bound.

Least Chakras (requires character level 6th)

The Open Least Chakra feat permits you to bind a soulmeld to your crown, feet or hands. Level 6 is relatively early in a character's career, and assuming you take the appropriate feats as early as possible, you can unlock some effects that are difficult to access otherwise.

Crystal Helm - Your melee attacks gain the force descriptor, which means you entirely ignore the chance to be noneffective against incorporeal foes. Crown slot.

Diadem of Purelight - You shed bright light to a distance of 20 feet, and all forms of concealment (other than total concealment) within this radius are negated. If you rely on precision damage, you don't want concealment to stop you cold! You can score this a lot earlier than true seeing, and it works on fog, darkness, blur, you name it. Crown slot.

Enigma Helm - You have complete immunity to enchantment (charm) effects. Broad immunities are always satisfying, but the really scary enchantments are usually compulsions. Crown slot.

Impulse Boots - You have Evasion. Another feat for another class feature! Evasion for two feats, available to anyone at level 6, is honestly a pretty sweet deal. The real question is whether this is a     permanent enough solution to qualify as a prerequisite for prestige classes that require Evasion. Fochlucan Lyrist, anyone? Feet slot.

Necrocarnum Circlet - When you bind this one, you can animate a corpse within 30 feet of HD up to half your character level as a necrocarnum zombie (a template statted out in Magic of Incarnum.) You lose HP equal to the zombie's HD so long as it's around, but it's only a full-round action to reanimate and they can act immediately. So you can essentially make zombie minions at will, which is crazy utility for a couple feats, though you can't have more than one on the go at a time. Note that necrocarnum zombies are superior to regular zombies, with an actual Intelligence score, +4 Strength and +4 Dexterity. The HD limit will quickly become a liability, but you'll have solid possible combat ability at the low levels and at the very least utility at higher levels. Crown slot.

Shedu Crown - You can communicate telepathically with any creature within 100 feet that has a language. In addition to allowing for silent communication with your party while in the field or under scrutiny and negating any language barriers, it also opens the door for the crazy-powerful Mindsight feat. Crown slot.

Sphinx Claws - You can make a full attack at the end of a charge so long as you only use natural weapons. Obviously a one-level dip into lion totem barbarian is the classic method of obtaining pounce, but if that's not on the table and you were using natural weapons anyway, pounce really is good enough that this can still be a worthwhile option. Hands slot.

Theft Gloves - You have trapfinding. Again, it's probably easier to take a one-level dip to get this ability, but I like having the option (hey, maybe you need to maintain your full BAB.) Hands slot.

Threefold Mask of the Chimera - At the end of your turn, you can take an extra move action. If you do, you take a -5 penalty on attack rolls and AC until the end of your next turn, and you can only take a single standard or move action on your next turn. This one sounds very intriguing in terms of opening up tactical options, but admittedly I can't think of specifically what to do with it. Crown slot.

Thunderstep Boots - Shaping thunderstep boots causes anyone you damage after a charge to take an extra 1d4 sonic damage: pretty small potatoes. Binding the boots, however, causes anyone damaged to also have to make a Fortitude save or be stunned. Stunning is a very nasty condition to be dishing out (don't forget they drop everything they're holding!) so even with a low DC it can be worth a try. What's especially attractive is if you also have pounce, forcing multiple saves in a row. Feet slot.

Worg Pelt - When you hit with a bite attack, you get a free trip attempt without needing a touch attack, provoking an attack of opportunity or allowing an opponent to trip you back. You know, like a wolf. Note that this soulmeld does not grant you a bite attack, meaning you'll have to already have one available, but completely free trip attempts could be a big help. Hands slot.

 

Lesser Chakras (requires character level 12th)

The Open Lesser Chakra feat permits you to bind a soulmeld to your arms, brow or shoulders. Level 12 is quite a bit later in your career than 6, and thus you can expect greater access to spells and items as well as more stiff competition for feat slots. Having said that, some of the binds available at this point have more impressive effects as well, and you may be surprised what a feat slot can get you.

Bluesteel Bracers - Grants a +2 insight bonus to initiative for you and all allies within 30 feet. Going first is important enough that even a +2 is appreciated, and this only gets better the larger your crew is. Arms slot.

Disenchanter Mask - You can determine the number, strength and location of each magic aura present when you use this soulmeld's detect magic ability, although you do need to actually make the Spellcraft checks necessary to determine the magic involved. Still, if you have a high enough bonus to make good on that, this represents a whole lot of information in the space of one standard action! Brow slot.

Displacer Mantle - You gain concealment amounting to a 20% miss chance, beatable only by a true seeing effect. Shoulders slot.

Fearsome Mask - You gain a gaze attack that cause enemies to become shaken for 1 minute as a mind-affecting effect, and it specifically doesn't effect allies. This might sound innocuous, but read the rules on gaze attacks and you'll realize it's essentially free to use every turn. Then you realize that the feat effects are able to stack, and there's no mention of creatures that make their save being immune for 24 hours. In practice, this can make all of your foes shaken the first round, then frightened and then panicked without you ever having to take a single action - and anyone not immune will have to keep saving every round. Brow slot.

Girallon Arms - If you damage a target with two or more claw attacks (regardless of the source) you rend for double claw damage, including your Strength bonus. Rend isn't too easy to pick up, so spending two feats to do so isn't unreasonable. This could definitely find a home on any number of natural attack-minded builds. Arms slot.

Incarnate Weapon - You may spend a move action to make your next attack with your incarnate weapon stun the target if they fail a Fortitude save (assuming at least one component of their alignment is opposed to your own.) Once again, stunning is very nasty. Note that you don't have to perform the attack the same turn you spend a move action to charge it up: you can start every fight with the weapon pre-charged. Even still, though, the fact it uses the rarely-employed move action means it synergizes easily with maneuvers or psionicists manifesting hustle. Arms slot.

Keeneye Lenses - You can see invisibility, as the spell. Generally you should already have a reliable way to do this by level 12, but it can be harder for characters that aren't spellcasters. Brow slot.

Pauldrons of Health - You gain immunity to energy drain. Shoulders slot.

Phase Cloak - Whenever you move, you can choose to be ethereal for the duration of the movement. No, seriously. At-will etherealness! This is very likely the strongest bind available at its level. Shoulders slot.

Sailor's Bracers - Your swim at double the normal rate on a successful Swim check, and you take no penalty to attacks made underwater. Obviously the bigger draw is the effective freedom of movement, and while it's of course campaign-dependent, it's a good way to access such an effect if you weren't already doing it with gear or magic. Arms slot.

Truthseeker Goggles - You gain darkvision out to 60 feet. Definitely an excellent thing to have, though there may be less costly ways to get it. Brow slot.

Unicorn Horn - You may detect evil once per round as a standard action. I don't think there's any reasonable way to get such an ability at will without taking a level in paladin or something similar... so that's pretty cool. Brow slot.

Wind Cloak - This operates like the Deflect Arrows feat, except you don't need a free hand and it operates even if you're flat-footed. That is to say, it's flat-out superior, especially considering you don't have to worry about prerequisites either. Shoulders slot.

Greater Chakras (requires character level 18th)

The Open Greater Chakra feat permits you to bind a soulmeld to your throat or waist. Level 18 represents your last feat before the epic levels, and is so late in the game that it's hard to imagine many of these binds having a significant effect on gameplay. Having said that, the same argument could be made for a lot of feats at this point, so you might as well consider the better options on offer here.

Apparition Ribbon - As a standard action, you may become incorporeal for 1 round. You may do this a number of times per day equal to half your character level. Most spellcasters should have an easier method of pulling this off at this level, but it's an intriguing option if you aren't a caster. Throat slot.

Gorgon Mask - Once per day, you can hit an adjacent foe with flesh to stone if they fail a Fortitude save. Now admittedly, at this level, most foes will either make their save or be flat-out immune... and once per day feels too stringent. But this still feels like a cool thing to get out of a feat! Throat slot.

Strongheart Vest - You have 1 point of damage reduction for ability drain. Waist slot.

Vitality Belt - You are immune to Constitution damage and Constitution drain. If you weren't immune already, this is a fine way to make up for that! Waist slot.

 

Spellbinding

If some of the bound soulmelds sound intriguing but you really aren't keen on being down two feats, there are in fact a couple alternate methods for letting you bind a soulmeld. The Open Least Chakra, Open Lesser Chakra and Open Greater Chakra feats all have an equivalent cleric/wizard spell with the same name, of 4th, 7th and 9th level, respectively. Each spell lasts for 24 hours, meaning you will have to re-cast one every day in order to retain access to a bound soulmeld: whether a feat or a spell slot is more worthy of sacrifice is up to you. Unfortunately even open least chakra is a 4th level spell, putting it outside the purview of an eternal wand, and the least and lesser spells are available one level later than their equivalent feats (assuming a prepared caster with full progression.)

Psionic characters (in case you really want to start smashing different systems together) also have an option in the form of the imaginatively named psionic open chakra. 7 power points lets you open any of the least chakras, 13 opens up a lesser chakra, and 17 scores you the two greater chakras. This is equivalent to the same levels as the spells, but at least you can access any of the three from a single power... but we all know of theoretical ways to manifest powers more powerfully than your level might suggest!