Incarnum

Incarnum
L'incarnum est la substance magique amorphe faite de l'énergie des âmes de toutes créatures pensantes, mortes ou vivantes, et même n'étant pas encore nées. Dans sa forme pure, l'incarnum ressemble à une brûme bleutée et scintillante. Ceux entraînés ou bénis pour manipuler l'incarnum peut le modeler pour créer des objets physiques appelés Soulmeld (Amalgâmes) ou simplement l'utiliser pour accroître leur pouvoir. Modeler l'incarnum n'a aucun effet négatif sur l'énergie d'âme utilisée. L'incarnum n'est pas consumé dans le processus le modelant, il est simplement "emprunté" à la masse quasi-infinie du multivers. Pour les modeleurs d'âmes, l'incarnum est plus que de la magie, c'est l'essence même de toutes les créatures. Les porteurs talentueux d'incarnum apprennent à manipuler l'énergie de certaines qualités spécifique de l'incarnum, en canalisant l'énergie des âmes selon leurs particularités, alignements et autres. Cela explique certainement que la plus part de ces gens et créatures aient une morale et une éthique forte, qu'elles soient bonnes ou mauvaises.

Dans le monde de Shylmirid, toutes les créatures sont en mesure d'utiliser l'Incarnum. Leur niveau de Meldshaper est égal à leur Dés de Vie. Leur nombre d'essentia de base est de 1 par niveau du niveau 1 à 20, puis 2 par niveau 21 à 30 et finalement 4 par niveau à partir du niveau 31. La capacité Maximale en Essentia de chaque Don, Capacité ou Soulmeld est de 1 + 1 pour chaque 6 Dés de vie.

Incarnum: Composed of the souls of the dead and the yet-born, Incarnum is the material from which soulmelds are formed.

Essentia: The pale, hair-thin wisps of Incarnum Energy that are used to fuel Incarnum abilities. Some creatures, including characters with Incarnum classes or certain feats, have a pool of Essentia. Essentia is used not by being spent, like Magus Arcane Points, or a Monk's Ki Pool. Instead, it is merely invested, the points being placed in the Essentia Receptacle (that is, a soulmeld or ability that can receive essentia) until such time as your choose (or are forced) to regain those points or redistribute them. Distributing Essentia is a swift action, no matter how many or few essentia points you move. You can gain Essentia from levels in a meldshaping class, certain feats, or a natural racial essentia reserve. Your essentia pools from different classes stack, and you can use essentia from any source with any receptacle.

Essentia Damage: Sometimes, there will be an effect which causes you to temporarily lose Essentia Points. This effect is called Essentia Damage. This lost Essentia is first deducted from your uninvested Essentia, and then from your soulmelds and other essentia receptacles in the order the player chooses until all the lost essentia has been accounted for. Essentia damage is healed like ability damage, either over time or by spells and effects like restoration spells. The amount of essentia you can invest in any one receptacle at a time is limited to 1/5 your Hit Dice, rounded up.

Soulmeld: A semi-real magical object formed of Incarnum and placed on the body, which provides a magical effect. Creating a soulmeld is called "shaping" the soulmeld. Soulmelds may be "bound", intensifying their effect but locking out magic items on the same body slot, and can have Essentia "invested" in them to improve them. Soulmelds remain shaped until you unshape them, which can be done at will. If you wish to shape a new one, however, you must spend an hour meditating after resting for 8 hours (except in certain special circumstances.) A soulmeld is a supernatural ability, and can not be dispelled like a spell would (although it can be suppressed). Classes with a list of soulmelds don't need to learn them, and can simply shape any melds on their list. However, Meldshapers are limited in how many melds they can have shaped at a time. Meldshaping classes may never have more than the lesser of: their Con score - 10 soulmelds; Or the amount allowed for their level shaped at a time in the "Melds" column of their class table; shaped at one time. Non-meldshapers who have the ability to shape soulmelds from the Shape Soulmeld feat, they are not bound by the latter restriction, but the restriction still applies for Meldshapers who have received access to additional soulmelds from other classes' lists.

Meldshaper: A Meldshaper is simply one who can shape soulmelds. A Soulmeld has a Meldshaper level, much like a spell has a caster level. They can be suppressed like a magic item. When using dispel magic to suppress a soulmeld, use the soulmeld's meldshaper level in place the the caster level. A Meldshaper's Meldshaper level is equal to his levels in a meldshaping class +1/2 of all other Hit Dice (meldshaper levels from different meldshaping classes don't stack directly, so a Totemist 5/Soulborn 4 would have two separate MSLs of 7 and 6 respectively). If you have the ability to shape soulmelds without having levels in a meldshaping class, your meldshaper level is considered to be 1/2 your level. This meldshaper level increase only advances your meldshaper level, not your essentia, soulmelds, or binds from your classes. Classes that explicitly grant meldshaper advancement offer it in place of their normal 1/2 level increase, and advance essentia, soulmelds, and binds as well as meldshaper level.

Binding: Eventually, most meldshapers gain the ability to "bind" their soulmelds, making them more physically real, and placing them firmly on the body. When a Soulmeld (or occasionally an item) is bound to a chakra (below), it attaches to the body. Despite the fact that they become physically real, and often behave like magic items, they do not prevent you from using magic items on the same body part. You may bind your soulmelds while shaping them normally, and may unbind them at will, although you must still rest 8 hours and spend one hour meditating to bind new ones (Again, you can bind while shaping normally). Chakra Binds gained from feats are allowed to be used with all soulmelds, but binds gained from levels in a meldshaping class are only usable with melds gained from that class or from the Shape Soulmeld feat.

Sources :

- http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=304799

- http://www.gemmaline.com/incarnum/