Incarnum and Essentia Invesments question [Archive] - Wizards Community

Incarnum and Essentia Invesments question [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
zavoq
12-13-05, 10:53 AM I am making a Duskling Totemist for an upcoming campaign and have a question about essentia investments. Here is how I understand it:

- Investing essentia is a swift action.

- Once essentia is invested in a specific soulmeld, feat, ability...whatever, it remains invested in that item until reinvested by the player.

- Swift actions can be made anytime a free action can be made, but oly once per round.

- Essentia is not "used up." It is only moved around.

- As a duskling, I can invest essentia in my land speed to increase it by 5 feet per point.

- Lets say I have the Blink Shirt melded. This soulmeld allows me to teleport 10 feet as a standard action. The distance can be increased by 10 feet per point of essentia.

So with all this in mind...can I do this.

On round 1 of combat I invest my 2 points of essentia into my Land speed (boosting it from 30 feet to 40 feet) and draw my warhammer.

On round 2 of combat (the 2 points I invested in round one are still invested in myt speed) I move 40 feet, then as a swift action I reinvest the 2 essentia points into my blink shirt and teleport 30 feet.

Does that throw up any red flags for anyone? It seems like it should to me...but I cant find anything in the rules saying that you cant do this.

TIA,
Zavoq
Nurgan_the_drunked
12-13-05, 11:00 AM I know what you mean, it is awkwardly vague with "on your go". I would have thought it would occur at the start of your go (and it's not a swift action as it doesn't stop other swift actions), unless there is something where it says more specifically. Changing mid turn seems to be taking the mick a bit.
Doopliss
12-13-05, 11:03 AM Nope, that scenario seems perfectly reasonable to me.

Once essentia is invested in a specific soulmeld, feat, ability...whatever, it remains invested in that item until reinvested by the player.

You can only pump essentia into an incarnum feat at the beggining of the day. Aside from that, all spot on.
zavoq
12-13-05, 12:35 PM great...just wanted to make sure that i was readng that correctly.
Demonfey
12-13-05, 02:04 PM You might not be able to teleport in the same round, though, simply because it may take more than what you've got left in your turn
zavoq
12-13-05, 02:09 PM teleport is a standard action. the only catch is that after you teleport...you can't do anything else in that round, so the way I understand it, I can move first then teleport...but not the other way around.
The 8th Samurai
12-13-05, 07:02 PM I am making a Duskling Totemist for an upcoming campaign and have a question about essentia investments. Here is how I understand it:

1. Investing essentia is a swift action.

2. Once essentia is invested in a specific soulmeld, feat, ability...whatever, it remains invested in that item until reinvested by the player.

3. Swift actions can be made anytime a free action can be made, but oly once per round.

4. Essentia is not "used up." It is only moved around.

5. As a duskling, I can invest essentia in my land speed to increase it by 5 feet per point.

6. Lets say I have the Blink Shirt melded. This soulmeld allows me to teleport 10 feet as a standard action. The distance can be increased by 10 feet per point of essentia.

So with all this in mind...can I do this.

7. On round 1 of combat I invest my 2 points of essentia into my Land speed (boosting it from 30 feet to 40 feet) and draw my warhammer.

8. On round 2 of combat (the 2 points I invested in round one are still invested in myt speed) I move 40 feet, then as a swift action I reinvest the 2 essentia points into my blink shirt and teleport 30 feet.

Does that throw up any red flags for anyone? It seems like it should to me...but I cant find anything in the rules saying that you cant do this.

TIA,
Zavoq

I added numbers to your quote to make understanding my explanations easier to undertand.

1. True

2. If essentia is invested in a feat it remains in that feat and cannot be reinvested until 24 hours later. Look under INCARNUM FEATS on page 34 about this 24 hour rule. Also, the maximum allowed essentia you can invest in any feat is by your character level. Table 2-1: Essentia Capacity on page 19 for explanation on this limit. This shows the maximum essentia you are allowed to invest in any one feat, ability, soulmeld, etc. Investing essentia into an ability can be reinvested as a swift action unless otherwise stated. Essentia invested in soulmelds can be reinvested each round as a swift action.

3. True. So you can't perform 2 swift actions a round, can't perform a swift action when it is not your turn, and can't perform a swift action the same turn you performed an immediate action.

4. True

5. True. However there is a maximum amount you can invest in your speed. Look at Table 2-1: Essentia Capacity on page 19. This shows the maximum essentia you are allowed to invest in your character's speed, feat, soulmeld, etc. Thus, you can't throw 2 points of essentia into your character's speed until the character is level 6 or higher.

6. True. Remember the maximum essentia allowed for your character's level.

7. True, if character is level 6 or higher. If under 6th level, only 1 essentia can be invested in the character's speed.

8. True (I can find nothing that says you can't reallocate the essentia after it has been used in another soulmeld the same round. It only states anytime you can perform a free action you can reallocate the essentia.) However, it may also be up to your DM. This can be seen as very powerful or cheesy. Check with your DM and get his/her ruling. However, I can't find anything in the book that says that you can't do it. Also, remember the maximum essentia that can be invested in the speed and blink shirt as per character level.

FYI: At level 2 a totemist can increase the amount of essentia in the soulmeld bound to his/her totem chakra is increased by +1. Therefore, a character level 2-5 could invest 2, not 1, essentia into the bound totem soulmeld, a character level 6-11 can invest 3 into the bound totem soulmeld, etc. The bonus increases to +2 for a 15th level totemist. This bonus applies only to the bound totem chakra and no other bound soulmelds (i.e, shoulders, crown, waist, etc). Read the description in the Totem Chakra Bind on page 30 for more explanation on this.

Hope this helps. Happy gaming.
zavoq
12-13-05, 09:08 PM Thanks for the info Samurai. Glad to hear that I am understanding everything correctly. I mis-spoke, or rather mis typed when I clumped feats in with other essentia recepticles.

I understand the idea of essentia capacity and decided to take the expanded soulmeld capacity feat for my first level feat, thus making my totem chakra have a 3 essentia capacity and other chakras have a 2 essentia capacity at level 1. My total esssentia is only 2 at lvl 1, but will be 3 at level 2 when I can acutrally bind to the Totem. Does that make sense?
The 8th Samurai
12-14-05, 12:09 AM Thanks for the info Samurai. Glad to hear that I am understanding everything correctly. I mis-spoke, or rather mis typed when I clumped feats in with other essentia recepticles.

I understand the idea of essentia capacity and decided to take the expanded soulmeld capacity feat for my first level feat, thus making my totem chakra have a 3 essentia capacity and other chakras have a 2 essentia capacity at level 1. My total esssentia is only 2 at lvl 1, but will be 3 at level 2 when I can acutrally bind to the Totem. Does that make sense?

The Expanded Soulmeld Capacity will only increase the essentia capacity for ONE soulmeld you choose, not all your soulmelds. Thus, when you shape your soulmelds choose one soulmeld. That soulmeld will have an essentia capacity of +1 (up to your CON bonus). It will not affect any of your other soulmelds. Therefore, if you apply Expanded Soulmeld Capacity to your totem chakra, your capacity for the totem chakra, at level 2, is 3 essentia. All your other soulmelds are limited to a capacity of 1 essentia. The next time you shape your soulmelds again, you can choose a different or same soulmeld to have the expanded essentia capacity increased. Again, this will only affect that soulmeld and no others. To be able to increase the capacity on more than one soulmeld, you need to take Expanded Soulmeld Capacity again. Each time you take Expanded Soulmeld Capacity, it can affect another soulmeld. Therefore, if you took Expanded Soulmeld Capacity three times, three of your soulmelds can have +1 capacity. However, no more than one Expanded Soulmeld Capacity can be applied to the same soulmeld.

Hope this helps. Happy gaming.
zavoq
12-14-05, 09:35 AM The Expanded Soulmeld Capacity will only increase the essentia capacity for ONE soulmeld you choose, not all your soulmelds. Thus, when you shape your soulmelds choose one soulmeld. That soulmeld will have an essentia capacity of +1 (up to your CON bonus). It will not affect any of your other soulmelds. Therefore, if you apply Expanded Soulmeld Capacity to your totem chakra, your capacity for the totem chakra, at level 2, is 3 essentia. All your other soulmelds are limited to a capacity of 1 essentia. The next time you shape your soulmelds again, you can choose a different or same soulmeld to have the expanded essentia capacity increased. Again, this will only affect that soulmeld and no others. To be able to increase the capacity on more than one soulmeld, you need to take Expanded Soulmeld Capacity again. Each time you take Expanded Soulmeld Capacity, it can affect another soulmeld. Therefore, if you took Expanded Soulmeld Capacity three times, three of your soulmelds can have +1 capacity. However, no more than one Expanded Soulmeld Capacity can be applied to

Right. Understood. Thanks for the info.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
zavoq 12-13-05, 10:53 AM	I am making a Duskling Totemist for an upcoming campaign and have a question about essentia investments. Here is how I understand it: - Investing essentia is a swift action. - Once essentia is invested in a specific soulmeld, feat, ability...whatever, it remains invested in that item until reinvested by the player. - Swift actions can be made anytime a free action can be made, but oly once per round. - Essentia is not "used up." It is only moved around. - As a duskling, I can invest essentia in my land speed to increase it by 5 feet per point. - Lets say I have the Blink Shirt melded. This soulmeld allows me to teleport 10 feet as a standard action. The distance can be increased by 10 feet per point of essentia. So with all this in mind...can I do this. On round 1 of combat I invest my 2 points of essentia into my Land speed (boosting it from 30 feet to 40 feet) and draw my warhammer. On round 2 of combat (the 2 points I invested in round one are still invested in myt speed) I move 40 feet, then as a swift action I reinvest the 2 essentia points into my blink shirt and teleport 30 feet. Does that throw up any red flags for anyone? It seems like it should to me...but I cant find anything in the rules saying that you cant do this. TIA, Zavoq
Nurgan_the_drunked 12-13-05, 11:00 AM	I know what you mean, it is awkwardly vague with "on your go". I would have thought it would occur at the start of your go (and it's not a swift action as it doesn't stop other swift actions), unless there is something where it says more specifically. Changing mid turn seems to be taking the mick a bit.
Doopliss 12-13-05, 11:03 AM	Nope, that scenario seems perfectly reasonable to me. Once essentia is invested in a specific soulmeld, feat, ability...whatever, it remains invested in that item until reinvested by the player. You can only pump essentia into an incarnum feat at the beggining of the day. Aside from that, all spot on.
zavoq 12-13-05, 12:35 PM	great...just wanted to make sure that i was readng that correctly.
Demonfey 12-13-05, 02:04 PM	You might not be able to teleport in the same round, though, simply because it may take more than what you've got left in your turn
zavoq 12-13-05, 02:09 PM	teleport is a standard action. the only catch is that after you teleport...you can't do anything else in that round, so the way I understand it, I can move first then teleport...but not the other way around.
The 8th Samurai 12-13-05, 07:02 PM	I am making a Duskling Totemist for an upcoming campaign and have a question about essentia investments. Here is how I understand it: 1. Investing essentia is a swift action. 2. Once essentia is invested in a specific soulmeld, feat, ability...whatever, it remains invested in that item until reinvested by the player. 3. Swift actions can be made anytime a free action can be made, but oly once per round. 4. Essentia is not "used up." It is only moved around. 5. As a duskling, I can invest essentia in my land speed to increase it by 5 feet per point. 6. Lets say I have the Blink Shirt melded. This soulmeld allows me to teleport 10 feet as a standard action. The distance can be increased by 10 feet per point of essentia. So with all this in mind...can I do this. 7. On round 1 of combat I invest my 2 points of essentia into my Land speed (boosting it from 30 feet to 40 feet) and draw my warhammer. 8. On round 2 of combat (the 2 points I invested in round one are still invested in myt speed) I move 40 feet, then as a swift action I reinvest the 2 essentia points into my blink shirt and teleport 30 feet. Does that throw up any red flags for anyone? It seems like it should to me...but I cant find anything in the rules saying that you cant do this. TIA, Zavoq I added numbers to your quote to make understanding my explanations easier to undertand. 1. True 2. If essentia is invested in a feat it remains in that feat and cannot be reinvested until 24 hours later. Look under INCARNUM FEATS on page 34 about this 24 hour rule. Also, the maximum allowed essentia you can invest in any feat is by your character level. Table 2-1: Essentia Capacity on page 19 for explanation on this limit. This shows the maximum essentia you are allowed to invest in any one feat, ability, soulmeld, etc. Investing essentia into an ability can be reinvested as a swift action unless otherwise stated. Essentia invested in soulmelds can be reinvested each round as a swift action. 3. True. So you can't perform 2 swift actions a round, can't perform a swift action when it is not your turn, and can't perform a swift action the same turn you performed an immediate action. 4. True 5. True. However there is a maximum amount you can invest in your speed. Look at Table 2-1: Essentia Capacity on page 19. This shows the maximum essentia you are allowed to invest in your character's speed, feat, soulmeld, etc. Thus, you can't throw 2 points of essentia into your character's speed until the character is level 6 or higher. 6. True. Remember the maximum essentia allowed for your character's level. 7. True, if character is level 6 or higher. If under 6th level, only 1 essentia can be invested in the character's speed. 8. True (I can find nothing that says you can't reallocate the essentia after it has been used in another soulmeld the same round. It only states anytime you can perform a free action you can reallocate the essentia.) However, it may also be up to your DM. This can be seen as very powerful or cheesy. Check with your DM and get his/her ruling. However, I can't find anything in the book that says that you can't do it. Also, remember the maximum essentia that can be invested in the speed and blink shirt as per character level. FYI: At level 2 a totemist can increase the amount of essentia in the soulmeld bound to his/her totem chakra is increased by +1. Therefore, a character level 2-5 could invest 2, not 1, essentia into the bound totem soulmeld, a character level 6-11 can invest 3 into the bound totem soulmeld, etc. The bonus increases to +2 for a 15th level totemist. This bonus applies only to the bound totem chakra and no other bound soulmelds (i.e, shoulders, crown, waist, etc). Read the description in the Totem Chakra Bind on page 30 for more explanation on this. Hope this helps. Happy gaming.
zavoq 12-13-05, 09:08 PM	Thanks for the info Samurai. Glad to hear that I am understanding everything correctly. I mis-spoke, or rather mis typed when I clumped feats in with other essentia recepticles. I understand the idea of essentia capacity and decided to take the expanded soulmeld capacity feat for my first level feat, thus making my totem chakra have a 3 essentia capacity and other chakras have a 2 essentia capacity at level 1. My total esssentia is only 2 at lvl 1, but will be 3 at level 2 when I can acutrally bind to the Totem. Does that make sense?
The 8th Samurai 12-14-05, 12:09 AM	Thanks for the info Samurai. Glad to hear that I am understanding everything correctly. I mis-spoke, or rather mis typed when I clumped feats in with other essentia recepticles. I understand the idea of essentia capacity and decided to take the expanded soulmeld capacity feat for my first level feat, thus making my totem chakra have a 3 essentia capacity and other chakras have a 2 essentia capacity at level 1. My total esssentia is only 2 at lvl 1, but will be 3 at level 2 when I can acutrally bind to the Totem. Does that make sense? The Expanded Soulmeld Capacity will only increase the essentia capacity for ONE soulmeld you choose, not all your soulmelds. Thus, when you shape your soulmelds choose one soulmeld. That soulmeld will have an essentia capacity of +1 (up to your CON bonus). It will not affect any of your other soulmelds. Therefore, if you apply Expanded Soulmeld Capacity to your totem chakra, your capacity for the totem chakra, at level 2, is 3 essentia. All your other soulmelds are limited to a capacity of 1 essentia. The next time you shape your soulmelds again, you can choose a different or same soulmeld to have the expanded essentia capacity increased. Again, this will only affect that soulmeld and no others. To be able to increase the capacity on more than one soulmeld, you need to take Expanded Soulmeld Capacity again. Each time you take Expanded Soulmeld Capacity, it can affect another soulmeld. Therefore, if you took Expanded Soulmeld Capacity three times, three of your soulmelds can have +1 capacity. However, no more than one Expanded Soulmeld Capacity can be applied to the same soulmeld. Hope this helps. Happy gaming.
zavoq 12-14-05, 09:35 AM	The Expanded Soulmeld Capacity will only increase the essentia capacity for ONE soulmeld you choose, not all your soulmelds. Thus, when you shape your soulmelds choose one soulmeld. That soulmeld will have an essentia capacity of +1 (up to your CON bonus). It will not affect any of your other soulmelds. Therefore, if you apply Expanded Soulmeld Capacity to your totem chakra, your capacity for the totem chakra, at level 2, is 3 essentia. All your other soulmelds are limited to a capacity of 1 essentia. The next time you shape your soulmelds again, you can choose a different or same soulmeld to have the expanded essentia capacity increased. Again, this will only affect that soulmeld and no others. To be able to increase the capacity on more than one soulmeld, you need to take Expanded Soulmeld Capacity again. Each time you take Expanded Soulmeld Capacity, it can affect another soulmeld. Therefore, if you took Expanded Soulmeld Capacity three times, three of your soulmelds can have +1 capacity. However, no more than one Expanded Soulmeld Capacity can be applied to Right. Understood. Thanks for the info.