3.P Notes for Akasha and Incarnum
These are just a few notes explaining the tier rankings and other considerations for veilweavers and meldshapers.
Dreamscarred Press published the Akashic Mysteries supplement for Pathfinder as an evolution of Wizard of the Coast's Magic of Incarnum for D&D 3.5. Veilweavers / meldshapers have the ability to create what are essentially temporary magic items that grant them abilities that scale with an investment of energy. This energy is referred to as essence / essentia, and it's not depleted as other class resources are. Instead, it is simply redistributed / reinvested each round.
Meldshapers are usually considered between tier 3 and 4, so they've settled into tier 3.5. Their powers and mechanics are unique, and they thrive in battles of attrition, but fail to measure up to other classes with more explosive powers and abilities (read: those that can make better use of the action economy). Veilweavers are similar, but Viziers have access to nearly double the veils of any other class. Together with the somewhat increased power of veils compared to soulmelds, they're effectively tier 3.
We'll be using the Akashic Mystery mechanics for shaping veils, binding chakras, and activating abilities. This requires a few conversions from Magic of Incarnum. Notably, magic items no longer prevent veils from being bound to a chakra, and several of the chakras have changed since 3.5:
| Old Chakra | New Chakra |
| Crown | Head |
| Feet | Feet |
| Hands | Hands |
| Arms | Wrists |
| Brow | Headband |
| Shoulders | Shoulders |
| Throat | Neck |
| Waist | Belt |
| Heart | Chest |
| Soul | Body |
Since these changes would invalidate the Incarnum Focus wondrous items - these items now function within anti-magic fields, wild magic zones, and similar areas of unusual magic. They confer this benefit to any veils shaped or bound into the same chakra.
Several other subsystems interact with chakras by "awakening," "opening," or "closing" them. These may or may not interact with the above chakras, but I'm inclined to all them to, pending case-by-case reviews.
Infinite essence / essentia abuse (such as by Necrocarnates) warrants a tier increase. The vivocarnate adapatation will be homebrewed at some point. The Midnight Occultist dual-progression homebrew prestige class is allowed without a tier increase (beyond the usual costs).
2023 Notes: There's been an unexpected explosion of Akasha content in the past few years. Tons of new classes, veils, and other options are now available, and there's been a considerable power increase as well (especially with newer veils). As such, I've revised a number of veilweavers' tier. Some optional rules I've reviewed:
- Automatic Minor Veils: We'll use this.
- Slotless Minor Veils. And this.
- Enhanced Veils: The consensus seems to be that enhanced veils are better balanced than the original versions, so we'll use them by default.