Magic of Incarnum is a 224-page sourcebook for Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 released in September 2005.
The book explores incarnum, a power source derived from soul energy.
Official synopsis[]
Harness a New and Original Source of Magical Power
Drawn from the ambient life energy that fills the multiverse, incarnum is the essence of all creatures. Incarnum flows as a deep blue, radiant mist, and those with the knowledge to harness this energy can shape it into objects of great power, called soulmelds. Using soulmelds crafted from raw incarnum, an adventurer opens up new avenues of ability never available before.
In the tradition of the Expanded Psionics Handbook, the Magic of Incarnum game supplement presents an alternative to conventional magic that grants access to a new source of power. Characters of all classes can experience incarnum through feats, spells, psionic powers, and prestige classes, while incarnum-wielding standard classes such as the incarnate and the soulborn allow players to take full advantage of incarnum’s amazing properties. The Magic of Incarnum game supplement includes a wealth of options and advice about incorporating this new power source into ongoing or brand-new campaigns.
To use this supplement, a player needs the Player’s Handbook. A Dungeon Master also needs the Dungeon Master’s Guide and Monster Manual.
Content[]
Magic of Incarnum introduces the concept of incarnum, a magical substance made of the soul energy of all creatures living, dead, and not yet born. It describes soulmelds, shapes forged from incarnum that work like magic items; chakras, which are like magic item slots; and essentia, a power points system used to empower class options.
Chapter 1: Races introduces the azurins, dusklings, rilkans, and skarns. Chapter 2: Classes introduces the incarnate, similar to clerics; the soulborn, a warrior type class; and the totemist, a barbarian-like class. Chapter 3: Character Options presents new skill uses, feats, and racial substitution levels presenting variant classes for a number of race/class combinations.
Chapter 4: Soulmelds describes soulmelds, which work similar to magic items, except that they are temporary constructs forged from incarnum. Chapter 5: Magic presents the spells adept spirit, animal spirit, channel the mishtai, conjure great midnight construct, conjure lesser midnight construct, conjure midnight construct, detect incarnum, divest essentia, essentia lock, greater channel the mishtai, guardian spirit, incarnum apotheosis, incarnum arc, incarnum bladestorm, incarnum vigor, incarnum weapon, mass adept spirit, mass animal spirit, mass guardian spirit, mass valiant spirit, open greater chakra, open least chakra, open lesser chakra, protection from incarnum, rend essentia, soul bleed, soul blight, soul boon, soulbanned zone, soulbleed, soulmeld blessing, soulmeld disjunction, suppress magic, unbind chakra, unshape soulmeld, valiant spirit, wall of incarnum, and wrathful doom; the warlock invocations drain incarnum, incarnum blast, incarnum shroud, and steal incarnum; and the psionic powers incarnum fusion, open chakra, psionic, and soul crystal.
Chapter 6: Prestige Classes introduces the incandescent champion, incarnum blade, ironsoul forgemaster, necrocarnate, sapphire hierarch, soulcaster, spinemeld warrior, totem rager, umbral disciple, and witchbone binder.
Chapter 7: Monsters features the azurin, dissolution ooze, incarnum dragon, duskling, totem giant, incarnum golem, incarnum wrath, lost, midnight construct, necrocarnum zombie, rilkan, skarn, soulater, soulfused construct, and soulspark.
Chapter 8: Incarnum Campaign provides some lore and setting suggestions for running a campaign using incarnum. It includes references to the Bastion of Souls, with a map of that location, and stats for the xag-ya and the character Gilles Veprain.
Various appendices provide epic-level rules for incarnum-using characters over 20th level, an essentia tracker for essentia-using characters, and a character sheet designed especially for incarnum-using characters.
Development and release[]
Development[]
Magic of Incarnum was written by James Wyatt, Frank Brunner, and Stephen Schubert. Art was provided by Dee Barnett, Wayne England, and Carl Frank.
For around two years, James Wyatt fought for D&D third edition to innovate with some new lore addition to the D&D world. Prior to a meeting regarding the 2005 product line, he came up with the idea of a magic system that relied on manipulating a substance. Wyatt compared the concept to psionics, a magic system which used the manipulation of mental energy.[2]
A key inspiration was Bruce Cordell's Bastion of Broken Souls (2002), which explored the origin of souls in D&D's multiverse. The book made sure to offer incarnum based options to characters of all existing classes.[2]
Release[]
Magic of Incarnum was released by Wizards of the Coast in September 2005 for $34.95 US, or $49.95 Canadian.[1][2]
On October 8, 2013, it was re-released in digital format. It is currently available on DriveThruRPG and Dungeon Masters Guild for $16.99.
Reception and influence[]
Critical reception[]
A reader's letter in Dungeon #135 (Jun 2006) spoke highly of Magic of Incarnum, and requested adventure modules using the rules. The editor replied by asking readers to submit adventure modules featuring the rules, although ultimately none were published before the print magazine's closure in 2007.
As of 2023, Magic of Incarnum reached the rank of Electrum seller on DriveThruRPG.
Influence on other works[]
A new policy enacted at Wizards of the Coast at the time encouraged further support for new rules elements, encouraging the inclusion of incarnum content in later D&D books.[2] Some incarnum content appeared in Dragon Magic (3e) (2006), Faiths of Eberron (2006), and Magic Item Compendium (2007), as well as the article Beast Soulmelds, Dragon #350 (Dec 2006), p.86. The web article Psionics of Incarnum, published Feb 17, 2006, expanded the connection between incarnum and psionics.
External links[]
- Magic of Incarnum on DriveThruRPG
- Magic of Incarnum on Dungeon Masters Guild
- Product page
- Use This Book Tonight: Magic of Incarnum
- Art Gallery
- Class Chronicles: Incarnum: The Stuff of Magic
- Magic of Incarnum Questions
- Magic of Incarnum Chat
- Psionics of Incarnum
- Designer Interview