Knowing the Chelaxian penchant for legalism and infernal bureaucracy, I think there would be a Bureau of Cadaver Animation overseeing such activity. You must get a waiver signed by one of their officials including the numbers and nature of your undead flock and pay for a permit (KEEP YOUR RECEIPTS!). This is important because animate dead spells prevent the use of a simple raise dead spell. If someone can prove they had the money and intent to raise their loved one and you cast animate dead they could file suit against you. They must be tagged to identify them as your property. You may be liable for any damage they inflict (assuming anyone remains to file a complaint). You get the idea.
"Just how do trolls regenerate?" I've asked myself that question for years. So for my home game I developed a story and built it into a mechanic that makes great sense: it's all in their biology. If you learn the secret, you gain an advantage over the troll. And much more... In this little booklet you get some great crunch including feats, equipment and a troll king! All for what you'd pay for a premium cup of coffee. Please check it out and if you like it let me know here. Would you like to see some adventures based on this?
Marc Radle wrote:
Actually I've promoted it to the players in my Tuesday night game. We're starting a new chapter in an ongoing AP of mine and they need to design some new 5th level characters. I'll get some feedback from them to see how it plays. Should be interesting!
Well met Jarrett! I'd be interested in your kind of feedback for my item as well: Blade of the Ice Stalker
Sigfried Trent wrote:
Thanks very much for your considered feedback Sigfried! The more I get the more I can improve.
Jason Rice wrote:
Thanks for the encouraging words Jason. And good luck to you!
Neil Spicer wrote: James! Welcome..to the Top 32! Thanks very much Neil! I've been awaiting your feedback post. Its a dream come true being in this contest. I'll take all you've written to heart. Regarding the reforming of the blade that so many have commented on. I deliberately left that part slightly deconstructed. Why? I like when GMs and players to use their imaginations.Not everything needs a mechanic explaining everything that happens. Giving people a dilemma to solve is a core essence of game design. It creates drama and its part of what makes tabletop RPGs fun(!). So in most cases for this weapon a piece snaps off and the blade re-forms by next round. In the meantime the wielder is still armed, albeit with a broken weapon, which he or she can still use for extra attacks or attacks of opportunity. Penalties apply yes, but we’re still in the fight. So let’s say the blade is broken off in a monster's belly and now he's got some problems to deal with. But there’s other threats buzzing around and the PC wants to be totally blade ready with no time to waste. What’s the PC going to do? That’s a dilemma to solve. I gave a couple suggestions (container of water, spill on the floor) just to get the imagination going, but there are so many situations we couldn’t name them all. How about a potion? How about a puddle of blood? Could a party member fling holy water at you to reform the blade? What would any of these ideas look like? How would they play out? These kind of gameplay solutions make this kind of gaming like no other. Its not just about dice roles, character design and game mechanics. Its about using our creativity to tell an exciting story we make up together in this shared imagination game called Pathfinder. This is what we must keep in mind designing not just interesting magic items but maps, encounters and story lines too.
Brian J. Fruzen wrote:
Thank you for your helpful comments Brian! Yes I agree having cold resistance or immunity would cause such a creature to laugh the critical hit effect to scorn. And yes, once the rounds or over or the shard eliminated the damage and staggard condition ends. Should make that more clear.Thanks again! Its great to be aboard! Back to the maps!
Oceanshieldwolf wrote:
Thanks OSW. Guess I should have included the words "such as" when describing ways to instantly reform the blade. That was the intent.
Russ Brown wrote:
Ah Russ, thanks for the kind words. It may interest you to know I actually came up with this weapon idea several years ago, giving it to my nephew in an adventure I was running. When this year's contest came around I asked him and my other gamer friends to give me examples of cool items I gave out in the past and he showed me this one. I really like it so I jazzed it up a bit to make it more "Superstar!" and there you have it. I did a quick search of the messageboards for "ice" and "sword" to see if anyone else had a similar idea. I was concerned when I saw your entry from last year that some might think I captured your mojo. From the look of it Russ your mojo is fully intact. :^ )
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