Cycada |
I recently picked up the new Cohorts and Companions book and found this interesting section. I was hoping to get some clarification, opinion or otherwise, on if the combination in the thread title will work. I will include the relevant text from the new book below to try and aid discussion.
I guess the key question to all this would be: Is the Bladebound Magus' black blade considered an intelligent item? If so, is it a legal choice for the Leadership feat when used in the new, described way?
Cycada |
Yes, you can take BB as cohort. Rules allow it.
But you shouldn't as it doesn't really give you any new abilities. You are bettor off having different cohort. Reasons: item cohort's abilities mimic that of BB and in general are very situational.
Read the Item Cohort ability Perfection on the last page of the Equipment Companion section. It allows you to increase the Intelligence score of your Intelligent Item by up to 135 points, meaning a potential gain of 6 Arcane Pool points for your BB.
That's the intention/goal.
(Edit: corrected mistake brought to my attention)
Cycada |
Really? So much?
Rules wrote:The character can select each item
advancement up to 5 times, and their effects
increase as outlined for each ability.So those are at most 3 points.
Or am I missing smth again? And does your magus really need so many extra AP points at that level. Well, it's up to you.
Ah, missed that restriction. My bad on that one.
And it's not the magus that gains the points, its the BB. BB can only use their pool point (not the magi's) to activate the damage type, +damage, etc; so having a permanent form of bb pool points to gain from is excellent, even if it is just 3.
That's 3 more points to spend, +5 hardness, and a same-plane teleport for free, for the cost of one feat. I think that's pretty worth it personally.
Cycada |
The BB is also pretty intelligent on it's own; raising it's intelligence further will make it more likely to mind control you if you do something it doesn't like.
The sword has the same alignment as yours, and the item cohort ability stipulates that so long as your leadership score is above its ego score, you don't have any risk of it taking control.
TheTheos |
The BB is also pretty intelligent on it's own; raising it's intelligence further will make it more likely to mind control you if you do something it doesn't like.
Indeed. GMs can sometimes be very vicious. It's better if we don't give them extra reason to do such things.
Cycada, my point is that there by default is enough AP both for you and for your BB. Sometimes you might run out of AP points, but that's not gonna be very often.
Cycada |
Imbicatus wrote:The BB is also pretty intelligent on it's own; raising it's intelligence further will make it more likely to mind control you if you do something it doesn't like.
Indeed. GMs can sometimes be very vicious. It's better if we don't give them extra reason to do such things.
Cycada, my point is that there by default is enough AP both for you and for your BB. Sometimes you might run out of AP points, but that's not gonna be very often.
Believe me, I definitely respect your view on this, but I wholeheartedly disagree with the idea that there is enough AP for the weapon itself. This choice might not be the most optimal for every situation, but it does offer a bit more flexibility in using the BB AP abilities.
At 10th level, where my character is at currently, my sword has 3 AP for the entire day. That means I can use the sword's elemental strike once, the +damage ability once, and then have one point available to protect the blade (or use it for another ability). Not a lot for a four encounter day.
toastedamphibian |
I would think not. Item Cohort allows you to enhance the item "as though you had the proper feat". In other words, you can enhance your blade as though you had 'craft arms and armor' even if you do not. So you are just as capable of improving that sword as someone with the appropriate feat, "Not at all".
Pat D 861 |
I kinda figured as much. I had poked my GM with about the Leadership feat (we're still level 2, but we're all pretty inexperienced, GM included, so I want her to know what she's getting into if she says yes) and she fired back with the Item Bond variant. I'm playing a BB Kensai and I found this thread trying to see if it's even legal.
I'd still rather have a crafting wizard cohort, and I've even met an npc who could potentially fit the bill.
It's a home brew game, so she could (and probably would) house rule it, but she's already going to make a house rule to make all the jokes the other players have made about me wielding a flaming sword that wields a flaming sword of its own actually happen. A man can only eat so much cheese.
Diego Rossi |
I kinda figured as much. I had poked my GM with about the Leadership feat (we're still level 2, but we're all pretty inexperienced, GM included, so I want her to know what she's getting into if she says yes) and she fired back with the Item Bond variant. I'm playing a BB Kensai and I found this thread trying to see if it's even legal.
I'd still rather have a crafting wizard cohort, and I've even met an npc who could potentially fit the bill.
It's a home brew game, so she could (and probably would) house rule it, but she's already going to make a house rule to make all the jokes the other players have made about me wielding a flaming sword that wields a flaming sword of its own actually happen. A man can only eat so much cheese.
If the players and GM are inexperienced I strongly suggest not taking the Leadership feat. That increase complications.
And limit the magic items that can be made to those already existing.A very important citation from Ultimate Campaign:
Pricing New Items
The correct way to price an item is by comparing its abilities to similar items (see Magic Item Gold Piece Values), and only if there are no similar items should you use the pricing formulas to determine an approximate price for the item. If you discover a loophole that allows an item to have an ability for a much lower price than is given for a comparable item in the Core Rulebook, the GM should require using the price of the Core Rulebook item, as that is the standard cost for such an effect. Most of these loopholes stem from trying to get unlimited uses per day of a spell effect from "command word" or "use-activated or continuous" descriptions.
Balancing players crafted magic items is a difficult art. Not a science.