Male Half-Elf Wizard (Evoker) 7 | HP 35/40 | AC 16; T 13; FF 13; CMD 17 | F+3 R+5 W+4 | Init +3 Percep +1 Low-light | Force Missile 0/9 | Arcane Bond 0/1 |Wand: Lightning Bolt (6), Magic Missile (50)| Current Effects : electricity resistance 10, Str 6/12
Calvon casts touch of idiocy through the spectral hand.
Spell Penetration:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26
Melee Touch Attack:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27
Damage to Intelligence, Widsom and Charisma:1d6 ⇒ 3
This spell’s effect may make it impossible for the target to cast some or all of its spells, if the requisite ability score drops below the minimum required to cast spells of that level.
Wow! I wish I could roll like that with real dice!!
Male Half-Elf Wizard (Evoker) 7 | HP 35/40 | AC 16; T 13; FF 13; CMD 17 | F+3 R+5 W+4 | Init +3 Percep +1 Low-light | Force Missile 0/9 | Arcane Bond 0/1 |Wand: Lightning Bolt (6), Magic Missile (50)| Current Effects : electricity resistance 10, Str 6/12
Upon seeing this, Calvon swears under his breath.
"Apparently, there is one more thing I need to do in order to enter Sorshen's domain."
He sits up and looks at Mem.
"You make a good point. A domain is not only a location but also an area of interest or knowledge. Based on the phrasing and the action required, I would venture that Sorshen meant it to mean both things. Prostrating oneself before her, and kissing her feet, which appears to also be required, is a form of devotion, which can be an element of lust."
Calvon turns back to the painting, looking at the figure.
"You can see by her expression that, to Sorshen, lust is a means to control. She doesn't care whether you like her, only that you desire her and show your devotion to her as a part of that desire."
Calvon turns back to the group.
"I'm going to try the act of devotion required. I admit to being fascinated by Sorshen, and all the Runelords really. However, I do this only in the name of exploration and a search for knowledge."
Calvon prostrates himself, unless there is an objection, and kisses the foot.
Sorry for being long-winded but all of that kind of came to me as I was thinking about what Mem said before I responded. Plus, sometimes the teacher in Calvon comes out.
Ryze Kuja, that is freaking awesome!!! I swear you were reading my mind or something. I did like the inky blackness ability that Dagon has but I didn't know how to include that in the weapon or what other abilities to pair with it. I love what you have suggested!!!
I have read the need to touch salt water somewhere and was thinking about including that as well.
Your post really got my creative juices flowing on this. I hope you don't mind if I tell you what I'm thinking.
My Shattered Star players in Fort St. John don't look:
I like the curse but I think I'm going to implement it differently. The weapon is intelligent and, once it sees that the cleric is power hungry, will show the cleric what he can have but worshiping Dagon. Once the cleric decides, he will have to undergo a ritual that will summon Dagon (or at least an image of Dagon) so that he can swear his devotion to him. Only then will the full powers of the trident manifest for whatever level the cleric is at (currently at 6th, probably 7th or 8th when he performs the ritual). This will, in turn, require him to touch salt water everyday, with the restrictions you mentioned.
So, Dagon will tell the cleric that all he (Dagon) wants is to rid the world of sin, but what he means is basically kill everyone because everyone is a sinner. In fact, research will show that the trident once belonged to a Shoanti warchief from 10,000 years ago. The warchief used the trident to protect his tribe from the warriors and minions of one of the Runelords, who were, of course, dedicated to sin. Thus, it will be apparent that the weapon is intended to destroy sin.
However, what is really happening is that every creature that the trident kills has their soul sent to Dagon's realm in the Abyss instead of whatever plane they were supposed to go to, thus swelling the ranks of Dagon's realm and making him more powerful. The warchief from 10,000 years ago was betrayed by the weapon in the end because he didn't want to expand his tribe's area and keep killing in order to do so. Dagon took him as his servant and made him an incubus, then bound him to the Lady's Light. This ties in to a storyline that has been developing in Chapter 2 of the AP where an incubus in the Lady's Light has been tormenting and helping the party so that they would defeat the BBEG and free him.
Near the end of the AP, the party will have to defeat the spirit of a good powerful mage who was killed in a coup thus binding his spirit to his tower. If the trident defeats the spirit, which I'm sure will happen (hehe), the wizard's spirit will end up as one of Dagon's minions as well. The wizard's god, who I have intended to help the party in small ways through the AP, will then have to try to get the party to rescue the wizard from Dagon. In the process, the cleric will discover what his weapon has really been doing and will have to decide what to do about that. If he joins the battle to free the wizard, probably taking his trident with him (which the incubus will even suggest), he will end up with a battle with the trident's intelligence. However, the incubus (former wielder of the trident) will step in (trying to do the right thing) and, in some way, end up as the spirit now inside the trident.
I know this is a long ways off and my ideas can totally change depending on how this plays out, but its a great jump off point I think.
So, thank you so much for the help. In your honour, I'm going to name the weapon after you and let the player know where the name comes from. I'm just not sure what Ryze Kuja is going to mean. Maybe something like Ocean Warrior or something.
Thank you to everyone for the suggestions!! Since it seemed like the most popular choice, and because I liked it when I read it, I ran The Confirmation last weekend. I'll post details and follow-up questions in a dedicated thread, but I'm told by all the players that they enjoyed it. Next month, I'm going to start Season 8 scenarios.
In the case of this article, the race and sex mention because that particular combination isn't held responsible for their actions despite the vast majority of women gamers I know having stories along those lines.
Your statement sounds like white males should be held responsible for other white males' actions. For what it's worth, I doubt you meant it that way, but that's how it sounds.
I'm sure that there's a lot of atrocious things happening to all kinds of minorities in gaming, from women to gays to trans people and whatever minorities I may be forgetting. And those should be addressed, not hushed up, and dealt with most harshly.
But I don't feel that Jack Bland from Illinois should be responsible for the rape Chuck Murder committed in California.
As rknop points out, 'white male terrorism' sounds a lot like 'muslim terrorism'. My hospital doctor or fellow infantryman isn't responsible for ISIS just because of their shared religion.
I agree that the actions of two people connected by personal attributes (gender, ethnicity, hobby) but disconnected by distance or association should not be mutually indemnifying. At face value, I might agree with your saying "white males should not be held responsible for other white males' actions." However, that is not quite what I believe the message is (and I trust Crystal or others can clarify if needed). The idea is that when white male gamers do misbehave, others tend to excuse the behavior, look the other way, or even condemn the victim. When women or minorities speak out, they tend to be villified for "wanting attention" or "being too sensitive." When a fellow white male gamer speaks out against the offending behavior, it carries a different and—for reasons of social pressure, tribalism, bro code, et cetera—very significant weight.
When Crystal says that white male gamers are responsible for each other's actions, I hear that we are responsible for policing each other, recognizing that...
HEAR! HEAR!
We are responsible for how other men act. Do you know why? Because we encourage it. We may not objectify or demean women ourselves, but how many of us can honestly say that we always tell other men who do so that its not appropriate or that its wrong. How many of us actually take a stand against harassment and abuse and sexual innuendo and jokes about women. Some of you are going to respond that keeping silent is not encouragement. You are wrong!!! Men who harass and abuse are not stopped by silence.
Silence is a choice, a choice to allow abuse and harassment to continue.
Wow, thirty years of gaming, and twenty years of DMing, and I have seen a LOT of jaw dropping moments, both good and bad. Since this is for the good moments, I will stick to that.
I think some of the best are with experienced players who could fudge a bit, or meta-game a bit, but choose not to. One player was playing a tiefling spiked chain specialist in 3.0/3.5. Unfortunately, he died. The party decides to put his body in their portable hole to take back to town and resurrect. They get as far as the entrance to the dungeon when the player whose character died says "Uh-oh!" I ask whats wrong. Turns out he remembered that his character had a belt pouch of holding. Suddenly, the thirty or so potions, and whole bunches of treasure and expensive plate mail in the portable hole are gone, as is his body. I was so impressed. He could have neglected to mention that and I would never have really noticed. As a reward, when his next character died, we brought back the tiefling, saved by his demonic father.
