So far my group has found quite a few of the items infected with the vanishing. So far they haven’t attempted to use any of them, they seem more interested in selling them to purchase items they are more interested in.
How is everyone dealing with items infected with the vanishing from a sales point of view?
If they sell these items to skie would she notice the cursed nature of the items and if so would she buy them at a reduced cost due to needing to have a remove curse, disease ect.
As well would she simply refuse to purchase the items unless the curse is removed.
I’m curious how everyone has dealt with these situations.
I was considering this myself as I was looking over the SCHC this morning. Quite a few of the magical items the party can find are infected with the Vanishing, making them a danger to use. Naturally, this makes them far less valuable: the group won't want to use them if they become aware of the curse, and yet they likely won't want to sell them either, considering they have a paladin amongst them who should, hopefully, have some serious objections to possibly introducing a mgical disease/curse into the population of Cauldron. From my perspective, this pretty much renders the infected items as worthless to my PCs, thus eating into the amount of viable treasure found in Jzadirune.
I think that Skie will probably refuse to take the items, if she knows their origin. I believe that she probably has heard about the curse and will be wary to touch or get near anything from Jzaridune. Remember that probably nobody really knows how the curse works exactly. Maybe it is already enough to get near the item, maybe it spreads via touch ? In Skies place I would stay away as far as possible. The PCs of course could hide all items until they find a cure for the problem, which could be a nice side trek adventure hook.
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I think the way I'll handle it is that Skie will ask for the story behind every item she buys. If the party is truthful about where they got it she won't buy. If they lie then there will be repercussions later if someone becomes infected. If, after refusing one or more items, she thinks they're lying to her about future items just to make a sale she may stop buying/selling to them at all until they can regain her trust.
My take on the curse itself is that the effects on items has faded to a shadow of the original. Originally it could not be cured as simply as it can be now, hence why the gnomes abandoned the place.
I haven't decided yet if the source curse has faded. If the gnomes reinhabit the enclave, will the curse resurface?
I would say yes, the curse will resurface, but if you've got at least three churches with easy access to remove curse and remove disease, who cares?
The party I'm running through SCAP sold the items to Skie despite knowing that some magic items in Jzaridune could be infected. They also failed to mention this to her.
By using one of the items to show the party how it worked (Bag of Tricks) she was infected. The next time the party came up for air they found her shop closed and a lot of angry looks from the locals. Skie was treated at the Church of Kelemvor (obviously FR here) and would've refused all business to the party had they not resurfaced the next time with the children and some townsfolk in tow.
Skie is now very careful about what she buys from the party and she's forever mildly distrusting of them.
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I had the temple of Wee Jas essentially confiscate them, along with Ghelve's Locks (although they relocated them), as a disease of magical origin would come under their goddesses portfolio. Jzadirune has been quarantined, all by the Lord Mayor's office of course. The party's Wee Jasian had actually contracted the Vanishing and Embril took the various infected items as a trade for her curing him. As the party were all lawful they had already written the treasure off as allowing it back into general circulation was choatic at the very least or possibly even evil. I will have her eventually work out the curse is spellweaver in origin, after talks with Fetor Abradius, and she is considering getting the items introduced into the Boccob temple at Sasserine to wipe it out, and possibly the smaller temple of Wee Jas once events start reaching the point of no return.
Have any of you considered having the party turn over the items (in trade, if necessary) to one or more prominent NPCs who would be immune to the Vanishing's effects (e.g. Alek Tercival, immune to all diseases by the time he reaches 3rd level as a paladin)?
Come to think of it, what better means of personally securing your equipment as a PC paladin than utilizing items that carry great personal risk to those who would attempt to usurp their ownership?
(SPOILERS) What of the utility though? Items that might be located that are already infected include:
* wand of burning hands (25 charges)
* dust of illusion
* bag of tricks, gray
* scroll of mirror image
* scroll of mage armor
Anything else (other than the burned out ioun stone)?
It would seem that the 2nd and 3rd items from the above list would be the only ones of potential benefit to a paladin. However, I would caution any of you thinking of allowing their PCs to reap financial/utility award from the affected items . . . it seems that the adventure's haul (monetary, uninfected items, & mundane gear) was written to exclude the possibility of the PCs gaining reward for disposition of the cursed booty (might create an exceedngly wealthy band of 3rd-4th level adventurers).
Given the nature of a curse to 'expand' over time, with the passing of legends, myths, and so forth, I would say that any trader familiar with Zhadirune would be terrified to even handle anything taken out from there.
Even better, have the trader look at the party, suddenly horrified, and yell,
"...you got these items from WHERE?!? GET OUT! AIII!!"
You could work out an entire sub-plot of the party trying to find out what curse they brought upon themselves by not doing their research on the place, first, like any 'responsible' adventurer would... ;-)
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Anything else (other than the burned out ioun stone)?
The ioun stone isn't burned out from what I can tell. It's a clear spindle, which is the one that provides sustenance.
My party just got their first item out of Jzadirune (the ioun stone in fact). In my game the abandonment of Jzadirune happened over 100 years ago and it's barely remembered by anyone. The party has only talked to Skie about the item so far. She has found out a little about the situation, just enough to make her hesitate to buy the ioun stone. I'm going to have her find out more and refuse to buy it. Once it becomes known exactly what the curse does she'll be happy she stayed away.
The dwarven barbarian in the party is probably going to try out the stone next session. It should be interesting.