A player in my campaign is looking to buy an item, its non standard, but I have never been too picky about that. Basically its a copy of some item a previous DM gave him. Its a Cod Plate with a face on it(I know, stupid) that cackles (laughs) and has some sort of fear effect. There are a couple ways I could do this:
- twice a day he can enable the fear effect
- whenever he rages as a barbarian the fear happens
- it happens when he criticals.
He is looking to get it made at "Maldin and Elenderis" in greyhawk city. My question is this, what do you think would be a better way to enable the fear, times a day, attached to rage, or criticals? What do you think the cost of each should be? Also what should the fear DC be?
Thanks!
PS Maldin if you respond, I will obviously simply take your price and use it!
Well, I don't know the situation beyond what you gave, obviously, but my inclination would to make the activation a contingency that goes off when he enters a rage. That gives him extra uses of it as he levels up, which might motivate him to keep it around instead of trading it in for a newer, cooler gizmo.
As for the DC and Cost, that depends. If you model it after a spell, you can use the table in the back of the DMG for a guideline cost, and determine the DC based on the spell in question. You'll probably want to use either Fear or Scare, as Cause Fear is a bit weak.
Honestly, though, I think the best thing to do might be to give it something more along the lines of the Frightful Rage feat in the Complete Warrior. You could either copy the feat in its entirety or, if it seems more in line with what he's shooting for, rewrite it such that upon entering a rage, he makes an intimidate check as a free action, which is opposed by all creatures within, say, 20 or 30 feet. Those who fail their level checks are shaken for the duration of the rage, and those who succeed are unaffected. Since you can only rage once per encounter, that wouldn't be overwhelmingly powerful -- certainly less so than "save or be panicked".
If you went with that line of thinking, you'd probably be looking at a price somewhere in the 15-22.5 thousand gp range -- 10+ for emulating a feat, multiplied by 1.5 for occupying an abnormal slot.
If the party is too low-level to be spending that kind of money, you could always make it a story reward instead of letting him buy it. Perhaps to get his codpiece he first has to go retrieve the sacred bauble from a nearby dungeon so that the Shopkeep's best friend can atone for his sins and be freed from the geas compelling him to play piano at the brothel down the street? ;)
You could also streach the point and say that a codpiece uses a slot equal to the belt/girdle spot as well.
You could also streach the point and say that a codpiece uses a slot equal to the belt/girdle spot as well.
That had been the assumption I was working with. If you called it a slotless item, you would double the cost rather than adding half. Of course, that's just a guideline and common sense should override, but guidelines make good starting points.
Sorry, its getting late and I am reading less carefully . . . I know what you meant now, i.e. its not standard for a belt/girdle to have an affinity for causing fear . . . gotcha.
Its a Cod Plate with a face on it(I know, stupid) that cackles (laughs) and has some sort of fear effect.
Wow. Just... wow.
That's one Will save I'd voluntarily fail. RUUUUUUN!
The name "cod plate" makes me think of something you'd get in a restaurant.
Oh nooooo! The cod plate comes with spooky chips!
Of course, the idea of a laughing codpiece is far scarier, even without magical enhancement.
The name "cod plate" makes me think of something you'd get in a restaurant.
I know what you mean. I thought they were talking about full plate made of fish scales for the first two posts.