RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
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Due to some strangeness in my campaign, the group will receive their "immoral offer" from our favorite archmage <i>after</i> returning from the Spire of Long shadows. To make it up to them, i decided to "up" the value of these treasures somewhat, and make each a unique item.
I would like to know your opinion about these gifts, if they are appropriate, and if not, what you would change.
--- The Black Blade of Korath'Kor ---
<For human Greatsword specialist fighter>
+3 Shocking Obsidian Greatsword
Additional Game effect: Bypasses any material or damage-type dependent damage reduction (such as adamantine, cold iron, bludgeoning, ...), but not alignment-based damage reduction, or DR x/-
--- The Living Shadow ---
<For tiefling rogue / assassin>
+5 Unique Light Armor: AC +8, Max Dex 10, ACP 0, 10% ASF
Additional game effekt:
* Hide and Move Silently: +10 Competence Bonus
* Grants 10% Miss chance
Uses torso, body, waist, wrists, hands and feet slots. Can not be taken off entirely, merely transferred from one willing wearer to the next. In case the wearer dies or becomes unconscious, he is considered to be willing for purposes of transferring the armor.
--- Ring of La'heira ---
<For gray elf cleric / wizard / mystic theurge>
Game effect:
This ring functions allows you to assume the form of a Large silver
dragon once per day for 15 minutes. You gain the following abilities:
a +6 enhancement bonus to Strength, a +4 enhancement bonus
to Constitution, a +6 natural armor bonus, fly 90 feet
(poor), darkvision 60 feet, a breath weapon, DR 5/magic, and
resistance to cold 30. You also gain one bite (2d6), two
claws (1d8), two wing attacks (1d6), and one tail slap attack
(1d8). You can only use the breath weapon twice, and you must wait
1d4 rounds between uses. It deal 8d8 points of damage in a 40-foot cone
and allows a Reflex save for half damage.
--- Tusk of the Elephant King ---
<For human cleric of Garl Glittergold (don't ask...)>
Game effect: Same as Figurine of wondrous power (marble elephant), yet can be used up to ten times per month, and has intelligence score 14.
--- Red Iron Mountain Avenger Armor ---
<For Dwarven tower-shield fighter>
Game effect: +5 Full Plate armor, with Armor Spikes. Causes 1d4 fire damage on any enemy in immediate contact (grappling, Kyuss worms prior to burrowing in, oozes, swarms, ...)
--- Demon-devouring Fetish ---
<For human celestial bloodline sorcerer>
Game effect: Whenever the bearer of this grotesque bone and hair figurine slays an evil outsider, he may as a free action recover a spend sorcerer spell slot of any level lower or equal to the creatures CR / 3.
I would like to know your opinion about these gifts, if they are appropriate, and if not, what you would change.--- The Black Blade of Korath'Kor ---
<For human Greatsword specialist fighter>+3 Shocking Obsidian Greatsword
Pretty straitforward. How about the sword's hardness and hitpoints? What about DR x/epic?
--- The Living Shadow ---
<For tiefling rogue / assassin>
+5 Unique Light Armor: AC +8, Max Dex 10, ACP 0, 10% ASF
This, um, is great. But isn't it like a +6 nimble greater shadow greater silence leather armor that grants semi-concealment? AND takes up most slots? AND cannot be cleaned? Um, weird. If I were playing a rogue in your campaign, I'd only consider it if you played by the MIC rules and allowed enchanting feet, wirist, hands (! gloves of Dex !) and so on in addition to the armor's effects, and then only if I hadn't invested too much beforehand.
--- Ring of La'heira ---
<For gray elf cleric / wizard / mystic theurge>
Does your mystic theurge use polymorph often? because, he will likely have A LOT of spell slots, and well, I'd rather be casting instead of going melee... Or is it that you can still cast while in dragon form?
--- Tusk of the Elephant King ---
<For human cleric of Garl Glittergold (don't ask...)>
Cool item! What does INT14 mean? Does the elephant have a personality? Does he demand to be summoned as often as possible? Does he fear mice? :)
In regards to the armor:
Armor spikes are nice, but are they +5 as well? Or just Masterwork? Besides, armor spikes against ooze are very bad idea... unless you know what you are doing and your sorcerer buddy has nukes readied.
Strange sorcerer device:
What? After slaying an evil outsider? Well, there aren't that much in the campaign after SOLS; wait - blessed angels, and, um, chain devil and ifreet? And then he has to sly them alone, or at least make the finishing strike / cast the finishing spell?
The concept is cool ("Your blood will feed my power"), but the player sooner or later will yawn for the next evil outsider. From all your items, I'd change this most. How about: Whenever you take part in slaying an evil outsider, you can choose a new spell known. The level of the spell must not be higher than CR/3, and you can gain only one spell known for each spell level you can cast. (This helps overcoming his biggest weakness - spell selection - an doesn't require loads of evil outsiders have an actual game effect).
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
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Pretty straitforward. How about the sword's hardness and hitpoints? What about DR x/epic?
[...]
+3 Shocking Obsidian Greatsword
I'd go for a similar figure as adamantine offers. DR x/epic is out of reach just like alignment-based ones, but probably will not seriously come into the equation during the swords lifetime anyway.
This, um, is great. But isn't it like a +6 nimble greater shadow greater silence leather armor that grants semi-concealment? AND takes up most slots? AND cannot be cleaned? Um, weird. If I were playing a rogue in your campaign, I'd only consider it if you played by the MIC rules and allowed enchanting feet, wirist, hands (! gloves of Dex !) and so on in addition to the armor's effects, and then only if I hadn't invested too much beforehand.
--- The Living Shadow ---
<For tiefling rogue / assassin>
+5 Unique Light Armor: AC +8, Max Dex 10, ACP 0, 10% ASF
My rationale here was that this thing, cool as it may be, majorly busts the GP limit, so i was going for some "symbiont" approach with some drawbacks (gloves of dexterity being one of these). I am half considering making this some kind of legacy item to offset the loss of all of these slots, but i have been concerned about this, truth be told.
The player currently has boots of elvenkind and +2 Gloves of Dexterity, but relatively poor armor, and a lot of empty slots. So i would think it to be a net gain in the beginning. But you are right, i might want to rethink that.
Does your mystic theurge use polymorph often? because, he will likely have A LOT of spell slots, and well, I'd rather be casting instead of going melee... Or is it that you can still cast while in dragon form?--- Ring of La'heira ---
<For gray elf cleric / wizard / mystic theurge>
There is two things here i try to achieve.
This item is a spell in a box, deriving from Alpha 3's Form of the Dragon. I have been relatively restrictive with polymorphs, not to the point of forbidding them, but not allowing a lot of polymorphs from spell compendium. Hereby, i want to add some "stylish" shapechanging options, while at the same time not opening the pandoras box.
Also, this player has a silver dragon bloodline in his backstory, so being able to turn into one might be a bit of an added bonus without too much mechanical impact.
Cool item! What does INT14 mean? Does the elephant have a personality? Does he demand to be summoned as often as possible? Does he fear mice? :)
It has, but i doubt it will really fear mice. I was thinking about a bit of a cross between Baghira from the jungle book with the stereotypical "wise old master".
Armor spikes are nice, but are they +5 as well? Or just Masterwork? Besides, armor spikes against ooze are very bad idea... unless you know what you are doing and your sorcerer buddy has nukes readied.
Just masterwork. This particular dwarf had a history of really botched grapples, and making him spiky just seemed appropriate. :)
The spikes would be next to useless against an Ooze, but the fire damage would not be. I was thinking for a bit of an Warhammer-like angry red glow surrounding the armor, with the occasional flame licking from it to consume some hapless creature approaching too close...
What? After slaying an evil outsider? Well, there aren't that much in the campaign after SOLS; wait - blessed angels, and, um, chain devil and ifreet? And then he has to sly them alone, or at least make the finishing strike / cast the finishing spell?The concept is cool ("Your blood will feed my power"), but the player sooner or later will yawn for the next evil outsider. From all your items, I'd change this most. How about: Whenever you take part in slaying an evil outsider, you can choose a new spell known. The level of the spell must not be higher than CR/3, and you can gain only one spell known for each spell level you can cast. (This helps overcoming his biggest weakness - spell selection - an doesn't require loads of evil outsiders have an actual game effect).
Very nice idea. I might just end up using it... but i would probably not keep these spells around indefinitely, but let them "bleed off" after a number of days equal to their spell level. Just to keep things interesting, and not have a big fight have indefinite results.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
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I've come up with an alternative item for our rogue/assassin, but am not quite sure about pricing (or naming):
Basically, it allows her to deflect any effect that allows a saving throw to an ally not more than 20' away from herself, but only if that ally is not himself subject to the effect already. While this allows "shuffling off" saves to the person with the highest save bonus, it is not without cost, since the other person is just as affected as our rogue would have been, if they fail their save.