Ok,
Working out something for the plot of a new campaign I'm running.
If you're in my campaign and reading this, don't read the spoilers, I will penalize you XP! :)
Ok, so, I've been having trouble with the new campaign. Mainly just figuring out a story arc. So far, I've just been winging it. So far, the characters have taken on a year long mission to go across the continent to retrieve a medicine (rare you know). The job doesn't pay a huge amount for a year (1,000gp), but, they got it at level 4, and the dangers along the way should help reimburse them. Mainly they did it to avoid a big war that was brewing.
So far, they've taken a boat ride, got attacked by pirates, captured, enslaved (two of the party worked for the pirates for 6 months to 'buy' the other character, while the cleric agreed to be a healer for the pirates, but not to attack others).
Finally they have reached the other end of the continent (a giant swamp). Now they have to traipse into it and find the person they buy the medicine from.
That person will need a rare fungus that only grows in an old ruin two weeks trek deeper into the swamp. But, it's cursed, so no catfolk or lizardfolk can enter it (the swamp is all catfolk and lizardfolk).
There used to be humans and elves that retrieved the fungus. But, a black dragon took up in the ruins and killed anyone who tried to enter it. That was a couple of decades ago, though, and the dragon got killed about 5 years ago. Unfortunately, all it's little dragon offspring are still in the ruins (1 young and 10 or 11 very youn black dragons). The healer will make the medicine for free if the group kills the dragons.
All this should be good for a few games, and is not why I'm posting. It's just background. One of the treasure items I plan on giving when they kill the dragons is the thing I'm posting about.
The treasure for the dragonlettes is going to be rather poor, except for one oddity. The oddity is a small well crafted wooden case filled with 1 inch square tiles. 25 tiles to be exact. 5 red ones, 5 green ones, 4 yellows, 4 browns, 2 ivorys, 2 purples, 2 blues, and 1 silver.
These tiles will, as a whole, give off a strong conjuration aura, but individually they will be very weak.
If you place one tile down, and then another tile at each cardinal position (forming a +), and if they are compatible, they will merge into a larger tile. Each tile has a symbol on it, and the tiles merge based on certain arcane rules.
1) Like symbol repels like.
2) Like color repels like.
3) It takes 5 tiles to merge
4) The position of the tiles is irrelevant.
5) Silver tiles disable rule 1.
6) Gold tiles disable rule 2.
7) Gem tiles disable rules 1 and 2.
8) 5 simple tiles merge to form 1 advanced tile.
9) 5 advanced tiles merge to form 1 artifact.
10) An artifact can be activated and deactivated once per day.
11) When activated, it forms a life size version of whatever it looks like.
12) If you dismantle the artifact, it takes one full lunar cycle (from Full to Full) to 'recharge' the pieces to put them back together again.
13) Items left in the artifact will be there next time you use it.
14) Items left in the artifact, if it's broken down, will only return if it's rebuilt in exactly the same way as previously (tile placement when merging must be the same).
15) Items inherent to the artifact cease to exist if taken outside the artifact (but reappear inside the next time it's activated).
So, the 25 tiles they find can be combined in multiple ways, but only 3 distinct sets of advanced tiles can be formed.
Set 1 : Forms a small cottage, always comfy, 3 rooms, and pantry is restocked every morning (always has a fire in the fireplace).
Set 2 : Forms a small smithy with an ever burning forge, a small bedroom, and +1 blacksmith tools.
Set 3 : Forms a small stone tower with 4 bedrooms, a fireplace that always burns, a small kitchen and a store room (which has a few low-level items scattered around from the last owner). This tower is always comfortable temperature wise, like the cottage, but the pantry doesn't restock.
The idea is, they research the tiles and find out about how they work, and it becomes a running mini-quest to find more tiles to see what else they can make. Tiles would come in rarities.
Rainbow Tiles : ROYGBIV are the most common, and least powerful. Despite the name, brown is considered a rainbow tile.
Wood/Ivory/Onyx : Rarer than rainbows, they have some enhanced powers, but mainly add to the efficiency of the item created.
Metallic : Metal tiles are very very rare and valuable. Silver and gold allow tiles that normally repel each other to be joined. Other metals add special properties (for example, copper tiles might add electrical defense to a tower, or adamantine might make the walls adamantine).
Gem : Gem tiles are the rarest of all tiles. They allow joining of any tile to any tile, and always add exotic properties to the artifacts.
So, I think that would add something to the game, and give them an item they can 'upgrade' as they level up. Eventually making it a castle, or a giant warship, or an airship, etc.
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Ok so my first question how do you plan on letting the PC's interact with the item, what kind of checks will you require. It seems pretty complicated and anything short prior knowledge or a bardic tale speaking of its many uses would render the party... uninterested I think.
1) If you go the way of personal research texts then I would personally give them at the combination to at least one of its forms and a half assembled schematic of another, just to give them an idea how it is supposed to work.
2) Will you be using UMD checks to operate it? Are there going to be possible dangers involved with it if the mess up the pattern or maybe make a pattern of a beholder etc?
3) These tiles you are planning on seeding throughout the game right? By themselves I can easily see them as being collected as small charms by magical creatures(I'm thinking dragons here) and wizards due to the aura the give off. By themselves they are worthless (save the precious metals and gem tiles) and useless right? Some of them could end up in the silver bin at various magic item shops because "What use do I have of a useless trinket as this?"
4) Who else is aware of the powers this artifact has? Any particular NPC's you looking to anger the party? If so it's always a great way to get a group of adventurers riled up, steal something precious from them and leave some some clues to who did it.
5) What is the scope of the power you intend on this having? Say the sorcerer arranges the pieces in the form of a golem? What now?
All good questions.
1) I am going to print out 1 inch squares on card stock and cut them out, so they actually have the 'tiles' in front of them. If they play around with it, then something will happen. If they don't, then I won't go into it. I'm assuming they will do some research once they reach town (at least two of the players like to do research in towns if they have an issue they don't understand). I'll probably explain, if they get a good Knowledge(Arcana) roll (DC 25) without research, but either way, eventually they should figure it out. I actually think my current players would mess around with the tiles anyway. Plus, I was planning on the inside lid of the box having a + symbol on it. So there'd be an outline of the tiles in a + shape to hint at putting them together in the right configuration.
2) No UMD required. If you put the tiles together and they are compatible, they click and merge. If you pull on a merged piece from opposite sides, it falls apart. Once it's an artifact, if you pull on it from opposite sides it falls apart into 25 (drained) tiles. Then after one full lunar cycle, the tiles are recharged. The initial set won't have any 'bad' things, but, if you leave a living creature inside an artifact and pull it apart, it get's frozen and stays inside one of the tiles. Eventually, if that tile is put in a new artifact, that creature can be restored. So, there are always possibilities down the road that they find a beholder in the basement of their new tower, or a barbarian who got trapped 3000 years ago, or even a dragon. :)
3) Yep, exactly. They are rare, but, unless you've researched and know what they are, they look quite useless. And since you need 25 at least to make anything... On the other hand, they do have power, so yes, I expect that there will be some (the rarer ones, like gold, silver, gem, adamantine) that end up as good luck charms and worry stones for nasties, while the rainbows end up in curio bins at shops, or as decorations on other magic items.
4) I was planning on using them as hooks, so there would be NPCs aware of them, and hunting them. I'm thinking there are probably a few hundred individuals at any time who know about the tiles, and actively seek them out. So, nosing around asking questions about tiles will get them noticed. Some would offer to buy, others would try to steel, and others kill for. :)
5) Power will scale with the characters levels. So, I have pretty much complete control over when they get access to more powerful tiles. I don't think they'll be able to do a golem. I really imagine these things as portable bases of opperation. Kind of like a scaling variable instant fortress. It might be a boat, or a tower, or a house, or a smithy, or an alchemical wizards lab, or an airship, or eventually even a castle. But not a golem. As it goes up in level, and they get rarer tiles, it might have very powerful artifacts built into the main artifact (for example, a tower with guardian golems inside, or with lightning launching ballistas on the tower), but since I control the pace of additions, and what additions, I can ensure it doesn't get out of hand too soon or fall too far behind.
Your creativity frightens me. (You're awesome is what I'm trying to say).
Your creativity frightens me. (You're awesome is what I'm trying to say).
Your creativity frightens me. (You're awesome is what I'm trying to say).
+1, this is one of the best ideas I've seen on these boards :)
Your creativity frightens me. (You're awesome is what I'm trying to say).+1, this is one of the best ideas I've seen on these boards :)
I haven't read the posts cause I used to be in this game and hope to be in it again, but PLEASE quit encouraging him! LOL
Heheh
this is actually an awesome idea i like it alot.
If you are printing the tiles would you object to posting them somewhere when you are set? I'd love to see the evolving writeup of the item as you add tiles in your game (as well as the tiles themselves) and use them in my game.
o.o What.. I was being honest. That magical item gets complicated man. I was like. oooooh.. Oh.. Hmm? Ooooh. O.O.
Also, Dragons be not here!
this is actually an awesome idea i like it alot.
** spoiler omitted **
Yeah, I can do that. I need to build them using a painter and print them to a PDF. Once I've done that, I can upload them somewhere. Possibly the Pathfinder DB site.
Your creativity frightens me. (You're awesome is what I'm trying to say).+1, this is one of the best ideas I've seen on these boards :)
Thanks. :)
o.o What.. I was being honest. That magical item gets complicated man. I was like. oooooh.. Oh.. Hmm? Ooooh. O.O.
Also, Dragons be not here!
Thanks. :)
Ok, before I draw the tiles in GIMP, I wanted to go back over the rules and expand them a bit. Here's my second set of rules. Feedback again appreciated. I'm not sure on some of the alignments I picked, and I'm missing a few.
1 Tiles with the same symbol cannot be merged.
2 Tiles with the same color/material cannot be merged.
3 Silver Tiles negate rule 1.
4 Gold Tiles negate rule 2.
5 Gem Tiles negate rule 1 & 2.
6 Tiles must be placed into a cross to activate them (+).
7 When five Common Tiles are placed into a cross, and activated, they merge to form an Advanced Tile.
8 The tile in the center is the Primus Tile, and has the most affect on the form and ability (and material) of the Advanced Tile (or artifact).
9 The North tile affects the Size of the final artifact.
10 The South tile affects the Material of the final artifact.
11 The East tile affects the Essence of the final artifact.
12 The West tile affects the Use of the final artifact.
13 When five Advanced Tiles are placed into a cross and activated, they will form a Tile Artifact. Again, the tile placed in the Primus position has the most effect on the final artifact.
14 A merged tile can be dismantled by pulling on opposite sides and willing it to disassemble.
15 A tile artifact can be dismantled by pulling on opposite sides and willing it to disassemble.
16 Common tiles (sometimes called Rainbow tiles) have only minor effects, even when they are the Primus Tile. They are made up of rather ordinary clay or stone in primary colors (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet). Rainbow tiles have a very weak aura.
17 Uncommon tiles (often called Material tiles) have a small effect on the final artifact. These are made of natural materials such as Ivory, Onyx, Wood, Amber (which is often mistaken for a Gem tile), Jade and other natural materials carved into tiles and enchanted. Material tiles have a weak aura.
18 Rare tiles (often called Metallic tiles) have a strong effect on the final artifact. These are made of metals (such as silver, copper, gold, adamantine, and so forth). Metallic tiles have a strong aura all by themselves.
19 Extremely rare tiles (often called Gem tiles) have a very strong effect on the final artifact. These are made of natural gems cut into tiles (such as diamond, amethyst, garnet, opal, ruby, etc). Gem tiles have a very strong aura all by themselves, and are often incorporated into other objects of power by enchanters who know not their true purpose.
20 When an artifact is dismantled, the tiles that made it are drained of energy, and cannot be used again until one full lunar cycle (from New to Full Moon) has passed (which may take more than 30 days, since the recharge only begins on the first night of the new moon).
21 Items left in an artifact will remain in the artifact until it is activated again.
22 Beings left in an artifact will remain in the artifact until it is activated again, and no time passes for them.
23 If items or creatures are in the artifact when it is dismantled, they will bond to one of the tiles used in the artifact. If these tiles are later used in the same position to make another artifact (North, South, East, West, Primus), then these items or creatures will be released into the artifact when it is activated.
24 Items inherent to the artifact (such as furniture, food, etc) fade from existence if they are taken out of the artifact. However, they will return the next time it is activated.
Color/Material Effect
Red - Fire alignment
Orange - Air alignment
Yellow - Light alignment
Green - Nature alignment
Blue - Water alignment
Indigo - Earth alignment
Violet - Shadow alignment
Onyx - Negative Energy alignment
Ivory - Positive Energy alignment
Amber - Sun alignment
Wood - Nature alignment
Jade - Varies by color (black = negative, white = positive, green = nature, red = fire, blue = water, brown = earth, yellow = air)
Pearl - Water alignment
Copper - Lightning alignment
Silver - Moon alignment
Gold - Sun alignment
Adamantine - Strength alignment
Brass - Mystic alignment
Iron - Defense alignment
Steel - Agression alignment
Tin - Mercurial alignment
Lead - Alchemical alignment
Amethyst - Strong Mystic alignment
Citrine - Strong Sun alignment
Opal - Strong Chaotic alignment
Diamond - Strong Positive alignment
Black Diamond - Strong Negative alignment
Hematite - Strong Shadow alignment
Ruby - Strong Fire alignment
Emerald - Strong Earth alignment
Quartz - Strong Air alignmnet
Sapphire - Strong Water alignment
If you have some ideas for additional tiles, please feel free to post them (in a spoiler please). If you feel I screwed something up on the alignments, please also post in a spoiler. :)
The symbols determine what the artifact will be when it's created (I'm not going to come up with specific rules for those, they're runes, and I want that left up to the GM what the artifact is). However, the details of the artifact are influenced by the tiles. So, let's have a couple of examples :
Set 1 : Red, Yellow, Ivory, Wood, and Silver tile.
Set 2 : Red, Yellow, Onyx, Blue, and Indigo tile.
Let's assume the runes on Set 1 build the word 'HOME', while the runes on set 2 build the word 'WORK'.
If we assemble Set 1, we have 3 tiles that have effect on the artifact, Silver, Ivory and Wood. Silver has a strong Moon alignment, while Wood has a nature alignment and Onyx has a negative alignment. So, we could get the following :
P-Silver, N-Wood, S-Onyx, E-Red, W-Yellow : A medium sized building made of dark forbidding stone (Wood & Onyx) that seems intimidating on first sight, especially lit in moonlight. Inside are 4 rooms and a small basement and fireplace. The basement contains plenty of coal and firewood (red). It can be activated or deactivated only during the day (yellow). It is a well made building (Silver) and can stand up to much punishment (Very high structural integrity and hps).
P-Silver, N-Onyx, S-Yellow, E-Wood, W-Red : A medium sized building (Onyx) made of light wood (Yellow), painted a sandy yellow-brown with bright yellow trim. Inside are 4 rooms and a small basement (Onyx). The pantry is always full, and the rooms are always comfortable (Wood). It can only be activated by throwing it into a fire, or deactivated by putting out the fire inside (Red). It is a well made building (Silver) and can stand up to much punishment (Very high structural integrity and hps).
So you see that while you get the same thing both times (a home to live in), the details are different based on how you put it together.
If we assemble Set 2, we have 1 tile that has effect on the artifact, Onyx. Onyx has a shadow alignment. So, we could get the following :
P-Onyx, N-Red, S-Indigo, E-Blue, W-Yellow : A small (red) stone (Indigo) building. It has two rooms in it. One is a small store room, the other is a fish cleaning room (blue), complete with tools to clean and gut fish. A stone smoker sits in the corner to smoke the fish with. It can be activated or deactivated during the day (yellow). It is structurally sound (Onyx), but has a foreboding feel to it.
I think the alignments will give the players some ability to customize without making it too hard on me or overpowering the thing.
I uploaded the tile sheet to PathfinderDB. It should be on the site sometime in the next day or two.