Ampoule of False Blood


Open Call: Design a wondrous item

Sovereign Court RPG Superstar 2011 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9

Ampoule of False Blood
Aura strong transmutation; CL 15th
Slot neck; Price 20,000 gp; Weight -.
Description
This necklace consists of a fine gold chain from which hangs a small sealed crystal vial containing a liquid that appears to be blood. Each ampoule is attuned to a specific sorcerer bloodline. If a sorcerer wears the ampoule for at least one day, the character loses his existing bloodline powers and gains the bloodline powers of the attuned bloodline, at his sorcerer level. Upon removing the necklace, it takes one hour for the character's original bloodline powers to return; during this time, all the sorcerer's bloodline powers are suppressed. The ampoule has no effect on the character's bonus spells, bloodline arcana, or bonus feats from his original bloodline.
As a full round action that provokes an attack of opportunity, the character can break open the ampoule and drink the conetnts within. This destroys the item, and inflicts one permanent negative level on the drinking character. If the drinker is a sorcerer, his bloodline permanetly changes to match that of the ampoule. In this case, the sorcerer's bonus spells, bloodline arcana, and bloodline powers all permanently change to match those of the ampoule. Previously selected bonus feats due to bloodline are unaffacted, but new ones are gained from the new bloodline's list.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous item, limited wish, polymorph, creator must be a sorcerer of the appropriate bloodline; Cost 10,000 gp


I dont know enough to have a valid opinion on the effect, but the item is well written.

Contributor, RPG Superstar 2009, RPG Superstar Judgernaut

Hmmmm. Almost literally a Class-Ability-in-a-Can item. Only, it's an entire sorcerer bloodline. The designer has gone for an item that goes against one of the auto-reject stereotypes. And, you can tell they really tried to nerf most of the bad elements of such items by making the necklace attune itself...replace your existing sorcerer bloodline abilities (for the most part)...and even take away all bloodline powers for 24 hours after you remove it. That does help bring it back a notch. And, it's not like you're gaining two sorcerer bloodlines at the same time. You are mixing the streams a little, though. If I'm reading that right, you get the bloodline powers of another sorcerer bloodline, but your bonus spells, bonus feats, and bloodline arcana stays the same...which feels kind of...odd?

Then, drinking the whole thing destroys the item, but you get to permanently change your bloodline, including bonus spells and bloodline arcana (but not prior bonus feats). That part is going a bit too far, I think...despite the negative level involved. In some ways, the mechanics of this item feel more like it should be a prestige class ability similar to how a mystic theurge can gain aspects of two different spellcasting classes at the same time...or some non-OGL prestige classes that grant extra domains for clerics, etc. Having this wrapped up in a wondrous item is a big move. Ballsy. Just don't know if it's game-breaking in a good way or a bad way.

I also find it somewhat amusing that the only way this item could ever be made is if a sorcerer of one bloodline made it for another. Since that's part of the construction requirements, you couldn't make one of these yourself with the express purpose of gaining a different bloodline. You'd have to seek one out who'd be willing to impart a little of himself so you can draw on it by wearing the necklace.

I'm kind of all over the place with this one. I like it on some levels and don't on others. It's very well-presented (though it has typos). The template was used correctly. There's a lot of thought and attention to detail that went into crafting this one. I'm going leave it here for Sean and Mark to comment on before casting my vote either way. But for the moment, I'm leaning Keep.

Contributor

This is the sort of thing I was hoping would show up. In the competition after the PF Beta, someone submitted an item that let you borrow a bloodline, and we loved it because it was a new rules niche that nobody had touched. Last year, nobody did a bloodline item, and it surprised us.

I like it. I think they thought it out well enough, and the price seems reasonable. They addressed the temporary and permanent changes, and gave some reasonable prerequisite spells.

I say...

Keep!

Paizo Employee Director of Brand Strategy

I could see this being gamed by especially crafty munchkins, but it does utilize of the game's cool new features. One of these could be a lot of fun if found as treasure when the PCs aren't sure what bloodline's in it. I'm really excited to see what this designer can do with an archetype.

Keep.


OK, I researched Sorcerer bloodlines and now have a valid opinion.

Keep

Sovereign Court RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16, 2010 Top 4 aka Alexander MacLeod

Other than needing to look up what an ampoule was (noun; a sealed glass capsule containing a liquid, esp. a measured quantity ready for injecting), I wondered if the costs might outweigh the benefit of this item. In other words, as a wizard man, my question is would someone who plays sorcerers actually use this?

Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 , Dedicated Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Dedicated Voter Season 9

Ampoule – I like it. I don’t recall seeing a magical ampoule before, nice. Perhaps you were listening to Neil’s advice about finding an interesting form for your item. It also makes sense from what the item does. I’m not a big fan of class flipping abilities, but it does take style to take a swing at it. I notice that you have had a really good think about limiting some of the abusable bits, attunement period, recovery period, all good ideas. I note the CL 15, another good idea combined with the fact that the creator has to use their own bloodline. By level 15 there are lots of things in the game that can go a little crazy, this could be one of them. The permanent bloodline change is really gutsy, it certainly could be metagamed, but a permanent negative level does sting to remove, I personally might have made it two of them to make it really hurt.

One word, spellcheck – conetnts, permanetly, unaffacted, my word processor (MS Word) automatically corrected all of these for me.
I like that you didn’t play it safe with this one, high level is harder to design for.

Welcome to the ranks of RPG Superstar! Show us your range of design skills and keep rolling out the big ideas, I’m curious to see your template’s capstone ability (if it has one) in Round 2. Best of luck!

Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 4

I really didn’t care for this one on first reading. I’ve somewhat come around after studying it and thinking about it over the weekend. I think what saves this for me is the fact that it is attuned to a specific bloodline. If you had taken it a step further and allowed it to be re-attuned (by putting different blood in it), then it would be a definite no sale.

But you didn’t go there.

I’m somewhat touchy about items granting class abilities, even if it is technically within the same class. I tend to view a bloodline as a defining characteristic about the character, not unlike gender or race, and if that becomes easily mutable, then choices made at character creation cease to be meaningful. That being said, I think you pulled it off smartly. Doing the difficult is what being a Superstar is all about.

The fact that a sorcerer must create this in order to allow another sorcerer to enjoy access to the creator’s bloodline does amuse/niggle at me. It makes sense, and yet I can’t see a sorcerer actually making one of these as a matter of course. That is, I can only see one making this for a specific person or situation. And you know what that means? Plot Device. I’m not saying it is a Plot Device, but to me you’re straying in that direction. Another possible reason could be if a PC didn’t care for their Bloodline but didn’t want to re-roll their character, the GM could introduce one of these in order to make a change without disrupting the continuity of the story. Yet, that is another Plot Device.

Ultimately I agree that this was a very bold choice. It is well executed and the limits are well considered. This is a good example of someone attempting something difficult and the risk paying off. I didn’t want to like it, but I ended up liking it anyway and that is not easy (I can be stubborn!). Congratulations and I look forward to your next bold design!

The Exchange Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 6 , Dedicated Voter Season 6

I don't see the crafting limitation the way the judges do, since missing a prerequisite just increases the craft DC by 5. In other words, any Wondrous Item crafter could make this for any bloodline with a DC 25 check, +5 each if they lack polymorph or limited wish.

The item rubs me the wrong way, due to the oft-mentioned changing your class features problem. The flavor goes some ways back towards making it okay, but I'd still be happy with a simpler item that emulated a piece of a blood line, rather than swapped them. And yeah, that'd break the class feature item rule :)

Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 4

Russ Taylor wrote:
I don't see the crafting limitation the way the judges do, since missing a prerequisite just increases the craft DC 5. In other words, any Wondrous Item crafter could make this for any bloodline with a DC 25 check, +5 each if they lack polymorph or limited wish.

Ah, got us. You're right. That really impacts my comments on the Alchemist's Viper. I can see why you're a rules nut.

Okay, that mitigates things somewhat.

The Exchange RPG Superstar 2011 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 8 aka Sect

Interesting item with an interesting effect. Not sure if I'd allow it in my game, though...


I imagine 2nd Edition style random side-effects charts for this, i.e. `bad blood hybrid`, `retrograde evolution`, etc.

One thing I don`t see mentioned so far, is that if you use items like this on multiple occasion (in the permanent change manner), the negative levels will stack. I would probably have applied the negative level TEMPORARILY along with the temporary usage - I`m not sure how Negative Levels work now (it`s pretty neutered esp. for Casters, AFAIK), but adding wording so that Negative Level from this item affect your Bloodline Level/Powers (whatever it is at the time) makes sense to me.

Sovereign Court RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8 , Star Voter Season 6

(vs ampoule of the True Blood which turns you into Anna Paquin)
I like this item. It’s a big investment to pull a ‘bloodline out of a hat’ and the effects aren’t easily gotten rid of (the hour of suppression really sucks if you’re normally a fire bloodline, wearing a water bloodline ampoule, and here come the frost giants!) I like it. Juliet would approve.

An amusing aside, the cursed version that when put on just shuts down all your bloodline related abilties, then shatters (remove curse to reverse)

Star Voter Season 8

I also really like this one -- and I can see a couple of my characters using it at some point, and several of my friends wanting one for their characters.


Previously selected bonus feats due to bloodline are unaffacted, but new ones are gained from the new bloodline's list.

I think this should maybe read

Previously selected bonus feats due to bloodline are unaffacted, but when the character gains a new sorcerer level she selects bonus feats from the new bloodline.

It should probably be written better than I did, but I think it needs to be crystal clear that the new feats are chosen from the new bloodline. For some reason, when I first read it I thought it meant new feats for previous levels are also obtained.

It's a cool item, but I wonder if it should be this easy to change bloodlines.

RPG Superstar 2013 Top 4 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7

As I started reading this item, I thought I wouldn´t like it. I was wrong. The idea is neat, and this is not only a cool item but also a relevant one in terms of storytelling. I can see a player going after the ampoule driven by purely dramatic reasons.

I´m sure that, if well-played, a sorcerer character changing his bloodline forever would be a memorable moment to all players in any table, without being game-breaking at all, and that makes this superstar to me.

Contributor, RPG Superstar 2009, RPG Superstar Judgernaut

Pedro Coelho wrote:
As I started reading this item, I thought I wouldn´t like it. I was wrong. The idea is neat, and this is not only a cool item but also a relevant one in terms of storytelling. I can see a player going after the ampoule driven by purely dramatic reasons.

Agreed. Imagine the sorcerer who's born with an Abyssal or Infernal bloodline, desperately wanting to change it to Celestial...or anything other than that kind of fiendish heritage. It works on a lot of storytelling levels, but it's not just a plot device item. It has mechanical relevance across the board.

Just an additional thought that occurred to me the more I thought on this one.

Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 4

Neil Spicer wrote:
Pedro Coelho wrote:
As I started reading this item, I thought I wouldn´t like it. I was wrong. The idea is neat, and this is not only a cool item but also a relevant one in terms of storytelling. I can see a player going after the ampoule driven by purely dramatic reasons.

Agreed. Imagine the sorcerer who's born with an Abyssal or Infernal bloodline, desperately wanting to change it to Celestial...or anything other than that kind of fiendish heritage. It works on a lot of storytelling levels, but it's not just a plot device item. It has mechanical relevance across the board.

Just an additional thought that occurred to me the more I thought on this one.

If that is actually how the players elected to treat it. I still don't think a cautionary word about this item is unwarranted (for reasons other than mechanics).

That being said, I'd love to chat or exchange emails with you about this, Neil and Pedro, because I think we'd have a great conversation. However anything even remotely like a debate between judge and guest judge would probably be distracting to Joseph and be unfair to him. I'm saying that because I've just deleted a page long reply, and I'm reconciling to the fact that after this... I have to let this one go.. :).

Seeya in the funnies.


Russ Taylor wrote:

I don't see the crafting limitation the way the judges do, since missing a prerequisite just increases the craft DC by 5. In other words, any Wondrous Item crafter could make this for any bloodline with a DC 25 check, +5 each if they lack polymorph or limited wish.

I had the same thought reading this.

It's a neat idea, but I don't think I'd allow it in a game that had the Pathfinder crafting rules intact.


One word: wow. (On so many levels.) Definitely a bold idea, great execution (other than the terrible unaffacted typo!), and loads of flavor. I agree with Jim (he and I often seem to be on the same page gaming wise) that it would make a wonderful plot device for the tortured soul PC who hates having an infernal or fiendish bloodline.

I can certainly see limited wish in the prerequisites! I'm not sure if one negative level's enough though... still, you have obviously thought long and hard about the mechanics here, Joseph. I like the hour-long suppression detriment, not too long, but not too short. Superb job overall! Definitely one of the best I've read so far.

Contributor

I like some of the ideas here, but it strikes me as rather too powerful in some aspects. The 'break open and drink' part seems way too prone to abuse. What if you force someone to wear it and then force them to drink it? Do they have no way to resist someone forcibly and irrevocably changing their class abilities and entire thematic schtick?

I find it really interesting, but it seems a bit far reaching in terms of what it can do.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 8 aka The Leaping Gnome

I really like this item. It seems kind of borderline artifact though. It also seems like an easy way for a DM to appease a character. There are a few other unanswered questions about it as well, such as if you have an arcane bond from the arcane bloodline what happens to it? Or the expanded arcana from the same bloodline, do you pick which spell you forget?

The only part I see as possibly exploitable is how the bonus feats work, but that is pretty minor.

Good job! See you round two!

Sovereign Court RPG Superstar 2011 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9

Thanks for all the kind words and constructive criticism! I was stunned to see that I made the top 32.

Cursed typos. Word's autocorrect has spoiled me. I'll definitely have to be more careful in round 2.


Interesting item especially at high level play. The drinking the blood reminds me of a suped up all level Psychic Reformation without the experience point cost. That effect could basically could be duplicated with the Limited Wish required to make this item in most campaigns and losing the appropiate experience points for each level. Regarding crafting the item. If the crafter can cast Limited Wish or acquire Limited Wish reliably they can also find a sorcerer with the desired bloodline to craft this item.

Most parties have a cleric or access to a NPC caster capable of casting the appropiate spell so the permanent negative level not much of a penalty in most campaigns.

SGenerally most players choose their bloodlines in campaigns and do not have them randomly assigned by their GM so it seems odd how selectively beneficial the supression of the bloodline is. For the price I would think it would be complete:

Upon removing the necklace, it takes one hour for the character's original bloodline powers to return; during this time, all the sorcerer's bloodline powers are suppressed. The ampoule has no effect on the character's bonus spells, bloodline arcana, or bonus feats from his original bloodline.


I REALLY don't like this item. The ability to gain the use of another bloodline, while supressing your actual bloodline AND then having the option of permanently changing it. NO, no, no, and no. A Sorcerer's bloodline is the one aspect of the sorcerer that should not be mutable by any means, save perhaps Divine Intervention or maybe a Wish.


To Daniel Gunther 346: while I would never claim you can't have an strong opinion about this item, it would be nice of you to tell us exactly why you feel so strongly opposed to the concept. My own opinion is this: it's a fantasy game, emphasis on both fantasy and game! We do it for fun. And it takes place inside the human imagination, where literally anything is possible. So why does a sorcerer bloodline before everything else in this imaginal realm have to be immutable?

Scarab Sages RPG Superstar 2009 Top 4 , Star Voter Season 6 aka raidou

Joseph, congratulations on making the top 32! This is an item where I really like the work you've put into your concept, and how well you execute the mechanics of that concept. The core concept itself, for me, is slightly less appealing because it assumes things about how the game world understands the game mechanics. It seems like something better served by a plot device or artifact that an item that can be made, bought and sold in the game economy.

Regardless, it's a solid item and concepts are just as subjective as art. So I'm quite pleased with your craftsmanship here and wish you all the best in future rounds.

Star Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber

Congrats Joseph!

I think this is a really neat and innovative item. I can see all manner of possibilities with this in one of the games I GM.

Spoiler:
I'm spoilering this just in case the player of the gnome sorcerer in my Kingmaker game sees this, I think it would be cool to have the Ampoule of False Blood in the treasure of saw the naga sorcerer in "War of the River Kings" part 5 of Kingmaker. And if the gnome drank the contents, and depending on the bloodline, it could be very interesting indeed.

So, kudos on a job well done. (Just watch out for those typos). ;)

Now, go and bring the AWESOME with an archetype for round 2.

~Dean


I held off on posting this comment until I'd run it by some other gamer friends, because I wanted to make sure I was thinking clearly. We all sort of felt the same way about it, so I feel pretty sure I'm not insane when I say:

This item reeks of home campaign item to me, and not in a good way. I suppose it does have the potential to facilitate some good storytelling, as pointed out in other posts. But as a player I just don't see myself wanting to permanently change my bloodline if I choose to be a sorcerer, and I would rather the GM worked out a good plot device by which to do so if it were necessary, instead of bringing an item like this to act as a plot device.

Plus, I just don't see it being used that way by players. If anything, I see a min/maxer abusing this for the sake of optimization on the fly.

It's not a horrible item... but is this really superstar?

RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32 aka Hydro

Keith Savage wrote:
To Daniel Gunther 346: while I would never claim you can't have an strong opinion about this item, it would be nice of you to tell us exactly why you feel so strongly opposed to the concept. My own opinion is this: it's a fantasy game, emphasis on both fantasy and game! We do it for fun. And it takes place inside the human imagination, where literally anything is possible. So why does a sorcerer bloodline before everything else in this imaginal realm have to be immutable?

I believe that a lot of the narrative power of bloodlines stems from how fundamental they are to your character. Many characters would love nothing better than to change their bloodline. That doesn't mean that their players want to change their bloodline; indeed if it were that easy it would ruin a big part of their character concept. Possibility is fundamentally important to fantasy, but sometimes boundaries can be just as important. Players still want to be able to explore human themes and problems (like conflict with one's ancestry); those who don't should really consider putting the medieval pulp-fantasy down and giving surrealism or literary nonsense a try. :)

To be clear, though, I'm just defending one point of view on why this is a bad idea; I'm not saying that's the only good opinion. In my own games, I actually wouldn't limit bloodline swapping to wish or divine intervention. I would say that reincarnate ought to work too, if the player wants. But being reincarnated is also a very big, narratively significant event in my eyes. Some people will say that your bloodline is a part of your sorcerer's soul and can't be changed even by reincarnation, while others will say that magic is magic and items like the Ampoule are just fine, and both points of view are perfectly respectable. It's just a matter of preference.

I don't think this item would go over well if released in an official paizo product, but for those who dig it it's a pretty clever item. It leverages existing rules to cram a lot of fun and flavor into a very small package.


Funky item!

Reminded me at first of Angela Jolie - didn't she carry around a vial of blood for a while?

I like the swap a bloodline bit. Imagine two sorcerers constructing these for a trade.


Bloodline items aren't particularly new after 3 years of Superstar with pathfinder rules, but this one does something different entirely. I think that it is a bit too complex when it states which abilities are replaced and which aren't, and that part feels kinda weird and disrupts the flair of the item, but I can see why you did there what you did. Aside from that I really like what you are doing, even if I'm not particularly blown away by it. For me it falls somewhere in the middle of the top32.

RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8

Congratulations on making the Top 32!

Wow! This is a big item. It is obvious that you knew what you were tackling here and you did a great job of working out a way to do it without being totally over-the-top powerful or underwhelmingly useless. I fully believe that you hit the balance point of an item like this - good job.

My only issue is: who is this for? Lots of people have talked about plot-points and story-items and for me, I think that if a player wanted to change the bloodline of their character permanently - it should involve more than simply tracking down one of these to buy.

Also, I know you gave it the "24 hour to attune" clause but a high level sorcerer could end up with a collection of these things - giving them access to lots of bloodlines. Probably not what you had in mind of course, but it is possible.

Still, I love the bold "go big or go home" move you made here.

Great Item!

Liberty's Edge

This is bolder than a French Roast. It's so gonzo, it works. This is the kind of thing I kept hoping to come up with, but didn't.

I don't know how much I like it, but it's definitely what Paizo should be looking for in this competition. You're one to watch, sir!

Congrats on making the top 32!

Star Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Marathon Voter Season 9

Congratulations Joseph!
Strength (Overall): 15
Dexterity (see time in my campaign): 10
Constitution (long-time keeper): 10
Intelligence (mechanics): 12
Wisdom (writing craft): 15
Charisma (flavor/visuals): 15

I am impressed with such a big bite of the rules and a well-done one at that. I agree with Watcher/Jim that it seems more plot device than item. A smaller version (one per bloodline power maybe?) would work better imho, but then it would lack the mojo of your entry. :) Except in the instance of someone overcoming their heritage (as Neil said ((aka plot-device)) ) switching BLOODlines goes too far for me--or rather "buying" an ancestry. I would also like to see this work for non-sorcerers somehow (half level/bloodline powers only??). Then I could create the radioactive-spider bloodline or the super-soldier bloodline for any of my players. :) Again I think this was the biggest risk taken of all those I have read so far that carries along way. :)

Again, congratulations! :)

Liberty's Edge RPG Superstar 2011 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 6

Wow. Gutsy and ambitious. And the item seems to work well and has prevented potential abuses. And I like the roleplaying need of having to find another sorcerer with a different bloodline to make it. I like it.


Joseph LaMothe wrote:

Ampoule of False Blood

Aura strong transmutation; CL 15th
Slot neck; Price 20,000 gp; Weight -.
Description
This necklace consists of a fine gold chain from which hangs a small sealed crystal vial containing a liquid that appears to be blood. Each ampoule is attuned to a specific sorcerer bloodline. If a sorcerer wears the ampoule for at least one day, the character loses his existing bloodline powers and gains the bloodline powers of the attuned bloodline, at his sorcerer level. Upon removing the necklace, it takes one hour for the character's original bloodline powers to return; during this time, all the sorcerer's bloodline powers are suppressed. The ampoule has no effect on the character's bonus spells, bloodline arcana, or bonus feats from his original bloodline.
As a full round action that provokes an attack of opportunity, the character can break open the ampoule and drink the conetnts within. This destroys the item, and inflicts one permanent negative level on the drinking character. If the drinker is a sorcerer, his bloodline permanetly changes to match that of the ampoule. In this case, the sorcerer's bonus spells, bloodline arcana, and bloodline powers all permanently change to match those of the ampoule. Previously selected bonus feats due to bloodline are unaffacted, but new ones are gained from the new bloodline's list.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous item, limited wish, polymorph, creator must be a sorcerer of the appropriate bloodline; Cost 10,000 gp

Disclaimer:

Ask A RPGSuperstar Succubus is posting from the point of view of a CE aligned succubus – fairness is an adjective applicable to hair coloration, balance is what a couple of mortals on opposite ends of a plank pivoted on a rocky spire above a drop of several hundred feet into a pool of molten basalt frantically try to do, and logic is something which proves anything a demon of adequate status and charm requires it to demonstrate.

Is the item Pretty?
Fine gold chain, check. Crystal vial, check. Oh, wait, the blood's a bit weird. Still...

Does the item help a demonic seductress to keep a paladin house pet?
No.

Is the item otherwise useful?
Yes.

Other Comments? (including World Domination potential on the evil laughter scale, where appropriate)
I do not personally dabble in sorcery. I know a number of succubi who do, however, and to be frank they'll be sending out people to kill, steal, or do whatever else is necessary to get hold of some of these, if they are of a desirable bloodline. You see, whilst it may in theory cost the same materials and techniques to manufacture each different type of ampoule, some bloodlines are going to be a lot more popular than others, which will push the market price for such items up. In particular I'm thinking of the bloodlines which make a sorcerer more likely to succeed in some action, grant desirable resistances to damage, and/or allow a sorcerer previously incapable of such things to fly.
It may be possible to manufacture these ampoules for each bloodline at an identical cost, but in different markets, to different groups of sellers, the prices will not be equal.

Gollum Rating:
(On behalf of my fellow sorcery wielding succubi) My Preciousss.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 16 , Star Voter Season 6 aka Shadow-Mask

This is cool. Not necessarily something I'd buy as a PC, it's cool none the less. I think keeping the bonus feats from your old bloodline maintains a sense of continuity for the character if the bloodline is changed permanently.

Congratulations.


A cool, big idea....

If I was GM, use of this item might have alignment repercussions. Might even register a visit from one of your alignment outsiders who notice the change and pop by to say, "What Up? Why weren't you happy with what we gave you?" Lots of neat RP possibilities.

Also, what if you force fed a sorcerer one of these puppies?

I think that the negative level should be very hard to remove. Wish or Miracle.

Sovereign Court RPG Superstar 2011 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9

Ask A RPGSupersuccubus wrote:
Does the item help a demonic seductress to keep a paladin house pet?

I must admit to finding this criterion hilarious.


Joseph LaMothe wrote:
Ask A RPGSupersuccubus wrote:
Does the item help a demonic seductress to keep a paladin house pet?
I must admit to finding this criterion hilarious.

<blinks>

Paladins make very good house pets, once you train them properly.
They're intensely charismatic musclebound men (or women if your tastes as a succubus run that way) and capturing and winning them over is an exciting challenge. And there is always that slight frisson of danger - have you truly managed to tame the savage beast or at some point will he or she grab a candlestick (or stick of rhubarb) and swing it at your head in an attempt to smite you with it?

Liberty's Edge RPG Superstar 2011 Top 32 aka Bats Kabber

Jim Groves wrote:

Another possible reason could be if a PC didn’t care for their Bloodline but didn’t want to re-roll their character, the GM could introduce one of these in order to make a change without disrupting the continuity of the story. Yet, that is another Plot Device.

I agree with Jim almost completely on this one. I believe the main use for this item would be as an easy way to allow a player to change bloodlines if they decide they do not like their current one.

Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16, 2011 Top 32, 2012 Top 4

I really like this item. I can see a brotherhood of fanatical sorcerers of a specific bloodlne creating a bunch of these, and then forcing other sorcerers to drink them. "You WILL join us!"

I can definitely see using this item in my home campaign. Excellent work! Well writen too, and no points lost from me for the typo.

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 16 , Star Voter Season 6

If it weren't for the negative level, this item would be completely broken. Kudo's on finding an appropriate drawback to curb abuse. It's still a wicked powerful item in the right hands though. Personally I build a sorcerer around his bloodline, selecting his other spells and feats to compliment what he is and will become, and to have my build fit multiple bloodlines would be quite a stretch. As such I might not use this item, but not for lack of utility. If I sat down and found a build that worked for two bloodlines I would certainly try it out, making sure I made one before the change so I could go back. It would make a great multiple-personality sorcerer, wherein two dueling personalities would fight for dominance. He'd be hella self destructive, but also super fun to play!

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 32 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Dedicated Voter Season 9 aka surfbored

This one is big. So big I had to let it stew in the ol' brain pan for a little while to really get a feel for it.

First off, I can't believe how bold this item is; part of me has trouble reconciling such a big character change through a magic item. But another part of me can really appreciate how deftly you handled the change.

As a GM, I don't know if I would allow it. As a player I'd probably beg for it. Still, there's no question that this is Superstar quality and the other 31 of us should be worried.

Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8

Is there any effect for a non-sorcerer drinker? (I would guess that there is none for a non-sorcerer just wearing it.)

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