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Aura Moderate evocation; CL 7th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, [SPELL???], creator must be neutral; Price +2 bonus.
Description
A twisted weapon is imbued with twisted power. This power makes the weapon neutral-aligned and thus bypasses the corresponding damage reduction. It deals an extra 2d6 points of damage against all creatures of neutral alignment. It bestows one permanent negative level on any neutral creature attempting to wield it. The negative level remains as long as the weapon is in hand and disappears when the weapon is no longer wielded. This negative level cannot be overcome in any way (including by restoration spells) while the weapon is wielded.
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Looking for a +2 weapon property that is what (Un)Holy is to Evil/Good, but against Neutral.
1. Got a better name than Twisted?
2. I couldn't think of a spell that this weapon ability would use. Any suggestions?
Biased? Prejudiced?
Biased? Prejudiced?
Seconded for "Biased".
I find it a little weird that the creator must be neutral, but if a neutral character wields it they get the negative level. Maybe being wielded by a good or evil character grants the negative level? And make both Unholy Blight and Holy Smite spell prerequisites. That would fit well with the "Twisted" name, which I actually like a lot.
Also, does anything have DR/neutral??
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This is either significantly more powerful or significantly less powerful than the Holy/Unholy/Axiomatic/Anarchic Combo. Either it affects anyone with a neutral component (5/9th of the population) or just those who are neutral on both (1/9th of the population). If you want it to do (affect anyone with a LN, N or CN alignment) you need to define the reason it goes off as either 'neutral on the good-evil axis' or 'neither good nor evil'.
On a seperate note, I'd be wary of letting this into my game - neutral in the alignment system is mainly defined as not one of the extremes. There's a reason why there's no neutral domain for Clerics.
I would narrow down the neutral to only being on one axis (good/evil or law/chaos) If it covers both I think this would be a little overpowered. The fact that you are vs. neutral means you get all animals, in addition to large chunks of other types.
Holy weapons work vs. 3 alignments (CE, NE, LE). Unless you restrict this, it will work vs. 5 (NG, CN, N, LN, NE)
I still think WotC should have made a follow-up to Book of Vile Darkness and Book of Exalted Deeds: Book of Eternal Fence-sitting! Or maybe Book of Complete Wishy-washyness? Or Book of Utter Undecidedness?
Seriously: You need to find a reason why someone would make something like this. If it is because they do not like people staying neutral, call it fanatic and be done with it. Also important to define which alignments it works against, and the creator should instead of neutral, be any alignment BUT neutral. Note that the most ideologically extreme people in the game are NG, NE, LN and CN, since the LG, LN, LE and CE crowd can at least keep TWO thoughts in their minds at once, and will not focus on a concept so hard that nothing else matters. There is a reason why Judge Dredd is an icon of LN.
I still think WotC should have made a follow-up to Book of Vile Darkness and Book of Exalted Deeds: Book of Eternal Fence-sitting! Or maybe Book of Complete Wishy-washyness? Or Book of Utter Undecidedness?
Seriously: You need to find a reason why someone would make something like this. If it is because they do not like people staying neutral, call it fanatic and be done with it. Also important to define which alignments it works against, and the creator should instead of neutral, be any alignment BUT neutral. Note that the most ideologically extreme people in the game are NG, NE, LN and CN, since the LG, CG, LE and CE crowd can at least keep TWO thoughts in their minds at once, and will not focus on a concept so hard that nothing else matters. There is a reason why Judge Dredd is an icon of LN.
FTFY
Aside from that, I have to agree.
I'm liking "Biased", but like "Twisted" better still.
1) If I make it only True Neutral then should it still be a +2 bonus?
2) I intentionally only wanted it to go against LN, N, and CN, originally.
2) I intentionally only wanted it to go against LN, N, and CN, originally.
While I agree with the poster who said you should explain WHY this, if you go ahead with it, I'd point out that LN and CN are already hit by chaotic/axiomatic.
What about Dogmatic or Tyrannical? I'm leaning towards the former, myself.
Neutral: 1) not favoring or joined to either side in a quarrel, contest, or war <Sweden remained neutral during World War II, refusing to join either side in the conflict>; 2) lacking in distinctive features or qualities <the hero is the novel's only fully fleshed person, all the others being rather neutral characters who are just there to advance the plot>
Near Antonyms biased, partial, partisan, prejudiced, unfair; affiliated, associated, federated; belligerent
Antonyms allied, confederate
Now that I think about it Twisted, while sounding kewl, doesn't make sense anymore.
Dogmatic: given to or marked by the forceful expression of strongly held opinions <a critic's dogmatic insistence that abstract expressionism is the only school of 20th century art worthy of serious study>
Tyrannical: 1) exercising power or authority without interference by others <a tyrannical ruler whose terrible reign was marked by unceasing violence>; 2) fond of ordering people around <even when he was still a toddler, he tended to be a tyrannical playmate>
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So based on all that what do you guys think about "Allied" weapon property?
What you want is the opposite of "Balanced".
I submit Skewed, Radical, or Extreme Balance, Conflict, or Unnatural. A decent name would be Sword of the Four Extremes, or Sword of the Eternal Conflict.
This weapon is skewed against souls that have not taken strong moral and ethical stances, punishing them for their inability to choose.
It deals +1d6 damage to all creatures with a Neutral component to their alignment, and +2d6 to Intelligent creatures of True Neutral alignment. The weapon is designed to return creatures to the cycle of life so they can perhaps choose a cause in their next lives.
In the hands of a character with a Neutral component to their alignment, the weapon inflicts a negative level that cannot be removed as long as the weapon is held. If the character is True Neutral, it inflicts two negative levels instead.
Creator Requirements: Holy Word, Unholy Word, Dictum, Word of Chaos (any two)(or possibly the Aura Spells, instead): +2 Enhancement.
==Aelryinth
If you want an old AD&D tale, the Paladins of the 9 Alignments included the Paramander, who believed in molding the extreme alignments into keeping the Balance, and the Paramandyer, who believed in mercilessly killing creatures of the extreme alignments, for in Oblivion is perfect balance.
There is also 'True Neutral', which is an enlightened philosophy of balance and natural harmony, and 'False Neutral', which is the complete lack of commitment and not just giving a damn.
===Aelryinth
The original alignment system: Lawful, Neutral,Chaotic; of the Basic Set was a Nod to Moorcock and his elric (and related) novels.
In that world, "neutral" was actually "good" in that neutral represented, and was often called, "the balance", Ironically, in Moorcocks world, a paladin would have been neutral.
Lawful thought they were righteous, Chaotic sought to over throw law for the purposes of freedom and rights.
chaotic did often come off, in the novels as chaotic evil, But then there were heroes of chaos as well. Which is why, I think Gygax made the 9 alignments in AD&D.
In Pathfinder there are two kinds of neutral, those who want only power, and those who are looking to restore/preserve 'balance'. Not exactly fence sitters...
If you want an old AD&D tale, the Paladins of the 9 Alignments included the Paramander, who believed in molding the extreme alignments into keeping the Balance, and the Paramandyer, who believed in mercilessly killing creatures of the extreme alignments, for in Oblivion is perfect balance.
There is also 'True Neutral', which is an enlightened philosophy of balance and natural harmony, and 'False Neutral', which is the complete lack of commitment and not just giving a damn.
===Aelryinth
Wans't the 'Ilrigger' the LE Paladin in that article?
LG Paladins
NG Myrikhans (holy rangers)
CG Garaths (temple guardians and champions)
LN Lyans (OMFG powerful secret societyesque elites)
N Paramander, Paramandyer
CN Faran (nomadic tribal champions)
LE Illrigger (knightly assassins)
NE Aarikhan (huntsmen, reavers)
CE Anti-paladin
==Neutral has fence sitters who don't care (neutral, plants, animals, peasantry trying to survive), philosophers (True Neutral), and the ambitious wishy-washy types who don't commit (False Neutrals).
They all fall under the same banner.
==Aelryinth
What you want is the opposite of "Balanced".
I submit Skewed, Radical, or Extreme Balance, Conflict, or Unnatural. A decent name would be Sword of the Four Extremes, or Sword of the Eternal Conflict.
This weapon is skewed against souls that have not taken strong moral and ethical stances, punishing them for their inability to choose.
It deals +1d6 damage to all creatures with a Neutral component to their alignment, and +2d6 to Intelligent creatures of True Neutral alignment. The weapon is designed to return creatures to the cycle of life so they can perhaps choose a cause in their next lives.
In the hands of a character with a Neutral component to their alignment, the weapon inflicts a negative level that cannot be removed as long as the weapon is held. If the character is True Neutral, it inflicts two negative levels instead.
Creator Requirements: Holy Word, Unholy Word, Dictum, Word of Chaos (any two)(or possibly the Aura Spells, instead): +2 Enhancement.
==Aelryinth
Excellent, this is exactly what I wanted. Thank you sir.
maybe they should be two different weapon properties for balance then? 1 for CN N LN, and a second for NG N NE, both called something slightly different than the other
What you want is the opposite of "Balanced".
I submit Skewed, Radical, or Extreme Balance, Conflict, or Unnatural. A decent name would be Sword of the Four Extremes, or Sword of the Eternal Conflict.
I do like the term 'Radical'.
I picture 'Radical' as emphasizing ONE of the extreme alignments, as opposed to discriminating against Neutrals.
I.E a Radical Sword (CG) would do +2d6 dmg to all non-chaotic good opponents (effectively always punishing True Neutrals, regardless of what type of Radical weapon). So, it would hurt LN, LE, TN and NE...slightly better then a Holy Weapon, but gives Demons a pass.
Effectively, 'Radical' (Alignment X) works for any alignment. 'Holy' is nothing more then 'Radical Neutral Good'. NG doesn't prey on Neutrals, however, so LN, TN and CN get a free pass.
You could also interpret a Radical Weapon as only preying on the three opposed alignments, as the "holy" group do...so a CG weapon would oppose LE, LN and NE, and TN gets a pass again.
===Aelryinth