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Question: If a creature such as a Nightshade, Nightwing has ample time to fleece a dead player character's possessions and drain them, how does the GM determine which items are drained completely? Note: Because the character is "dead" the items are really not "attended".
Background: In last week's game one of the PCs died (L14 monk), alone in a room with two Nightshade, Nightwings; this was part of the group's failed two pronged strategy within a castle complex. The monk's body had a number of magical items on him: Amulet of Mighty Fists +3, Belt of Physical Might +4, Boots of Striding and Springing, Bracers of Armor, Everburning Torch, Goggles of Minute Seeing, Handy Haversack, Headband of Inspired Wisdom +6, Vest of Escape.
From the PRD: "If a nightwing attempts to sunder a magic item with its bite, its magic-draining bite renders the item nonmagical for 1d4 rounds (if the item is a permanent magic item), drains 1d8 charges (if the item has charges), or renders it permanently nonmagical (if the item is a one-use item). The item (or its wielder, if the item is attended) can resist this effect with a DC 23 Will save. Damage dealt to an item is applied after the effects of magic drain are applied. The save DC is Charisma-based."
Thanks!!!
It looks like all the items you listed would be ok after 1d4rounds. If he had any potions, they would be gone, and if he had any wands (or other items with charges) they would lose 1d8 charges per time the nightwing sundered it.
It looks like this is up to the GM entirely; more than anything else, it comes down to whether the Nightwing is sitting there sundering the items on the monk's corpse.
If they are, then it looks like the items are destroyed through repeated sunder (not through the magic drain so much as the damage dealt by sunder). If they're not, the items are there and just fine.
I don't see anything that indicates they like to consume magic items, or anything saying they don't. Really looks like GM call; the nightwings have either ruined the items by eating them (to get at the tasty, tasty magic, and maybe the tasty monk they happen to be attached to), or they've left them alone, because they don't care.
An ally or master of the nightwings might even have come in and retrieved the items for some other use.
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At least 5 rounds of combat, plus at least 2-5 minutes went by during roleplay with an npc and combat tactics discussion before the rest of the part arrived.
That said, I'm inclined to say the magic items were unattended, and that the nightwings "Feed" off magic to replenish their own power, as intimated in their description.
From the PRD: Repairing a magic item requires material components equal to half the cost to create the item, and requires half the time. The make whole spell can also repair a damaged (or even a destroyed) magic items—if the caster is high enough level.
From the PRD: Make whole can fix destroyed magic items (at 0 hit points or less), and restores the magic properties of the item if your caster level is at least twice that of the item. Items with charges (such as wands) and single-use items (such as potions and scrolls) cannot be repaired in this way.
Hmmmn.
Maybe they are all drained but not destroyed.
Maybe all are indeed broken.
Perhaps I can let the players take it from there?
Thoughts?
At this point, it comes down to realism vs. game-ism, really.
If they have to pay to get the monk raised, and all his gear is destroyed beyond the party's ability to make whole it back, then unless there is compensating treasure, the party is going to be in a lot of trouble, wealth-wise. But if the monk is going to be replaced, by a new character coming in with his own wealth-by-level, giving the party the monk's gear is a big boost in cash.
So if you want the party to be able to retain the items, I would simply rule that nightwings can feed off of unattended items without significantly damaging them. The monk's body, and his equipment, is gnawed on (the items can be repaired just with mending, as they are not broken yet, having taken very little damage overall), but the nightwings have been draining the energy enough that the items won't function (or detect as magical) for an hour or so. Nightwings are intelligent, and would probably avoid destroying magical items if they enjoy consuming the magic. After all, if you can eat the magic from an item every 1d4 rounds, you don't want to destroy it entirely... but if you've been draining the items constantly, perhaps they're extra drained. (And slimy & icky to the touch.)
If you don't want the party to retain the items, let the nightwings have consumed them (and probably the monk's body). After they are defeated, cutting them apart might yield enough to work some repairs, but the items are probably fully digested.
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The party was able to resurrect the monk.
As for his possessions, please take a look at this write up. Any feedback?
7 of the 9 items are repairable. Repair Requirements:
Amulet of Mighty Fists +3 -Requires Make Whole spell, a caster of 9th level, and someone with craft wondrous item. Plus spell: greater magic fang. Cost: 23,000gp in materials.
Belt of Physical Might +4 – Requires Make Whole spell, a caster of 9th level, and someone with craft wondrous item. Plus spells: bears endurance, bull’s strength, cat’s grace. Cost: 45,000gp in materials.
Boots of Striding and Springing - Requires a simple Mending spell (or Make Whole), a caster of 3rd level and someone with craft wondrous item. Plus spell: Longstrider. Repair cost 1400gp in materials.
Bracers of Armor +3 – Requires Make Whole spell, a caster of 7th level, and someone with craft wondrous item. Plus spell: mage armor. Repair cost: 2,300gp.
Everburning Torch-Destroyed Completely. Parts are also missing. Rationale: Creatures of deep darkness hate light.
Goggles of Minute Seeing – Requires “Make Whole” spell, a caster of 3rd level, and someone with craft wondrous item. Plus spell: True Seeing. Repair cost 500gp.
Handy Haversack-Destroyed completely. Parts are also missing. Rationale: Creatures destroyed the sack looking for more magic within.
Headband of Inspired Wisdom +6 – Requires “Make Whole” spell, a caster of 8th level, and someone with craft wondrous item. Plus spell: Owl’s Wisdom. Cost: 9000gp in materials.
Vest of Escape – Requires a simple Mending spell (or Make Whole), a caster of 4th level and someone with craft wondrous item. Plus spells: Knock, Grease. Repair cost 1300gp.
Totals: Assuming you use [sorcerer PC name] for bear’s endurance, bull’s strength, cat’s grace, true seeing ([Cleric PC name] can also cast True Seeing), knock, grease, and owl’s wisdom spells, and Kauth for his craft wondrous item feat, and use [Ranger PC name] for longstrider and greater magic fang spells, you should be able to repair all but two items by spending a cost of 82,500gp in materials. The make whole spell is L2 but 1 casting is required for each of the 7 repairable items.
Note: The cost in materials assumes you or someone involved in repairs have access to various materials found in towns or castles.
I'd think a better rationale is that the thing sat there like Augustus Gloop, unable to stop munching on the magic items. Gut instinct told me it would be unlikely to munch its way through 9 items in 2-5 minutes plus a couple rounds, especially if it was on the lower side, but then I saw the 4d10+18 damage from its bite.
Since it likes magical goodness, it's clearly only going to munch on ones that are magical, which means any given item is hit no more than once every 1d4 rounds, and magic items have hardness and lots of hit points, as I recall.
So suppose it decides to get to the center of the Tootsie Roll Lollipop of Inspired Wisdom +6. *lick* It's got hardness 22 (10, but +2/point), so it takes (roll) 45-22 = 23 hp of damage. It's probably done whether or not it makes its save.
Next round, the Gobstopper of Mighty Fists +3. *crunch* It's only got hardness 16. It takes (roll) 37-16 = 21 points of damage. It's probably done too. This also, regardless of save, is probably toast.
Moving on, it casts its eye on the handy Fun Dip sack, and spent a round angrily discovering no magical goodness inside. Next round *chomp* it takes a mere (roll) 46 points of damage and has no hardness. No more haversack. The save is irrelevant.
I think odds are pretty darn good that within a minute or so all 9 items were toast and the nightwing was sitting there glowing with 9 magic items worth of temporary hit points.
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Thanks gbonehead, and based on the magic items all becomming toast, would the repair list be reasonable, or would you say unrepairable?
It's been a while since I had this much important stuff destroyed, and I just want to learn what would be the system to follow for repairs. Unless, you think the items are unrepairable, that would be another story?
I like what gbonehead estimated based on the creatures' big attacks.... does this utterly destroy the items, or should I provide the repair list (described above)? Thoughts?