4-12: The Refuge of Time

[ScrollMasterRob]

I have both run and played this adventure, and I have a question about 1 of the items in the chronicle.

The Ocher Rhomboid Ioun Stone. It is an evil cursed item that gives you a free feat. Activating this item is an evil act that shifts your alignment 1 step toward evil, unless you receive an atonement spell. The item is cursed and cannot be removed without a remove curse spell.

Some players are interpreting this as free feat, atonement,spell for 2 Prestige, and all is forgiven. Stick the thing in your wayfinder and forget about it.

I feel that the use of this item is evil. Your character suffers from doing a blatantly evil act. Free feat, alignment shift. Atonement should remove the feat.

This item need a little clarification.

[kinevon]

This has been covered, by the Paizo PFS folk, in the PFS forums. The evil act is activating the Ioun stone, not using the feat.

And the Atonement cost depends on whether you are a Divine caster or not. 2 PP for a regular Atonement, 4 PP, IIRC, if you are a Paladin or some such.

Atonement will [b[]not[/b] remove the feat. Only using a Remove Curse to get rid of the Ioun stone will remove the feat, in which case putting the stone back in orbit will count as another evil act, requiring an Atonement.

Note: The lingering affect that many forget about is that the Ioun stone radiates as evil to Detect spells.

Spoiler:

It also leaves you vulnerable to a very bad situation if you have the Ioun stone, and you get specialed by Krune. If you fail a very difficult save, not only do you lose the feat from the stone, you also lose another feat

[ScrollMasterRob]

Thanks for the clarification. Just doesn't seem right. Hopefully, our newly "evil" pcs suffer all kinds of horrible things in season 5.

[kinevon]

ScrollMasterRob wrote:

Thanks for the clarification. Just doesn't seem right. Hopefully, our newly "evil" pcs suffer all kinds of horrible things in season 5.

Note Bene: The PC is NOT, repeat NOT, evil. If the alignmenty change would make him evil, he can pay for an atonement, or the PC will be retired from PFS play.

Otherwise, the PC will be a non-evil alignment, but the ston eis what radiates evil. Sort of, in a way, a PC under the effects of Infernal Healing, but the evil is the stone, not the PC.

[Matthew Pittard]

Which could lead to interaction checks being more difficult because one of the pcs items is radiating evil if checked. I can think of one location in the Wardstone patrol where this could trigger.

[Ninjaxenomorph]

"Argh, can someone else use my Shining Wayfinder? Keeps pointing to my ioun stone."

Played this one, looking to GM it. Are there any indications that it is evil in the scenario? Been a while, don't remember it.

[Majuba]

I believe the GM is instructed to tell the players that the stone is evil, before being given a chance to activate it for themselves.

[TetsujinOni]

Majuba wrote:

I believe the GM is instructed to tell the players that the stone is evil, before being given a chance to activate it for themselves.

I'd recheck that... my recollection is you don't find out it's evil without identifying it as a cursed item at the increased identification check DC for same.

[Majuba]

Here's the full text. Some relevant items bolded.

Quote:

One of Naroth’s treasures is a cursed ioun stone. PCs can

tell it’s evil on even a cursory examination.
If a PC is using this ioun stone when the group leaves the
temple and the angel in area 1 still lives, the angel warns
the wearer to remove the evil item and have it destroyed.
The angel doesn’t start a fight with the wearer, even if she
refuses to remove the object.
A PC who investigates the ioun stone should be able to
discern its properties as normal, except that it is cursed
and can’t be removed without magic (see page 536 of the
Core Rulebook for more information on cursed items). Each
PC should be given the choice to use the ioun stone before
receiving a Chronicle sheet for the scenario, which reveals
that the item is cursed.

So, tell that it's evil, yes. Tell that it's cursed, no.

[Pirate Rob]

As a note there is already a season 5 scenario that makes life difficult for users of said item. It would not surprise me to continue to find those associated with the Crusades to take a dim view of those tainted by evil.

[TetsujinOni]

Majuba wrote:

Here's the full text. Some relevant items bolded.

Quote:

One of Naroth’s treasures is a cursed ioun stone. PCs can

tell it’s evil on even a cursory examination.
If a PC is using this ioun stone when the group leaves the
temple and the angel in area 1 still lives, the angel warns
the wearer to remove the evil item and have it destroyed.
The angel doesn’t start a fight with the wearer, even if she
refuses to remove the object.
A PC who investigates the ioun stone should be able to
discern its properties as normal, except that it is cursed
and can’t be removed without magic (see page 536 of the
Core Rulebook for more information on cursed items). Each
PC should be given the choice to use the ioun stone before
receiving a Chronicle sheet for the scenario, which reveals
that the item is cursed.

So, tell that it's evil, yes. Tell that it's cursed, no.

Ah, good clarification. Helps to have text to refer to. Good times, having to make choices between power and right.