We just entered chapter two of the Shattered Star...
And I (as DM) am having a bit of "suspension of disbelief" issue with the possible "Sorshens clone" scenerio.
The problem I am having is how ability scores are handled in the event someone ends up in the clone....
The situation is abnormal...in that generally the way clone works...you end up with more or less the same ability scores you had....but in this case although you are modified to full-blooded Azlanti (no real problem) a characters base ability scores could be way off the mark in comparison to the ability scores....
For example...we have several PC's who's Strength score is MUCH higher than I can see Sorshens physical body having...especially after a +2 boost.I just can't see some guy with a 17 Strength...ending up in the clone and having a 19 strength as a result...when Sorshen was probably no where near that strong...
I am thinking of taking a page from Reincarnation....and setting the physical ability scores (Str, Dex, Con) and then allowing the PC's unmodified mental ability scores (Int, Wis, Cha) the +2 boost (for being full blooded Azlanti)...and giving the body the benefit of the "Rune of the Mistress" tattoo (3/day touch atk, -4 on all will saves vs Enchantment spells for 24 hours)
Does that sound like a fair trade ?
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Honestly, any way you choose to handle it would be fine, even if you chose to omit it completely. It's a trap, not a reward, after all.
The way we handled it (short version) is that I preplanned it to happen to a specific PC I knew would be intrigued (as opposed to pissed) and sat her down between sessions to explain the situation. I determined the physical stats (with Azlant mods) let her keep her mental stats and gave her the chance to rebuild her character up to the appropriate level to better represent the transformation. She had been a Sorceress and decided on an Arcanist to represent the merge with what was a Wizard.
Of course in our game I had an echo of Sorshen in her head, taunting, manipulating and occasionally guiding her...
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I let the pc who triggered this trap have the +2 to their ability scores. Realistically you're right - Sorshen would not have a strength of 19. What if the pc who sets off this trap is a barbarian? Do you really want to punish them by setting their strength score to ten? This trap made the whole AP more fun for my players. Lots of role playing from this trap, and lots of encounters later are affected by it.
For example...we have several PC's who's Strength score is MUCH higher than I can see Sorshens physical body having...especially after a +2 boost.I just can't see some guy with a 17 Strength...ending up in the clone and having a 19 strength as a result...when Sorshen was probably no where near that strong...
You're right, Sorshen wouldn't be near 19 Str. She'd probably be sitting around 24 or so.
Keep in mind, these are Karzoug's stats Str 24, Dex 24, Con 28, lnt 36, Wis 15, Cha 22, and Sorshen is stronger than he is. K is in 4th while Sorshen is in 2nd amongst Runelord power.
So, it's much easier to just give the player +2s to everything with their usual ability scores, because if you wanted to give them the clone's score, they'd end up FAR stronger than the rest of the party.
Karzoug's stats are amplified by Ioun stones and magic gear...if you take those from Karzoug he has about a 15 str if I remember rightly...I used that as a base to set Sorshens physical stats ;)
So what a girl cant be strong? Or be decked out in magic gear?
So what a girl cant be strong? Or be decked out in magic gear?
Sure a girl can be strong...I just don't think Sorshen happens to be one of them ;) I may revise that opinion if they release an image of her at 6+ feet tall and built like the she-hulk...but until then I'll assume that she had something in the average Azlanti woman's strength range...and as a wizard used items and spells to buff herself same as Karzoug ;)
Giving a low level PC the magic items of a Runelord would be WAAAAY over the top in my opinion....BYMMV
The way i did it was to change the PCs race with Azlanti, that is they lost everything of their previous race and gained the things the Azlanti had (that is human but instead of a single +2 they had six +2, one on each ability score).
It happened to the human barbarian PC so she gained a +2 on DEX, CON, WIS, INT and CHA.
I went with " what would a Runelord do, with nigh-infinite wealth, for her clones? "
Answer: stock up on +5 books for the physical ability scores, stash [other stuff that got lost over the ages] nearby. As I recall, that put my group's sorceress at Str 15, Dex 20 and Con 19. Her character's mental scores didn't change at all, nor did they receive the Azlanti bonus to those ability scores.
Also: Sorshen's weapon of office is a polearm. There's no way she's some proverbially weak sister. ;)
Brienne of Tarth, Runelord of PWNage