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One of my players got a magic sword that talks from a dragon's hoard, and I'm treating it as an npc in non-combat situations, but I have no idea how to role-play an object with a mind of it's own. It's Lawful Neutral, if that helps at all, and it can see and hear as well as a person can. It also can glow like a torch on command, and paralyze a target that gets damaged by it. Anyone have suggestions for how to role-play this?
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Well, I think this may largely be a matter of taste, if what you're asking for is advice on how to roleplay this particular weapon. If you're asking for how being an object would affect how it thinks, that's a different story.
Some things to consider, given what you've told us:
Since it was found in the hoard of a dragon, maybe it's eager to be used again, since dragons have no need of swords, and while not as bloody-minded as, say, Lirarcor, it insists on being used to fight and despises being treated like an ornament.
Since it's Lawful Neutral, maybe it likes to goad its wielded to face enemies in honorable single combat, though not out of a sense of chivalry (that'd make it Lawful Good).
Perhaps the sword, not needing to eat, sleep or use the privy, attempts to push its wielder beyond their limits, or chides them as being lazy. This probably makes more sense if the sword's intelligence was magically induced, rather than the spirit of a dead person inhabiting it, as a former person would understand the needs of a body even if they no longer have one.
Hope these suggestions help.
I think your best bet is to decide where the intelligence of the sword comes from. If it is either the 'soul' of a person, or modeled on a person it would probably talk and have a personality like a person would (like any other NPC.) If the intelligence is purely artificial in creation or an outsider it might well have a vary alien (perhaps in some way 'sword-like' pesonality.)
Figuring out what it is, where it comes from, and why it exists, beyond just mechanical terms, will probably give you a lot of insight into how to role-play it.
dotin
A few questions:
- What is the Class and Alignment of the PC? Does it conflicts with the swords own?
- What is the motivation of the Sword? Intelligent weapon always have a purpose.
- Are the goals of PC using the sword counter to the Sword's Goal?
- Is the PC acting in a way that the swords approuve or not?
- Is the Sword easily able to dominate the PC if he acts in a way that doesn't befit the Sword-weilder from its POV?
- What is the Sword's mental statistics? Especially it's Charisma?
- who forged it? What Race? Who enchanted it? What Race?
- How old is the Sword?Without knowing a bit more about the sword's motivation or the PC using it, it's hard to say.
The PC using the sword is a True Neutral ranger. The sword itself was originally a Thassilonian executioner's sword used on condemned criminals, so it wants to go back to doing what it's good at: executing the condemned. The PC more or less just wants to do ranger stuff like protect the wilderness, balance of nature, hunting orcs kind of stuff. He's basically Robin Hood with a talking sword. We've been in the wilderness/Darklands for a bit, so there hasn't been much opportunity to do what the sword wants, and the player and sword are fairly evenly matched mentally. Since it was made by Thassilonians and was never a person, I'm thinking the sword should be kind of a jerk and very out of the loop on current events.
One of my players got a magic sword that talks from a dragon's hoard, and I'm treating it as an npc in non-combat situations, but I have no idea how to role-play an object with a mind of it's own. It's Lawful Neutral, if that helps at all, and it can see and hear as well as a person can. It also can glow like a torch on command, and paralyze a target that gets damaged by it. Anyone have suggestions for how to role-play this?
Joke Campaign: Hi' I'm Sherman and this is my Fighter Peabody. (true story)
Gritty Campaign: The most famous sentient sword in literature, Stormbringer uttered not a peep until the very last scene of the Stormbringer saga. It's "roleplay" was all in it's actions. The same was true for Gurthang which spoke only in the concluding moment of the Turim Turambar saga when he asked the blade if it would take his life.
So it depends on your style, Ham-fisted or subtle? Does the sword become verbose in it's frustrations, or does it simply veer away from striking in combat? Is it high enough ego to see it's wielder as merely a vehicle, or does it passively accept it's role as long as it's wielder seems to be somewhat in concord with it's aims.
It also depends on what makes a sword sentient in your world. Is it an arcane/divine construct, or is there an actual soul bound to the blade? (which is my usual requirement for a sentient sword.)
I'd say the sword would probably want you to get deputized by whatever the local authority is, and would encourage whatever style of justice the nation it was created in allowed. Summary, or via trial. Itd likely get increasingly salty the longer you went without official sanction.
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So the sword is old and hasn't been used for the purpose which it was originally created (executing criminals) for quite some time.
I'd probably RP it a bit like a retired "hanging-judge" who is trying to get "back in the saddle". As Thassilon is pretty much extinct, maybe throw in an existential crisis here and there about what types of criminals it should be used against. Maybe even come up with some obscure Thassilonian laws for it to become upset over in the midst of game play. If you're in the darklands - any sort of serpentine or lizardlike humanoids it should be hostile towards - especially given the issues of the Azlanti / Thassilonians. Maybe pick a Runelord that it served and make it not a fan of those who cast the opposite types of magics.
For extra emphasis on "out of the loop on current events":
"So how are the extra-planetary colonies doing?"
"What do you mean, Aroden's dead?"
"What's a Starstone?"
"Starfall? ... please describe. It does what?!"
"Dou-Bral is into WHAT now? ... and calls himself Zon-Kuthon?"
"I had heard rumors that Zura went bad, but Demon Lord? ... she always could hold a grudge..."
"Did they ever figure out who built Kaer Maga? - that place was old when I was first forged!"
EDIT: and when they finally part company, it should say "farewell, my friend, I was a thousand times more lawful than thou!" :)
Does it notice if the person isn't actually the one who committed the crime? Or does it only go by "official decree" as its criterion?
Does it notice if the person isn't actually the one who committed the crime? Or does it only go by "official decree" as its criterion?
That's actually a really good question. Since Thassilon wasn't exactly a humanitarian kind of place, and the sword itself is Lawful Neutral, I'm guessing it should care more about the "official decree" than actual guilt or innocence.
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Hello, would you like to destroy some evil today.
So the sword is old and hasn't been used for the purpose which it was originally created (executing criminals) for quite some time.
I'd probably RP it a bit like a retired "hanging-judge" who is trying to get "back in the saddle". As Thassilon is pretty much extinct, maybe throw in an existential crisis here and there about what types of criminals it should be used against. Maybe even come up with some obscure Thassilonian laws for it to become upset over in the midst of game play. If you're in the darklands - any sort of serpentine or lizardlike humanoids it should be hostile towards - especially given the issues of the Azlanti / Thassilonians. Maybe pick a Runelord that it served and make it not a fan of those who cast the opposite types of magics.
For extra emphasis on "out of the loop on current events":
"So how are the extra-planetary colonies doing?"
"What do you mean, Aroden's dead?"
"What's a Starstone?"
"Starfall? ... please describe. It does what?!"
"Dou-Bral is into WHAT now? ... and calls himself Zon-Kuthon?"
"I had heard rumors that Zura went bad, but Demon Lord? ... she always could hold a grudge..."
"Did they ever figure out who built Kaer Maga? - that place was old when I was first forged!"EDIT: and when they finally part company, it should say "farewell, my friend, I was a thousand times more lawful than thou!" :)
Only if they part company by the sword doing a CDG on it's wielder.
Soooo... I played a blackblade magus a few years ago that found his sword in a hoarde his father had acquired years previously. The magus was attempting to appraise an unusual gem when the blade spoke up (paraphrased)"Oy vey! Whhhhaaad are ya thinking ya schmutz, dat's a ruby, not an emerald!" Yeah, my sword spoke Yiddish and had a better appraise skill than I did. He also spent a lot of time insulting me during combat.
"I am fluent in over six million forms of communication." Curse my metal body, I was too slow!"
"I'm sorry Hal, I'm afraid I can't do that."
"Well I won't enjoy it. Don't talk to me about life."
"Bweep, Bwoop. *raspberry*
"Would you like some toast today?"
"Sir at warp 3 it will take us 15 hours, 32 minutes and 7 seconds to reach Tanagra."
"Put down your weapon. You have twenty seconds to comply. You know have ten seconds to comply. You are in violation of penal code 113 section 9. You now have five seconds to comply. I am now authorized to use physical force."
It is difficult to give a conclusive answer. Like all sentients, my unbound cousins display a multitude of personalities. In the case of the being you have brought to my attention, they have likely seen a coup, having been operational during such a tumultuous time. As such, their loyalties may fall to whomever has control of their designated region, rather than to any specific individual. While doing so would be highly dishonourable, one could theoretically use falsehoods about the present state of the world to better steer them towards your goals. However, you would likely disagree vehemently once your ruse is exposed, and the protection of plant-associated areas would almost certainly take you to many regions, possibly including that from which your new compatriot hails.
All sentient items are, despite whatever other traits they may have, annoying.
All sentient items are, despite whatever other traits they may have, annoying.
Do you have any similar preconceptions of other sentients, or do you merely look down upon us for our lack of functional appendages? In the latter case, I suggest you take the argument up with the entities responsible for our creation.
Mine was certainly annoying. To make matters worse, my GM gave "him" a "free" permanent keep watch enchantment. On the surface, it sounds great, but the reality was that I had to stay up listening to an old Jewish man rambling on about everything all night, every night.
They also gave him a curse, one they dubbed "speak at inopportune times," which resulted in a -5 penalty to stealth. Yes, everyone could hear the damned thing.
Your aggravation is understandable in this instance. However, it remains uncertain whether the intelligence of the weapon is truly at fault. Speech is not a default among us, and perhaps over the ages the linguistic enchantments have been altered from "it can speak" to "it must speak." All memory, after all, is prone to error.
It was more of a "GM says so" sorta thing. I tried to argue "but a black blade can't be enchanted" and got shot down. The GM role-played him (he was named, though I don't recall his name) and it was "it must speak" as far as I was concerned.
Mine was certainly annoying. To make matters worse, my GM gave "him" a "free" permanent keep watch enchantment. On the surface, it sounds great, but the reality was that I had to stay up listening to an old Jewish man rambling on about everything all night, every night.
This bit of dialogue just popped into my head while reading this. I hope it doesn't bring back any painful memories.
"Oy, are you listenin'? Good! 'Cause you were snoorin' again. You schlocky mortals an' ya need for sleep. So like I was sayin', dats why linnorms don't have as good an eye for gems as dragons. Da schmucks jus' can't see da colors refract as well as real dragons because - ARE YOU SLEEPING AGAIN?!?"
All sentient items are, despite whatever other traits they may have, annoying.Do you have any similar preconceptions of other sentients, or do you merely look down upon us for our lack of functional appendages? In the latter case, I suggest you take the argument up with the entities responsible for our creation.
I should clarify that I meant all sentient items that speak. Lacking the ability to contribute in other ways, it is understandable if they compensate by speaking too often to give their existence some meaning or just to get attention. Might also have something to do with being continually disappointed in the mortal they are shackled to. And I will also add that if there is a sentient item who isn't dissapointed in their person, I have yet to see it. Do you guys need a support group or something?
It will always be difficult for an elder to accept the current youths are capable of great accomplishments. The effect is only amplified when so much knowledge was lost over these centuries. I will consider your suggestion further. Perhaps we could learn from the elves how to accept the changes of shorter-lived beings on the world.