Hey all,
I just started GMing the second book and I thought it'd be cool if the party could use the Sword of Valor themselves. There's an Evangelist Cleric in the party with the Flagbearer feat, and it'd be cool if he could use it in combat, rather than use it for army rules. Especially since otherwise he'll probably be getting a Banner of Ancient Kings and that'd be just a little bit... boring. I haven't read far enough yet to know if the Sword of Valor will be important to the story, so please notify me if it does. I've also ditched the army rules, so having an actual use for it would be nice.
The item itself.
The Inheritor herself carried this crimson banner into battle during the Shining Crusade. An army commander who carries the Sword of Valor increases the DV and OM of her army by 4 against armies of undead or evil outsiders. Yet the Sword of Valor’s greatest power lies not in offense but in defense. Mounted firmly upon an interior wall in a visible, public place, the Sword of Valor creates a 10-mile-radius area that bars demons and those who worship demons from using teleportation spells and effects and imparts on such creatures a –4 penalty to Armor Class and on all saving throws. Once per month while the banner is mounted on a wall, a worshiper of Iomedae within 30 feet of the banner can use it to summon a planetar to protect the banner and its surroundings for 1 day. Any nonevil creature that sleeps within a 1-mile radius becomes immune to fear effects from demons and demon worshipers for 24 hours.
It's an artifact, so I'd like it to be pretty powerful, but not really game-breakingly so, as Mythic already does that on its own, I feel. I'd like to mimic what the artifact does, but on a much smaller scale. So maybe something like the following:
- 10-mile radius of non-teleportation and -4 to AC and saves could easily be turned into a 10-foot radius, much like a Paladin's Aura of Courage.
- Summoning a Planetar once per month is a bit much, but I like the idea. Maybe once per day Summon Monster a Good-aligned creature based on your level (like Summoner progression).
- Fear immunity would also be cool if it's a 10-foot aura. Maybe a bit larger. I'm not really worried about this one being overpowered. They've got good saves and this would just be icing on the cake.
Any comments? Additions, critique, or whatever would be appreciated.
