Hello community
I need advice. I recently started a campaign with a few friends of mine. As it being the first campaign i am leading, i got interested with the creation of artifact. Because I read the latest chapter of SOUKYUU NO LAPIS LAZULI(because i also am a big fan of mangas and animes) i thought: Hmmmm why not give some sort of powerfull weapon, but with restrains.
This is what i, for now, thought of giving them( it only is one item thought)
Some sort of two handed weapon+2, which if used correctly will "release the limits of their physical attributes" and give them a +4 bonus to strength and dexterity( i am not to sure if i should also give it a +4 on Con), but since their bodys "can not handle the stress" they take 10 points of damage each round. I also thought about giving the a mali on their mental attributes, but i am not so sure about that since i do not know if it will become too weak and no fun to use.
I would like to hear your thoughst about it and if you have something to add please do so. For example if i should change the boni or if i should use the mali and thinks like that. :D
As always sorry for my bad english.
I am going to bed know so i will probably look at the threat tommorow.(In case you are wondering why i am not answering)
I might town down the bonuses a little. An untypped +2 to strength and dex with a -2 to wis and int seems fair. -10 hp per round will either be irrelevant or overkill.
Edit: Actually you know what, I would have this item provide the effects of an unlimited duration rage (but untypped bonuses), including the fatigue when combat ended (probably not going to cause much problem). Maybe add some more stuff after that.
How about this:
+3 Bastard Sword Have it provide a bonus to STR and DEX equal to the user's WIS (Or CHA, your call) modifier x2 (or a static, but rather high bonus) while being wielded, but suffers 1d4-1 points of CON damage each round, and must make a Fortitude saving throw or suffer 1 negative level. Once a negative level is taken, a Will save must be made, or the wielder gets the benefit of the rage spell, but cannot put the blade down until he makes another Will save or is rendered unconscious.
The weapon is pushing you beyond your limits, but no mortal body can maintain such power for long, but the power is intoxicating...a rush that can carry someone swiftly over the edge of sanity. And, we are talking about an artifact here, so it can be pretty potent, and should definitely have some drawbacks.
I'm not familiar with the source material, so if I am out of the ballpark, let me know.
Very Respectfully,
--Bacon
How about this:
+3 Bastard Sword Have it provide a bonus to STR and DEX equal to the user's WIS (Or CHA, your call) modifier x2 (or a static, but rather high bonus) while being wielded, but suffers 1d4-1 points of CON damage each round, and must make a Fortitude saving throw or suffer 1 negative level. Once a negative level is taken, a Will save must be made, or the wielder gets the benefit of the rage spell, but cannot put the blade down until he makes another Will save or is rendered unconscious.
The weapon is pushing you beyond your limits, but no mortal body can maintain such power for long, but the power is intoxicating...a rush that can carry someone swiftly over the edge of sanity. And, we are talking about an artifact here, so it can be pretty potent, and should definitely have some drawbacks.
I'm not familiar with the source material, so if I am out of the ballpark, let me know.
Very Respectfully,
--Bacon
The drawbacks make that weapon so awful I'd never use it. On average it would kill you about in about 10 rounds of combat.
:(
I'd use it. But as a warrior-type I've got a pretty good Fortitude save.
Very Respectfully,
--Bacon
:(
I'd use it. But as a warrior-type I've got a pretty good Fortitude save.
Very Respectfully,
--Bacon
It's not the negative level I'm worried about. It's the 1d4-1 con damage with no save I'm worried about.
Constitution: Damage to your Constitution score causes you to take penalties on your Fortitude saving throws. In addition, multiply your total Hit Dice by this penalty and subtract that amount from your current and total hit points. Lost hit points are restored when the damage to your Constitution is healed. A character with a Constitution score of 0 is dead.
would 1d2-1 be appropriate?
Very Respectfully,
--Bacon
would 1d2-1 be appropriate?
Very Respectfully,
--Bacon
Thats better, at least its not certain death. But anything that deals the user con damage is still something I'd be hesitant to use. At high levels though it would probably be okay.
You might add in that the item doesn't function for creatures that are immune to ability damage or negative levels.
First of all i thank you for your ideas Claxon and Bacon.
I think of the ability boost of the sword as something you can activate and not something that is always activated. If it is not activated it still is a +3 Bastard Sword or something like that. I think that the 1d4 -1 CON dmg is good, because i want it to be something they can use as last resort and not something they can use in every single battle.
But thinking of the penalty for using it would be too high, I thought about this: For every 10 CON dmg the charakter takes the dice would go from d4 to d3 to d2 to d1, but only if the CON damage is not healed by any magic, but through resting.
I like the rage feature very much so i defenitly going to add it.
Now what do you think about reducing the dice of the CON dmg? I would tell it this way to my players: Your body is getting used to get his limit removed. YOur muscels and your tendonds get used to beeing torn and they get harder and harder each time they rip.
Every 10 con damage? So, it will happen once? If you have a barbarian wielding it maybe twice. Then he's dead. It's hard to get a con significantly above 20 unless you're just focusing on pumping your con above strength or dex.
I think maybe you need to look at the artifacts here to get an idea for how to balance them.
Remember, if ultimately all your players decide that the risk isn't worth the use you've created a worthless artifact. It might be better to balance it by giving it a limited number of uses per day then something that will deal a large amount of damage to the user every round. For a level 20 character who takes 2 con damage they will lose 40 hp.
I really like Better with Bacon's idea, but would add in a haste effect. Or create some scaling advantages (increase the enhancement bonus/multiplier ever few levels, grants increasing abilities to bypass DR, grants the user's charisma bonus as an addition to the users strength/dex scores, etc).
Oh, here is a nice add on: the user can grant the same bonus he gets to others as well (he has to get it, he may grant it o his allies)...but he takes extra con damage each round, per additional person. It would help out the whole party, but come as a nasty cost.
Personally, I would never, ever consider any amount of Con damage an acceptable cost for anything as a frontliner, especially not per round. I need my precious HP and Fort saves.
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I wouldn't never consider Con damage to be acceptable, but it had better be a really good bonus.
+4 Str and Dex is not enough for me to take d4-1 Con damage per round.
+4 Str and Dex and an extra attack at full BAB whether I take a full attack or not might be enough, but since the Con damage is probably going to cost me at least a round or two of action, I'd worry that the buff might not be enough to compensate for that.
+4 Str and Dex and an extra attack and an expanded crit range or damage modifier or automatically confirm crits and maybe ferocity...
Thanks for your advice i will work over it again and think about the story behind it and what effect it may and so on. I will properbly open a new threat at that time.
But for now i am really gratefull for all of you who gave me suggestions.
Again thank you.